WAYFINDING ERRORS OF NAVIGATION IN NATURAL

ENVIRONMENT

Dalibor RADOVAN

WAYFINDING

street network vs. topographic surface

driving a car vs. orienteering

planar graph vs. fuzzy geodesic curve

TOPOGRAPHY

• undulated terrain (distance, height difference)

• rough ground (friction)• obstacles (passability,

vegetation)

GENERAL ORIENTEERING PRINCIPLES

• Use only map and compass.• Turn the map into the direction of

target.• Turn yourself to coincide map north

with compass north.• Choose optimal path regarding your

orientation and physical ability.• Walk / run!• Permanently follow distance and

topographic features.

OPTIMAL PATHIndiviadual (personal) preferences:

• least cost path• optimal energy consumption

(orienteering)• shortest path (difficult)• least steep path (too long)• least risky path (too time consuming)

STRATEGY, PLANNING, EXECUTION

• general strategy of navigation in advance• local planning in execution of the travel (mostly

inside visual horizon)• various tricks used depending on the local

situation

ERRORS IN WAYFINDING

• street network: wrong turn on crossroad• topographic surface: deviation from optimal path

ERRORS IN WAYFINDING ON TOPOGRAPHIC SURFACE

• differential adaptive process (cognitive and physical ability)

• small errors permanently present (am I still on optimal way?)

• gross errors lead to relocation (where am I?)

PARAMETERS AFFECTING THE ERRORS

90 reasons for errors found, related to:

• tools - map and compass• strategy - tricks and techniques• cognition and spatial reasoning - observation,

perception, belief, experience, planning, execution

• personal psycho-physical condition

THE GOALSSimulate an agent and calculate:

• difference between optimal path with and without errors = cost of errors

• difference between optimal path with a map at 1:10.000 and 1:25.000 = cost of imperfect data

• difference between optimal path with a compass and electronic device = cost of cognition?

• mix of each with errors = cost of ? (many options)

POSSIBLE RESULTS

costs of XY >> refine strategy, tools, data