Analytical and empirical evaluation of color schemes in temperature maps

Schiewe, Jochen (author), Hamann, Kiza (author), Petrovič, Dušan (author)

The communication of weather and climate phenomena plays an important role in everyday life as well as in current debates. This article focuses on the representation of absolute temperatures in selected temperature maps from media and official sources. Its core objective is to analyze the usability of color schemes. An analytical and an empirical study were conducted to evaluate the usability of the color schemes. Specifically, the intuitive recognition of graphical sequence, association between values and meaning, differentiation of colors, and aesthetics were considered. Special emphasis was placed on users with color vision deficiencies. The studies identified several weaknesses in the color schemes—sometimes with contradictory findings, such as high subjective approval of readability versus poor effectiveness. These conclusions served as the basis for developing a new scheme to be proposed for future use.

• Language: English
• Keywords: thematic maps, usability, color vision deficiencies, color differentiation, color association
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: FGG - Faculty of Civil and Geodetic Engineering
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2026
• Number of pages: Str. 125–137
• Numbering: Vol. 76
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-182928
• UDC: 529.9
• ISSN on article: 2524-4965
• DOI: 10.1007/s42489-026-00214-7
• COBISS.SI-ID: 271561731
• Publication date in RUL: 28.05.2026

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: KN - Journal of cartography and geographic information
• Shortened title: J Cartogr Geogr Inf
• Publisher: Springer nature, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Kartographie
• ISSN: 2524-4965
• COBISS.SI-ID: 184157699

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Title: Analytische undempirische Bewertungder Farbschemata in Temperaturkarten
• Keywords: tematske karte, uporabnost, motnje barvnega vida, barvno razlikovanje, združevanje barv

Projects

• Funder: Deal Konsortium
• Name: DEAL
• Acronym: DEAL