Computer-assisted navigation and the acquisition of route and survey knowledge

The incidental acquisition of spatial orientation knowledge when using a pedestrian navigation assistance system for wayfinding was compared to incidental learning during map-based wayfinding. First-time visitors to a real environment (a zoo) took a guided tour. In the navigation assistance conditions, users were provided with direction information and view-based pictures of the current intersection at each decision point, presented on a hand-held computer. In the map-based condition, participants derived route segments from a map (each segment comprising three or four intersections), and then walked the partial routes from memory. After walking, unexpected tests on route memory and survey knowledge were administered. Navigation assistance users showed good route knowledge and poor survey knowledge. In contrast, map users showed better survey knowledge and nearly perfect route knowledge. Variations of information presentation within navigation assistance conditions (auditory vs. visual direction command, additional presentation of allocentric spatial information) was not effective. Results are explained with an active encoding principle. Only information that is actually encoded, transformed, and/or memorized during the primary wayfinding activity, is incidentally learned. Since navigation assistance systems do not require users to encode, transform, and memorize spatial information, the spatial orientation knowledge of navigation assistance users is poor.     

Wayfinding with a GPS-based mobile navigation system: A comparison with maps and direct experience

This study examined the effectiveness of a Global Positioning System (GPS)-based mobile navigation system in comparison to paper maps and direct experience of routes, by focusing on the user's wayfinding behavior and acquired spatial knowledge. Based on information received from one of these three media, participants walked six routes finding the way to goals. Results showed that GPS users traveled longer distances and made more stops during the walk than map users and direct-experience participants. Also, GPS users traveled more slowly, made larger direction errors, drew sketch maps with poorer topological accuracy, and rated wayfinding tasks as more difficult than direct-experience participants. Characteristics of navigation with these three learning media and possible reasons for the ineffectiveness of the GPS-based navigation system are discussed.     

Gender differences in wayfinding in virtual environments with global or local landmarks

This study assesses gender differences in wayfinding in environments with global or local landmarks by analyzing both overall and fine-grained measures of performance. Both female and male participants were required to locate targets in grid-like virtual environments with local or global landmarks. Interestingly, the results of the two overall measures did not converge: although females spent more time than males in locating targets, both genders were generally equivalent in terms of corrected travel path. Fine-grained measures account for different aspects of wayfinding behavior and provide additional information that explains the divergence in overall measures; females spent less time traveling away from the target location, a higher proportion of time not traversing, and made more rotations when stopping than males did. Rather than unequivocally supporting male superiority in wayfinding tasks, both the overall and fine-grained measures partially indicate that males and females are differentially superior when using global and local landmark information, respectively. To summarize, males moved faster than females but did not necessarily navigate the spatial surroundings more efficiently. Each gender showed different strengths related to wayfinding; these differences require the application of both overall and fine-grained measures for accurate assessment.     

Adaptivity of wayfinding strategies in a multi-building ensemble: The effects of spatial structure, task requirements, and metric information

This study investigates the adaptivity of wayfinding strategies in a real-world setting of a multi-building ensemble. Familiarity with the environment, map usage and verbal vs. visual task instructions were systematically varied. Measures included path choices, wayfinding performance and information usage. Thirty-two participants had to find eight goals in a multi-level building ensemble consisting of two distinctive building parts. It was tested whether the standard wall-mounted floor maps found in the majority of public buildings can help navigation in a complex unknown environment. Unfamiliar users tried to make use of these plans more frequently, but were not able to compensate for spatial knowledge deficits compared to participants familiar with the setting. Two strategies of multi-level wayfinding were compared with respect to a region-based hierarchical planning approach. Strategy selection could be shown to be highly adaptive to spatial properties of the environment as well as characteristics of the task instruction, i.e., spatial precision of target information. Overall, the strategy of moving horizontally into the target building prior to vertical travel was shown to be more effective in this multi-building setting.     

