The inspection of very large images by eye-gaze control

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.

REFERENCES

• 1: Adams, N., Witkowski, M. and Spence, R. (2007) The Exploration of Large Image Spaces by Gaze Control, Proc. COGAIN-07, 78--81.
• 2: Ashmore, M., Duchowski, A. T., & Shoemaker, G. (2005) Efficient eye pointing with a fisheye lens, Proc. Graphics Interface GI-2005, 203--210.
• 3: Bates, R. and Istance, H. (2005) Fly Where You Look: Enhancing Gaze Based Interaction in 3D Environments, Proc. COGAIN-05, 30--32.
• 4: Bertera, J. H. and Rayner, K. (2000) Eye Movements and the Span of the Effective Stimulus in Visual Search, Perception & Psychophysics, 62(3), 576--585.
• 5: Cooper, K., de Bruijn, O., Spence, R. and Witkowski, M. (2006) A Comparison on Static and Moving Presentation Modes for Image Collections, Proc. AVI-06, 381--388.
• 6: Duchowski., A. T. (2003) Eye Tracking Methodology: Theory & Practice. Springer-Verlag, London, UK.
• 7: Duchowski, A. T., Cournia, N. and Murphy, H. (2004) Gaze-Contingent Displays: A Review, Cyberpsychology & Behavior, 7(6), 621--634.
• 8: Fono, D. & Vertegaal, R. (2005) EyeWindows: evaluation of eye-controlled zooming windows for focus selection. Proc. CHI-05, 151--160.
• 9: Gips, J. and Olivieri, P. (1996) EagleEyes: An Eye Control System for Persons with Disabilities, Proc. 11^th Int. Conf on Technology and Persons with Disabilities, 13pp.
• 10: Gutwin, C. (2002) Improving Focus Targeting in Interactive Fisheye Views, Proc. CHI-02, 267--274.
• 11: Jacob, R. J. K. (1995) Eye Tracking in Advanced Interface Design, in: Barfield, W. and Furness, T. A. (eds.) Virtual Environemts and Advanced Interface Design, New York:Oxford University Press, 258--288.
• 12: Kumar, M., Paepcke, A. and Winograd, T. (2007) EyePoint: Practical Pointing and Selection Using Gaze and Keyboard, Proc. CHI-07, 421--430.
• 13: Larsson, P., Västfjäll, D., and Kleiner, M. (2001). The Actor-observer Effect in Virtual Reality Presentations. CyberPsychology and Behavior, 4(2), 239--246.
• 14: Lepinski, G. J. and Vertegaal, R. (2007) Using Face Position for Low Cost Input, Long Range and Oculomotor Impaired Users, Proc. COGAIN-07, 71--73.
• 15: Majaranta, P. and Räihä, K. J. (2002) Twenty Years of Eye Typing: Systems and Design Issues, Proc. ETRA-02, 15--22.
• 16: Mello-Thomas, C. (2003) Perception of Breast Cancer: Eye-Position Analysis of Mammogram Interpretation, Acad. Radiol., 10, 4--12.
• 17: Miniotas, D. and Špakov, O. (2004) An Algorithm to Counteract Eye Jitter in Gaze-Controlled Interfaces. Information Technology and Control, 1(30), 65--68.
• 18: Miniotas, D., Špakov, O. and Scott MacKenzie, I. (2004) Eye Gaze Interaction with Expanding Targets, Proc. CHI-04, 1255--1258.
• 19: Pirolli, P., Card, S. K. and van der Wege, M. M. (2000) The Effect of Information Scent on Searching Information Visualizations of Large Tree Structures, Proc. AVI-00, 161--172.
• 20: Sibert, L. E. and Jacob, R. J. K. (2000) Evaluation of Eye Gaze interaction, Proc. CHI-00, 281--288.
• 21: Spence, R. and Apperley, M. D. (1982): Data Base Navigation: An Office Environment for the Professional. Behaviour and Information Technology, 1(1), 43--54.
• 22: Starker, I. and Bolt, R. A. (1990) A Gaze Responsive Self-Disclosing Display, Proc. CHI-90, 3--9.
• 23: Tiersma, E. S. M., Peters, A. A. W., Mooij, H. A. and Fleuren, G. J. (2003) Visualising Scanning Patterns of Pathologists in the Grading of Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia, J. Clin. Pathol., 56, 677--680.
• 24: Zelinsky, G. J. and Sheinberg, D. L. (1997) Eye Movements During Parallel-Serial Visual Search, J. Exp. Psychol.: Human Perception and Performance, 23(1), 244--262.
• 25: Zhai, S., Morimoto, C. and Ihde, S. (1999) Manual and Gaze Input Cascaded (MAGIC) Pointing, Proc. CHI-99, 246--253

INDEX TERMS

Keywords:
eye-gaze control, image space navigation, user interaction studies, visual interaction