Accumulative cartography: a visual semiotic analysis of
online mobile maps

Accumulative cartography: a visual semiotic analysis of
online mobile maps

dynamic maps, navigation apps, visual semiotics, walk-through method, user interface design.

Dynamic maps featured in navigation applications draw on conventional cartographic practices for representing the urban environment, engag-
ing 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 ex-
plore 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 personal-
ized, 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 al-
gorithmically for them, while accumulating their information.

Igal Baum1

, Rivka Ribak

https://doi.org/10.1093/jcmc/zmae009

Oxford University Press on behalf of International Communication Association.

June 14, 2024

PERI IRAWAN

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