Robert E. Roth, Ph.D.
Publications

Research Areas

My research focuses on Cartography, Geovisualization, and Geovisual Analytics with specific emphasis on:

• interactive & web-based mapping
• human-computer interaction & UI/UX (user interface/user experience) design
• user-centered design & usability engineering processes
• visual storytelling & data journalism
• collaborative and community-engaged mapping

Page contents

Robert Roth | Publications

Guest Edited Journal Issues

1. Robinson AC and RE Roth. 2014. Special Issue on Cognition, Representation, and Behavior sponsored by the International Cartography Association (ICA) Cartographic Perspectives 77. [open access]
2. Buckingham TMA and RE Roth. 2010. Second Special Digital Issue Cartographic Perspectives 66. [open access]

Refereed Articles

1. Roth RE, D Hart, R Mead, and C Quinn. (accepted) Wireframing for interactive & web-based mapping: Designing the NOAA Lake Level Viewer. Cartography and Geographic Information Science.
2. Roth RE. (forthcoming) Interactivity and Cartography: A contemporary perspective on UI/UX design from geospatial professionals. Cartographica. 50(2).
3. Roth RE and AM MacEachren. (forthcoming) Geovisual analytics and the science of interaction: An empirical study. Cartography and Geographic Information Science.
4. Weiss MJ, M Omri, G White, RE Roth, and LC Naughton-Treves. 2015. Tambopata transformed: Using web mapping to enhance a geography course exercise about forest conservation The Journal of Maps. 11(3): 525-533. [uncorrected pre-print]
5. Roth RE, KS Ross, and AM MacEachren. 2015. User-centered design for interactive maps: A case study in crime analysis International Journal of Geo-Information. 4(1): 262-301. [open access]
6. Roth RE, C Quinn, and D Hart. 2015. The competitive analysis method for evaluating water level visualization tools In: A. Vondrakova, J. Brus, and V. Vozenilek (eds) Modern Trends in Cartography, Lecture Notes in Geoinformation and Cartography. Chapter 19: 241-256. [uncorrected pre-print]
7. Roth RE, RG Donohue, CM Sack, T Wallace, and T Buckingham. 2014. Keeping pace with evolving open source web mapping technologies Cartographic Perspectives. 78: 25-52. [open access]
8. Dong W, H Liao, RE Roth, and S Wang. 2014. Eye tracking to explore the potential of enhanced imagery basemaps in web mapping The Cartographic Journal. 51(4): 313-329. [uncorrected pre-print]
9. Janicki J, G Guo, M Conway, R Donohue, and RE Roth. 2014. Weevil Viewer: An interactive mapping application for geographic and phenological exploration of Wisconsin’s primitive weevils The Journal of Maps. 10(2): 289-296. [uncorrected pre-print]
10. Roth RE. 2013. An empirically-derived taxonomy of interaction primitives for Interactive Cartography and Geovisualization Transactions on Visualization & Computer Graphics. 19(12): 2356-2365. [uncorrected pre-print]
11. Robinson AC, S Pezanowski, S Troedson, R Bianchetti, J Blanford, J Stevens, E Guidero, RE Roth, and AM MacEachren. 2013. SymbolStore.org: A web-based platform for sharing map symbols Cartography and Geographic Information Science. 40(5): 415-426. [uncorrected pre-print]
12. Roth RE. 2013. Interactive Maps: What we know and what we need to know The Journal of Spatial Information Science. 6: 59-115. [open-access]
13. Roth RE, KS Ross, BG Finch, W Luo, and AM MacEachren. 2013. Spatiotemporal crime analysis in U.S. law enforcement agencies: Current practices and unmet needs Government Information Quarterly. 30(3): 226-240. [uncorrected pre-print]
14. MacEachren AM, RE Roth, J O'Brien, B Li, D Swingley, and M Gahegan. 2012. Visual semiotics & uncertainty visualization: An empirical study Transactions on Visualization & Computer Graphics. 18(2) 2496-2505. [uncorrected pre-print]
