Abstract:
Effective handling of location-based data is important to
emergency response management (ERM). Expert team
members co-located around maps typically discuss
events while drawing freeform areas or while using
physical placeholders representing incidents. Key ERM
functions are filtering data, selecting information
recipients, searching datasets, drawing time-dependent
freeform areas, and zooming in on one region while
leaving others unchanged. Under time pressure the
mouse and keyboard could be insufficient; intuitive
graspable solutions, such as tangible user interfaces
(TUIs), may be better suited for ERM. We present
CoTracker, a tangible tabletop system with expected
potential for ERM teamwork. On an interactive map
expert team members can discuss an operational
picture using TUIs like bricks, frames, and pens. With
the participation of domain experts for cognitive walkthrough
studies, we examined how generic and
specialized TUIs can support ERM-related functions. We
present some insights into the design of ERM-focused
tangible tabletops.
