Geographic information systems (GISs) have provided profound advances in computational capacities to store, manipulate, and present spatial data over the last few decades, and their continued development in future years will continue to affect the ways that people view and analyze spatial patterns and processes. Rapidly increasing use of GISs has been matched by development of increasingly detailed spatial databases. These databases contain enormous amounts of information, which greatly enhances possibilities for addressing fundamental scientific questions, but their size and complexity makes identification of which data are appropriate for specific analyses much more difficult. Sophisticated procedures for accessing relevant data for focused inquiries are being developed, but much less attention has been given to development of procedures for summary visual analysis of related spatial data. Just as many geographic patterns and processes have been identified and analyzed through visual comparisons of hard- copy maps, comparable means are needed for exploring "electronic atlases." This project will address the theoretical and software requirements to permit orderly investigations of multi-temporal spatial databases. Using knowledge about systematic variations in geographic and temporal data, the investigator will develop several procedures for the automatic generation of sequences of maps, statistical diagrams, and other graphics for detecting and highlighting salient spatial relationships. Special attention will be given to development of an interactive graphic interface, which will allow database users to control the pace and direction of the analysis and to focus on specific patterns, relationships, or places. New procedures developed during this process will be assessed during focus-group discussions with academics and practitioners. This project should contribute to expansion of theoretical frameworks dealing with the presentation and analysis of spatial data. It also will contribute directly to development of software and other technological advances that ultimately will enhance the research and educational capabilities of a large number of scientists and practitioners who use geographic data.
