Personal dynamic maps based on distributed geographic information servers

Current commercial computer maps, including the maps of car navigation systems, have become popular. They are basically an extension of conventional paper maps and do not make use of computer networks. This paper presents new style maps, called dynamic maps, which are based on the view functions of geographic databases. The dynamic maps are defined by two components: (1) queries to geographic databases; and (2) visualization methods for data derived by the queries. The dynamic maps provide three main characteristics: (1) specialized maps defined by ad hoc queries; (2) automatic updates of maps; and (3) adaptive changes of appearances of maps