System and method for rendering a geospatial map-based user interface for real-time event visualisation and interaction

Abstract

A system is disclosed comprising a server in communication with a plurality of computer devices and data sources across a wide area network. The server stores event records in a database with respect to event location, time, and associated event-related attributes. Controllers executing on the devices render a map-based user interface displaying geospatial map data and superimposed icons at event locations. The icons are graphically modified using multiple graphical attributes to concurrently encode different event-related attributes, and the display is filtered by an on-screen time period selector. The system supports dynamic modification of icon attributes in response to historical or predicted data, and enables interaction with the icons for functions including subscription, ticket purchase, and multimedia playback.

Description

System and Method for Rendering a Geospatial Map-Based User Interface for Real-Time Event Visualisation and InteractionField of the Invention

[0001] The present invention relates generally to digital user interfaces. More particularly, it concerns systems and methods for rendering geospatial map-based user interfaces that present and update event-related information in real time, with enhanced interactivity and graphical encoding of multifaceted data attributes.Background of the Invention

[0002] The present invention relates generally to the field of digital user interfaces, and more particularly to systems and methods for rendering geospatial map-based user interfaces for the visualisation and interaction with event-related information in real time.

[0003] Event management and discovery platforms have become widespread with the growth of digital communication networks. These platforms often employ user interfaces that allow individuals to search for and view information about events scheduled to occur at specific times and locations. Conventional systems may provide event listings in the form of static text-based catalogues, calendars, or tabular schedules, which can be cumbersome for users to navigate, especially where numerous events are available in a given geographic area.

[0004] To improve user comprehension, map-based interfaces have been adopted, allowing event data to be displayed directly on a geospatial map. Such systems can render icons or other graphical representations at positions corresponding to the physical locations of events. The icons may be associated with event metadata such as time, venue, or ticket availability. By selecting or interacting with the icons, users can obtain further details about the events, purchase tickets, or connect to related online resources.

[0005] One example of such a system is described in United States patent application publication US 2021 / 0334909 A1 (StubHub Inc.), published 28 October 2021. This document describes a platform that includes a server in communication with multipleclient devices for providing a popularity map of events. The system stores events in relation to their locations and times, and superimposes event icons on a geospatial map. The event icons may be graphically modified according to parameters such as expected attendance, and a time period selector may be provided to filter events displayed within a given timeframe.

[0006] While such systems represent significant progress over static list or calendar views, challenges remain in presenting complex event information within the limited screen space available on user devices. There is also a need for interfaces that facilitate richer interaction with event-related data while maintaining clarity and usability. Accordingly, there exists a need for improved systems and methods that allow for efficient and intuitive rendering of geospatial map-based user interfaces, supporting real-time visualisation and interaction with events.

[0007] It is to be understood that, if any prior art information is referred to herein, such reference does not constitute an admission that the information forms part of the common general knowledge in the art, in Australia or any other country.Summary of the Disclosure

[0008] According to one aspect, there is provided a system comprising a server in operable communication with a plurality of computer devices and a plurality of data sources across a wide area network. The system comprises processors executing computer program code instruction controllers configured for rendering a map-based user interface on digital displays of the computer devices, the map-based user interface being configured to display geospatial map data. The system further comprises a database of events, each recorded in relation to a location and a time and associated with event-related data obtained from the plurality of data sources.

[0009] The controllers are configured for superimposing icons over the geospatial map data at positions corresponding to the event locations, graphically modifying the icons according to at least two different graphical attributes that concurrently encode more than one of the event-related data attributes obtained from the respective plurality of data sources such that different graphical attributes of each icon represent different types of event-related data simultaneously, and filtering the display of theicons according to a time period selection using an on-screen time period selector such that icons representing events occurring within the selected time period are displayed and icons representing events occurring outside the selected time period are hidden.

[0010] By implementing such a system, multifaceted event information can be displayed directly on a geospatial map in a manner that preserves clarity and usability despite the limited screen space available on portable computing devices. The concurrent use of multiple graphical attributes for each icon enables simultaneous representation of different types of event-related data, thereby improving the density of information conveyed through the interface without obscuring the underlying geospatial context. The ability to filter events based on a user-selected time period further refines the presentation, ensuring that only relevant events are displayed at any given time and reducing cognitive load for the user. Dynamic modification of icons in response to the time period selector allows the system to visually adapt to temporal data in real time, supporting an interactive and technically enhanced user experience.

[0011] In one arrangement, the event-related data attributes may include a social media handle associated with a performing artist. The server can query a social media platform using this handle to retrieve the number of subscribers or followers of the artist’s profile, with the retrieved data then used to influence the rendering of icons on the map-based interface. By incorporating this information, the system provides the user with a visual indication of the relative popularity of different performers. The controllers may be further adapted to vary the size of a respective icon in proportion to the number of subscribers or followers retrieved. Scaling the icon in this way provides a straightforward visual cue of comparative subscriber counts without requiring additional screen real estate, which is especially beneficial in the context of constrained displays such as mobile devices.

[0012] The event-related data attributes may also be queried to determine whether a user of the electronic device is personally registered as a follower or subscriber of the artist’s profile. This determination may be based on access tokens or credentials securely associated with the user’s account. The system can then modify an icon toindicate this status, for example by applying a distinct colour. Such differentiation allows the user to quickly identify events linked to artists they already follow, improving navigation and engagement with the graphical interface.

[0013] Icons displayed within the map interface may be interactive, with actuation of a particular icon or overlay control initiating a subscription request to the social media server. In practice, this can be carried out by transmitting the request together with an authentication token or credential associated with the user account, ensuring that only authorised subscription actions are processed. By enabling subscription directly from the event interface, the user is able to maintain continuity of interaction without switching applications.

[0014] The system may additionally query an event ticketing server using an event identifier to determine ticket availability metrics such as the number of tickets unsold or the number already issued. The controllers can modify the corresponding icons to reflect this ticketing information, allowing the user to gauge availability at a glance. When a user selects an icon, a direct purchase transaction may be initiated, implemented for efficiency by re-using a stored payment token or credential associated with the user’s account. This approach avoids the need for repeated manual entry of payment details and supports rapid purchase flows directly from the interactive interface.

[0015] Further refinements may include recording user interactions with each icon, such as selections, views, or activation of interest indicators. These recorded interactions can be processed to generate an interest metric for the event. By modifying an icon in accordance with the interest metric, the system provides a live measure of engagement that is visible directly on the geospatial map, helping the user to identify events attracting higher attention.

