Gardony Map Drawing Analyzer: Software for quantitative analysis of sketch maps

Abstract

Sketch maps are effective tools for assessing spatial memory. However, despite their widespread use in cognitive science research, sketch map analysis techniques remain unstandardized and carry limitations. In the present article, we present the Gardony Map Drawing Analyzer (GMDA), an open-source software package for sketch map analysis. GMDA combines novel and established analysis techniques into a graphical user interface that permits rapid computational sketch map analysis. GMDA calculates GMDA-unique measures based on pairwise comparisons between landmarks, as well as bidimensional regression parameters (Friedman & Kohler, 2003), which together reflect sketch map quality at two levels: configural and individual landmark. The configural measures assess the overall landmark configuration and provide a whole-map analysis. Individual landmark measures, introduced in GMDA, assess individual landmark placement and indicate how individual landmarks contribute to the configural scores. Together, these measures provide a more complete psychometric picture of sketch map analysis, allowing for comparisons between sketch maps and between landmarks. The calculated measures reflect specific and cognitively relevant aspects of interlandmark spatial relationships, including distance and angular representation. GMDA supports complex environments (up to 48 landmarks) and two software modes that capture aspects of maps not addressed by existing techniques, such as landmark size and shape variation and interlandmark containment relationships. We describe the software and its operation and present a formal specification of calculation procedures for its unique measures. We then validate the software by demonstrating the capabilities and reliability of its measures using simulation and experimental data. The most recent version of GMDA is available at www. aarongardony.com/tools/map-drawing-analyzer.

The role of visuo‐spatial abilities in environment learning from maps and navigation over the adult lifespan

“…This involved positioning the landmarks recalled on a sketch map (Figure A), which reproduced (on A4 paper) the borders of the layout of the environment and an arrow indicating the starting point. The Gardony Map Drawing Analyzer (GMDA; Gardony, Taylor, & Brunyé, ) was used for scoring purposes, and the square root of the canonical organization (SQRT‐CO), ranging from 0 to 1, was considered as a global index of accuracy.…”

Path Learning From Navigation in Aging: The Role of Cognitive Functioning and Wayfinding Inclinations

“…This involved placing as many of the landmarks as possible in their right relationship to one another on a sketch map (A4 format; see Figure 1). The square root of the canonical organization was considered as a global index of accuracy (scores: 0-1; Gardony et al, 2016).…”

The influence of landmarks and urban form on cognitive maps using virtual reality

“…between subjects stated landmark locations versus the actual coordinate location. We term this the subjects' Landmark Configuration Accuracy, following the configural landmark scores of Gardony, Taylor, & Brunyé (2016). The same is done for the end point of the route, determining Route Accuracy.…”

“…Historically, sketch map analysis has consisted of a lengthy and often unstandardized process of qualitative analysis through carefully designed scoring rubrics, affecting data objectivity with reviewer bias. As a remedy to this, new software tools are being devised for quantitative sketch map analysis to objectively assess cognitive map accuracy (Gardony et al, 2016). This study employs a custom software package to analyze spatial knowledge from sketch maps in an automated computer program purpose-built for this study.…”