Perception and cognition of different types of graphic notations as a source of information in applied informatics

Various forms of graphical notations are often used to depict different areas/domains of human knowledge. One of the forms to record the steps of data processing in information engineering is workflow diagrams; to record organization and representation of knowledge in the form of concepts and their interrelations, concept maps are used. Perception and cognition of graphic information depend on personality characteristics of the diagram´s reader. Different approaches to perception and cognition of graphic notations can be measured and evaluated with the use of eye-tracking device. For the purposes of this research the cognition was examined in two areas: workflow diagrams of geographic information systems and physics related concept maps.