Digital Globes Gone Mobile:

Potential Implications for Environmental Learning

Britta Ricker PetersNick Hedley

SPATIAL INTERFACE RESEARCH LABSIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY CANADA

Ubiquitous Computing

• Extent of social adoption of Location-based Services (LBS), Volunteered Geographic Information (VGI) and digital globes has been unprecedented

• This phenomenon is rapidly being adopted, therefore we aim to study and test apps to

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Facilitate Learning!

Ubiquitous Computing

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Facilitate Learning!

Key Terms

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•Digital Globes•Location-based Services (LBS)•Volunteered Geographic Information (VGI)•Mobile Mapping and the Geoweb•Spatial Cognition/Mental Maps

Synergistic Relationship

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Key Topics in VGI Literature

Topic Author/year

Motivation Tulloch, 2008; Goodchild, 2007; Haklay and Singleton, 2008; Crampton, 2009; Rouse et al. 2007

Spatial Data Infrastructure Goodchild, 2007; Budhathok, et al. 2008

Critical GIS and Feminist theory Elwood, 2008 a, b; Sieber, 2007

Credibility, quality, validity Flanigan & Metzger, 2008; Sieber, 2007;

The Process Corbett and Rambaldi, 2007

Specific Applications Tulloch, 2008; Miller, 2007; Gouveia & Foreca, 2008

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Dynamic Static

Type LBS Real time updated location-based information provided to the user.

Static location-based information is provided. The information does not change in real time based on events.

Example Bus real-time location from GPS signal on bus, New sales or promotions, current temperature

Bus schedule, Restaurant Menu, weather averages for that location

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Classifications of LBS

Active/Manual Passive/Automated

Type of VGI Real time information (qualitative or quantitative) provided by the user actively and consciously.

The volunteer’s device is contributing the geographic information running in the background using the tools associated with the device (ex. GPS, Accelerometer), possibly unknowingly by the user

Example Live Twitter, Checking-in via Yelp, Facebook, Foursquare, business review

GPS tracking of an individual, geotagged photos

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Classifications of VGI

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I wonder where a good café could be?

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LBS Interface: Map View

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LBS Interface: List View

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LBS Interface: Mobile Augmented Reality

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LBS Interface: User Reviews

Nick C.

Renee S.

Scott B.

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LBS Interface: Directions to business

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VGI Interface: Check-in, or Add Information

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VGI Interface: Check-in, or Add Information

“Ubiquitous electronics rarely contribute to our sense of group identity or resonate with us like a physical place” (Burke, 2008).

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The Geoweb is turning into aNegotiated Environmental Topology (NET)

Not about the technology itself but what it facilitates…

Negotiation between• Individuals• Automated Sensors • User networks

(applications)• Geocoders

LBS mediated experiences

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Perhaps LBS mediate spatial

experiences resulting in a

limited mental map of the world

Good Bad

•Students are excited to use mobile computers.

•Ability to access and disseminate large amounts and diverse data.

•Exposing large populations to ideas related to GIScience! (Crampton,

2009; Haklay & Singleton, 2009 ; Goodchild, 2007; Lake & Farley, 2007; Turner, 2006).

•Fragmented attention (Spence and Feng, 2010; Montello and Freundschuh, 2005; Willis et al., 2009).

•Passive interaction

•Poor memory for distance •Disconnect between LBS and real environment (Willis et al., 2009).

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Mobile Mapping: Good and Bad

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There is hope!

• Willis et al.; 2009 Offers following suggestions for mobile mapping application design– Design a pre-task

– Self report to encourage active engagement

– Short tasks that can be reviewed later

– Cue-match from LBS to real world

Dynamic Static

LBS

VGI Active Passive

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Do different forms of LBS or VGI support different forms of environmental learning?

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Synergistic Relationship

Exploring our protected watershed and discovering connections

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Mobile Serious Gaming

Identify appropriate methods and interfaces to facilitate environmental learning with mobile computing devices while maintaining engagement with the natural environment.

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Thank you! Questions or Comments?

bricker@sfu.ca

Acknowledgements

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SPATIAL INTERFACE

RESEARCH LABSIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY

CANADA