@article{Meier, author = {Meier, Sebastian}, title = {The Marker Cluster}, series = {International Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Information Systems}, volume = {7}, journal = {International Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Information Systems}, number = {1}, publisher = {IGI Global}, address = {Hershey}, issn = {1947-3206}, doi = {10.4018/IJAEIS.2016010102}, pages = {28 -- 43}, abstract = {The growing amount of gathered, stored and available data is creating a need for useful mass-data visualizations in many domains. The mapping of large spatial data sets is not only of interest for experts anymore, but, with regard to the latest advances in web cartography, also moves into the domain of public cartographic applications. One interactive web-based cartographic interface design pattern that helps with visualizing and interacting with large, high density data sets is the marker cluster; a functionality already in use in many web-based products and solutions. In this article, the author will present their ongoing research on the problem of "too many markers." They will present an empirical evaluation and comparison of marker cluster techniques and similar approaches, including heatmaps and tiled heatmaps. They conclude with a first concept for overcoming some of the obstacles that they were able to identify in their study and thereby introduce a new direction for further research.}, subject = {Big Data}, language = {en} }