Framework for Virtual Cognitive Experiment in Virtual Geographic Environments

Fan Zhang,Mingyuan Hu,Hui Lin,Weitao Che,Chaoyang Fang

doi:10.3390/ijgi7010036

Abstract

Virtual Geographic Environment Cognition is the attempt to understand the human cognition of surface features, geographic processes, and human behaviour, as well as their relationships in the real world. From the perspective of human cognition behaviour analysis and simulation, previous work in Virtual Geographic Environments (VGEs) has focused mostly on representing and simulating the real world to create an ‘interpretive’ virtual world and improve an individual’s active cognition. In terms of reactive cognition, building a user ‘evaluative’ environment in a complex virtual experiment is a necessary yet challenging task. This paper discusses the outlook of VGEs and proposes a framework for virtual cognitive experiments. The framework not only employs immersive virtual environment technology to create a realistic virtual world but also involves a responsive mechanism to record the user’s cognitive activities during the experiment. Based on the framework, this paper presents two potential implementation methods: first, training a deep learning model with several hundred thousand street view images scored by online volunteers, with further analysis of which visual factors produce a sense of safety for the individual, and second, creating an immersive virtual environment and Electroencephalogram (EEG)-based experimental paradigm to both record and analyse the brain activity of a user and explore what type of virtual environment is more suitable and comfortable. Finally, we present some preliminary findings based on the first method.

Highlights

Human–environment relationships represent a traditional aspect in the study of geography [1,2]
Discussion on Future Geographic Cognitive Experiment in Virtual Geographic Environments (VGEs). In this era of big data and artificial intelligence, researchers from various fields and disciplines have been faced with the same issues: how to make good use of extensive data and information with limited data mining and knowledge discovery approaches; how to both incorporate the data from multiple sources and link the data together automatically and intelligently; and how to combine the Internet of Things, sensor networks and the real world for information acquisition and quick response to satisfy the requirements of human activities [38,39]
Future VGEs for conducting geographic cognitive experiments requires the following: (1) a special emphasize on the individual’s sense of reality and immersive feeling, letting the individual interact with the virtual environment in a natural manner; (2) the introduction of geographic process simulations into the cognitive environment, where a sensor network will gather information about the surrounding conditions and the real-time changes in the real world to reconstruct the real world in the virtual environment dynamically; and (3) the simulation and analysis of human behaviour in virtual cognitive environments based on cognitive techniques and affective computing

Summary

Introduction

Human–environment relationships represent a traditional aspect in the study of geography [1,2]. VGEs was initially proposed in the field of geography and geographic information, with the objective of integrating the virtual environment and the real world and exploring universal geographic processes, phenomena and laws of things [5,6,7]. From the perspective of environmental psychology, the fundamental processes of human environment transaction include the following: the interpretive, evaluative, operative, and responsive modes of interacting with one’s surroundings [9,10]. VGEs has been demonstrated as an effective tool to represent and simulate the real world [11,12,13] Users can improve their cognition to geographic objects, processes and phenomena through VGEs. research on virtual geographic environment cognition still stops at the interpretive phases. How to collect a user’s evaluative and responsive information concerning their surroundings and how to build a feedback loop from environmental controlled stimuli to the individual’s assessment and reaction to the environment remain open issues

Results

Discussion

Conclusion