Eye-tracking comparison of two road atlases

The usage of road atlases is experiencing a decline due to the rise in popularity of modern GPS navigational systems. However, road atlases are still utilised by some individuals, both in combination with mobile navigation and separately when navigating during the trip. Therefore, road atlases continue to be published. They are regularly updated, and they do gradually change, such as when the map symbology changes or when the creation of maps takes new technological possibilities into account. The changes in map symbology are the main essence of the presented paper. Based on the assumption presented by an expert (head of the largest cartographic publishing house in the Czech Republic) during an expert discussion that the 20-year-old road atlas is easier to read and that the required information was more quickly accessible in the old atlas than in the new atlas, a scientific experiment was designed and performed. Within the comparison of the "old" and "new" atlases, three hypotheses were established: (1) Accuracy of responses will be higher for the "old" atlas, (2) Time for task completion will be lower for the "old" atlas, and (3) Orientation in the maps from the "old" atlas will be easier. The eye-tracking testing performed did not confirm the first hypothesis, but the statistics confirmed the second and third hypotheses. The reasons for the different results for the "old" and "new" atlases were sometimes obvious (change in the graphic variables of a particular map symbol). Still, other times the causes were not completely clear. All of the experimental results were provided to the publishing house for further use in practice.

An Efficient, Platform-Independent Map Rendering Framework for Mobile Augmented Reality

With the extensive application of big spatial data and the emergence of spatial computing, augmented reality (AR) map rendering has attracted significant attention. A common issue in existing solutions is that AR-GIS systems rely on different platform-specific graphics libraries on different operating systems, and rendering implementations can vary across various platforms. This causes performance degradation and rendering styles that are not consistent across environments. However, high-performance rendering consistency across devices is critical in AR-GIS, especially for edge collaborative computing. In this paper, we present a high-performance, platform-independent AR-GIS rendering engine; the augmented reality universal graphics library (AUGL) engine. A unified cross-platform interface is proposed to preserve AR-GIS rendering style consistency across platforms. High-performance AR-GIS map symbol drawing models are defined and implemented based on a unified algorithm interface. We also develop a pre-caching strategy, optimized spatial-index querying, and a GPU-accelerated vector drawing algorithm that minimizes IO latency throughout the rendering process. Comparisons to existing AR-GIS visualization engines indicate that the performance of the AUGL engine is two times higher than that of the AR-GIS rendering engine on the Android, iOS, and Vuforia platforms. The drawing efficiency for vector polygons is improved significantly. The rendering performance is more than three times better than the average performances of existing Android and iOS systems.

Map symbol design: Presenting abstract topics with advanced symbology

Map symbols design can be one of the most complex parts of creating a thematic map. This happens when you do not use the basic or pre-defined map symbols, but new symbols are created. And mainly when those symbols include more partial information about presented phenomena and at the same time correspond and respect principles of cartographic semiology.The principles of cartographic semiology are important since they have a large impact on user perception and cognition. Simply, it affects how map symbols work. Therefore, cartographers work very hard creating certain symbols trying do make the process of information transfer from the map to the user most effective.The basic principle is, that map symbols are easy to understand by the users when they make a connection between the graphic design on the map and the particular feature of the real world. And it is relatively easy to design symbols for phenomena that we see and that have clear characteristics, such as a river (blue line), a water area (blue area), a parking lot (grey area) or a museum (building symbol). It is much harder to design a meaningful map symbology for something abstract what we do not see. And this is exactly what this paper deals with. The map symbols design is presented on the example of case studies: the creation of a dialectological language atlas and the creation of tactile maps.The research focusing design approaches to the effective creation of map symbols, that works. There are some principles to follow to make them more intuitive to the users. And there are few principles, that have to be followed because it is a cartographic rule. The primary way in which symbols are changed is through their size, shape, texture, and pattern. However, detailed semiology deals with various forms of prefixes, subfixes, the internal structure of graphic elements, and other properties that can be summarized as advanced geovisualization.The presented outputs are part of the implementation of two different projects. The first project is the presentation of a very abstract topic (dialectology) for ordinary users, the second project is the presentation of a specific topic to people with severe visual impairments. And it is in their comparison that the beauty and complexity of cartography can be seen.

