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X-APPLE-TRAVEL-ADVISORY-BEHAVIOR:AUTOMATIC
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20260406T152503Z
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260423T120000
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 0260423T130000
URL;TYPE=URI:https://www.wpi.edu/news/calendar/events/compu
 ter-science-department-phd-dissertation-defense-akim-ndlovu-advancing-desi
 gn-and-evaluation
Computer Science Department, PhD Dissertation Defense  Akim Ndlovu " Advancing the Design and Evaluation of Thematic Map Visualization Techniques"
\nAdvancing the Design and Evaluation of Thematic Map Visualization Techniques\n\nAkim Ndlovu\nPhD Candidate\nWPI – Computer Science Department\n\nThursday, April 23, 2026\nTime:
  12:00 PM – 1:00 PM\nLocation: Fuller Labs 311\nCommittee members :\nPro
 f. Lane Harrison, Advisor, WPI Computer ScienceProf. Charlie Roberts, WPI-
  Computer ScienceProf. Emmanuel Agu, WPI Computer ScienceProf. Evan Peck, 
 UC Boulder (External Advisor)\nAbstract:\nThematic maps are commonly used 
 for visualizing spatial data. For example, epidemiologists can use choropl
 eth maps to monitor and disseminate information related to disease outbrea
 ks, and federal analysts can use surprise maps to highlight regions with u
 nexpected population changes.\nHowever, challenges remain in the design, u
 se, and interpretation of thematic maps.\nFor example, (1) there are known
  biases associated with choropleth maps (e.g., the effects of area, color,
  and population variance)\n(2) surprise maps can require extensive paramet
 er setting and tuning for effective use,\nand (3) the cognitive strategies
  that people use to interpret multivariate geospatial maps are yet to be e
 xplored. In this dissertation, I conduct crowdsourced experiments to gain 
 insights into how people interpret such maps and develop systems to facili
 tate spatial analysis.\nI present findings that support the use of model-d
 erived maps in practice, and surface new opportunities for sense-making wi
 thin the broader ecosystem of map visualizations.\n
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