Researching Stylistic Neutrality for Map Evaluation

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The authors raised the issue of map style based on many controversial issues.

Lack of reference to the principles of cartographic design in the introduction and therefore lack of support for the literature of the research objective and three tasks.
What do the authors understand by the concept of stylistic neutrality in cartography?

Cartographic style should be referred to the principles of map design for different types of maps.

The research was based on the classification from considerations in one article: Map styles are divided into minimal, standard, conventional, and conspicuous styles based on the applied overall degree of graphical enhancement to the visualized data [3]. Other examples of artistic map styles: lyrical, extravagant, playful, etc. [3].
"Map style is the result of a graphic and visual composition formed on a map from elementary geometric primitives" – but what are the criteria for distinguishing styles?

Very complicated paragraphs in the introduction with many concepts outside cartography and no reference of cartographic style to the principles of map design. The excess of concepts makes it difficult for the reader to understand the content of these considerations. The sentence is completely incomprehensible: Cartographic means of expression compete with each other for representational suitability, so their choice must be motivated and reasonable. What are “Cartographic means of expression”? In the literature, there are graphic means of expression.

The authors' main task: Development of the concept of cartographic stylistic neutrality;
The methodology states that the following pairs of stylistic features are distinguished: clarity - ambiguity, accuracy - generalisation, conciseness - completeness, calmness - expressiveness, abstractness - concreteness, temperance - figurativeness, and neutrality - suggestiveness will be assessed.
The authors state that: “Stylistically neutral cartographic symbols are those that do not have emotional and expressive or domain-specific qualities, such as scientificity, formality, or reference to a mode or medium of transmission.” This is a false statement, because it depends on the principles of design whether the symbol will be indifferent to the user, e.g. when the contrast is increased, it is the cartographer who will place these symbols in the foreground of the reading.

In section 3.1., controversial considerations and authoritarian statements are still being conducted.

According to Figure 3, stylistic neutrality is the cartographic content in grayscale - which can be a layer of ground for thematic content. The examples in this figure are incomprehensible: how is individual style different from functional style? Graphic expression is expressed, for example, by graphic variables, and here these are the skeleton lines of vectors of surface objects.

The formulation is also incorrect: “The closer the representation is to reality, the more unambiguous the image is created, and the more specifically the information is conveyed.” Because it is precisely when using abstract symbols that the user can quickly interpret the information.

Map "Wind Energy in Lithuania" according to the authors illustrates stylistic neutrality – according to the principles of cartographic design, it is incorrectly created, because it lacks of contrast and and the ability to distinguish map elements. So stylistic neutrality is grayscale maps without properly applied contrast and the ability to read first the windmill signs, and then the appropriate sequence of geographical regulation signs, e.g. roads, cities, etc.

Unfortunately, I cannot give a positive opinion for the promotion of an incorrectly designed grayscale map – without the possibility of reading the information by the user. In conclusion, the authors describe this style very positively: “Stylistic neutrality is characterized by cartographic language qualities: clarity, accuracy, conciseness, calmness, abstractness, temperance, neutrality, moderateness.” The map in figure 7 represents this style and is an example of an incorrect selection of the grayscale – e.g. linear and surface signs have the same shade of gray, the user cannot distinguish borders from roads and the user cannot see forests and rivers.

Author Response

Comments 1: The authors raised the issue of map style based on many controversial issues.

Lack of reference to the principles of cartographic design in the introduction and therefore lack of support for the literature of the research objective and three tasks.
What do the authors understand by the concept of stylistic neutrality in cartography?

Response 1: Cartographic stylistic neutrality means cartographic text that is objective and does not contain additional elements such as evaluation, expressions, suggestions on maps. After revision references to cartographic design in the introduction are provided, more informational resources related to cartographic domain now support the research objective and three tasks.

Comments 2: Cartographic style should be referred to the principles of map design for different types of maps.

Response 2: The fundamentals of cartographic design are essential for the emergence of a cartographic style. The relationship between cartographic design and cartographic style is now explained in the introduction after revision. Proportionately more attention is paid to the cartographic language style and the fields of social activity where maps are used.

Comments 3: The research was based on the classification from considerations in one article: Map styles are divided into minimal, standard, conventional, and conspicuous styles based on the applied overall degree of graphical enhancement to the visualized data [3]. Other examples of artistic map styles: lyrical, extravagant, playful, etc. [3].

Response 3: The research now is supported by several articles after revision. Varieties of cartographic stylistic neutrality are analysed and research trends are identified. Studies dealing with maps as text (A. Kent, J. Harley, P. Vujakovic, H. Schlichtmann, J. Pravda, etc.) are close to the research.

