Geointerpretation: The Interpretive Potential of Maps

Abstract

Interpretive centers are well-known sources of geographic information—providing visitors with maps and facts about noteworthy places. Yet research on the effectiveness of interpretation in conveying geographic information is limited. Managing natural and cultural resources creates a need to communicate to the public about these places at both small and large scales. This raises the question of how people perceive different types of spaces and how they learn geographic and spatial information. This paper reviews the literature on spatial cognition, providing a theoretical and empirical basis to suggest strategies for interpretation. The recommendations of this paper are to: 1) design geographic interpretation around the three components of spatial knowledge; 2) create interpretive maps by blending the principles of map and exhibit design; and 3) provide visitors with multiple opportunities to learn about a geographic setting. Maps have considerable potential as tools for connecting visitors to the meaning of places.

How Can Geoscience Communication Foster Public Engagement with Geoconservation?

“…Geological heritage communication practices for lay public include in situ interpretation, like panels (e.g., Moreira 2012 ; Bruno and Wallace 2019 ; Mansur and Silva 2011 ; Macadam 2018 ), museums (e.g., Reis et al 2014 ; Van Geert 2019 ), interactive exhibitions (e.g., Venturini and Mariotto 2019 ), geotrails, books, brochures and maps (e.g., Bartuś 2015 ; Bailey et al 2007 ; Rodrigues and Neto de Carvalho 2009 ), TV series (Lugeri et al 2015 ), guided visits, virtual reality tools (Tibaldi et al 2020 ), or virtual tours (e.g., Martínez-Graña et al 2013 ).…”

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“…Maps can greatly influence the success of a region (Ashworth 2011), for they play a significant role in how we discover, learn, and communicate information about the world. While maps should be fundamental tools used in planning a trip (Richmond and Keller 2003), they are an underutilized resource in tourism (Bailey et al 2012). Bailey et al (2012) found that although most visitors use maps to acquire spatial knowledge, many maps in informational brochures and at tourist kiosks suffer from poor design.…”

“…While maps should be fundamental tools used in planning a trip (Richmond and Keller 2003), they are an underutilized resource in tourism (Bailey et al 2012). Bailey et al (2012) found that although most visitors use maps to acquire spatial knowledge, many maps in informational brochures and at tourist kiosks suffer from poor design.…”

POI Symbol Design in Web Cartography—A Comparative Study

“…A well-designed map provides tourists with explicit orientation and is easy to use; a poor design, on the other hand, might waste users' time and even mislead them [6]. Nowadays, a number of maps suffer from poor design [7]. Travel map design deserves scientific attention for several reasons: scale, appropriateness of cartographic symbolism and text, the effectiveness of graphic language, layout, the inclusion of insets and photographs, depiction of transportation and tourism infrastructure and illustration of parks and recreation areas [8].…”