Abstract
Maps are usually better abstractions of reality than other media and allow easier perception of included spatial information. This fact makes maps convenient for several specialised societal purposes, including emergency management and transportation, among others.
It is very important to understand the processes of reading and understanding map representations during a variety of situations. There are significant differences in map use by various users. Differences can be caused by variations in cartographic method or lack of time. Therefore, specific situations need specific map representations. This article addresses the problem of testing the practice of reading and understanding maps. The evaluation emphasises the externality of the testing process, meaning that results cannot be based only on subjective opinions of tested participants.
Results of the testing will be used for construction of suitable maps for various situations as well as the development of a software tool that will enable creation of standardised testing sets. Additionally, standardised research methodology will be developed to enhance exploration of cognitive map reading processes. Results are validated by statistical analysis tools using a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods.
Fundamentally, this work provides insights into the processes of perception by different groups of users, allowing increased map information transmission efficiency, especially important during crisis situations.
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Notes
- 1.
The primacy effect is the tendency for the initial stimuli presented in a series to be remembered better or more easily and to be more influential than those presented later in the series.
- 2.
The settings of the experiment must approximate the real-life situation that is under investigation.
- 3.
Cognitive styles were described as developmentally stabilised cognitive controls that are relatively invariant across situations (Sternberg and Zhang 2001). Cognitive style describes the way individuals think and perceive information or their preferred approach to using such information to solve problems.
- 4.
The theory assumes the perception of distal and uncertain events (phenomena) is dependent on a process of inference from immediately observable (proximal) cues.
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Acknowledgements
This research has been supported by funding from Project No. MSM0021622418, Dynamic Geovisualization in Risk Management.
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Stachoň, Z., Šašinka, Č., Talhofer, V. (2010). Perceptions of Various Cartographic Representations Under Specific Conditions. In: Konecny, M., Zlatanova, S., Bandrova, T. (eds) Geographic Information and Cartography for Risk and Crisis Management. Lecture Notes in Geoinformation and Cartography. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-03442-8_24
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-03442-8_24
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