The eighth intake of the International Master Programme in Cartography has finished the “Vienna Semester” and is now heading to TU Dresden for the third semester. In a farewell session, we reviewed the summer term and showcased results of their hard work.
Location Based Services are a main research focus of the Research Division Cartography as our recent publications in the field show:
The characteristics of a smartwatch impose several challenges regardig the design of a pedestrian navigation aid. This paper illustrates how landmark-based pedestrian navigation systems for smartwatches can be developed, considering the small screen sizes as well as the very limited interaction capacities of these wrist-worn devices. Particularly, by the use of a user-centred design approach, an initial user interface was developed, tested, and refined in two field experiments to create a final user interface. A combination of map view and direction view was proposed, where the map view provides an overview of the environment and route, while the direction view gives clear instructions (turning information) for decision points. The interface was further enhanced by the use of vibrations before decision points. In addition, landmarks were carefully considered and incorporated into both map view and direction view. The field experiments showed that these key features of the revised interface can effectively support pedestrian navigation via smartwatches.
from: Applying user-centred design for smartwatch-based pedestrian navigation system. Martin Perebner, Haosheng Huang & Georg Gartner, Journal of Location Based Services, DOI: 10.1080/17489725.2019.1610582
We are now living in a mobile information era, which is fundamentally changing science and society. Location Based Services (LBS), which deliver information depending on the location of the (mobile) device and user, play a key role in this mobile information era. This article first reviews the ongoing evolution and research trends of the scientific field of LBS in the past years. To motivate further LBS research and stimulate collective efforts, this article then presents a series of key research challenges that are essential to advance the development of LBS, setting a research agenda for LBS to ‘positively’ shape the future of our mobile information society. These research challenges cover issues related to the core of LBS development (e.g. positioning, modelling, and communication), evaluation, and analysis of LBS-generated data, as well as social, ethical, and behavioural issues that rise as LBS enter into people’s daily lives.
from: Location based services: ongoing evolution and research agenda. , Journal of Location Based Services, 12:2, 63-93, DOI: 10.1080/17489725.2018.1508763
Silvia Klettner’s work on inherent qualities of geometric shapes for cartographic representations was successfully published in the ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information 2019, 8(5), 217 in the Special Issue on Human-Centered Geovisual Analytics and Visuospatial Display Design:
All human communication involves the use of signs. By following a mutually shared set of signs and rules, meaning can be conveyed from one entity to another. Cartographic semiology provides such a theoretical framework, suggesting how to apply visual variables with respect to thematic content. However, semiotics does not address how the choice and composition of such visual variables may lead to different connotations, interpretations, or judgments. The research herein aimed to identify perceived similarities between geometric shape symbols as well as strategies and processes underlying these similarity judgments. Based on a user study with 38 participants, the (dis)similarities of a set of 12 basic geometric shapes (e.g., circle, triangle, square) were examined. Findings from cluster analysis revealed a three-cluster configuration, while multidimensional scaling further quantified the proximities between the geometric shapes in a two-dimensional space. Qualitative and quantitative content analyses identified four strategies underlying the participants’ similarity judgments, namely visual, affective, associative, and behavioral strategies. With the findings combined, this research provides a differentiated perspective on shape proximities, cognitive relations, and the processes involved.
Together with our students of the International Master of Cartography, we visited the Otto Neurath exhibition “Sprechende Zeichen“ at the Wirtschaftsmuseum in Vienna. The exhibition is dedicated to Otto Neurath, founder of the Society and Economic Museum. Otto Neurath developed new graphics techniques during the First World War. He was a member of the philosophical Wiener Kreis and developed the Viennese method of image statistics to present statistics in an easily understandable, visual form.
Thanks to Alenka Poplin and her students from Iowa State University for visiting our Research Division during spring break! Together with our students from the International Cartography Master program, they were introduced to the research field of emotion mapping and jointly conducted interviews in which they explored how Vienna is perceived by its inhabitants and where people find restorative places in the city.
This week we had the pleasure to welcome three prominent guests who shared their expertise with our students:
In his guest lecture, Kenneth Field shared his journey of making the book “Cartography.” On this occasion, he handed over a hard-cover copy of his book for our library. Thanks!
On March 29, students of the International Master of Cartography went on a hike to Hermannskogel. The hill is the highest peak of Vienna and a geodetic fundamental point. The small exhibition at Habsburgwarte gave some insights into its history as the kilometre zero of cartographic measurements in Austria-Hungary.
We are thankful for the guest lectures and practical sessions on Cartograms from Benjamin Hennig, Associate Professor of Geography at the Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences of the University of Iceland and a honorary research associate at the University of Oxford.
In his research, Benjamin Hennig focuses on social inequalities, humanity’s impact on Earth, global sustainability and the development of concepts for analysing, visualising and mapping these issues.
We are happy to welcome 30 students of the International Master in Cartography at TU Vienna for the summer semester 2019. This intake’s students come from 19 countries: Bangladesh, China, Colombia, France, Germany, Greece, India, Iran, Italy, Kazakhstan, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, Russia, Trinidad and Tobago, UK, Ukraine, USA and Zimbabwe.
After finishing their first semester at TU München, the students are now with us for their second semester, before they move to TU Dresden. We are really happy to have them here and wish them a fun & successful semester!
To find out more about the International Master in Cartography, please visit cartographymaster.eu.
We are very pleased to invite you to the 15th International Conference on Location Based Services (LBS 2019), which is organized by our Research Division on November 11–13, 2019.
Built on the success of previous conferences in this series, LBS 2019 is addressed to scholars, researchers, digital industry / market operators, and students of different backgrounds (scientific, engineering and humanistic) whose work is either focused on or relevant to location based services (LBS). The conference will offer a common ground to colleagues from various disciplines and practice where they can meet, interact and exchange knowledge, experience, plans and ideas on how LBS can and could be improved and on how it will influence both science and society.
The Call for Papers is currently open. Deadlines for submission are June 1 for full papers, July 15 for work in progress, and September 18 for showcases. The best accepted full and work-in-progress papers will be invited to submit an extended version to the Journal of Location Based Services by Taylor & Francis.
More information can be found at lbsconference.org
