Thursday, September 18, 2008

The Inspection of Very Large Images by Eye-gaze Control

Nicholas Adams, Mark Witkowski and Robert Spence from the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering at the Imperial College London got the HCI 08 Award for International Excellence for work related to gaze interaction.

"The researchers presented novel methods for navigating and inspecting extremely large images solely or primarily using eye gaze control. The need to inspect large images occurs in, for example, mapping, medicine, astronomy and surveillance, and this project considered the inspection of very large aerial images, held in Google Earth. Comparative search and navigation tasks suggest that, while gaze methods are effective for image navigation, they lag behind more conventional methods, so interaction designers might consider combining these techniques for greatest effect." (BCS Interaction)

Abstract

The increasing availability and accuracy of eye gaze detection equipment has encouraged its use for both investigation and control. In this paper we present novel methods for navigating and inspecting extremely large images solely or primarily using eye gaze control. We investigate the relative advantages and comparative properties of four related methods: Stare-to-Zoom (STZ), in which control of the image position and resolution level is determined solely by the user's gaze position on the screen; Head-to-Zoom (HTZ) and Dual-to-Zoom (DTZ), in which gaze control is augmented by head or mouse actions; and Mouse-to-Zoom (MTZ), using conventional mouse input as an experimental control.

The need to inspect large images occurs in many disciplines, such as mapping, medicine, astronomy and surveillance. Here we consider the inspection of very large aerial images, of which Google Earth is both an example and the one employed in our study. We perform comparative search and navigation tasks with each of the methods described, and record user opinions using the Swedish User-Viewer Presence Questionnaire. We conclude that, while gaze methods are effective for image navigation, they, as yet, lag behind more conventional methods and interaction designers may well consider combining these techniques for greatest effect.

This paper is the short version of Nicolas Adams Masters thesis which I stumbled upon before creating this blog. A early version appeared as a short paper for COGAIN06.

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