Worlds of Information: The Geographic Metaphor in the Visualization of Complex Information

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Abstract
This paper explores the potential of the geographic metaphor in helping generate systematic, flexible, and powerful visualizations of textual information. It is part of a larger project aiming at the development of a general spatialization framework for complex non-spatial information. The focus here is on two fundamental questions: first, what is the cognitive rationale for applying the geographic metaphor to non-spatial information; and second, what may be the significance of basic geographic concepts such as place, way, and region within information spaces represented as geographic landscapes. Following a discussion of information spaces in general, the paper examines the notions of situated and embedded cognition, and some principles for the design of spatializations deriving from these. The next section considers the potential meanings, uses, and presentation modes of the geographic concepts of place, way, and region within a spatialized representation of (textual) information. The final discussion and conclusions point towards an informal research agenda for further work in that area.

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