Possibilities of contactless control of web map applications by sight

This paper assesses possibilities of a new approach of control map applications on the screen without locomotive system. There is a project about usability of Eye Tracking System in Geoinformatic and Cartographic fields at Department of Geoinformatics at Palacky University. The eye tracking system is a device for measuring eye/gaze positions and eye/gaze movement ("where we are looking"). There is a number of methods and outputs, but the most common are "heat-maps" of intensity and/or time. Just this method was used in the first part, where was analyzed the number of common web map portals, especially distribution of their tools and functions on the screen. The aim of research is to localize by heat-maps the best distribution of control tools for movement with map (function "pan"). It can analyze how sensitive are people on perception of control tools in different web pages and platforms. It is a great experience to compare accurate survey data with personal interpretation and knowledge. Based on these results is the next step – design of "control tools" which is command by eye-tracking device. There has been elected rectangle areas located on the edge of map (AOI – areas of interest), with special function which have defined some time delay. When user localizes one of these areas the map automatically moves to the way on which edge is localized on, and time delay prevents accidental movement. The technology for recording the eye movements on the screen offers this option because if you properly define the layout and function controls of the map, you need only connect these two systems. At this moment, there is a technical constrain. The solution of movement control is based on data transmission between eye-tracking-device-output and converter in real-time. Just real-time transfer is not supported in every case of SMI (SensoMotoric Instruments company) devices. More precisely it is the problem of money, because eye-tracking device and every upgrade is very expensive. This constrains and their solutions are also discussed in paper. Main aim of the project is to design (both economically and technologically), optimal way how to record and convert eye-movement in a program with sophisticated control of movements

Performance Testing on Marker Clustering and Heatmap Visualization Techniques: A Comparative Study on JavaScript Mapping Libraries

We are now generating exponentially more data from more sources than a few years ago. Big data, an already familiar term, has been generally defined as a massive volume of structured, semi-structured, and/or unstructured data, which may not be effectively managed and processed using traditional databases and software techniques. It could be problematic to visualize easily and quickly a large amount of data via an Internet platform. From this perspective, the main aim of the paper is to test point data visualization possibilities of selected JavaScript Mapping Libraries to measure their performance and ability to cope with a big amount of data. Nine datasets containing 10,000 to 3,000,000 points were generated from the Nature Conservation Database. Five libraries for marker clustering and two libraries for heatmap visualization were analyzed. Loading time and the ability to visualize large data sets were compared for each dataset and each library. The best-evaluated library was a Mapbox GL JS (Graphics Library JavaScript) with the highest overall performance. Some of the tested libraries were not able to handle the desired amount of data. In general, an amount of less than 100,000 points was indicated as the threshold for implementation without a noticeable slowdown in performance. Their usage can be a limiting factor for point data visualization in such a dynamic environment as we live nowadays

Possibilities of contactless control of web map applications by sight

This paper assesses possibilities of a new approach of control map applications on the screen without locomotive system. There is a project about usability of Eye Tracking System in Geoinformatic and Cartographic fields at Department of Geoinformatics at Palacky University. The eye tracking system is a device for measuring eye/gaze positions and eye/gaze movement ("where we are looking"). There is a number of methods and outputs, but the most common are "heat-maps" of intensity and/or time. Just this method was used in the first part, where was analyzed the number of common web map portals, especially distribution of their tools and functions on the screen. The aim of research is to localize by heat-maps the best distribution of control tools for movement with map (function "pan"). It can analyze how sensitive are people on perception of control tools in different web pages and platforms. It is a great experience to compare accurate survey data with personal interpretation and knowledge. Based on these results is the next step – design of "control tools" which is command by eye-tracking device. There has been elected rectangle areas located on the edge of map (AOI – areas of interest), with special function which have defined some time delay. When user localizes one of these areas the map automatically moves to the way on which edge is localized on, and time delay prevents accidental movement. The technology for recording the eye movements on the screen offers this option because if you properly define the layout and function controls of the map, you need only connect these two systems. At this moment, there is a technical constrain. The solution of movement control is based on data transmission between eye-tracking-device-output and converter in real-time. Just real-time transfer is not supported in every case of SMI (SensoMotoric Instruments company) devices. More precisely it is the problem of money, because eye-tracking device and every upgrade is very expensive. This constrains and their solutions are also discussed in paper. Main aim of the project is to design (both economically and technologically), optimal way how to record and convert eye-movement in a program with sophisticated control of movements

Collaborative Mapping and Digital Participation: A Tool for Local Empowerment in Developing Countries

There has been an enormous technological boom that impacted all areas of geoscience in the past few decades. Part of the change was also the process of democratization of cartography as well as geographic information systems (GIS), together with new approaches that have emerged, bringing social dimension into cartography and GIS. These new approaches were variously labelled as critical cartography, collaborative mapping, digital citizenship, Bottom-up GIS and Participatory GIS. The paper describes the role of collaborative mapping and digital participation in the process of community building and community assets mapping. Secondly, we will use the examples of Kenya and Peru to support our findings of community development. Thirdly, we will discuss a possible further development within the use of OpenStreetMap (OSM) for remote communities. The analysis compares approaches and experiences in different countries on different continents