[0016] The system can also query a social media server for a social graph associated with the user, comprising connected user profiles. By inspecting event-related data for each connected profile, the system can determine whether any of the user’s connections are attending a given event. Icons can then be modified to reflect this information, providing a technically enriched context to the display. In someinstances, profile data obtained from the social graph may be cross-checked against a ticketing server to confirm whether tickets have been issued in the name of the connected profile, thereby improving the reliability of the displayed information.

[0017] Artist-related attributes may be retrieved from a streaming server. For example, the server may provide chart history data that can be parsed to determine the number of chart positions held by an artist over a defined time period. Icons can be adapted to visually encode this metric, thereby presenting a clear representation of an artist’s historical chart presence. The system may also query the streaming server to establish whether an artist currently has music in a live chart and apply a distinctive graphical modification to the icon in such cases. Additionally, entitlement data associated with the user’s streaming account can be queried to determine whether the user already has access rights to the artist’s music. Icons can be graphically adjusted to reflect entitlement status, which helps the user to understand their current level of access while exploring events.

[0018] A configuration interface may optionally be presented on the digital display of the electronic device, allowing the user to assign particular event-related data attributes to selected graphical attributes of the icons. The available graphical attributes can include size, shape, colour, border style and transparency. The associations chosen by the user are stored in memory and applied by the controllers during rendering of the user interface. This provides adaptability so that the interface can be customised to individual preferences, while maintaining consistent encoding rules across the map.

[0019] In a further example, the graphical attribute of an icon may be implemented as a circular ring rendered around the event location. The ring may be resized or recoloured to encode event-related data attributes while leaving the map interior visible, thereby avoiding occlusion of underlying geospatial details. This enhances the clarity of the user interface when events are closely spaced on the map.

[0020] The controllers may also retrieve historical data in response to the time period selector being adjusted to a past interval, dynamically modifying the icons so that graphical attributes change in real time to reflect the historical values. When the timeperiod selector is advanced into the future, the system may analyse stored data to produce predicted values and adjust the icons to display forecasted event attributes. In both cases, the dynamic response ensures that temporal information is communicated to the user through the visual changes of the icons.

[0021] Icons may support multimedia playback by initiating a request for audio content associated with the event’s performing artist. Upon activation of a playback control, the server may retrieve the content from a streaming source and deliver it for rendering on the electronic device. This feature links event discovery with immediate media access in the same interactive environment.

[0022] Graphical transitions can be further enhanced by animation routines that interpolate changes in icon size, colour or shape over time, improving continuity of perception as values vary. Textual or numeric labels may be displayed adjacent to icons and updated in real time in parallel with graphical modifications, providing redundant and precise encoding of event attributes.

[0023] Where numerous events occur in close proximity, the system may generate a composite icon representing clustered events. The composite icon can be expanded into constituent icons when the user zooms into the map, with animations maintaining spatial consistency during the transition.

[0024] In some implementations, a temporal playback mode may be enabled, wherein the time period selector advances automatically through successive intervals, causing icons to update dynamically to illustrate changes across the timeline. Icons may further be augmented with trajectory or trace paths drawn adjacent to them, with visual properties of the paths encoding changes in event attributes over multiple time periods.

[0025] Finally, the system may encode different event-related data attributes concurrently using combinations of graphical characteristics such as size, colour, border style, transparency, and shape. By employing multiple visual channels simultaneously, the graphical user interface is able to communicate complex event information within the limited space of a geospatial map display.

[0026] Other aspects of the invention are also disclosed.Brief Description of the Drawings

[0027] Notwithstanding any other forms which may fall within the scope of the present invention, preferred embodiments of the disclosure will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

[0028] Figure 1 is a block diagram of a system configured to render a map-based user interface, illustrating the server, electronic device, processors, memory devices, communication interfaces, and database.

[0029] Figure 2 shows an exemplary graphical user interface displayed on a digital display, including geospatial map data, icons, overlays, actuation buttons, and control panels.

[0030] Figure 3 is a flow diagram of a method for rendering the map-based user interface, showing steps for acquiring event-related data, storing, rendering, filtering, modifying icons, processing interactions, and updating in real time.Description of Embodiments

[0031] Referring initially to Figure 1 , there is shown a system 100 configured for rendering an interactive map-based user interface. The system 100 comprises at least one electronic device 101 in operable communication with a server 102 via a wide area network 103. The electronic device 101 and the server 102 each comprise a processor 129 for processing digital data. In operable communication with the processor 129 via a communication bus 113 is a memory device 126 configured for storing digital computer program code instructions and associated data. In use, the processor 129 is configured for fetching, decoding, and executing the computer program code instructions and associated data for implementation of the computer program control functionality described herein.

[0032] The electronic device 101 further comprises a digital display 127 for rendering a graphical user interface 200, as illustrated in Figure 2, and a network interface 128 for facilitating data exchange across the wide area network 103. The memory device 126 stores executable program instructions logically arranged as a plurality of controllers 125. The controllers 125 provide functional modules for retrieving event-related data, rendering map-based content, managing user interactions, and dynamically modifying graphical representations of event data.

[0033] The server 102 is in operable communication with a database 114, the database 114 being configured to store event data records. Each record comprises at least an event identifier, a geospatial location, and a time parameter associated with the event. In addition, the database 114 stores a plurality of event-related data attributes obtained from one or more data sources, such as social media servers, ticketing servers, and streaming servers.

[0034] Referring to Figure 2, the graphical user interface 200 displays geospatial map data 102 representing a region of interest. Superimposed over the geospatial map data 102 are a plurality of icons 103 located at positions corresponding to the geographic coordinates of respective events. The controllers 125 are configured to graphically modify the icons 103 using at least two different graphical attributes so that more than one of the event-related data attributes are concurrently encoded. For example, a first icon 103a may be represented as a relatively small circular ring while a second icon 103c is shown larger in size. At the same time, icon 103a may be rendered with a darker fill or solid colour and icon 103c with a lighter or hatched colour. In this manner, two different graphical attributes, such as size and colour, concurrently encode different types of event-related data associated with the events.

[0035] The controllers 125 are further configured to filter the display of icons 103 according to a time period selection provided via an on-screen time period selector 109. Icons representing events that occur within the selected time period are displayed, while icons representing events outside the selected time period are hidden. In the embodiment illustrated in Figure 2, the time period selector 109 comprises start and end time inputs and may be further complemented by a time period slider 111 , allowing the user to dynamically slide a cursor relative to a “now” indicator 110. Adjustment of the selector 109 or slider 111 results in the updating of the map-based interface 200 such that only icons corresponding to events within the relevant period are rendered.

