Introduction

The International Spring School on Visualization entitled Seeing Through Lies: Mapping Trust in the Age of Misinformation was hosted virtually by the Department of Geoinformatics at Palacký University Olomouc from April 1-2, 2025. Over the two days, various lectures and workshops were held that focused on innovative and data-driven approaches to mapping trust as well as critical thinking skills in relation to false narratives and misinformation. The event was highly interdisciplinary with speakers from the fields of geography, science, psychology and politics.

The detailed program was as follows:

Day 1

1. Welcome and introduction by the organizers (Stanislav Popelka, Jakub Koníček)
2. Trust in maps by Georg Gartner
3. Eye-tracking and digital literacy by Nili Steinfeld
4. Mapping Manipulation: The Art of Electoral Data Distortion by Jakub Lysek
5. Populist Maps and Hegemonic Cycles: In the Geopolitics of Pulp Cartography by Ian Muehlenhaus
6. Truth, lies and eye fixations: How personality influences ocular behaviour by Petra Hypsova
7. Seeing is Believing? Understanding the Science of Trust and Deception in Maps by Timothy Pretsby

Day 2

1. Start of a new day by the organizers (Stanislav Popelka, Jakub Koníček)
2. Ethics in maps by Eric Losang & Francis Harvey
3. Tricks with graphs by Garbiela Godišková
4. Tricks with maps (Practical) by Alena Vondráková
5. The role of AI in disinformation production and its mitigation by Robert Moro
6. Guided practical with team work
7. Concluding remarks by the organizers (Stanislav Popelka, Jakub Koníček)

Key Learnings