Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Spatial information; Orientation; Flocking'

Mobile phones have become so popular in navigation. Empirical studies, however, have implied several pitfalls of using these mobile systems. First of all, the small size of the mobile screen fragmentizes the map information so that users have to interact with the display frequently for fear of disorientation. In addition, generated navigation guides with continuous displays of routing information relieves users’ cognitive load, but the excessive reliance on the displayed spatial information keeps the users being mindless of the environment that impacts their acquisition of spatial knowledge. Later, landmarks as important referents were suggested to help users integrate the current surroundings with further decision points to support their sense of direction and cognitive mapping. But the small display limited users to access the landmarks located out of the view. To address this issue, designs attempt to display distant landmarks at the edge of screen as a way to overcome the aforementioned limits. In order to enhance spatial orientation while using mobile devices, this study introduced an improved design that not only display the direction but also the distance concept of distant landmarks by changing in size as an indicator of the distance from a user’s location. Built on this, two kinds of mechanism were designed to present the distance concept by icons of different sizes: one is based on ratio scale that icons change in size continuously based on an established ratio to the actual distance between the user and the distant location. The other mechanism is based on ordinal scale which assigns one of three different sizes to a certain range of distance implying near, middle, and far. A formal user study was carried out to compare efficiency of these two mechanisms in four types of distance comparison tasks. Results show that ordinal icons are more effective than ratio icons in visualizing relative distances between two distant landmarks. But for both mechanisms, users have challenges distinguishing distant landmarks from local landmarks when displayed on screen simultaneously. A further step is to explore some other feasible options of representing distance.

This thesis analyses the gender differences in spatial orientation and mental imagery when navigating a virtual environment with only auditory cues. A prototype was developed for an iPod Touch device to evaluate possible gender difference in performance of orientation. A sketch map task was conducted to externalize the participants’ mental representation they achieved from the environment. Questionnaires were used to collect data on previous video game experience, spatial orientation self-assessment and spatial anxiety. A post-interview was conducted to gather qualitative information from the participants on how they experienced the experiment and to collect some background about them. In total, 30 participants (15 females, 15 males) with tertiary education participated in the experiment. The result indicates that there are gender differences in time to complete the tasks in the virtual environment. In the sketch map task, there were no gender differences in how well they sketch and externalize their mental representation of the environment. The post-interview showed tendencies that there are possible gender differences in vividness of mental imagery.

Psychology
Ph.D.
This paper examines the integration of geometric and feature cues in spatial memory with a modified version of the spatial reorientation task. Proponents of the geometric module position argue that there is an encapsulated reorientation module, and that true reorientation is accomplished only via geometry (Lee & Spelke, 2010). Features can be used in a second and separate step, but only to locate a goal rather than as a reorientation cue. In contrast, proponents of the adaptive combination approach argue that geometry and feature cues are integrated in spatial memory and that both cues can be used to facilitate reorientation (Newcombe & Ratliff, 2007). The present experiment provides support for the adaptive combination position. The first phase of the experiment was a reorientation task in a trapezoid enclosure (unambiguous geometry) with a narrow feature strip (unambiguous feature). During training, participants started facing a set direction, were disoriented, and then were asked to return to the original facing direction using the geometry, the feature, or both. During these training trials, participants were biased in the direction of the feature, indicating that both features and geometry might be integrated in a Bayesian fashion in spatial memory. The test trials provided additional support for integration and the adaptive combination position. There were four conflict test conditions where the feature moved in relation to the geometry present in training. When the feature moved a small distance in the direction of the geometry, when the feature moved to a novel wall, or when the feature moved a small distance away from the geometry of an acute corner angle, participants selected the correct geometric position. In contrast, when the feature moved a small distance away from the geometry of an obtuse corner angle or when the feature moved a moderate distance away from the geometry of either an acute or an obtuse angle, participants integrated their response and selected and area between the training geometry and feature. The modularity position predicts choices exclusively at the geometry position. This was not found. The adaptive combination position predicts that features and geometry will sometimes be used independently and crucially can be integrated. The data support this position. In sum, the present research provides the first evidence for integration of geometric and feature cues in adult spatial memory during reorientation, and supports the adaptive combination position. Additionally, a mini spatial battery was administered to participants. Correlations of individual differences in spatial skills with reorientation in this paradigm are discussed.
Temple University--Theses

