Geovisualization

Geovisualization—short for geographic visualization—is an interdisciplinary field that combines cartographyCartographyCartography is the practice of designing and producing maps to visually represent spatial data. It serves diverse pur..., information visualization, and exploratory data analysis to help users discover patterns, relationships, and anomalies in geospatial dataGeospatial DataGeospatial data encompasses information about the location, shape, and relationships of physical features on Earth. I... through interactive visual tools. Unlike traditional cartography that aims to present a finished message, geovisualization emphasizes exploration: users interact with maps, charts, and 3D views to formulate hypotheses and gain insights. Key techniques include linked views (where selecting features on a map highlights them in an accompanying scatter plot or histogram), dynamic filtering (adjusting sliders to show only data meeting certain criteria), brushing (hovering over elements to reveal details), and animation (playing data through time). These techniques transform maps from passive displays into active analytical instruments. Geovisualization tools range from desktop applications like GeoDa (focused on spatial statistics) and ArcGISArcGISArcGIS is a leading GIS platform offering tools for spatial analysis, mapping, and data visualization. It serves a wi... Insights to web-based platforms like kepler.glKepler.glKepler.gl is an open-source geospatial analysis tool for large-scale data visualization. Developed by Uber, it provid..., CARTOCARTOCARTO is a cloud-native location intelligence platform that enables organizations to analyze and visualize geospatial..., and Observable notebooks using D3.js. The field draws on research by Alan MacEachren, Menno-Jan Kraak, and others who have formalized how visual variables, interaction design, and cognitive science intersect in geographic analysis. As datasets grow larger and more complex, geovisualization becomes increasingly essential for making sense of spatiotemporal patterns across domains like public health, climate science, urban analytics, and business intelligence.