Maltese criminological landscapes : a spatio-temporal case : where physical and social worlds meet

Landscapes have taken many forms in the real and virtual worlds, placing more emphasis on the geographical perspective, sometimes at the risk of losing the spatio-social perspective. Studying thematic issues divorced from the locations they occur in results in a sterile outcome, since each activity has a time and space imperative attached to it. In his analysis of the morphology of landscapes, SAUER’S (1925) early assertion held true that geography without a substantive content remained an abstract relationship; with the essential content being the socio-cultural landscape (HIRSCHFIELD ET AL, 2001). This paper integrates both spatial and temporal crime, whilst linking crime statistics to such information layers as development and urban use, and zoning activities in a Maltese context.peer-reviewe

Does visualisation of digital landscapes serve itself : how topographic, planning, environmental and other thematic information is integrated and disseminated via web GIS

Digital landscapes provide decision makers with readily-available tools that enhance the policy-to-decision process. Malta has been witness to various processes to create digital landscapes for both the professional and the general public. This study reviews the operational and technological processes employed since the introduction of GIS in Malta and reviews the issue of 3D GIS and whether visualisation served its purpose in reaching the current state of affairs. A case-study on one particular research is reviewed which investigates whether users look at visualisation outputs as part of a larger environment or as an end in themselves.peer-reviewe