# DistanceCartogram QGIS Plugin Documentation

# Introduction

DistanceCartogram QGIS plugin aims to create what is often defined as a distance cartogram.

This is done by extending (by interpolation) to the layer(s) of the study area (territorial divisions, network…) the local displacement between the source coordinates and the image coordinates, derived from the distances between each pair of homologous points (source / image points).

The relation between the source points and the image points must depend on the studied theme: positions in access time or estimated positions in spatial cognition for example.

DistanceCartogram QGIS plugin is currently available in two languages (English and French) and allows you to create distance cartograms in two ways:

- by providing 2 layers of homologous points : the source points and the image points,

- by providing a layer of points and the durations between a reference point and the other points of the layer (used to create the image points layer).

Notes:

- This is a port of Darcy software regarding the bidimensional regression and the backgrounds layers deformation. All credit goes to Waldo Tobler and Colette Cauvin for the contribution of the method and to Gilles Vuidel for the reference implementation.

- The way the points are moved from the time matrix is quite simple and is explained below. Other methods exists and could be implemented (both in this plugin or by the user while preparing its dataset).

# Expected data

## Example 1

- by providing a layer of points and a time matrix between them:

The source point layer must contain an unique identifier field. These identifiers must match with those used in the matrix.

## Example 2

- by providing the source points layer and the image points layer:

The source points layer (source_pref, the real location of the prefecture) and the image points layer (image_pref, the computed location of the prefecture given some time-distance data).

These two layers must have a field containing an unique identifier to match them (here INSEE_COM in both layers).

# Points displacement from time matrix

The method we propose allows the use of a travel time matrix to move the points of the dataset around a reference point (whose location will remain unchanged). The calculation of the new position of the points is done in several steps:

- Calculation of the Euclidean distance between the reference point (labeled 64445 in our example) and each of the other points.

- Use of travel times and this distance to calculate a speed between the reference point and each of the other points

- Calculation of the average speed

- Calculation of a displacement coefficient to be applied to each point: the ratio between the speed associated with each point and the average speed

The source dataset with the reference point: 64445.

Selection of the feature 64445 as reference point in DistanceCartogram interface.

The points are moved according to their travel time from the reference point. Some points of this “image” layer are closer, others are farther from the reference point.

Points with a speed greater than the mean speed are getting closer, other are getting farther.

Using this method, all displacement vectors have the reference point as their origin or destination (depending on whether their speed is above or below the average speed).

The “displacement factor” option allows to apply a coefficient to the displacement of the points: with a factor of 2 the displacement of the point will be 2 times greater than with a factor of 1; conversely with a factor of 0.5 the displacement will be 2 times less important.

The background layer is deformed according to the movement of the control points.

Depending on the thematic needs related to the realization of a distance cartogram, other methods may be considered for moving points. For example, it might be possible to use the entire travel time matrix to move all points in the dataset (no use of a reference point) with methods such as Multidimensional scaling (MDS) (example below using the travel time matrix provided in example).

# References

# Indices and tables

- Index

- Module Index

- Search Page