Kraak’s article titled “Geovisualization illustrated” discusses the concept of geovisualization. What I thought was particularly interesting was the idea that the visual representation of data is exploratory, and can facilitate the development of research questions and the generation of knowledge. In this way, data becomes the center of scientific exploration- it is what guides and drives research, placing the inductive approach to science at the forefront. The power of geovisualiztion is in the multitude of ways it allows us to better understand data. The limits of geovisulization are in bounds to creativity of the researcher and the computational tools used showcase data. I think Big Data will encourage improvements in geocomputational methods and techniques needed to process large amounts of information into digestible, readable and informative images. To limit the “creative challenges” greater collaboration will be needed.
Another exciting aspect about geovisualization that was not discussed in the article, is the importance it plays in the translation and diffusion of large amount of information to the public. The challenge of geovisulization then becomes how to effectively and accurately illustrate concepts or ideas through images.
A side note that I think is worth mentioning is that the standards used in geovisualization are characteristics of cultural and cartographic norms used in the West. Learning about ways space and time are visually represented by other cultures might enable us to gain a deeper understanding of our data and more effectively communicate ideas across cultures using maps and images.
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