The core of geographic information visualization is map making, which is characterized by the map maker usually being the map user. Potential map makers are becoming more and more, most of them are deficient in the knowledge background of cartography. It is necessary for them to derive popular map design knowledge from the complex map theories and methods to guide the practice of geographic information visualization. As an exploration into methodology, this paper has initially probed into and formed the conceptual model of geographic information visualization duality with dualistic analysis as the basic method, in the hope of establishing a framework which is easy to understand and to follow as a "map-making guide". The paper firstly expounds the theoretical basis of dualism from such aspects as geography, linguistics and philosophy; then elaborates the object matter of the methodology of dualism in geographic information visualization by developing from such two aspects as the signifier and the signified of geographic information visualization, with the semiotic linguistics as the paradigm; and finally draws a conclusion. Studies show that: the geographic information and the map design are of duality each other; the duality model of geographic information visualization is "easily understand" and "easily follow".

Date Published: 25 July 2007
PDF: 10 pages
Proc. SPIE 6753, Geoinformatics 2007: Geospatial Information Science, 67530D (25 July 2007); doi: 10.1117/12.761362

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 6753:
Geoinformatics 2007: Geospatial Information Science
Jingming Chen; Yingxia Pu, Editor(s)