Editorial

6 pages, 212 KiB

Open AccessEditorial

Designing Geovisual Analytics Environments and Displays with Humans in Mind

by Arzu Çöltekin, Sidonie Christophe, Anthony Robinson and Urška Demšar

ISPRS Int. J. Geo-Inf. 2019, 8(12), 572; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijgi8120572 - 11 Dec 2019

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2900

In this open-access Special Issue, we feature a set of publications under the theme “Human-Centered Geovisual Analytics and Visuospatial Display Design” [...] Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Human-Centered Geovisual Analytics and Visuospatial Display Design)

Research

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27 pages, 11843 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Eye-tracking Evaluation of Weather Web Maps

by Stanislav Popelka, Alena Vondrakova and Petra Hujnakova

ISPRS Int. J. Geo-Inf. 2019, 8(6), 256; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijgi8060256 - 30 May 2019

Cited by 23 | Viewed by 4886

Abstract

Weather is one of the things that interest almost everyone. Weather maps are therefore widely used and many users use them in everyday life. To identify the potential usability problems of weather web maps, the presented research was conducted. Five weather maps were [...] Read more.

Weather is one of the things that interest almost everyone. Weather maps are therefore widely used and many users use them in everyday life. To identify the potential usability problems of weather web maps, the presented research was conducted. Five weather maps were selected for an eye-tracking experiment based on the results of an online questionnaire: DarkSky, In-Počasí, Windy, YR.no, and Wundermap. The experiment was conducted with 34 respondents and consisted of introductory, dynamic, and static sections. A qualitative and quantitative analysis of recorded data was performed together with a think-aloud protocol. The main part of the paper describes the results of the eye-tracking experiment and the implemented research, which identify the strengths and weaknesses of the evaluated weather web maps and point out the differences between strategies in using maps by the respondents. The results include findings such as the following: users worked with web maps in the simplest form and they did not look for hidden functions in the menu or attempt to find any advanced functionality; if expandable control panels were available, the respondents only looked at them after they had examined other elements; map interactivity was not an obstacle unless it contained too much information or options to choose from; searching was quicker in static menus that respondents did not have to switch on or off; the graphic design significantly influenced respondents and their work with the web maps. The results of the work may be useful for further scientific research on weather web maps and related user issues. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Human-Centered Geovisual Analytics and Visuospatial Display Design)

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26 pages, 3805 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Navigation in Indoor Environments: Does the Type of Visual Learning Stimulus Matter?

by Dajana Snopková, Hana Švedová, Petr Kubíček and Zdeněk Stachoň

ISPRS Int. J. Geo-Inf. 2019, 8(6), 251; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijgi8060251 - 29 May 2019

Cited by 12 | Viewed by 4615

Abstract

This work addresses the impact of a geovisualization’s level of realism on a user’s experience in indoor navigation. The key part of the work is a user study in which participants navigated along a designated evacuation route previously learnt in a virtual tour [...] Read more.

This work addresses the impact of a geovisualization’s level of realism on a user’s experience in indoor navigation. The key part of the work is a user study in which participants navigated along a designated evacuation route previously learnt in a virtual tour or traditional 2D floor plan. The efficiency and effectiveness of completing the task was measured by the number of incorrect turns during navigation and completion time. The complexity of mental spatial representations that participants developed before and after navigating the route was also evaluated. The data was obtained using several qualitative and quantitative research methods (mobile eye tracking, structured interviews, sketching of cognitive maps, creation of navigation instructions, and additional questions to evaluate spatial orientation abilities). A total of 36 subjects (17 in the “floor plan” group and 19 in the “virtual tour” group) participated in the study. The results showed that the participants from both groups were able to finish the designated navigation route, but more detailed mental spatial representations were developed by the “virtual tour” group than the “floor plan” group. The participants in the virtual tour group created richer navigation instructions both before and after evacuation, mentioned more landmarks and could recall their characteristics. Visual landmark characteristics available in the virtual tour also seemed to support the correct decision-making. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Human-Centered Geovisual Analytics and Visuospatial Display Design)

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22 pages, 12149 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Analyzing Newspaper Maps for Earthquake News through Cartographic Approach

by Pınar Sarın and Necla Uluğtekin

ISPRS Int. J. Geo-Inf. 2019, 8(5), 235; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijgi8050235 - 21 May 2019

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 3659

Abstract

This study focuses on newspaper maps, which have an important role in conveying spatial information to newspaper readers. Maps and map-like items in the main Turkish newspapers within a certain period were evaluated in regard to the scope of the study. A database [...] Read more.