15. Roth RE. 2012. Cartographic Interaction Primitives: Framework and Synthesis The Cartographic Journal. 49(4):376-395. [uncorrected pre-print]
16. Robinson AC, RE Roth, J Blanford, S Pezanowski, and AM MacEachren. 2012. Developing map symbol standards through an iterative collaboration process Environment and Planning B. 39(6): 1034-1048. [uncorrected pre-print]
17. Murdock, MJ, RE Roth, and NV Maziekas. 2012. The Basic Ordnance Observational Management System: Geovisual analytics of improvised explosive device incidents The Journal of Maps. 8(1): 120-124. [open access]
18. Robinson AC, RE Roth, and AM MacEachren. 2011. Designing a web-based learning portal for geographic visualization and analysis in public health Health Informatics. 17(3): 191-208. [open access]
19. Roth RE, CA Brewer, and MZ Stryker. 2011. A typology of operators for maintaining legible map designs at multiple scales Cartographic Perspectives. 60: 29-64. [open access]
20. Robinson AC, RE Roth, J Blanford, S Pezanowski, and AM MacEachren. 2011. A collaborative process for developing map symbol standards. Procedia of Social and Behavioral Sciences. 21: 93-102.
21. Roth RE, BG Finch, JI Blanford, A Klippel, AC Robinson, and AM MacEachren. 2011. Card sorting for cartographic research and practice Cartography and Geographic Information Science. 38(2): 89-99. [uncorrected pre-print]
22. Robinson AC, RE Roth, and AM MacEachren. 2011. Understanding user needs for map symbol standards in emergency management Journal of Homeland Security and Emergency Management. 8(1): 33.
23. Du P, A Lemkin, B Kluhsman, J Chen, RE Roth, AM MacEachren, C Meyers, JJ Zurlo, and EJ Lengerich. 2010. The roles of social domains, behavioral risk, health care resources, and chlamydia in spatial clusters of US cervical cancer mortality: Not all clusters are the same. Cancer Causes and Control. 211(10): 1669-1683.
24. Roth RE, AW Woodruff, and ZF Johnson. 2010. Value-by-alpha Maps: An alternative technique to the cartogram The Cartographic Journal. 47(2): 130-140. [uncorrected pre-print]
25. Roth RE. 2009. A qualitative approach for understanding the role of geographic information uncertainty during decision making Cartography and Geographic Information Science. 36(4): 315-330. [uncorrected pre-print]
26. Roth RE, J Van Den Hoek, AW Woodruff, A Erkenswick, E McGlynn, and J Przybylowski. 2009. The 21st Century Campus Map: Mapping the University of Wisconsin-Madison The Journal of Maps. 5(1): 1-8. [open access]
27. Roth RE. 2009. The impact of user expertise on geographic risk assessment under uncertain conditions Cartography and Geographic Information Science. 36(1): 29-43. [uncorrected pre-print]
28. Chen J, RE Roth, AT Naito, EJ Lengerich, and AM MacEachren. 2008. Enhancing spatial scan statistic interpretation with geovisual analytics: An analysis of US cervical cancer mortality International Journal of Health Geographics. 7: 57. [open access]
29. Roth RE and M Harrower. 2008. Addressing map interface usability: Learning from the Lakeshore Nature Preserve Interactive Map Cartographic Perspectives. 60: 46-66. [open access]
30. Roth RE. 2007. The use of remotely sensed imagery and GIS analysis for the automated detection of water infiltration in residential structures AAG-Middle States Geographer. 40: 123-132. [open access]
31. Roth RE, AX Zhu, E Holbus, J Papez, and J Quan. 2006. An automated approach to site selection for ecological restoration in fragmented landscapes Journal of Geographic Information Sciences. 12(2): 98-105. [uncorrected pre-print]

