Feedback sought on Triptik-style maps for Curiosity traverse |
Feedback sought on Triptik-style maps for Curiosity traverse |
Aug 4 2014, 05:54 AM
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#16
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Newbie Group: Members Posts: 1 Joined: 12-April 14 Member No.: 7169 |
Regarding contour lines and elevation data: I suggest that adding a limited set of contour lines to the map would be simple but effective communication.
How about showing where 10-meter contours (or 5- or 20-meters ??) intersect the rover's route? And extend the lines just a short distance to either side of the route. That would make the most vital information available at a glance - how steep is the terrain? What is the cumulative change? - without too much visual clutter. Adding data to every sol's text on the sidebar might be useful, or it might contribute to a case of too much data. |
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Aug 4 2014, 04:00 PM
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#17
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Member Group: Members Posts: 910 Joined: 4-September 06 From: Boston Member No.: 1102 |
Emily
"I find the consistency of the suggestion to flip the orientation interesting. I would much, much rather read from top to bottom, myself, just like with the text for the book; but the fact that several people suggested reversing it suggests I should at least try it." You are creating Map-Chart objects. If you consider them mainly Charts, then they should read top down, if you consider them mainly annotated maps, then it should read bottom up. -------------------- |
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Aug 4 2014, 05:27 PM
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#18
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Member Group: Members Posts: 140 Joined: 20-November 07 Member No.: 3967 |
Map-Chart objects. Nice observation, Floyd. The horizontal Header bars contribute to the apprehension of these things as charts. This is fine, maybe better, if you keep them unflipped. But if you flip them, then best to employ graphical maneuvers to imply annotations. That is, if flipped, then use even a lighter gray than jmknapp did. Or even retry bold font. Maybe bold font underlined? |
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Aug 5 2014, 05:55 AM
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#19
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Junior Member Group: Members Posts: 24 Joined: 9-June 14 From: Fresh Meadows, NY Member No.: 7197 |
I thought about this for a while tonight. What bothers me about the map is that I don't know what I need to take away from it. What are the most important things I should be seeing? Your rough draft tells me that the drives are the most important, followed by the black and white bars at the map edge. Joe's modification removes the weight from the drives which allows one's eye to wander more freely, which is good but at the same time I feel almost no guidance at all. I'm guessing that color is not allowed, which is a shame for such a packed graphic. It's tough to guide the viewer with a whole dimension missing.
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Aug 6 2014, 12:03 AM
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#20
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Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 1044 Joined: 17-February 09 Member No.: 4605 |
This is a valuable project and I look forward to release of the book. Personally I would stick with the initial map orientation that you were obviously comfortable with. Everyone has their own personal preference but I was very comfortable with your presentation. There is a clear danger of information overload and clutter if all the suggestions were incorporated. I assume that the visual presentation of the maps will be cross referenced to explanatory text as appropriate for waypoints or findings of interest and it is there that relevant information such as elevation change on a drive (or series of short drives) or the height of features could be set out. I did note that you designate distant features such as "Jetty" and "Kennedy Mt" that are not designated as camera targets or mentioned in the notes, so I presume that they would be referred to elsewhere in the book, otherwise their inclusion does little. I guess the bottom line is that the scope of information on the maps should be tailored to fit the scope of your target audience. It depends whether you are going for the wide audience achieved by "Postcards from Mars" or the more limited Mars enthusiasts.
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Aug 6 2014, 02:06 PM
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#21
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Member Group: Members Posts: 140 Joined: 20-November 07 Member No.: 3967 |
I have to say, for all I argued earlier for flipping the map, I personally have no problem reading the map from top down. I suspect that's true for most everyone who use maps a lot, and I'm guessing that's representative of your target audience.
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