Mapping Creative Industries: A Case Study on Supporting Geographical Information Systems in the Olomouc Region, Czech Republic

The article presents an interdisciplinary link between the geospatial and the cultural sector. This is a unique study of Central Europe in visualizing and interpreting the spatial location of elements in cultural and creative industries. The main purpose was to create suitable visualizations and to process the spatial aspects of cultural and creative industries in a cartographical environment. A team of professionals from several fields (geoinformatics, economics, culture, social sciences, cartography) was assembled to map the creative industries in Olomouc Region, Czech Republic. A total of 1,211 subjects were identified which created the conditions for the employment of more than 5,000 people. Their turnover exceeds EUR 190,000,000 annually. This study was based on an initially examined dataset. Seven spatial analyses were applied. Thirty analogue maps and one interactive map application were created. The point character map was the most used one. The price map, as a background layer, was considered very useful for further map reading. The essential phenomena were topics of population density and transport. Based on the generated map outputs, we found that subjects had a tendency to concentrate in the city center or in areas with higher prices and service levels

Implementation of Heat Maps in Geographical Information System – Exploratory Study on Traffic Accident Data

In this study, the authors created an overview of the usage of heat maps as a GIS visualization method. In the first part of the paper, a significant number of studies was evaluated, and the technique was thoroughly described to set up a base level for further research. At this moment, the most used input data for heat maps are point data. While these data fit the method very well, also studies based on line and polygon data were found. The second part of the paper is devoted to an exploratory study on traffic accident data of the Olomouc city, Czech Republic. Even spatial distribution of the dataset by geographical information system makes it the perfect example of heat map usage. These data were visualized in multiple ways changing color range, kernel size, radius, and transparency. Two groups of users were created in order to evaluate these heat maps. One group was consisting of those educated or working in cartography. The second one was consisting of the general public. Created heat maps were shown to these volunteers and their task was to decide their preferred solution. Most of the users chose bright colors with a negative feeling, such as red, for traffic accident visualization. The best settings for transparency was identified to be around 50%. The final questions were about map readability based on radius. This setting is tied to map scale but follows a common trend throughout the research. The results of this work are a general set of recommendations and specific evaluation of the exploratory study regarding traffic accidents spatial data. The general recommendations include basic principles of the method, implementation by GIS, suitable data and correct usage of heat maps. The evaluation is answering specific questions regarding heat map settings, style and presentation in the specific case

Geospatial Analysis in Web Browsers—Comparison Study on WebGIS Process-Based Applications

With the rapid development of internet technologies in recent years, the shift from the desktop to the web platform can be seen within geospatial analysis. While analytical tools, such as buffer or clip, are routinely used in desktop environments, WebGIS deals with geographic information, including geospatial analysis, within the online environment. The main aim of this paper is to perform a comparison and evaluation of vector-oriented online geoprocessing tools in a WebGIS environment, supported by the development of a custom solution for geospatial analysis. The application called GeOnline is developed and tested as a case study to demonstrate the availability of spatial analysis tools within the web browser. It implements the specialized geospatial library Turf.js, which allows using non-trivial geospatial analysis, such as intersect, clip or calculate centroids. It handles client-side processes. Both a functionality comparison and performance testing are carried out, while the paper primarily focuses on data-driven (data-based) analysis and not only on visual-driven (visual-based) analysis. The comparative study evaluates five geospatial tools (ArcGIS Online, GISCloud, CARTO, FOURSQUARE, GeOnline) and summarizes the solutions from different aspects, including the number of supported operations. Finally, performance tests on GeOnline separately and among alternative solutions are performed. While ArcGIS Online is considered the most comprehensive solution on the market, GeOnline performs well compared to alternative solutions

Non-Spatial Data towards Spatially Located News about COVID-19: A Semi-Automated Aggregator of Pandemic Data from (Social) Media within the Olomouc Region, Czechia

The article describes the process of aggregation of media-based data about the coronavirus pandemic in the Olomouc region, the Czech Republic. Originally non-spatially located news from different sources and various platforms (government, social media, news portals) were automatically aggregated into a centralized database. The application “COVID-map” is an interactive web map solution which visualizes records from the database in a spatial way. The COVID-map has been developed within the Ad hoc online hackathon as an academic project at the Department of Geoinformatics, Palacký University Olomouc, Czech Republic. Alongside spatially localized data, the map application collects statistical data from official sources e.g., from the governmental crisis management office. The impact of the application was immediate. Within a few days after the launch, tens of thousands users per day visited the COVID-map. It has been published by regional and national media. The COVID-map solution could be considered as a suitable implementation of the correctly used cartographical method for the example of the coronavirus pandemic