Analysis of Sketch Maps Using the Buffer Centroid Method

Abstract

This paper proposes a new analytical method for sketch maps, called the “buffer centroid method.” It is an extension of the method based on the concept of buffering developed by Takai et al. (2003). In applying the buffer centroid method to sketch map analysis, we focus on spatial differences in levels of detail at which the maps are drawn. The differences can be useful to understand people’s spatial cognition from sketch maps as that is not always considered sufficiently using the method of Takai et al. (2003) alone.

In the new method, the centroid of the buffered region generated from all roads contained in a sketch map is taken into account, which moves as the buffer radius for the generation increases. The total distance of the movement of the centroid indicates the existence of spatial differences in the level of detail in a sketch map. Since the buffer centroid method indicates the existence of spatial differences in sketch maps, we can apply it to considerations of the anchor-point theory, which focuses on differences in peoples’ spatial cognition. Thus, the proposed method has the potential to contribute to research on spatial cognition.