Author Archives: Tianyi Xiao

geoGAZElab recognized best paper honorable mention award at CHI2026 conference

Our paper has earned the Best Paper Honorable Mention designations at the 2026 ACM CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems. ACM CHI is the premier international conference of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI). CHI 2026 received 6,730 complete submissions, making this the largest number of submissions in the history of CHI, and accepted 1,703 papers (25.3% of complete submissions). Honorable mentions are awarded to the top 5% of submitted papers.

𝗖𝗼𝗠𝗮𝗽: 𝗔 𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗼𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝟯𝗗 𝗦𝗸𝗲𝘁𝗰𝗵 𝗠𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗚𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗦𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗰𝘂𝗲 📎

Authors: Tianyi Xiao, Sailin Zhong, Peter Kiefer, Miki Mizuki, Phoebe O. Toups Dugas, and Martin Raubal.

Paper maps support (a) field responders’ route planning and (b) commanders’ tactical coordination. Photos from the 2023 Turkey earthquake, consented by a commander during expert interviews

Abstract

Search and rescue operations rely on fast and accurate spatial communication between commanders and field teams, often under severe time pressure and with asymmetric information. While maps are central to this process, traditional paper-based sketching struggles with 3D environments and remote collaboration. We present CoMap, a collaborative 3D sketch mapping system, validated through a virtual reality fire-rescue game. In a controlled study with 13 commander–field team pairs, CoMap enabled more accurate and efficient spatial communication than conventional 2D sketch mapping and fostered more proactive communication strategies. The paper also distills three design implications for future mapping tools to support SAR training and real-world operations.

Teaser

VR search and rescue training game in a fire scenario with a collaborative 3D sketch mapping interface, CoMap. This figure illustrates a virtual reality (VR) search and rescue training game set in a fire scenario. It shows two types of participants: a Commander, who has an allocentric view through drone and base maps, and a Field Team, who navigate the scene from an egocentric perspective, identifying hazards and reporting findings. The image also highlights CoMap, a shared 3D sketch mapping interface that enables collaborative map co-maintenance, supporting collective spatial cognition for distributed teams.

Interface Design

Core interfaces (a-c) and functions (d-f) of CoMap.
(a) Interface of the management tool used for UOS server control, data logging, and global data synchronization.
(b) The perspective from a Field Responder navigating the virtual scene using arc raycasting.
(c) Key components of the Commander’s workspace, including a layered system used for 3D map representation of a multi-level building, and a video player.
(d) Multimodal communication through photo and video capture from the Field Responder’s perspective.
(e) Surface sketch mapping, where sketched curves are projected onto layers.
(f) Interaction process for relocating a pin by dragging it from a corner to the desired position.

Architecture

CoMap operates on a client-server architecture for data synchronization and voice communication. A management tool monitors the server and global data. Externalization tools include sketch mapping, pin placement, notes, photos, and videos. After each SAR mission, the externalization process is uploaded to a Git-based remote repository for data logging and reconstruction.

Funding

This work is part of the 3D Sketch Maps, a project funded by SNSF, Sinergia. Project page: https://geogaze.ethz.ch/3d-sketch-maps/comap/

CHI‘26 paper accepted!

geoGazeLab has one paper accepted at ACM CHI, the leading international conference on Human–Computer Interaction.

📄 𝗖𝗼𝗠𝗮𝗽: 𝗔 𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗼𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝟯𝗗 𝗦𝗸𝗲𝘁𝗰𝗵 𝗠𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗚𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗦𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗰𝘂𝗲

Authors: Tianyi Xiao, Sailin Zhong, Peter Kiefer, Miki Mizuki, Phoebe O. Toups Dugas, and Martin Raubal.

🚨 What is it about?

Search and rescue operations rely on fast and accurate spatial communication between commanders and field teams, often under severe time pressure and with asymmetric information. While maps are central to this process, traditional paper-based sketching struggles with 3D environments and remote collaboration.

We present CoMap, a collaborative 3D sketch mapping system, validated through a virtual reality fire-rescue game. In a controlled study with 13 commander–field team pairs, CoMap enabled more accurate and efficient spatial communication than conventional 2D sketch mapping and fostered more proactive communication strategies.

The paper also distills three design implications for future mapping tools to support SAR training and real-world operations.

🔗 More information:

This work is part of the 3D Sketch Maps, a project funded by SNSF, Sinergia. Project page: https://geogaze.ethz.ch/3d-sketch-maps/comap/

New publication in the International Journal of Human-Computer Studies

The 3D Sketch Maps project team recently published a paper entitled:  VResin: Externalizing spatial memory into 3D sketch map. In this paper, we refined the concept of 3D sketch maps, proposed a technological framework using 3D Cartesian coordinate axes, and provided design criteria for 3D sketch mapping interfaces. We implemented a VR-based 3D sketch mapping tool called VResin, which is associated with traditional resin painting, and a layer-by-layer sketching interface that considers both researcher and user needs. We then conducted a comparative user study with 48 participants between mid-air sketching and layer-by-layer sketching interfaces for memorising multi-layered buildings. We found that VResin helps users to create less distorted sketches while maintaining the level of completeness and generalisation compared to mid-air sketching in VR. Finally, we presented application scenarios demonstrating how 3D sketch maps can support people’s externalisation of their 3D spatial understanding. This study is part of a Sinergia project called “3D Sketch Maps”, funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) [grant number 202284].