Title: A preventing method for overlapping focuses in a Focus+Glue+Context Map

Authors: Hiroya Mizutani; Daisuke Yamamoto; Naohisa Takahashi

Addresses: Graduate School of Engineering, Nagoya Institute of Technology, Gokiso, Showa, Nagoya, Aichi 466-8555, Japan ' Graduate School of Engineering, Nagoya Institute of Technology, Gokiso, Showa, Nagoya, Aichi 466-8555, Japan; Core Research for Evolutional Science and Technology, Japan Science and Technology Agency, K's Gobancho, 7, Gobancho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, 102-0076 Japan ' Graduate School of Engineering, Nagoya Institute of Technology, Gokiso, Showa, Nagoya, Aichi 466-8555, Japan

Abstract: We have previously developed a Focus+Glue+Context-type fisheye view map system called Emma. Emma shows maps of different scales on the same display region, so that users can use wide maps (Context) and confirm details (Focuses) simultaneously. However, when multiple Focuses overlap, Emma is problematic in that road-network connections cannot be correctly drawn. In this paper, we propose the Water Drop method as a solution to this problem. It prevents overlapping by transforming Focuses much in the same way that drops of water are transformed, united, and divided due to surface tension. In order to prove the efficiency of the proposed method, we also developed the Overlap Repulsion method as a baseline approach. It prevents overlapping by moving the inactive Focuses away from the active Focus when an active Focus overlaps inactive Focuses. We conducted three experimental evaluations from the point of view of the both usability of the interface and map visibility.

Keywords: water drops metaphor; transformation; Focus+Glue+Context; fisheye view; web map services; Emma; human interface; visualisation; map scales; overlapping; maps.

DOI: 10.1504/IJKWI.2013.052725

International Journal of Knowledge and Web Intelligence, 2013 Vol.4 No.1, pp.50 - 69

Published online: 18 Mar 2013 *

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