Comments 4: "Map style is the result of a graphic and visual composition formed on a map from elementary geometric primitives" – but what are the criteria for distinguishing styles?

Response 4: The main criteria for distinguishing styles are the cartographic functions of the language. The cartographic language functions depend on the intentions of the mapmaker and are evident from the stylistic features of the map. Stylistic features are expressed to varying degrees in different areas of social activity. The relationship of stylistic features to the activities thus gives us an idea of the functions of the cartographic language, the intentions of the mapmaker and the cartographic style.

Comments 5: Very complicated paragraphs in the introduction with many concepts outside cartography and no reference of cartographic style to the principles of map design. The excess of concepts makes it difficult for the reader to understand the content of these considerations. The sentence is completely incomprehensible: Cartographic means of expression compete with each other for representational suitability, so their choice must be motivated and reasonable. What are “Cartographic means of expression”? In the literature, there are graphic means of expression.

Response 5: Not all graphic means are used in cartography, not all cartographic means are used for cartographic stylistic purposes, but only those that acquire a basis of commonality, are used systematically rather than randomly, and such use for social purposes becomes a phenomenon. Concepts are therefore used in the light of this idea. An explanation is given in the Introduction. The review includes more research in the field of cartography, which underpins the discussion in the study.

Comments 6: The authors' main task: Development of the concept of cartographic stylistic neutrality;
The methodology states that the following pairs of stylistic features are distinguished: clarity - ambiguity, accuracy - generalisation, conciseness - completeness, calmness - expressiveness, abstractness - concreteness, temperance - figurativeness, and neutrality - suggestiveness will be assessed.

Response 6: Stylistic neutrality has many faces: it is a concept, a realisation on the map and the possibility of creating it on the map. These aspects are being explored. The methodology helps to find it, recognise it, evaluate it. We have made corrections to the text to make the text more precise.

Comments 7: The authors state that: “Stylistically neutral cartographic symbols are those that do not have emotional and expressive or domain-specific qualities, such as scientificity, formality, or reference to a mode or medium of transmission.” This is a false statement, because it depends on the principles of design whether the symbol will be indifferent to the user, e.g. when the contrast is increased, it is the cartographer who will place these symbols in the foreground of the reading.

Response 7: We have taken note of the comment and corrected the text.

Comments 8: In section 3.1., controversial considerations and authoritarian statements are still being conducted.

Response 8: According to Figure 3, stylistic neutrality is the cartographic content in grayscale - which can be a layer of ground for thematic content. The examples in this figure are incomprehensible: how is individual style different from functional style? Graphic expression is expressed, for example, by graphic variables, and here these are the skeleton lines of vectors of surface objects.

Response 9: Individual styles are out of the scope of the research, so we have excluded the figure and ideas about the concept.

Comments 9: The formulation is also incorrect: “The closer the representation is to reality, the more unambiguous the image is created, and the more specifically the information is conveyed.” Because it is precisely when using abstract symbols that the user can quickly interpret the information.

Response 10: When we talked about concreteness, we meant the visual similarity of the sign to the object depicted. The more similar the graphic form of the sign is to the object depicted, the more specific the information conveyed and the more unambiguously the object can be identified. We have clarified in the text.

Comments 10: Map "Wind Energy in Lithuania" according to the authors illustrates stylistic neutrality – according to the principles of cartographic design, it is incorrectly created, because it lacks of contrast and and the ability to distinguish map elements. So stylistic neutrality is grayscale maps without properly applied contrast and the ability to read first the windmill signs, and then the appropriate sequence of geographical regulation signs, e.g. roads, cities, etc.

Response 11: In order to ensure stylistic neutrality, objects are not accentuated or highlighted, and strong contrasts are deliberately avoided. As in verbal language, variations in regularity are possible for style purposes.

Comments 11: Unfortunately, I cannot give a positive opinion for the promotion of an incorrectly designed grayscale map – without the possibility of reading the information by the user. In conclusion, the authors describe this style very positively: “Stylistic neutrality is characterized by cartographic language qualities: clarity, accuracy, conciseness, calmness, abstractness, temperance, neutrality, moderateness.” The map in figure 7 represents this style and is an example of an incorrect selection of the grayscale – e.g. linear and surface signs have the same shade of gray, the user cannot distinguish borders from roads and the user cannot see forests and rivers.

Response 12: We have produced a colour version of the cartographic stylistic neutrality on the map. However, we avoided contrasts so that the objects in the image do not compete with each other and are on the same level.

Author Response File: Author Response.docx

Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The reviewed article contains numerous theoretical, interesting, and clearly written reflections, although some of them are somewhat repetitive. Overall, I assess the topic and the proposed approach positively. It organizes several issues within the methodology of cartography relevant to the subject of the paper.

