20,614 research outputs found
Collective dynamics in coupled maps on a lattice with quenched disorder
It is investigated how a spatial quenched disorder modifies the dynamics of
coupled map lattices. The disorder is introduced via the presence or absence of
coupling terms among lattice sites. Two nonlinear maps have been considered
embodying two paradigmatic dynamics. The Miller and Huse map can be associated
with an Ising-like dynamics, whereas the logistic coupled maps is a prototype
of a non trivial collective dynamics. Various indicators quantifying the
overall behavior, demonstrates that even a small amount of spatial disorder is
capable to alter the dynamics found for purely ordered cases.Comment: 27 pages, 15 figures, accepted for publication in Phys. Rev.
Spatial Engagement with Poetry by Heather H. Yeung
Review of Spatial Engagement with Poetry by Heather H. Yeung
Four applications of embodied cognition
This article presents the views of four sets of authors, each taking concepts of embodied cognition into problem spaces where the new paradigm can be applied. The first considers consequences of embodied cognition on the legal system. The second explores how embodied cognition can change how we interpret and interact with art and literature. The third examines how we move through archi- tectural spaces from an embodied cognition perspective. And the fourth addresses how music cogni- tion is influenced by the approach. Each contribution is brief. They are meant to suggest the potential reach of embodied cognition, increase the visibility of applications, and inspire potential avenues for research
On Importance of Acoustic Backscatter Corrections for Texture-based Seafloor Characterization
Seafloor segmentation and characterization based on local textural properties of acoustic backscatter has been a subject of research since 1980s due to the highly textured appearance of sonar images. The approach consists of subdivision of sonar image in a set of patches of certain size and calculation of a vector of features reflecting the patch texture. Advance of multibeam echosounders (MBES) allowed application of texture-based techniques to real geographical space, and predicted boundaries between acoustic facies became experimentally verifiable. However, acoustic return from uncalibrated MBES produces artifacts in backscatter mosaics, which in turn affects accuracy of delineation. Development of Geocoder allowed creation of more visually consistent images, and reduced the number of factors influencing mosaic creation. It is intuitively clear that more accurate backscatter mosaics lead to more reliable classification results. However, this statement has never been thoroughly verified. It has not been investigated which corrections are important for texture-based characterization and which are not essential. In this paper the authors are investigating the Stanton Banks common dataset. Raw data files from the dataset have been processed by the Geocoder at different levels of corrections. Each processing resulted in a backscatter mosaic demonstrating artifacts of different levels of severity. Mosaics then underwent textural analysis and unsupervised classification using Matlab package SonarClass. Results of seafloor characterization corresponding to varying levels of corrections were finally compared to the one generated by the best possible mosaic (the one embodying all the available corrections), providing an indicator of classification accuracy and giving guidance about which mosaic corrections are crucial for acoustic classification and which could be safely ignored
A rigorous definition of axial lines: ridges on isovist fields
We suggest that 'axial lines' defined by (Hillier and Hanson, 1984) as lines
of uninterrupted movement within urban streetscapes or buildings, appear as
ridges in isovist fields (Benedikt, 1979). These are formed from the maximum
diametric lengths of the individual isovists, sometimes called viewsheds, that
make up these fields (Batty and Rana, 2004). We present an image processing
technique for the identification of lines from ridges, discuss current
strengths and weaknesses of the method, and show how it can be implemented
easily and effectively.Comment: 18 pages, 5 figure
Visualization in spatial modeling
This chapter deals with issues arising from a central theme in contemporary computer modeling - visualization. We first tie visualization to varieties of modeling along the continuum from iconic to symbolic and then focus on the notion that our models are so intrinsically complex that there are many different types of visualization that might be developed in their understanding and implementation. This focuses the debate on the very way of 'doing science' in that patterns and processes of any complexity can be better understood through visualizing the data, the simulations, and the outcomes that such models generate. As we have grown more sensitive to the problem of complexity in all systems, we are more aware that the twin goals of parsimony and verifiability which have dominated scientific theory since the 'Enlightenment' are up for grabs: good theories and models must 'look right' despite what our statistics and causal logics tell us. Visualization is the cutting edge of this new way of thinking about science but its styles vary enormously with context. Here we define three varieties: visualization of complicated systems to make things simple or at least explicable, which is the role of pedagogy; visualization to explore unanticipated outcomes and to refine processes that interact in unanticipated ways; and visualization to enable end users with no prior understanding of the science but a deep understanding of the problem to engage in using models for prediction, prescription, and control. We illustrate these themes with a model of an agricultural market which is the basis of modern urban economics - the von Thünen model of land rent and density; a model of urban development based on interacting spatial and temporal processes of land development - the DUEM model; and a pedestrian model of human movement at the fine scale where control of such movements to meet standards of public safety is intrinsically part of the model about which the controllers know intimately. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2006
Teaching geography with literary mapping: A didactic experiment
The relationship between maps and literature has long been debated from both narrative and geographical
perspectives. At the core of this contribution are so-called reader generated mappings, mapping practices
performed after the reading of a literary text. The aim of this article is to suggest possible didactic
directions for teaching geography through geo-visualisations based on the reading of literary texts. In
particular, this research draws from the results of a literary mapping workshop attended by students during
an introductory human geography course at the University of Padua (Italy). Focusing on one of the literary
mappings performed by the students, namely the mapping of a short story written by the Italian writer
Mario Rigoni Stern, a deductive process is used to understand the possible future potentialities of literary
mapping in didactics. Analysing the students\u2019 literary maps, this article aims to direct attention to literary
mapping practices as constellations of learning moments to exploit. The reading of the text, the envisioning
and creation of the map are here explored as the steps of a complex practice capable of visually developing
geographical knowledge
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