Refereed Full Conference Papers

1. Roth RE, D Hart, R Mead, and C Quinn. 2014. Design before you code: Using wireframes in support of interactive and web-based mapping In: Proceedings of the 2014 International Symposium on Automated Cartography. Pittsburgh, PA: October 7. [slides]
2. Roth RE and AM MacEachren. 2014. Geovisual analytics & the science of interaction: A case study In: Proceedings of GIScience 2014, Workshop on Geovisual Analytics: Interactivity, Dynamics, and Scale. Vienna, Austria: September 23. [slides]
3. Roth RE, C Quinn, and D Hart. 2014. A competitive analysis of web-based water visualization tools In: Proceedings of CartoCon 2014. Olomouc, Czech Republic: February 26. [slides]
4. Roth RE. 2013. An empirically-derived taxonomy of interaction primitives for Interactive Cartography and Geovisualization In: Proceedings of IEEE Information Visualization Conference. Atlanta, GA: October 15. [slides]
5. MacEachren AM, RE Roth, J O’Brien, B Li, D Swingley, M Gahegan. 2012. Visual semiotics & uncertainty visualization: An empirical study In: Proceedings of IEEE Information Visualization Conference. Seattle, WA: October 16.
6. Robinson AC (presenter), RE Roth, J Blanford, S Pezanowski, and AM MacEachren. 2011. A collaborative approach for developing map symbol standards. In: Proceedings of the International Conference on Spatial Thinking and Geographic Information Sciences. Tokyo, Japan: September 16.
7. Robinson AC (presenter), RE Roth, and AM MacEachren. 2010. Challenges for map symbol standardization In: Proceedings of the 7th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management (ISCRAM). Seattle, WA: May 4.

Refereed Extended Abstracts

1. Roth RE, SJ Young, C Nestel, B Davidson, J Janicki, V Knoppke-Wetzel, F Ma, R Mead, C Rose, and G Zhang. 2015. Global Madison: Usability evaluation of an adaptive mobile map supporting situated learning of globalization. In: Proceedings of the 27th International Cartography Conference. Rio de Janiero, Brazil: August 23-28.
2. Severtson L, RE Roth, CM Sack, and R Mead. 2014. The influence of interactive maps and data sufficiency on risk beliefs, ambiguity, and behavioral intentions for maps depicting water test results for private residential wells. In: Proceedings of Society for Risk Analysis. Denver, CO: December 10.
3. Donohue RG, CM Sack, TR Wallace, RE Roth, and TMA Buckingham. 2013. A competitive analysis of open web mapping technologies In: Proceedings of the 26th International Cartographic Conference. Dresden, Germany: August 27.
4. Roth RE, RG Donohue, CM Sack, TR Wallace, and TMA Buckingham. 2013. A process for assessing emergent web mapping technologies In: Proceedings of the 26th International Cartographic Conference. Dresden, Germany: August 26. [slides]
5. Roth RE. 2012. An empirically derived taxonomy of cartographic interaction primitives In: Proceedings of GIScience 2012. Columbus, Ohio: September 20. [slides]
6. Roth RE. 2012. The science and practice of cartographic interaction In: Proceedings of GeoInformatics. Sha Tin, Hong Kong: June 15. [slides]
7. Roth RE. 2011. A comparison of methods for evaluating cartographic interfaces In: Proceedings of the 25th International Cartographic Conference. Paris, France: July 5. [poster]
8. Roth RE, KS Ross, BG Finch, W Luo, and AM MacEachren. 2010. A user-centered approach for designing and developing spatiotemporal crime analysis tools In: Proceedings of GIScience 2010. Zurich, Switzerland: September 15. [slides]
9. White JDD and RE Roth. 2010. TwitterHitter: Geovisual analytics for harvesting insight from volunteered geographic information In: Proceedings of GIScience 2010. Zurich, Switzerland: September 15.
10. Roth RE (presenter), AM MacEachren, and CA McCabe. 2009. A workflow learning model to improve geovisual analytics utility In: Proceedings of the 24th International Cartographic Conference. Santiago, Chile: November 18. [slides]
11. Ross KS (presenter), CA McCabe, and RE Roth. 2009. A near real-time visualization for understanding spatio-temporal patterns of violent crime in the District of Columbia Department of Homeland Security Summit. Washington, DC: March 16. [poster]
12. Roth RE (presenter), M Stryker, and CA Brewer. 2008. A typology of multi-scale mapping operators In: Proceedings of GIScience 2008. Park City, UT: September 25. [poster]
13. Stryker M (presenter), RE Roth, and CA Brewer. 2008. ScaleMaster.org: Illustrating and constructing the multi-scale mapping process In: Proceedings of GIScience 2008. Park City, UT: September 24.

