USER PREFERENCES IN IMAGE MAP USING
In the process of map making, the attention is given to the resulting image map (to be accurate, readable, and suit the primary purpose) and its user aspects. Current cartography understands the user issues as all matters relating to user perception, map use and also user preferences. Most commercia...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Copernicus Publications
2016-06-01
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| Series: | The International Archives of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences |
| Online Access: | http://www.int-arch-photogramm-remote-sens-spatial-inf-sci.net/XLI-B4/599/2016/isprs-archives-XLI-B4-599-2016.pdf |
| Summary: | In the process of map making, the attention is given to the resulting image map (to be accurate, readable, and suit the primary
purpose) and its user aspects. Current cartography understands the user issues as all matters relating to user perception, map use and
also user preferences. Most commercial cartographic production is strongly connected to economic circumstances. Companies are
discovering user’s interests and market demands. However, is it sufficient to focus just on the user’s preferences? Recent research on
user aspects at Palacký University Olomouc addresses a much wider scope of user aspects. The user’s preferences are very often
distorting – the users think that the particular image map is kind, beautiful, and useful and they wants to buy it (or use it – it depends
on the form of the map production). But when the same user gets the task to use practically this particular map (such as finding the
shortest way), so the user concludes that initially preferred map is useless, and uses a map, that was worse evaluated according to his
preferences. It is, therefore, necessary to evaluate not only the correctness of image maps and their aesthetics but also to assess the
user perception and other user issues. For the accomplishment of such testing, eye-tracking technology is a useful tool. The research
analysed how users read image maps, or if they prefer image maps over traditional maps. The eye tracking experiment on the
comparison of the conventional and image map reading was conducted. The map readers were asked to solve few simple tasks with
either conventional or image map. The readers’ choice of the map to solve the task was one of investigated aspect of user
preferences. Results demonstrate that the user preferences and user needs are often quite different issues. The research outcomes
show that it is crucial to implement map user testing into the cartographic production process. |
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| ISSN: | 1682-1750 2194-9034 |