[0036] In some implementations, the event-related data attributes stored in the database 114 may comprise a social media handle associated with a performing artist of the event. The server 102 may be configured to query a social media server interface 130 using the social media handle to retrieve information regarding the performing artist, such as the number of subscribers or followers of a corresponding social media profile. This retrieved data may be stored as part of the event record in the database 114 and made available to the controllers 125 for rendering within the graphical user interface 200.

[0037] The controllers 125 may be configured to graphically modify an icon 103 displayed on the geospatial map data 102 in dependence upon the number of subscribers or followers retrieved from the social media server interface 130. By way of example, an icon corresponding to an event associated with an artist having a relatively small subscriber base may be rendered at a reduced scale, while an icon corresponding to an artist with a larger subscriber base may be rendered with increased scale. Referring again to Figure 2, icon 103a is shown as relatively small compared to icon 103c, representing a visual distinction that may be based on subscriber or follower numbers.

[0038] It will be appreciated that the graphical encoding of subscriber or follower count need not be limited to size alone. Other graphical attributes, such as shape, colour, border style, or transparency, may additionally or alternatively be employed to visually distinguish subscriber metrics. The use of size, however, provides an intuitive and readily perceivable way to convey relative subscriber quantities on a constrained display space without requiring the user to interrogate each icon individually.

[0039] In certain embodiments, the event-related data attributes may further comprise information as to whether a user of the electronic device 101 is personally registered as a follower or subscriber of a social media profile associated with a performing artist. To obtain this information, the server 102 may be configured to query a social media server interface 130 using the social media handle of the performing artist and to cross-reference the handle with authentication credentials associated with the useraccount of the computer device 101. The authentication credentials may include a session token, an access token, or other credential issued by the social media server when the user has logged into their account on the electronic device 101.

[0040] The resulting determination of whether the user is registered as a follower or subscriber may be stored temporarily in memory 126 and used by the controllers 125 to influence how an icon 103 is rendered on the map-based interface 200. In one example, the controllers 125 may graphically modify a colour of the icon 103 to encode the follower or subscriber status. For instance, an icon corresponding to an artist whom the user already follows may be displayed in a first colour such as green, while an icon corresponding to an artist whom the user does not follow may be displayed in a second colour such as grey. Referring to Figure 2, icon 103a is illustrated with a darker or solid shading while icon 103c is represented with a lighter or hatched shading, which in practice may reflect such a subscription state.

[0041] It is to be understood that the colour scheme is an example only and any suitable colour palette or graphical convention may be adopted. Furthermore, other graphical attributes, such as icon outline, border thickness, or transparency, may be optionally employed in addition to or instead of colour to convey the subscription state, depending on the desired user interface design.

[0042] The icons 103 displayed on the graphical user interface 200 may optionally be interactive such that a user can actuate an icon in order to trigger a control function. As shown in Figure 2, selection of an icon 103b may cause the graphical user interface 200 to present an overlay 104 that provides further information about the corresponding event. Within the overlay 104, an actuation button 105a may be provided to subscribe the user to the social media profile of the performing artist. When the button 105a is pressed, the electronic device 101 communicates with the server 102 which then transmits a subscription request to the relevant social media server.

[0043] To ensure that the subscription request is authorised, the server 102 can obtain an authentication token or credential associated with the user account of the computer device 101. This may be achieved by invoking an application programminginterface (API) of the social media server interface 130 that issues temporary access tokens when the user has logged in through the device 101. The server 102 incorporates the token or credential into the subscription request such that the social media server can validate the authenticity of the request before registering the user as a subscriber of the performing artist’s profile.

[0044] This arrangement allows the user to subscribe directly from the map-based user interface 200 without separately navigating to the social media application, thereby maintaining continuity of interaction while ensuring that the necessary authorisation protocols are satisfied.

[0045] The server 102 may be configured to communicate with an event ticketing server interface 131 to obtain information relating to ticket availability for each event. For example, an event identifier stored in the database 114 may be used as a query key to request ticketing information via an application programming interface of the ticketing server. The response may specify the number of tickets currently available, the number already sold, or other related availability data. This information can then be stored alongside the event record in the database 114 and utilised by the controllers 125 to modify the graphical characteristics of the icons 103. In practice, the controllers 125 may, for instance, render the icon in a first colour when tickets are plentiful, in a second colour when availability is limited, and in a third colour when the event is sold out.

[0046] Icons 103 can also be configured as interactive purchasing elements. As depicted in Figure 2, the overlay 104 may present a purchase button 105b. When actuated by the user, the purchase button 105b may cause the electronic device 101 to issue a request to the server 102, which in turn initiates a direct purchase transaction with the ticketing server interface 131. The direct purchase transaction may be implemented as a streamlined interaction where minimal user input is required once the purchase button 105b is selected.

[0047] To support this functionality, the server 102 may store in the memory device 126 a payment instrument token or credential associated with a payment account of the user. Such a token may be issued by a payment gateway or ticketing platformafter prior authentication of the user’s payment details. When the purchase button 105b is pressed, the server 102 transmits the stored token to the ticketing server interface 131 to complete the purchase transaction. The use of a token or credential avoids the need to transmit raw payment details, thereby improving transaction security while allowing the purchase to be executed rapidly through the interactive graphical interface.

[0048] The system 100 may further be configured to monitor and record user interactions with icons 103 presented on the graphical user interface 200. Such interactions can include, for example, a user tapping or selecting an icon to view more details of an event, or actuating a dedicated interest indicator associated with the icon. Each recorded interaction may be transmitted from the electronic device 101 to the server 102, where the interaction is stored in the database 114 in association with the corresponding event identifier.

[0049] The server 102 can then determine an interest metric for each event based on the accumulated interactions. The interest metric may be calculated as a simple count of interactions, or it may incorporate weighted values to distinguish between types of actions, such as a higher weighting for a purchase enquiry compared to a mere icon selection. Once calculated, the interest metric may be communicated back to the controllers 125 of the electronic device 101 , which in turn modify the graphical appearance of the corresponding icon 103 to reflect the level of interest.

[0050] By way of example, an icon corresponding to an event with a higher interest metric may be rendered with increased size, a thicker border, or increased opacity, compared with an icon representing an event with fewer interactions. This enables the graphical user interface 200 to convey relative levels of user engagement with events directly on the map display without requiring the user to access textual statistics or separate screens.

[0051] In some examples, the server 102 may be configured to query the social media server interface 130 using a social media handle associated with a user of the electronic device 101. From this query, the social media server may return a social graph comprising a plurality of connected user profiles, each corresponding toindividuals identified as friends, contacts, or followers of the user. The server 102 can process the returned graph to identify connected user profiles and to obtain event- related data associated with those profiles.

