Geospatial Thinking and Spatial Ability: An Empirical Examination of Knowledge and Reasoning in Geographical Science

This study examined the relationships between geospatial thinking and spatial ability, focusing on knowledge and reasoning about fundamental concepts in geospatial science. Scores on a geospatial thinking test had low correlations with each other, compared to high correlations among scores on spatial ability tests, and the degrees of relationship between geospatial thinking and spatial ability depended on the type of geospatial thinking. Expert geospatial scientists did not outperform students on spatial ability tests, suggesting that expertise in geospatial science might not simply be explained by superiority in spatial ability. The results point to the necessity of targeted instruction for geospatial learning.     

Filling the gap: The geospatial skills shortage in New Zealand

Geospatial technologies span governmental, academic and private commercial sectors, and their potential for growth is considerable. The USA and Australia have trouble meeting demand for geospatial skills. This paper reports on a national survey of 157 organisations that identified a similar geospatial shortage in New Zealand. The paper also details dimensions of the shortage and the current frameworks for meeting the shortfall of skilled professionals. Arising from this skills gap, key challenges facing both the geography and geospatial communities are identified and discussed: raising student numbers, gaining experience, up‐skilling current professionals and raising awareness of the value of the geospatial skillset.     

Teaching Spatial Thinking and Geospatial Technologies Through Citizen Mapping and Problem-Based Inquiry in Grades 7-12

Our project introduced students in grades 7 through 12 to spatial thinking and geospatial technologies in the context of challenges in their community. We used a mix of levels of inquiry to advance learning from teacher- to student-guided through a citizen mapping group activity. Student-suggested problem-based topics included parks and community gardens, crime, housing, and youth employment opportunities. Qualitative methods were used to evaluate students’ knowledge of spatial thinking and geospatial technologies, including map interpretation, a case study, daily exit slips, and interviews. Overall, the students’ awareness of their community, spatial thinking, and geospatial technologies increased as a result of participation.     

Interactive Visualization Software to Improve Relief Interpretation Skills: Spatial Data Infrastructure Geoportal versus Augmented Reality

The improvement of geospatial thinking is essential for success in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines. Training based on the geovisualization and interpretation of landforms can develop the relief interpretation skill. The research reported here focuses on the study of relief visualization and interpretation, using results from a workshop performed with forty-six university students using different displays of geovisualization in a Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI) geoportal: LiDAR digital surface model, HillShade digital terrain model, digital elevation model, slope model, high-resolution orthophoto, and topographic map. The results are compared with those of another workshop on the same topic carried out with augmented reality (AR) technology. The relief interpretation skill improvement was measured before and after each of the workshops using the Topographic Map Assessment test. The results with the SDI geoportal showed a significant gain in relief interpretation skill between pretest and posttest scores but less than the gain obtained with AR. No differences were found due to the gender of the participants in either case. Key Words: augmented reality, geospatial thinking, landform interpretation, relief interpretation skill, Spatial Data Infrastructure.     

The Pedagogical Benefits of Participatory GIS for Geographic Education

In this article, participatory GIS (PGIS) is explored and established as a powerful platform for geographic education. PGIS pedagogy can help educators meet diverse learning objectives pertaining to: (1) local knowledge and place-based thinking; (2) community engagement; (3) field mapping with geospatial technologies; (4) mixed-methods research; and (5) fostering of critical reflexivity in students. The discussion is supported with insights from multiple student-facilitated PGIS projects organized in rural Tanzania. There also is a thorough discussion of the challenges and caveats associated with involving students in PGIS projects, and a call for new research for assessing and advancing PGIS pedagogy.     

