Perceptual complexity of soil-landscape maps: a user evaluation of color organization in legend designs using eye tracking

ABSTRACT

We compared the ability of two legend designs on a soil-landscape map to efficiently and effectively support map reading tasks with the goal of better understanding how the design choices affect user performance. Developing such knowledge is essential to design effective interfaces for digital earth systems. One of the two legends contained an alphabetical ordering of categories, while the other used a perceptual grouping based on the Munsell color space. We tested the two legends for 4 tasks with 20 experts (in geography-related domains). We analyzed traditional usability metrics and participants’ eye movements to identify the possible reasons behind their success and failure in the experimental tasks. Surprisingly, an overwhelming majority of the participants failed to arrive at the correct responses for two of the four tasks, irrespective of the legend design. Furthermore, participants’ prior knowledge of soils and map interpretation abilities led to interesting performance differences between the two legend types. We discuss how participant background might have played a role in performance and why some tasks were particularly hard to solve despite participants’ relatively high levels of experience in map reading. Based on our observations, we caution soil cartographers to be aware of the perceptual complexity of soil-landscape maps.     

Mobile user identification based on road networks and multiple distance measures

Mobile user identification aims at matching different mobile devices of the same user using trajectory data, which has attracted extensive research in recent years. Most of the previous work extracted trajectory features based on regular grids, which will lead to incorrect feature representation due to lack of geographic information. Besides, most trajectory similarity models only considered one single distance measure to calculate the similarity between users, which ignore the connection between different distance measures and may lead to some false matches. In light of this, we present a novel user identification method based on road networks and multiple distance measures in this article. The proposed method segments a city map into several grids and road segments based on road networks. Then it extracts location and road information of trajectories to jointly construct user features. Multiple distance measures are fused by a discriminant model to improve the effect of user identification. Experiments on real GPS trajectory datasets show that our proposed method outperforms related similarity measure methods and is stable for mobile user identification. Meanwhile, our method can also achieve good identification results even on sparse trajectory datasets.     

多媒体电子地图界面视觉感受实验设计

现时的电子地图与以往的相比,可以说是品种繁多、技术成熟、界面精美,而且正在向3D地图的方向迈进。电子地图除功能表现出灵活性、多样性以外,图上信息获取的方式也更加人性化,因此,电子地图的界面设计要在强化原有视觉效果的基础上,力求以更强的视觉冲击来提高电子地图的表现力。为此获取真实的用户体验数据是有必要的也是必须的。从使用者对地图界面及其要素的视觉感受特点出发,通过物理—心理—生理学的方法对电子地图界面怎样设计才能为使用者所接受的问题进行实验研究,改进地图界面的设计方法,是实验系统设计和制作的实际意义所在。     

顾及眼动数据的网络地图点状符号用户兴趣分析方法

为解决网络地图个性化推荐过程中点状符号用户兴趣分析结果准确性低的问题,提出了一种基于眼动数据的网络地图点状符号用户兴趣分析方法。利用空间认知测试法筛选39名认知能力一致的被试者参与实验,使用眼动仪采集被试者在浏览4类点状符号素材过程中的眼动数据,同时记录被试者的鼠标数据;分别计算时间、次数与尺寸类型眼动数据用户兴趣度,利用熵权法将3类数据进行整合,设计了一种基于多项眼动数据的用户兴趣度计算方法。研究结果表明,用户兴趣度分析结果正确率为85.9%,优于鼠标数据,证明所提方法能够有效分析用户兴趣,点状符号用户兴趣度计算公式稳定可靠,有助于提升个性化推荐结果的准确度。     

位置地图的空间认知研究

作为信息时代实现位置服务的重要基础,位置地图交互性强、使用方便,并且能实时、应景地向用户提供位置关联信息,因而比传统的电子地图更能满足用户的位置服务需求。文中分析位置地图的特点和服务模式,并基于地图空间认知理论,提出位置地图的空间认知过程,最后探讨位置地图的认知设计原则,为基于位置地图的位置服务中空间信息的认知与表达提供理论依据。     

Geospatial Human‐environment Simulation through Integration of Massive Multiplayer Online Games and Geographic Information Systems

