Verification of Cartographic Communication Models Using Detection of Map Reading Strategies Based on Eye Movement Recording

The aim of this paper is to introduce a method that can be used for the verification of cartographic communication models. The authors of the maps were placed in the role of the users of their maps. Then, eye-tracking was utilized to reveal their map reading strategies and compare them with the strategies of other cartographers and cartographic novices. The crucial part of the data analysis was scanpath comparison using the sequence of visited Areas of Interest, which helped quantify map reading strategies' similarity. The use of the same strategy as the map author used might be a prerequisite for users' proper understanding of a map reflected by the overlap of the author's and users' realities in KolacnATIN SMALL LETTER Y WITH ACUTE's model. The overlap was considerable in most cases; however, exceptions in which authors used a different map reading strategy were identified.