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 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.
Highlights
Virtual environments (VE) represent an opportunity for both cartographic and psychological research, as they both strive to utilize the advantages of controlled environments and stimuli
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
Visualizations used in navigation provide the basis for developing the mental spatial representations that are crucial to effective navigation
Summary
Virtual environments (VE) represent an opportunity for both cartographic and psychological research, as they both strive to utilize the advantages of controlled environments and stimuli. One of the biggest obstacles in using VE for both research and application was the unavailability of real-world models that could be transferred into virtual environments. Current practices of evacuation planning rely on combining traditional 2D printed plans and evacuation marks (signage) that help evacuees to navigate towards an emergency exit. The effectiveness of such a system can only be measured after the building has been constructed. The use of VEs in the pre-building stage give us the opportunity to carefully design the indoor environment, plan evacuation or orientation signage, and even empirically test the effectiveness of signs
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