Beyond mapping: extend the role of cartographers to user interface designers in the Metaverse using virtual reality, augmented reality, and mixed reality

ABSTRACTDr. Buttenfield led the user evaluation and user interface design/improvement tasks in the Alexandra Digital Library (ADL) Project from 1994 to 1998 funded by the National Science Foundation in the U.S. Her research efforts in the ADL extended the role of cartographers from traditional map designers to web-based user interface and user experiences (UI/UX) designers. This paper will highlight key concepts and design principles (including user center design (UCD), usability testing, and user interface evaluation) in the ADL project and re-investigate these pioneering research topics in cartography with recent development of the Metaverse and human-computer interaction (HCI) using Extended Reality (XR), including Virtual Reality, (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), and Mixed Reality (MR). The new role of cartographers today includes user interface designers and usability evaluators using XR-enabled mapping tools and technologies. This paper will discuss cartographic research challenges and opportunities in the era of the Metaverse and highlight some software issues for cartographers to develop 3D or 4D web GIS applications.KEYWORDS: User interface designextended realityvirtual realityaugmented realitythe Metaverse AcknowledgmentsThe Virtual Reality research component is partially funded by the Safety through Disruption (Safe-D) National University Transportation Center, a grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation. The authors thank for insightful comments and suggestions from anonymous reviewers.Disclosure statementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).Data availability statementData sharing is not applicable to this article as no new data were created or analyzed in this study.Additional informationFundingThis work was supported by the National University Transportation Center (UTC) [Safe-D: Evaluating the Safe Routes to School (SR2S)].