Visualisation of Spatial Data Uncertainty. A Case Study of a Database of Topographic Objects

The Database of Topographic Objects (DTO) is the official database of Poland for collecting and providing spatial data with the detail level of a topographic map. Polish national DTOs manage information about the spatial location and attribute values of geographic objects. Data in the DTO are the starting point for geographic information systems (GISs) for various central and local governments as well as private institutions. Every set of spatial data based on measurement-derived data is susceptible to uncertainty. Therefore, the widespread awareness of data uncertainty is of vital importance to all GIS users. Cartographic visualisation techniques are an effective approach to informing spatial dataset users about the uncertainty of the data. The objective of the research was to define a set of methods for visualising the DTO data uncertainty using expert know-how and experience. This set contains visualisation techniques for presenting three types of uncertainty: positional, attribute, and temporal. The positional uncertainty for point objects was presented using visual variables, object fill with hue colour and lightness, and glyphs placed at map symbol positions. The positional uncertainty for linear objects was presented using linear object contours made of dotted lines and glyphs at vertices. Fill grain density and contour crispness were employed to represent the positional uncertainty for surface objects. The attribute value uncertainty and the temporal uncertainty were represented using fill grain density and fill colour value. The proposed set of the DTO uncertainty visualisation methods provides a finite array of visualisation techniques that can be tested and juxtaposed. The visualisation methods were comprehensively evaluated in a survey among experts who use spatial databases. Results of user preference analysis have demonstrated that the set of the DTO data uncertainty visualisation techniques may be applied to the full extent. The future implementation of the proposed visualisation methods in GIS databases will help data users interpret values correctly.

TouchIt3D: Technology (not only) for Tactile Maps

<p><strong>Abstract.</strong> The majority of information has a spatial context that can be represented on the map, while maps are presenting the real world in the simplified and generalised way, focusing on the key features or specific topic. For some kinds of users, the map as the representation of the real spatial context is not only the possibility but also the necessity. Among these people belong people with visual impairments.</p><p> The number of visually impaired people increases every year and to their full-fledged integration into society is devoted considerable attention. But People with visual impairments are the target group with specific user needs, and the conventional map is insufficient for them. Along the growing number of visually impaired people importance of tactile cartography is increasing.</p><p> Currently, there are many technologies used for creating tactile maps, including very primitive and cheap solutions as well as advanced methods. The simplest way is drawing on the hand which brings only the real-time perception which needs to memorise for next uses. Another technique of hand embroidery consists of thick fibre placed on the cardboard or different paper type. More accurate is drawing on a special paper for blind or using dense colour gels. Also, some kinds of machinery producing technologies are used, e.g: shaping carton, plastic or metal. Braille printers can produce not very complicated tactile maps using 3D dots. Similar results can be obtained using serigraphy. Very popular is printing on heat-sensitive paper as mentioned before in the case of haptic maps by Mapy.cz. Another possibility is to use rubberized colours and nowadays popular technology of 3D printing (Vozenilek and Ludikova, 2010).</p><p> At the Department of Geoinformatics, Faculty of Science, Palacký University Olomouc, Czechia, the research team developed prototypes and methodology for the creation of the modern type of 3D tactile maps, linkable with mobile devices (Barvir et al., 2018).Interactive tactile maps connectable with mobile devices bring new opportunities to develop tactile map production. The prototypes have been verified in practice in cooperation with educational centres for people with visual impairment and blind people, and special schools. It is comprehensive research focusing a lot of scientific challenges. The contribution would like to summarise the most significant findings of the research.</p><p> The developed TouchIt3D technology is based on linking 3D objects, such as tactile maps, 3D models, controls, etc., with a mobile tablet or mobile phone using a combination of conductive and non-conductive filament. Each model is linked to an individual mobile application layout that initiates a pre-action based on user suggestions done within touching the model. For example, such an action may be a vibration or a speech command when the person with visual impairment touch inappropriate map symbol. As example can be introduced a listing of current public transport departures after the user touches the bus-stop map symbol on the 3D transport terminal plan. Data can be acquired in real time via Internet as the tablet can be connected to WiFi or cellular network. TouchIt3D technology is primarily focused on the presentation of spatial data and navigation for the public, people with visual or other impairment.</p><p> There are two ways how to create such tactile map. The first way is to prepare all the data manually. Another approach is the semi-automatic workflow. This approach is significantly different from previous workflows of producing maps for people with visual impairment. The solution based on the open-source and free software and data together with sharing electronic part of the map in the form of tablet dramatically lowered costs of tactile maps production. The designed scripts and models also reduced the time necessary to spend by map designing up to a minimum. User testing provided all data required for the improvement, and maximal adaptation of the cartographic visualisation methods to the target user needs. Nevertheless, maps partly automatically done and based on crowdsourcing data cannot bring the same quality as individually made tactile maps.</p><p> The main aim of the research is to find a workflow of interactive tactile maps creation using the TouchIt3D technology. The research also deals with setting appropriate parameters of the map, e.g. the map scale, cartographic symbol size, map content etc. This optimisation is done to fit the needs of people with visual impairment as much as possible on the one hand and taking into account the limitations of the map creation possibilities.</p><p>This research is implemented within the project <i>Development of independent movement through tactile-auditory aids</i>, Nr. TL01000507, supported by the Technology Agency of the Czech Republic.</p>

