The effectiveness of qualitative spatial representation in supporting spatial awareness and spatial decision-making

Qualitative Spatial Representation (QSR) provides a foundation for encoding knowledge about objects in space and the relationships between them using discrete intervals rather than scalable or measurable numeric representations. QSR is said to be easier for humans to grasp than quantitative representation (e.g., coordinate systems) because it distinguishes space in a manner similar to the way we refer to space in daily speech and thought. In the discussion below I describe an exploration into the effectiveness of using QSR in 2D and 3D display modes to determine its usefulness for spatial awareness and decision making. The study involved (1) creating spatial query functions based on QSR that capture knowledge about objects in space, (2) building these query functions into a graphical user interface environment as simulated user accessible support functions, and (3) testing the utility of these support functions by evaluating the performance of human subjects in solving sets of spatial decision-making and information retrieval tasks. This research is intended to add to a growing body of knowledge that is being used to evaluate and modify functionality in spatial information systems, as well as spatial decision-making processes in regional planning.