GEOG184c – exercise 6
spring, 2006
due: week 7 beginning of lab
Flash Map Critique and Review
This week’s lab does not involve any fancy flash programming, or annoying GIS tasks. This week’s
lab is intended to get you to think. We want you to look at an existing online flash map on the
internet and dissect it. More Specifically, we want you to pick one of the sites below (after browsing
all of them) and critique the map. You will be asked to analyze certain aspects of the map, and in the
end present a brief and informal review of the map in class next Thursday.
You will be graded on two parts of this assignment.
1. A 2pg. written review of the map, due next week in lab.
2. A brief 3-5 minute talk about the map next Thursday in lecture.
You must address interactivity and map design thoroughly in both your write-up review, and your
verbal review. Also, be sure to begin both the written and verbal critiques with a general
introduction to the map IN YOUR OWN WORDS. Describe the purpose, and the intended
audience of the map.
Interaction:
Can you navigate around the map? How? Zoom in/out? Pan? Is it easy to do this,
complicated, self-explanitory, etc.? How would you do this? How would you make it
better?
Can you understand what you can do with the map? Does it need instructions? Are any
instructions provided?
Is the data static or dynamic (e.g., updated or animated)?
How much interaction is there?
How would you do this in flash? What features are used? Movie clips? Buttons? What do
movie clips do? What can buttons do?
What do you think that you need to do in order to pan? You don't
need to write the code, but what sort of commands do you think that
you would use?
Map Design:
How would you assess the overall design of this map?
How could it be improved?
Describe the visual variables that are used in the map?
Describe how each of dynamic variables that are used? Duration, rate of change, order
Lastly, if you were grading this map, what grade would you give it? What comments would you give
the cartographer?
Here are a list of online maps for you to choose from (make sure you look at them all before picking
one):
http://www.etoncollege.com/interactive/interactive_1024.html
http://www.nytimes.com/packages/html/politics/2004_ELECTIONGUIDE_GRAPHIC/
http://www.skiptonweb.co.uk/flashmap/
http://www.bu.edu/visit/maps-flash/index.php
http://www.newseum.org/todaysfrontpages/flash/
http://www.urban75.org/cardiff/map.html
http://www.reddotinc.com/pano/index1.html
http://www.obleek.com/iraq/
http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/asia_earthquake/cbcairgid/cbcnews_dia.html
http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/election-test-fl,0,1851284.flash
http://www.keeptexasmoving.org/flash/interactive_map/interactive.htm
http://www.glasgowmuseums.com/maps/GMFlash.htm
http://www.uc.edu/architect/UCWebmap/EastCampus/UCeast.html
http://www.smartshanghai.com/maps/smsh_map.php
http://www.qantas.com.au/content/dyn/routemaps/int/index
http://www.utexas.edu/maps/flash/
http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/info/flashmap/index.html;jsessionid=12FE039ECF1
7079B49E9CB761450756D.app03
http://www.geography.wisc.edu/archiveNews/2006/map/CampusVisitorsMapZoomify/20
06_VisitorMap.html
https://mywebspace.wisc.edu/bcsheesley/web/AmericanBirkebeiner.html
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