User-adapted Interactive and Multimedia-based Cartographic Information Systems (IMAIS) as tools for geographic education

User-adapted Interactive and Multimedia-based Cartographic Information Systems (IMAIS) as tools for geographic education In the history of geographic teaching teachers always sought for new and better utilities and possibilities to assist and accelerate the students' knowledge acquisition as well as to keep and engross the acquired knowledge. In this field of activity a variety of cartographic products is available as teaching materials, including Atlas Information Systems (AIS). It is assumed that students have varying preferences on how to approach, receive and process new information and that they spend varying amounts of activity for finding new information. By analysing these preferences it is possible to derive learning styles and different types of learners. These differences and the medium-specific advantages of using computers as educational aids are the basis for preparing and presenting information in AIS. Although using Interactive and Multimedia-based Atlas Information Systems (IMAIS) cannot totally individualise the way information is presented, it allows for user group adaptive information dissemination. The objective of this paper is to present a concept for an IMAIS designed for teaching, which accounts for learning and recapitulation phases and especially for user-group adaptation. The methodological principles of the concept are described and subsequently illustrated by the use of examples.