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Below are final group projects of the MSc course GEO454 - Geovisualization.
This course has been running since 2006 at the UZH. The subset of projects that are listed below are those that are still running error-free online, using current technology.
Scientific activities in the GIVA group are centered around three research threads:
Our methodological toolset draws from an interdisciplinary range of academic fields, including cartographic design and geographic information visualization, human behavior sensing, spatial analysis and spatial statistics, and computational techniques such as, space-time data mining, etc.
There are many ways to find a worthwhile MSc research topic. The MSc thesis is primarily a scientific project, driven by scientific (basic or applied) research questions. What themes in your studies did you find fascinating, interesting, or simply fun? What skills do you already have, and what skills would you wish you had? What kind of career are you interested in pursuing after you graduate? Do you like to work with people, or with data, or do you like to design, develop and evaluate a graphic display? What are your minor subjects? Are you already working with another research group/employer and have already a particular topic in mind? Come talk to us!
Short Description: The spatial learning of the environment during navigation tasks can be affected, among others, by how the navigation instructions are presented to the wayfinders. For instance, informing participants that their knowledge of the environment would be tested after the navigation task (i.e., intentional learning) or instructing participants to reach the destination and not revealing that there will be assessment tests at the end of the task (i.e., incidental learning) impacts their learning performance differently. Previous research has shown that navigation instructions affect participants’ learning strategies: the intentional learners perform better on recalling the locations of objects and the spatial relations between objects, while the incidental learners recall better the object properties. However, most of these studies are conducted in controlled laboratory settings without active exploration of the environment and without the presence of mobile maps as navigation aids.
Your task is to first review the spatial cognition literature on intentional and incidental learning instructions and what type of environmental knowledge is acquired during navigation, and second design and carry out a map-aided navigation study in the real world to examine the influence of navigation instructions on wayfinders’ spatial learning performance.
Requirements: You are interested in human spatial navigation behavior, design mobile maps for navigation purposes, experimental design to conduct empirical user studies, and are not afraid to learn and use statistical methods for data analyses.
Language: This thesis can be written in English.
Supervisor(s): Armand Kapaj, Sara I. Fabrikant.
Additional Remarks: You will have access to an Android Tablet from GIVA to use to display the navigation mobile map aids during the navigation tasks.
Short Description: In-the-wild studies are indispensable in GIScience and HCI for gathering ecologically valid data to truly comprehend mobile map app usage. However, there's a scarcity of such studies, and those available often lack solid ground truth to accurately evaluate data collections and the usability of mobile map app design. This evaluation can be further validated through controlled lab studies to corroborate inferred hypotheses. Your role will involve collecting ground truth data to be compared with the in-the-wild data amassed by our group, assessing the accuracy of in-the-wild data collection, and juxtaposing lab-controlled results with real-world data. This will extend to evaluating the integration of GPS data, accelerometer readings, spatial behaviour observations, and mobile map app usage.
Requirements: You should have a keen interest in mobile app development and empirical research involving human subject tests. A willingness to learn Android app development and employ statistical methods for data analysis is essential. Proficiency in Kotlin and Python is highly beneficial, along with an eagerness to engage in multidisciplinary research.
Language: The thesis can be written in English.
Supervisor(s): Tumasch Reichenbacher, Donatella Zingaro
Additional remarks: You will have access to an Android Smartphone from GIVA for ground truth collection, as well as MapOnTap (MoT) data from previous in-the-wild data collection, including GPS, accelerometer, ambient light, compass, and touchscreen data.
Short description: Mobile augmented reality (AR) technologies, which overlay the real-world environment with virtual information, are nowadays considered as a future and promising technology to support users and experts in their navigational tasks. Your task is to evaluate AR visualizations in situational awareness contexts and decision-making in stressful situations. You will have the possibility to work in collaboration with the Swiss Army.
Requirements: You have an interest in learning how to design and run empirical evaluations, and are not afraid to run some basic statistical analyses.
