Wayfinding in Natural and Urban Environments: A Comparative Study
Publication: Cartographica: The International Journal for Geographic Information and Geovisualization
Volume 43, Number 1
Abstract
Abstract
Wayfinding in a natural setting is one of the many complex processes human beings face when acting in the environment. Despite recent developments and applications of wayfinding in urban environments, little research has been oriented and applied to natural environments. The research presented in this article introduces an ontological and language-based modelling of human navigation in a natural setting. The experimental approach was applied to a foot orienteering race that has the advantage of being semantically rich and combined with cartographic support, enabling the study of the importance of landmarks, actions, and the role of the underlying nature of the land and topography. Experimental results are compared to those of studies conducted in urban environments and permit the identification of similarities and differences between wayfinding descriptions made in urban contexts and those made in natural contexts.
Résumé
Les déplacements en milieu naturel sont des processus complexes auxquels les humains doivent faire face quand ils interagissent dans un environnement. Malgré les nouveaux développements et les nouvelles applications de navigation en milieu urbain, peu de recherches ont été menées en environnement naturel. Cet article introduit un modèle ontologique combiné à un langage de description d'itinéraires en milieu naturel. Cette démarche a été expérimentée dans un contexte de course d'orientation. Ce type d'activité a l'avantage d'être sémantiquement riche, et associé à un support cartographique. Une telle approche permet d'étudier l'importance des points de repère, des actions et des rôles respectifs de la nature du terrain et de la topographie. Les résultats expérimentaux sont comparés à des études menées en environnement urbain. Cette analyse permet de distinguer les similarités et les différences entre les descriptions d'itinéraire réalisées en milieu urbain et naturel.
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Cartographica: The International Journal for Geographic Information and Geovisualization
Volume 43 • Number 1 • Spring 2008
Pages: 21 - 30
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© University of Toronto Press Incorporated 2008.
History
Published in print: Spring 2008
Published online: 15 April 2008
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Cartographica 2008 43:1, 21-30
Cartographica 2008 43:1, 21-30