openemotionmap.org - Emotional response to space as an additional concept in cartography
Georg Gartner
Institute of Geoinformation and Cartography, Vienna University of Technology,
Erzherzog-Johannplatz 1, A-1040 Vienna, Austria
georg.gartner@tuwien.ac.at
KEY WORDS: Cartography, Location-based Services, sensing emotions
ABSTRACT:
In this submission the concept is analysed, that the emotional relation and the degree of emotional response is structuring space and
can therefore be relevant for human wayfinding. Possible measures for linking explicit links between person’s memory/ experience/
emotional response with the physical environment are investigated and possible applications for navigation systems are discussed,
1. INTRODUCTION
The rapid development of the mobile internet enforces the
emergence of location based services. In addition to the more
familiar car navigation systems, guiding systems for pedestrians
are gaining in importance. In this context, the integration of
attributes of spatial objects, such as landmarks, are widely ac-
cepted as being a necessary component of guiding systems;
however, it is not entirely clear how the main aspects of space
should be modeled. This paper provides a new approach based
on psychological and geographic literature to further our under-
standing of navigation and way finding in ubiquitous environ-
ments, and introduces the concept of the subjective or emotional
element of space.
Imparting spatial information usually involves cartographic
presentation forms. Ubiquitous cartography methods including
Location Based Services (LBS) can be seen as enabling new
forms of cartographic communication processes. Navigation of
our macro environment is a human ability that we tend to take
for granted unless it fails. For example, we may get lost when
visiting a new city. To find our way, we utilize various strate-
gies such as relying on maps/technology created by others or by
asking directions (other referent), or by searching using a spe-
cific landmark as a referent point (self-referent). As we become
more familiar with the landscape, we build our own cognitive
map of the area and subsequently rely on and use it to find our
way. Once mentally constructed, we may add to or update our
cognitive map, but generally the initial map appears to be rela-
tively permanent and can serve as an important way-finding
reference.
Lack of conscious awareness of the processes involved when
performing tasks that activate and/or execute automated naviga-
tion and way finding processes, raises questions about the role
that subjective evaluations and emotions play in the develop-
ment, retention, and use of navigation/way-finding maps. That
is, immediate subjective feelings about--and therefore emotional
associations with—space and especially landmarks, hence emo-
tional landmarks, may be tied automatically to the cognitive
processes associated with navigation and way finding. Conse-
quently, an emotional representation may enhance or facilitate
cognitive mapping.
In order to explore this concept, in this paper a first review
on existing approaches on conceptualizing emotional geogra-
phies and methods of sensing emotions is reviewed. This pro-
vides the basis for the argument that emotional responses to
space are highly relevant as an aid in navigating our environ-
ment. The article concludes with an evaluation of the relevance
for investigating the role of emotional response to space in nav-
igation and way finding.
2. SENSING EMOTIONS
Various methodologies have been tested and developed for
sensing emotions, which is understood in this context as one of
the psychological processes (perception, cognition, memory,
emotion, behaviour, physiology) that devices and sensors can
'experience' from (Westerink 2008). Different emotional ex-
pressions (or states of emotions) have been identified in the
context of sensoring, among them are anger, sadness, happiness,
cheerfulness (Tosa et al 1994); neutral, joy, boredom, sadness,
anger, fear, indignation (Mozziconacci 1995); anger, fear, sad-
ness, joy, disgust (Scherer 1995); neutral, happiness, sadness,
anger, fear, boredom, disgust (Scherer 1995) and fear, anger,
sadness, happiness (McGilloway et al 1995).
Several standard procedures exist for measuring the expe-
rience-related processes (Westerink et al 2008):
a. judgements & questionnaires (often elicited from the
user, e.g., self-reports in the form of interviews or
questionnaires)
b. behavioural observations ;
c. physiology recordings: e.g, ECG (electrocardio-
gram), EMG (electromyogram), GSR (galvanic skin
response), BVP (photoplethysmograph)
The above measurements can also be automated to à certain
extent, each type requiring a certain time period to come to
relevant interpretation: For judgements & questionnaires this
period is estimated to be several minutes, while for hela
observations, it is more likely to be in the order of seconds an
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