> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://vikram-bajaj.gitbook.io/cs-gy-6313-information-visualization/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://vikram-bajaj.gitbook.io/cs-gy-6313-information-visualization/main-5/geo-visualization/when-to-use-maps.md).

# When to Use Maps

Geographical information doesn't always have to be represented using maps.

Maps use space to depict geographical space. This is both an advantage and a disadvantage. Using space as a channel to visualize space is intuitive, but this also means that we can no longer use the space channel to encode any other information.

Maps should be used when:

* the question is inherently spatial
  * questions that correlate a phenomenon to spatial locations/objects
  * questions pertaining to phenomena for which spatial proximity or extent is relevant
* a map is needed to find certain information

The main advantage of using maps is **familiarity**: people know where to look at in a map and may know where things are on a map, assuming that they are familiar with the region. This is an advantage over visualizations that don't use a map.

However, it is important to first determine if the question warrants the use of a map.