Cataloging Public Objects Using Aerial and Street-Level Images – Urban Trees

Each corner of the inhabited world is imaged from multiple viewpoints with increasing frequency. Online map services like Google Maps or Here Maps provide direct access to huge amounts of densely sampled, georeferenced images from street view and aerial perspective. There is an opportunity to design computer vision systems that will help us search, catalog and monitor public infrastructure, buildings and artifacts. We explore the architecture and feasibility of such a system. The main technical challenge is combining test time information from multiple views of each geographic location (e.g., aerial and street views). We implement two modules: det2geo, which detects the set of locations of objects belonging to a given category, and geo2cat, which computes the fine-grained category of the object at a given location. We introduce a solution that adapts state-of-the-art CNN-based object detectors and classifiers. We test our method on “Pasadena Urban Trees”, a new dataset of 80,000 trees with geographic and species annotations, and show that combining multiple views significantly improves both tree detection and tree species classification, rivaling human performance

Moving Technical Reports Forward

Technical reports have always posed problems for libraries and librarians. They are often bibliographically inconsistent, difficult to source, and published to varying standards of quality. In some science and technical fields, these reports are also large in number and central in importance. Additionally, established workflows for acquiring and preserving technical reports in distributed repositories have been undermined by the transition from print to digital. Overall, the grey literature challenges librarians face have increased. This paper presents three case studies of how academic libraries have found innovative ways to face the problems of technical reports and improve their production, dissemination, and preservation; thus reducing the duplication of research efforts and saving public funds. Transportation is one example of the disciplines where these described changes are taking place, and the opportunities for libraries to improve the technical report workflow in this field will be a particular focus of the session. Readers can expect to learn about the challenges of handling technical reports in the digital age and the opportunities that exist for improving discoverability and dissemination in the networked environment. A particular focus will be on new roles for libraries and librarians, and how library publishing and data management services can offer new opportunities for partnerships with researchers

Special Libraries, December 1961

Volume 52, Issue 10https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/sla_sl_1961/1009/thumbnail.jp

'Sensor'ship and Spatial Data Quality

This article describes a Los Angeles-based website that collects volunteered geographic information (VGI) on outdoor advertising using the Google Street View interface. The Billboard Map website was designed to help the city regulate signage. The Los Angeles landscape is thick with advertising, and the city efforts to count total of signs has been stymied by litigation and political pressure. Because outdoor advertising is designed to be seen, the community collectively knows how many and where signs exist. As such, outdoor advertising is a perfect subject for VGI. This paper analyzes the Los Angeles community's entries in the Billboard Map website both quantitatively and qualitatively. I find that members of the public are well able to map outdoor advertisements, successfully employing the Google Street View interface to pinpoint sign locations. However, the community proved unaware of the regulatory distinctions between types of signs, mapping many more signs than those the city technically designates as billboards. Though these findings might suggest spatial data quality issues in the use of VGI for municipal record-keeping, I argue that the Billboard Map teaches an important lesson about how the public's conceptualization of the urban landscape differs from that envisioned by city planners. In particular, I argue that community members see the landscape of advertising holistically, while city agents treat the landscape as a collection of individual categories. This is important because, while Los Angeles recently banned new off-site signs, it continues to approve similar signs under new planning categories, with more in the works

Identification and safeguarding of Central Sicily's forgotten vernacular heritage: elements of identity and memory