Thesis (M.A.)--Georgia State University, 2007.
Title from file title page. David A. Washburn, committee chair; Eric Vanman, Michael J. Beran, Heather Kleider, committee members. Electronic text (76 p. : col. ill.) : digital, PDF file. Description based on contents viewed Mar. 25, 2008. Includes bibliographical references (p. 71-76).

The purpose of this study was to examine how the design of the wards, at Björnkulla nursing home, affects the residents’ wayfinding ability and autonomy. Thus, the aim has been to make a design proposal that, trough color and design can increase the residents’ chance to independent mobility. Since the study aimed to examine how the environment affect and can support people with dementia, qualitative methods were used. Observations of the two dementia wards were carried out as a starting point, and as a means to compare the different design of the two wards. The observations were complimented by two informant interviews, with people linked to the nursing home, the head of unite and the occupational therapist. The result show that staff, in most cases, guides the residents between the common room and the residents own apartments. In addition, the residents ask for help when they need to visit the toilet and often remain seated in the same place throughout the day, with the exception of those who exhibit wandering behavior. The results clearly state that people suffering from dementia are dependent on the spatial design in order to orient themselves independently. The results also show the benefit of an open floor plan with almost immediate visual access to main destinations. The major weakness, of the wards current design, concerns the ability of the residents to independently find their way from the common room back to their own apartment. Mainly because the doors do not distinguish themselves from each other. This would suggest that the most important design feature, for a person suffering from dementia, is transparency. In the meaning direct view of the destination. Complimented by clear and distinct landmarks. The design proposal therefore supports aiming as a wayfinding strategy. As a result it contains a color-coding system, that distinguish the residents doors, and additional landmarks that facilitate wayfinding from one decision point to the next, when the doors are not directly visible. Also included in the design proposal is a concept that can help minimize wandering.
Avsikten med studien har varit att undersöka hur utformningen av avdelningarna, på Björnkulla äldre- och demensboende, påverkar de boendes orienterbarhet och självständighet. Därmed har syftet varit att finna ett gestaltningsförslag som via färg och form kan ge de boende större möjligheter till självständig rörlighet. Eftersom studien syftar till att utreda hur miljön påverkar och kan stödja personer med demens, har kvalitativa metoder använts. Som utgångspunkt utfördes observationer på boendets två demensavdelningar, eftersom dessa skiljer sig åt i sin utformning. Observationerna lade grunden för informantintervjuer med två personer som är knutna till boendet; enhetschefen och arbetsterapeuten. Resultatet visar att personalen i de flesta fall följer med de boende mellan de gemensamma utrymmena och den egna lägenheten. Dessutom ber de boende om hjälp när de ska till toaletten och blir ofta sittande på ett och samma ställe i de gemensamma utrymmena. Undantaget är de personer som uppvisar vandringsbeteende. Resultaten påvisar tydligt att de dementa är beroende av miljöns utformning för att kunna orientera sig självständigt. De visar också styrkan i den öppna planlösningen och en nästan omedelbar visuell tillgången till avgörande platser. Bristerna, i de befintliga avdelningarnas utformning, finns framförallt när de boende ska ta sig tillbaka till de egna lägenheterna eftersom dörrarna inte särskiljer sig från varandra. Det talar för att de viktigaste aspekterna för att stödja en dement person att orientera sig och hitta självständigt på en avdelning, är visuell transparens och tydliga, distinkta landmärken. Gestaltningsförslaget stödjer på grund av detta wayfinding strategin aming. Det innehåller därför ett färgkodningssystem, som särskiljer de boendes dörrar. Färgkodningssystemet kompletteras också med ytterligare landmärken som kan stödja orientering från beslutspunkt till beslutspunkt, när dörrarna inte är direkt synliga. Dessutom ingår, i gestaltningsförslaget, ett koncept som kan hjälpa till att stimulera till mindre vandringsbeteende.