A Knowledge-Based Systems Approach to Design of Spatial Decision Support Systems for Environmental Management

/ This paper describes a framework for designing spatial decision support systems for environmental management using a knowledge-based systems approach. An architecture for knowledge-based spatial decision supportsystems (KBSDSS) is presented that integrates knowledge-based systems with geographical information systems (GIS) and other problem-solving techniques. A method based on spatial influence diagrams is developed for representation of environmental problems. The spatial influence diagram provides an interface through which knowledge-based systems techniques can be applied to build capabilities for problem formulation, automated design, and execution of a solution process. In addition to the flexibility and developmental advantages of knowledge-based systems, the KBSDSS incorporates expert knowledge to provide assistance for structuring spatial influence diagrams and executing a solution process that automatically integrates the GIS, data base, knowledge base, and different types of models. The framework is illustrated with a system, known as the Islay Land Use Decision Support System (ILUDSS), designed to assist planners in strategic planning of land use for the development of the island of Islay, off the west coast of Scotland.KEY WORDS: Geographical information systems; Spatial decision support systems; Knowledge-based systems; Spatial influence diagrams; Environmental management     

Up the down staircase: Wayfinding strategies in multi-level buildings

The intention of this article is to create a link between human spatial cognition research and architectural design. We conducted an empirical study with human subjects in a complex multi-level building and compared thinking aloud protocols and performance measures of experienced and inexperienced participants in different wayfinding tasks. Three specific strategies for navigation in multi-level buildings were compared. The central point strategy relies on well-known parts of the building; the direction strategy relies on routes that first head towards the horizontal position of the goal, while the floor strategy relies on routes that first head towards the vertical position of the goal. We show that the floor strategy was preferred by experienced participants over the other strategies and was overall tied to better wayfinding performance. Route knowledge showed a greater impact on wayfinding performance compared to survey knowledge. A cognitive-architectural analysis of the building revealed seven possible causes for navigation problems. Especially the staircase design was identified as a major wayfinding obstacle. Finally we address the benefits of cognitive approaches for the architectural design process and describe some open issues for further research.     

The development of route knowledge: Multiple dimensions?

Children are better at way-finding than at externalizing their spatial knowledge in abstract settings (e.g. in tests of route recall). It is suggested that this is due to experimenters' tendencies to use single criteria for development, such as the acquisition of landmark knowledge. Children of different ages may be using different types of information in their route representations. However, if only one aspect of the child's knowledge is examined at a time, then developmental changes of style may go unnoticed. Previous experiments have tested children's spatial knowledge as if it were qualitatively similar to that of adults, which is not always appropriate.A study is reported in which young schoolchildren were asked simply to describe routes in a familiar area. There was a developmental shift from a ‘Directions—End Information’ format to one of ‘Landmark—End Information’. From this it is concluded that children may be capable of using different information earlier in life, which is adequate to allow way-finding but which has not been recorded by the traditional unidimensional measures of spatial knowledge. A case is made for the use of combined measures when investigating the many skills involved in environmental cognition.     

MOVEMENT AND WAYFINDING IN THE KING SAUD UNIVERSITY BUILT ENVIRONMENT: A LOOK AT FRESHMAN ORIENTATION AND ENVIRONMENTAL INFORMATION

One potentially significant, yet hardly investigated, criterion for postoccupancy evaluation is the legibility of a setting—the degree to which a building or group of buildings facilitate the ability of users to find their way around. Legibility is one of the foundation concepts of environmental psychology, yet it has not often been considered enough as a guiding principle in design. The purpose of this paper is to analyse spatial orientation and wayfinding problems encountered by newcomers (freshman students) at the King Saud University (KSU) campus, Saudi Arabia, and to test/relate this to Lynch's elements of the image of cities. The analysis draws on previous research findings, theories, and more general observations, as well as observations made of wayfinding performance and map sketching by 30 high-school students likely to soon enroll at the university. Many specific problems with orientation and the architectural legibility of the buildings are identified and discussed. Emphasis is placed upon physical-setting variables that are likely to affect the ease with which spatial orientation and wayfinding are accomplished. These include the following facets of the KSU built environment: degree of differentiation; degree of visual access; and complexity of spatial layout.Legible buildings within which people can effectively maintain their orientation and find their way, according to this research, are in no way simplistic, dull, or boring; on the contrary, settings must possess distinctive landmarks and regions which, along with understandable path networks, allow users to know where they are and how to make their way to desired destinations. Coherent and legible environments are important in the lives of the people who use them. The movement of people through buildings and the factors that influence whether or not they are able to find their way need to continue to be of significance to both researchers and practitioners.     

