Personal Dimensions of Landmarks

Landmarks are crucial elements of route instructions given by humans. The currently accepted qualification of an object as a landmark is dependent on spatial dimensions, i.e. visual, semantic and structural dimensions. However, even if an object qualifies as a landmark because of its spatial dimensions, its selection by a traveller as wayfinding aid is further influenced by the knowledge and experience of the traveller. A geographical object that is salient for one person may have no importance at all for another person. Thus, there is a need to incorporate more personal dimensions into a comprehensive model of landmarks. We propose such a multidimensional model for landmarks for pedestrians. The main contribution of this paper is the definition of the personal dimensions of landmarks as basis for a multidimensional model. The following personal dimensions are introduced and debated: spatial knowledge, interests, goals and background. Further, attributes and attribute values describing the personal dimensions are identified and data collection is discussed.