Comparative Research of Visual Interpretation of Aerial Images and Topographic Maps for Unskilled Users: Searching for Objects Important for Decision-Making in Crisis Situations

Abstract

Abstract:The article presents the results of research focused on the speed and success rate of reading aerial images and topographic maps showing the same territory in the Czech Republic. Attention was focused on searching for objects of importance in terms of disaster management (railway and road bridges, road, watercourse, railway station, airport). The success rate was electronically evaluated by the Hypothesis software as a whole for the image, and the map was created for all respondents and for selected groups of respondents. The results showed that, with the exception of watercourse identification, other strategic objects are found faster and more reliably on color aerial images. No differences in speed and success of interpretation were found between men and women, laymen and experts. Soldiers and crisis management personnel were faster than laymen, but they were equally successful. Color aerial images or color aerial orthophotomaps have thus proved to be a key source of data for effective decision-making on a territory where a crisis event is taking place and where the deployment of a crisis unit is a need.

The Hypothesis Platform: An Online Tool for Experimental Research into Work with Maps and Behavior in Electronic Environments

“…There were several cases of the application "freezing" in mid-test during the first load test. A similar situation was encountered by Svatoňová and Kolejka [79] or Knedlová [80] and Helísková [81] while they were conducting research towards their theses. When a high number of tests were run simultaneously, the test shut down prematurely, leading to a loss of data.…”

Crisis Maps—Observed Shortcomings and Recommendations for Improvement

“…As a result, research has aimed at finding adequate methods for depicting objects and phenomena, specially adjusted to specific tasks and requirements at the technical, social, semantic, and cognitive levels [11][12][13][14][15][16], and for analysing and evaluating their success among users [17,18]. Cartography can be used successfully in crisis management.…”

“…Cartography can be used successfully in crisis management. The existing cartographic work has produced good examples, but they are often focused on a single natural process (for example, a flood [12,17] or a volcano [13]), one element of map graphics (for example, cartographic symbols [10], colour use [17] or a background map [15]), or a specific geographic area. The commonest types are danger maps and vulnerability assessment maps.…”

Multiple and Single Green Area Measurements and Classification Using Phantom Images in Comparison With Derived Experimental Law

“…There are many reasons to measure and classify arbitrarily shaped pieces of land including trade, agriculture, division among partners, security or reclamation (Liu et al, 2017;Lopes et al, 2017;Santos et al, 2016;Svatonova and Kolejka, 2017). Measuring regular spaces is often a simple process because the land takes a regular or semi-regular shape.…”

“…For these reasons, the use of low-altitude aerial images (Liu et al, 2017;Svatonova and Kolejka, 2017) to classify and calculate green spaces will be discussed in this paper. Here, two things will be done.…”