Detta är ett examensarbete inom informationsdesign med inriktning rumslig gestaltning. Studien har skett på Vårdcentralen Linden i Katrineholm, där patienter har svårt att hitta till rätt väntrum. Syftet med mitt examensarbete har varit att förtydliga orienterbarheten till väntrummen på vårdcentralen. Ett gestaltningsförslag ska skapas som ska underlätta för patienter att hitta till rättväntrum. I studien har metoder som rumsanalys, enkäter och kvalitativa intervjuer använts för att få en uppfattning om patienters upplevelser på vårdcentralen. Genom metoderna visade det sig att bl.a. många föredrog att få information omväntrum när man är på plats. Resultat från litteraturstudier och insamlad empirin har därefter lett till ett gestaltningsförslag som ska fungera som en röd tråd från incheckning till väntrummen.
This is a thesis in Information Design with a focus on Spatial Design. The study has been done in Vårdcentral Linden, a health centre in Katrineholm, where patients have been experiencing difficulty finding their way to the right waiting room. The purpose of this thesis has been to improve orientation to the waiting rooms in the health centre. A design proposal will be made to make it easier for patients to find the right waiting room. In this study, methods such as space analysis, surveys and interviews have been used to get an idea of the patient’s experiences at the health centre. The methods showed that, for instance, many people preferred to get information about waiting rooms while on the spot. Results from literature studies and analysis of collected data have subsequentlyled to a design proposal that will act as a “red thread” from the check-in area to the waiting rooms.

This is a thesis in Information design with focus on Spatial Design. This study examines how information can be shaped and placed in a multipurpose building to make it easier for the visitor to understand the place and find their way. The examined place is Kulturhuset in Hallstahammar, where the target audience is visitor who has no experience or very little experience of the place. The purpose of the thesis is to explore how information design in a spatial context can be designed to facilitate the understanding and simplify the orientability of a multi-story building, in a house with multipurpose.    Through literature studies, place analysis, survey with expert users and an analysis of similar projects, a design proposal has been produced that has been presented through rendered images. The results of the study show that a map of the building provides a clear overview of the premises and the activities Kulturhuset offers. Together with color coding and pictograms, visitors can easily see where their destination is and how to get there.
Detta är ett examensarbete inom informationsdesign med inriktning på rumslig gestaltning. Denna studien undersöker hur information kan utformas och placeras i en komplex yta för att underlätta för människor att förstå en plats och hitta rätt. Platsen som undersöks är Kulturhuset i Hallstahammar där målgruppen är nya besökare som inte har någon eller endast lite vetskap om platsen. Syftet med examensarbetet är att utforska hur informationsdesign i en rumslig kontext kan utformas för att underlätta förståelsen samt förenkla orienterbarheten i en flervåningsbyggnad, som inrymmer flera olika verksamheter.   Genom litteraturstudier, platsanalys, frågeformulär med expertanvändare samt en omvärldsanalys har ett gestaltningsförslag kunnat tagits fram som presenterats genom renderade bilder. Resultatet av studien påvisar att en karta över byggnaden ger en tydlig överblick över lokalerna samt verksamheterna som huserar i byggnaden. Tillsammans med färgkodning och piktogram kan besökare enkelt se vart deras slutmål för att sedan kunna ta sig dit.

