Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 6, 2025

Trajectory Data Analyses for Pedestrian Space-time Activity Study
Published on: February 25, 2013
EVALUATION OF A NON-VISUAL AUDITORY CHOROPLETH AND TRAVEL MAP VIEWER
Brandon Biggs1, James M Coughlan2, Christopher Toth2
1Smith-Kettlewell Eye Research Institute and Georgia Institute of Technology San Francisco and Atlanta, USA.
None:
The auditory virtual reality interface of Audiom, a web-based map viewer, was evaluated by thirteen blind participants. In Audiom, the user is an avatar that navigates, using the arrow keys, through geographic data, as if they are playing a first-person, egocentric game. The research questions were: What will make blind users want to use Audiom maps? And Can participants demonstrate basic acquisition of spatial knowledge after viewing an auditory map? A dynamic choropleth map of state-level US COVID-19 data, and a detailed OpenStreetMap powered travel map, were evaluated. All participants agreed they wanted more maps of all kinds, in particular county-level COVID data, and they would use Audiom once some bugs were fixed and their few recommended features were added. Everyone wanted to see Audiom embedded in their existing travel and mapping applications. All participants were able to answer a question evaluating spatial knowledge. Participants also agreed this spatial information was not available in existing applications.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Plotting of Topographic Maps
Levels of Use of a GIS
Selected Data About Geographic Locations
Thematic Layering in GIS
Design Example: Alignment of a Road Line Using GIS
Velocity and Position by Graphical Method

