A significant part of understanding how people use geographic information and technology concerns human cognition. This book provides the first comprehensive in-depth examination of the cognitive aspects of human-computer interaction for geographic information systems (GIS). Cognitive aspects are treated in relation to individual, group, behavioral, institutional, and cultural perspectives. Extensions of GIS in the form of spatial decision support systems and SDSS for groups are part of the geographic information technology considered.
Audience: Geographic information users, systems analysts and system designers, researchers in human-computer interaction will find this book an information resource for understanding cognitive aspects of geographic information technology use, and the methods appropriate for examining this use.

Inhalt
Section 1: Introduction.- 1.1 Cognitive Aspects of Human-Computer Interaction for Geographic Information Systems: An Introduction.- 1.2 An Overview of HCI for GIS.- Section 2: Spatial Cognition and HCI for GIS.- 2.1 Spatial Concepts and Cognitive Models for Geographic Information Use.- 2.2 Primitives of Spatial Knowledge.- 2.3 HCI Aspects of a Framework for the Qualitative Representation of Space.- 2.4 Cognitive Issues in the Evolution of GIS User Knowledge.- Section 3: User Behavior.- 3.1 Process Tracing Methods in the Decision Sciences.- 3.2 Cognitive Modelling: Experiences in Human-Computer Interaction.- 3.3 7 ± 2 Questions and Answers about Metaphors for GIS User Interfaces.- 3.4 Feet on the Ground: Studying User-GIS Interaction in the Workplace.- Section 4: User Interfaces.- 4.1 Towards Visual Interfaces for Multi-Source Updating of Geographic Information.- 4.2 Definition of a Visual Language for GIS.- 4.3 Human-Computer Interaction Aspects of Visual-Interactive Locational Analysis.- 4.4 Some Cognitive and Technical Aspects of Hypermaps.- 4.5 Human-Computer Interaction Considerations in Terrain Modelling and Visualization.- 4.6 GIS & Multimedia Applications to Support Environmental Impact Assessment and Local Planning.- 4.7 The Natural Representation of Mapping and Surveying Data: Applying the Virtual Worlds Paradigm.- Section 5: Cross-Cultural Influences.- 5.1 Cultural Differences and Cultural Aspects in GIS.- 5.2 Protocol Analysis for Cross-Cultural GIS Design: The Importance of Encoding Resolution.- Section 6: Collaborative GIS Computer Supported Cooperative Work.- 6.1 Understanding Collaborative Use of GIS Through Social Cognition.- 6.2 Geographic Interaction in the City Planning Context: Beyond the Multimedia Prototype.- 6.3 Cognitive Task PerformanceUsing a Spatial Decision Support System for Groups.- Section 7: Task Analysis and Design Methodologies.- 7.1 Tasks and Task Descriptions for GIS.- 7.2 A Conceptual Framework for Improving Human-Computer Interaction in Locational Decision-Making.- 7.3 A Task Analysis Approach to the Visualization of Geographic Data.- 7.4 Geographic Information Systems, Work Analysis, and System Design.- 7.5 Cognitive Ergonomics Analysis Methodology.- Section 8: Research Directions : Reports from the Discussion Groups.- Section 8: Research Directions : Reports from the Discussion Groups.- Appendix: NATO Advanced Research Workshop Participants.