History Main / SpreadingDisasterMapGraphic

* A rare comedic example in ''Series/DadsArmy'': the AnimatedCreditsOpening shows a lone Union Jack arrow advancing into Belgium, before a group of Swastika-emblazoned arrows sweep over western Europe (including one that gets lost for a bit), forcing the lone Union Jack arrow back to its start point in Northern France, then sticks its tail out further and pulls back across the Channel. All set to a [[SoundtrackDissonance jaunty tune about how Britain's not beaten yet]]. For added GeniusBonus value, the arrows actually do offer a fairly accurate (if rather simplified) depiction of the real-life Nazi invasion of France and subsequent British withdrawal.[[note]]The initial course of the British arrow seems to represent the Dyle Plan, which took the British Expeditionary Force on a rapid route into Belgium, only for this plan to fail when the Axis Powers routed the advance. the German arrow "that gets lost a bit" represents a German assault that was stopped dead in the only British almost-a-victory in France in 1940; thus deterred from advancing to Dunkirk, this German formation was sent further west to completely cut off British from French forces.[[/note]]

* A rare comedic example in ''Series/DadsArmy'': the AnimatedCreditsOpening shows Swastika-emblazoned arrows sweeping over western Europe (including one that gets lost for a bit), while the lone Union Jack arrow retreats back to its start point, then sticks its tail out further and pulls back across the Channel. All set to a [[SoundtrackDissonance jaunty tune about how Britain's not beaten yet]]. For added GeniusBonus value, the arrows actually do offer a fairly accurate (if rather simplified) depiction of the real-life Nazi invasion of France and subsequent British withdrawal.[[note]]"The one that gets lost a bit" represents a German assault that was stopped dead in the only British almost-a-victory in France in 1940; thus deterred from advancing to Dunkirk, this German formation was sent further west to completely cut off British from French forces[[/note]]

* A map is used to show [[StoryboardingTheApocalypse how]] the [[VivaLaEvolution highly-adaptive]] alien lifeforms of ''Film/{{Evolution}}'' will own the United States in [[OhCrap about a month from when they start to expand]] from the impact site in Glen Canyon.
* Franchise/MonsterVerse:

* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'': PlayedForLaughs on a WesternAnimation/TreehouseOfHorror sketch ("SendInTheClones"), showcasing how an invasion of clone Homers will devastate the United States. While everybody else has been struck with wide-eyed horror, [[IdiotHero Homer]] [[MinorInjuryOverreaction is despairing]] [[ComicallyMissingThePoint because of the lack of snacks]] in TheWarRoom.

* Spoofed on ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'' when Randy charts the spread of global warming on a map, and ends up drawing a penis.

* ''VideoGame/EtrianOdyssey Untold'' has an anime cutscene where M.I.K.E. shows a map of Etria being completely covered by a massive red area marked with "NO SURVIVORS", to show the effects of [[spoiler: activating Gungnir]]. And the heroes are told that [[spoiler: letting Yggdrasil live by not activating the weapon]] [[SadisticChoice would cause even greater destruction]].

* The first shot of Creator/KingVidor's 1956 adaptation of ''Literature/WarAndPeace'' shows a map of Europe and demonstrates the spreading blackness of [[UsefulNotes/TheNapoleonicWars Napoleon's France]] taking Western Europe over.

* In ''Film/{{Contagion}}'', a global map splotched with red shows the infection's predicted spread to major cities all over the world.

* In ''Film/{{After}}'', Freddy draws a map of the town with concentric rings of shading that depict how the supernatural fog will continue to close in as the night continues.

* ''WesternAnimation/CodenameKidsNextDoor'': In the TV movie, Operation: Z.E.R.O., Grandfather is flying as the earth is spinning on screen becoming covered in dark green smog thanks to the smoke caused by the coal burned in tapioca factories Grandfather forces his Senior Citizombie slaves to build.

* A rare comedic example in ''Series/DadsArmy'': the AnimatedCreditsOpening shows Swastika-emblazoned arrows sweeping over western Europe (including one that gets lost for a bit), while the lone Union Jack arrow retreats back to its start point, then sticks its tail out further and pulls back across the Channel. All set to a [[SoundtrackDissonance jaunty tune about how Britain's not beaten yet]]. For added GeniusBonus value, the arrows actually do offer a fairly accurate (if rather simplified) depiction of the real-life Nazi invasion of France and subsequent British withdrawal.

* ''Film/NoTimeToDie'': Bond and Nomi find one in the manufacturing facility on the IslandLair, though in this case, it's a simulation run by the villain to see how far the biological weapon being produced there could potentially spread if it's released.

[[caption-width-right:326:[[TabletopGame/Warhammer40000 Blut]] [[TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}} für]] [[GratuitousGerman den Blutgott]]!]]

[[caption-width-right:326:[[TabletopGame/Warhammer40000 Blut]] [[TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}} für [[GratuitousGerman den Blutgott]]!]]

[[caption-width-right:326:[[TabletopGame/WarHammer40000 Blut für]] [[GratuitousGerman den Blutgott]]!]]

* The abundantly silly ''[=Y2K=]'' straight-to-TV movie about the MillenniumBug showed a "cascade" effect of power being lost across the world, either because the bug was spreading or because each time zone was crossing midnight.

* Sometimes used by environmental researchers to track the spread of invasive species, and by agricultural entomologists to monitor crop infections and pests.

* ''Film/Godzilla2014'': When Serizawa is discussing the NukeEm plan with Stenz and Hampton, a screen uses colorful graphics to depict the considerably large-looking blast zone. It's used to further effect in the novelization where, after the nuke is [[spoiler:stolen by the [=MUTOs=]]], a map indicates to Monarch and the military the blast zone shifting as the nuke is being moved by Ford (how the nuke can be tracked is never explained, given how it had to be fitted with clockwork to stop the [=MUTOs=]' EMP deactivating the mechanism).

* In the ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'' episode [[Recap/SupernaturalS02E21AllHellBreaksLoosePartOne "All Hell Breaks Loose, Part One" (S02, Ep21)]], this trope is [[InvertedTrope inverted]] when Bobby shows Dean an interstate map of the United States with no notes or marks and says this represents all demonic signs and omens in the last month. Dean and Bobby realize that the absence of any demonic activity, including low level activity like exorcisms, can not be a good sign and leaves them with no way to track Sam.

Pictures can be worth a thousand words, and graphics depicting the spread of a threat across the landscape can often convey its scope more effectively than StoryboardingTheApocalypse. Whether it's a ZombieApocalypse, ThePlague, an advancing natural or man-made catastrophe, a WorldWreckingWave or something more conventional like a military invasion, there's no quicker way to show one's audience that an entire region is being overwhelmed than to display a map with rapidly-growing colored blotches or arrows (nearly always red) spreading across it.

* A rare comedic example in ''Series/DadsArmy'': the AnimatedCreditsOpening shows Swastika-emblazoned arrows sweeping over western Europe (including one that gets lost for a bit), while the lone Union Jack arrow retreats back to its start point, then sticks its tail out further and pulls back across the Channel. All set to a [[SoundtrackDissonance jaunty tune about how Britain's not beaten yet]].

* Epidemiologists use these a lot when tracking and predicting the spread of infectious diseases.