A Survey of Concept Mapping Tools

Author: Eric Hanson, elh@cs.pdx.edu

Instructor: Lois Delcambre, lmd@cs.pdx.edu
Date: September 7, 2005
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
1. Concept Maps
2. Concepts
3. Relationship
2. Concept Mapping Tools Overview
1. Get Smart
2. SMART Ideas
3. CmapTools
3. Comparisons
1. Concept Mapping Tools
2. Concept Drawing Options
3. Relationship Drawing Options
4. Concept Map Features
5. Collaboration Features
4. Conclusions
Introduction
A concept map is a knowledge model, represented as a labeled set of nodes and arcs
used to summarize a body of knowledge on a topic, much like an outline. Each node
typically represents a concept, and an arc between two nodes represents a relationship
between two concepts. In this paper we will introduce the concept map model and then
survey and compare three concept mapping tools.
Concept Maps
A concept map is comprised of concepts and relationships. There are no restrictions as
to the range, scope or topical focus of a concept map.

Figure 1.

Illustration of a directed relationship between two

concepts.

Concepts
In general, the concept map model places no inherent restrictions on what can or
cannot be a "concept". A concept is much like the Platonic "idea" or the "subject" in
predicate logic: almost anything can be considered a concept. Some concept mapping
tools allow users to define different types of concepts to further restrict the model, but
these restrictions are imposed internally.
Relationships
Relationships indicate a conceptual connection between two nodes or concepts in a
concept map. A relationship can be directed or undirected. A directed
relationshippoints from one node to another. As illustrated in Figure 1, two nodes
labeled Apples and Trees might have an arc between them called "grow on" with the arc
directed from Apples to Trees, indicating that Apples grow on Trees.
Concept Mapping Tools Overview
In this section, we compare three concept mapping tools, GetSmart, SMART
Ideas and CmapTools. We will first introduce each, and then compare them in the
context of various features and characteristics.
GetSmart
GetSmart is designed with emphasis on use with the National Science Digital Library
(NSDL). It's intended to "integrate curriculum support, search functions, and knowledge
visualization tools in a digital library, learning-oriented environment." [1] Lead by Dr.
Hsinchun Chen, GetSmart is a collaboration between the AI Lab at University of
Arizona and Virginia Tech.

Figure 2.

GetSmart screenshot, a flowers concept map.

GetSmart comes in two versions, stand-alone and server dependent.

The stand-alone version is a simple concept mapper, capable of drawing lines and
boxes, and not much else. However, there is an additional module that enables
searching the local repository for keywords.
Since GetSmart is programmed in Java, it can run on any operating system that
supports the Java virtual machine.
GetSmart has a built-in taxonomy of relationships. While the user is free to label
relationships in whatever manner they see fit, the GetSmart taxonomy provides a few
generally applicable relationship names to choose from (See Figure 3).

Figure 3.

GetSmart's taxonomy of relationsihps.

Each concept can be associated with zero or more URLs or files (Figure 4). Thus each
concept can be further described by these associated resources. This ability to
associate URLs or files with a concept can be viewed as a simple form of superimposed
information where the files or web pages are described by or linked with certain
concepts. Superimposed information is an approach to information representation and
information management under investigation led by Dr. David Maier and Lois
Delcambre where information from a base layer can be easily referenced from the
superimposed layer. In this context, the relationships in a concept map could be used to
describe how base-layer resources are related.

Figure 4.

Associating a concept with a resource.

The server-dependent version of Getsmart is a web-based application, that works the

same as the stand-alone version, but is deployed as a Java Applet. Clients interact with
a shared concept map server via a web browser, allowing users to store concept maps
in a central repository of concept maps and look at each other's concept maps. The
web-based version is deployed as a web-based service, and access to the tool can be
requested by visiting http://boris.dlib.vt.edu:8080/aicm/index.html (Figure 5).

Figure 5.

The GetSmart web interface, for collaborative concept mapping.

SMART Ideas
The most feature-rich GUI among the three concept mapping tools is SMART Ideas. It
has an elaborate selection of options for controlling the appearance of concept maps.
The style pallet provides a number of options for the appearance of concepts and
relationships. It offers a small but extendable library of clipart, so that in addition to the
usual circles and boxes, concepts can be represented as images.

SMART Ideas also provides a number of extensions to the core concept-map model.
Multi-level diagrams allow concepts to have relationships with other concept maps.
Concepts can also link to files, URLs and attachments. Cliplets are interactive widgets
similar to Java Applets. For example, a cliplet could be a fully functional timer, a pair of
dice, an actual working clocks, or a functional calculator. A minimal API is available for
developers to write their own cliplets.
The template library offers a nice showcase of what can be done with SMART Ideas,
and can serve as a good spring-board for creating a visually appealing concept map.
Finally, SMART Ideas saves concept maps in their own proprietary format, but can
export to Microsoft Word format.

