Seafloor characterization using airborne hyperspectral co-registration procedures independent from attitude and positioning sensors

The advance of remote-sensing technology and data-storage capabilities has progressed in the last decade to commercial multi-sensor data collection. There is a constant need to characterize, quantify and monitor the coastal areas for habitat research and coastal management. In this paper, we present work on seafloor characterization that uses hyperspectral imagery (HSI). The HSI data allows the operator to extend seafloor characterization from multibeam backscatter towards land and thus creates a seamless ocean-to-land characterization of the littoral zone

Implementation of computer visualisation in UK planning

PhD ThesisWithin the processes of public consultation and development management, planners are required to consider spatial information, appreciate spatial transformations and future scenarios. In the past, conventional media such as maps, plans, illustrations, sections, and physical models have been used. Those traditional visualisations are at a high degree of abstraction, sometimes difficult to understand for lay people and inflexible in terms of the range of scenarios which can be considered. Yet due to technical advances and falling costs, the potential for computer based visualisation has much improved and has been increasingly adopted within the planning process. Despite the growth in this field, insufficient consideration has been given to the possible weakness of computerised visualisations. Reflecting this lack of research, this study critically evaluates the use and potential of computerised visualisation within this process. The research is divided into two components: case study analysis and reflections of the author following his involvement within the design and use of visualisations in a series of planning applications; and in-depth interviews with experienced practitioners in the field. Based on a critical review of existing literature, this research explores in particular the issues of credibility, realism and costs of production. The research findings illustrate the importance of the credibility of visualisations, a topic given insufficient consideration within the academic literature. Whereas the realism of visualisations has been the focus of much previous research, the results of the case studies and interviews with practitioners undertaken in this research suggest a ‘photo’ realistic level of details may not be required as long as the observer considers the visualisations to be a credible reflection of the underlying reality. Although visualisations will always be a simplification of reality and their level of realism is subjective, there is still potential for developing guidelines or protocols for image production based on commonly agreed standards. In the absence of such guidelines there is a danger that scepticism in the credibility of computer visualisations will prevent the approach being used to its full potential. These findings suggest there needs to be a balance between scientific protocols and artistic licence in the production of computer visualisation. In order to be sufficiently credible for use in decision making within the planning processes, the production of computer visualisation needs to follow a clear methodology and scientific protocols set out in good practice guidance published by professional bodies and governmental organisations.Newcastle upon Tyne for awarding me an International Scholarship and Alumni Bursar

Training of Crisis Mappers and Map Production from Multi-sensor Data: Vernazza Case Study (Cinque Terre National Park, Italy)

This aim of paper is to presents the development of a multidisciplinary project carried out by the cooperation between Politecnico di Torino and ITHACA (Information Technology for Humanitarian Assistance, Cooperation and Action). The goal of the project was the training in geospatial data acquiring and processing for students attending Architecture and Engineering Courses, in order to start up a team of "volunteer mappers". Indeed, the project is aimed to document the environmental and built heritage subject to disaster; the purpose is to improve the capabilities of the actors involved in the activities connected in geospatial data collection, integration and sharing. The proposed area for testing the training activities is the Cinque Terre National Park, registered in the World Heritage List since 1997. The area was affected by flood on the 25th of October 2011. According to other international experiences, the group is expected to be active after emergencies in order to upgrade maps, using data acquired by typical geomatic methods and techniques such as terrestrial and aerial Lidar, close-range and aerial photogrammetry, topographic and GNSS instruments etc.; or by non conventional systems and instruments such us UAV, mobile mapping etc. The ultimate goal is to implement a WebGIS platform to share all the data collected with local authorities and the Civil Protectio

Towards a National 3D Mapping Product for Great Britain

Knowing where something happens and where people are located can be critically important to understand issues ranging from climate change to road accidents, crime, schooling, transport and much more. To analyse these spatial problems, two-dimensional representations of the world, such as paper or digital maps, have traditionally been used. Geographic information systems (GIS) are the tools that enable capture, modelling, storage, retrieval, sharing, manipulation, analysis, and presentation of geographically referenced data. Three-dimensional geographic information (3D GI) is data that can represent real-world features as objects in 3D space. 3D GI offers additional functionality not possible in 2D, including analysing and querying volume, visibility, surface and sub-surface, and shadowing. This thesis contributes to the understanding of user requirements and other data related considerations in the production of 3D geographic information at a national level. The study promotes Ordnance Survey’s efforts in developing a 3D geographic product through: (1) identifying potential applications; (2) analysing existing 3D city modelling approaches; (3) eliciting and formalising user requirements; (4) developing metrics to describe the usefulness of 3D data and; (5) evaluating the commerciality of 3D GI. A review of current applications of 3D showed that visualisation dominated as the main use, allowing for better communication, and supporting decision-making processes. Reflecting this, an examination of existing 3D city models showed that, despite the varying modelling approaches, there was a general focus towards accurate and realistic geometric representation of the urban environment. Web-based questionnaires and semi-structured interviews revealed that while some applications (e.g. subsurface, photovoltaics, air and noise quality) lead the field with a high adoption of 3D, others were laggards due to organisational inertia (e.g. insurance, facilities management). Individuals expressed positive views on the use of 3D, but still struggled to justify the value and business case. Simple building geometry coupled with non-building thematic classes was perceived to be most useful by users. Several metrics were developed to quantify and compare the characteristics of thirty-three 3D datasets. Results showed that geometry-based metrics such as minimum feature length or Euler characteristic can be used to provide additional information as part of fitness-for-purpose evaluations. The metrics can also contribute to quality control during data production. An investigation into the commercial opportunities explored the economic value of 3D, the market size of 3D data in Great Britain, as well as proposed a number of opportunities within the wider business context of Ordnance Survey