The Specifics of Cartographic Semiology in Tactile Maps

<p><strong>Abstract.</strong> Spatial information became ordinary for everyday life, for example in different kinds of maps. The majority of maps are produced for reading with eyes. Nevertheless, people with visual impairment, including blind people, perceive the world differently and have an insufficient amount of possible ways how to investigate the surroundings.</p><p>Creating a tactile map for people with visual impairment and blind people is conceptually different, more expensive and more difficult comparing to normal maps. This is why researches in cartography focus the question how spatial information can be effectively presented to visually impaired people using modern technologies.</p><p>One of the solutions seems to be progress in modern 3D tactile-cartography linkable to the mobile device, such as smartphones and tablets. The modern mobile technologies with the internet connection and GNSS navigation brought new possibilities how to convert spatial information into voice quickly. Navigations use vibrations to provide the actual information, and other technologies help to make the 3D presentations of the geospace more accessible.</p><p>At the Department of Geoinformatics, Faculty of Science, Palacký University Olomouc, Czechia, several tactile maps were produced under the leadership of Vit Vozenilek, both interactive and non-interactive ones.</p><p>Cartographic semiology deals with a theory of cartographic symbols and their use. This theory is based primarily on the general semiology (the science of symbols), theoretical cartography, information theory, cybernetics and engineering psychology. To the various disciplines of semiology belong semantics, which represents the relation between the map symbol to the content what it means, sigmatics, which defines the relationship of map symbols to the function expressed in terms of real content, syntactic, which describes the interactions of map symbols, grammar, that deals with the composition rule and specifies the map symbol to the system, and pragmatics, which describes the relationship of users to the map symbol system. It is necessary to design and apply specific methods of cartographic visualization that will be suitable for persons who are blind or have a serious visual impairment. Therefore, there is a significant need for adaptation to the target user needs.</p><p>Analogically to the traditional cartography, the fundamental unit of tactile cartographic semiology is a tactile map symbol. Comparing to conventional map symbol the tactile map symbols have an extra specific 3D features, including the vertical dimension, roughness and texture. The specific design of the tactile map symbol depends on the applied technology – special tactile paper printers, plastic foils, metal engravings or modern type of 3D printing technology. Characteristics of tactile map symbols are used with regard to the possibilities of these technologies as well as in relation to the needs of the target group of users.</p><p>Within the project <i>Perception of the geospace by the modern type of tactile maps</i> the sampler designed characters by 51 respondents (31 blind persons and 20 persons with hard visually impairments) was tested. There were examples of different lines, different textures and point map symbols (Fig. 3). Part of these symbols was identified by respondents as most satisfactory, some of the characters were identified as unsatisfactory. These were mainly badly recognisable structures, lines unrecognisable by touch, confusing dotting, etc.</p><p>During the implementation of the project <i>Development of independent movement through tactile-auditory aids</i>, the gained knowledge was applied to the production of modern, tactile maps linked to the mobile technology (smartphone, tablet, etc.). Because the modern tactile maps using TouchIt3D technology (Barvir, 2017; Barvir et al., 2018) require many different sizes of 3D map objects, also the map symbols have to be different.</p><p>Preliminary results of the user testing provide new information about map symbol perception by people with visual impairment, using a new type of 3D tactile maps created with TouchIt3D technology. Testing and prototyping are ongoing, and the conference contribution will bring the latest research results.</p></p>

