GeoAI-enhanced Techniques to Support Geographical Knowledge Discovery from Big Geospatial Data

abstract: Big data that contain geo-referenced attributes have significantly reformed the way that I process and analyze geospatial data. Compared with the expected benefits received in the data-rich environment, more data have not always contributed to more accurate analysis. “Big but valueless” has becoming a critical concern to the community of GIScience and data-driven geography. As a highly-utilized function of GeoAI technique, deep learning models designed for processing geospatial data integrate powerful computing hardware and deep neural networks into various dimensions of geography to effectively discover the representation of data. However, limitations of these deep learning models have also been reported when People may have to spend much time on preparing training data for implementing a deep learning model. The objective of this dissertation research is to promote state-of-the-art deep learning models in discovering the representation, value and hidden knowledge of GIS and remote sensing data, through three research approaches. The first methodological framework aims to unify varied shadow into limited number of patterns, with the convolutional neural network (CNNs)-powered shape classification, multifarious shadow shapes with a limited number of representative shadow patterns for efficient shadow-based building height estimation. The second research focus integrates semantic analysis into a framework of various state-of-the-art CNNs to support human-level understanding of map content. The final research approach of this dissertation focuses on normalizing geospatial domain knowledge to promote the transferability of a CNN’s model to land-use/land-cover classification. This research reports a method designed to discover detailed land-use/land-cover types that might be challenging for a state-of-the-art CNN’s model that previously performed well on land-cover classification only.Dissertation/ThesisDoctoral Dissertation Geography 201

Current practices in spatial analysis of cancer data: data characteristics and data sources for geographic studies of cancer

The use of spatially referenced data in cancer studies is gaining in prominence, fueled by the development and availability of spatial analytic tools and the broadening recognition of the linkages between geography and health. We provide an overview of some of the unique characteristics of spatial data, followed by an account of the major types and sources of data used in the spatial analysis of cancer, including data from cancer registries, population data, health surveys, environmental data, and remote sensing data. We cite numerous examples of recent studies that have used these data, with a focus on etiological research

Perspectives in visual imaging for marine biology and ecology: from acquisition to understanding

Durden J, Schoening T, Althaus F, et al. Perspectives in Visual Imaging for Marine Biology and Ecology: From Acquisition to Understanding. In: Hughes RN, Hughes DJ, Smith IP, Dale AC, eds. Oceanography and Marine Biology: An Annual Review. 54. Boca Raton: CRC Press; 2016: 1-72

Predator co-occurrence in alpine and Arctic tundra in relation to fluctuating prey

1. Large carnivores influence ecosystem dynamics in multiple ways, for example, by suppressing meso-carnivores and providing carrions for smaller scavengers. Loss of large carnivores is suggested to cause meso-carnivore increase and expansion. Moreover, competition between meso-carnivores may be modified by the presence of larger carnivores. In tundra ecosystems, the smallest meso-carnivore, the Arctic fox, has experienced regional declines, whereas its larger and competitively superior congener, the red fox, has increased, potentially due to changes in the abundance of apex predators. 2. We explored if variation in the occurrence of wolverine and golden eagle impacted the occurrence and co-occurrence of the Arctic fox and red fox in relation to varying abundances of small rodents within the Scandinavian tundra. 3. We applied multi-species occupancy models to an extensive wildlife camera dataset from 2011–2020 covering 98 sites. Daily detection/non-detection of each species per camera trap site and study period (late winter; March–May) was stacked across years, and species occupancy was related to small rodent abundance while accounting for time of the year and status of simulated carcass. 4. The Arctic fox was more likely to co-occur with the red fox when the wolverine was present and less likely to co-occur with the red fox when golden eagles were present and the wolverine was absent. Red foxes increased in occupancy when co-occurring with the larger predators. The Arctic fox responded more strongly to small rodent abundance than the red fox and co-occurred more often with the other species at carcasses when rodent abundance was low. 5. Our findings suggest that the interspecific interactions within this tundra predator guild appear to be surprisingly intricate, driven by facets of fear of predation, interspecific mediation and facilitation, and food resource dynamics. These dynamics of intraguild interactions may dictate where and when conservation actions targeted towards the Arctic fox should be implemented