[0052] The server 102 may then determine for each connected user profile whether the corresponding individual is attending a given event. This determination may be based on data such as explicit event attendance status published on the social media server, indications of ticket purchases linked to the social media account, or participation in online event groups. Once attendance status is established, the controllers 125 may graphically modify the relevant icon 103 to reflect that one or more connected user profiles are attending the event. For instance, the icon may be rendered with a distinct border, an overlay badge, or a particular shape so that the user can readily perceive which events their connections are expected to attend.

[0053] To reinforce or confirm this information, the server 102 may additionally query the event ticketing server interface 131 using social media profile data obtained from the connected user profiles of the social graph. The query may request verification of whether a ticket has been issued in the name associated with the respective social media profile data. The ticketing server interface 131 may return a confirmation record that a ticket has been purchased or issued to that individual. This information can be stored in the database 114 and used by the controllers 125 to update the corresponding icon 103 in the graphical user interface 200, further enhancing the accuracy and credibility of the displayed information about which connected users are attending an event.

[0054] The system 100 may also be configured to obtain artist-related data from a streaming server interface 132 associated with digital music distribution. The server 102 can query the streaming server using an identifier of a performing artist, such as an artist ID or metadata embedded in an event record stored in the database 114. The streaming server interface 132 may return artist-related data attributes which can be processed by the server 102 and stored in the database 114 for subsequent use by the controllers 125. The controllers 125 may then graphically modify icons 103 on the map-based interface 200 to encode the retrieved artist-related data.

[0055] By way of example, the artist-related data attributes may include the number of chart positions achieved by the performing artist over a predetermined time period, such as twelve months. The server 102 may query the streaming server interface 132 for historical chart ranking data and parse the results to determine the number of occasions the artist has appeared in one or more charts during the time window. The controllers 125 may then graphically modify the corresponding icon 103 to encode this information. In one illustrative case, an icon may be rendered larger or with a more prominent border if the performing artist has accumulated many chart appearances, providing a direct visual cue of chart success.

[0056] Another attribute may be whether the performing artist currently has music in a chart maintained by the streaming server. The server 102 may query for up-to-date chart ranking data for the artist identifier and compare the result against a threshold condition, such as chart position being within a defined range. If current chart presence is detected, the controllers 125 may modify the graphical characteristics of the icon 103 to reflect this state, for instance by applying a particular highlight colour or a badge overlay.

[0057] A further attribute that can be obtained is whether the user of the computer device 101 has purchased or otherwise obtained access rights to the artist’s music through the streaming server. To establish this, the server 102 may query entitlement data associated with the user’s account identifier registered with the streaming service. If an entitlement record corresponding to the artist’s catalogue is detected, the controllers 125 may update the icon 103 to convey this entitlement, for example by modifying transparency, adding a tick marker, or changing the icon outline. This allows the user interface 200 to indicate at a glance whether the user already has access to the music of the performing artist linked with a displayed event. In some arrangements, the server 102 may additionally be configured to generate artist- related metrics internally from data stored within the database 114. Such metrics may include chart positions or popularity rankings derived from one or more of ticketing information, user interactions with icons 103, multimedia playback requests, or other activity signals captured by the system 100. By computing these chart positions withinthe system itself, the server 102 allows the graphical user interface 200 to present artist popularity even in the absence of, or in parallel with, externally retrieved chart ranking data. The controllers 125 may graphically modify the icons 103 to encode these internally generated metrics in the same manner as for externally retrieved chart data, thereby ensuring consistency of visual encoding regardless of data source.

[0058] The controllers 125 may optionally be configured to present a configuration interface on the digital display 127 of the electronic device 101 , enabling the user to select how event-related data attributes are represented graphically. As shown in Figure 2, such a configuration interface may take the form of icon display controls 108 presented adjacent to the geospatial map data 102. The icon display controls 108 may include drop-down menus, combo boxes, or other input fields allowing the user to select, from a plurality of available event-related data attributes, which graphical attributes of the icon 103 are used to encode the selected data.

[0059] The graphical attributes that may be selected for assignment include at least size, shape, and colour of the icon 103, although additional attributes such as border style or transparency may also be supported. For example, in one arrangement the user may assign the number of subscribers to be represented by icon size, ticket availability by icon colour, and chart status by icon shape. In another configuration, the user may alter these associations to suit their own preferences or visual requirements.

[0060] When the user makes a selection through the configuration interface, the controllers 125 may record the association between the chosen event-related data attribute and the selected graphical attribute in the memory device 126. These associations are stored as configuration data and are applied during subsequent rendering of the map-based interface 200. As a result, the graphical modification of each icon 103 during display is performed in accordance with the stored user-selected associations. This approach provides flexibility, allowing the graphical user interface 200 to be tailored to individual user preferences while maintaining consistent encoding across the displayed map.

[0061] In an optional embodiment, the graphical attribute of an icon 103 may comprise a circular ring rendered around the location of the event on the geospatial map data 102. Referring to Figure 2, icon 103a is illustrated as such a ring. The ring may be drawn concentrically about a centroid corresponding to the geographic coordinates of the event. By adopting this form, the centroid remains visible through the interior of the ring, ensuring that the underlying geospatial map data 102 is not obscured.

[0062] The ring may be dynamically modified in terms of its diameter, line thickness, or colour to encode event-related data attributes. For instance, the ring diameter could be proportional to the number of subscribers, while the ring colour could reflect ticket availability. Because the map interior within the ring remains transparent, the event’s exact position in relation to surrounding streets or landmarks is maintained, which is particularly useful where multiple icons are located in close proximity. This improves clarity of the user interface 200 while still conveying multifaceted information through graphical modifications.

[0063] The controllers 125 may be configured to dynamically vary graphical attributes of the icons 103 in response to adjustment of the time period selector 109 or the time period slider 111 shown in Figure 2. When the user moves the time period selector 109 to specify a past time period, the controllers 125 retrieve historical event-related data from the database 114. The icons 103 are then modified in real time such that their graphical attributes change to represent the state of the event-related data at the selected past interval. For example, the colour of an icon may transition from green to orange to indicate how ticket availability decreased in the days leading up to the event. These graphical transitions occur dynamically as the selector 109 or slider 111 is adjusted, allowing the user to visually replay historical variations of event metrics.

[0064] The controllers 125 may also operate in a predictive mode when the time period selector 109 is adjusted to a future time interval. In this case, the server 102 analyses historical event-related data stored in the database 114, such as past sales trends or patterns of subscriber growth, to generate a forecast of expected values for the selected future period. The predicted data is then encoded by modifying graphicalattributes of the icons 103. For example, a ring-based icon may gradually expand to a larger diameter when a prediction indicates increasing attendance. This predictive visualisation allows the user to perceive potential future states of the event directly from the map-based interface 200 without the need for separate forecasting displays.

