Human-Computer Interaction in Map Revision Systems

Cartographic map revision cannot be automated completely because, for legal reasons, a human operator is ultimately responsible for all revisions. We present a human-centered map revision system in which the human operator retains complete control over the operations with the computer acting as an apprentice and, later, as an assistant. The apprentice learns simple tasks from the human operator by tracking, parsing and modeling all input operations in tasks such as road tracking. The computer also learns by itself during the tracking process. Eventually, the apprentice can take over these tasks from the human and execute them, returning control to the human operator whenever problems arise. Initial results prove the efficiency and reliability of this approach compared map revision performed by the human operator, per se.