Localizing the media, locating ourselves: a critical comparative analysis of socio-spatial sorting in locative media platforms (Google AND Flickr 2009-2011)

In this thesis I explore media geocoding (i.e., geotagging or georeferencing), the process of inscribing the media with geographic information. A process that enables distinct forms of producing, storing, and distributing information based on location. Historically, geographic information technologies have served a biopolitical function producing knowledge of populations. In their current guise as locative media platforms, these systems build rich databases of places facilitated by user-generated geocoded media. These geoindexes render places, and users of these services, this thesis argues, subject to novel forms of computational modelling and economic capture. Thus, the possibility of tying information, people and objects to location sets the conditions to the emergence of new communicative practices as well as new forms of governmentality (management of populations). This project is an attempt to develop an understanding of the socio-economic forces and media regimes structuring contemporary forms of location-aware communication, by carrying out a comparative analysis of two of the main current location-enabled platforms: Google and Flickr. Drawing from the medium-specific approach to media analysis characteristic of the subfield of Software Studies, together with the methodological apparatus of Cultural Analytics (data mining and visualization methods), the thesis focuses on examining how social space is coded and computed in these systems. In particular, it looks at the databases’ underlying ontologies supporting the platforms' geocoding capabilities and their respective algorithmic logics. In the final analysis the thesis argues that the way social space is translated in the form of POIs (Points of Interest) and business-biased categorizations, as well as the geodemographical ordering underpinning the way it is computed, are pivotal if we were to understand what kind of socio-spatial relations are actualized in these systems, and what modalities of governing urban mobility are enabled

Factors for Consideration in a Plan for Terrestrial Oil Disaster Mitigation

Oil spills, are common disasters associated with hydrocarbon exploration and production, can be devastating and severely impact water quality, which can be detrimental to human life and the environment. One of the primary objectives of oil spill planning and response, aside from protecting human beings, is to reduce the environmental consequences of spills and cleanup efforts. This objective is best achieved by responders identifying sensitive resources ahead of time to establish protection priorities and select cleanup strategies. When a plan is well situated, within the limited hours available to respond, responders will not have to contact all of the various resource managers for information on essential resources to protect. That means that the effectiveness of the Environmental Sensitivity Index (ESI) map of an area depends on the integral component of overall planning activity. This qualitative study explored and used publicly available and nonproprietary data to mimic the coastal and marine sensitivity representations on emergency preparedness for environmental disaster in terrestrial settings and produce a plan to address such potential disaster. Results indicate that there is a need to classify the resources that society values, such as biological, socioeconomic, or cultural assets, and describe the state of a system and the degree to which a system or asset is affected, either positively or negatively, in the event of an oil spill. Terrestrial Environmental Sensitivity Index mapping will help to support the highest response priorities, prevent impacts to human life, prevent oil from leaching into groundwater or as runoff, and return the environment to productive use as quickly as possible, leading to positive social change

Study on quality in 3D digitisation of tangible cultural heritage: mapping parameters, formats, standards, benchmarks, methodologies and guidelines: final study report.

This study was commissioned by the Commission to help advance 3D digitisation across Europe and thereby to support the objectives of the Recommendation on a common European data space for cultural heritage (C(2021) 7953 final), adopted on 10 November 2021. The Recommendation encourages Member States to set up digital strategies for cultural heritage, which sets clear digitisation and digital preservation goals aiming at higher quality through the use of advanced technologies, notably 3D. The aim of the study is to map the parameters, formats, standards, benchmarks, methodologies and guidelines relating to 3D digitisation of tangible cultural heritage. The overall objective is to further the quality of 3D digitisation projects by enabling cultural heritage professionals, institutions, content-developers, stakeholders and academics to define and produce high-quality digitisation standards for tangible cultural heritage. This unique study identifies key parameters of the digitisation process, estimates the relative complexity and how it is linked to technology, its impact on quality and its various factors. It also identifies standards and formats used for 3D digitisation, including data types, data formats and metadata schemas for 3D structures. Finally, the study forecasts the potential impacts of future technological advances on 3D digitisation

