Abstract Maps of Cyberspace

1
Cyber Geography Research
Mapping the World-Wide Web
Martin Dodge Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis
(CASA) University College London www.cybergeograp
hy.org
2
Introduction

• various
• visual metaphors
• dimension (2D, 2.5D, 3D)
• static - dynamic
• levels of user interactivity
• types of maps
• individual site maps
• dynamic surf maps
• web directory maps

3
Hand-crafted Site Maps
Many examples, see Paul Kahns seminar on Web
Site Mapping (http//www.dynamicdiagrams.com/)
4
Site Lens from Inxight Software
(http//www.inxight.com)
5
MAPA Site Map by Dynamic Diagrams
(http//www.dynamicdiagramscom/)
6
Astra SiteManager (http//www.merc-int.com/produc
ts/astrasitemanager/)
7
Hyperbolic Space by Tamara Munzner, Stanford
University (http//www-graphics.stanford.edu/munz
ner/)
SiteManager from SGI (http//www.sgi.com/software/
sitemgr.html)
8
Dynamic Surf Maps
SurfSerf
Nestor Navigator by Romain Zeiliger (http//www.ga
te.cnrs.fr/zeiliger/nestor.htm)
9
HyperSpace system University of
Birmingham (http//www.cs.bham.ac.uk/amw/hyperspa
ce/www95/)
10
WebPath by Emmanuel Frécon Gareth
Smith (http//www.comp.lancs.ac.uk/computing/users
/gbs/webpath/)
11
Harmony 3D information landscape by Keith
Andrews (ftp//ftp.iicm.edu/pub/papers/ivis95.pdf)
12
I/O/D 4 Web Stalker (http//www.backspace.org/iod/
)
13
Web Site Directory University of
Wolverhampton (http//www.scit.wlv.ac.uk/ukinfo/uk
.map.html)
14
Entertainment (1st level)
Jazz (3rd level)
ET-Map by the AI Lab, University of
Arizona (http//ai2.bpa.Arizona.edu/ent/)
Music (2nd level)
15
WEBSOM document map Neural Networks Research
Centre Helsinki University of
Technology (http//websom.hut.fi/)
(a)
(e)
16
NewsMap by Cartia (http//www.newsmaps.com/)
17
Tim Brays Web site landscape (http//www5conf.inr
ia.fr/fich_html/papers/P9/Overview.html)
18
HotSauce FlyThru by R.V.Guha, Apple
Research (http//www.xspace.net/hotsauce/)
19
Conclusions

• are the maps just eye candy?
• major usability issues
• killer map is yet to be drawn
• I want the Tube map for the Web
• potential developments
• surf maps integrated into the browser
• search engine result maps
• further info
• http//www.casa.ucl.ac.uk/martin/amster.pdf
• http//www.cybergeography.org/atlas