Accumulative cartography: a visual semiotic analysis of online mobile maps
分析了导航应用中的动态地图如何通过个性化、空间商品化和时间关注来积累数据和资本，揭示其与纸质地图的本质差异。
Abstract Dynamic maps featured in navigation applications draw on conventional cartographic practices for representing the urban environment, engaging drivers and users of public transportation in their efforts to reach their destinations. However, since these maps are produced within an economy of data accumulation, their construction of territory and user-friendly interface are designed to generate value. In this article, we explore what we define as accumulative cartography—mapping designed for the accumulation of data and capital—by developing a semiotic walk-through method for analyzing dynamic maps. Our visual semiotic analysis of Waze, Moovit, and Gett reveals that their maps are personalized, centering on the user; they commodify space, aiming to promote their specific business models; and they are preoccupied with time. We suggest that in contrast to printed maps, dynamic maps don’t provide users with the information required for navigation but instead navigate algorithmically for them, while accumulating their information.