Developing a Virtual Reality User Interface (VRUI) for Geographic Information Retrieval on the Internet

The exponential growth of the World Wide Web provides the potential for greatly enhanced dissemination of global data-sets and information. However, the concurrent rise in data supply also means that new tools are required for information retrieval beyond the conventional graphical user-interface (GUI). This paper reviews the development of web-based GIS functionality and demonstrates how the multi-dimensional capabilities of VR tools can bring enhanced data exploration and visualisation onto the Internet by providing a more powerful 3D user-interface to identify and query data-sets. One key to the development of such interactive tools is the link between the Virtual Reality Modelling Language (VRML) and the JAVA platform, which together allow dynamic 3D content to be accessed through a web browser. Exploration of large diverse data-sets is demonstrated by a prototype system allowing the integration of terrain-based geoscience data-sets for scientific visualisation and education. The current limitations of the technology are discussed and further suggestions are made to improve the information content of the Internet.     

甘肃省国土资源科学发展与信息化建设

本文以深入学习实践科学发展观活动为切入点,结合甘肃省国土资源工作实际,就如何贯彻落实科学发展观,构建保障和促进科学发展新机制,大力推进国土资源信息化建设,为甘肃经济社会发展提供服务保障,提出了一些看法和建议,与大家共同商榷。     

国土资源科技管理统计指标体系的设计

科技统计指标体系是对科技活动进行统计的重要工具。本文从国土资源科技管理的角度对科技统计指标体系进行分析和补充,细化了科技投入与研发、科技人才培养、科技产出、国际科技合作的量化值,进一步丰富和完善了科技统计的指标体系。     

面向资源监管 实施“金土工程”为国土资源管理科学化现代化服务——在“国土资源信息化建设研讨会”上的讲话

各位来宾、朋友们、同志们:很高兴与各位相聚在春城昆明,共同探讨国土资源信息化建设问题。首先,我代表国土资源部,向各位代表表示热烈的欢迎!向长期以来关心、支持国土资源信息化建设的各界人士表示诚挚的问候!向给予这次研讨会大力支持的国务院信息化工作办公室、云南省人民政府、云南省国土资源厅表示衷心的感谢!     

国土资源科技成果管理与发布信息系统设计与开发

国土资源科技成果管理与发布信息系统设计依托于国土资源部内外网和单机版环境,采用成熟先进的．NeT、数据库、XML等技术,实现了各类数据的管理、查询与维护。系统包括科技成果登记管理发布子系统、科技奖励申报管理发布子系统、外事资料和考察报告汇交子系统和科技成果网4个子系统。系统设计具有先进性、开放性和安全性等特点。     

国土资源科技成果管理信息化现状与展望

本文通过对国土资源部科技成果管理现状和国内外科技成果管理水平的分析,构建了国土资源科技成果管理主流程信息化发展的基本思路和框架,并对实施国土资源科技成果管理信息化提出了建设性意见。     

The Basic Formal Ontology as a Reference Framework for Modeling the Evolution of Administrative Units

In information systems, ontologies promise advantages such as enhanced interoperability, knowledge sharing, and integration of data sources. In this article, we show that the upper ontology Basic Formal Ontology can facilitate the modeling of an evolution of administrative units. This is demonstrated by creating a spatiotemporal ontology for the administrative units of Switzerland. The ontology tackles the problem that the geometric data is typically captured by taking snapshots at regular intervals while the thematic data is continually updated. The ontology presented merges time‐stamped geometries with a formally described history of administrative units, allowing for complex spatiotemporal queries neither standard approach would support. The resulting populated knowledge base was evaluated against a set of spatiotemporal test queries. The evaluation showed that this knowledge base supports a wide range of queries on the evolution of the administrative units of Switzerland between 1960 and 2010.     

