This article is about the long-term life of digital maps. The deprecation of Adobe Flash and Esri Story Maps offers harsh lessons for digital cartographers. Namely, that our creations will not, and cannot, last forever. Combining literature review and research agenda, I argue that a long-term view of digital mapping is a lens into social, physical, and environmental processes. I begin with the relationship between digital maps, preservation, and ephemerality, pondering the end of digital mapping projects, in specific contrast to print cartography. I then describe the challenges of sustaining and maintaining digital maps, drawing on the related field of digital humanities, and exploring how societal power structures devalue maintenance for novelty. Next, I introduce two technical frameworks, discussing how they each could support a more holistic long-term view of digital mapping. The first, free and open-source software (FOSS), puts technical control in the hands of map designers, but requires intentional commitment to the social dimensions of mapmaking to be effective. The second, minimal computing, positions need as the primary motivator of all decision-making throughout the mapping process—which is particularly relevant for local-scale projects. I end with a brief agenda for future directions for the research and practice of long-term digital mapping.
In this research, we aim to deconstruct and quantify the cartographic designs of post-war maps of Sakhalin—a politically contested island claimed at points in history by Russia, China, and Japan. The goal of this research is to enhance understanding of how the design of borders, territorial fill colors, and toponyms (place names) are presented and used to advance territorial claims. We conducted a quantitative content analysis of 138 maps in four languages, identifying key cartographic designs, including border and fill-color symbol designs, and toponym types to identify when these designs were used to express certainty and uncertainty of control. We found that uncertainty regarding territorial claims was communicated through the design of borders and territorial fill colors and was more frequently adopted by Japanese mapmakers to express the neutrality of the contested region of Southern Sakhalin and question Russia’s legitimate control. Toponyms, on the other hand, were used to communicate uncertainty through double labeling which appeared more in Chinese and Japanese maps to signify their historical presence and control of the island. This paper illustrates the ways cartographic design of border symbols, territorial fill colors, and toponyms serves to assert and facilitate political stances and claims of the contested territory of Sakhalin.
Determining the ideal number of participants to involve in usability tests of digital maps on mobile devices is challenging due to the specific context of mobile map use, including dynamic environments (indoor versus outdoor), interaction while in motion, small screens, and environmental distractions. This meta-analysis encompasses articles published between 2010 and 2024, comparing evaluation methods (field testing, laboratory testing, and eye tracking), testing conditions, and the number of participants employed. The results indicate a predominance of small sample sizes, reflecting the widespread adoption of compact usability studies, although adaptations are often required to address the specific demands of mobile contexts. We identify mobile-specific factors that may require hybrid approaches or larger sample sizes in certain scenarios, providing practical implications for sample size planning and the development of new methodologies for evaluating interactive digital maps.