This study focuses on newspaper maps, which have an important role in conveying spatial information to newspaper readers. Maps and map-like items in the main Turkish newspapers within a certain period were evaluated in regard to the scope of the study. A database was constructed to organize the collected data and conduct the analysis. In addition to cartographic and thematic analyses, the database allows “georeferencing” to be conducted as well. However, the current study focused on the cartographic and thematic properties of these maps. Their deficiencies were identified from a cartographic perspective and with that, the parts of newspapers that maps are mostly included in were investigated, and we aimed to identify the topics and events that increase map usage in newspapers. For this purpose, maps of earthquake-related news were evaluated as a case study to show some spatial and thematic determinations. Thus, the contribution of newspapers to spatial thinking abilities and geographic knowledge of the readers was evaluated by cartographers. The study proves the importance of cartography in spreading knowledge through maps in newspapers. This opens up new possibilities for future studies to develop a different cartographic perspective on map usage and improve the geographic knowledge of newspaper readers. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Human-Centered Geovisual Analytics and Visuospatial Display Design)

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14 pages, 1374 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Why Shape Matters—On the Inherent Qualities of Geometric Shapes for Cartographic Representations

by Silvia Klettner

ISPRS Int. J. Geo-Inf. 2019, 8(5), 217; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijgi8050217 - 08 May 2019

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 6436

Abstract

All human communication involves the use of signs. By following a mutually shared set of signs and rules, meaning can be conveyed from one entity to another. Cartographic semiology provides such a theoretical framework, suggesting how to apply visual variables with respect to [...] Read more.

All human communication involves the use of signs. By following a mutually shared set of signs and rules, meaning can be conveyed from one entity to another. Cartographic semiology provides such a theoretical framework, suggesting how to apply visual variables with respect to thematic content. However, semiotics does not address how the choice and composition of such visual variables may lead to different connotations, interpretations, or judgments. The research herein aimed to identify perceived similarities between geometric shape symbols as well as strategies and processes underlying these similarity judgments. Based on a user study with 38 participants, the (dis)similarities of a set of 12 basic geometric shapes (e.g., circle, triangle, square) were examined. Findings from cluster analysis revealed a three-cluster configuration, while multidimensional scaling further quantified the proximities between the geometric shapes in a two-dimensional space. Qualitative and quantitative content analyses identified four strategies underlying the participants’ similarity judgments, namely visual, affective, associative, and behavioral strategies. With the findings combined, this research provides a differentiated perspective on shape proximities, cognitive relations, and the processes involved. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Human-Centered Geovisual Analytics and Visuospatial Display Design)

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29 pages, 7202 KiB

Open AccessArticle

GeoAnnotator: A Collaborative Semi-Automatic Platform for Constructing Geo-Annotated Text Corpora

by Morteza Karimzadeh and Alan M. MacEachren

ISPRS Int. J. Geo-Inf. 2019, 8(4), 161; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijgi8040161 - 27 Mar 2019

Cited by 12 | Viewed by 4446

Abstract

Ground-truth datasets are essential for the training and evaluation of any automated algorithm. As such, gold-standard annotated corpora underlie most advances in natural language processing (NLP). However, only a few relatively small (geo-)annotated datasets are available for geoparsing, i.e., the automatic recognition and [...] Read more.

