Abstract:
We present a method for automatically building typographic maps that merge
text and spatial data into a visual representation where text alone forms the
graphical features. We further show how to use this approach to visualize
spatial data such as traffic density, crime rate, or demographic data. The
technique accepts a vector representation of a geographic map and spatializes
the textual labels in the space onto polylines and polygons based on
user-defined visual attributes and constraints. Our sample implementation
runs as a Web service, spatializing shape files from the OpenStreetMap
project into typographic maps for any region.