Language: The thesis can be written in German or in English.
Supervisors: Sara I. Fabrikant, Armand Kapaj
Additional Remarks: You will have access to AR equipment (i.e., Microsoft HoloLens), in which an AR use-case can be simulated, and psycho-psychological feedback devices to measure emotions such as stress.
Short description: What makes a map complex? There is a body of knowledge on the subject; however, there is no established definition or a universal measure for measuring the visual complexity of a map.
After reviewing and critically examining existing approaches to define and measure visual complexity in maps as well as other graphic displays, imagery, and 3D visualizations, you will empirically assess how the graphic characteristics of a visual display affect people’s perception of visual complexity in geographic information displays.
Requirements: You are interested in visualization design and user studies, and not afraid to learn and use statistical methods for data analysis.
Language: The thesis can be written in German or in English.
Supervisor(s): Tumasch Reichenbacher, Sara I. Fabrikant, Armand Kapaj
Additional Remarks: You will have access to a state-of-the-art eye movement laboratory.
Short description: Interactive viewers of photorealistic images - graphic renderings simulating the reality with very high fidelity - have become popular ways to communicate spatial information, especially since 3D viewers such as Google Earth have made access to and navigation in spatial data so easy and fun. However, more realistic-looking spatial renderings do not necessarily mean the underlying data are closer to reality, or more accurate and precise.
Your task is to empirically assess how the graphic representation characteristics (i.e., abstract, non-photorealistic, photo-realistic, etc.) of large-screen 3D views (on a 3-wall stereoscopic display system) might affect people’s beliefs about the quality of the data displayed.
Requirements: You are interested in geovisualization and empirical work with human test participants, and not afraid to learn and use statistical methods for data analysis.
Language: The thesis can be written in German or in English.
Supervisors: Sara I. Fabrikant, Tumasch Reichenbacher, Armand Kapaj
Additional Remarks: You will have access to a state-of-the-art 3D display system (e.g., CAVE).
Short description: Cartographers employ a set of visual variables (e.g., size, color hue, color value, orientation, etc.) for 2D, static maps to systematically match levels of thematic relevant information to a perceptual hierarchy based on figure ground relationships (Bertin, 1967/83). Very few of these proposed variables have actually been empirically tested.
Your task is to systematically evaluate the relationship of thematic relevance and perceptual salience in maps with the use of the so-called flicker paradigm (Rensink et al. 1997) to measure which parts and properties of features are attended in maps (= most easily seen to change) under various conditions.
The central contribution is systematically assessing cartographic design principles with empirical evidence.
Requirements: You are interested in geovisualization and empirical work with human test participants, and not afraid to learn and use statistical methods for data analysis. A good sense of design and the willingness to learn SVG and/or another multimedia authoring tool for testing is an asset.
Language: The thesis can be written in German or in English.
Supervisors: Tumasch Reichenbacher, Sara I. Fabrikant, Armand Kapaj
Additional Remarks: The use of a state-of-the-art eye tracker is an option.
Short description: How do design principles for dynamic displays (e.g., visual variables, dynamic variables, interactivity levels, etc.) affect people’s ability to extract knowledge in exploratory data analysis tasks?
Your task is to systematically compare and evaluate interactive and non-interactive map animations with human test participants using the eye movement data collection method.
Requirements: You are interested in geovisualization and empirical work with human test participants, and not afraid to learn and use statistical methods for data analysis. A good sense of design and the willingness to learn SVG and/or another multimedia authoring tool for testing is an asset.
Language: The thesis can be written in German or in English.
Supervisors: Sara I. Fabrikant, Tumasch Reichenbacher, Armand Kapaj
Additional Remarks: You will have access to a state-of-the-art eye tracker system.
Short description: How do design principles for dynamic displays (e.g., visual variables, dynamic variables, interactivity levels, etc.) affect people’s ability to solve a task with a dynamic display that contains uncertainty information?