Os macacos-prego são primatas bastante flexíveis quanto à sua alimentação, ocupando ambientes com características diversas e, por isso, possuindo a mais ampla distribuição geográfica entre os primatas do Novo Mundo. Possuem habilidades como o uso de ferramentas e reconhecimento espacial de sua área de uso na busca por alimentos, utilizando sistemas de orientação egocêntrico e alocêntrico. No entanto, estudos sobre o sistema de orientação desses animais em vida livre, com observação naturalística, são raros. Pelas similaridades filogenéticas e convergências adaptativas com humanos, principalmente no que se refere à variabilidade comportamental associada à diversidade dos ambientes ocupados, pesquisas sobre cognição espacial de Cebus nigritus são necessárias e importantes para investigar se a flexibilidade comportamental desse primata observa-se também quanto às capacidades de orientação espacial. O objetivo desse estudo foi contribuir para o entendimento dos sistemas de orientação que podem estar envolvidos quando os macacos-pregos constroem suas rotas. Os sujeitos desse estudo são macacos-pregos (Cebus nigritus) selvagens, vivendo na Mata Atlântica, no Parque Estadual Carlos Botelho (PECB), porção sul do Estado de São Paulo. Os macacosprego foram seguidos durante dias consecutivos em um total de 100 dias (2006, 2007 e 2008) e seus movimentos foram registrados como pontos de coordenadas geográficas com o uso de GPS. As rotas foram então mapeadas e analisadas com o apoio de tecnologia de sistemas de informação geográfica (ArcView 9.2 e 9.3). As rotas foram analisadas em mapas topográficos e modelos em terceira dimensão. Com o uso de sistemas de informação geográfica foram realizadas análises para verificar se os animais deslocam-se por um sistema de mapa de redes preferenciais; se aumentam a velocidade de deslocamento quando se aproximam de uma fonte de alimento ou sítio de dormida, o que seria evidência de memória espacial; se fazem uma trajetória mais linear, quando se aproximam de uma fonte de alimento ou sítio de dormida, o que seria evidência de orientação alocêntrica. Os resultados indicaram que os macacos-prego vivendo no PECB não se deslocam por um sistema de mapa de redes preferenciais e se deslocam em maior velocidade e linearidade para fontes de alimento conhecidas, sugerindo que possuem memória da localização destas fontes. Em metade da amostra, os animais atingem as fontes de alimento por meio de atalhos, sugerindo o uso de um mecanismo de orientação alocêntrico.
Capuchin monkeys are remarkable for their flexible foraging behavior, occupying environments with diverse characteristics, and, because of these elements they have the largest geographic distribution among the New World primates. They have skills such as tool use and spatial recognition of their home range when searching for food, relying on both egocentric and allocentric orientation systems. However, studies about the orientation systems of these animals in the wild, with naturalistic observation, are rare. Because of the adaptive convergence and phylogenetic similarities to humans, mainly with regards to behavioral variability linked to the diversity of occupied environments, research on Cebus nigritus spatial cognition are required and important to investigate whether the behavioral flexibility of these primates is also observed in terms of their spatial orientation skills. The goal of this study was to contribute to the comprehension of the orientation systems that may be involved when the capuchin monkeys build their routes. The subjects of this study are wild capuchin monkeys (Cebus nigritus), living as a group, in the Atlantic Forest, in the Carlos Botelho State Park (PECB), southern portion of the State of Sao Paulo (Brazil). The capuchin monkeys were followed during consecutive days totaling 100 days (2006, 2007, and 2008) and their movements were registered as points of geographic coordinates with the use of GPS. The routes were then mapped and analyzed with the support of geographic information systems (ArcView 9.2 and 9.3). The routes were analyzed in topographic maps and three-dimensional models. Multiple analyses, supported by geographic information systems, were developed to verify if the animals move according to a system of network routes; if they increase their moving speed when closer to a source of food or sleeping site (evidence of spatial memory); if they use a more linear path, when closer to a source of food or sleeping site (evidence of allocentric orientation). Findings suggest that capuchin monkeys living in PECB do not move based on a system of network routes and do move faster and more linearly to know sources of food, suggesting that they have memory of the location of such sources. In half of the cases, the animals reach the sources of food using shortcuts, suggesting the use of an allocentric orientation mechanism.