This article reports on the initial development of a generic framework for integrating Geographic Information Systems (GIS) with Massive Multi‐player Online Gaming (MMOG) technology to support the integrated modeling of human‐environment resource management and decision‐making. We review Web 2.0 concepts, online maps, and games as key technologies to realize a participatory construction of spatial simulation and decision making practices. Through a design‐based research approach we develop a prototype framework, “GeoGame”, that allows users to play board‐game‐style simulations on top of an online map. Through several iterations we demonstrate the implementation of a range of design artifacts including: real‐time, multi‐user editing of online maps, web services, game lobby, user‐modifiable rules and scenarios building, chat, discussion, and market transactions. Based on observational, analytical, experimental and functional evaluations of design artifacts as well as a literature review, we argue that a MMO GeoGame‐framework offers a viable approach to address the complex dynamics of human‐environmental systems that require a simultaneous reconciliation of both top‐down and bottom‐up decision making where stakeholders are an integral part of a modeling environment. Further research will offer additional insight into the development of social‐environmental models using stakeholder input and the use of such models to explore properties of complex dynamic systems.     

基于“天地图”的专题网站的用户体验研究——以永定旅游地图服务网为例

"天地图"是国家地理信息公共服务平台,基于该平台开发的专题地图网站已涉及1 000多个领域,但同一些商业地图网站相比,目前仍存在公众使用率不高等问题,而用户体验是提高这类网站满意度的重要举措。本文以基于天地图·永定平台开发的永定旅游地图服务网为例,探索了该类型地图网站用户体验的研究方法,提出了将定性与定量分析、共性与个性分析相结合的研究方法。     

Selection of Streets from a Network Using Self-Organizing Maps

We propose a novel approach to selection of important streets from a network, based on the technique of a self‐organizing map (SOM), an artificial neural network algorithm for data clustering and visualization. Using the SOM training process, the approach derives a set of neurons by considering multiple attributes including topological, geometric and semantic properties of streets. The set of neurons constitutes a SOM, with which each neuron corresponds to a set of streets with similar properties. Our approach creates an exploratory linkage between the SOM and a street network, thus providing a visual tool to cluster streets interactively. The approach is validated with a case study applied to the street network in Munich, Germany.     

Urban event detection with big data of taxi OD trips: A time series decomposition approach

Big urban mobility data, such as taxi trips, cell phone records, and geo‐social media check‐ins, offer great opportunities for analyzing the dynamics, events, and spatiotemporal trends of the urban social landscape. In this article, we present a new approach to the detection of urban events based on location‐specific time series decomposition and outlier detection. The approach first extracts long‐term temporal trends and seasonal periodicity patterns. Events are defined as anomalies that deviate significantly from the prediction with the discovered temporal patterns, i.e., trend and periodicity. Specifically, we adopt the STL approach, i.e., seasonal and trend decomposition using LOESS (locally weighted scatterplot smoothing), to decompose the time series for each location into three components: long‐term trend, seasonal periodicity, and the remainder. Events are extracted from the remainder component for each location with an outlier detection method. We analyze over a billion taxi trips for over seven years in Manhattan (New York City) to detect and map urban events at different temporal resolutions. Results show that the approach is effective and robust in detecting events and revealing urban dynamics with both holistic understandings and location‐specific interpretations.     

Extracting spatial patterns in bicycle routes from crowdsourced data

Much is done nowadays to provide cyclists with safe and sustainable road infrastructure. Its development requires the investigation of road usage and interactions between traffic commuters. This article is focused on exploiting crowdsourced user‐generated data, namely GPS trajectories collected by cyclists and road network infrastructure generated by citizens, to extract and analyze spatial patterns and road‐type use of cyclists in urban environments. Since user‐generated data shows data‐deficiencies, we introduce tailored spatial data‐handling processes for which several algorithms are developed and implemented. These include data filtering and segmentation, map‐matching and spatial arrangement of GPS trajectories with the road network. A spatial analysis and a characterization of road‐type use are then carried out to investigate and identify specific spatial patterns of cycle routes. The proposed analysis was applied to the cities of Amsterdam (The Netherlands) and Osnabrück (Germany), proving its feasibility and reliability in mining road‐type use and extracting pattern information and preferences. This information can help users who wish to explore friendlier and more interesting cycle patterns, based on collective usage, as well as city planners and transportation experts wishing to pinpoint areas most in need of further development and planning.     

