Tools for visual comparison of spatial development scenarios

In the paper, we suggest a set of visualization-based exploratory tools to support analysis and comparison of different spatial development scenarios, such as results of simulation of various spatially related processes. We have applied a task-analytical approach to tool selection and design, that is, we have first considered what analytical tasks may potentially emerge in the course of investigating and comparing scenarios. We have revealed a set of multifarious tasks, which can be grouped into four categories: 1) analysis in the attribute dimension; 2) analysis in the spatial dimension; 3) analysis in the temporal dimension; 4) spatio-temporal analysis. Then we have evaluated the techniques typically used for visualization of spatial and temporal data, such as (animated) maps or time graphs, from the perspective of supporting different task types. We have extended these techniques, mostly in the direction of increasing interactivity, and combined them for providing a better coverage of the task space. Using examples from the domains of forest management and agriculture, we illustrate how the resulting software tools help, in fulfilling various tasks in the course of exploring and comparing scenarios. At the end, we set an explicit correspondence between the task types and the appropriate tools.