Towards evidence-based, GIS-driven national spatial health information infrastructure and surveillance services in the United Kingdom

The term "Geographic Information Systems" (GIS) has been added to MeSH in 2003, a step reflecting the importance and growing use of GIS in health and healthcare research and practices. GIS have much more to offer than the obvious digital cartography (map) functions. From a community health perspective, GIS could potentially act as powerful evidence-based practice tools for early problem detection and solving. When properly used, GIS can: inform and educate (professionals and the public); empower decision-making at all levels; help in planning and tweaking clinically and cost-effective actions, in predicting outcomes before making any financial commitments and ascribing priorities in a climate of finite resources; change practices; and continually monitor and analyse changes, as well as sentinel events. Yet despite all these potentials for GIS, they remain under-utilised in the UK National Health Service (NHS). This paper has the following objectives: (1) to illustrate with practical, real-world scenarios and examples from the literature the different GIS methods and uses to improve community health and healthcare practices, e.g., for improving hospital bed availability, in community health and bioterrorism surveillance services, and in the latest SARS outbreak; (2) to discuss challenges and problems currently hindering the wide-scale adoption of GIS across the NHS; and (3) to identify the most important requirements and ingredients for addressing these challenges, and realising GIS potential within the NHS, guided by related initiatives worldwide. The ultimate goal is to illuminate the road towards implementing a comprehensive national, multi-agency spatio-temporal health information infrastructure functioning proactively in real time. The concepts and principles presented in this paper can be also applied in other countries, and on regional (e.g., European Union) and global levels

Assessing the perceived environment through crowdsourced spatial photo content for application to the fields of landscape and urban planning

