Visualizing Conflict/Peace – When the Map Itself Becomes the Question

Contrib Modules

Custom Modules

Launch Case Studies

Taxonomic Dimensions

Each case study features a visualization. However, the aim is also to reveal what lies behind it: data sources, decisions, uncertainties, and perspectives. This is part of the flow of the text, not an appended section on methodology.

The case studies combine a wide variety of formats: static and interactive maps, 3D terrain visualizations, scrollytelling sequences, photos, and essay-style texts. Sometimes all of these are included in a single post—without individual development for each case.

The Atlas is not a finished publication. It is an infrastructure that the editorial team maintains, expands, and revises independently.

Classic interactive 2D maps. Editors enter geodata directly in the backend—coordinates, GeoJSON layers, thematic markers. The maps are rendered in the browser and can be embedded in any article. No development work required per post.

Three-dimensional representations for topographic visualizations, terrain models, and spatial relationships that cannot be effectively conveyed in 2D. Particularly useful for cases involving physical geography, visibility analyses, or transboundary landscapes.

As you scroll through the text, the accompanying map or graphic responds to the current section. It zooms in on an area, switches between layers, shows or hides data layers, and moves the map view. What the text describes is simultaneously made visible by the visualization. Both run in sync.
The sequences are also accessible and can be followed through text alone. Readers using a mouse or JavaScript will follow the same narrative flow—the sequence of arguments, the development of the perspective. Only the way it’s presented is different.

This was implemented using modular scrollytelling components based on Scrollama and GSAP:

• Reusable Drupal components for various types of scrollytelling
• Configurable by the editorial team without developer intervention
• Performance-optimized for smooth animations, even with complex maps
• Accessibility-first: Works fully even without JavaScript

Technically, this layer was implemented using a custom extension of the CKEditor tooltip module. To use it, editors highlight a section of text in the editor and assign a reflective comment or a longer dialogue to it. The result can be reviewed directly in preview mode.
This was one of the most complex requirements of the project. The reflection layer was designed to integrate seamlessly into the existing editorial workflow without requiring any additional effort from the team.

In the front end, these reflections appear as subtle typographic highlights. Individual terms are highlighted on hover; a “Reflection” button opens a full dialog window. The interruptions to the flow of reading are minimal, yet the invitation to interact is still noticeable.
The design challenge proved more difficult than anticipated. How much reflection can a digital interface accommodate without veering into academic jargon or visual noise? The answer emerged through several design cycles with the VisLab team.

At launch, the Atlas contains nine case studies. More will be added. To help readers navigate the content, a filtering system has been developed that operates on three taxonomies:

• Methods and visual approaches — counter-mapping, dealing with ambiguity, visual testimonies
• Thematic Focuses — Borders, Water Politics, Culture of Remembrance
• Regions and Countries — Western Balkans, South Caucasus, Central Asia

By combining all three, users can conduct highly targeted searches—for example, for all case studies on counter-mapping and borders in the South Caucasus.

Implemented based on:

• Search API for the search infrastructure
• Facets for the filter UI
• Views Ajax History for functional browser navigation

Faceted Search shows in real time how many cases exist for a given combination—a crucial UX aspect for exploratory research.

Editoria11y runs directly in the Drupal back end and alerts editors to problems while they are still writing:

• automatic checks of contrast and alt texts
• control of heading hierarchies
• validation of semantic HTML structures
• suggestions for improvement before publication

Matomo provides privacy-compliant usage analytics — all data stays on the institute's own infrastructure. The COOKiES module provides GDPR-compliant cookie management.

For the international audience, TMGMT and the TMGMT DeepL integration bring machine translation directly into the editorial workflow.

Built on more than 110 contributed modules and several front-end libraries, the platform reaches a level of editorial flexibility and visual differentiation that sets standards.

• Leaflet and Mapbox GL JS for cartography
• Scrollama and GSAP for scrollytelling
• Search API and Facets for navigation
• 6 custom modules built for project-specific features

At launch the platform comprised nine published cases from regions including:

• Ukraine, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia
• Abkhazia, Transnistria
• Serbia, Croatia, the Fergana Valley

Continuously extendable by the editorial team — without a developer involved.