Expanding Display Size and Resolution for Viewing Geospatial Data: A User Study with Multiple-Monitor High-Resolution Displays

Multiple-monitor configurations provide attainable, low-cost ways to create large, high-resolution displays. Increased screen space is particularly useful for viewing and interpreting rich, complex geospatial datasets, as both context and amount of detail can be simultaneously increased. To explore the utility of increasing display size and resolution for viewing geospatial data, this experiment required 57 subjects to perform map and image reading tasks using raster and vector data on one of three different monitor configurations: one (1280 × 1024 pixels), four (2560 × 2048 pixels), and nine (3840 × 3072 pixels). A computer program captured subject performance by recording answers, mouse-click locations, viewing areas, tool usage, and elapsed time. A post-experiment questionnaire obtained additional qualitative feedback about subjects' testing experiences. Overall, subjects performed more efficiently on the larger display configurations, as evidenced by a reduction in completion time and in virtual navigation (mouse clicks) used to finish the test. Tool usage also differed among monitor conditions, with navigation tools dominating on the single monitor and selection tools (tools used to provide answers) dominating on the nine-monitor display. Although overall results indicated the effectiveness of larger displays, task-level analyses showed that performance varied considerably from task to task.     

国土资源部科技成果推广转化的分析与探讨

本文介绍了国土资源部科技成果推广转化的基本情况,包括科技成果交流制度、国土资源科技创新体系、科技投入和科技成果信息服务平台4个方面。在此基础上,指出目前国土资源部科技成果推广转化过程中存在内生动力不足、信息不对称、资金短缺且比例不协调等问题,提出了促进国土资源部科技成果推广转化的对策和建议。     

航海图等深线化简质量的定量评估指标与方法

针对当前对航海图等深线化简的质量评估仅能靠经验定性分析、无法进行定量评估这一局限,从航海安全性、航行资源表达和平滑性准则出发,分别定义了扩深长度、平均扩深距离、缩深面积、等深线的弯曲度与光滑离差等质量评估指标,提出了相应的评估方法,并推导出了相关的计算公式。实验结果表明,定义的指标能分别从航海安全性、航行资源表达和平滑性3个方面较为明确合理地反映航海图等深线化简的质量;所提评估方法能定量评估等深线化简的质量,克服了传统经验方法只能定性分析的不足。     

Evaluating a satellite-based seasonal evapotranspiration product and identifying its relationship with other satellite-derived products and crop yield: A case study for Ethiopia

Satellite-derived evapotranspiration anomalies and normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) products from Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) data are currently used for African agricultural drought monitoring and food security status assessment. In this study, a process to evaluate satellite-derived evapotranspiration (ETa) products with a geospatial statistical exploratory technique that uses NDVI, satellite-derived rainfall estimate (RFE), and crop yield data has been developed. The main goal of this study was to evaluate the ETa using the NDVI and RFE, and identify a relationship between the ETa and Ethiopia’s cereal crop (i.e., teff, sorghum, corn/maize, barley, and wheat) yields during the main rainy season. Since crop production is one of the main factors affecting food security, the evaluation of remote sensing-based seasonal ETa was done to identify the appropriateness of this tool as a proxy for monitoring vegetation condition in drought vulnerable and food insecure areas to support decision makers. The results of this study showed that the comparison between seasonal ETa and RFE produced strong correlation (R² > 0.99) for all 41 crop growing zones in Ethiopia. The results of the spatial regression analyses of seasonal ETa and NDVI using Ordinary Least Squares and Geographically Weighted Regression showed relatively weak yearly spatial relationships (R² < 0.7) for all cropping zones. However, for each individual crop zones, the correlation between NDVI and ETa ranged between 0.3 and 0.84 for about 44% of the cropping zones. Similarly, for each individual crop zones, the correlation (R²) between the seasonal ETa anomaly and de-trended cereal crop yield was between 0.4 and 0.82 for 76% (31 out of 41) of the crop growing zones. The preliminary results indicated that the ETa products have a good predictive potential for these 31 identified zones in Ethiopia. Decision makers may potentially use ETa products for monitoring cereal crop yields and early warning of food insecurity during drought years for these identified zones.     

