Book reviews online

As the number of new academic books published each year continues to rise, such that it becomes evermore difficult to keep abreast of them in one's discipline, the book‐review procedure takes on an increasing importance. This paper outlines the design and development of an automated system for handling book reviews. Descriptions are given of some prototypes that have been developed for use on an intranet server and/or the Internet. These systems, based on SGML and HTML, are briefly discussed and compared

GIS and urban design

Although urban planning has used computer models and information systems sincethe 1950s and architectural practice has recently restructured to the use of computeraideddesign (CAD) and computer drafting software, urban design has hardly beentouched by the digital world. This is about to change as very fine scale spatial datarelevant to such design becomes routinely available, as 2dimensional GIS(geographic information systems) become linked to 3dimensional CAD packages,and as other kinds of photorealistic media are increasingly being fused with thesesoftware. In this chapter, we present the role of GIS in urban design, outlining whatcurrent desktop software is capable of and showing how various new techniques canbe developed which make such software highly suitable as basis for urban design.We first outline the nature of urban design and then present ideas about how varioussoftware might form a tool kit to aid its process. We then look in turn at: utilisingstandard mapping capabilities within GIS relevant to urban design; buildingfunctional extensions to GIS which measure local scale accessibility; providingsketch planning capability in GIS and linking 2-d to 3-d visualisations using low costnet-enabled CAD browsers. We finally conclude with some speculations on thefuture of GIS for urban design across networks whereby a wide range of participantsmight engage in the design process digitally but remotely

Pedagogy and new power relationships

Changes in the context of Higher Education have led to lecturers being disenfranchised. Both the introduction of new managerialism and developments in pedagogy have contributed to this process. On the one hand, performance management and the introduction of teaching and learning strategies have put issues of pedagogy and curriculum development into the realms of strategic management. On the other, student-centred learning has usurped teacher-centred models of education. In this paper, reviews of both of these trends are presented. Based on these, a benchmarking tool has been developed which enables the identification and monitoring of the way that the locus of control for various teaching-related activities has changed. This tool is then applied to the case of an MBA course that was transformed from a traditional to a distance format. The issues that arise from this case are discussed, and conclusions are drawn about the potential implications of “creeping managerialism ” in the context of Higher Education

An Investigation into world wide web publishing with the hypertext markup language

The purpose of this thesis project was to test and to demonstrate the World Wide Web as a publishing vehicle by creating a Web presence for the School of Printing Management and Sciences. In order to reach this goal, a full understanding of the Hypertext Markup Language must first be realized. Once this is accomplished, issues regarding integration of mixed-media elements within an HTML document were investigated. Once a prototype of the HTML document was accomplished, the mixed-media elements were tested and evaluated for proper integration and contextual cohesiveness. Many issues regarding implementation of mixed-media elements, such as file size and file format were addressed upon testing. One of the additional goals of this project is a comprehensive description of the methodology for creating and maintaining a World Wide Web publishing presence. This addresses: navigational software, structuring HTML documents, hyper text linking, HTML style issues and limitations, effective integration of mixedmedia elements, inline and external image issues, testing documents, advertising documents, strategies for determining proper file sizes and formats of mixedmedia elements, integrating supplemental programs, World Wide Web Server issues, installing HTML and mixed-media files onto a World Wide Web Server, etc. The Web site located at (http://www.rit.edu/~spms) served as the vehicle for the investigation. Results of the study revealed the issues of providing data that services users across a wide range of computer systems, with different bandwidth restrictions, utilizing a myriad of computer software. Specific standards apply to An Investigation into World Wide Web Publishing with the Hypertext Markup Language alleviate much of the guesswork, however, publishing on the Internet remains to be as challenging as it is rewarding. The Web\u27s format and the opportunity to reach millions of potential customers is creating new types of publishing ventures in true gold-rush fashion. The Web is being touted as the fourth medium, and some suggest it will have as great an impact on society as print, radio and television. The growth of the Web is explosive and will assuredly continue to blossom. Upon completion of this study, the author remains skeptical whether the World Wide Web is the medium of the future. It has, however, created a trend which will forever reshape the publishing world and the way information seekers receive their data. Publishing will change from a commodity based market where prices are based upon cost, and shift to a service market where prices are based upon the value of the information. Each reader requiring selected information tailored to their specific choice will pay for what they select no more paying for an entire magazine or newspaper and reading only one article. The future of information dissemination is electronic, interactive and selective. Whether the delivery mechanism will be the World Wide Web remains to be seen

Supporting Device Discovery and Spontaneous Interaction with Spatial References

The RELATE interaction model is designed to support spontaneous interaction of mobile users with devices and services in their environment. The model is based on spatial references that capture the spatial relationship of a user’s device with other co-located devices. Spatial references are obtained by relative position sensing and integrated in the mobile user interface to spatially visualize the arrangement of discovered devices, and to provide direct access for interaction across devices. In this paper we discuss two prototype systems demonstrating the utility of the model in collaborative and mobile settings, and present a study on usability of spatial list and map representations for device selection

Fracture mapping in challenging environment: a 3D virtual reality approach combining terrestrial LiDAR and high definition images

ArticleThis is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Springer Verlag via the DOI in this record.The latest technological developments in computer vision allow the creation of georeferenced, non-immersive desktop virtual reality (VR) environments. VR uses a computer to produce a simulated three-dimensional world in which it is possible to interact with objects and derive metric and thematic data. In this context, modern geomatic tools enable the remote acquisition of information that can be used to produce georeferenced high-definition 3D models: these can be used to create a VR in support of rock mass data processing, analysis, and interpretation. Data from laser scanning and high quality images were combined to map deterministically and characterise discontinuities with the aim of creating accurate rock mass models. Discontinuities were compared with data from traditional engineering-geological surveys in order to check the level of accuracy in terms of the attitude of individual joints and sets. The quality of data collected through geomatic surveys and field measurements in two marble quarries of the Apuan Alps (Italy) was very satisfactory. Some fundamental geotechnical indices (e.g. joint roughness, alteration, opening, moisture, and infill) were also included in the VR models. Data were grouped, analysed, and shared in a single repository for VR visualization and stability analysis in order to study the interaction between geology and human activities.The authors gratefully acknowledge the assistance of the personal of the Romana Quarry and particularly Corniani M. This paper was possible because of support from the Tuscany Region Research Project known as “Health and safety in the quarries of ornamental stones—SECURECAVE”. The authors acknowledge Pellegri M and Gullì D (Local Sanitary Agency n.1, Mining Engineering Operative Unit—Department of Prevention) and Riccucci S (Centre of GeoTechnologies, University of Siena) for their support of this research