GRAPHICAL USER INTERFACES ON THE TRANSISTION BETWEEN INFORMATION SYSTEMS AND INTERACTION SYSTEMS

This paper examines the various conceptual models that are used for cartographic information systems and which we are now adapting for cartographic interaction systems. In the last decade, cartographers have been busy re-inventing the cartographic sciences within the context of electronic media. What began as cartographic information systems billing themselves as interactive, has grown into truly interactive cartographic systems. As the systems change, the designers’ conceptual model of the user interface, as well as the metaphorics used in the model, must also change in order to keep up with the increase in interactivity. In the past, an advanced conceptual model of a cartographic information system’s user interface would include concepts limited to spatial navigation (i.e., zooming, panning, etc.), some thematic navigation (i.e., control of data layers, selection of pre-configured data, etc.) and very little else. Thus, conceptual models used in designing cartographic information systems have weaknesses and limitations that must be addressed when designing cartographic interaction systems. The evolution of conceptual models is demonstrated during the GUI design process of the STATLAS (Statistical Atlas of the European Union) project. STATLAS is a multi-institution, multidiscipline project funded by the European Union in order to create a multimedia statistical atlas of the EU member states. The STATLAS project offers a unique opportunity to study the transition between “information systems ” and “interaction systems ” because the GUI itsel