Manipulating the graphical representation of query results in geographic information systems

An investigation into how the properties of spatial data, in particular their graphical representation, influence the interaction between user and system is presented. Of particular interest are the concepts humans have about spatial data and the operations that allow them to manipulate and examine the graphical representation of spatial data. An overview of the architecture of spatial information systems is given, concentrating on user interfaces for spatial data handling. An investigation into how users manipulate the representation of spatial data is given, followed by the introduction of the corresponding operations necessary to examine the representation. A series of interface snapshots is given to demonstrate these ideas in a simulated user interface