Map Design Research Articles

Audio-Vibratory You-Are-Here Mobile Maps for People with Visual Impairments

Self-localization and wayfinding are challenging tasks for people with visual impairments (PVIs), severely impacting independent mobility. Visual “You-are-here” (YAH) maps are useful for assisting local wayfinding of sighted users. They are used to self-localize and display points of interest, landmarks and routes in the surroundings. However, these maps are not always available and rarely accessible to PVIs. Relying on an iterative participatory design process with eight end-users with visual impairments, we created a proof of concept of a mobile audio-vibratory YAH map. Our design is based on either a tablet or a smartphone to ensure a small and portable solution. A user study with ten PVIs showed that the audio-vibratory YAH map that we designed provides the user with a good understanding of the surroundings and wayfinding cues. Surprisingly, the results show that the audio-vibratory YAH map prototype was as usable as the control condition (audio-tactile YAH map with a tactile overlay), with similar user satisfaction and cognitive load. A follow-up field study with two participants showed the effectiveness of the prototype for assisting in crossroad understanding. To conclude, our innovative design of a mobile audio-vibratory YAH map can overcome the portability and printing issues associated with tactile overlays and can be an appropriate solution for assisting the pedestrian navigation of PVIs.

Longitudinal single-subject neuroimaging study reveals effects of daily environmental, physiological, and lifestyle factors on functional brain connectivity.

Our behavior and mental states are constantly shaped by our environment and experiences. However, little is known about the response of brain functional connectivity to environmental, physiological, and behavioral changes on different timescales, from days to months. This gives rise to an urgent need for longitudinal studies that collect high-frequency data. To this end, for a single subject, we collected 133 days of behavioral data with smartphones and wearables and performed 30 functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scans measuring attention, memory, resting state, and the effects of naturalistic stimuli. We find traces of past behavior and physiology in brain connectivity that extend up as far as 15 days. While sleep and physical activity relate to brain connectivity during cognitively demanding tasks, heart rate variability and respiration rate are more relevant for resting-state connectivity and movie-watching. This unique data set is openly accessible, offering an exceptional opportunity for further discoveries. Our results demonstrate that we should not study brain connectivity in isolation, but rather acknowledge its interdependence with the dynamics of the environment, changes in lifestyle, and short-term fluctuations such as transient illnesses or restless sleep. These results reflect a prolonged and sustained relationship between external factors and neural processes. Overall, precision mapping designs such as the one employed here can help to better understand intraindividual variability, which may explain some of the observed heterogeneity in fMRI findings. The integration of brain connectivity, physiology data and environmental cues will propel future environmental neuroscience research and support precision healthcare.

“Examining the Incorporation of Islamic Values in Concept Mapping and Curriculum Design for Medical Education: A Holistic Perspective”

Medical education is an ever-evolving realm, continuously striving for innovative methods to improve learning outcomes and nurture competent healthcare practitioners. Concept mapping has emerged as a valuable tool in this drive, aiding in the organization and synthesis of intricate information. This review delves into the infusion of Islamic teachings into concept map teaching and curriculum development within medical education. By drawing on Islamic principles related to knowledge acquisition, ethics, and comprehensive healthcare, this examination offers strategies for integrating Islamic perspectives into concept mapbased teaching approaches. Through harmonizing educational practices with Islamic ethos, medical educators can cultivate an environment that is culturally attuned and ethically rooted, fostering the development of healthcare professionals who embody compassion and integrity in serving their communities. Bangladesh Journal of Medical Science Vol. 23 No. 04 October’24 Page : 984-992

