Tiered models of spatial language interpretation

In this paper we report on the implementation and evaluation of an interactive model of verbal route instruction interpretation. Unlike in previous works, this approach takes a generalised plan construction view of the interpretation process which sees the elements of verbal route instructions as context enhanced specifications of physical action which move an agent through a mental or physical search space. We view such an approach as essential for effective dialogic wayfinding assistance. The model has been developed within a modular framework of spatial language production and analysis which we have developed to explore different reasoning and representation facilities in the spatial language cognition process. We describe the developed cognitive spatial model, the interpretation of individual actions based on explicit linguistic and extra-linguistic spatial context, and the interactive plan construction process which builds these individual processes into a route interpretation mechanism. Finally, we report on a recent evaluation study that was conducted with an initial implementation of the described models.