Workshop Papers

1. Roth RE. 2012. Working with the card sorting method. In: Proceedings of the 2012 International Symposium on Automated Cartography (AutoCarto), ICA Commission on Cognitive Visualization and ICA Commission on Use and User Issues Joint Workshop on Designing and Conducting User Studies. Columbus, OH: September 16. [slides]
2. Roth RE, M Harrower (presenter), and JE Burt. 2006. Isoline Engine: A digital assistant for surface mapping In: Proceedings of the 2008 International Symposium on Automated Cartography (AutoCarto), ICA Commission on Visualization and Virtual Environments Workshop. Vancouver, WA: June 26.

Non-Refereed Publications

1. Roth RE. (forthcoming) Visual variables In: The International Encyclopedia of Geography: People, The Earth, Environment, and Technology. [uncorrected pre-print]
2. Sack CM, RG Donohue, and RE Roth. 2014. Interactive and multivariate choropleth maps with D3 Cartographic Perspectives. 78: 57-76. [open access]
3. Robinson AC and RE Roth. 2014. Letter from the Guest Editors Cartographic Perspectives. 77: 3-5. [open access]
4. Roth RE. 2014. Review of “100 Ideas that Changed Graphic Design” Cartography and Geographic Information Science. 41(1): 111-113. [uncorrected pre-print]
5. Donohue RG, CM Sack, and RE Roth. 2013. Time series proportional symbol maps with Leaflet and jQuery Cartographic Perspectives. 76: 43-66.
6. Roth RE. 2010. Interview with a Celebrity Cartography: Cindy Brewer Cartographic Perspectives. 66: 91-101. [open access]
7. Buckingham TMA and RE Roth. 2010. Letter from the Guest Editors Cartographic Perspectives 66: 3-6. [open access]
8. Roth RE, BG Finch, JI Blanford, A Klippel, AC Robinson, and AM MacEachren. 2010. The card sorting method for map symbol design In: Proceedings of the 2010 International Symposium on Automated Cartography (AutoCarto). Orlando, FL: November 18. [slides]
9. Roth RE. 2010. Dot density maps In: B Warf (ed) The Encyclopedia of Geography. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications: 787-790.
10. Harrower MA, AC Robinson, RE Roth, and B Sheesley. 2009. Cartography 2.0: For people who make interactive maps Cartographic Perspectives. 64: 41-44. [open access]
11. Roth RE and KS Ross. 2009. Extending the Google Maps API for Flash for Event Animation Mashups Cartographic Perspectives. 64: 21-40. [open access]
12. Roth RE. 2009. Overview: Interface Evaluation In: MA Harrower (ed) Cartography 2.0: Your guide to animated and interactive maps. (published online).
13. Roth RE. 2009. Cartographic Interaction: Introduction and Overview In: MA Harrower (ed) Cartography 2.0: Your guide to animated and interactive maps. (published online).
14. Roth RE. 2009. The nature of geospatial information uncertainty In: MA Harrower (ed) Cartography 2.0: Your guide to animated and interactive maps. (published online).
15. Roth RE. 2008. The impact of user expertise on geographic risk assessment under uncertain conditions In: Proceedings of the 2008 International Symposium on Automated Cartography (AutoCarto). Shepherdstown, WV: September 8. [slides]
16. Roth RE (presenter), AC Robinson, M Stryker, AM MacEachren, EJ Lengerich, and E Koua. 2008. Web-based geovisualization and geocollaboration: Application to public health In: Proceedings of the 2008 Joint Statistical Meeting, Invited Session on Web Mapping. Denver, CO: August 5. [slides]