In section 2.1 Research Methods, four steps or elements of the methodology are presented. While I have no major comments regarding steps 1, 2, and 4, I miss an example of applying the proposed method to the evaluation of several specific maps, which I expected to be presented in step 3. I also find the lack of more detailed information about the cataloged maps used in the study problematic.

There is no discussion on whether the evaluation level of Stylistic Neutrality can be carried out automatically and supported by tools.

I would appreciate some concrete guidance—based on the conducted research—on how to properly carry out this kind of Stylistic Evaluation of Maps.

The provided example map (Fig. 7) can indeed be considered a neutral cartographic presentation, but the figure is not fully legible due to the scale-to-page-size ratio. It would be useful to present a magnified fragment alongside the general image.

Besides the grayscale example, there is a lack of an original color example that would show what a stylistically neutral color map might look like. One may conclude that only grayscale images meet the conditions of neutrality. Is this the authors’ intention?

I also miss a clear explanation of how chart no. 5 was developed, especially in terms of the source data used

Author Response

Comments 1: The reviewed article contains numerous theoretical, interesting, and clearly written reflections, although some of them are somewhat repetitive. Overall, I assess the topic and the proposed approach positively. It organizes several issues within the methodology of cartography relevant to the subject of the paper.

In section 2.1 Research Methods, four steps or elements of the methodology are presented. While I have no major comments regarding steps 1, 2, and 4, I miss an example of applying the proposed method to the evaluation of several specific maps, which I expected to be presented in step 3. I also find the lack of more detailed information about the cataloged maps used in the study problematic.

Response 1: We have taken this comment into account and described the catalogue of map style examples in more detail. We have provided information on the composition of the catalogue and supplemented the text with graphical examples.

We have added information on how to apply the method proposed in the study to cartographic stylistic evaluation. In the example, the evaluation is carried out with a neutral example of the cartographic style.

 

Comments 2: There is no discussion on whether the evaluation level of Stylistic Neutrality can be carried out automatically and supported by tools.

Response 2: Now we have added information to the text. We mentioned that the stylistic assessment is a visual assessment. We also described the possibility to model, formalise, standardise cartographic stylistic neutrality.

 

Comments 3: I would appreciate some concrete guidance—based on the conducted research—on how to properly carry out this kind of Stylistic Evaluation of Maps.

Response 3: After the revision the text is supplemented with an example of an evaluation of a map that was developed as part of the research.

 

Comments 4: The provided example map (Fig. 7) can indeed be considered a neutral cartographic presentation, but the figure is not fully legible due to the scale-to-page-size ratio. It would be useful to present a magnified fragment alongside the general image.

Response 4: We have added an image to the text showing an enlarged section of the map.

 

Comments 5: Besides the grayscale example, there is a lack of an original color example that would show what a stylistically neutral color map might look like. One may conclude that only grayscale images meet the conditions of neutrality. Is this the authors’ intention?

Response 5: We have prepared a colour example. We inserted it into the text. The grey version of the map is not in the text.

 

Comments 6: I also miss a clear explanation of how chart no. 5 was developed, especially in terms of the source data used

Response 6: Now below the chart, we have explained what data was used, what the values are and how they were derived.

Author Response File: Author Response.docx

Reviewer 3 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The paper is well written ans has a lot of potential. It explains a very new concept to the cartographic world. 

However, it could fit in the works recently developed using IA. Could the authors compare their proposal to it in the introduction?

Moreover, it seems difficult to follow in some parts, such as the results. The structure of multiple points creates sometimes confusion. An example is the point 3.2. More than points, it requires explanation.

Author Response

Comments 1: The paper is well written and has a lot of potential. It explains a very new concept to the cartographic world.

However, it could fit in the works recently developed using IA. Could the authors compare their proposal to it in the introduction?

Response 1: We have now added a paragraph considering where the principle of cartographic stylistic neutrality could be applied using artificial intelligence.

 

Comments 2: Moreover, it seems difficult to follow in some parts, such as the results. The structure of multiple points creates sometimes confusion. An example is the point 3.2. More than points, it requires explanation.

Response 2: As the assessment is multi-criteria and variational, we list the functions of the cartographic language and other information in items. We have reorganised the text. The full methodology is now in the same place as the methodology. The text should become clearer.

Author Response File: Author Response.docx

Round 2

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The authors have made all necessary corrections and in this corrected version the article is ready for publication.

Author Response

Comments 1: The authors have made all necessary corrections and in this corrected version the article is ready for publication.

Response 1: Dear Reviewer, Thank you for your time and attention in reviewing the article. Your comments and insights have helped to improve the manuscript.