Influential Visual Design Parameters on TV Weather Maps

Information transformation on television weather maps (TVWMs) is influenced by visual elements for a broad range of viewers. This research emphasizes the cartographic aspects of TVWMs through evaluating their visual variables. Currently defined visual variables including basic, dynamic and motion variables are investigated and some suggestions are made to improve their application on TVWMs. The rates of the represented visual information within different frames and the related standard deviation are proposed as measures to improve the performance of the ‘duration’ dynamic variable. The concept of ‘visual expressions’ is introduced, and their applications at the organisational level of map design are discussed. Such expressions (including background, boundary, spatial order, zoom and overview maps) are examined as tools for ‘user orientation’ in particular, and their role as dominant parameters in TVWMs’ cartographic communication is considered. Their incorporation in TVWMs of a number of global news channels is evaluated. Firstly, the concepts of visual design parameters are utilized as a foundation for an analytical evaluation, then an empirical evaluation is carried out based on a statistical investigation of a sample of TV viewers. The resulting ranking order and correlation coefficients for each of the elements shows a firm agreement, corroborating views on the importance and proficiency of the visual elements in communicating weather information. As a result, TVWMs of well-known global TV channels (BBC, Euronews, France24, PressTV) are ranked with respect to the effectiveness of their designs.