How much information is geospatially referenced? Networks and cognition

The aim of this article is to provide a basis in evidence for (or against) the much-quoted assertion that 80% of all information is geospatially referenced. For this purpose, two approaches are presented that are intended to capture the portion of geospatially referenced information in user-generated content: a network approach and a cognitive approach. In the network approach, the German Wikipedia is used as a research corpus. It is considered a network with the articles being nodes and the links being edges. The Network Degree of Geospatial Reference (NDGR) is introduced as an indicator to measure the network approach. We define NDGR as the shortest path between any Wikipedia article and the closest article within the network that is labeled with coordinates in its headline. An analysis of the German Wikipedia employing this approach shows that 78% of all articles have a coordinate themselves or are directly linked to at least one article that has geospatial coordinates. The cognitive approach is manifested by the categories of geospatial reference (CGR): direct, indirect, and non-geospatial reference. These are categories that may be distinguished and applied by humans. An empirical study including 380 participants was conducted. The results of both approaches are synthesized with the aim to (1) examine correlations between NDGR and the human conceptualization of geospatial reference and (2) to separate geospatial from non-geospatial information. From the results of this synthesis, it can be concluded that 56–59% of the articles within Wikipedia can be considered to be directly or indirectly geospatially referenced. The article thus describes a method to check the validity of the ‘80%-assertion’ for information corpora that can be modeled using graphs (e.g., the World Wide Web, the Semantic Web, and Wikipedia). For the corpus investigated here (Wikipedia), the ‘80%-assertion’ cannot be confirmed, but would need to be reformulated as a ‘60%-assertion’.     

An Investigation of the Use of Real-Time,Authentic Geospatial Data in the K–12 Classroom

Abstract

This article situates geospatial technologies as a constructivist tool in the K-12 classroom and examines student experiences with real-time authentic geospatial data provided through a hybrid adventure learning environment. Qualitative data from seven student focus groups demonstrate the effectiveness of using real-time authentic data, peer collaboration, and geospatial technologies in learning geography. We conclude with recommendations about geospatial technology curricula, geospatial lesson design, providing preservice teachers with geographic technological pedagogical content knowledge, and encouraging further research to investigate the impact, affordances, and pedagogical implications of geospatial technologies and data in the K–12 classroom.     

Implementing a High School Level Geospatial Technologies and Spatial Thinking Course

Understanding geospatial technologies (GSTs) and spatial thinking is increasingly vital to contemporary life including common activities and hobbies; learning in science, mathematics, and social science; and employment within fields as diverse as engineering, health, business, and planning. As such, there is a need for a stand-alone K–12 curriculum in this area rather than the more piecemeal integration of GSTs and spatial thinking that is more common in today's schools. This article discusses the development of a systematic GST/spatial thinking course and analyzes how this course promoted student learning in these areas as well as developing problem-solving skills in other fields and applications.     

国土空间开发建设适宜性评价研究进展

国土空间开发建设适宜性是优化国土空间开发格局、合理布局建设空间的依据,包括国土空间开发适宜性和建设用地适宜性两个方面。本文首先探讨二者的概念与内涵,然后从评价目标与视角、评价尺度与单元等多个角度梳理国土空间开发建设适宜性案例研究现状;进而总结归纳国土空间开发建设适宜性的指标体系及评价方法。分析发现：国土空间开发建设适宜性指标体系早期以工程地质条件为主,但目前涉及要素日益多元化,涵盖地质地貌、生态、经济、社会各方面;并已形成多要素叠置综合评价、空间作用及其趋势模拟、基于生态位的适宜性评价及参与式综合评价四种适宜性评价方法。今后应借鉴地理学、社会学、空间经济学、生态学等多学科理论,构建完善的国土空间开发建设适宜性研究体系,加强基础理论研究;推动指标体系规范与统一,完善评估框架与技术方法,研发开放式评价系统;构建可与空间管制政策对接的适宜性分类体系,扩展适宜性评价的案例研究和应用范围;同时应促进宏观空间开发适宜性和微观建设适宜性的统一和整合,响应“多规融合”的实践需求。     

Assessing the effectiveness of different visualizations for judgments of positional uncertainty

Many techniques have been proposed for visualizing uncertainty in geospatial data. Previous empirical research on the effectiveness of visualizations of geospatial uncertainty has focused primarily on user intuitions rather than objective measures of performance when reasoning under uncertainty. Framed in the context of Google’s blue dot, we examined the effectiveness of four alternative visualizations for representing positional uncertainty when reasoning about self-location data. Our task presents a mobile mapping scenario in which GPS satellite location readings produce location estimates with varying levels of uncertainty. Given a known location and two smartphone estimates of that known location, participants were asked to judge which smartphone produces the better location reading, taking uncertainty into account. We produced visualizations that vary by glyph type (uniform blue circle with border vs. Gaussian fade) and visibility of a centroid dot (visible vs. not visible) to produce the four visualization formats. Participants viewing the uniform blue circle are most likely to respond in accordance with the actual probability density of points sampled from bivariate normal distributions and additionally respond most rapidly. Participants reported a number of simple heuristics on which they based their judgments, and consistency with these heuristics was highly predictive of their judgments.     