Assessing information on aspects of identification, perception, emotion, and social interaction with respect to the environment is of particular importance to the fields of natural resource management. Our ability to visualize this type of information has rapidly improved with the proliferation of social media sites throughout the Internet in recent years. While many methods to extract information on human behavior from crowdsourced geodata already exist, this work focuses on visualizing landscape perception for application to the fields of landscape and urban planning. Visualization of people’s perceptual responses to landscape is demonstrated with crowdsourced photo geodata from Flickr, a popular photo sharing community. A basic, general method to map, visualize and evaluate perception and perceptual values is proposed. The approach utilizes common tools for spatial knowledge discovery and builds on existing research, but is specifically designed for implementation within the context of landscape perception analysis and particularly suited as a base for further evaluation in multiple scenarios. To demonstrate the process in application, three novel types of visualizations are presented: the mapping of lines of sight in Yosemite Valley, the assessment of landscape change in the area surrounding the High Line in Manhattan, and individual location analysis for Coit Tower in San Francisco. The results suggest that analyzing crowdsourced data may contribute to a more balanced assessment of the perceived landscape, which provides a basis for a better integration of public values into planning processes.:Contents 3 1 Introduction 7 1.1 Motivation 7 1.2 Literature review and conceptual scope 9 1.3 Terminology 11 1.4 Related research 12 1.5 Objectives 14 1.6 Methodology 16 1.7 Formal conventions 21 I. Part I: Conceptual framework 23 1.1 Visual perception 23 1.2 Theory and practice in landscape perception assessment 27 1.2.1 Expert valuation versus participation 27 1.2.2 Photography-based landscape perception assessment 32 1.2.2.1. Photo-based surveys 32 1.2.2.2. Photo-based Internet surveys 35 1.2.2.3. Photo-interviewing and participant photography 37 1.2.3 Conclusions 40 1.3 Conceptual approach 42 1.3.1 A framing theory: Distributed cognition 42 1.3.2 Description of the approach 46 1.3.3 Choosing the right data source 48 1.3.3.1. Availability of crowdsourced and georeferenced photo data 48 1.3.3.2. Suitability for analyzing human behavior and perception 51 1.3.4 Relations between data and the phenomenon under observation 55 1.3.4.1. Photo taking and landscape perception 55 1.3.4.2. User motivation in the context of photo sharing in communities 61 1.3.4.3. Describing and tagging photos: Forms of attributing meaning 66 1.3.5 Considerations for measuring and weighting data 70 1.3.6 Conclusions 77 II. Part II: Application example – Flickr photo analysis and evaluation of results 80 2.1 Software architecture 80 2.2 Materials and methods 86 2.2.1 Data retrieval, initial data structure and overall quantification 86 2.2.2 Global data bias 89 2.2.3 Basic techniques for filtering and classifying data 94 2.2.3.1. Where: photo locations 94 2.2.3.2. Who: user origin 96 2.2.3.3. When: time of photo taking 102 2.2.3.4. What: tag frequency 108   2.2.4 Methods for aggregating data 113 2.2.4.1. Clustering of photo locations 113 2.2.4.2. Clustering of tag locations 115 2.3 Application to planning: techniques for visualizing data 118 2.3.1 Introduction 118 2.3.2 Tag maps 121 2.3.2.1. Description of technique 121 2.3.2.2. Results: San Francisco and Berkeley waterfront 126 2.3.2.3. Results: Berkeley downtown and university campus 129 2.3.2.4. Results: Dresden and the Elbe Valley 132 2.3.2.5. Results: Greater Toronto Area and City of Toronto 136 2.3.2.6. Results: Baden-Württemberg 143 2.3.2.7. Summary 156 2.3.3 Temporal comparison for assessing landscape change 158 2.3.3.1. Description of technique 158 2.3.3.2. Results: The High Line, NY 159 2.3.3.3. Summary 160 2.3.4 Determining lines of sight and important visual connections 161 2.3.4.1. Description of technique 161 2.3.4.2. Results: Yosemite Valley 162 2.3.4.3. Results: Golden Gate and Bay Bridge 167 2.3.4.4. Results: CN Tower, Toronto 168 2.3.4.5. Summary 170 2.3.5 Individual