Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
together with ScanPath duration and ScanPath length can refer to a strategy of user
cognition style, or quality of examined layout [23].
3.3. Eye-tracking device
According to fundamentals of examined problem it is necessary to use a proper eye-tracker.
Individual devices differ from one another by precision given by the spatial resolution and
accuracy of the point of view. An important parameter is the time resolution, which is
expressed in hertz (Hz). Department of Geoinformatics, Palacký University in Olomouc
owns static SMI RED 250 Eye-tracker (figure 2) with sample frequency of 120 Hz, so data are
recorded approximately every 8 ms.
Device parameters (resolution, mobility) must respect the purpose of the application for
which the device is used. Research on sportsmen or driver concentration, or arrangement of
goods on the shelves requires a mobile device mounted on the head of the subject (the
headset). Evaluation of stimuli on the computer screen or television will rather use the static
device.
Figure 2.
Laboratory setup with static remote SMI RED 250 eye-tracker at Department of
Geoinformatics, Palacký University in Olomouc.
3.4. Current eye-tracking based research on cartographical issues
Anatomy of the human eye is known for hundreds of years, but scientific interest in the
processes of visual perception began only during the 19
th
century [29]. After the Second
World War, one of the first measures of gaze direction was done in 1947. The research was
focused on the behaviour of military pilots during aircraft landing. It was carried out by
analyzing the video with more than 500 000 film frames [30].
With the improvements of the eye-tracking technologies, eye-tracking tools gain their
impacts on the usability field and nowadays they are accepted as a tool to improve
computer interfaces [11]. Currently eye-tracking is utilizable in many areas of human
activity - psychology, medicine, marketing, commercial, etc.
