The development and applicability of a web-based time-geographic visualisation tool

This article describes the development of an easy-to-use, web-based, time-geographic visualisation tool called the Time-Geographic Interactive Framework (TGIF). The article sets the context of the tool's development into the wider context of time-geography research and the use of web-based applications in GIS, for instance, in geovisualisation work. The article illustrates how this powerful platform enables users to incorporate various interactive text, image and audio data to explore time-geographic paths individually, in groups and as a whole class. We demonstrate that the TGIF is a versatile tool for a broad range of research topics, including emotional geographies and environmental education. The final section describes how university students responded to a small-scale survey on the TGIF The survey participants indicated the usefulness of the tool for visualising time geographic paths and for enabling them to understand the relevant social meanings of these paths. The students participating in the survey also indicated that the TGIF could possibly be used effectively in secondary education too. We conclude with a summary of future research and development of the Framework.