location analysis 171 2.3.5.1. Description of technique 171 2.3.5.2. Results: Coit Tower, San Francisco 171 2.3.5.3. Results: CN Tower, Toronto 172 2.3.5.4. Summary 173 2.4 Quality and accuracy of results 175 2.4.1 Methodology 175 2.4.2 Accuracy of data 175 2.4.3 Validity and reliability of visualizations 178 2.4.3.1. Reliability 178 2.4.3.2. Validity 180 2.5 Implementation example: the London View Framework 181 2.5.1 Description 181 2.5.2 Evaluation methodology 183 2.5.3 Analysis 184 2.5.3.1. Landmarks 184 2.5.3.2. Views 192 2.5.4 Summary 199 III. Discussion 203 3.1 Application of the framework from a wider perspective 203 3.2 Significance of results 204 3.3 Further research 205   3.4 Discussion of workshop results and further feedback 206 3.4.1 Workshops at University of Waterloo and University of Toronto, Canada 206 3.4.2 Workshop at University of Technology Dresden, Germany 209 3.4.3 Feedback from presentations, discussions, exhibitions: second thoughts 210 IV. Conclusions 212 V. References 213 5.1 Literature 213 5.2 List of web references 228 5.3 List of figures 230 5.4 List of tables 234 5.5 List of maps 235 5.6 List of appendices 236 VI. Appendices 237  Als Wahrnehmung wird der Bewusstseinsprozess des subjektiven Verstehens der Umwelt bezeichnet. Grundlage für diesen Prozess ist die Gewinnung von Informationen über die Sinne, also aus visuellen, olfaktorischen, akustischen und anderen Reizen. Die Wahrnehmung ist aber auch wesentlich durch interne Prozesse beeinflusst. Das menschliche Gehirn ist fortlaufend damit beschäftigt, sowohl bewusst als auch unbewusst Sinneswahrnehmungen mit Erinnerungen abzugleichen, zu vereinfachen, zu assoziieren, vorherzusagen oder zu vergleichen. Aus diesem Grund ist es schwierig, die Wahrnehmung von Orten und Landschaften in Planungsprozessen zu berücksichtigen. Jedoch wird genau dies von der Europäischen Landschaftskonvention gefordert, die Landschaft als einen bestimmten Bereich definiert, so wie er von Besuchern und Einwohnern wahrgenommen wird (“as a zone or area as perceived by local people or visitors”, ELC Art. 1, Abs. 38). Während viele Fortschritte und Erkenntnisse, zum Beispiel aus den Kognitionswissenschaften, heute helfen, die Wahrnehmung einzelner Menschen zu verstehen, konnte die Stadt- und Landschaftsplanung kaum profitieren. Es fehlt an Kenntnissen über das Zusammenwirken der Wahrnehmung vieler Menschen. Schon Stadtplaner Kevin Lynch beschäftigte dieses gemeinsame, kollektive ‚Bild‘ der menschlichen Umwelt ("generalized mental picture", Lynch, 1960, p. 4). Seitdem wurden kaum nennenswerte Fortschritte bei der Erfassung der allgemeinen, öffentlichen Wahrnehmung von Stadt- und Landschaft erzielt. Dies war Anlass und Motivation für die vorliegende Arbeit. Eine bisher in der Planung ungenutzte Informationsquelle für die Erfassung der Wahrnehmung vieler Menschen bietet sich in Form von crowdsourced Daten (auch ‚Big Data‘), also großen Mengen an Daten die von vielen Menschen im Internet zusammengetragen werden. Im Vergleich zu konventionellen Daten, zum Beispiel solchen die durch Experten erhoben werden und durch öffentliche Träger zur Verfügung stehen, eröffnet sich durch crowdsourced Daten eine bisher nicht verfügbare Quelle für Informationen, um die komplexen Zusammenhänge zwischen Raum, Identität und subjektiver Wahrnehmung zu verstehen. Dabei enthalten crowdsourced Daten lediglich Spuren menschlicher Entscheidungen. Aufgrund der Menge ist es aber möglich, wesentliche Informationen über die Wahrnehmung derer, die diese Daten zusammengetragen haben, zu gewinnen. Dies ermöglicht es Planern zu verstehen, wie Menschen ihre unmittelbare Umgebung wahrnehmen und mit ihr interagieren. Darüber hinaus wird es immer wichtiger, die Ansichten Vieler in Planungsprozessen zu berücksichtigen (Lynam, De Jong, Sheil, Kusumanto, & Evans, 2007; Brody, 2004). Der Wunsch nach öffentlicher Beteiligung sowie die Anzahl an beteiligten Stakeholdern nehmen dabei konstant zu. Durch das Nutzen dieser neuen Informationsquelle bietet sich eine Alternative zu herkömmlichen Ansätzen wie Umfragen, die genutzt werden um beispielsweise Meinungen, Positionen, Werte, Normen oder Vorlieben von bestimmten sozialen Gruppen zu messen. Indem es crowdsourced Daten erleichtern, solch soziokulturelle