Design Considerations and Evaluation of a Collaborative, Spatio-Temporal Decision Support System

Collaborative spatial decision support systems (C‐SDSS) have been used to help groups of stakeholders understand data and search for opportunities at resolving local and regional decision problems in various domains including land use, trans‐ portation, and water resources. The key issue in designing an effective C‐SDSS is the anticipation of user information needs. Knowledge of user information needs can guide system designers in achieving a C‐SDSS that fits the decision process. In this paper we present a design approach that is informed by stakeholder concerns, as part of a user needs assessment. The approach is based on the premise that knowing stakeholders’ concerns can help anticipate user information needs and consequently lead to a more usable C‐SDSS. We demonstrate the approach with the example of a spatio‐temporal decision problem involving conjunctive water administration in the Boise River Basin in southwestern Idaho. The spatial dimension of the decision task involves delineating the areas of conjunctive water administration while the temporal dimension involves selecting the year in which a given area will start to be administered. We show how the elicitation of stakeholder concerns leads to functional specification of a collaborative spatio‐temporal decision support system.     

Smart Cartographic Background Symbolization for Map Mashups in Geoportals: A Proof of Concept by Example of Landuse Representation

Geospatial data are now widely available to the general public thanks to geoportals and online mapping platforms. However, creating a map involves more than just combining data layers. Thus we develop cartographic functions for geoportals to support better visual hierarchy in user map mashups. This includes a couple of preparatory steps followed by a smart cartographic background symbolization derived from the original layer style. We evaluate different approaches to background symbolization: greyscale, desaturation, and smart background. The different background symbolization methods are analysed with two concrete map examples and evaluated with a survey. The smart background symbolization developed in this work improves the visual hierarchy of the map mashup by reducing the visual importance of the background layers.     

Drawing metro maps in concentric circles: A designer-in-the-loop approach with visual examples

This article presents a proof-of-concept designer-in-the-loop schematic map drawing tool, based on the marriage of two approaches—manual and automated, which provides the technical interactivity of drawing tools between the user and the computer. We focus on concentric circle maps as opposed to the commonly used orthogonal mode representation, which is suggested by previous studies that it could promote better network learning. In comparison with existing methods, the proposed method is more compatible with the framework of effective map design from psychological and aesthetic perspectives, and a range of options can be provided in conjunction with users' preferences. We evaluated our approach on a set of iterations with case studies of Hong Kong metro with a group of three co-authors from the fields of geography, transport engineering, and education.     

基于名画的数字地图设计初探

绘画艺术具有基于情感体验唤起思想的能力,名画作为绘画艺术作品具有色调丰富、对比度高及色彩和谐的特点,尝试将其应用到地图设计中有一定新意。本文简单介绍了色彩学基本原理,提出了一种基于名画的地图色彩设计方法。通过提取名画的调色板,并分析其色彩模式;结合传统的地图制图规则从构图和色彩方面进行地图设计,并进行效果对比分析。结果表明：在地图设计中,基于用户需求选用与制图区域视觉结构相似的绘画,可以更好地在地图上表现出绘画的色彩及感情特征;参考绘画的色彩模式实现地图要素与真实地物的关联,能在地图上反映出制图区域的景观色彩特征和文化精神风貌。因此,该方法对于指导地图色彩方案设计、以"用户为中心"的地图设计有一定的参考价值。     

Understanding Today's Online GIS User Through the Lens of a WorldMap Survey

WorldMap is an open source online mapping application which aims to lower barriers for scholars who wish to visualize, analyze, organize, present, and publish mapped information. In late 2013, 290 respondents among the 8,000 registered users participated in an online survey in which they described their activities, purposes, experiences, and preferences regarding the system. Participants also described their professional background, GIS skill level, age, gender, and country of work. This study analyzes the results of the survey, by summarizing the responses to each question independently and by examining the relationships and dependencies of these answers across the different questions to try to better understand why users responded the way they did. The study is based on the user‐centered design (UCD) approach. We aim to use the survey results to improve our understanding of user demographics and needs. Findings from this study will be used to guide WorldMap improvements, and we hope the findings will also shed light on the broader requirements of online GIS users.     