Theses

1. Roth RE. 2011. Interacting with Maps: The science and practice of cartographic interaction PhD Dissertation in Geography. The Pennsylvania State University: University Park, PA. [open access]
2. Roth RE. 2007. The role of mapping typological uncertainty in decision making MS Thesis in Cartography and GIS. University of Wisconsin-Madison: Madison, WI. [uncorrected pre-print]

Student Theses

1. Cantey C. 2013. Data-Mining Social Media For Spatiotemporal Patterns of Negative Opinion | MS Thesis in Cartography and GIS. University of Wisconsin-Madison: Madison, WI.
2. Davidson B. 2014. Cartographic Design for Mobile Devices: A Case Study Using the UW-Madison Interactive Campus Map | Ms Thesis in Cartography and GIS. University of Wisconsin-Madison: Madison, Wi.
3. Donohue R. 2014. Web Cartography with Web Standards:Teaching, Learning, and Using Open Source Web Mapping Technologies | PhD Dissertation in Philiosophy (Geography). University of Wisconsin-Madison: Madison, WI.
4. Elmer M. 2012. Symbol Considerations for Bivariate Thematic Mapping | MS Thesis in Cartography and GIS. University of Wisconsin-Madison: Madison, WI.
5. Gavin C. 2012. Color Perception and Preference Among Older Map Readers | MS Thesis in Cartography and GIS. University of Wisconsin-Madison: Madison, WI.
6. Knoppke-Wetzel V. 2014. How Technological Changes Aesthetically Defined Pre-1900s Maps: A Stylistic Look at Woodblock, Copperplate & Lithograph Print Maps | MS Thesis in Cartography and GIS. University of Wisconsin-Madison: Madison, WI.
7. Mead R. 2012. Expert Perspectives on the Design and Use of Learning Materials for Neocartographic Interfaces | MS Thesis in Cartography and GIS. University of Wisconsin-Madison: Madison, WI.
8. Nestel C. 2016. Designing an Experience: Maps and Signs at the Archaelogical Site of Troy | MS Thesis in Cartography and GIS. University of Wisconsin-Madison: Madison, WI.
9. Nost E. 2018. Programming Adaptation: How Modeling Informs Environmental Policy in Louisiana’s Coastal: Master Plan | PhD Dissertation in Philiosophy (Geography). University of Wisconsin-Madison: Madison, WI.
10. Rose C. 2015. Mapping Technologt in Wilderness Search and Rescue | MS Thesis in Cartography and GIS. University of Wisconsin-Madison: Madison, WI.
11. Sack C. 2013. Mapmaking for Change: Online Participatory Mapping Tools for Revealing Landscape Values in the Bad River Watershed | MS Thesis in Cartography and GIS. University of Wisconsin-Madison: Madison, WI.
12. Sack C. 2018. Curriculum Development and Pedagogy for Teaching Web Mapping | PhD Dissertation in Philiosophy (Geography). University of Wisconsin-Madison: Madison, WI.
13. Song Z. 2017. Map-Based Visual Storytelling: An Assessment of Emerging Genres and Tropes | MS Thesis in Cartography and GIS. University of Wisconsin-Madison: Madison, WI.
14. Thorn R. 2018. How to Play With Maps | MS Thesis in Cartography and GIS. University of Wisconsin-Madison: Madison, WI.
15. Tolochko T. 2016. Contemporary Professional Practices in Interactive Web Map Design | MS Thesis in Cartography and GIS. University of Wisconsin-Madison: Madison, WI.
16. Vincent K. 2017. The Role of Cartographic Interface Complexity on Spatial Decision Making: A Case Study in the North American Hazardous Waste Trade | MS Thesis in Cartography and GIS. University of Wisconsin-Madison: Madison, WI.