Werte zu bestimmen, können die Ergebnisse vor allem bei der schwierigen Gewichtung gegensätzlicher Interessen und Ansichten helfen. Es wird die Ansicht geteilt, dass die Nutzung von crowdsourced Daten, indem Einschätzungen von Experten ergänzt werden, letztendlich zu einer faireren, ausgeglichenen Berücksichtigung der Allgemeinheit in Entscheidungsprozessen führen kann (Erickson, 2011, p.1). Eine große Anzahl an Methoden ist bereits verfügbar, um aus dieser Datenquelle wichtige landschaftsbezogene Informationen auszulesen. Beispiele sind die Bewertung der Attraktivität von Landschaften, die Bestimmung der Bedeutung von Sehenswürdigkeiten oder Wahrzeichen, oder die Einschätzung von Reisevorlieben von Nutzergruppen. Viele der bisherigen Methoden wurden jedoch als ungenügend empfunden, um die speziellen Bedürfnisse und das breite Spektrum an Fragestellungen zur Landschaftswahrnehmung in Stadt- und Landschaftsplanung zu berücksichtigen. Das Ziel der vorliegenden Arbeit ist es, praxisrelevantes Wissen zu vermitteln, welches es Planern erlaubt, selbstständig Daten zu erforschen, zu visualisieren und zu interpretieren. Der Schlüssel für eine erfolgreiche Umsetzung wird dabei in der Synthese von Wissen aus drei Kategorien gesehen, theoretische Grundlagen (1), technisches Wissen zur Datenverarbeitung (2) sowie Kenntnisse zur grafischen Visualisierungen (3). Die theoretischen Grundlagen werden im ersten Teil der Arbeit (Part I) präsentiert. In diesem Teil werden zunächst Schwachpunkte aktueller Verfahren diskutiert, um anschließend einen neuen, konzeptionell-technischen Ansatz vorzuschlagen der gezielt auf die Ergänzung bereits vorhandener Methoden zielt. Im zweiten Teil der Arbeit (Part II) wird anhand eines Datenbeispiels die Anwendung des Ansatzes exemplarisch demonstriert. Fragestellungen die angesprochen werden reichen von der Datenabfrage, Verarbeitung, Analyse, Visualisierung, bis zur Interpretation von Grafiken in Planungsprozessen. Als Basis dient dabei ein Datenset mit 147 Millionen georeferenzierte Foto-Daten und 882 Millionen Tags der Fotoaustauschplatform Flickr, welches in den Jahren 2007 bis 2015 von 1,3 Millionen Nutzern zusammengetragen wurde. Anhand dieser Daten wird die Entwicklung neuer Visualisierungstechniken exemplarisch vorgestellt. Beispiele umfassen Spatio-temporal Tag Clouds, eine experimentelle Technik zur Generierung von wahrnehmungsgewichteten Karten, die Visualisierung von wahrgenommenem Landschaftswandel, das Abbilden von wahrnehmungsgewichteten Sichtlinien, sowie die Auswertung von individueller Wahrnehmung von und an bestimmten Orten. Die Anwendung dieser Techniken wird anhand verschiedener Testregionen in den USA, Kanada und Deutschland für alle Maßstabsebenen geprüft und diskutiert. Dies umfasst beispielsweise die Erfassung und Bewertung von Sichtlinien und visuellen Bezügen in Yosemite Valley, das Monitoring von wahrgenommenen Veränderungen im Bereich der High Line in New York, die Auswertung von individueller Wahrnehmung für Coit Tower in San Francisco, oder die Beurteilung von regional wahrgenommenen identitätsstiftenden Landschaftswerten für Baden-Württemberg und die Greater Toronto Area (GTA). Anschließend werden Ansätze vorgestellt, um die Qualität und Validität von Visualisierungen einzuschätzen. Abschließend wird anhand eines konkreten Planungsbeispiels, des London View Management Frameworks (LVMF), eine spezifische Implementation des Ansatzes und der Visualisierungen kurz aufgezeigt und diskutiert. Mit der Arbeit wird vor allem das breite Potential betont, welches die Nutzung von crowdsourced Daten für die Bewertung von Landschaftswahrnehmung in Stadt- und Landschaftsplanung bereithält. Insbesondere crowdsourced Fotodaten werden als wichtige zusätzliche Informationsquelle gesehen, da sie eine bisher nicht verfügbare Perspektive auf die allgemeine, öffentliche Wahrnehmung der Umwelt ermöglichen. Während der breiteren Anwendung noch einige Grenzen gesetzt sind, können die vorgestellten experimentellen Methoden und Techniken schon wichtige Aufschlüsse über eine ganze Reihe von wahrgenommenen Landschaftswerten geben. Auf konzeptioneller Ebene stellt die Arbeit eine erste Grundlage für weitere Forschung dar. Bevor jedoch eine breite Anwendung in der Praxis möglich ist, müssen