Animated Time Lines: Coordination of Spatial and Temporal Information

Abstract

Animation is important because it permits the portrayal of spatial information as a rapid sequence of snapshots. Thus, it integrates time with space. Many of us think of cartoons of cute animals bouncing around on a movie screen when we think of "animation." As is the case with most enduring ideas, this concept, too, has its amusing side as well as its scholarly side. Several aspects of the scholarly side have been explored in previous articles in this journal (see list of links, below), which by its internet transmission alone, lends itself as a fine medium in which to embed animations. In this paper we suggest the power of animation not only to simplify complexity, but also to coordinate sequences of information portrayed graphically.