iMap Module
The iMap
Module is the mapping engine and visualization environment of the STATLAS
project. It provides the functionality that manipulates the cartographic
attributes of the data and then draws the data into the graphical user
interface. Plug-ins coded with C++ within the iMap module control the
importing of the geographic, as well as the statistical data. IMap makes
use of industry standard file formats when available, such as Geography
Markup Languange (GML) for the geographic data and Generic Statistical
Message (GESMES) for the statistical data. It is within the iMap module
that the statistical data are geo-referenced and attached to their corresponding
geographical objects.
The use of plug-ins within the iMap module is very important because they
allow further extensibility of the module functions without having to
rewrite any code that is part of the iMap module itself. This allows for
further functionality to be added without significant changes to the iMap
module.
Atlas entities [content] and symbolization
[up]
Atlases are
generally considered a higher form of cartography, as in their production
there is both an extra planning and an extra structural dimension. It
is not one map that has to be ready at a specific time, but perhaps a
hundred and these maps, which are related to each other. Atlases are intentional
combination of maps, structured in such a way that given objectives are
reached.
There is a considerable number of atlases covering a wide variety of thematic
areas but their content varies. Therefore, there is a need for a minimum
level of standardization of the atlas content; an issue that has been
addressed in the framework of the STATLAS project resulted to a comprehensive
description of the content of statistical atlases.
Color is
one of the fundamental attributes of cartographic symbols and is used
to support the identification and discrimination between symbols and thus
the visual (graphic) communication. It is applied to all classes of symbols,
in all categories of maps, serving the aspect of the perception. Color
maps are strongly preferable as being more legible and provide more design
options.
Although the kind of symbols used for the portrayal of the geographical
and statistical entities portrayed on an atlas has been addressed by a
number of organizations and individual researchers, there is no documented
approach on the color schemes, which should be utilized and the way the
individual color patterns should be graduated. This issue has been addressed
in the development of STATLAS and an analytical methodology has been developed,
which can be utilized for the selection and portrayal of color patterns
in the framework of an electronic atlas