entscheidende Fragen gelöst werden, beispielsweise zum Copyright, zur Definition von ethischen Standards innerhalb der Profession, sowie zum Schutz der Privatsphäre Beteiligter. Längerfristig wird nicht nur die Nutzung der Daten als wichtig angesehen, sondern auch die Erschließung der essentiellen Möglichkeiten dieser Entwicklung zur besseren Kommunikation mit Auftraggebern, Beteiligten und der Öffentlichkeit in Planungs- und Entscheidungsprozessen.:Contents 3 1 Introduction 7 1.1 Motivation 7 1.2 Literature review and conceptual scope 9 1.3 Terminology 11 1.4 Related research 12 1.5 Objectives 14 1.6 Methodology 16 1.7 Formal conventions 21 I. Part I: Conceptual framework 23 1.1 Visual perception 23 1.2 Theory and practice in landscape perception assessment 27 1.2.1 Expert valuation versus participation 27 1.2.2 Photography-based landscape perception assessment 32 1.2.2.1. Photo-based surveys 32 1.2.2.2. Photo-based Internet surveys 35 1.2.2.3. Photo-interviewing and participant photography 37 1.2.3 Conclusions 40 1.3 Conceptual approach 42 1.3.1 A framing theory: Distributed cognition 42 1.3.2 Description of the approach 46 1.3.3 Choosing the right data source 48 1.3.3.1. Availability of crowdsourced and georeferenced photo data 48 1.3.3.2. Suitability for analyzing human behavior and perception 51 1.3.4 Relations between data and the phenomenon under observation 55 1.3.4.1. Photo taking and landscape perception 55 1.3.4.2. User motivation in the context of photo sharing in communities 61 1.3.4.3. Describing and tagging photos: Forms of attributing meaning 66 1.3.5 Considerations for measuring and weighting data 70 1.3.6 Conclusions 77 II. Part II: Application example – Flickr photo analysis and evaluation of results 80 2.1 Software architecture 80 2.2 Materials and methods 86 2.2.1 Data retrieval, initial data structure and overall quantification 86 2.2.2 Global data bias 89 2.2.3 Basic techniques for filtering and classifying data 94 2.2.3.1. Where: photo locations 94 2.2.3.2. Who: user origin 96 2.2.3.3. When: time of photo taking 102 2.2.3.4. What: tag frequency 108   2.2.4 Methods for aggregating data 113 2.2.4.1. Clustering of photo locations 113 2.2.4.2. Clustering of tag locations 115 2.3 Application to planning: techniques for visualizing data 118 2.3.1 Introduction 118 2.3.2 Tag maps 121 2.3.2.1. Description of technique 121 2.3.2.2. Results: San Francisco and Berkeley waterfront 126 2.3.2.3. Results: Berkeley downtown and university campus 129 2.3.2.4. Results: Dresden and the Elbe Valley 132 2.3.2.5. Results: Greater Toronto Area and City of Toronto 136 2.3.2.6. Results: Baden-Württemberg 143 2.3.2.7. Summary 156 2.3.3 Temporal comparison for assessing landscape change 158 2.3.3.1. Description of technique 158 2.3.3.2. Results: The High Line, NY 159 2.3.3.3. Summary 160 2.3.4 Determining lines of sight and important visual connections 161 2.3.4.1. Description of technique 161 2.3.4.2. Results: Yosemite Valley 162 2.3.4.3. Results: Golden Gate and Bay Bridge 167 2.3.4.4. Results: CN Tower, Toronto 168 2.3.4.5. Summary 170 2.3.5 Individual location analysis 171 2.3.5.1. Description of technique 171 2.3.5.2. Results: Coit Tower, San Francisco 171 2.3.5.3. Results: CN Tower, Toronto 172 2.3.5.4. Summary 173 2.4 Quality and accuracy of results 175 2.4.1 Methodology 175 2.4.2 Accuracy of data 175 2.4.3 Validity and reliability of visualizations 178 2.4.3.1. Reliability 178 2.4.3.2. Validity 180 2.5 Implementation example: the London View Framework 181 2.5.1 Description 181 2.5.2 Evaluation methodology 183 2.5.3 Analysis 184 2.5.3.1. Landmarks 184 2.5.3.2. Views 192 2.5.4 Summary 199 III. Discussion 203 3.1 Application of the framework from a wider perspective 203 3.2 Significance of results 204 3.3 Further research 205   3.4 Discussion of workshop results and further feedback 206 3.4.1 Workshops at University of Waterloo and University of Toronto, Canada 206 3.4.2 Workshop at University of Technology Dresden, Germany 209 3.4.3 Feedback from presentations, discussions, exhibitions: second thoughts 210 IV. Conclusions 212 V. References 213 5.1 Literature 213 5.2 List of web references 228 5.3 List of figures 230 5.4 List of tables 234 5.5 List of maps 235 5.6 List of appendices 236 VI. Appendices 237