Det här examensarbetet handlar om hur man med hjälp av ett skyltsystem på tre nivåskillnader, i ögonhöjd, på marknivå och på en förhöjd nivå kan underlätta navigeringen till parkeringsautomater i Stockholms innerstad. Denna studie är skriven inom ämnet Informationsdesign med inriktning mot Rumslig gestaltning. Förstagångsbesökares svårighet med att hitta till parkeringsautomater är det praktiska problem som legat till grund för detta arbete. De metoder som använts i denna studie är rumslig analys, innefattande observation samt platsanalys. Även benchmarking, kundresa, intervju, surveyundersökning samt användartest har använts för empirisk datainsamling. Studien har resulterat i ett designförslag som har i syfte att underlätta besökarnas navigering från det att de har parkerat sitt fordon till att de nått parkeringsautomaten. Detta ska medföra att färre kommer bli försenade eller missa sådant som de planerat och på så sätt kommer det även minska stressnivån för samtliga. Stressen som uppstår när en känner sig vilse ska alltså minimeras med hjälp av mitt skyltsystem.
This thesis is about how a three-level sign system; at eye level, at ground level and at an elevated level, can facilitate navigation to parking meters in Stockholm's inner city. This study is written in the field of Information Design with specialization in Spatial Design. The first-time visitor’s difficulty in finding parking meters is the practical problem that underlies this work. The methods used are spatial analysis, including observation as well as site analysis. Benchmarking, customer experience audit, interview, survey and user tests have also been used for empirical data collection. The study has resulted in a design proposal aimed at facilitating visitor’s navigation from the time they have parked their car until they have reached the parking meter. Stress that occurs when one feels lost in a city environment should be minimized with the help of my design proposal. This will result in fewer missed plans for the visitors and an overall better experience of paying for your parking in Stockholm’s inner city.

Detta examensarbete har skrivits inom ämnet informationsdesign, som en del av kandidatprogrammet Informationsdesign med inriktning mot Rumslig gestaltning. Platsen som har studerats är Folkets park i Malmö, som i skrivande stund står inför en större ombyggnation. Detta examensarbete har både tagit utgångspunkt i parkens nuvarande, samt föreslagna utformning, vilket gjort att jag under processen behövt växla mellan dessa två olika perspektiv. Syftet med examensarbetet har varit att ta fram ett koncept som kan förbättra målgruppens möjligheter att orientera sig i parken efter den föreslagna ombyggnationen.   Genom teorier, platsanalyser och intervjuer har människors beteendemönster vid informationssökning i rumsliga sammanhang undersökts, med särskild fokus på hur detta kan fungera i Folkets park. Dessa studier ligger till grund för det designförslag som presenteras i examensarbetet. Designförslaget är ett koncept som avser att ge en tydlig bild av vad parken innehåller, tydliggöra riktningar vid förflyttning mellan olika platser, samt indikera funktion. Konceptet bygger på principer för wayshowing och består mer specifikt av vägledande formelement, som utformats och placerats där de kan förtydliga vägen till parkens lekplatser för målgruppen.
This thesis has been conducted within the field of information design, as a part of the bachelor program Information Design with specialization in Spatial Design. The location that has been studied is the park “Folkets Park” in Malmö, Sweden, which at the moment currently is facing a major rebuilding. This thesis is hence based on both the parks current and proposed design, which has made it necessary to shift between these two different perspectives. The purpose of this thesis has been to develop a design concept that can improve the target audiences’ ability to orientate within the park following the proposed rebuilding. Through the use of theories, site analysis and interviews, has human behavior in search for information within spatial contexts been studied, with a particular emphasis on it’s implications for “Folkets Park”. These studies form the basis for the proposed design presented in the thesis. The proposed design intends to provide a well-defined idea and overview of what the park contains, to clarify directions when moving between different locations within the park, as well as to indicate it’s various functions. The design concept is founded on the principles of wayshowing and consists more specifically of directing form elements, which has been designed and located where they can clarify the way to the park’s playgrounds for the target audience.

