• DOI:10.1061/9780784482421.020
• Corpus ID: 84836771

First Responders’ Spatial Working Memory of Large-Scale Buildings: Implications of Information Format

@article{Shi2019FirstRS,
  title={First Responders’ Spatial Working Memory of Large-Scale Buildings: Implications of Information Format},
  author={Yangming Shi and Jing Du and Shyam Prathish Sargunam and Eric D. Ragan and Qi Zhu},
  journal={Computing in Civil Engineering 2019},
  year={2019}
}

• Yangming Shi, Jing Du, +2 authors Qi Zhu
• Published 13 June 2019
• Psychology
• Computing in Civil Engineering 2019

In emergency events, first responders often have to build an accurate spatial working memory of unfamiliar spaces in a short time period. This study investigates the impact of information format on first responders’ short-term spatial memory of large-scale spaces via a human-subject experiment (n=63). A virtual model was created to simulate a real building on Texas A&M University campus. A total of 28 building components were modified in the virtual model. Participants were asked to review the virtual model with one of the three methods: 2D drawing, 3D model, and VR model. After the review session, the participants were sent to the real building to identify the discrepancies, and accuracy was documented as the performance measure. The results reveal that the 3D and VR groups both significantly outperformed the 2D group in spatial working memory. This study sets the foundation to further understand how instructional information affects the performance of first responders in emergency response.