AHP-FCE를 활용한 중국 피난안내도 최적화 설계 연구 - Chung Hua University(CHU) 도서관을 중심으로

In large indoor public spaces such as office buildings and shopping malls, the complex architectural layout and dense population increase the difficulty of emergency evacuation. In the event of a fire or other disaster, the lack of effective evacuation measures can lead to significant casualties and property loss. This paper studies fire evacuation maps in China based on the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Fuzzy Comprehensive Evaluation (FCE) methods, aiming to improve the cognitive efficiency and user experience of evacuation maps. The study first constructs a hierarchical index system for evacuation maps, determines the weights of various design elements, and forms a judgment matrix through evaluations by experts and users. Then, the optimized evacuation map undergoes a comprehensive evaluation analysis. The results show that clarity and functionality are the two aspects users are most concerned about, with the recognizability of signage and the accuracy of location information being particularly important. The optimized evacuation map shows significant improvements in clarity and information transmission, effectively guiding people to quickly escape in emergencies. This study validates the rationality and feasibility of the AHP-FCE method in the design of fire evacuation maps, providing new ideas and directions for further optimization of evacuation maps.

Design, Dynamical Analysis, and Hardware Implementation of a Novel Memcapacitive Hyperchaotic Logistic Map

Design, Dynamical Analysis, and Hardware Implementation of a Novel Memcapacitive Hyperchaotic Logistic Map

The Perils of Service Provision in Unsafe Areas: Providing Continuing Services to Youth during Gang Violence in the Cape Flats, South Africa

Youth involvement in criminal gangs is rife in a particular area of Cape Town, the capital city of Western Cape, South Africa, known as the Cape Flats. But the Cape Flats is not unique and the youth’s susceptibility to join these gangs cuts across cultures and societies. Wherever there is marginalisation and disadvantage, social issues emerge that are difficult to combat because of systemic and structural barriers. Community workers and those who live in these areas are often at their wits end trying to combat the allure that gang membership holds for their teenage children. This article reports on a study that was part of a larger research study conducted between 2016–2018 by social work students at a university situated in the area. The article reflects the findings of the 2018 study that focused on the perceptions and experiences of those who work or provide services in the area. The aim of the study was to explore the participants’ experiences of gang violence during service provision and their opinions about ways to address their concerns. A qualitative approach, utilising an intervention mapping design was used. Individual interviews were conducted with 325 service providers on the Cape Flats. Two main themes emerged from thematic data analysis, namely, impact on service providers and service delivery, and suggested interventions and solutions. The implications of the findings are that the increasing violence has severe consequences on service provision in communities and is disruptive and traumatising to everybody involved.

The use of graph convolutional networks in road selection for small-scale maps design

The use of graph convolutional networks in road selection for small-scale maps design

Future opportunities for mobile thematic map design in data journalism

Future opportunities for mobile thematic map design in data journalism

Design of Business Ecosystem Mapping in the Black Soldier Fly Industry of Bandung City

BSF (Black Soldier Fly) maggot cultivation is an alternative organic waste management that is growing rapidly in the city of Bandung. This research aims to design a business ecosystem map for the BSF maggot cultivation industry in Bandung City. The method used is business ecosystem mapping with a qualitative approach modified by Zheng Ma. The research results show that the BSF maggot cultivation industry in Bandung City has six main groups of actors, namely maggot producers, maggot consumers, maggot raw material suppliers, maggot cultivation equipment and technology suppliers, government, and research institutions. Interactions between actors are driven by shared values, such as sustainability, circular economy and economic value. External factors that influence the development of the BSF maggot cultivation industry in Bandung City are government policy (politics), market trends (economics), public awareness (social) and technological progress (technology). Reconfiguration of the BSF maggot cultivation business ecosystem in Bandung City by incorporating elements of changes in external factors. The map of changes in the BSF maggot cultivation business ecosystem in the city of Bandung over the next 5 years includes: (1) increasing BSF maggot production to meet market demand, (2) developing new products and services based on BSF maggots, (3) increasing collaboration between actors, (4) strengthening human resource capacity, and (5) encouraging the development of environmentally friendly BSF maggot cultivation technology.