Building Bridges Between Community Based Organizations and Technology: Exploring Tools for Community Participation and Economic Development for the Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative

Technology plays a vital role in public and private businesses, governments, and organizations, and can be especially useful to organizations that may know the least about it. Unfortunately, many Community Based Organizations (CBOs) have traditionally been unable to embrace contemporary tools due to lack of capacity, time or money. This paper begins to identify issues related to the technology gap faced by CBOs in a case study that examines community economic empowerment for the Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative® (DSNI). The problem was approached through a community-university partnership between the Cornell University CRP 607 GIS Workshop Class (Sibley Consulting) and DSNI. One of the main technological tools used in bridging this gap was the use of geographic information systems (GIS). With an increase in GIS capability, DSNI can collect, manage, analyze and visualize neighborhood data, thus providing simple but powerful knowledge to the community. A geodatabase should be created where new and existing data can be stored, updated, and utilized repetitively. The geodatabase will allow DSNI to manipulate the data for a wide range of uses such as evaluating neighborhood trends for economic development. This classroom experiment provided students with an opportunity to provide professional technology services as a ‘mock’ consulting team. However, all of the data, maps and geospatial and other web-based technology evaluations will be utilized by DSNI and will have an immediate impact on the future of the Dudley neighborhood. This report is an educational tool for DSNI in order to evaluate the future database design and community GIS application. This report can also be seen as a model by which other community-university teams can measure their successful implementation to create a resident led community database information management system. A series of base maps which depict existing conditions along with secondary data resources have been used to evaluate the Dudley Neighborhood in Roxbury and North Dorchester, Massachusetts

Heritage Recording and 3D Modeling with Photogrammetry and 3D Scanning

The importance of landscape and heritage recording and documentation with optical remote sensing sensors is well recognized at international level. The continuous development of new sensors, data capture methodologies and multi-resolution 3D representations, contributes significantly to the digital 3D documentation, mapping, conservation and representation of landscapes and heritages and to the growth of research in this field. This article reviews the actual optical 3D measurement sensors and 3D modeling techniques, with their limitations and potentialities, requirements and specifications. Examples of 3D surveying and modeling of heritage sites and objects are also shown throughout the paper

Development of GIS as an information management system: a case study for the Burden Center

For a park site, it is very important and necessary to let the local planning authorities realize and understand the important aspects and benefits of the site and to establish the long-range development strategies for the location. In order to succeed during the planning process, the communication and information that flow among all the participants must be well organized. In this situation, a project-wide Geographic Information System (GIS) would be a good solution. The goal of this project is to explore the possibilities for administrative authorities to implement a GIS database system to support the site planning and management of a park site. The research is based on three parts: The first involves components related to the field of park planning and GIS technology. It provides an outline of the park planning and management process, GIS techniques, and GIS-based strategies that have been developed for use in park planning and design. The second part provides a method of developing a GIS database prototype for park planning and management. An inventory of existing assets and options for future development can be integrated in a GIS database. Then this provides a platform for the gradual development of a comprehensive park management system. The third part involves the development of a prototypical GIS database design for an existing park site. It represents a practical implementation of a GIS system for the Burden Center, an historical and agricultural research center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. This system will give quality information about the Burden Center site and will serve as a foundation to facilitate park planning, decision-making, facility management, future development, and resource interpretation for educational purposes

