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Maintaining knowledge of current position and orientationis frequently a problem for people in virtual environments. In this paper we present a toolset of techniques based on principles of navigation derived from real world analogs, We include a discussion of human and avian navigation behaviors and show how knowledge about them were used to design our tools. We also summarize an informal study we performed to determine how our tools influenced the subjects' navigation behavior. We conclude that principles extracted from real world navigation aids such as maps can be seen to apply in virtual environments.

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There is currently much research activity involving virtual environments (VEs) and spatial behavior (spatial perception, cognition, and performance). After some initial remarks describing and categorizing the different types of research being conducted on VEs and spatial behavior, discussion in this Forum paper focuses on one specific type, namely, research concerned with the use of VE technology for training spatial behavior in the real world. We initially present an overview of issues and problems relevant to conducting research in this area, and then, in the latter portion of the paper, present an overview of the research that we believe needs to be done in this area.We have written this paper for the forum section of Presence because, despite its length, it is essentially an opinion piece. Our aim here is not to report the results of research in our own laboratory nor to review the literature, as other available papers already serve these goals. Rather, the primary purpose of this paper is to stimulate open discussion about needed future research. In general, we believe that such a discussion can serve the research establishment as much as reports of completed work. Introduction and BackgroundThis paper is concerned with the use of VE technology to train spatial behavior in the real world. Our use of the word behavior here is intended to include all of the processes that underlie spatial behavior-such as spatial perception, cognition, and awareness-as well as overt spatial behavior (performance) itself. In addition, however, our use of this word is intended to stress its importance; ultimately, it is the overt behavior that counts. Illustrative examples of spatial behavior include the behavior that is exhibited in • exploring a space, • searching for some item in the space, • planning or following a route in a space, • selecting and recognizing landmarks in a space, • estimating range and bearing of targets in a space (including cases in which the target is not visible from the estimation location),• constructing or interpreting maps of a space, and • imagining how a space and objects within it would appear from different viewpoints.Rather than focusing on past results about VEassisted training of spatial behavior, in this paper we outline a research program that is aimed at achieving future advances. By doing so, we hope to stimulate thought and discussion that will lead to the realization

A13STRACTThe spatial nature of large-scale virtual worlds introduces way finding problems which are often overlooked in the design process. In order to design and build useful virtual worlds in which real work can take place, these issues must be addressed. The research described here is a study of human way finding in virtual worlds and how real world solutions can be applied to virtual world design. The objective of this work is to develop design principles which will lead to a design methodology for virtual worlds in which wayfinding problems are alleviated.