Revealing the impact of spatial bias in survey design for habitat mapping: A tale of two sampling designs

Submerged aquatic vegetation, referring to benthic macroalgae and plants that obligately grow underwater, are critical components of marine ecosystems and are frequently found to provide preferential recruitment habitats. The mapping and monitoring of aquatic vegetation through remote sensing and machine learning is becoming an important aspect of managing coastal environments at scale. Accurate mapping and monitoring require robust sampling and occurrence data to assess predictive error and quantify submerged vegetation extents. The form of ground truthing survey design (preferential, random, grid-based or spatially balanced) could significantly influence predictive model outcomes and the overall accuracy of mapping and monitoring. Here, we test and contrast mapping aquatic vegetation extent ground-truthed using two different sampling designs: we used both preferential and spatially balanced sampling designs across four coastal sites along the midwest of Australia. We validate the map outcomes using spatial cross-validation and demonstrate that spatially balanced ground truthing significantly outperforms preferential sampling designs regarding modelled extent and map accuracy. In our comparison, we found that, on average, preferential designs overestimated vegetation extent by 25 percent compared to balanced designs and achieved an average kappa statistic, F1 score and Area under the Curve of 0.48, 0.615 and 0.517, respectively; whereas balanced designs achieved a kappa statistic, F1 score and AUC of 0.84, 0.85 and 0.83 respectively. We strongly recommend that sampling designs for remote sensing-derived habitat models be spatially balanced where habitat extent is proposed as a metric for monitoring.

Design and analysis of discrete fractional-order chaotic map with offset-boosting behavior

Fractional calculus, as a more accurate tool for depicting the dynamics of complex systems, has been introduced into discrete chaotic maps. To further describe the offset-boosting behavior in discrete systems, a discrete fractional-order chaotic map (DFOCM) based on the Caputo difference operator is constructed. The mapping order of this fractional-order model controls the stability of the fixed point, thereby affecting the dynamic behavior of the map. The dynamics of DFOCM is studied using numerical simulation methods such as bifurcation diagrams and maximum Lyapunov exponents, revealing the presence of multistability. By comparing with integer-order map, it is found that DFOCM exhibit a larger chaotic region. Based on this, the difference between fractional order and integer order offset-boosting behavior is theoretically derived. Specifically, the offset-boosting behavior of fractional-order maps concerning mapping parameters is related to the initial state, which was further demonstrated through numerical simulations. SE complexity proves that the chaotic sequences generated by DFOCM have high unpredictability and pseudo-randomness. Finally, the proposed DFOCM is implemented on the DSP hardware platform, and the physical feasibility of numerical simulation is verified.

Food city Ho Chi Minh City: designing relational mapping of the culture of place

ABSTRACT This research investigates the novel design and implementation of a relational mapping of city spaces, based on research conducted in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The experimental mapping employs relational methods of exploration to document and understand the city. A special Memefest mapping workshop used food as a key medium for some of the relationships that underpin the culture, community, and the city itself. This paper outlines the design of a sensory based exploration and creative mapping of food culture in Ho Chi Minh City and puts special emphasis in the atmospheres that are created through the relations between food, community, and the structures that underlie these. Lastly the paper shows an example of installations and explains how they work as (post) representational maps of relations and atmospheres.

Design of a discrete memristive chaotic map: fractional-order memory, dynamics and application

In this paper, a discrete fracmemristor (DFM) model is derived based on the Caputo difference, and a new fractional-order chaotic map is designed. Dynamics of the proposed map is investigated in detail by means of Lyapunov exponent spectra, bifurcation diagrams, PE complexity and multistability analyses. Compared with the coupled discrete integer-order memristor (DIM), the map coupled with the DFM products richer dynamics, including larger attractor distribution, fewer numerically periodic windows, and higher complexity. Besides, the order becomes additional bifurcation parameter. Finally, the proposed map is implemented on Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) platform, and applied in a pseudorandom number generator (PRNG), which further demonstrates its application value.

