On the Right Track: Comfort and Confusion in Indoor Environments

Abstract

Indoor navigation systems are not well adapted to the needs of their users. The route planning algorithms implemented in these systems are usually limited to shortest path calculations or derivatives, minimalizing Euclidian distance. Guiding people along routes that adhere better to their cognitive processes could ease wayfinding in indoor environments. This paper examines comfort and confusion perception during wayfinding by applying a mixed-method approach. The aforementioned method combined an exploratory focus group and a video-based online survey. From the discussions in the focus group, it could be concluded that indoor wayfinding must be considered at different levels: the local level and the global level. In the online survey, the focus was limited to the local level, i.e., local environmental characteristics. In this online study, the comfort and confusion ratings of multiple indoor navigation situations were analyzed. In general, the results indicate that open spaces and stairs need to be taken into account in the development of a more cognitively-sounding route planning algorithm. Implementing the results in a route planning algorithm could be a valuable improvement of indoor navigation support.

A Gamification-Based Approach on Indoor Wayfinding Research

“…Where most algorithms in indoor wayfinding systems are limited to the currently known shortest path algorithms, recent studies tried to gain a better insight into the cognitive route planning by means of online surveys or real-life experiments [13,14]. However, they make use of traditional research mediums that have a number of disadvantages.…”

Improvement of Disability Rights via Geographic Information Science

“…Geospatial technologies are widely used currently, thanks to mobile geolocation sensors and services, and online data-sharing possibilities. Geoinformation technologies have traditionally been used in applications such as mapping, urban and rural planning, and construction, but nowadays the application areas have been expanded to solving modern problems such as autonomous driving, mobile navigation (indoor and outdoor), smart buildings, cultural heritage documentation, advanced environmental modeling applications, healthcare, and smart city applications [53][54][55][56][57][58][59][60][61][62]. A systematic approach for using geospatial technologies for the purpose of improving disability rights and lives must include structuring the problem by identifying the basic requirements, designing a system at the national level that can also be applied internationally, and developing a living system which can be updated with novel technologies and user inputs.…”