Real-Time Visualization of Geo-Sensor Data Based on the Protocol-Coupling Symbol Construction Method

Obtaining and visualizing the internal state and position information of the remote device using sensors are important aspects of industrial manufacturing. For large-scale geo-sensors that have been recently used, map-based management and visualization of the geo-sensor devices have become ubiquitous. Users often build multiple map symbols to represent the multiple states of a device based on traditional map symbols. Visualizing multiple geo-sensor data in real time with one map symbol is difficult. In this paper, a protocol-coupling map symbol and a construction method for real-time data visualization is introduced where different sensor states of the geo-sensor are expressed with one symbol. The sensor data visualization method in supervisory control and data acquisition systems (SCADA) was introduced and applied to the construction and visualization process of map symbols. First, based on the traditional vector map symbols and the communication protocol parsing interface, the mapping relationship between the sensor data item and the graphic element is defined in the map symbol construction process. Second, by referring to the streaming services method in ArcGIS GeoEvent, geo-sensor data acquisition and a transfer broker in a GIS server is built, through which the real-time sensor data can be transferred from the remote side to the map client and used for map symbol rendering. Finally, the new map symbols are used for real-time geo-sensor data visualization in applications. In the application of the real-time monitoring of geo-sensor devices, remote device information was acquired by sensor and transmitted to the broker then cached on the server side. If the cached sensor data has changed compared to the previous, the changed data will be pushed to map client by broker. The communication module in the map client that communicates with the broker receives changed geo-sensor data and triggers a refresh of the map. Then the protocol-coupling map symbol is rendered according to the mapping profile and the status of the geo-sensor device will be displayed on the map in real time. All the methods and processes were verified in client-server and browser-server GIS architecture.

New Map Symbol System for Disaster Management

In the last 10 years Bulgaria was frequently affected by natural and man-made disasters that caused considerable losses. According to the Bulgarian Disaster Management Act (2006) disaster management should be planned at local, regional and national level. Disaster protection is based on plans that include maps such as hazard maps, maps for protection, maps for evacuation planning, etc. Decision-making and cooperation between two or more neighboring municipalities or regions in crisis situation are still rendered difficult because the maps included in the plans differ in scale, colors, map symbols and cartographic design. To improve decision-making process in case of emergency and to reduce the number of human loss and property damages disaster management plans at local and regional level should be supported by detailed thematic maps created in accordance with uniform contents, map symbol system and design. The paper proposes a new symbol system for disaster management that includes a four level hierarchical classification of objects and phenomena according to their type and origin. All objects and phenomena of this classification are divided into five categories: disasters; infrastructure; protection services and infrastructure for protection; affected people and affected infrastructure; operational sites and activities. The symbols of these categories are shown with different background colors and shapes so that they are identifiable. All the symbols have simple but associative design. The new symbol system is used in the design of a series of maps for disaster management at local and regional level.

