THE IDENTIFICATION OF LANDMARKS FOR WAYFINDING
IN AN INDOOR ENVIRONMENT
Pepijn Viaene, Ann Vanclooster, Philippe De Maeyer
FACULTY OF SCIENCES
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LANDMARK• FEATURES– Persistent– Informative– Salient
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OBJECT/PLACE
• WAYFINDING– Orientationpoint– Checkpoint– Cognitive model of the environment
• Prominent• Identifiable• Memorable
• Visual• Semantic• Structural
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OBJECTIVES• INDOOR = OUTDOOR ?
– Hypothesis 1: Landmarks are primarily used as orientation point and to a lesser extent as checkpoints.
– Hypothesis 2: The landmark-theory (Sorrows & Hirtle, 1999) is applicable indoor as well.
– Hypothesis 3: Individual characteristics of the test person have an impact on the selection of landmarks.
• Indoor navigation systems using landmark-based route instructions– How are landmarks described?
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METHODS• Concurrent Thinking Aloud (TA)
• Experiment– 1. Introduction to TA– 2. Completion 1 of the route: following (TA)– 3. Completion 2 of the route: independant (TA)– 4. Questionnaire
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description
location and identification
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METHODS
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22 verbal protocol
transcription
LOCATION ANALYSIS
WORD ANALYSIS
SENTENCE ANALYSIS
• 11 test persons• 3 groups
Experts Geographical Information (GI) Novices
• Gender
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RESULTS
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• Hypothesis 1: Landmarks are primarily used as orientation point and to a lesser extent as checkpoints.
• Outdoor research:o View-action-coupleo (possible) changes in direction
o ≤ 50 % = checkpoint
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LOCATION ANALYSIS
Noticed by …menwomenmen and womeneverybody
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RESULTS
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• Hypothesis 2: The landmark-theory (Sorrows & Hirtle, 1999) is applicable indoor as well.
• Outdoor research:
“object landmarks” “structural landmarks”
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WORD ANALYSIS
Visual features• Material• Age• Presence• Colours• Closets (objects)
Structural features• Stairs• Floors• Large open spaces
Semantic features• VTK
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SENTENCE ANALYSIS
GI
Experts
Novices
53%
45%
52%
47%
55%
48%
Ratio between object landmarks and structural landmarks for each group
object [%] structural [%]
• Semantic component: 23 %• Odours, sounds, temperature ?• Persistence ?
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SENTENCE ANALYSIS
1st completion
2nd completion
Both completions
63%
72%
68%
10%
10%
10%
7%
4%
5%
16%
13%
14%
3%
2%
2%
Description of landmarks per recording
noun [%] Colours and materials [%] shape [%]state [%] combination [%]
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• Hypothesis 3: Individual characteristics of the test person have an impact on the selection of landmarks.
• Outdoor research:
RESULTS
(Caduff & Timpf, 2008)
GENDER
FAMILIARITY WITH ENVIRONMENT
FAMILIARITY WITH GI
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WORD ANALYSIS
• Familiarity with the enviroment– Less additional information• Signs• Details: colours and materials (?)
• Gender– Women refer more to colours and material
• GI– Use of signs (?)
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SENTENCE ANALYSIS • Familiarity with the environment
GI
Experts
Novices
15%
20%
14%
85%
80%
86%
Annotations in tier "Comment" (2nd completion)
direction [%] landmark [%]
GI
Experts
Novices
78%
71%
71%
21%
12%
24%
1%
17%
5%
Annotations in tier "Landmark" (1st completion)object [%] sign [%] non-visual [%]
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SENTENCE ANALYSIS
• Familiarity with the environment
GI Experts Novices
11 %
1%
7 %
Need for orientation (2nd completion)
DURATION Mean [m:s] SD [m:s]Total 6:42 0:33
Experts 6:27 0:42GI 6:50 0:25
Novices 6:52 0:20Men 6:39 0:42
Women 6:47 0:18
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SENTENCE ANALYSIS• Gender
• GI– Very limited or even no influence– Preference for maps
men
women
73%
58%
6%
18%
5%
7%
15%
14%
2%
3%
landmark description with respect to gender
noun [%] colours/materials [%] shape [%]state [%] combination [%]
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• Hypothesis 1: Landmarks function primarily as orientation points
• Hypothesis 2: – Landmark theory is not refuted– Further research: odours, sound, temperature
• Hypothesis 3: Individual characteristics of the test person have an impact on the selection of landmarks.– Familiarity with the environment facilitates navigation and
wayfinding– Gender: same landmarks, colour and material– Familiarity with Geographical Information: no effect
CONCLUSION
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THE IDENTIFICATION OF LANDMARKS FOR WAYFINDING
IN AN INDOOR ENVIRONMENT
Thank you for your attention