Transcribing from the Mind To the Map: Tracing the Evolution of a Concept

Transcribing what is held in one's mind to a tangible map is experiencing a multidisciplinary renewal. Sketch mapping is being utilized to identify a range of community concerns, as well as for more generally revealing otherwise invisible landscapes. Whether the aim is to understand preference, perception, knowledge, or behavior, the result is some form of map. The genesis of this concept is usually attributed to seminal work in the 1960s and 1970s geography, planning, and environmental psychology. However, its resurgence in the past decade has been driven by a confluence of recent methodological and epistemological developments across numerous disciplines surrounding the role of local knowledge in ecological frameworks and how this can be mapped and analyzed with and without geospatial technologies. With growing adoption of sketch mapping well beyond its initial disciplinary niches, it is appropriate to review its evolution in order to inform ongoing and future research.     

Predicting the visualization intensity for interactive spatio-temporal visual analytics: a data-driven view-dependent approach

The continually increasing size of geospatial data sets poses a computational challenge when conducting interactive visual analytics using conventional desktop-based visualization tools. In recent decades, improvements in parallel visualization using state-of-the-art computing techniques have significantly enhanced our capacity to analyse massive geospatial data sets. However, only a few strategies have been developed to maximize the utilization of parallel computing resources to support interactive visualization. In particular, an efficient visualization intensity prediction component is lacking from most existing parallel visualization frameworks. In this study, we propose a data-driven view-dependent visualization intensity prediction method, which can dynamically predict the visualization intensity based on the distribution patterns of spatio-temporal data. The predicted results are used to schedule the allocation of visualization tasks. We integrated this strategy with a parallel visualization system deployed in a compute unified device architecture (CUDA)-enabled graphical processing units (GPUs) cloud. To evaluate the flexibility of this strategy, we performed experiments using dust storm data sets produced from a regional climate model. The results of the experiments showed that the proposed method yields stable and accurate prediction results with acceptable computational overheads under different types of interactive visualization operations. The results also showed that our strategy improves the overall visualization efficiency by incorporating intensity-based scheduling.     

Grand Theory and Context‐Specificity in the Study of Forest Dynamics: Forest Transition Theory and Other Directions

This article critically reviews forest transition theory, which posits a decline in forest cover followed by expansion during the course of development. Whereas case studies in advanced industrial nations provided an empirical foundation, more recent cross‐national modeling efforts and studies in developing regions have raised doubts. Forest transition theory has limitations in its concept of forests, its treatment of forest dynamics, its explanation for forest transitions, and its generalizability. This critique provides the basis for research needs to link studies of forest dynamics on various timescales to other land use/land cover research, as via historical‐comparative methods and interdisciplinary theoretical frameworks.     

Integration of Geospatial Science in Teacher Education

Abstract

One of the primary missions of our university is to train future primary and secondary teachers. Geospatial sciences, including GIS, have long been excluded from teacher education curriculum. This article explains the curriculum revisions undertaken to increase the geospatial technology education of future teachers. A general education class introducing geospatial technology to the general student body has been developed, a cartography class has been modified to provide applied geospatial experience explicitly for future teachers, and a service learning partnership with local K–12 schools has been established where students are working with teachers to integrate geospatial sciences in their academic programs.     