Your task is to systematically evaluate interactive and non-interactive map animations containing various types of uncertainty information with human test participants.
Requirements: You are interested in geovisualization and empirical work with human test participants, and not afraid to learn and use statistical methods for data analysis. A good sense of design and the willingness to learn SVG and/or another multimedia authoring tool for testing is an asset.
Language: The thesis can be written in German or in English.
Supervisors: Sara I. Fabrikant, Tumasch Reichenbacher
Additional Remarks: You will have access to a state-of-the-art GIVA labs.
Short description: A spatialization is a transformation of high-dimensional (non-geographic) data into lower-dimensional spatial representations to facilitate exploratory knowledge discovery from very large databases. Social networks have become increasingly important in an information-rich society to share knowledge.
Your task is to design, develop, and systematically evaluate spatializations of social network data.
Requirements: You are interested in (geo)visualization, enjoy programming, and are not afraid to learn and use exploratory statistical methods for data mining.
Language: The thesis can be written in German or in English.
Supervisors: Sara I. Fabrikant
Short description: The news media (e.g., Tagesanzeiger, NZZ, SRF, etc.) increasingly use data visualization not only to inform about political, economic, and social phenomena, but also to simulate possible developments and outcomes, to reframe thinking, and to also change people’s behaviors. What is the role of sound cartographic design in visual storytelling in the news media? How do cartographic design principles work for maps often read on the go, and on small mobile displays?
Your task is to design and systematically evaluate storytelling map displays accompanying news articles, considering the reader background of that media and the mobile use context.
Requirements: You are interested in geovisualization and empirical work with human test participants, and not afraid to learn and use statistical methods for data analysis. A good sense of design and the willingness to learn SVG and/or another multimedia authoring tool for testing is an asset.
Language: The thesis can be written in German or in English.
Supervisors: Sara I. Fabrikant, Tumasch Reichenbacher
Short description: Perceptually, some colors retreat (i.e., appear far away from the viewer) while some advance (i.e., appear close to the viewer), thus causing an illusion of depth. This phenomenon is known as chromastereopsis.
Your task is to investigate the use of chromastereopsis in the design of geovisualization displays first through a review of the literature, and second, through a user study in which you compare the use of chromastereopsis to a monoscopic and a stereoscopic alternative to establish how much it contributes to the perception of 3D spatial relationships.
Requirements: You have an interest in learning how to design and run empirical evaluations on 3D display systems, and are not afraid to run (basic) statistical analyses.
Language: This thesis is offered in English.
Supervisors: Sara I. Fabrikant, Tumasch Reichenbacher, Armand Kapaj
Additional Remarks: You will have access to a state-of-the-artGIVA labs.
Short description: Perceptually, we automatically fill in empty spaces that are bounded by ribbons containing two differently colored lines with colors that are opposite in color space (i.e., blue and orange, etc.). This optical phenomenon is known as the Watercolor Illusion.
Your task is to investigate its application to the design of map displays, first through a review of the vision literature, and second, through a user study in which you assess the use of the Watercolor Illusion in different map displays, users, and thematic contexts to study its effects on the communication of geographic information.
Requirements: You have an interest in learning how to design and run empirical evaluations on maps and are not afraid to run (basic) statistical analyses.
Language: The thesis can be written in German or English.
Supervisors: Sara I. Fabrikant, Tumasch Reichenbacher, Armand Kapaj
Additional Remarks: You will have access to a state-of-the-artGIVA labs.
Short description: Map projections depict the curved 2D surface of the Earth on a 2D planar map display. How do people perceive and understand the world represented through map projections? For example, how might the choice of the map projection center, the relationship of shown land vs. water surface, shape distortions, or the visual variables employed to display the information influence the perception and understanding of the depicted World regions?
Your task will be to design a world map using a state-of-the-art static and interactive map projection software (e.g., worldmapgenerator.com and/or the GeoCart) and empirically assess your solutions with test users.
