2026-09-10T09:45:00Z https://drops.dagstuhl.de/oai

oai:drops-oai.dagstuhl.de:27567 2026-09-10T05:38:43Z ddc:004 open_access

Capturing Environmental Scale Spatial Cognition in Applied Settings: A Field Based Pilot with Firefighters (Short Paper) McWhorter, Chelsie Baylis, Kathy Hegarty, Mary Cognitive maps navigation route decision making operational data collection tool creation Understanding how spatial knowledge is organized and used across real-world tasks remains an important challenge in spatial cognition research. This paper presents a pilot test of SPaRKS, a framework developed to capture cognitive map accuracy, route decision making, verbalized navigation strategies, GPS use, and navigational value across a dynamic set of cartographic tasks and questionnaires. Using firefighters as an applied pilot group (n=24), we examine whether the tool can capture both route attribute tradeoffs and broader variation in spatial knowledge across individuals and groups. Results indicate that route choice was shaped primarily by distance and steep grades, suggesting that participants did not rely on shortest-path logic alone, but instead weighed practical roadway characteristics when making routing decisions. The pilot also identified meaningful variation across multiple spatial measures, indicating that SPaRKS can move beyond isolated task performance to support the development of integrated spatial profiles. Taken together, this preliminary study illustrates that SPaRKS is a viable framework for examining environmental scale spatial knowledge in applied settings. More broadly, the paper demonstrates the value of a multimodal approach for studying how spatial knowledge is organized and used across route decisions, cognitive map tasks, and self-reported navigation tendencies. Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik Chelsie McWhorter and Kathy Baylis and Mary Hegarty 2026 Is Part Of LIPIcs, Volume 393, 17th International Conference on Spatial Information Theory (COSIT 2026) InProceedings Text doc-type:ResearchArticle publishedVersion application/pdf doi:10.4230/LIPIcs.COSIT.2026.23 urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-275675 https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.COSIT.2026.23 eng https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode