Publication details
TerraTinker: Crafting Playful Geospatial Visualizations
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Year of publication | 2026 |
| Type | Peer-reviewed scientific article |
| Magazine / Source | COMPUTER GRAPHICS FORUM |
| Citation | |
| Doi | https://doi.org/10.1111/cgf.70466 |
| Description | With the onset of digital technologies, conveying information to the young generation is becoming evermore challenging, forcing us to explore alternative methods, such as using video games. A typical area that could benefit from innovation is geography, where we want to convey the relationship between selected geographical locations and related phenomena, such as flooding, global warming, criminality, or service availability. Appropriate visualization and interaction in an engaging environment can significantly increase the chance of this information being embraced. To address this, we present TerraTinker, an open-source tool that transforms geospatial data into visualizations within the Minecraft video game. The interface of the tool enables users without extensive programming skills to adjust the visual appearance of the generated map according to their needs. The tool was tested and evaluated by visualization and geography experts, who gave us valuable feedback and confirmed the benefits and contributions of TerraTinker. |