Dear Organic Maps Team,

I am currently writing my master’s thesis at TU Berlin, building on previous laboratory and field studies conducted by our department on “spatial deskilling”—the potential decline in spatial orientation skills associated with the use of navigation systems.

As a possible way of counteracting this effect, these studies examined landmark-based navigation instructions. Such instructions incorporate salient features of the environment, such as shops or churches, as visual points of reference and may thereby support the acquisition of spatial knowledge.

My qualitative follow-up study now focuses on practical implementation: How could this approach be integrated into existing navigation products? What challenges, opportunities, and potential use cases do practitioners see? As these questions cannot be answered through previous research alone, I depend on the experience and insights of people working directly on navigation products and open-source navigation projects.

I am therefore looking for professionals and experienced contributors with expertise in areas such as navigation and routing, map data, product development, user experience, or product strategy. Given Organic Maps’ work on OpenStreetMap-based offline navigation, routing, and turn-by-turn guidance, perspectives from your team and community would be particularly valuable to my research.

Would it perhaps be possible to forward my request to relevant team members or contributors, or to recommend suitable contacts? I would be very grateful for any assistance in reaching people whose work relates to these areas.

Participation involves completing a written questionnaire containing open-ended questions. It can be completed flexibly, at the participant’s own pace, and without scheduling an appointment. The questionnaire takes approximately 30–45 minutes and is available in either English or German - Previous experience with landmark-based navigation is not required.

I would be happy to provide further information about the study, including the study information sheet and questionnaire.

Thank you very much for taking the time to consider my request and for any support you may be able to offer!

Best regards,

Anna Vera Tamira Hansmair
Master’s Student
Division of Biopsychology and Neuroergonomics
Technische Universität Berlin
hansmair@campus.tu-berlin.de