Visualization in an early stage of the problem-solving process in GIS

Socio-technical PSS development to improve functionality and usability—Sketch planning using a Maptable

“…An investigation of the scientific literature concerning geoinformation technology, planning and PSS in particular shows several landmark studies from the 1990s that attempt to integrate GIS querying with both sketching and a hardware interface that supports groupwork (Blaser et al, 2000;Shiffer, 1992;Singh, 1999). In studies that followed at later dates, three major lines of research can be distinguished: (1) the integration of sketching with GIS, among others, through shape-recognition in GIS environments (Sun et al, 2003;Zhengxing et al, 2005); (2) the development of innovative hardware interfaces that connect GIS and sketching to a group setting (Hopkins et al, 2004); and (3) the effective application of the PSS that combine these functions (Geertman, 2002;Harris, 2001;Sieber, 2006).…”

Shared Mental Models in Creative Virtual Teamwork

“…Visualizing a Mental Model can therefore help to express complex thoughts [12]. Findings show that especially in an early stage of a problem-solving task, the process and the outcome can be improved by providing people with the possibility to visualize their thoughts [3,12]. Using visualization to enhance SMM has been identified as a suitable approach to support collaborative learning, negation and decision making as well as to promote group consensus [21,30].…”

Effects of a GIS Course on Self-Assessment of Spatial Habits of Mind (SHOM)

“…Visualization is the process of gaining understanding through the aid of graphical representations (Blaser, Sester, and Egenhofer 2000). When information or data are conveyed verbally, visualizers attempt to enhance their comprehension by converting the information into visual representations such as graphs or diagrams.…”