SPESIFIKASI SIMBOL KARTOGRAFIS PADA PETA TAKTUAL UNTUK KAUM TUNA NETRA

Abstrak:Tunanetra memerlukan sarana perolehan informasi yang dapat diterjemahkan dengan rabaan atau diperkuat dengan pendengaran, termasuk kebutuhan akan informasi kebumian dan atau lingkungan. Cara perolehan informasi seperti tersebut, kaum tunanetra kesulitan untuk mengetahuisebaran dan hubungan antar informasi. Peta tactual yang dikembangkan dalam ilmu kartografi, dimaksudkan untuk memenuhi kebutuhan tunanetra terhadap representasi fenomena geografis secara keruangan. Dengan Peta taktual, penderita tunanetra dapat membaca atau mengetahui sebaran dan hubungan antar fenomena geografi dengan meraba simbol-simbol yang ada pada peta. Untuk menyusun peta taktual yang baik, simbol, informasi tepi, dan reproduksi peta perlu dirancang sesuai kebutuhan dan kemampuan tunanetra sebagai pengguna. Sayangnya, hingga saat ini ketentuan-ketentuan tersebut belum terstandardisasi secara internasional. Bertitik tolak dari permasalahan tersebut, maka pada makalah ini dicoba menguraikan tentang disain simbol peta taktual yangdiperoleh dari hasil modifikasi dari hasil pemetaan taktual kota oleh National Mapping Council of Australia; Publikasi Panduan Desain Gambar Taktual dari American Printing House; Penggunaan Variabel Taktual yang disusun oleh Vasconcellos; Spesifikasi Pemetaan Unsur Rupabumi dari BAKOSURTANAL; dan Penggunaan Variabel visual yang dikembangkan oleh Bertin Untuk Penyusunan Peta Kartografis. Hasil rancangan simbol peta taktual yang diperoleh dari modifikasi tersebut, selanjutnyadiaplikasikan untuk menyusun peta taktual Kota Yogyakarta dengan media terpilih yaitu Swell Paper, dan selanjutnya dievaluasi dengan cara mewawancarai pengguna peta (tunanetra).Dua aspek yang dievaluasi, yakni (a) jenis peta taktual yang dibutuhkan oleh kaum tunanetra di Yogyakarta, dan (b) tingkat pengenalan kaum tunanetra terhadap variabel taktual.Abstract: Blind people need a means of obtaining information that can be translated by touching or amplified by hearing, including the need for earth and / or environmental information. How to obtain such information, the blind are difficult to know the spread and the relationship between information. A tactual map developed in cartographic science, is intended to meet the needs of the blind to the representation of spatial geographical phenomena. With taktual maps, blind people can read or know the distribution and relationship between geography phenomena by touching the symbols on the map. To construct good tactual maps, symbols, edge information, and map reproduction should be designed to suit the needs and abilities of the visually impaired as users. Unfortunately, to date these provisions have not been standardized internationally. Starting from this problem, this paper attempts to elaborate on the design of the tactual map symbol obtained from the modification of the mapping of city tactual by the National Mapping Council of Australia; Publication of the Tactual Figure Design Guide of the American Printing House; Use of Tactual Variables composed by Vasconcellos; Topographic Material Mapping Specification from BAKOSURTANAL; and the Use of Visual Variables developed by Bertin For the Creation of a Cartographic Map. The result of the tactual map symbol design obtained from the modification was then applied to formulate the tactual map of Yogyakarta City with selected media, Swell Paper, and then evaluated by interviewing the map user (blind) .These two aspects were evaluated, namely (a) the type of tactual map required by the blind in Yogyakarta, and (b) the level of blind people recognition of the tactual variables.