3D Information Place

A 3D information place is a 3D navigable virtual environment which provides a socio-spatial organisation of information. Its structures and formal attributes have an impact on users’ information-seeking activities, and they adapt to reflect patterns of such activities. Such a concept is firmly based on the concept of place and the context of digital information environments, and it leads to a theoretical framework consisting of four major elements: space, information, social factors and digital mediation. It is a fundamental hypothesis of this book that combining the four elements into a coherent system, a 3D information place, can lead to positive effects not only on users’ navigation experience and social interaction, but also on the performance of information environments for the purpose of information-seeking. This book investigates fields including architecture, information visualisation, virtual environments, and theories of place. It also includes three practical research projects, designed to test the concept of socio-spatial organisation of information.