The explosion of map use in the past few decades as part of everyday activities, accelerated through the digital production and dissemination of maps and the availability of low-cost, location-aware devices, has made the job of cartographers and map display designers more challenging. Yet, how do these recent changes affect effective map design? Can we accurately predict which designs will work for a given context? We investigate the concepts of design transferability and context and their potential to help us create map design outcomes that are effective for varying map use situations. We then present a model for operationalizing map use context to support evaluating map design transferability and pose several open research questions that need to be answered to support operationalizing map use context. This is followed by a research agenda that identifies research opportunities related to key research needs that will underpin transferable map design.

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/23729333.2017.1315988

Designing across map use contexts: A research agenda

This paper describes a new tool for eye-tracking data and their analysis with the use of interactive 3D models. This tool helps to analyse interactive 3D models easier than by time-consuming, frame-by-frame investigation of captured screen recordings with superimposed scanpaths. The main function of this tool, called 3DgazeR, is to calculate 3D coordinates (X, Y, Z coordinates of the 3D scene) for individual points of view. These 3D coordinates can be calculated from the values of the position and orientation of a virtual camera and the 2D coordinates of the gaze upon the screen. The functionality of 3DgazeR is introduced in a case study example using Digital Elevation Models as stimuli. The purpose of the case study was to verify the functionality of the tool and discover the most suitable visualization methods for geographic 3D models. Five selected methods are presented in the results section of the paper. Most of the output was created in a Geographic Information System. 3DgazeR works with generic CSV files, SMI eye-tracker, and the low-cost EyeTribe tracker connected with open source application OGAMA. It can compute 3D coordinates from raw data and fixations.

/pdf/eye-tracking-analysis-of-interactive-3d-geovisualization-7gj5c3ng6s.pdf

Eye-tracking Analysis of Interactive 3D Geovisualization

Knowing the correct location of a specific object learned from a (topographic) map is fundamental for orientation and navigation tasks. Spatial reference systems, such as coordinates or cardinal directions, are helpful tools for any geometric localization of positions that aims to be as exact as possible. Considering modern visualization techniques of multimedia cartography, map elements transferred through the auditory channel can be added easily. Audiovisual approaches have been discussed in the cartographic community for many years. However, the effectiveness of audiovisual map elements for map use has hardly been explored so far. Within an interdisciplinary (cartography-cognitive psychology) research project, it is examined whether map users remember object-locations better if they do not just read the corresponding place names, but also listen to them as voice recordings. This approach is based on the idea that learning object-identities influences learning object-locations, which is crucial for map-reading tasks. The results of an empirical study show that the additional auditory communication of object names not only improves memory for the names (object-identities), but also for the spatial accuracy of their corresponding object-locations. The audiovisual communication of semantic attribute information of a spatial object seems to improve the binding of object-identity and object-location, which enhances the spatial accuracy of object-location memory.

/pdf/audiovisual-communication-of-object-names-improves-the-1a63gdor45.pdf

Audiovisual communication of object-names improves the spatial accuracy of recalled object-locations in topographic maps

In order to be successful in spatial orientation tasks, people need to recall locations and configurations of spatial objects from their memory. This understanding of geographic space often arises ...

Exploiting Illusory Grid Lines for Object-Location Memory Performance in Urban Topographic Maps

Due to digitalization and rapid development of collection techniques for elevation data, the emphasis of users' needs for elevation contours has moved from needs of accurate elevation assessment towards needs of perception of landforms. This article introduces a design approach that considers the changed need, and a solution for accordingly generating contours for topographic maps from digital elevation models (DEMs). The solution builds upon comprehensively modifying and blending complete DEMs in order to make the generation procedure understandable for the map readers and to facilitate the readers' reliable interpretation of contours throughout the depicted terrain. The core of the solution is blending lightly and strongly smoothed DEMs according to the Topographic Position Index (TPI) that measures local deviation from surrounding variations of elevations. The solution is built to continuously consider the requirements for different levels of smoothing in areas of uniformly varying and locally ...

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/23729333.2017.1300998

A design of contour generation for topographic maps with adaptive DEM smoothing

Users prefer more realistic visualizations, even though they may be less efficient or even detrimental for a given task. In some previous studies, the evidence has shown that relief shading facilitates the landform interpretation while other studies have provided contrary results. In the present study, the effect of three different visualizations of elevation information on eye movements and performance was investigated in visual search, area selection, and route planning tasks. The results showed that the visualization of relief information affected the performance and eye movements in the visual search task. Overall, the eye movements differed between the search and area selection tasks, as well as between the search and route planning tasks. The result showed that the relief shading did not slow down the performance, either in terms of response time or eye movement measures.

Effects of Cartographic Elevation Visualizations and Map-reading Tasks on Eye Movements

Wayfinding at night in nature is challenging due to limited lighting and a low number of clearly identifiable landmarks. However, several activities in nature involve wayfinding at night, such as rescue services or hiking, but only a few human navigation studies have addressed these conditions. In the present study, we investigate the effects of night on the perception and recall of landmarks along a nature trail using the thinking-aloud and sketch map methods. The results reveal significant differences in the perception between day and night, which mainly originated from a restricted vista at night. In contrast, the landmark recall did not differ between day and night according to the sketch maps, which reflects uniform conceptualisation of the route in both times of day. The observed differences in the perception of landmarks may be applied to the adaptation of geospatial navigation applications that provide real-time wayfinding support, such as interactive maps and navigators, according to the day and night conditions.

/pdf/perception-and-recall-of-landmarks-for-personal-navigation-46dhzuopg5.pdf

Katja Putto

Papers

Effects of Cartographic Elevation Visualizations and Map-reading Tasks on Eye Movements

Perception and Recall of Landmarks for Personal Navigation in Nature at Night Versus Day