5 research outputs found
From GeoVisualization to visual-analytics: methodologies and techniques for human-information discourse
Get PDF2010 - 2011The objective of our research is to give support to decision makers when facing problems which require rapid solutions in spite of the complexity of scenarios under investigation. In order to achieve this goal our studies have been focused on GeoVisualization and GeoVisual Analytics research field, which play a relevant role in this scope, because they exploit results from several disciplines, such as exploratory data analysis and GIScience, to provide expert users with highly interactive tools by which they can both visually synthesize information from large datasets and perform complex analytical tasks.
The research we are carrying out along this line is meant to develop software applications capable both to build an immediate overview of a scenario and to explore elements featuring it. To this aim, we are defining methodologies and techniques which embed key aspects from different disciplines, such as augmented reality and location-based services. Their integration is targeted to realize advanced tools where the geographic component role is primary and is meant to contribute to a human-information discourse... [edited by author]X n.s
Designing usable mobile interfaces for spatial data
Get PDF2010 - 2011This
dissertation
deals
mainly
with
the
discipline
of
Human-‐Computer
Interaction
(HCI),
with
particular
attention
on
the
role
that
it
plays
in
the
domain
of
modern
mobile
devices.
Mobile
devices
today
offer
a
crucial
support
to
a
plethora
of
daily
activities
for
nearly
everyone.
Ranging
from
checking
business
mails
while
traveling,
to
accessing
social
networks
while
in
a
mall,
to
carrying
out
business
transactions
while
out
of
office,
to
using
all
kinds
of
online
public
services,
mobile
devices
play
the
important
role
to
connect
people
while
physically
apart.
Modern
mobile
interfaces
are
therefore
expected
to
improve
the
user's
interaction
experience
with
the
surrounding
environment
and
offer
different
adaptive
views
of
the
real
world.
The
goal
of
this
thesis
is
to
enhance
the
usability
of
mobile
interfaces
for
spatial
data.
Spatial
data
are
particular
data
in
which
the
spatial
component
plays
an
important
role
in
clarifying
the
meaning
of
the
data
themselves.
Nowadays,
this
kind
of
data
is
totally
widespread
in
mobile
applications.
Spatial
data
are
present
in
games,
map
applications,
mobile
community
applications
and
office
automations.
In
order
to
enhance
the
usability
of
spatial
data
interfaces,
my
research
investigates
on
two
major
issues:
1. Enhancing
the
visualization
of
spatial
data
on
small
screens
2. Enhancing
the
text-‐input
methods
I
selected
the
Design Science Research approach
to
investigate
the
above
research
questions.
The
idea
underling
this
approach
is
“you
build artifact to learn from it”, in
other
words
researchers
clarify
what
is
new
in
their
design.
The
new
knowledge
carried
out
from
the
artifact
will
be
presented
in
form
of
interaction
design
patterns
in
order
to
support
developers
in
dealing
with
issues
of
mobile
interfaces.
The
thesis
is
organized
as
follows.
Initially
I
present
the
broader
context,
the
research
questions
and
the
approaches
I
used
to
investigate
them.
Then
the
results
are
split
into
two
main
parts.
In
the
first
part
I
present
the
visualization
technique
called
Framy.
The
technique
is
designed
to
support
users
in
visualizing
geographical
data
on
mobile
map
applications.
I
also
introduce
a
multimodal
extension
of
Framy
obtained
by
adding
sounds
and
vibrations.
After
that
I
present
the
process
that
turned
the
multimodal
interface
into
a
means
to
allow
visually
impaired
users
to
interact
with
Framy.
Some
projects
involving
the
design
principles
of
Framy
are
shown
in
order
to
demonstrate
the
adaptability
of
the
technique
in
different
contexts.
The
second
part
concerns
the
issue
related
to
text-‐input
methods.
In
particular
I
focus
on
the
work
done
in
the
area
of
virtual
keyboards
for
mobile
devices.
A
new
kind
of
virtual
keyboard
called
TaS
provides
users
with
an
input
system
more
efficient
and
effective
than
the
traditional
QWERTY
keyboard.
Finally,
in
the
last
chapter,
the
knowledge
acquired
is
formalized
in
form
of
interaction
design
patterns. [edited by author]X n.s
Ontology of accessibility in the context of wayfinding for people with disabilities.
Get PDFThere is evidence that objects in and of the built environment function as barriers or facilitators to accessibility for people with disabilities. Although there are many existing sources of information about accessibility, they often lack clear criteria to describe accessibility, explanations of barriers and facilitators to mobility, and coverage of multiple physical environments. Researchers have argued that wayfinding services (e.g., Google Maps) can help people with disabilities prepare to travel through the built environment, yet current wayfinding services include little to no information about accessibility. This dissertation aims to study accessibility, in the context of wayfinding, in indoor, outdoor and transitional environments for people who travel in wheelchairs and people with low to no vision. To this end, a qualitative ontological analysis of multiple sources of information regarding accessibility was conducted including analyses of important categories associated with accessible wayfinding; different information providers’ views on accessibility; and specific barriers and facilitators to accessibility. The results indicate that (1) people with low to no vision and people who travel in wheelchairs have different core wayfinding information needs, (2) a gap exists between the information people with disabilities and researchers provide on accessibility and that provided by standard guidelines, and (3) conceptualizing accessibility requires capturing actions performed by people with disabilities during every day travel along with characteristics of environmental objects. The resulting ontology could be leveraged to generate new criteria describing accessibility, new routing algorithms, or to attach provenance to existing accessibility criteria. The findings have implications for people who design wayfinding services and collaborative maps and people collaboratively collecting data on the accessibility of specific places