Compensatory wayfinding behavior in topographic disorientation from brain injury

Recent studies of topographic disorientation from brain injury have focused on describing impairments, detailing neuroanatomical correlates of topographic disorientation, and classifying types of topographic disorientation. Normative models of environmental cognition have been applied in some studies of topographic disorientation, but more work is needed in this area. Few studies have produced data on everyday functioning with topographic disorientation. This paper presents data on compensatory wayfinding behavior in familiar environments, collected through case studies of three individuals with topographic disorientation from brain injury. Structured tests were used to evaluate visuo-spatial impairment, and normative models of wayfinding guided semi-structured and open-ended questioning about wayfinding inside and outside the home. All three-study informants were able to wayfind successfully within the home, though they varied in their ability to travel independently outside the home. Landmarks and scanning were important for orienting for all three subjects. The two subjects who were most able to travel independently also used sequencing of landmarks, directional heading and body position as elements of their wayfinding strategies. The information presented in this paper may prove useful to rehabilitation specialists who are treating brain-injured patients by providing new ideas about methods of compensation, and may contribute to emerging theory regarding impairments of orientation, and normative models of wayfinding.     

TWO STRATEGIES FOR LEARNING A ROUTE IN A DRIVING SIMULATOR

The study of human navigation has long been dominated by the so-called stage theory, i.e. the notion that there are three distinct types of spatial knowledge (landmark, route, and survey knowledge), that are acquired sequentially during spatial learning and development. Based on the results of a route learning experiment in a driving simulator, an alternative to the stage theory is proposed. The authors suggest that subjects follow either a visually dominated or a spatially dominated strategy to solve a route-learning problem. In the visually dominated strategy, subjects base their wayfinding decisions on visually recognizing decision points along a route; the decision points are not integrated into any kind of survey representation. In the spatially dominated strategy, on the other hand, subjects represent the environment as a survey map right from the start; that is, they do not pass through a landmark or route stage. These strategies may be subserved by different cortical areas recently characterized in neurophysiological studies of animals solving maze problems.     

基于SML指数的环境回弹效应分析：模型与测算

本文通过搭建环境回弹效应理论框架,采用熵权法构造各地区综合环境污染指数,利用Sequential Malmquist-Luenberger指数全要素生产率模型测度技术进步对经济增长的贡献率,定量评估了1999—2017年我国30个省份的环境回弹效应,识别了环境回弹效应时序演变和区域差异,并进一步利用空间分析技术探究环境回弹效应的空间分布特征。研究表明:样本期内各省份环境回弹效应均值集中在-13.23%~29.63%,全国平均环境回弹效应为10.42%,实际减污率仅为65.74%;时序特征上,环境回弹效应与技术进步有部分相关性,但存在滞后作用,经济发展水平和技术溢出效应是主要的异质性来源;空间特征上,环境回弹效应的区域差异显著,但具有空间相关性,地理因素在解释环境回弹效应的影响因素中不容忽视;全局自相关检验表明2006—2011年各省份环境回弹效应呈显著的正自相关,空间集聚特征明显。建议进一步挖掘环境降污空间,加快经济增长与环境污染的脱钩,关注区域协同减排,是改善污染治理的有效措施。     

大数据在移动执法中的应用

移动执法系统是近年来部分地区用于现场执法的信息化系统。它在为现场执法提供便利的同时,亦收集了大量的一线原始数据。利用大数据,对移动执法系统积累的数据进行汇总、分析和加工,有利于提高环境监管执法的精准度。本文简要介绍了全国环境监察移动执法系统建设现状,提出了目前利用大数据在移动执法中的典型应用,并展望了未来的发展方向。     

Spatial allocation of material flow analysis in residential developments: a case study of Kildare County,Ireland

Studies of urban metabolism provide important insights for environmental management of cities, but are not widely used in planning practice due to a mismatch of data scale and coverage. This paper introduces the Spatial Allocation of Material Flow Analysis (SAMFA) model as a potential decision support tool aimed as a contribution to overcome some of these difficulties and describes its pilot use at the county level in the Republic of Ireland. The results suggest that SAMFA is capable of identifying hotspots of higher material and energy use to support targeted planning initiatives, while its ability to visualise different policy scenarios supports more effective multi-stakeholder engagement. The paper evaluates this pilot use and sets out how this model can act as an analytical platform for the industrial ecology–spatial planning nexus.     

The effect of navigational expertise on wayfinding in new environments

Becoming proficient at navigation in urban environments is something that we all aspire to. Here we asked whether being an expert at wayfinding in one environment has any effect on learning new spatial layouts. Licensed London taxi drivers are among the most proficient urban navigators, training for many years to find their way around a complex and irregularly-laid out city. We first tested how well they could learn the layout of an unfamiliar town compared with a group of non-taxi drivers. Second, we investigated how effectively taxi drivers could integrate a new district into their existing spatial representation of London. We found that taxi drivers were significantly better than control participants at executing routes through the new town, and representing it at a map-like survey level. However, the benefits of navigational expertise were not universal. Compared with their performance in the new town, taxi drivers were significantly poorer at learning the layout of a new area that had to be integrated with their existing knowledge of London. We consider reasons for this picture of facilitation and limitation, in particular drawing parallels with how knowledge acquisition occurs in the context of expertise in general.     