[0065] Icons 103 may further be interactive to provide direct access to multimedia content associated with an event. As illustrated in Figure 2, the overlay 104 presented upon selection of an icon 103b may include a multimedia play button 105c. When actuated by the user, the play button 105c causes the electronic device 101 to issue a request to the server 102. The server 102 then retrieves audio data associated with the performing artist of the selected event. This audio data may be stored in the database 114 or accessed in real time from a streaming server through an established interface.

[0066] Once retrieved, the audio data is delivered from the server 102 to the electronic device 101 over the wide area network 103. The controllers 125 within the electronic device 101 then decode and render the audio on the device, providing immediate playback to the user through the device’s audio subsystem. In some arrangements, the multimedia content may comprise sample music tracks, promotional audio, or live- streamed material associated with the event. By enabling the playback to be initiated directly from the icon 103 within the map-based user interface 200, the system 100 integrates event discovery with immediate media access, reducing the need for the user to switch between applications or services.

[0067] The controllers 125 may apply animation transitions when dynamically modifying graphical attributes of icons 103 displayed on the graphical user interface 200. Rather than implementing instantaneous changes, the controllers 125 may interpolate intermediate values so that the size, colour, shape, or other graphical properties of the icons vary smoothly over time. For example, when an icon 103a is modified to increase in size to reflect a higher number of subscribers, the enlargement may occur through a continuous scaling animation rather than a step change. Similarly, a colour shift representing a change in ticket availability may transition gradually from green to red to provide visual continuity.

[0068] Such transitions can be implemented by the controllers 125 executing animation routines stored in the memory device 126. The routines may calculate frame-by-frame adjustments to the icon properties that are synchronised with the rendering of the map-based user interface 200 on the digital display 127. This approach reduces abrupt visual changes that could otherwise be distracting and allows the user to more easily perceive the direction and magnitude of underlying data changes. Figure 2 illustrates icons 103 with differing graphical characteristics, and in practice the system 100 may animate the transition between these states responsive to updates in the event-related data.

[0069] In addition to graphical modifications of icons 103, the controllers 125 may also render textual or numeric labels adjacent to the icons on the graphical user interface 200. These labels provide a secondary encoding of the same or related event-related data attributes. For example, as shown conceptually in Figure 2, an icon 103c that is displayed larger to represent a high number of subscribers may also have a numeric label positioned next to it indicating the exact number of subscribers.

[0070] The labels may be dynamically updated in real time in synchronisation with changes applied to the graphical attributes of the icons. When the server 102 updates ticket availability data, for instance, the icon 103b may change colour from green to orange, and simultaneously a label adjacent to the icon may display the remaining number of tickets. This ensures that the user is provided with both an immediate visual impression and a precise numerical indication of the data.

[0071] The controllers 125 may control the placement of the labels to avoid overlap with other interface elements, employing alignment rules such as rendering the label above or to the side of the icon depending on screen space. The labels may also be styled consistently with the graphical interface theme to maintain legibility against the geospatial map data 102.

[0072] The controllers 125 may be configured to cluster icons 103 that fall within a threshold geospatial proximity on the map-based interface 200. When multiple events occur at locations that are close together, their respective icons may otherwise overlap or crowd the display, particularly when the geospatial map data 102 isrendered at a lower zoom level. To address this, the controllers 125 can generate a composite icon that represents the group of events within the threshold proximity.

[0073] The composite icon may be positioned at a centroid of the clustered events and may be graphically modified to convey aggregated event-related data attributes. For example, the size of the composite icon may correspond to the total number of subscribers across the clustered events, while its colour may represent the ticket availability status of the majority of those events. The number of events represented may also be indicated within or adjacent to the composite icon as a numeric overlay.

[0074] When the user performs a zoom gesture or other input causing the map to display at higher resolution, the controllers 125 can dynamically expand the composite icon into its constituent icons 103a-103c. Each icon is then rendered at the precise location of its associated event, with graphical attributes individually encoding the relevant event-related data. The expansion may be animated such that the composite icon separates smoothly into the constituent icons, improving user perception of the spatial distribution of events as the zoom level increases. Figure 2 illustrates icons of varying size and shape; in practice, such icons may be generated following the expansion of a composite cluster.

[0075] The controllers 125 may also implement a temporal playback mode in which the time period selector 109, shown in Figure 2, is automatically advanced through successive time intervals. In this mode, the server 102 retrieves sequential sets of event-related data from the database 114 corresponding to the advancing time intervals, and the controllers 125 dynamically update the graphical attributes of the icons 103 in synchronisation with the progression of the selector.

[0076] For example, the time period selector 109 may automatically step day by day through the week leading up to an event, with the icons 103 changing in size or colour to reflect subscriber counts or ticket availability at each day. The advancement may also be continuous, with the cursor of the slider 111 moving smoothly across the timeline and the icons 103 undergoing animated transitions in real time to represent the evolving event data.

[0077] This playback mode enables the user to observe temporal trends directly within the map-based user interface 200. By visualising changes across successive intervals, such as the growth in interest metrics or the decline in ticket availability, the system 100 provides a dynamic representation of how event-related data evolves over time.

[0078] The controllers 125 may further be configured to generate a trajectory or trace path adjacent to an icon 103 on the geospatial map data 102. The trace path represents how an event-related data attribute associated with the icon changes across multiple time periods. For instance, if the time period selector 109 or slider 111 is adjusted to traverse through a sequence of dates, the controllers 125 can render a line, curve, or segmented path extending from the centroid of the icon, with each segment of the path corresponding to a different temporal state of the attribute.

[0079] The visual characteristics of the trajectory may be modified to encode data values. For example, the thickness of the path segments could vary to represent the number of tickets sold at each time step, or the colour gradient along the path could represent subscriber growth. In some arrangements, discrete markers may be plotted along the trace path, each marker corresponding to a sampled interval from the historical or predicted data.

[0080] The trajectory is updated in real time responsive to movement of the time period selector 109. As the selector advances through past or future periods, the controllers 125 dynamically extend or retract the trajectory and apply graphical modifications to its segments, thereby providing a temporal visualisation adjacent to the icon 103. Figure 2 illustrates icons that may be supplemented with such a trajectory path to give the user an immediate sense of how event-related data evolves relative to a given location.

