Studies of the effectiveness of multimedia cartography products may include mini-map design for navigation. In this study, we have touched upon designing gameplay to indicate the impact of the mini-map on the time effectiveness of a player that can walk or teleport himself/herself along marked out points in virtual topographic space. The eye-tracking examination of gamers’ effectiveness in a non-complex game of collecting coins in a reconstructed stronghold on the holm provided us with a new perspective on the role of mini-maps. The more time gamers took to examine the mini-map, the more time they needed to finish the game, thus decreasing their effectiveness. The teleporting gamers had significantly higher time effectiveness than walking gamers, however, the data obtained showed only a minor difference between the proportions of the mini-map examination time to the total game time for walking and teleportation.

The objective of the present deliberations was to systematise our knowledge of static visual variables used to create cartographic symbols, and also to analyse the possibility of their utilisation in the Augmented Reality (AR) applications on smartphone-type mobile devices. This was accomplished by combining the visual variables listed over the years by different researchers. Research approach was to determine the level of usefulness of particular characteristics of visual variables such as selective, associative, quantitative and order. An attempt was made to provide an overview of static visual variables and to describe the AR system which is a new paradigm of the user interface. Changing the approach to the presentation of point objects is caused by applying different perspective in the observation of objects (egocentric view) than it is done on traditional analogue maps (geocentric view). Presented topics will refer to the fast-developing field of cartography, namely mobile cartography. Particular emphasis will be put on smartphone-type mobile devices and their applicability in the process of designing cartographic symbols. Celem artykułu było usystematyzowanie wiedzy na temat statycznych zmiennych wizualnych, które sa kluczowymi składnikami budujacymi sygnatury kartograficzne. Podjeto próbe zestawienia zmiennych wizualnych wyodrebnionych przez kartografów na przestrzeni ostatnich piecdziesieciu lat, zaczynajac od klasyfikacji przedstawionej przez J. Bertin’a. Dokonano analizy stopnia uzytecznosci poszczególnych zmiennych graficznych w aspekcie ich wykorzystania w projektowaniu znaków punktowych dla mobilnych aplikacji tworzonych w technologii Rzeczywistosci Rozszerzonej (Augmented Reality). Zmienne poddano analizie pod wzgledem czterech charakterystyk: selektywnosci, skojarzeniowosci, odzwierciedlenia ilosci oraz porzadku. W artykule zwrócono uwage na odmienne zastosowanie perspektywy pomiedzy tradycyjnymi analogowymi mapami (geocentrycznosc) a aplikacjami tworzonymi w technologii Rozszerzonej Rzeczywistosci (egocentrycznosc). Tresci prezentowane w pracy dotycza szybko rozwijajacej sie gałezi kartografii - kartografii mobilnej. Dodatkowy nacisk połozony został na próbe implementacji załozen projektowania punktowych znaków kartograficznych na urzadzenia mobilne typu smartphone.

On the basis of initial studies devoted to a better understanding of how the public user (a pedestrian in the city) perceives cartographic symbols in the mobile augmented reality system, we present an attempt to determine the threshold values of differentiation for three visual variables. The variables of size, transparency, and focus were implemented into image point symbols representing five types of objects. The set of symbols was designed in accordance with the rules of cartographic design taking into consideration an analysis of 19 professional tourist works. The symbols were presented on the screen of a mobile device in a system imitating the augmented reality system against four different backgrounds: white, a wall, and two typical urban landscapes. The results of an internet survey conducted using a tablet at four locations in Poznan (Poland) allowed us to determine the following: threshold differentiation values for the analysed variables, indication of the dependence on the type of background displayed on the mobile device in augmented reality, and the advantage of using a combination of visual variables.

The aim of the following paper was to present the geomatic process of transforming low-level aerial imagery obtained with unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) into a digital terrain model (DTM) and implementing the model into a virtual reality system (VR). The object of the study was a natural aggretage heap of an irregular shape and denivelations up to 11 m. Based on the obtained photos, three point clouds (varying in the level of detail) were generated for the 20,000-m²-area. For further analyses, the researchers selected the point cloud with the best ratio of accuracy to output file size. This choice was made based on seven control points of the heap surveyed in the field and the corresponding points in the generated 3D model. The obtained several-centimetre differences between the control points in the field and the ones from the model might testify to the usefulness of the described algorithm for creating large-scale DTMs for engineering purposes. Finally, the chosen model was implemented into the VR system, which enables the most lifelike exploration of 3D terrain plasticity in real time, thanks to the first person view mode (FPV). In this mode, the user observes an object with the aid of a Head- mounted display (HMD), experiencing the geovisualisation from the inside, and virtually analysing the terrain as a direct animator of the observations.

This paper investigates user preferences and behaviour associated with 2D and 3D modes of urban representation within a novel Topographic Immersive Virtual Environment (TopoIVE) created from official 1:10,000 mapping. Sixty participants were divided into two groups: the first were given a navigational task within a simulated city and the second were given the freedom to explore it. A Head-Mounted Display (HMD) Virtual Reality (VR) app allowed participants to switch between 2D and 3D representations of buildings with a remote controller and their use of these modes during the experiment was recorded. Participants performed mental rotation tests before entering the TopoIVE and were interviewed afterwards about their experiences using the app. The results indicate that participants preferred the 3D mode of representation overall, although preference for the 2D mode was slightly higher amongst those undertaking the navigational task, and reveal that different wayfinding solutions were adopted by participants according to their gender. Overall, the findings suggest that users exploit different aspects of 2D and 3D modes of visualization in their wayfinding strategy, regardless of their task. The potential to combine the functionality of 2D and 3D modes therefore offers substantial opportunities for the development of immersive virtual reality products derived from topographic datasets.

The aim of the following study was to present three alternative methods of visualization on animated maps illustrating the movement of people gathered at an open-air event recorded on photographs taken by a drone. The effectiveness of an orthorectified low-level aerial image (a so-called orthophoto), a dot distribution map, and a buffer map was tested in an experiment featuring experts, and key significance was attached to the juxtaposition of objective responses with subjective opinions. The results of the study enabled its authors to draw conclusions regarding the importance of visualizing topographic references (stable objects) and people (mobile objects) and the usefulness of the particular elements of animated maps for their analysis and interpretation.