Multiple Regressive Pattern Recognition Technique: An Adapted Approach for Improved Georesource Estimation

Multiple Regressive Pattern Recognition Technique (MRPRT) is an adapted approach for improved geologic resource estimation. We developed and tested this approach for the Platinum (Pt) bearing region near Goodnews Bay, Alaska, which presents an example of a complex depositional environment. We applied geospatial and pattern recognition methods to assess the spatial distribution of offshore Pt in the Goodnews Bay area from point data collected by various agencies. We used the coefficient of correlation (r) and the Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency (E) to quantitatively assess the degree of accuracy of the estimated Pt distribution. We split the study area, based on trend analysis, into two regions: inside the Bay and outside the Bay. We could not obtain appreciable estimates from the geospatial and pattern recognition methods. Using MRPRT, we were able to improve r from 0.57 to 0.93 and the E from 28.31 to 92.91 inside the Bay. We achieved improvement in r from 0.55 to 0.61 and E from 28.46 to 34.52 outside the Bay. The reasons for a non-significant improvement outside the Bay have been discussed. The results indicate that the proposed MRPRT has wide application potential in georesource estimation where input data is often scarce.     

地理空间元数据关联网络的构建

利用资源描述框架（RDF）设计地理空间元数据关联模型,根据地理空间元数据之间的语义关系和语义相关度的计算,以构建以元数据为节点、元数据之间的语义关系为边、语义相关度为权重的关联网络。在这一网络中,一个节点是一个地理空间元数据的资源描述图,包含属性特征（数据来源、空间特征、时间特征、内容）及其关系特征（元数据之间的语义关系、语义相关度）。实验及其分析表明,地理空间元数据关联网络可以有效地支持地理空间数据语义关联检索、推荐等应用,这与传统的基于关键词的元数据检索方式相比,具有更高的准确度。     

Using geospatial technology to strengthen data systems in developing countries: The case of agricultural statistics in India

Despite significant progress in the development of quantitative geography techniques and methods and a general recognition of the need to improve the quality of geographic data, few studies have exploited the potential of geospatial tools to augment the quality of available data methods in developing countries. This paper uses data from an extensive deployment of geospatial technology in India to compare crop areas estimated using geospatial technology to crop areas estimated by conventional methods and assess the differences between the methods. The results presented here show that crop area estimates based on geospatial technology generally exceed the estimates obtained using conventional methods. This suggests that conventional methods are unable to respond quickly to changes in cropping patterns and therefore do not accurately record the area under high-value cash crops. This finding has wider implications for commercializing agriculture and the delivery of farm credit and insurance services in developing countries. Significant data errors found in the conventional methods could affect critical policy interventions such as planning for food security. Some research and policy implications are discussed.     

Named entity recognition goes to old regime France: geographic text analysis for early modern French corpora

ABSTRACT

Geographic text analysis (GTA) research in the digital humanities has focused on projects analyzing modern English-language corpora. These projects depend on temporally specific lexicons and gazetteers that enable place name identification and georesolution. Scholars working on the early modern period (1400–1800) lack temporally appropriate geoparsers and gazetteers and have been reliant on general purpose linked open data services like Geonames. These anachronistic resources introduce significant information retrieval and ethical challenges for early modernists. Using the geography entries of the canonical eighteenth-century Encyclopédie, we evaluate rule-based named entity recognition (NER) systems to pinpoint areas where they would benefit from adjustments for processing historical corpora. As we demonstrate, annotating nested and extended place information is one way to improve early modern GTA. Working with Enlightenment sources also motivates a critique of the landscape of digital geospatial data.     

理解新经济地理学

20世纪80年代以来,国际经济地理学术界出现了两种“新经济地理学”,分别隶属于经济学和地理学。然而由于两学科在研究传统和学科分析框架等方面的差异,导致两种新经济地理学在研究思维、方法和内容等众多方面存在相当大的分歧。经济学的新经济地理学的分析框架可以分为视角、参照系和分析工具三部分;地理学的新经济地理学的分析框架可以分为观察、实地调查、原因分析和政策建议与理论提升四部分。正是这种学科研究传统和分析框架的差异导致两种新经济地理学的分异,同时也成为理解两种新经济地理学的出发点和突破口。本文回顾了对新经济地理学争论的两个焦点,从学科的分析框架出发对两种新经济地理学的前提假设、研究思路、研究内容和发展趋势等进行对比分析,指出经济学与地理学的互相借鉴和融合对发展新经济地理学科的重要性。