Testing the Usability of Interactive Maps in CommonGIS

The paper reports on an experimental study aimed at assessing the usability of five different interactive tools for exploratory analysis of geographically referenced data implemented in CommonGIS. Usability was assessed in terms of tool learnability, memorability, and user satisfaction. The study provided valuable data concerning the usability of each individual tool; we also derived some conclusions relevant to geovisualization techniques in general. We found that users were, in principle, able to understand and adopt the new ideas of map interactivity and manipulability. However, these ideas needed to be appropriately introduced; people could hardly grasp them just from the appearance of the maps and controls. An introductory demonstration was sufficient to understand the purposes of the interactive tools, and a short training session enabled people to use them. The importance of educating users is a particular challenge for geovisualization tools that are intended to be accessed over the Internet.     

Cognitive and Usability Issues in Geovisualization

We provide a research agenda for the International Cartographic Association's Commission on Visualization and Virtual Environment Working Group on Cognitive and Usability Issues in Geovisualization. Developments in hardware and software have led to (and will continue to stimulate) numerous novel methods for visualizing geospatial data. It is our belief that these novel methods will be of little use if they are not developed within a theoretical cognitive framework and iteratively tested using usability engineering principles. We argue that cognitive and usability issues should be considered in the context of six major research themes: 1) geospatial virtual environments (GeoVEs); 2) dynamic representations (including animated and interactive maps); 3) metaphors and schemata in user interface design; 4) individual and group differences; 5) collaborative geovisualization; and 6) evaluating the effectiveness of geovisualization methods. A key point underlying our use of theoretical cognitive principles is that traditional cognitive theory for static two-dimensional maps may not be applicable to interactive three-dimensional immersive GeoVEs and dynamic representations—thus new cognitive theory may need to be developed. Usability engineering extends beyond the traditional cartographic practice of "user testing" by evaluating software effectiveness throughout a lifecycle (including design, development, and deployment). Applying usability engineering to geovisualization, however, may be problematic because of the novelty of geovisualization and the associated difficulty of defining the nature of users and their tasks. Tackling the research themes is likely to require an interdisciplinary effort involving geographic information scientists, cognitive scientists, usability engineers, computer scientists, and others.     

Assessment of Simulated Cognitive Maps: The Influence of Prior Knowledge from Cartographic Maps

Real cognitive maps encoded by humans are difficult to study using experimental methods because they are a product of complex processes whose content and timing cannot easily be known or controlled. This paper assesses the value of using neural network model simulations for investigating cognitive maps. The study simulated the learning of mapped city locations in South Carolina from reference sites in the three primary regions of the state using Kohonen self-organizing maps. The learning performances of models were considered based on available prior knowledge. Bi-dimensional regression analyses were used to assess the congruity of the simulated cognitive maps with a cartographic map and with sketch maps produced by human subjects. Error analyses indicated differences between central and peripheral reference sites. The cities known by subjects living at a central location were more evenly distributed in space and associated with significantly smaller errors. Models that learned combined state boundary and interstate highway information as prior knowledge or simultaneously with city locations consistently produced the best simulation results. The results indicated simulated cognitive maps could be used effectively to study the acquisition of spatial knowledge.     

Effects of Animations in Zooming and Panning Operations on Web maps: A Web-based Experiment

Abstract

The presentation of graphics and maps on the Internet has led to the development of several new techniques. The use of dynamics and animations in maps has increased, and new types of applications are emerging frequently. Recently, several map providers on the web have introduced zooming in maps as an animated operation. In this paper, we look closer into how the animated zoom is perceived by participants in an experiment, and compare these observations with a corresponding test where the map scale is changed in more abrupt steps. The results indicate significant preference for the animated zoom. The experiment itself is carried out through the World Wide Web and all the participants made their contribution from their own computers.     

