Categorization and geovisualization of climate change strategies using an open-access WebGIS tool

The focus of our paper is to present the power of collaboration of databases in a web environment, where data contain or are related to different types of social geography spatial data. Implementing different data gained from the Climate Change Laws of the World, the United Nations Treaty Collection, the World Bank and The World Factbook, we ourselves developed the Climate Change Strategies of the world’s countries (called CCS). Our purpose is to publish and demonstrate the spatial visualization and categorization of the climate change strategies (CCS) of the world’s countries, and also highlight the power of geovisualization in terms of cognitive InfoCommunications, using open-access WebGIS tools and geoinformatics software. The evolved geographic database is able to provide information for users about the different types of climate change strategies of the world’s countries in a visual way, but can also be extended by uploading new data

Interactive maps: What we know and what we need to know

This article provides a review of the current state of science regarding cartographic interaction a complement to the traditional focus within cartography on cartographic representation. Cartographic interaction is defined as the dialog between a human and map mediated through a computing device and is essential to the research into interactive cartography geovisualization and geovisual analytics. The review is structured around six fundamental questions facing a science of cartographic interaction: (1) what is cartographic interaction (e.g. digital versus analog interactions interaction versus interfaces stages of interaction interactive maps versus mapping systems versus map mash-ups); (2) why provide cartographic interaction (e.g. visual thinking geographic insight the stages of science the cartographic problematic); (3) when should cartographic interaction be provided (e.g. static versus interactive maps interface complexity the productivity paradox flexibility versus constraint work versus enabling interactions); (4) who should be provided with cartographic interaction (e.g. user-centered design user ability expertise and motivation adaptive cartography and geocollaboration); (5) where should cartographic interaction be provided (e.g. input capabilities bandwidth and processing power display capabilities mobile mapping and location-based services); and (6) how should cartographic interaction be provided (e.g. interaction primitives objective-based versus operator-based versus operand-based taxonomies interface styles interface design)? The article concludes with a summary of research questions facing cartographic interaction and offers an outlook for cartography as a field of study moving forward

Digital representation of park use and visual analysis of visitor activities

Urban public parks can serve an important function by contributing to urban citizens' quality of life. At the same time, they can be the location of processes of displacement and exclusion. Despite this ambiguous role, little is known about actual park use patterns. To learn more about park use in three parks in Zurich, Switzerland, extensive data on visitor activities was collected using a new method based on direct recording via a portable GIS solution. Then, the data was analyzed using qualitative and quantitative methods. This paper examines whether geographic visualization of these data can help domain experts like landscape designers and park managers to assess park use. To maximize accessibility, the visualizations are made available through a web-interface of a common, off-the-shelf GIS. The technical limitations imposed by this choice are critically assessed, before the available visualization techniques are evaluated in respect to the needs and tasks of practitioners with limited knowledge on spatial analysis and GIS. Key criteria are each technique's level of abstraction and graphical complexity. The utility and suitability of the visualization techniques is characterized for the distinct phases of exploration, analysis and synthesis. The findings suggest that for a target user group of practitioners, a combination of dot maps showing the raw data and surface maps showing derived density values for several attributes serves the purpose of knowledge generation best

Geovisual analytics for spatial decision support: Setting the research agenda

This article summarizes the results of the workshop on Visualization, Analytics & Spatial Decision Support, which took place at the GIScience conference in September 2006. The discussions at the workshop and analysis of the state of the art have revealed a need in concerted cross‐disciplinary efforts to achieve substantial progress in supporting space‐related decision making. The size and complexity of real‐life problems together with their ill‐defined nature call for a true synergy between the power of computational techniques and the human capabilities to analyze, envision, reason, and deliberate. Existing methods and tools are yet far from enabling this synergy. Appropriate methods can only appear as a result of a focused research based on the achievements in the fields of geovisualization and information visualization, human‐computer interaction, geographic information science, operations research, data mining and machine learning, decision science, cognitive science, and other disciplines. The name ‘Geovisual Analytics for Spatial Decision Support’ suggested for this new research direction emphasizes the importance of visualization and interactive visual interfaces and the link with the emerging research discipline of Visual Analytics. This article, as well as the whole special issue, is meant to attract the attention of scientists with relevant expertise and interests to the major challenges requiring multidisciplinary efforts and to promote the establishment of a dedicated research community where an appropriate range of competences is combined with an appropriate breadth of thinking

Testing the Waters: Local Users, Sea Level Rise, and the Productive Usability of Interactive Geovisualizations

This paper explores the potential for technical communicators to employ usability research with risk-based interactive geovisualization technologies as a method of cultivating critical rhetorics of risk communication for local communities. Through integrating theories from usability studies and risk communication, I offer some new directions for thinking about the productive usability of online, participatory technologies that promote citizen engagement in science. I argue that the key tenets of productive usability afford technical communicators the opportunity to build localized knowledge of risk in real, local users, which in turn improves the capacity for a community and its stakeholders to more effectively communicate risk

Web GIS to support irrigation management: a prototype for SAGRA network, Alentejo Portugal

Dissertation submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Geospatial TechnologiesAn efficient water management, not only allows significant savings in costs of irrigation, but also an effective control on the quality of products, which can have obvious consequences on income operation and reducing the environmental impact of irrigation. As the Internet is becoming the easiest way of information distribution, irrigation management system can also be benefitted with it. Integrating GIS functionality with internet capacity will redefine the way of decision making, sharing and processing of information. In irrigation systems weather plays an imperative role in decision making, implementing and forecasting. Temperature, humidity, precipitation, and solar radiation are the most important parameters to calculate evapotranspiration by which crop water requirement can be determined. SAGRA (Sistema Agrometeorológico para a Gestão da Rega no Alentejo) network is providing information to the farmers through web but still lacks the use of GIS in their information to decision support system. Irrigation management support system can be benefitted with the use of Web GIS. In this thesis, web based GIS is designed using popular open source tools and software. Using data from automatic weather station maps are produced using Geo-statistical interpolation techniques and published in web map. These maps can be viewed with popular online maps like Google maps, Microsoft Bing and Openstreet maps. Animated weather maps are also created which are useful for visualizing changing pattern of weather parameters and water requirement over time

3D Cadastres Best Practices, Chapter 5: Visualization and New Opportunities

This paper proposes a discussion on opportunities offered by 3D visualization to improve the understanding and the analysis of cadastre data. It first introduce the rationale of having 3D visualization functionalities in the context of cadastre applications. Second the publication outline some basic concepts in 3D visualization. This section specially addresses the visualization pipeline as a driven classification schema to understand the steps leading to 3D visualization. In this section is also presented a brief review of current 3D standards and technologies. Next is proposed a summary of progress made in the last years in 3D cadastral visualization. For instance, user’s requirement, data and semiotics, and platforms are highlighted as main actions performed in the development of 3D cadastre visualization. This review could be perceived as an attempt to structure and emphasise the best practices in the domain of 3D cadastre visualization and as an inventory of issues that still need to be tackled. Finally, by providing a review on advances and trends in 3D visualization, the paper initiates a discussion and a critical analysis on the benefit of applying these new developments to cadastre domain. This final section discusses about enhancing 3D techniques as dynamic transparency and cutaway, 3D generalization, 3D visibility model, 3D annotation, 3D data and web platform, augmented reality, immersive virtual environment, 3D gaming, interaction techniques and time

Challenging problems of geospatial visual analytics

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