What are the methodological characteristics of evidence and gap maps? A systematic review and evidence and gap map

AbstractIntroductionClarity on the characteristics of methods used to produce evidence and gap maps (EGMs) will highlight areas where method development is needed to ensure these increasingly produced tools are made following best practice to assure their quality and utility. This paper aims to describe the range, nature and variability of key methodological characteristics of studies publishing EGMs.MethodsWe followed a protocol, written a‐prior and informed by PRISMA and MECCIR guidelines for undertaking systematic reviews. We searched nine data bases, from 2010, for studies across any discipline that included details of their methods used to produce an EGM. Search results were screened by two reviewers independently and the subsequent data was extracted and managed according to predefined criteria. We mapped these together with the year of publication and the area of research as the two primary dimensions. We followed established methods for mapping the evidence, including the process of developing the map framework and the filters for our interactive map. We sought input and involvement from stakeholders during this process.ResultsWe found 145 studies from nine distinct research areas, with health research accounting for 67%. There were 11 map designs found, of these bubble plots were the most common design, before 2019, since then it has been a matrix map design. Stakeholders were involved in 47.7% of studies, 48.35% of studies stated finding gaps was an aim of their work, 42% reported publishing or registering a protocol and only 9.39% of studies mentioned a plan to update their evidence maps/EGMs.Discussion/ConclusionKey areas of methodological development relate to: the involvement of stakeholders, the conceptualization of gaps and the practices for updating maps. The issues of ambiguity in terminology, the flexibility of visualizations of the data and the lack of reporting detail were other aspects that needs further consideration in studies producing an EGM.

TCBR and TCBD: Evaluation metrics for tamper coincidence problem in fragile image watermarking

This paper proposed two evaluation metrics of the tamper coincidence in a block map design for image watermarking. These evaluation metrics are called Tamper Coincidence Block Ratio (TCBR) and Tamper Coincidence Block Density (TCBD). A tamper coincidence occurred in image authentication and self-recovery when the recovery data and the original block location were tampered with simultaneously. A high tamper coincidence limits image inpainting’s capability to recover the region, leading to an imprecise recovered image. The ratio and density of the tamper coincidence may significantly affect the final recovered image quality. Previously, researchers mentioned the tamper coincidence in their experiment but did not evaluate it with any metrics. They evaluated the robustness of their technique based on the final recovered image quality using the Peak Signal-to-Noise Ratio (PSNR) and Structural Similarity Index Measure (SSIM). Tamper coincidences are primarily affected by the block map design implemented by the researcher. Thus, TCBR and TCBD provide valuable insight into the block map design’s effectiveness in preventing tamper coincidence. The experimental result shows that the TCBR and TCBD values are inversely proportional to the recovered image quality. A high TCBR and TCBD value leads to low recovered image quality. Therefore, this paper will help the researchers design an effective block map by minimizing the TCBR and TCBD values to obtain the highest recovered image quality.

An Optimal Design Method for Lightweight Heating Film of Anisotropic Heat Conduction Substrate Based on Surrogate Model.

In space missions, heating films are crucial for uniformly heating onboard equipment for precise temperature control. This study develops an optimization method using surrogate models for lightweight anisotropic substrate thermal conductive heating films, meeting the requirements of uniform heating in thermal control for space applications. A feedforward neural network optimized by particle swarm optimization (PSO) was employed to create a surrogate model, mapping design parameters to the temperature uniformity of the heating film. This model served as the basis for applying the NSGA-II algorithm to quickly optimize both temperature uniformity and lightweight characteristics. In this study, the PSO-BP surrogate model was trained using heating film thermal simulation data, and the surrogate model demonstrated an accurate prediction of the mean square error (MSE) of the predicted temperature difference within 0.0168 s. The maximum temperature difference in the optimal model is 1.188 ℃, which is 30.5 times lower than before optimization, and the equivalent density is only increased by 3.9%. In summary, this optimization design method effectively captures the relationships among various parameters and optimization objectives. Its superior computational accuracy and design efficiency offer significant advantages in the design of devices such as heating films.