[0081] The controllers 125 may graphically modify the icons 103 using combinations of different graphical attributes so that more than one event-related data attribute is concurrently represented. The attributes available for encoding may include size, colour, border style, transparency, and shape of the icon. By selecting at least two ofthese attributes, the controllers 125 enable multiple data dimensions to be conveyed within the limited screen space of the graphical user interface 200.

[0082] For example, an icon 103c may be displayed as a square shape to denote a particular genre of event, while its size is increased to indicate a large subscriber base, and its colour adjusted to reflect ticket availability. In another arrangement, a circular ring icon 103a may have its transparency varied according to the number of connected user profiles attending, while the border style of the ring is modified to represent entitlement status to the artist’s music.

[0083] As shown in Figure 2, icons can be distinguished through variations in size and shading, but the same principle applies to combinations of other graphical attributes depending on the design requirements. By employing different attributes concurrently, the system 100 allows users to interpret several event-related characteristics at once from a single icon without needing to open additional overlays or panels.Exemplary system architecture

[0084] An exemplary implementation of the system 100 will now be described by way of example, but is not limiting as equivalent platforms, libraries and services may be substituted where appropriate.

[0085] In one practical deployment, the server 102 is implemented as a set of containerised micro-services orchestrated by Kubernetes running on an infrastructure-as-a-service platform such as Amazon Web Services. By way of example, application containers may execute on Amazon Elastic Kubernetes Service worker nodes backed by c6i.xlarge instances, with an NGINX ingress controller terminating TLS 1.3 and forwarding requests to internal services over mTLS. A managed relational database such as Amazon RDS for PostgreSQL is used for the database 114, extended with the PostGIS module to support geospatial indexing (e.g. GiST or SP-GiST indexes on event latitude / longitude) and TimescaleDB extensions to optimise storage and query of time-series event-related data. Transient caching of hot keys (e.g. current ticket availability by event identifier) is provided by Redis, and asynchronous event ingestion and fan-out is handled by a message broker such asApache Kafka. Static assets for the graphical user interface 200 and map tile resources are distributed via a content delivery network such as Amazon CloudFront to reduce latency to the electronic device 101.

[0086] The server 102 exposes versioned REST and / or gRPC endpoints to the electronic device 101 over the wide area network 103. Interfaces to external data sources are encapsulated as separate adapter services. A social media adapter service manages OAuth 2.0 / OpenlD Connect flows against third-party identity providers (for example, the Spotify Accounts service for artist follower counts, or a social graph provider’s Graph API), securely storing access and refresh tokens in an encrypted secrets store such as AWS Key Management Service bound to hardware security modules. A ticketing adapter service integrates with an event ticketing server via a published API (for example, Eventbrite or Ticketmaster developer APIs) using OAuth 2.0 client credentials for application-level access, and supports idempotent queries keyed by an event identifier to retrieve numbers of tickets available and sold. A streaming adapter service accesses artist-related data attributes and sample media via provider SDKs or HTTP APIs and supports HTTP Live Streaming (HLS) and MPEG-DASH for media delivery to the electronic device 101.

[0087] To implement direct purchase transactions without handling raw payment credentials, the server 102 integrates with a PCI-DSS compliant payment gateway such as Stripe, Adyen or Braintree. During a prior wallet enrolment step invoked from the graphical user interface 200, a payment instrument token is provisioned using the provider’s native SDK (e.g. Stripe Payment Intents with a payment method token, or Apple Pay / Google Pay network tokens on supported platforms). The token is bound to the user’s account record in the database 114 and encrypted at rest. When the user actuates the purchase button 105b in the overlay 104, the server 102 creates a purchase order, confirms ticket availability with the ticketing adapter, and completes the transaction by transmitting the stored token to the payment gateway using a server-side API call that supports Strong Customer Authentication (for example, EMV 3-D Secure 2). Transactional integrity is maintained by two-phase commit semanticsbetween the purchase order and a ticket reservation / issuance callback from the ticketing server, with retries coordinated via Kafka to handle transient failures.

[0088] On the client side, the electronic device 101 can be implemented as a progressive web application or as a native mobile application. In a web example, the graphical user interface 200 is rendered using a React / TypeScript front-end with WebGL-accelerated map layers provided by Mapbox GL JS or deck.gl over OpenStreetMap or commercial vector tiles. The digital display 127 presents the geospatial map data 102, and icon layers corresponding to icons 103 are drawn as instanced WebGL sprites or signed-distance-field shapes to allow crisp scaling. Animation of graphical attributes such as size, colour, border style, transparency and shape is implemented with requestAnimationFrame-driven interpolators that ease between states, with frame times constrained to maintain 60 fps on typical mobile GPUs. A quadtree (or a provider’s Supercluster library) is used on-device to cluster icons within a threshold proximity at low zoom levels and to expand them into constituent icons on zoom, with transitions animated to preserve object constancy.

[0089] The electronic device 101 comprises a processor 129, a communication bus 113 and a memory device 126 as illustrated in Figure 1. The memory device 126 stores program code implementing controllers 125 which include a map Tenderer, an icon layout engine, a temporal playback engine, a data sync client and an interaction handler. The processor 129 fetches, decodes and executes these controllers from the memory device 126 to render and update the graphical user interface 200. The network interface 128 maintains secure connections to the server 102 using HTTP / 2 over TLS 1.3; for live updates of event-related data, a WebSocket channel or Server- Sent Events stream is established so that the server 102 can push deltas to the electronic device 101 , reducing the need for polling and allowing low-latency dynamic modification of icons 103 when ticket counts or interaction rates change.

[0090] To support geospatial precision and non-occluding rendering, circular ring icons such as icon 103a are drawn as hollow annuli with programmable line width shaders so that the centroid of each event remains visible. Border style encoding is achieved by varying dash patterns in fragment shaders; transparency encoding isperformed by adjusting per-instance alpha in the icon layer to reveal the underlying map tiles. Textual or numeric labels are laid out by the icon layout engine using screen-space collision detection to avoid overlap with other labels and icons, with fallback positions computed relative to the icon anchor and cached per zoom level for performance.

[0091] Historical playback and prediction are supported by a time-series store and a lightweight inference service. Historical records of event-related data attributes are appended with server timestamps and indexed in TimescaleDB. When the time period selector 109 or slider 111 moves to a past interval, the client requests a time- windowed slice of the relevant attributes; the temporal playback engine then interpolates icon states across sample points to produce smooth animations. For forward prediction when the selector is moved into a future interval, an inference micro-service running Python with scikit-learn or a provider’s forecasting toolkit (for example, Amazon Forecast) produces forecasts of metrics such as expected attendance or ticket availability from historical features (e.g. prior sales velocity, day- of-week and proximity to event date). Predicted values are returned with confidence intervals and encoded by controllers 125 into future icon states; for example, a ring diameter can reflect the point forecast whilst a translucent halo encodes the confidence band.