The effect of navigational expertise on wayfinding in new environments

Becoming proficient at navigation in urban environments is something that we all aspire to. Here we asked whether being an expert at wayfinding in one environment has any effect on learning new spatial layouts. Licensed London taxi drivers are among the most proficient urban navigators, training for many years to find their way around a complex and irregularly-laid out city. We first tested how well they could learn the layout of an unfamiliar town compared with a group of non-taxi drivers. Second, we investigated how effectively taxi drivers could integrate a new district into their existing spatial representation of London. We found that taxi drivers were significantly better than control participants at executing routes through the new town, and representing it at a map-like survey level. However, the benefits of navigational expertise were not universal. Compared with their performance in the new town, taxi drivers were significantly poorer at learning the layout of a new area that had to be integrated with their existing knowledge of London. We consider reasons for this picture of facilitation and limitation, in particular drawing parallels with how knowledge acquisition occurs in the context of expertise in general.     

Environmental gradients in northwest freshwater wetlands

Wetland environmental characteristics are examined to determine their spatial and temporal relationships. Two very different Oregon freshwater wetlands provided a range of wetland types. Results are evaluated to determine the possible use of environmental characteristics in defining wetlands and their boundaries. Representative physical, hydrological, and edaphic properties were periodically measured in microplots along upland/wetland transects. A multivariate approach is stressed in the data analysis; correlation, cluster analysis, and principal components analyses were used. The results indicate the environmental characteristics change in a quantifiable manner both spatially and temporally. The controlling mechanism is moisture, spatially in terms of the upland/wetland transect and temporally with respect to seasonal response. These changes do not correlate well with vegetation. Several hypotheses are offered as an explanation. Correlation within environmental characteristics is variable but definite patterns are discernible. These data suggest both single and combinations of environmental characteristics that could serve as keys in wetland identification and boundary determination. However, before extensive use is made of this information additional long-term monitoring of wetland environmental characteristics will be required.     

Multicriteria analysis as a tool to investigate compatibility between conservation and development on Salina Island,Aeolian Archipelago,Italy

Several multicriteria evaluation techniques have been developed since the 1970s. The need to compare different territorial policies has justified their introduction into environmental research. These methods are based on the numerical manipulation of heterogeneous information, which varies in terms of reference scale and type of measure (continuous, ordinal, qualitative, binary, etc.). During recent years, diverse investigations have focused on general conditions on Salina, the “green island” of the Aeolian archipelago. Such studies, within an interdisciplinary project, aimed to explore the possibility of implementing conservation strategies that are compatible with human needs, landscape preservation, and sustainable economic development. Three different evaluation techniques are applied, namely multicriteria weighted concordance and discordance analysis and a qualitative procedure. They are used to compare four alternative plans for the socioeconomic development of Salina Island. These plans lie between extreme alternatives: total protection of natural resources and maximizing economic development based on tourism. The plans are compared to each other on the basis of 14 criteria that reflect the socioenvironmental perception of Salina's inhabitants. The approach used in this research seems particularly fruitful because of its flexibility: it offers decision makers the chance to manage heterogeneous data and information that is not easily quantifiable. Such “soft” information helps to evaluate environmental conditions more precisely, and to make a less damaging choice among alternative development plans.     

EXPOSURE ASSESSMENT OF POPULATIONS USING ENVIRONMENTAL MODELING,DEMOGRAPHIC ANALYSIS,AND GIS1

ABSTRACT: Simulation of ground-water flow and fate of contaminants in the subsurface environment constitutes a major phase of most environmental assessment and site remediation studies. These simulation studies yield information on spatial and temporal distributions of contaminants in the subsurface media. An important use of this information is to conduct exposure assessment studies. Spatial and temporal distributions of both chemical concentrations and exposed populations render this integrated exposure analysis task rather difficult. Geographic Information Systems (GIS), on the other hand, provide a platform in which layered, spatially distributed databases can be manipulated with ease, thereby simplifying exposure analysis tasks significantly. In this paper, we describe procedures that combine the simulation models and demographic databases under a GIS platform to automate the exposure assessment phase of a typical health assessment study. Procedures developed herein significantly simplify the post-processing phase of the analysis, and render the overall task more ‘user friendly.’ A site-specific application is included as a demonstration of the proposed process.