Cognitive issues of mobile map design and use

ABSTRACT Internet-connected mobile devices have changed how people access information. Like other information sources, maps have benefited from and been re-envisioned for mobile devices, and they are used in new contexts. However, these new contexts often generate additional cognitive load. We explored in depth two strategies designers could use to mitigate high cognitive loads associated with mobile map use: offloading cognition and reducing cognitive load by improved design to support the allocation of attention between the map and the environment. In reviewing these strategies, we considered their relevance to several mobile map use cases (navigation, individual and collaborative spatial decision making, information enrichment, and entertainment). Next, we identified recent progress in our understanding of how to measure cognitive load and map use context. Finally, we explored the wider implications of mobile maps for human behaviour and cognition. We identified two important cross-cutting research questions: 1) How can mobile maps be designed to reduce cognitive load by providing what is really needed by users to facilitate their cognitive processes?; 2) How can the intrinsic additional cognitive load created by the characteristics of mobile maps be managed and minimised by supporting the distribution of the user's attention between the map and environment?

Hybrid genetic optimization for quantum feature map design

Kernel methods are an import class of techniques in machine learning. To be effective, good feature maps are crucial for mapping non-linearly separable input data into a higher dimensional (feature) space, thus allowing the data to be linearly separable in feature space. Previous work has shown that quantum feature map design can be automated for a given dataset using NSGA-II, a genetic algorithm, while both minimizing circuit size and maximizing classification accuracy. However, the evaluation of the accuracy achieved by a candidate feature map is costly. In this work, we demonstrate the suitability of kernel-target alignment as a substitute for accuracy in genetic algorithm-based quantum feature map design. Kernel-target alignment is faster to evaluate than accuracy and does not require some data points to be reserved for its evaluation. To further accelerate the evaluation of genetic fitness, we provide a method to approximate kernel-target alignment. To improve kernel-target alignment and root mean squared error, the final trainable parameters of the generated circuits are further trained using COBYLA to determine whether a hybrid approach applying conventional circuit parameter training can easily complement the genetic structure optimization approach. A total of eight new approaches are compared to the original across nine varied binary classification problems from the UCI machine learning repository, showing that kernel-target alignment and its approximation produce feature map circuits enabling comparable accuracy to the previous work but with larger margins on training data (in excess of 20% larger) that improve further with circuit parameter training.

Computational assessment of the aesthetic quality of map colors

AbstractCrafting beautiful map colors is challenging for not only experts but also novices, suggesting the need for an aesthetic quality assessment of map colors for the effective design of maps and visualizations. To fill this gap, we present a computational method to assess the aesthetic quality of map colors. First, we couple the idea of computational aesthetics with map aesthetic principles and identify four and two basic types of aesthetic features in terms of order and complexity, respectively. Then, we collect 2000 map samples and derive 149 aesthetic metrics by instantiating the above aesthetic features while considering the spatial weights and figure–ground organization of the map samples. We also recruit participants (N = 438) to rate the aesthetic quality of the map colors. Finally, we train an aesthetic predictor by fitting those aesthetic metrics with user ratings. The experimental results show that the proposed method can assess aesthetic quality of map colors with high accuracy (R2 = 0.73 on the training set and R2 = 0.65 on the validation set). We also explore the dominant aesthetic metrics that positively and negatively influence aesthetic appreciation, as well as those metrics that have no significant influence. This work offers a portable and flexible aesthetic quality assessment approach for map colors and can be further improved by considering complex symbols, spatial structures, and color–semantic and color–emotion associations.

Dark-is-More Bias Also in Dark Mode? Perception of Colours in Choropleth Maps in Dark Mode

Dark mode is an increasingly common design option in which a dark screen background is used with light-coloured text and graphic elements. This option is, therefore, also relevant for the design of screen maps. This article examines the question of whether a “light-is-more bias” also applies in dark mode for the display of choropleth maps, analogous to the “dark-is-more bias” with light backgrounds (i.e. that dark colours are associated with greater attribute values). However, the results of an online study with 214 people show that the dark-is-more bias is still clearly the most frequently used strategy. This frequency is slightly lower compared to the light mode, and it is depending on the specific colour scheme for the dark mode and on user’s expertise. The study results also allow general design recommendations for dark-mode colour schemes for maps.