MaskMy.XYZ: An easy‐to‐use tool for protecting geoprivacy using geographic masks

Geographic masks are techniques used to protect privacy when publishing sensitive data in maps, but are not well adopted among researchers and may be difficult to execute for some GIS users. We developed a client‐side web application called MaskMy.XYZ that makes geographic masking easy to perform. It executes donut geomasking, a well‐known geographic mask, on thousands of points in seconds, and visualizes the original and masked point patterns in an integrated web map for visual comparison. MaskMy.XYZ also features metrics for both privacy protection and information loss, and allows users to rapidly and iteratively adjust masking parameters based on these metrics. The user interface was designed to prioritize usability, and clear documentation has been included to educate users about geographic masks, which is otherwise only found in niche literatures. By developing this application, we hope that geographic masks will be more widely adopted such that privacy is better protected in research.     

Towards a framework for geospatial tangible user interfaces in collaborative urban planning

The increasing complexity of urban planning projects today requires new approaches to better integrate stakeholders with different professional backgrounds throughout a city. Traditional tools used in urban planning are designed for experts and offer little opportunity for participation and collaborative design. This paper introduces the concept of geospatial tangible user interfaces (GTUI) and reports on the design and implementation as well as the usability of such a GTUI to support stakeholder participation in collaborative urban planning. The proposed system uses physical objects to interact with large digital maps and geospatial data projected onto a tabletop. It is implemented using a PostGIS database, a web map server providing OGC web services, the computer vision framework reacTIVision, a Java-based TUIO client, and GeoTools. We describe how a GTUI has be instantiated and evaluated within the scope of two case studies related to real world collaborative urban planning scenarios. Our results confirm the feasibility of our proposed GTUI solutions to (a) instantiate different urban planning scenarios, (b) support collaboration, and (c) ensure an acceptable usability.     

Open source map matching with Markov decision processes: A new method and a detailed benchmark with existing approaches

Map matching is a widely used technology for mapping tracks to road networks. Typically, tracks are recorded using publicly available Global Navigation Satellite Systems, and road networks are derived from the publicly available OpenStreetMap project. The challenge lies in resolving the discrepancies between the spatial location of the tracks and the underlying road network of the map. Map matching is a combination of defined models, algorithms, and metrics for resolving these differences that result from measurement and map errors. The goal is to find routes within the road network that best represent the given tracks. These matches allow further analysis since they are freed from the noise of the original track, they accurately overlap with the road network, and they are corrected for impossible detours and gaps that were present in the original track. Given the ongoing need for map matching in mobility research, in this work, we present a novel map matching method based on Markov decision processes with Reinforcement Learning algorithms. We introduce the new Candidate Adoption feature, which allows our model to dynamically resolve outliers and noise clusters. We also incorporate an improved Trajectory Simplification preprocessing algorithm for further improving our performance. In addition, we introduce a new map matching metric that evaluates direction changes in the routes, which effectively reduces detours and round trips in the results. We provide our map matching implementation as Open Source Software (OSS) and compare our new approach with multiple existing OSS solutions on several public data sets. Our novel method is more robust to noise and outliers than existing methods and it outperforms them in terms of accuracy and computational speed.     

Star and polyline glyphs in a grid plot and on a map display: which perform better?

Glyphs are small geometric shapes that in geovisualization are often used to represent multidimensional spatial data. The aim of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of their two types – star and polyline glyphs, as they can encode the same message and can provide similar functionality. Thus, if the two glyph types are similar and can be used for the same data, the question arises as to which of them better facilitates various user tasks. To address this question, an empirical study of 26 individual users is conducted to investigate differences in user performance for polyline and star glyphs shown either in a grid plot or on a map display. In this study, a task-based approach with eye-tracking is applied, as well as a subjective questionnaire and a psychological test of cognitive style. The finding is that polyline glyphs better facilitate tasks when datapoint values in glyphs are to be read, whereas star glyphs are better when a visual search among glyphs is to be done. Moreover, the results reveal that the map display works better than the grid plot. If star glyphs are to be used, the key (legend) needs to be better incorporated into a visual interface.