With spatial technologies ranging from mapping software to the use of location-based services, spatial knowledge is often acquired and communicated through geographic information technologies. This book describes the interplay between spatial cognition research and use of spatial interfaces. It begins by reviewing what is known about how humans process spatial concepts and then moves on to discuss how interfaces can be improved to take advantage of those capabilities by disambiguating cognitive aspects, conceptual aspects, computational aspects, and communications aspects. Special attention is given to a variety of innovative geographical platforms that provide users with an intuitive understanding and support the further acquisition of spatial knowledge. Alternatives to shortest-path algorithms to explore more scenic routes, as well as individual user differences that can emerge from previous experiences with virtual spaces, are also discussed. The book concludes with a discussion of the number of outstanding issues, including the changing nature of maps as the primary spatial interface, concerns about privacy for spatial information, and looks at the future of user-centered spatial information systems.

Autorentext

Dr. Stephen C. Hirtle is a Professor in the School of Computing and Information at the University of Pittsburgh, with joint appointment in the Intelligent Systems Program. He directs the Spatial Information Research Group at the University of Pittsburgh, which conducts research on the structure of cognitive maps, navigation in real and virtual spaces, and computational models for spatial cognition. Dr. Hirtle was the founding co-editor of Spatial Cognition and Computation and past president of the Classification Society of North America. He currently serves as an Associate Editor of the International Journal Geographical Information Science. In addition, Dr. Hirtle has had visiting appointments in Geoinformation at the Technical University of Vienna in Austria, Computer Science at Molde College in Norway, the Artificial Intelligence Research Group at the Auckland University of Technology in New Zealand, and Geoinformatics at the University of Augsburg in Germany. He hosted the first North American meeting of International Conference on Spatial Information Theory (COSIT97), in the Laurel Highlands, outside of Pittsburgh, PA, in October of 1997 and co-chaired the NCGIA Varenius Panel on ""Cognitive Models of Dynamic Phenomena and Their Representations"" in October of 1998 with Alan MacEachren. He has also served on the Board of the University Consortium for Geographic Information Science.