How Maps Work: Representation, Visualization, and Design [Paperback]

Alan M. MacEachren PhD (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 21, 2004 | ISBN-10: 157230040X | ISBN-13: 978-1572300408 | Edition: 1

Now available in paperback for the first time, this classic work presents a cognitive-semiotic framework for understanding how maps work as powerful, abstract, and synthetic spatial representations. Explored are the ways in which the many representational choices inherent in mapping interact with information processing and knowledge construction, and how the resulting insights can be used to make informed symbolization and design decisions. A new preface to the paperback edition situates the book within the context of contemporary technologies. As the nature of maps continues to evolve, Alan MacEachren emphasizes the ongoing need to think systematically about the ways people interact with and use spatial information.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Should be required reading for anyone making maps."--C. E. Tiedemann, University of Illinois at Chicago

"Alan MacEachren has made a significant and important contribution to our understanding of cartography. The map is as old as societies themselves and is a fundamental building block of human knowledge. This book should be mandatory reading for all those interested in the role of maps in the emerging information era."--D. R. F. Taylor, past president, International Cartographic Association

"I believe this book to be a milestone in the literature of cartography. There have been texts on the history, on the production/design and to aid the teaching of maps and mapping but there has never been such a comprehensive and balanced examination of maps as tools....With its rich array of subtopics, levels of treatment and specialized sections worthy of deep quarrying, and also its extensive and fascinating range of illustrations, I believe that this book can command a wide and varied readership. It will certainly become a foundation stone in my own teaching and research library."--Michael Wood, Centre for Remote Sensing and Mapping Science, Department of Geography, University of Aberdeen, Scotland

"In looking at maps as spatial representations that stimulate other spatial representations, Alan MacEachren provides an insightful and coherent examination of the cognitive mechanisms underlying map reading and map analysis. How Maps Work is a tour de force for academic cartography and other fields concerned with perceptual, cognitive, and metaphysical aspects of spatial information--a masterful synthesis of interest to anyone curious about the map as a unique and valuable tool for exploration, discovery, and hypothesis testing."--Mark Monmonier, Department of Geography, Syracuse University

"This clearly is an important book....A thoughtful and thought-provoking intellectual treatise on the role of graphic representation in human perception, cognition, visualization, and communication. Although the vehicle for this journey is the geographic map, you will learn a great deal about yourself and your interaction with the environment along the way."--URISA Journal

(URISA Journal 20040623)

"I used the book in a graduate seminar series....The book created a fabric for discussion which was rich enough and broad enough to support extensive and intensive scrutiny....I recommend it to mapping science and GIS professionals, to scientists working in computer vision, to everyone whose work involves creation of, or inference about, representations of spatial information."--Environment and Planning B: Planning and Design

(Environment and Planning B: Planning and Design 20040623)

About the Author

Alan M. MacEachren is currently Professor of Geography and Director of the GeoVISTA Center at The Pennsylvania State University. In addition to researching cognitive and semiotic aspects of how maps work, he is active in the development of interactive systems for geographic visualization and in understanding and enabling group work with geospatial information and technologies. He is the author of Some Truth with Maps and coeditor of Visualization in Modern Cartography.

Product Details

• Paperback: 513 pages
• Publisher: The Guilford Press; 1 edition (June 21, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 157230040X
• ISBN-13: 978-1572300408
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 1.3 x 10 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #729,783 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #80 in Books > Professional & Technical > Professional Science > Earth Sciences > Cartography

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Solid book, full of insight October 31, 2001

By Information designer

Format:Hardcover

This is an exceptionally thorough guide to map representation both in design and function. If you love maps or use them a lot in your work, this is a truly great book to own. It covers both functional and lexical mapping techniques from both visual perception/cognition and semiotic design perspectives. Pose any question about mapping and this book can probably help you find the answer to it. This book will especially please information designers/architects.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Tons of information, but very poorly presented October 29, 2007

By Shashikant Penumarthy

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

A book of such depth and with so much information packed into such little space deserves no less than five stars-unless the presentation is so poor that reading becomes a chore!

Make no mistake: this is a superb textbook. You get exactly what the title says: a comprehensive guide to principles of psychology, perception, semiotics, design, visualization-you name it. If there is an issue in the world that concerns map design, chances are excellent that you will find it in this book. The author is an expert in the field and it shows. If you think you can get beyond the usability problems, by all means buy this book and it will keep you thinking for a very long time.

Yet, for a book that has 'design' in its sub-title, clearly the design of the book itself was done with little consideration for the reader. The type is small, needs a better font and is cluttered with references, (text in parentheses) and "quoted phrases". It doesn't help that the text is poorly justified resulting in a ridiculous amount of hyphenation. You don't have to really read the whole book to see what I mean-just look at the table of contents. Does that look like a book designed by someone who cares about psychology, design, perception and visual presentation? There isn't even any space to take notes.

If you are used to reading scientific papers, you won't have much trouble because their presentation is usually far worse. Otherwise, be prepared for a rough ride.

5.0 out of 5 stars The bible of (cartographic) information visualization January 25, 2012

By J. Donaldson

Format:Paperback

Information visualization, or "infoviz" has come into its own in recent years. While it has many pundits and scholars, there's nothing in the literature that approaches the breadth and quality of this book. MacEachren wisely states that the book is geared more towards cartographic concerns, rather than more generic information visualization applications. However, the vast majority of this enormous book is relevant for any information visualization application.

That said, the relative quality and importance of this book is higher for individuals making more complex visualizations. If you're just beginning, there are better options available.