Requirements: You have an interest in map design and empirical work with test participants. An interest in map projections is an asset.
Language: Thesis can be written in German or in English.
Supervisors: Sara I. Fabrikant and Julia Mia Stirnemann (University of Bern and developer of Worldmapgenerator)
Additional Remarks: You will have access to a state-of-the-art eye tracker system and the “smartband” emotion sensor system.
Short description: Uncertainty in geographic datasets are inevitable. How do we communicate data uncertainties in geographic information displays and how does the visualization of uncertainty in displays impact human decision making with maps?
Your task is to design and empirically assess cartographically sound map displays to study how the communication of uncertainty might affect people’s spatio- temporal inference and decision making when using maps.
Requirements: You are interested in map design and empirical work with test participants, and not afraid to learn and use statistical methods for data analysis.
Language: Thesis can be written in German or in English.
Supervisors: Sara I. Fabrikant, Tumasch Reichenbacher
Additional Remarks: You will have access to a state-of-the-art eye tracker system and the “smartband” emotion sensor system.
Short description: fMRI brain scans visualize neural activity in the brain. These maps are not created by visualization experts, and generally lack empirically sound visualization principles.
Your task is to design brain maps based on empirically verified cartographic design principles, and assess these in comparison with cartographic maps in a user study with fMRI and geovisualization experts.
Requirements: You are interested in map design and empirical work with test participants, and not afraid to learn and use statistical methods for data analysis.
Language: Thesis can be written in German or in English.
Supervisors: Sara I. Fabrikant, Markus Christen (UZH Center for Ethics)
Additional Remarks: You will have access to all of the state-of-the-artGIVA labs.
Short description: What makes a visual scene attractive or aesthetically pleasing? There have been quite a few user studies in the lab assessing the attractiveness of landscape images and scenes, typically using photographs, coupled with paper- and-pencil questionnaires. However, little is known on people’s psycho- physiological reactions when looking at environmental scenes and how this might relate to landscape attractiveness ratings.
Your task is to design and conduct a user study in the field using a mobile eye tracker coupled with an emotion sensor system to assess the attractiveness of landscape scenery.
Requirements: You are interested in map design and empirical work with test participants, and not afraid to learn and use statistical methods for data analysis.
Language: Thesis can be written in German or in English.
Supervisors: Sara I. Fabrikant, Tumasch Reichenbacher, Armand Kapaj
Additional Remarks: You will have access to all of the state-of-the-artGIVA labs.
Short description: There is a large body of empirical research on how people navigate with maps, but little is known about people’s psycho-physiological states when using mobile map displays for decision making during navigation, and especially when in emotionally charged decision making situations, including dilemmatic decisions, uncertainty, stress, etc..
Your task is to design and conduct a user study in the field or in the VR lab using psycho-physiological sensing devices to assess how people make decisions with mobile maps during emotionally charged navigation tasks.
Requirements: You are interested in map design and empirical work with test participants, and not afraid to learn and use statistical methods for data analysis.
Language: Thesis can be written in German or in English.
Supervisors: Tumasch Reichenbacher, Sara I. Fabrikant, Armand Kapaj
Additional Remarks: You will have access to all of the state-of-the-artGIVA labs.
Short description: Various geospatial augmented reality (AR) applications on smart phones and tablets have become popular. While the technology is moving fast, user studies that assess the usability, user experience, and the usefulness of AR are rare. Your task is to evaluate an existing AR application of your choice, or implement your own version, used for navigation.
Requirements: You have an interest in learning how to design and run empirical evaluations, and are not afraid to run some basic statistical analyses.
Language: Thesis can be written in German or in English.
Supervisors: Sara I. Fabrikant, Tumasch Reichenbacher, Armand Kapaj
Additional Remarks: You will have access to all of the state-of-the-artGIVA labs.
