Cognitive Engineering for Geographic Information Science

Abstract

Geographic information science provides the foundation for the development of geospatial tools and services that support people in their spatio-temporal decision-making. In order to offer useful and useable solutions, principles of human spatial cognition regarding the representation and processing of spatial and temporal aspects of phenomena must be considered in the design of these tools. Such cognitively engineered geospatial services aim for cognitive adequacy and therefore facilitation of user interaction. This article argues for the necessity of cognitive engineering methods in the field of geographic information science by explicating their theoretical foundation and demonstrating practical geospatial applications. It further provides a framework for classifying cognitive user parameters, which can be employed for the personalization of geospatial services.