Static versus Interactive Maps

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A static map is a picture that may be sent and displayed independently of any specialized

software, but the person who is using it is unable to make any changes to it themselves. The

delivery of static maps can take the form of a digital file (such as PNG, JPG, or PDF), they can be

incorporated into digital presentations, or they can be printed on paper or another medium. A

dynamic map that can be used in conjunction with other objects. The user has complete control

over panning, zooming, and selecting different map layers. JavaScript is used to illustrate a map

on a website or in an application. Static map that is nothing more than an image that was uploaded

to the website using some basic HTML (Herman et al., 2018).

Static Maps allow developers to generate maps with only a few code lines and, in many cases, a

html File image tag. Static maps are indeed very quick to load. Depending as to whether the

picture is previously cached, the average load time for Static Maps can range anywhere from 100

milliseconds to 425 milliseconds across a wide variety of use cases and geographic locations.

Customers including Strava, Snap, Lyft, Yahoo! Japan, Shopify, and others utilize Static Maps to

reduce the amount of time it takes for their users' pages to load and to increase engagement.

The advantages of a static map include the following: It is simpler and cheaper to create It is easy

to use and does not require any technical expertise The sponsor can regulate how users view the
data The promoter can use the site's topography and product design to tell a particular story

Static maps can be created quickly and easily.

The difficulties associated with utilizing a static map Users are unable to alter the maps in any

way to better suit their requirements. It is more difficult to layer indications in order to analyze

trends. It may be difficult for consumers to examine dense information unless they have the

ability to zoom in. The sponsor normally needs to develop a new map in order to update or edit

the maps (Marongiu & Dell’Oro 2022).

A web or handheld device can be used to examine an interactive map, which refers to a map that

has been incorporated into specialized software. Interaction with the map might take place

between the user and the map. The user has the ability to alter the perspective or position, zoom

in and out, read information about entities on the map via pop-ups or panel, and possibly even

update the data. Interactive maps provide two benefits over traditional paper maps: access to the

most recent information and specialized tools for retrieving information. Traditional paper maps

only have one of these advantages. Interactive maps have both. Possibilities for disseminating

information within an organization or to the general public over the Internet are made available

by the use of interactive maps (Roth, 2013).

The many advantages of using an interactive map: Users are able to make their own

individualized maps; it is much simpler to stack indications in order to perform pattern analysis.

Users are able to interact with the digital maps by zooming in and out, viewing pop-ups that

appear when they hover over points on the map, and so on. Users can also browse and store raw

data and charts. It provides a dynamic analytical tool that is capable of being updated over the

course of time (Koylu eta., 2022).

The drawbacks of using an interactive map, it is more expensive and difficult to design; the

sponsor has much less influence over how users perceive and interpret the data; and it is

necessary for users to receive training and orientation. It is possible that users will require

technical expertise in order to make full use of the all the functions. It's possible that some

mapping applications have fewer possibilities when it comes to cartography and visual design.

References

Herman, L., Juřík, V., Stachoň, Z., Vrbík, D., Russnák, J., & Řezník, T. (2018). Evaluation of

user performance in interactive and static 3D maps. ISPRS International Journal of Geo-

Information, 7(11), 415.

Roth, R. E. (2013). Interactive maps: What we know and what we need to know. Journal of

Spatial Information Science, (6), 59-115.

Marongiu, P., & Dell’Oro, F. (2022). From Static to Interactive Maps: Drawing Diachronic

Maps of (Latin) Modality with Pygmalion. Journal of Open Humanities Data, 8.

Koylu, C., Tian, G., & Windsor, M. (2022). Flowmapper. org: a web-based framework for

designing origin–destination flow maps. Journal of Maps, 1-9.