L'image, telle que nous la percevons, resulte d'un traitement en parallele de ses constituants "elementaires" suivi de leur synthese en des ensembles significatifs. Ce travail developpe les problemes theoriques souleves par la caracterisation de ces "primitives" visuelles et par le processus de segmentation en general, presente plusieurs classes de modeles de la detection et de l'identification de ces primitives et discute de la compatibilite de leurs predictions quantitatives avec, d'une part, les resultats de la psychophysique et, d'autre part, avec ce que nous savons sur la neurophysiologie des voies visuelles

La détection sans fil a évolué depuis la découverte de la détection radar en 1886. L’analyse des réflexions électromagnétiques d’objets a ouvert la voie à un large éventail d’applications allant de la localisation de cibles à longue distance pour la navigation civile et militaire à la surveillance du vent et des précipitations les prévisions météo à la détection de vitesse pour la sécurité routière. Cependant, pendant très longtemps, la détection sans fil a rarement été utilisée pour des applications centrées sur l’homme en raison de limitations techniques, d’impraticabilité ou de coût. L’introduction des réseaux sans fil a suscité́ un nouvel intérêt pour le développement de nouveaux services de détection sans fil en raison de leur souplesse et de leur polyvalence. L’intégration de ces fonctionnalités contribuerait à résoudre certains problèmes de société importants. La localisation, la détection de mouvements et la surveillance des signes vitaux ont un grand potentiel pour promouvoir le vieillissement en bonne santé, la sécurité publique et le commerce. La détection sans contact offre un degré de liberté appréciable, permettant de surveiller à distance les personnes âgées isolées sans entraver leur vie quotidienne. Elle pourrait aider les services de sécurité publique à dénombrer les foules et à détecter les survivants à l’intérieur des bâtiments en cas d’urgence. Les commerces de détail et les établissements publics tireraient parti d’une localisation active et passive pour offrir une expérience améliorée à leurs visiteurs et faciliter leurs efforts logistiques. Cette thèse aborde le problème de l’exploitation des réseaux sans fil commerciaux pour les applications de détection : L’un des défis de la surveillance sans fil consiste à détecter l’orientation d’une personne avec précision. Tandis que d’autres travaux fournissent des solutions à granularité grossière pour résoudre de tels problèmes, nous utilisons les techniques de radar MIMO pour fournir un système d’estimation d’orientation précis pour lesinfrastructures Wi-Fi. Plus précisément, nous analysons les informations de phase des signaux reçus sur le réseau d’antennes afin de calculer le cap d’un terminal Wi-Fi. Un deuxième défi consiste à fournir un système de positionnement précis aux systèmes LPWAN afin de maintenir la cohérence des informations des capteurs déployés. Les solutions actuelles sont complexes, coûteuses ou consomment beaucoup d’énergie. Pour résoudre ce problème, nous introduisons les fonctions MIMO dans les systèmes LoRa LPWAN afin de permettre une localisation précise avec des coûts de démarrage limités. Nous activons l’estimation de l’angle d’arrivée en utilisant une deuxième antenne sur la passerelle LoRaWAN. Nous prouvons également l’utilité de ces informations pour augmenter l’efficacité des communications sans fil. Un troisième défi pour la localisation sans fil est l’inefficacité des approches actuelles basées sur un modèle en cas de conditions de non-visibilité et la rigidité des approches basées sur les données en cas de changements d’environnement de propagation. Pour relever ce défi, nous proposons une nouvelle solution de localisation passive pilotée par les données afin de remédier aux limitations des techniques de localisation basées sur un modèle. Pour donner vie à de tels systèmes et leur donner une chance d’impact sur notre quotidien, nous devons promouvoir la réutilisabilité et la reproductibilité. Pour cela, nous essayons de relever le défi de la reproductibilité dans les réseaux sans fil enanalysant l’état actuel, en réalisant une étude de cas et en présentant les enseignements qui en découlent
Wireless sensing has evolved since the discovery of radio wave echo detection and radar in 1886. Analyzing electromagnetic reflections from objects opened the way for a wide range of applications spanning from locating long-range targets for navigation and military to monitoring wind and precipitation for weather-forecasting to velocity detection for public safety. However, for the longest time, its usefulness was seldom for human-centric applications because of technical limitations, impracticality or costliness. Introducing wireless networks awakened a newfound interest in developing new wireless sensing services for their seamlessness and versatility. Integrating such functionalities would contribute to resolving some prominent societal issues. Localization, motion detection, and vital signs monitoring have great potential for promoting healthy aging, public safety, and retail. Contactless sensing offers an appreciable degree of freedom, enabling remote monitoring of the isolated elderly without hampering their daily lives. It could assist public safety services for crowd counting and detection of survivors inside buildings during emergencies. Retail and public facilities would benefit from passive and active localization to offer an enhanced experience to their visitors and to help their logistical efforts. This thesis addresses the problem of leveraging commercial off-the-shelf wireless networks for sensing applications: One challenge for wireless monitoring is to detect the attitude of a person accurately. While other works provide coarse-grained solutions for resolving such issues, we use MIMO radar techniques to provide an accurate orientation estimation system for Wi-Fi infrastructures. To be more precise, we analyze the phase information of signals received on the antenna array to compute the heading of a Wi-Fi terminal. A second challenge is to provide an accurate positioning system for LPWAN systems to maintain the information consistency of deployed sensors. Current solutions are complex, costly, or not energy-efficient. To address this problem, we introduce MIMO capabilities to LoRa LPWAN systems that provide accurate localization with limited startup costs. We enable the angle of arrival estimation by leveraging a second antenna on the LoRaWAN gateway. We also prove the usefulness of such information for wireless communication efficiency. A third challenge for wireless localization is the inefficiency of current model-based approaches in case of non-line-of-sight conditions and the rigidity of data-driven approaches in case of propagation environment changes. To address this challenge, we propose a new data-driven solution for passive localization to address the limitations of model-based localization techniques. To give life to such systems and provide them with a chance of impacting our everyday lives, we should promote reusability and reproducibility. For that, we focus on the challenge of reproducibility in wireless networking by surveying the current state, performing a case study, and presenting the engendered lessons

