Navigation in Cyberspace Using Multi-Dimensional Scaling to Create Three-dimensional Navigational Maps

Abstract

This paper presents results regarding the performance of multidimensional scaling (MDS) when used to create three-dimensional navigation maps. MDS aims at reducing high-dimensional space into low-dimensional landscapes. Combined with browsers which are capable of visualizing three-dimensional object information by applying the conceptual basis of Virtual Reality Modeling Language (VRML), MDS opens new possibilities for cognitive receptive navigation. Web3D, a prototype implementation using MDS, reveals the potential of this idea.