Interactive Map to Illustrate Seat Distributions of Political Party Support Levels: A Web GIS Application

Abstract

Canada's new electoral order of 338 districts, updated in October 2013, was in effect for the October 2015 federal election. A Web GIS application was developed using the new electoral map to display seat projections generated by the Laurier Institute for the Study of Public Opinion and Policy (LISPOP). Seat projections convert, or “project,” public opinion support for the major political parties into a distribution of electoral seats for each party, based on a detailed analysis of an aggregation of polls. The map was published through ArcGIS Server, and coding language HTML and JavaScript implemented the required functions. Two key interactive features of the map include: (1) pop-up windows that provide the 2011 election result and LISPOP's current seat projection when hovering over a constituency; and (2) a drop-down menu that direct users to a desired region. The use of ArcGIS software enables fast and effective updates before and during the election.