Spatial Knowledge Acquisition with Mobile Maps,Augmented Reality and Voice in the Context of GPS-based Pedestrian Navigation: Results from a Field Test

GPS-based pedestrian navigation systems have become increasingly popular. Different interface technologies can be used to communicate/convey route directions to pedestrians. This paper aims to empirically study the influence of different interface technologies on spatial knowledge acquisition in the context of GPS-based pedestrian navigation. A field experiment was implemented to address this concern. Firstly, the suitability of the evaluation methods in assessing spatial knowledge acquisition was analyzed empirically (focusing on the ability of differentiating “familiar” and “unfamiliar” participants). The suitable methods were then used to compare the influence of mobile maps, augmented reality, and voice on spatial learning. The field test showed that in terms of spatial knowledge acquisition, the three interface technologies led to comparable results, which were not significantly different from each other. The results bring some challenging issues for consideration when designing mobile pedestrian navigation systems.     

Integrating Sketch Maps with GIS to Explore Fear of Crime in the Urban Environment: A Review of the Past and Prospects for the Future

Understanding the spatial dimension of fear of crime in the urban environment is important to understanding behaviors in response to this concern. Making this connection between perception and action has long been a goal of scholars in the social and health sciences, though this complex relationship has yet to be fully elucidated. Specifically, in studies on fear of crime and its influence on behavior, a variety of definitions and methods have been employed. This situation has yielded insights, as well as inconsistencies. In the past decade, Geographic Information Systems (GIS) has been added to this methodological mix, though it too has contributed limited understanding of the environmental perception-behavior nexus. During this time, some scholars have integrated a traditional technique for accessing environmental perception, the sketch map, with this newer technology. This article provides a review and critical assessment of the way GIS has been used to understand fear of crime, specifically through the integration of sketch maps. This focus is framed by an overview of substantive and methodological concerns and concludes with a discussion of continued research needs. As behavioral responses to fear of crime are acknowledged to impact physical and mental health and overall well-being, in addition to the viability of neighborhoods, research in this area will continue apace. However, for integration of sketch maps in GIS to be a valuable methodological contributor to this line of inquiry, users of the approach must understand its complexities. This article outlines these issues so that they may be considered in future research and may improve the ability for this approach to yield new understanding of fear of crime.     

Cartographic Software Capabilities and Data Requirements: Current Status and a Look toward the Future

In this article, we suggest that a universally accepted cartographic software program does not currently exist and has never existed, but mapping software capabilities are improving, and cartographers should be involved software developments for map making. We describe the current state of software development and explore what an ideal solution for the future would be. In a related vein, GIS and other data are not generally designed for cartography, but we are learning how they can be, and cartographers should also be involved in the modeling of GIS and other data used for map making.     

地图学四面体--数字化时代地图学的诠释

传统地图学研究3个关系:实地-地图,读者-地图,读者-实地.这个学科的框架可以称为"地图学三角形".对这三种关系的研究随学科和行业的不同而各有侧重.数字地图的出现扩大了传统地图学的视野和服务面.现代地图学需要面对6个关系的探讨.除了上述3个关系外,还要增加数字地图-地图,数字地图-实地,数字地图-读者3个关系.新的学科框架变成了"地图学四面体".从"三角形"到"四面体"反映了信息时代地图学的发展与变革.地图学的存在取决于人类对地图永恒的需求和地图本身的科学价值.     

网络地图的研究现状与发展趋势

随着信息技术、网络技术和多媒体技术在数字地图学领域的不断渗透,网络地图已经成为地图产品的重要组成部分。通过分析研究现有的网络地图产品,总结了网络地图的特点和存在的问题,分析了其发展趋势,并提出了相应的一些设想。     

Cartographic Style in the First Urban Maps of Cadiz,Spain: A Technique in Transition

This article deals with the cartometric analysis of various seventeenth-century urban maps of the city of Cadiz (Spain), from among which the so-called Vista Arámburu and the map belonging to the atlas of the Marquis of Heliche, discovered in the Krigsarkivet (Military Archive) of Stockholm, stand out for their uniqueness. These hitherto relatively unknown documents present evidence of an evolution of cartographic style towards greater topographic accuracy and hence cannot just be considered as simple drawings. In this seventeenth-century period of transition, the cartography of the city evolved from sixteenth-century aerial-view perspectives to the exhaustive planimetric maps of the eighteenth century, made by Spanish and French Military Corps of Engineers. These documents hold great historical value, not only due to the importance of Cadiz during the Modern Age but also because these maps constitute a graphic testimony of the fortification and growth of the city in this period.     

