Smooth rotation of 2-D and 3-D representations of terrain: an investigation into the utility of visual momentum.

Objective: The potential advantage of visual momentum in the form of smooth rotation between two-dimensional (2-D) and three-dimensional (3-D) displays of geographic terrain was examined.

Background: The relative effectiveness of 2-D and 3-D displays is task dependent, leading to the need for multiple frames of reference as users switch tasks. The use of smooth rotation to provide visual momentum has received little scrutiny in the task-switching context.