We provide a research agenda for the International Cartographic Association's Commission on Visualization and Virtual Environment Working Group on Cognitive and Usability Issues in Geovisualization. Developments in hardware and software have led to (and will continue to stimulate) numerous novel methods for visualizing geospatial data. It is our belief that these novel methods will be of little use if they are not developed within a theoretical cognitive framework and iteratively tested using usability engineering principles. We argue that cognitive and usability issues should be considered in the context of six major research themes: 1) geospatial virtual environments (GeoVEs); 2) dynamic representations (including animated and interactive maps); 3) metaphors and schemata in user interface design; 4) individual and group differences; 5) collaborative geovisualization; and 6) evaluating the effectiveness of geovisualization methods. A key point underlying our use of theoretical cognitive principles is tha...

In this application-based paper we describe an ongoing research project in which we utilize ARToolkit to help teach undergraduate geography students about Earth-Sun relationships. We carefully examined over thirty students who participated in an augmented reality exercise containing models designed to teach concepts of rotation/revolution, solstice/equinox, and seasonal variation of light and temperature. We found a significant overall improvement in student understanding after the AR exercise, as well as a reduction in student misunderstandings. Further analysis implies that learning complex spatial phenomena is closely linked to the way students control "when" and "how" they are able to manipulate virtual 3D objects. We present arguments for why it may be appropriate to use videotaped data gathering methods to accurately describe student understanding in future research.

In this paper, we describe two explorations in the use of hybrid user interfaces for collaborative geographic data visualization. Our first interface combines three technologies: augmented reality (AR), immersive virtual reality (VR), and computer vision-based hand and object tracking. Wearing a lightweight display with an attached camera, users can look at a real map and see three-dimensional virtual terrain models overlaid on the map. From this AR interface, they can fly in and experience the model immersively, or use free hand gestures or physical markers to change the data representation. Building on this work, our second interface explores alternative interface techniques, including a zoomable user interface, paddle interactions, and pen annotations. We describe the system hardware and software and the implications for GIS and spatial science applications.

Computer-based evacuation simulations are important tools for emergency managers. These simulations vary in complexity and include 2D and 3D GIS-based network analyses, agent-based models, and sophisticated models built on documented human behaviour and particle dynamics. Despite the influential role of built environments in determining human movement, a disconnect often exists between the features of the real world and the way they are represented within these simulation environments. The proliferation of emergency management location-aware mobile devices, along with a recent infatuation for augmented reality (AR), has resulted in new wayfinding and hazard assessment tools that bridge this gap, allowing users to visualize geospatial information superimposed on the real world. In this paper, we report research and development that has produced AR geovisual analytical systems, enabling visual analysis of human dynamics in multi-level built environments with complex thoroughfare network infrastructure. We demonstrate prototypes that show how mixed reality visual analysis of intelligent human movement simulations built in virtual spaces can become part of real space. This research introduces a fundamentally new way to view and link simulations of people with the real-world context of the built environment: mixed reality crowd simulation in real space.

This article explores the ways in which researchers conceptualize and visualize visibility in spatial research – using isovists and visualscapes. We review how visibility analyses have been used in spatial analysis and visualization. We dissect the geometric conceptualization of isovists, and geometric relationships between isovist origins and targets. From this, we develop an expanded typology of isovists based on geometries of visibility and the relationships between an observer and the observed. This typology differentiates panoptic isovists, constrained isovists, and targeted isovists. We apply these isovist examples to urban privacy and surveillance to ground the new conceptual framework. We conclude with a discussion surrounding future research and conceptual development needed to advance visualscapes and visibility analysis.

Interest in and use of 3D visualizations for analysis and communication of flooding risks has been increasing. At the same time, an ecosystem of 3D user interfaces has also been emerging. Together, they offer exciting potential opportunities for flood visualization. In order to understand how we turn potential into real value, we need to develop better understandings of technical workflows, capabilities of the resulting systems, their usability, and implications for practice. Starting with existing geospatial datasets, we develop single user and collaborative visualization prototypes that leverage capabilities of the state-of-the art HoloLens 2 mixed reality system. By using the 3D displays, positional tracking, spatial mapping, and hand- and eye-tracking, we seek to unpack the capabilities of these tools for meaningful spatial data practice. We reflect on the user experience, hardware performance, and usability of these tools and discuss the implications of these technologies for flood risk management, and broader spatial planning practice.