On application of animation in cartography

Na wstępie omówiono historię wykorzystania animacji w kartografii. Następnie nakreślono zagadnienia najczęściej omawiane w literaturze oraz wskazano te, które zdaniem autora są szczególnie ważne dla dalszego rozwoju szeroko pojętych animacji kartograficznych.The history of relations of maps and animations can be the starting point for discussing the purpose of the use of animation in cartography. Views on the history of animation in cartography differ but their authors apply similar criteria to establish periods in the history of ..moving" maps. These periods are usually linked to technical development, however the topic can be approached also from the point of view of the prevailing research areas of the time. Four periods in the development of cartographic animation can be determined: - first - from mid 1930s until the end of 1950s, - second - from late 1950s until mid 1980s, - third - from the second half of the 1980s until mid 1990s, - fourth - from the second half of the 1990s until today. In the first period researchers did not engage in elaboration of ..moving" maps. It was due to high costs of using film technique at that time. In the second period cartographers joined the discussion on the use of animation. The second period had two stages: the pre-computer stage and the computer stage. Because development of animated picture was quite expensive in either film or computer technique, the development of technology was not met with any significant reaction from scientific circles. The third period is marked with the increase of interest in ..moving" maps which in the beginning concerned mostly the technical side of the cartographic animation elaboration. Later the issue of their application to present specific topics was also taken up. In the last period the scientists started to approach the issue of cartographic animation elaboration more frequently. The application of "moving" maps became the main subject of discussion. Current problems with the application of animation in cartography cannot be definitely classified. However, the issues most frequently discussed in literature can be pointed out. These include: a) terminology and classification of cartographic animations, b) editing of cartographic animations, c) technical elaboration, storage and publishing of cartographic animations, d) use of cartographic animations. Of all the above, the use of cartographic animation is the most important. It is the usability of animation which determines its efficiency. In other words, efficiency is a marker of usefulness of cartographic animation. Application of cartographic animations at school, for research purposes, to show variations of river network, changes of settlement, etc. is justified only when such form of presentation is efficient. It is the issue of efficiency which needs further research