[0092] The overlay 104, displayed upon interaction with an icon 103b, is implemented with a React modal component or native view that binds to controller state. Buttons 105a-105c invoke specific controller actions: a subscribe workflow calls the social media adapter via the server 102 using the user’s OAuth 2.0 access token stored in an encrypted keychain on the device and mirrored server-side; a purchase workflow triggers the payment and ticket issuance sequence described above; and a multimedia play action streams HLS via the platform media stack (for example, AVPIayer on iOS, ExoPlayer on Android, or Media Source Extensions in web), with audio decoded on the processor 129 and rendered through platform audio APIs.

[0093] To manage privacy and security, personally identifiable elements of the social graph retrieved from an external provider are pseudonymised server-side beforepersistence in the database 114, using salted hashes for stable matching without storing raw identifiers. Rate limiting and exponential backoff are applied by the adapter services to comply with third-party API quotas, and all tokens are rotated according to provider guidance. Audit logs of subscription, purchase and streaming actions are appended to immutable storage such as Amazon S3 with object lock to support non-repudiation.

[0094] Latency and resilience are addressed by co-locating edge points of presence with major client regions, employing connection coalescing for HTTP / 2, and using optimistic III updates on the electronic device 101 with server reconciliation via the WebSocket stream. Health checks for each micro-service are exposed to Kubernetes liveness and readiness probes; rolling updates with zero downtime are achieved with canary deployments and automated rollback on error budgets. Telemetry from the controllers 125, including frame time, dropped frames and network round-trip, is exported via OpenTelemetry into a time-series monitoring stack such as Prometheus and Grafana to ensure the graphical user interface 200 maintains a consistent update cadence during dynamic icon transformations.Exemplary Method

[0095] Referring now to Figure 3, there is shown a method 300 for rendering and interacting with the map-based user interface 200.

[0096] At step 301 , event-related data is received from a plurality of data sources. The server 102 may query external sources such as social media servers, ticketing servers, and streaming servers to obtain attributes associated with each event. For example, for a concert event, the system may retrieve the performer’s social media follower count, ticket availability, and whether the performer currently has music in the charts. These data attributes are transmitted across the wide area network 103 and ingested by the server 102.

[0097] At step 302, the event data is stored in the database 114 in association with an event identifier, a location coordinate, and a time value. The data may be indexed spatially and temporally so that queries can be resolved efficiently when filtering or rendering the interface. For instance, a record for an upcoming jazz performance maybe stored with its venue coordinates, scheduled date, ticket availability values, and subscriber statistics.

[0098] At step 303, the controllers 125 of the electronic device 101 render geospatial map data 102 on the digital display 127. The map may represent the city region in which events are scheduled.

[0099] At step 304, icons 103 are superimposed at geospatial positions corresponding to event locations. Each icon is drawn at a centroid position that matches the event’s stored coordinates. In the example of Figure 2, icon 103a may represent a small venue, whereas icon 103c represents a larger venue event.

[0100] At step 305, the icons 103 are graphically modified according to different graphical attributes to concurrently encode multiple event-related data attributes. For instance, the size of an icon may be proportional to subscriber count while its colour represents ticket availability. In the example, icon 103a is smaller and shown in a darker colour, whereas icon 103c is larger and rendered in a lighter or hatched colour.

[0101] At step 306, the display of icons 103 is filtered based on a time period selected by the user via the time period selector 109. If the user selects a date range corresponding to the following weekend, only those events occurring in that interval are rendered on the interface, with all other icons hidden.

[0102] At step 307, the controllers 125 dynamically vary the graphical attributes of the icons 103 responsive to changes of the time period selector 109. When the selector is adjusted to a past interval, historical event-related data stored in the database 114 is retrieved and used to animate changes in the icons. For example, the colour of an icon may shift gradually from green to orange to red as the selector slides from two weeks ago to one day before the event, showing the reduction in ticket availability over time. When the selector is moved to a future interval, the server 102 analyses the historical data to generate a prediction of future values, such as a forecast of tickets likely to be sold, and the icon 103 is graphically modified accordingly, for instance by increasing its diameter to represent projected attendance.

[0103] At step 308, the system processes user interactions with the icons 103. Selecting an icon 103b may trigger display of the overlay 104 which containsactuation buttons 105a-105c. By pressing button 105a, the user may subscribe to the performer’s social media profile; pressing button 105b initiates a direct ticket purchase transaction using a stored payment instrument token; and pressing button 105c streams associated audio or video content to the device 101 . These interactions are processed by the controllers 125 and corresponding requests are transmitted from the server 102 to the external data sources.

[0104] At step 309, the database 114 and rendered icons 103 are updated in real time to reflect changes in event-related data and user interactions. For example, when a user purchases a ticket, the ticket availability record in the database 114 is decremented, and the corresponding icon 103 is graphically modified on the digital display 127 to update its colour coding to show reduced availability.

[0105] The method 300 thereby provides a continuous process of data acquisition, storage, rendering, modification, filtering, interaction handling, and real-time updating, implemented cooperatively by the electronic device 101 and the server 102.

[0106] The foregoing description, for purposes of explanation, used specific nomenclature to provide a thorough understanding of the invention. However, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that specific details are not required in order to practise the invention. Thus, the foregoing descriptions of specific embodiments of the invention are presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed as obviously many modifications and variations are possible in view of the above teachings. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and its practical applications, thereby enabling others skilled in the art to best utilize the invention and various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. It is intended that the following claims and their equivalents define the scope of the invention.

