The Effect of Display Pixel Density on the Minimum Legible Size of Fundamental Cartographic Symbols

Abstract

ABSTRACT This paper reports findings of a laboratory study that attempts to establish the limits of legibility for fundamental cartographic symbology on modern smartphone screens of varying pixel density. In a controlled setting, participants were asked to discriminate different types of cartographic symbology, while stimulus size was gradually reduced. From the collected results, the limits of discriminability for each symbol type and screen resolution are derived. The paper gives a detailed report and statistical analysis of the results of the experiment and proposes updated guidelines for minimum cartographic symbol sizes for settings in which a high-density display device can be reliably provided.