In daily life, both animals and humans are often faced with the task of returning to previously visited locations. In many cases, an organism must be able to (1) establish a directional frame of reference and (2) determine location based on surrounding cues in order to solve this problem. Moreover, successful navigation is generally thought to rely on how an organism learns and uses the metric relationships between various locations in its environment. This thesis examines various factors that affect the way animals encode and use metric information in their environment, both to orient and to navigate. A transformation approach is used to determine what aspects of metric information are learned and/or preferred. Additionally, this thesis follows a comparative approach in order to examine similarities and differences among species. In chapter 2, I show that two closely related species of chickadees differently use geometric and featural information when establishing a directional frame of reference. I suggest that ecological factors, but not rearing condition, affect the way that chickadees preferentially use metric or featural information to orient. In chapter 3, I used a similar paradigm to show that a pre-existing directional frame of reference can interact with rats’ use of metric cues to navigate. More specifically, chapter 3 shows that experience gained through training procedures affects the way that rats use metric information in a navigation task. Chapter 4 expands upon this idea, and shows that pigeons encode directional metric differently based on their past experience. Finally, in chapter 5, I examined the flexibility of use of metrics by comparing how search strategies of human adults and children can change based on a goal’s proximity to an edge. To summarize, this thesis shows that use of metric information is malleable and situation-specific and can be affected by a variety of factors including ecology, past experience and boundary information.