Evaluating the Usability of a Tool for Visualizing the Uncertainty of the Future Global Water Balance

We describe the development of software that is intended to enable decision makers (and their scientific advisors) to visualize uncertainties associated with the future global water balance. This is an important task because the future water balance is a function of numerous factors that are not precisely known, including the historical climatology, the model of potential evapotranspiration, the soil water holding capacity, and the global circulation models (GCMs) used to predict the effect of increased CO₂ in the atmosphere. In developing the software, we utilized the principles of usability engineering. In our case, we utilized six steps: prototype development, evaluation by domain experts, software revision, evaluation by usability experts, software revision, and evaluation by decision makers. Although this approach led to an improved piece of software, decision makers should have been involved earlier in the software design process, possibly at step two (instead of the domain experts). Decision makers found the notion of uncertainty discomforting, but their positive comments regarding the software suggest that it could prove beneficial, especially with improvements in spatial and temporal resolution. One interesting characteristic of our approach was the utilization of a wall-size display measuring 25 x 6 feet. The wall-size display engendered great interest, but determining whether it is truly effective will require a study that directly compares it with more traditional approaches.     

基于ASP．NET的国土资源科技与外事信息管理系统的设计与实现

建立国土资源科技信息与外事管理信息系统是实现国土资源科技发展与创新的重要平台,本文从关键技术、系统结构、系统功能等方面探讨了在ASP.NET的环境下,采用B/S模式,构建三层架构的国土资源科技信息与外事管理信息系统的方法,最后利用设计的思路,实现了国土资源科技与信息数据库的建立和系统的开发工作。     

Evaluating the Efficiency of Typographic Design: Gender and Expertise Variation

Abstract

Although the efficiency of label placement algorithms has been studied extensively, few studies considered the influence of the label designs on the efficiency of map readers. Labels are one of the most important elements on the map as they can provide more information than other symbols can. The design of the labels does have to stress the theme, shape and functionality of the associated objects, which results in a more efficient interpretation of the map content by the user. How the label designs can enhance the map readers’ efficiency (and thus the quality of the maps themselves) is the main objective of this study. A user study was conducted in which the participants were asked to locate a target label on a map. Different label designs were implemented across the trials. The participants’ reactions times were registered to measure their efficiency and statistically analysed using a one-way ANOVA. Two different users’ characteristics were considered: gender and expertise. Related to the size, shape, orientation and texture of the labels, a number of significant differences (P<0·05) and trends were located. Differences in efficiency between males and females, on the one hand, and between novices and experts, on the other hand, were also described statistically. Consequently, recommendations can be formulated regarding the design of labels in order to obtain more efficient maps, keeping in mind the map users’ characteristics.     

学会科技期刊在落实行业科学发展观中的重要作用

这是获得江苏省软科学课题奖的省级项目,以测绘期刊为例,选择江苏省测绘学会主办的《现代测绘》为研究平台,选择7所高校教学研究机构和10个不同行业、不同等级的测绘生产单位作为调查研究的对象,力求能够全面反映测绘学科科技期刊对行业落实科学发展观的现实作用以及下一步改进工作的重点.     

基于变换域方法抑制线性调频干扰的GPS接收机设计

GPS接收机的信号通常很微弱,很容易受到有意或无意的干扰。对于线性调频干扰,在GPS接收机中很难用单一的时域或频域方法消除,因为线性调频干扰不同于一般的宽带或窄带干扰。另外线性调频干扰在变换域有不同于GPS C/A码的显著特征,基于此特点设计了一种在变换域抑制线性调频干扰的GPS接收机。分析了线性调频干扰在变换域的特征,仿真结果验证了这种设计方法的可行性。     

国土资源部门户网站信息资源整合体系研究

国土资源部门户网站是国土资源信息化建设的重要内容之一,历经10余年的发展建设,在服务国土资源管理决策和信息社会化需求方面发挥了较为重要的作用。本文围绕国土资源部门户网站信息资源整合建设实践,系统地阐述了网站的整合目标、原则、分类体系,着重介绍了系统架构、实现方法与建设成果。     

Knowledge Discovery in the Environmental Sciences: Visual and Automatic Data Mining for Radon Problems in Groundwater

Efficiently exploring a large dataset with the aim of forming a hypothesis is one of the main challenges in environmental research. The exploration of georeferenced environmental data is usually performed by established statistical methods. This paper presents an alternative approach. The aim of this study was to see if a visual data mining system and an integrated visual‐automatic data mining system could be used for data exploration for a particular environmental problem: the occurrence of radon in groundwater. In order to demonstrate this, two data mining systems were built, one consisting of visualisations and the other including an automatic data mining method – a Self‐Organising Map (SOM). The systems were designed for exploration of a large multidimensional dataset representing wells in Stockholm County.