Motion of animated streamlets appears to surpass their graphical alterations in human visual detection of vector field maxima

ABSTRACT

Animations have become a frequently utilized illustration technique on maps but changes in their graphical loading remain understudied in empirical geovisualization and cartographic research. Animated streamlets have gained attention as an illustrative animation technique and have become popular on widely viewed maps. We conducted an experiment to investigate how altering four major animation parameters of animated streamlets affects people’s reading performance of field maxima on vector fields. The study involved 73 participants who performed reaction-time tasks on pointing maxima on vector field stimuli. Reaction times and correctness of answers changed surprisingly little between visually different animations, with only a few occasional statistical significances. The results suggest that motion of animated streamlets is such a strong visual cue that altering graphical parameters makes only little difference when searching for the maxima. This leads to the conclusion that, for this kind of a task, animated streamlets on maps can be designed relatively freely in graphical terms and their style fitted to other contents of the map. In the broader visual and geovisual analytics context, the results can lead to more generally hypothesizing that graphical loading of animations with continuous motion flux could be altered without severely affecting their communicative power.     

Measured and perceived visual complexity: a comparative study among three online map providers

We present a study on human perception of map complexity, with the objective of better understanding design decisions that may lead to undesirable levels of complexity in web maps. We compare three complexity metrics to human ratings of complexity obtained through a user survey. Specifically, we use two algorithmic approaches published by others, which measure feature congestion (FC) and subband entropy (SE), as well as our own approach of counting object types rather than individual objects. We compare these metrics with each other as well as with human complexity ratings for three maps of the same area from map providers Google Maps, Bing Maps, and OpenStreetMap. Each map design is assessed at three different scales (levels of detail). We find that (1) the FC and SE metrics appear to be adequate predictors of what humans consider complex; (2) object-type counts are slightly less successful at predicting human-rated complexity, implying that clutter is more important in perceived complexity than diversity of symbology; and (3) generalization choices do impact human complexity ratings. These findings contribute to our understanding of what makes a map complex, with implications for designing maps that are easy to use.     

Study on numerical simulation to water lowering in an open coal mine digging

In view of the situation of excavation of open coal mine for the underground water disaster,we should carry out simulation studies for the numerical value of the water lowering project and improve the accuracy and the level of the water lowering project.On the basis of the hydrological geological conditions of certain open mine digging,a more reasonable seepage numerical model was built according to MODFLOW.It was simulated in advance that the process of the confined water level descending with the time,and combining with the actual observations to test the correctness of the model.The calculation showed that the results coincided well with the results of actual measurement.Based on this,different water lowering numerical simulations were built for the open coal mine digging.It could be simulated and forecast that the changes of the groundwater level in drainage process within and outside the mine pit,and it was quantitatively assessed that the possible water lowering result of the opencast water drainage process,which provide an important basis for the actual water lowering project and the possible project disposal.     

剖析电视气象节目的直接感观美

从电视气象节目的画面与主持人的举止言行等方面进行分析,找出直观展现出气象节目特性与风采切入点。     

一种基于改进CoHOG的视觉SLAM算法

移动机器人在SLAM的闭环检测环节计算量大、运行时间长、匹配误差大,从而导致闭环检测精度较低。针对该问题,本文在CoHOG闭环检测算法的基础上进行改进,将算法中的HOG描述符改进为GDF-HOG描述符,以增强图像特征表现,提高图像特征提取效率;在匹配环节前添加GDF-HOG全局粗匹配,以减少视觉模板的数量,提高算法的计算效率;在匹配环节后添加感兴趣区域（ROI）位置匹配进行检验,以减少闭环检测的假阳性,提高准确率。将本文闭环检测算法与RatSLAM相结合,在公开数据集与真实环境中进行测试,测试结果表明,本文算法在闭环检测环节的准确率较高,且对环境的适应能力较强。     

Speckle observations with PISCO in Merate: VI. Astrometric measurements of visual binaries in 2006

We present relative astrometric measurements of visual binaries made during the second semester of 2006, with the speckle camera PISCO at the 102 cm Zeiss telescope of Brera Astronomical Observatory, in Merate. Our sample contains orbital couples as well as binaries whose motion is still uncertain. We obtained 175 new measurements of 169 objects, with angular separations in the range 0″.1–4″.2, and an average accuracy of 0″.01. The mean error on the position angles is 0°.6. Most of the position angles could be determined without the usual 180° ambiguity with the application of triplecorrelation techniques and/or by inspection of the long integration files.We also present the new orbits we have computed for ADS 11479, 11584 and 16538, for which our measurements lead to large residuals and/or for which the revision was justified by the significant number of observations made since the last orbit computation (© 2009 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

洪水演进三维模拟仿真系统可视化研究

洪水演进仿真系统的研制，是实施“数字流域”工程的重要组成部分；结合洪水演进可视化目标的分析，基于Visual C 系统开发平台，融GIS技术和Opengl开发技术，采用三角形逼近、光滑处理和加入法向量以控制光照的方式，实现了流域地形及河床的三维可视化仿真；应用广度优先搜索算法确定了运动水体与流域河床形态的自适应与自相依的关系，使流域洪水演进模拟具有真实自然的可视化效果。所研制的系统雏形，可有效的模拟流域洪水的三维演进过程；     

区域视觉形象识别系统设计的理论与实践

目前，全国各地正在兴起区域形象设计与建设的浪潮，但如何把区域形象信息系统地传递出去，这方面的理论研究大大落后于实践。文章就区域形象信息传递的有效工具－区域视觉识别系统设计的主要内容，设计的原则，设计的基本流程等在理论与实践上作了较为详细的探讨，并就区域视觉识别系统设计方案的经济学论证作了一些有益探讨。     

EXPLORING SPATIAL FAMILIARITY*

Spatial familiarity is a natural language concept that has no well-defined technical interpretation. We explore here some possible dimensions of the concept, provide subjective measurements of the dimensions, and evaluate their independence. The four dimensions examined are locational knowledge, visual recognition, name identification, and interaction frequency. We suggest that both cognitive and behavioral dimensions are embedded in the concept of spatial familiarity and must be part of the meaning of the concept and of any attempt to make it operational.     

基于可用性电子地图符号测试系统的设计与实现

电子地图符号测试系统对提高电子地图符号的信息传输效率,与用户达成认知的一致性、准确性,促进电子地图符号的发展等都有重要的理论研究意义和实际应用价值。本文分析了现有电子地图符号测试系统中存在的问题,探讨了可用性理论在电子地图符号测试系统中的应用。最后,分别从功能设计、界面设计、测试项目设计、测试环境设计等四个方面研究了电子地图符号测试系统的设计方法,并用VC++语言对其编程实现。