Weather Map
The Weather Map is a visual model inspired by the synoptic weather charts that we are used to watching on television during weather forecasting.
These charts are diachronic visualizations that show the movement of cold and warm air to predict their collision, which usually indicates a potential atmospheric disturbance.
The visual grammar of synoptic weather charts is repurposed for controversy mapping to illustrate the activity of actors: while the contour lines indicate the intensity of activity, the letters H and L stay for the peaks of high and low activity.
The curved front line that usually marks the contrast between cold and warm air, is used to stress the opposition between high and low peaks of activity by pointing out the emerging actors that are replacing disappearing ones.
The map is intended to be used as a toll for the mapping of controversies, a scientifc method to analyize scientific disputes on specific subjects.
The code and the interactive version are available on GitHub, while a more detailed description is given by the open-access chapter Weather Map: A Diachronic Visual Model for Controversy Mapping, published in the book Zoomland, edited by Florentina Armaselu and Andreas Fickers.
With Jean Danielou (CSI, Mines ParisTech)