Short Description: Understanding the behaviour when using mobile map apps is essential for designing apps that align with real user needs. Your task will include the extraction of contextual data from a previous data collection in the MapOnTap (MoT) project. This will encompass different areas of interest, such as space and place, mobile map interactivity, and user's spatial cognition. In this project stage, you'll delve into context extraction from geographic space to gather insights into where and how people use mobile maps (e.g., movement analysis, time-series analysis, land use data, street networks with intersections, and so on). This exploration aims to unravel the usage patterns and identify the similarities or differences that arise when these elements interact with mobile map applications and varying spatial behaviour.
Requirements: You are interested in GIScience, human-computer interaction (HCI), and cognitive sciences, enjoy programming (preferably in Python), like spatial analysis methods, and are not afraid to learn and use exploratory statistical methods for data mining.
Language: The thesis can be written in English.
Supervisor(s): Tumasch Reichenbacher, Donatella Zingaro
Additional remarks: You will have access to MapOnTap (MoT) data from a previous in-the-wild data collection, including for instance GPS, and touchscreen data.
Short description: Maps do exhibit different levels of complexity. Knowing the complexity of a map can help to enhance the map design or to better describe its range of applicability. In this project you will investigate how to classify the complexity of maps with AI/ML methods. Since there is no established definition of map complexity and no universal measure you will begin with a in-depth literature review on the subject.
After reviewing and critically examining existing approaches to define and measure the complexity of maps, you will select suitable metrics that serve as features for classifying the complexity of maps.
Your task is to test and validate several classification approaches.
Requirements: You are interested in maps and are not afraid to learn and use statistical methods, machine learning and/or AI tools.
Language: The thesis can be written in German or in English.
Supervisor(s): Tumasch Reichenbacher
Geovisual analytics and spatialization in the humanities
Short description: The amount of implicit spatial and temporal information in digital (online) databases (e.g., Wikipedia, Encyclopedia Britannica, Google Books) is increasing exponentially. An interdisciplinary research community is developing approaches to extract spatial and temporal information (e.g., Geographic Information Retrieval) from such databases, and thus make it explicit by also presenting it (visually) to an information seeker. Amongst the available online databases, digital (text) archives are especially relevant for the Humanities, as the spatio-temporal dimension also matter in most Humanities disciplines (e.g., linguistics, history, anthropology, etc.). However, such databases are largely untapped for spatio-temporal analyses.
Your task is to develop geovisual analytics approaches to visually explore a digital (text) archive. Possible approaches might include spatialized displays (i.e., semantic networks, self-organizing maps, etc.). You will illustrate solutions by means of a proof-of-concept graphical user interface, and evaluate with users how this might support the generation of new research hypotheses, and/or lead to novel insights about spatio-temporal data and their relationships in the explored archive.
Requirements: You are interested in applying geovisual analytics in an interdisciplinary context, have (or are willing to get) basic programming skills, and enjoy exploring (text) data by applying geovisualization and spatio-temporal analysis techniques.
Language: Thesis can be written in German or in English.
Supervisors: Sara I. Fabrikant
Visualization of space-time data at high resolution
Short description: Dynamic geographic phenomena can be generally conceptualized and represented as spatio-temporal patterns (e.g., trajectories of people or animals, flows of chemicals, or movements of eyes over maps), space- time processes (climate change, urban growth, human spatial cognition) or spatio- temporal events (e.g., earthquakes, winter Olympics, or human eyes fixating on a perceptually salient object in a scene). Your task is to develop visual analytics methods and data exploration tools for the effective depiction and analysis of time- referenced spatial data sets at high resolution.
Requirements: You are interested in geovisualization, have a good sense of design, and enjoy programming.
Language: Thesis can be written in German or in English.
Supervisors: Tumasch Reichenbacher, Sara I. Fabrikant
Additional Remarks: Knowledge of Python, Jupyter Notebook or JavaScript is an asset.