Claims

Claims1. A system comprising a server in operable communication with a plurality of computer devices and a plurality of data sources across a wide area network, the system comprising processors executing computer program code instruction controllers configured for rendering a map-based user interface on digital displays of the computer devices, the map-based user interface configured to display geospatial map data, wherein the system comprises a database of events, each recorded in relation to a location and a time and associated with event-related data obtained from the plurality of data sources, and wherein the controllers are configured for: superimposing icons over the geospatial map data at positions corresponding to the event locations; graphically modifying the icons according to at least two different graphical attributes that concurrently encode more than one of the event-related data attributes obtained from the respective plurality of data sources, such that different graphical attributes of each icon represent different types of event-related data simultaneously; and filtering the display of the icons according to a time period selection using an onscreen time period selector, such that icons representing events occurring within the selected time period are displayed and icons representing events occurring outside the selected time period are hidden.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the event-related data attributes comprise a social media handle associated with a performing artist, and wherein the server is configured to query a social media server using the social media handle to retrieve a number of subscribers or followers of a social media profile of the performing artist, and the controllers are configured to graphically modify the icon to encode the number of subscribers or followers.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the controllers are configured to graphically modify a size of the icon to encode the number of subscribers or followers.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the event-related data attributes comprise a social media handle associated with a performing artist, and wherein the server is configured to query the social media server using the social media handle to ascertain whether a user of one of the computer devices is registered as a follower or subscriber of a social media profile of the performing artist, and the controllers are configured to graphically modify the icon to encode whether the user is registered as the follower or subscriber.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the controllers are configured to graphically modify a colour of the icon to encode whether the user is registered as the follower or subscriber of the social media profile.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the icon is interactive such that selection of the icon by the user causes the server to transmit a subscription request to the social media server to register the user as the follower or subscriber of the social media profile of the performing artist.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein prior to transmitting the subscription request the server is configured to obtain an authentication token or credential from the social media server associated with a user account of the computer device, and wherein the subscription request includes the authentication token or credential to authorise the subscription.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the server is configured to query an event ticketing server using an event identifier associated with a respective event to determine at least one of a number of tickets available for the event and a number of tickets sold for the event, and the controllers are configured to graphically modify the icon to encode ticket availability or sales information.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the icon is interactive such that selection of the icon by the user of the computer device initiates a direct purchase transaction for a ticket to the event.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the server is configured, prior to the direct purchase transaction, to store a payment instrument token or credential associated with a payment account of the user, and wherein the direct purchase transaction comprises transmitting the stored payment instrument token or credential from the server to the event ticketing server to execute the purchase transaction.

11. The system of claim 1 , wherein the server is configured to record user interactions with a respective icon corresponding to an event, the user interactions comprising at least one of selecting the icon or activating an interest indicator associated with the icon, and wherein the server is configured to determine an interest metric for the event based on the recorded user interactions, and the controllers are configured to graphically modify the icon to encode the interest metric.

12. The system of claim 1 , wherein the server is configured to query a social media server using a social media handle of the user to obtain a social graph comprising a plurality of connected user profiles associated with the user, and wherein the server is configured to determine for each connected user profile whether the connected user profile is attending a respective event by inspecting event-related data associated with the connected user profile, and the controllers are configured to graphically modify the icon to encode whether one or more of the connected user profiles are attending the event.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the server is configured to query an event ticketing server using social media profile data obtained from the connected user profiles of the social graph to determine whether a ticket has been issued in a name associated with the social media profile data.

14. The system of claim 1 , wherein the server is configured to query a streaming server associated with digital music distribution using an identifier of a performing artist to retrieve artist-related data attributes, and the controllers are configured to graphically modify the icon to encode the artist-related data attributes.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the artist-related data attributes comprise a number of chart positions achieved by the performing artist over a predetermined time period, and wherein the server is configured to query the streaming server for historical chart ranking data associated with the identifier of the performing artist and to parse the ranking data to determine the number of chart positions over the predetermined time period, and the controllers are configured to graphically modify the icon to encode the number of chart positions.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the artist-related data attributes comprise whether the performing artist currently has music in a chart, and wherein the server is configured to query the streaming server for current chart ranking data associated with the identifier of the performing artist and to compare the current ranking data against a chart threshold condition to ascertain whether the performing artist currently has music in the chart, and the controllers are configured to graphically modify the icon to encode the chart status.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the artist-related data attributes comprise whether the user of the computer device has purchased or otherwise obtained access rights to music of the performing artist, and wherein the server is configured to query the streaming server for entitlement data associated with a user account identifier of the user and to detect the presence of an entitlement record corresponding to music of the performing artist, and the controllers are configured to graphically modify the icon to encode the entitlement status.

18. The system of claim 1 , wherein the controllers are configured to present a configuration interface on the digital display of the computer device enabling the user to select, from a plurality of event-related data attributes, which of a plurality of graphical attributes of the icon are used to encode the selected event-related data attributes.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the plurality of graphical attributes comprise at least size, shape, and colour of the icon, and wherein the user selection associates different ones of the event-related data attributes with different ones of the graphical attributes.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the controllers are configured to store user- selected associations between the event-related data attributes and the graphical attributes in memory and to graphically modify the icon in accordance with the associations during rendering of the map-based user interface.

21. The system of claim 1 , wherein the graphical attribute comprises a circular ring rendered around a location of the event on the geospatial map data, the circular ring being sized or coloured to encode the event-related data attributes while leaving the location visible within the ring such that the geospatial map data is not obscured.

22. The system of claim 1 , wherein responsive to changing of the time period selector to a past time period, the controllers are configured to retrieve historical event-related data from the database and to dynamically modify at least one graphical attribute of the icons such that the graphical attributes change in real time to represent the event- related data associated with past time periods.

23. The system of claim 1 , wherein responsive to changing of the time period selector to a future time period, the controllers are configured to analyse historical event- related data stored in the database to generate a prediction of event-related data forthe future time period, and to dynamically modify at least one graphical attribute of the icons to encode the predicted event-related data.

24. The system of claim 1 , wherein the icon is interactive such that selection of the icon by the user causes the server to initiate streaming of audio data associated with a performing artist of the event, the audio data being retrieved from a database or a streaming server and rendered on the computer device.

25. The system of claim 1 , wherein the controllers are configured to apply animation transitions when dynamically modifying graphical attributes of the icons such that changes in icon size, colour, or shape occur gradually to improve user perception of variation in event-related data over time.

26. The system of claim 1 , wherein the controllers are configured to overlay a textual or numeric label adjacent to the icon, the label being updated in real time in synchronisation with graphical modification of the icon to provide redundant encoding of the event-related data attribute.

27. The system of claim 1 , wherein the controllers are configured to cluster a plurality of icons within a threshold geospatial proximity into a composite icon and to dynamically expand the composite icon into constituent icons in response to a zoom gesture or input on the map-based user interface.

28. The system of claim 1 , wherein the controllers are configured to display a temporal playback mode in which the time period selector automatically advances through successive past or future time periods, and graphical attributes of the icons are dynamically modified in synchronisation to provide an animated representation of changes in event-related data over time.

29. The system of claim 1 , wherein the controllers are configured to superimpose a trajectory or trace path adjacent to the icon representing changes in the event-related data attributes across multiple time periods, the trajectory or trace path being graphically modified in real time responsive to the time period selector.

30. The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least two different graphical attributes that concurrently encode more than one of the event-related data attributes comprise at least two of size, colour, border style, transparency, and shape of the icon.

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