[EN] The coronavirus pandemic has created new challenges for rural areas already affected by chronic economic, social, and environmental problems such as depopulation, reduced service provision, ageing, the decline of agriculture income, inhibited accessibility. These problems are of great importance in Central Sicily. Here, the absence of adequate infrastructure, the limited presence of organizations for the promotion and marketing of agricultural products, and climate change have strongly affected the rural landscape. Numerous small towns, farms and extraordinary underground structures are on the verge of extinction, threatened by the ravages of time, forgetfulness, and vandalism. Although often unknown, these eloquent examples of the vernacular heritage of the interior of the island are no longer an integral part of the life of the region. However, if properly identified, studied, protected, re-used, and reconnected to the territory, they could help to reinforce the local cultural identities, and bring positive changes in the socio-economic conditions of the concerned peoples. This paper aims at exploring all these aspects, focusing on the territory of Enna. It also intends to present a pilot project aimed at identifying the most important elements of local rural architecture to promote sustainable methods of preservation and restoration.Versaci, A.; Cardaci, A. (2022). Identification and safeguarding of Central Sicily's forgotten vernacular heritage: elements of identity and memory. Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. 221-228. https://doi.org/10.4995/HERITAGE2022.2022.1488022122

A Practical Vision of Heritage Tourism in Low-Population- Density Areas. The Spanish Mediterranean as a Case Study

Heritage tourism bases its definition on searching for different, authentic, and somewhat unexplored places. Recent literature speaks of the growth of new forms of tourism based on the tradition that seeks to surprise visitors with popular culture, traditional activities, or actions that bring traditional culture closer to tourists. However, the reality is that the influx of tourists to small mountain villages is marked by the most “monumental” historical and architectural values, leaving aside some other minor attributes. This article uses the historical centres of rural villages to place inhabitants’ knowledge at the centre of tourism initiatives. The aim of the study was to develop cohesive and inclusive tourism activities in historic centres by analysing the built environment’s attributes and values. A participatory methodology marks the cultural change to enhance collaboration through transparent and ethical foundations and respect these places’ distinctive character. The study of values helped to conduct an in-depth analysis of local realities to document and map historical centres’ tangible attributes through crafts, traditional culture, and local heritage forms

Chapter Three villages of Përmet: Bënjë, Kosinë and Leusë

Part I of the book focusses on three villages in the Municipality of Përmet: Bënjë, Kosinë and Leusë. Bënjë, which lies entirely within the "Bredhi i Hotovës - Dangëlli" National Park, has undergone anthropization processes since prehistoric times. Due to its landscape and architectural value, it was recognised in 2016 as a “historical centre” and as such has come under the protection of the National Institute for the Cultural Heritage. There is little information concerning the history of Kosinë. The inhabitants show a strong connection with the Byzantine Church of the Dormition of Mary, but regrettably, it was impossible to go back to the origins of the current settlement. The village of Leusë, instead, existed before 1812, the year in which the Church of the Dormition of Mary was built. Today, the image of the village is a consequence of the partial reconstruction occured after the severe damage suffered during World War II. In the first chapters, the importance of the intangible heritage is stressed. Përmet’s food heritage is well-known on a national scale for its typical products (spirits, fruit preserves, dairy, meat, honey and bakery products), which result from the favourable climatic conditions and the rich biodiversity of the area. The tradition of the Tosk iso-polyphony, the hospitality of Përmet inhabitants and their historical devotion to religion, knowledge and study emerge with great strength together with the craftsmanship traditions and the exceptional skills of the itinerant and seasonal master builders. In the following chapters, the multiple aspects of the tangible heritage are analysed. The landscape in Përmet includes a vast variety of habitats, which have preserved to a large extent their original qualities. It is deeply marked by the Vjosa River and other several minor watercourses that crisscross the territory. A special attention is given to the historical built heritage of the villages, and specifically to three architectural assets (all listed as category I Cultural Monuments): the Katiu Bridge in Bënjë (an Ottoman bridge of the 18th century), the Church of the Dormition of Mary in Leusë (a Post-Byzantine building of the 19th century), and the Church of the Dormition of Mary in Kosinë (a Byzantine building of the end of the 12th century). For each of the aforementioned issues, the theoretical and historical analysis are closely bound to an evaluation of those features of the cultural heritage that could be enhanced to guarantee a sustainable tourism development of the area. Each chapter ends with a consistent set of specific intervention strategies. They are substantive tools for action aimed at public and private local actors