Sustainable Development of Real Estate

Research, theoretical and practical tasks of sustainable real estate development process are revised in detail in this monograph; particular examples are presented as well. The concept of modern real estate development model and a developer is discussed, peculiarities of the development of built environment and real estate objects are analyzed, as well as assessment methods, models and management of real estate and investments in order to increase the object value. Theoretical and practical analyses, presented in the monograph, prove that intelligent and augmented reality technologies allow business managers to reach higher results in work quality, organize a creative team of developers, which shall present more qualitative products for the society. The edition presents knowledge on economic, legal, technological, technical, organizational, social, cultural, ethical, psychological and environmental, as well as its management aspects, which are important for the development of real estate: publicly admitted sustainable development principles, urban development and aesthetic values, territory planning, participation of society and heritage protection. It is admitted that economical crises are inevitable, and the provided methods shall help to decrease possible loss. References to the most modern world scientific literature sources are presented in the monograph. The monograph is prepared for the researchers, MSc and PhD students of construction economics and real estate development. The book may be useful for other researchers, MSc and PhD students of economics, management and other specialities, as well as business specialist of real estate business. The publication of monograph was funded by European Social Fund according to project No. VP1-2.2-ŠMM-07-K-02-060 Development and Implementation of Joint Master’s Study Programme “Sustainable Development of the Built Environment”

Integrating case based reasoning and geographic information systems in a planing support system: Çeşme Peninsula study

Thesis (Doctoral)--Izmir Institute of Technology, City and Regional Planning, Izmir, 2009Includes bibliographical references (leaves: 110-121)Text in English; Abstract: Turkish and Englishxii, 140 leavesUrban and regional planning is experiencing fundamental changes on the use of of computer-based models in planning practice and education. However, with this increased use, .Geographic Information Systems. (GIS) or .Computer Aided Design.(CAD) alone cannot serve all of the needs of planning. Computational approaches should be modified to deal better with the imperatives of contemporary planning by using artificial intelligence techniques in city planning process.The main aim of this study is to develop an integrated .Planning Support System. (PSS) tool for supporting the planning process. In this research, .Case Based Reasoning. (CBR) .an artificial intelligence technique- and .Geographic Information Systems. (GIS) .geographic analysis, data management and visualization techniqueare used as a major PSS tools to build a .Case Based System. (CBS) for knowledge representation on an operational study. Other targets of the research are to discuss the benefits of CBR method in city planning domain and to demonstrate the feasibility and usefulness of this technique in a PSS. .Çeşme Peninsula. case study which applied under the desired methodology is presented as an experimental and operational stage of the thesis.This dissertation tried to find out whether an integrated model which employing CBR&GIS could support human decision making in a city planning task. While the CBS model met many of predefined goals of the thesis, both advantages and limitations have been realized from findings when applied to the complex domain such as city planning

Information technology in landscape architecture

This paper discusses the impact of information technology on the tools, methods, and professional role of the landscape architect. This profession is presently expanding into new fields, resulting in an increased specialization. The new tools made available through information technology adds to the difficulties – and possibilities – facing the individual landscape architect. The landscape architect is active in a system aimed at information processing. The study starts off in this system, focusing on the following elements: information, technology, data structure, role, communication, and result. As a foundation for the discussion, the general history of the computer is described. With the start in mainframe computing in the 1960s, the computer today provides personal computing power, as well as access to a worldwide network for communication and information retrieval. The historical description also covers the tools of the landscape architect – mainly maps, drawings, and images. The emphasis lies on presentation techniques, showing their evolution from the Egyptian multi-view tradition to the Renaissance single-point perspective, still dominating today. However, computer use has inspired a new form of presentation technique with several views and projections, thereby closing the circle. One of the problems facing the digital landscape architect is access to data and information. The processing itself is also complicated by the fact that many architectural problems fall outside the range of the software, especially in conceptual design. Knowledge engineering and expert systems are only giving rudimentary support to the process. Still, the computer is used in many fields of the profession, to a rapidly increasing extent. Computer aided drafting is today standard software in landscape architectural practices. Two areas of special interest in the future are geographic information systems, and three dimensional modeling in design and presentation as well as in construction. Data structure is of utmost importance for the further development of computer tools. As communication and digital information retrieval increases, standards must be agreed upon. This is a complex and slow process. Digital product modeling will be equally slow in acceptance. The range of software today covers much of the information processing that takes place in planning and design. Up till today, they have had its largest impact on communication and presentation. As a design tool, the computer has yet to prove its use to most landscape architects. Still, it use can in some respects strengthen the professional role, and give opportunities to new fields of expertise. Acquiring the ability to evaluate computer support, and to use it in a professional situation, is largely up to the individual. The parties surrounding the landscape architect provide the framework in terms of possibilities and expectations. Customers demands for the use of digital methods are rising. All these changes show the importance of IT strategies. First of all, the organizations employing the landcape architects need dynamic and up-to-date documents. However, since the choices of methods and tools have a large bearing on how individuals can and will function in planning and design systems, the choices must in the end be made individually. If the decisions are based on knowledge and insight, they can increase the possibilities for the profession to adapt to a changing society, and enhance its role as an active and creative part of this development