Ground-truth datasets are essential for the training and evaluation of any automated algorithm. As such, gold-standard annotated corpora underlie most advances in natural language processing (NLP). However, only a few relatively small (geo-)annotated datasets are available for geoparsing, i.e., the automatic recognition and geolocation of place references in unstructured text. The creation of geoparsing corpora that include both the recognition of place names in text and matching of those names to toponyms in a geographic gazetteer (a process we call geo-annotation), is a laborious, time-consuming and expensive task. The field lacks efficient geo-annotation tools to support corpus building and lacks design guidelines for the development of such tools. Here, we present the iterative design of GeoAnnotator, a web-based, semi-automatic and collaborative visual analytics platform for geo-annotation. GeoAnnotator facilitates collaborative, multi-annotator creation of large corpora of geo-annotated text by generating computationally-generated pre-annotations that can be improved by human-annotator users. The resulting corpora can be used in improving and benchmarking geoparsing algorithms as well as various other spatial language-related methods. Further, the iterative design process and the resulting design decisions can be used in annotation platforms tailored for other application domains of NLP. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Human-Centered Geovisual Analytics and Visuospatial Display Design)

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23 pages, 3050 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Studying Social Uses of 3D Geovisualizations: Lessons Learned from Action-Research Projects in the Field of Flood Mitigation Planning

by Florence Jacquinod and Julia Bonaccorsi

ISPRS Int. J. Geo-Inf. 2019, 8(2), 84; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijgi8020084 - 14 Feb 2019

Cited by 17 | Viewed by 3589

Abstract

Risk management seeks more and more the mobilization of all citizens, including elected representatives and inhabitants. Three-dimensional (3D) geovisualizations have been used between 2009 and 2017 in order to associate citizens to flood mitigation policies along the river Rhône. We focused our studies [...] Read more.

Risk management seeks more and more the mobilization of all citizens, including elected representatives and inhabitants. Three-dimensional (3D) geovisualizations have been used between 2009 and 2017 in order to associate citizens to flood mitigation policies along the river Rhône. We focused our studies on the effects 3D geovisualizations can have on the communication and understanding of information and their ability to foster exchanges between heterogeneous actors as well as participation of the grand public to planning processes. Facing both discrepancies in scientific studies of the uses of 3D geovisualizations and a lack of validated theoretical elements, we resorted to an exploratory method based on grounded theory and ethnographic observation in order to produce empirical knowledge on the uses of 3D geovisualizations in collective settings, including heterogeneous actors (risk managers, elected representatives, citizens). Observation showed that 3D geovisualizations can be useful for the dissemination of information about flood risk. Many observed effects were not anticipated during the production of 3D geovisualizations. Qualitative analysis of empirical data through actor–network theory and from a communication studies perspective shed light on some factors influencing the roles of 3D geovisualizations and help put into perspective existing and sometimes contradictory scientific works on 3D geovisualizations’ uses. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Human-Centered Geovisual Analytics and Visuospatial Display Design)

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15 pages, 1614 KiB

Open AccessArticle

3D Landform Modeling to Enhance Geospatial Thinking

by Carlos Carbonell-Carrera and Stephany Hess-Medler

ISPRS Int. J. Geo-Inf. 2019, 8(2), 65; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijgi8020065 - 29 Jan 2019

Cited by 13 | Viewed by 4071

Abstract

Geospatial thinking is essential to the visualization–interpretation processes of three-dimensional geographic information. The design of strategies for the interpretation of the Earth’s surface which allow the development of students’ geospatial thinking poses a challenge in higher education. In geospatial education, we often see [...] Read more.

Geospatial thinking is essential to the visualization–interpretation processes of three-dimensional geographic information. The design of strategies for the interpretation of the Earth’s surface which allow the development of students’ geospatial thinking poses a challenge in higher education. In geospatial education, we often see a practical approach where students are trained in specific GIS and/or geotechnologies. However, in the first stages of geospatial education, geographic literacy and geospatial thinking processes can be supported better through easy-to-use technologies. In this paper we show the results of two workshops performed with engineering students using visuospatial displays in an easy-to-use 3D software environment. This teaching approach improved students’ geospatial thinking, measured using the Topographic Map Assessment (TMA) test—a battery of seven tasks related to relief interpretation along with 18 exercises. Participants also completed a questionnaire relating to the following usability topics: operation (application), improvement, implications for education, and understanding of the concepts related to relief interpretation. The results showed mean gains between 10.7% and 12.6% of the highest score for the TMA. This, together with the results of the questionnaire, confirms the usefulness of this teaching approach using easy-to-use 3D technologies for developing geospatial thinking. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Human-Centered Geovisual Analytics and Visuospatial Display Design)

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