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Searching Information from Screen Maps

Geographical information and digital maps are integrated in many ways into our every-day life through various GIS solutions. Screen maps and map interfaces should be easyto-use for many kinds of user groups. Since digital maps have opened new ways to use geographic information, screen map users are facing new kinds of perceptual and cognitive challenges. There is, however, quite little knowledge of how people find information from a screen map. This paper describes a study where geographic objects were searched for from a screen map by using either zooming or scrolling. The aim of the study was to find out, whether there is a difference in search performance between different map user groups. Half of the participants were novice users; half of them were more experienced with screen maps. The searched-for object was shown on an index map, which was either visible during the whole trial or flashed shortly in the beginning of a trial. Participants’ eye movements were recorded. Our results suggested that experience with GIS, screen maps and computers had an effect on search performance. Experienced map users searched for map objects faster than novices. They apparently interpreted map information and analysed it more efficiently than novices. Scrolling was a more efficient method to move around a map than zooming. The mode of presentation of the index map had only a small effect. An index map flashed shortly at the beginning of a trial seemed to be sufficient.