Accommodating Individual Differences in Software Designed for Location-Based Survey Tasks

使用数字地图、图像和全球定位系统(GPS)接收器支持一系列实地调查活动，被认为是一个在降低国家调查费用和提高数据质量方面可能有很高回报的领域。然而，目前缺乏有效利用这些资源的适当调查方法。这项研究的长期目标是开发一种理论上有基础但又实用的方法，用于设计依赖地理空间资源来支持基于位置的实地任务的计算机辅助调查工具。该项目将通过以下方式为这一目标作出贡献：为不同的基于位置的调查任务开发自然决策模型，反映因个体差异(例如，空间能力)而产生的战略的多样性；并开发模型软件界面，以适应使用计算机和综合环境和数字地理空间信息的战略上的差异。这项工作将从建立自然决策模型开始，以描述被称为地址验证的调查任务，该任务涉及评估地面上的住房单元的位置是否准确地在地图上描绘。该模型将描述任务执行与个人能力的关系，如空间对象的心理旋转、视角选择和空间记忆。这一方法包括概述一个高级别的自然主义决策模式，以描述外地工作人员可获得和选择的线索(信息)、根据这些信息提出的假设(如果有)以及所选择的导致任务完成的行动。使用这个模板，将创建一系列更具体的模型，描述空间能力的差异如何影响决策过程。将使用专家评估和实地认知演练方法来进一步建立和改进模型。根据从这些决策建模调查中获得的理解，将为地址验证任务开发两个用户界面视图的模型。第一个用户界面视图将是一个基本界面，它提供所需的地图功能，而不考虑任何用户差异。第二个用户界面视图将被设计为使用我们在建模研究中学到的内容的包容性界面。关于与空间能力有关的领域行为(例如，首选线索、地图使用、任务顺序)的变化的信息将用于为包容性用户界面视图创建一组屏幕。现场调查专家和认知心理学家将根据他们对现场工作人员行为的知识和经验来评估这些筛选草案。这项研究是为基于位置的调查现场任务制定界面设计原则的迭代进程的重要第一步，该任务依赖包容性软件设计方法来适应个体差异。这项研究将对基础科学和应用科学做出若干实质性贡献。首先，该项目将开始制定一种理论方法，以便有效地将地理空间信息资源纳入计算机辅助的实地勘测工具。通过这个过程，自然主义的决策理论将被扩展到包括个体能力的异质性，特别是空间能力。此外，将扩大用户界面设计方法，以处理涉及科学协议的任务的地理空间数据背景。这项研究的实际影响将在实地调查中感受到，这些调查提高了实地业务的效率，提高了国家统计基础设施和其他大规模调查的数据和调查估计的质量。这个项目将为人机交互、计算机科学和统计学的学生提供跨学科和跨组织研究合作的实质性经验。作为支持调查和统计方法研究的联合活动的一部分，这项研究得到了方法学、测量和统计计划和一个联邦统计机构联盟的支持。

The use of digital maps, imagery and global positioning system (GPS) receivers to support a range of field survey activities is perceived as an area that has potentially high payoff in terms of reduced costs and improved data quality for national surveys. At present, however, appropriate survey methods for effectively using these resources are lacking. The long-term goal of this research is to develop a theoretically grounded yet practical approach for designing computer-assisted survey instruments that rely on geospatial resources to support location-based field tasks. The project will contribute to this goal by developing naturalistic decision-making models for distinct location-based survey tasks that reflect the diversity of strategies that result from individual differences (e.g., in spatial ability), and by developing model software interfaces that accommodate variation in strategies for using computers and integrating environmental and digital geospatial information. The work will begin with building naturalistic decision-making models to describe a survey task referred to as address verification, which involves evaluating whether the location of a housing unit on the ground is accurately depicted on a map. The model will describe how task implementation varies in relation to individual abilities, such as mental rotation of spatial objects, perspective taking, and spatial memory. The approach involves outlining a high-level naturalistic decision-making model to describe cues (information) available to and selected by a field staff member, hypotheses (if any) that are formulated from this information, and the action selected that leads to completion of the task. Using this template, a series of more specific models will be created that describe how variation in spatial ability affects the decision-making process. Expert evaluation and field-based cognitive walk-through methods will be used to further build and refine models. With the understanding gained from these decision-modeling investigations, models of two user-interface views will be developed for the address verification task. The first user-interface view will be a basic interface that provides the required map functionality without taking any user differences into consideration. The second user-interface view will be designed to be an inclusive interface using what was learned in our modeling research. Information on variation in field behaviors (e.g., preferred cues, map use, task order) in relation to spatial ability will be used to create the set of screens for the inclusive user-interface views. Survey field experts and cognitive psychologists will evaluate these draft screens in relation to their knowledge and experience with field staff behaviors. This research is an important first step of an iterative process to develop interface design principles for location-based survey field tasks that rely on an inclusive software design approach to accommodate individual differences. This research will make several substantive contributions to both basic and applied science. First, the project will begin developing a theoretical approach for effectively incorporating geospatial information resources in computer-assisted instruments for field surveys. Through this process, naturalistic decision-making theory will be extended to include heterogeneity in individual abilities, specifically spatial ability. In addition, user interface design approaches will be broadened to handle the context of geospatial data for a task involving scientific protocols. The practical impact of the research will be felt in fielding surveys with improved field operations efficiency and enhanced quality of data and survey estimates for the national statistical infrastructure and other large-scale surveys. This project will provide students in human-computer interaction, computer science, and statistics with a substantive experience with interdisciplinary and inter-organizational research collaboration. The research is supported by the Methodology, Measurement, and Statistics Program and a consortium of federal statistical agencies as part of a joint activity to support research on survey and statistical methodology.