2017 article

GazeGIS: A Gaze-Based Reading and Dynamic Geographic Information System

EYE TRACKING AND VISUALIZATION: FOUNDATIONS, TECHNIQUES, AND APPLICATIONS, ETVIS 2015, pp. 129–147.

co-author countries: United States of America πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡Έ
Source: Web Of Science
Added: August 6, 2018

Location is an important component of a narrative. Mapped place names provide vital geographical, economic, historical, political, and cultural context for the text. Online sources such as news articles, travel logs, and blogs frequently refer to geographic locations, but often these are not mapped. When a map is provided, the reader is still responsible for matching references in the text with map positions. As they read a place name within the text, readers must locate its map position, then find their place again in the text to resume reading, and repeat this for each toponym. We propose a gaze-based reading and dynamic geographic information system (GazeGIS) which uses eye tracking and geoparsing to enable a more cohesive reading experience by dynamically mapping locations just as they are encountered within the text. We developed a prototype GazeGIS application and demonstrated its application to several narrative passages. We conducted a study in which participants read text passages using the system and evaluated their experience. We also explored an application for intelligence analysis and discuss how experts in this domain envision its use. Layman and intelligence expert evaluations indicate a positive reception for this new reading paradigm. This could change the way we read online news and e-books, the way school children study political science and geography, the way officers study military history, the way intelligence analysts consume reports, and the way we plan our next vacation.