Analysis of map app use on smart devices
Short description: When, where and how do people use mapping apps on their smart devices? Can we identify human traits and cognitive styles based on a user’s interaction data with map apps on their smartphones? In an ongoing research project, we collect behavioural data in everyday life, including tapping events, location, and acceleration. Your task is to analyse available data and possibly design and execute an empirical study to investigate map app interaction data on mobile phones in a crowd sourced context. You will apply classic spatio-temporal analytics and further apply machine learning techniques to respective data.
Requirements: You are interested in analytics and empirical work with test participants, and not afraid to learn and use statistical methods for data analysis. Programming (e.g. Python, Jupyter Notebook) is an asset.
Language: Thesis can be written in German or in English.
Supervisors: Tumasch Reichenbacher, Donatella Zingaro, Sara I. Fabrikant
Additional Remarks: For empirical field studies, you will have access to a state-of-the-art mobile eye tracker system and a wristband to physiologically sense emotion states.
Geovisual analytics of historical morbidity and mortality data from historic archives
Short description: What can we learn from past infectious diseases outbreaks? Cholera outbreaks in Swiss cities in the 1850s and 1860s have been excellently documented, with precise residential address and other sociodemographic and medical details. This is also the case for the Basel outbreak in 1855 (exactly the time of John Snow's famous cholera map in London). This unique historical data has never been geovisualized and analyzed with modern spatial-temporal methods.
—> Your task is to firstly transform historic epidemiological and sociodemographic data from the Cholera epidemic in Basel 1855, currently stored in analog archives, into a digitally accessible geographic information repository.
This will include the transcription and geocoding of residential addresses and the appropriate visualization of this data. Secondly, you will develop geovisual analytics approaches to explore and analyze the digitized Cholera epidemic data in the context of other relevant spatial datasets that might help explain the epidemic outcomes.
This is an interdisciplinary project including the Anthropometrics & Historical Epidemiology Group lead by PD Dr. Kaspar Staub at the UZH Institute of Evolutionary Medicine (IEM).
Requirements: You are interested in the study of spatial data related to historic health epidemics, geographic information visualization, and/or spatial modelling approaches. Technical skills (e.g., ArcGISPro/ArcGIS online, R-scripting, and sound map design) are an advantage.
Language: Thesis can be written in German or in English.
Supervisors: Sara Irina Fabrikant (GIVA), PD Dr. Kaspar Staub (IEM UZH)
Short description: Typically, mobile map apps are designed with a one-size-fits-all approach, often overlooking individual differences, objectives, and modalities of usage. In this project, you can conduct a study aimed at understanding user engagement with mobile map applications, by extending the existing MapOnTap app, developed in the context of the MapOnTap project to collect mobile map use behaviour in-the-wild (see details here). This involves implementing additional app features, such as recording the type of mobility or 2D coordinate touchscreens or integrating pop-up notifications for spatial behaviour tests.
These features could be combined and used to collect mobile map app usage data. This data can eventually be employed in user evaluation studies. The insights gained from this thesis are crucial for outlining design principles aimed at tailoring mobile map apps for everyday usage.
Requirements: You should have a keen interest in mobile app development. A willingness to learn Android app development and employ statistical methods for data analysis is essential. Proficiency in Kotlin and Python is highly beneficial, along with an eagerness to engage in multidisciplinary research, including fields, such as GIScience, human-computer interaction (HCI), and cognitive sciences.
Language: The thesis can be written in English
Supervisors: Tumasch Reichenbacher, Donatella Zingaro
Additional remarks: You will have access to an Android Phone from GIVA for app development.
