Perceptually Shaded Slope Maps for the Visualization of Digital Surface Models

Although shaded relief, or hillshaded, images are a widely used method to represent high-resolution (~1-m) digital surfaces derived from airborne laser (or LiDAR) scans, such displays may become difficult to interpret when they include surface features like buildings, roadways, and natural vegetation. One possible alternative as a visualization of such surface models is a representation based on slope shading – the steeper, the darker – but attenuated to the perceptual bias of overestimation of slope. The empirical work presented here demonstrates that Perceptually Shaded Slope Maps (PSSMs) perform as well or better than either hillshaded or hypsometric images on map-reading tasks, including profile estimation and mental rotation. Bien que le relief par ombres portées (ou images par estompage) soit largement utilisé pour représenter les surfaces numériques à haute résolution (~1 m) dérivées du balayage laser aéroporté ou de la détection et télémétrie par ondes lumineuses (LiDAR), de telles représentations peuvent être difficiles à interpréter lorsqu’elles présentent certains éléments de surface comme des immeubles, des routes et de la végétation. Il existe une solution de rechange pour visualiser ce type de modèles de surface : il s’agit d’une représentation fondée sur l’ombrage des surfaces inclinées – plus elles sont abruptes, plus elles sont foncées – mais limitée au biais perceptuel qui engendre une surestimation des pentes. Les travaux empiriques présentés dans cet article démontrent que les cartes dont les pentes sont ombragées sur le plan perceptuel donnent des résultats aussi bons, voire meilleurs, que les images hypsométriques ou par estompage pour des tâches de lecture de cartes qui comprennent l’estimation du profil et la rotation mentale.

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