Point Symbols: Investigating Principles and Originality in Cartographic Design

Abstract

This paper provides a summary of the proceedings and discussion at a conference entitled 'The Future History of Our Landscape', held in October 1992. This meeting explored the issues connected with the changing nature of the Ordnance Survey supply of spatial data, in particular its effect on the Copyright Libraries and their users. Technical and organisational matters concerned with the supply and use of digital data in the archival environment are considered.     

ICT时代地图的科学概念及表达框架

地图学是一门在历史条件限定下不断成长的科学。相较于传统地图, 在新技术与新需求的双重驱动下, 信息时代地图的表达对象、表现形式、感知通道、用户角色等均发生了重大转变, 地图的科学概念及理论框架亟需进一步拓展, 以适应新时期地图学科的发展需求。首先, 分析了信息时代地图的泛化特征;然后, 讨论了新情势下地图的科学概念及其表示范围;最后, 基于表达对象、信息抽象、地图表达、地图结果, 构建了地图的表达框架。旨在适应地图学发展的时代潮流, 明确学科研究的外延边界及内涵表示, 为当前与未来的地图学发展提供相应支撑。     

基于企业生产项目的课堂教学整体设计——以测绘与地理信息技术专业为例

地理信息产业是从事地理信息获取、处理、应用的高技术服务业,但高职教育人才培养满足不了产业对高端技能人才的需求。本文基于企业生产项目设计课堂教学内容,从教学案例建设、课堂内容设计、深化课堂教学改革举措等几个方面进行系统研究,实践证明,这种模式可以很好地实现校企之间的零距离对接。     

地图代数符号库的数据结构设计

从地图代数理论符号概念出发，介绍了绘制符号两种方法的特点和栅格符号库的设计思想，重点给出了点状符号库和线状符号库数据结构设计方案。该结构方案简单实用，符号美观精细，是符号化代数方法的基础。     

制图数据与建库数据一体化整合研究——以CAD数据为例

建库数据与制图数据的长期分离已不适应多专业领域综合应用和分析的需求,本文针对如何将建库数据和与之对应的CAD制图数据一体化整合为数字线划地图数据的问题,在阐述数据线划地图的概念、管理方式和符号描述以及分析CAD制图数据内容与特点的基础上,研究和设计了数据一体化整合流程,包括数据准备与分析、数据对照规则、数据整合等内容,...     

《世界分国地图》的设计与编制

介绍<世界分国地图>的结构、设计编制特点及流程.这是一套内容较完整、现势性强、比例尺较大的世界分国地图.     

实景地图采编常见问题分析

随着社会科技的不断发展,实景地图以真实直观的现实实景与传统的二维地图相结合,给人们带来更真实的视觉效果。目前,实景地图正广泛应用、服务于人们的工作、生活等各个方面。在实景地图生产制作过程中,对于作业人员而言经常会因为各种原因导致生产受阻,无法进行正常作业。本文结合近年来实景地图生产实践,分析了作业过程中常见的问题,并给出解决办法,大大提高了实景地图作业的生产效率及质量。     

1∶10000地形图及更新建库的检查方法探讨

数据检查是1∶10 000地形图及更新建库生产的质量保证,数据产品生产过程中需要许多作业步骤,每一步骤的质量检查都关系着数据产品成果的质量。本文通过具体作业详细讲述了1∶10 000地形图及更新建库生产的质量检查方法及过程。     

嵌入式旅游电子地图的设计与实现

从PC机通用旅游电子地图的局限性出发,提出了一种适合于自助旅游者的嵌入式旅游电子地图。深入研究了嵌入式旅游电子地图的软硬件构架、功能和技术等方面,并在WinCE平台上进行了实现,对嵌入式旅游电子地图的开发具有一定的借鉴意义。