Harmonising Chart and Navigation-related Information on ECDIS

ECDIS is a real-time navigation system that integrates a variety of chart and navigation-related information. More than simply a replacement for a paper nautical chart, ECDIS is capable of continuously determining a vessel\u27s position in relation to land, charted objects, aids-to-navigation, and unseen hazards. Increasingly, ECDIS is being used for both navigation and collision-avoidance tasks. There is growing concern about the display of ever-increasing amounts of both chart and navigation-related information. When it comes to using ECDIS, displaying more information is not necessarily better. Too much information (i.e., clutter) may only lead to confusion. In this regard, there is need to \u27harmonize\u27 the simultaneous display of both chart and navigation-related information

Hippocampus and retrosplenial cortex combine path integration signals for successful navigation

The current study used fMRI in humans to examine goal-directed navigation in an open field environment. We designed a task that required participants to encode survey-level spatial information and subsequently navigate to a goal location in either first person, third person, or survey perspectives. Critically, no distinguishing landmarks or goal location markers were present in the environment, thereby requiring participants to rely on path integration mechanisms for successful navigation. We focused our analysis on mechanisms related to navigation and mechanisms tracking linear distance to the goal location. Successful navigation required translation of encoded survey-level map information for orientation and implementation of a planned route to the goal. Our results demonstrate that successful first and third person navigation trials recruited the anterior hippocampus more than trials when the goal location was not successfully reached. When examining only successful trials, the retrosplenial and posterior parietal cortices were recruited for goal-directed navigation in both first person and third person perspectives. Unique to first person perspective navigation, the hippocampus was recruited to path integrate self-motion cues with location computations toward the goal location. Last, our results demonstrate that the hippocampus supports goal-directed navigation by actively tracking proximity to the goal throughout navigation. When using path integration mechanisms in first person and third person perspective navigation, the posterior hippocampus was more strongly recruited as participants approach the goal. These findings provide critical insight into the neural mechanisms by which we are able to use map-level representations of our environment to reach our navigational goals

Quantum Navigation and Ranking in Complex Networks

Complex networks are formal frameworks capturing the interdependencies between the elements of large systems and databases. This formalism allows to use network navigation methods to rank the importance that each constituent has on the global organization of the system. A key example is Pagerank navigation which is at the core of the most used search engine of the World Wide Web. Inspired in this classical algorithm, we define a quantum navigation method providing a unique ranking of the elements of a network. We analyze the convergence of quantum navigation to the stationary rank of networks and show that quantumness decreases the number of navigation steps before convergence. In addition, we show that quantum navigation allows to solve degeneracies found in classical ranks. By implementing the quantum algorithm in real networks, we confirm these improvements and show that quantum coherence unveils new hierarchical features about the global organization of complex systems.Comment: title changed, more real networks analyzed, version published in scientific report

Understanding the present through navigating the past

In the middle of the seventeenth century, a Maltese traveller, Gio Francesco Bonamico, undertook the Grand Tour. His tour was unusual in that it went against prevailing conceptions of how one was supposed to go about the tour. In history, the Grand Tour is associated with a journey from the North of Europe, usually starting in London or Paris, and ending in Rome or Naples. Bonamico's voyage proceeded in the opposite direction. He departed from Malta travelling towards Marseilles and continued northwards, visiting many European cities. From the North of France he proceeded to Flanders, Germany, Holland, Switzerland, and on the southward leg he also visited Spain, Italy; Sicily and some of the Greek islands.peer-reviewe

Investigation of the use of navigation tools in web-based learning: A data mining approach

Web-based learning is widespread in educational settings. The popularity of Web-based learning is in great measure because of its flexibility. Multiple navigation tools provided some of this flexibility. Different navigation tools offer different functions. Therefore, it is important to understand how the navigation tools are used by learners with different backgrounds, knowledge, and skills. This article presents two empirical studies in which data-mining approaches were used to analyze learners' navigation behavior. The results indicate that prior knowledge and subject content are two potential factors influencing the use of navigation tools. In addition, the lack of appropriate use of navigation tools may adversely influence learning performance. The results have been integrated into a model that can help designers develop Web-based learning programs and other Web-based applications that can be tailored to learners' needs