Figure 6.

SMART Ideas screenshot, illustrating the order in which clothing must be

put on.
A concept represents a piece of clothing, a relationship represents
a dependancy on another piece of clothing.

Cmap Tools
Originally part of the work from the Institute for Human and Machine Cognition at the
University of West Florida, Cmap Tools has since become a commercial product.
Cmap Tools offer nice looking and feature rich GUI. Concepts can be visually styled with
colors, shadows, background images, etc (Figure 7). The auto-format feature can
automatically position concepts relative to each other, to make a well-proportioned map.
Concept maps can be exported in a wide variety of formats: as an image, a web page,
an outline, propositions as text, an XML document or a LifeMap.
Cmap Tools is programmed in Java and run on Windows, OSX, Linux and Solaris.

Figure 7.

Cmap Tools screenshot, a design decision concept map, retrieved from the
collaborative concept map space, this one from a class at University of
Massachusets.

Like GetSmart, Cmap Tools can connect to a concept map repository for collaborative
management. Cmap Tools is being used by a number of universities as a repository for
classroom concept maps. The collaboration features are quite advanced, allowing the
user to search across the entire repository of concept maps, as well as join a "Soup", a
shared repository of concept maps that can be retrieved. The system allows a user to
sign up for an account, share concept maps, and participate in a integrated threadedmessaging forum for the discussion of a particular concept map (Figure 8).

Figure 8.

Cmap Tools repository, authenticating against the repository for setting up a

shared space.

Comparisons
In this section, we identify various axes for comparison among these concept mapping
tools, describe each axis and then analyze each tool.
Concept Mapping Tools
First we list the tools, the license under which the software is released, the organization
responsible for their creation and maintenance, the operating system environments
supported by the tool, and what formats maps can be exported as.
Software

License

Organization
AI lab at the
Open
GetSmart
University of Arizona,
Source?
Virginia Tech
CMAP
Commercial Institute for Human
Tools
and Machine

Environment

Save/Export Formats

Java (any OS)

XML

Windows, OSX,
Linux, Solaris

Image, Web Page,

Cmap Outline, XML,
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Cognition
SMART
Ideas

(Sparc)

Commercial SMART Technologies Windows, OSX

Life Map
Microsoft Word

Concept Drawing Options

Shapes and colors can be good indicators of additional information about concepts. A
good coloring scheme can convey additional dimensions of information beyond simple
concepts and relationships. For example, in a concpet map of fruits and vegetables, one
might color all fruits red and all vegetabls green, or use circles for fruits and squares for
vegetables. In this section we address the visual styling elements that can be added to
a concept node.
Software

Colors

Shapes

GetSmart supported squares

Background
Images
not supported

CMAP
Tools

supported squares, circles supported

SMART
Ideas

squares, circles,
triangles,
supported
supported
rounded boxes,
etc.

Shadows Borders

Text Align

not
not
center
supported supported
center,
supported supported
right, left
center,
supported supported right, left,
top, bottom

Relationship Drawing Options

Similar to concepts, color can indicate additional information about relationships. This
section compares what types of relationships are supported, and how they can be
enhanced visually.
Software

Colors

Directed Undirected
not
GetSmart supported supported
supported
CMAP Tools supported supported supported
SMART
supported supported supported
Ideas

Labeled

Unlabeled Attachments
URLs, Files
supported (blank)
(broken?)
supported (blank)
URLs, Files
URLs, Files,
supported supported
Attachments

Map Drawing and Configuration Options

This section compares features that apply to an entire map. Colors says whether or not
the background color can be changed. Background patterns can be added within some
tools as well. Multilevel maps are can link from a concept to anothre map. Autolayout
features can take a cluster of concepts and lay them out in a balanced graph. Quickconnect mode allows the fast creation of many conecpts with a single-click per concept.

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Software
GetSmart
CMAP Tools
SMART Ideas

Colors
Patterns
Multilevel
Autolayout
Quick Connect
supported not supported not supported not supported not supported
supported not supported not supported supported
not supported
supported supported
supported
supported
supported

Collaboration Features
Software
GetSmart
CMAP Tools
SMART Ideas

Shared repository Access

Viewing Editing
Searching
supported
by request supported supported supported
supported
free account supported supported supported
not supported
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a

Conclusions
In this paper we briefly surveyed three concept mapping tools, and compared their
features. GetSmart proved to be a simple, clean, cross-platform concept mapping tool.
IHMC's CMapTools is a good concept mapping tool for those interested in sharing maps
across repositories and organizations, and delivers a number of visual styling options.
SmartIDEAS offers a wealth of features for creating visually appealing concept maps,
and multi-level concept maps.

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