Short Description: Mobile Map Apps are commonly created with a one-size-fits-all approach, which often overlooks the diversity in individual preferences, objectives, and usage modalities. There is a need for a new design paradigm that considers various user aspects, including spatial abilities and mobile map interactivity. Leveraging recent insights gained from data in the MapOnTap (MoT) project, your task would be to conceptualize and prototype mobile map apps adhering to core principles of app interaction, adaptivity, and spatial behaviour. Your responsibilities encompass UI design, crafting mock-ups, prototyping a clickable interface, and conducting an evaluation study to measure the efficacy and user receptivity of the designed prototype.
Requirements: You are interested in human-computer interaction (HCI), mobile cartography, and usability studies in the field of mobile map apps and enjoy app design and prototyping. Knowledge of graphical sketching tools or prototyping tools (e.g., Figma) would be an asset.
Language: The thesis can be written in English.
Supervisors: Tumasch Reichenbacher, Donatella Zingaro
This is an internationally-advised MSc project, in collaboration with the COGIT Laboratory at the French National Geographical Institute (IGN), France.
Short description: Topographic maps are produced globally by national mapping agencies. While there is a lot in common between topographic maps produced in different countries, in terms of cartographic styles a real diversity exists.
Your task is to identify and characterize national (e.g., Swiss vs. French) and/or regional (e.g., North European vs. South East Asian) cartographic styles in topographic maps. Are people able to associate the topographic maps of their own country to a specific cartographic style? Are cartographic styles generally recognizable by map users? What are the emotive responses that cartographic styles evoke (i.e., beauty, efficiency, simplicity, etc.)? You are asked to design a user study to analyze how habits, culture, and cartographic knowledge might impact the recognition of cartographic styles, and how cartographic styles might impact the visual impression of a map.
Requirements: You are interested in map design, fine arts, and empirical work with test participants, and not afraid to learn and use statistical methods for data analysis.
Language: Thesis can be written in French or in English.
Supervisor(s): Sara Fabrikant and Sidonie Christophe (COGIT Lab, IGN France)
Additional Remarks: You will have access to all of the state-of-the-artGIVA labs.
Short description: Smartphones offer various contextual cues for adapting map displays to the mobile usage context. You will explore the use of such sensor data and other context information sources for adapting map displays accordingly. Your task is to implement a prototype app with map adaptation capability and to test the implementation in an empirical study with users.
Requirements: Programming skills, an interest in map-based application development, and willingness to learn how to conduct a user study.
Language: Thesis can be written in German or in English.
Supervisors: Tumasch Reichenbacher
Additional Remarks: The use of a state-of-the-art mobile eye tracker is an option. An interest in visualization design and user studies is an asset. Knowledge of programming (e.g. JavaScript) is an advantage.
Short description: A common test for measuring a person’s visuo-spatial ability is Shepard and Metzler’s (1971) mental rotation task (MRT) of 3D objects depicted in 2D images. Your task is to explore how people’s performance on the MRT might be influenced by the visual appearance of the 3D object by 3D computer graphics methods, including 3D stereo-viewing.
Requirements: You have an interest in 3D graphics and design, including empirical work with test participants.
Language: Thesis can be written in German or in English.
Supervisors: Sara I. Fabrikant, Tumasch Reichenbacher
Additional Remarks: You will have access to all of the state-of-the-artGIVA labs.
Short description: What are the effects harmony and beauty in cartographic design? How do emotions and affect influence spatio-temporal decision making with map displays? Real-time monitoring devices of body responses are now providing data on people’s emotive states in everyday life contexts, including when looking at visual displays. Your task is to explore the utility of collected electro-dermal, cardiovascular, and skin temperature data to uncover people’s emotional responses when looking at different types of cartographic displays and making spatio-temporal decisions under various task contexts.
Requirements: You are interested in geographic information visualization, aesthetics, and design. The willingness to work empirically is an asset.
Language: Thesis can be written in German or in English.
Supervisors: Sara I. Fabrikant, Armand Kapaj
Additional Remarks: You will have access to all of the state-of-the-artGIVA labs.
Additional Remarks: The use of a state-of-the-art mobile eye tracker is an option. An interest in user studies is an asset.
