Quantifying the completeness of and correspondence between two historical maps: a case study from nineteenth-century Palestine

Reconstructing past landscapes from historical maps requires quantifying the accuracy and completeness of these sources. The accuracy and completeness of two historical maps of the same period covering the same area in Israel were examined: the 1:63,360 British Palestine Exploration Fund map (1871–1877) and the 1:100,000 French Levés en Galilée (LG) map (1870). These maps cover the mountainous area of the Galilee (northern Israel), a region with significant natural and topographical diversity, and a long history of human presence. Land-cover features from both maps, as well as the contours drawn on the LG map, were digitized. The overall correspondence between land-cover features shown on both maps was 59% and we found that the geo-referencing method employed (transformation type and source of control points) did not significantly affect these correspondence measures. Both maps show that in the 1870s, 35% of the Galilee was covered by Mediterranean maquis, with less than 8% of the area used for permanent agricultural cropland (e.g., plantations). This article presents how the reliability of the maps was assessed by using two spatial historical sources, and how land-cover classes that were mapped with lower certainty and completeness are identified. Some of the causes that led to observed differences between the maps, including mapping scale, time of year, and the interests of the surveyors, are also identified.     

Geoinformatics as a tool for the assessment of the impact of ground water quality for irrigation on soil health

Secondary salinisation is the most harmful and extended phenomenon of the unfavourable effects of irrigation on the soil and environment. An attempt was made to study the impact of poor quality ground water on soils in terms of secondary salinisation and availability of soil nutrients in Faridkot district of Punjab of northern India. Based on physiographic analysis of IRS 1C LISS-III data and semi-detailed soil survey, the soil map was finalized on a 1:50,000 scale and digitized using Arc Info GIS. Georeferenced surface soil samples (0–0.15 m) from 231 sites were collected and analyzed for available phosphorus (P) and potassium (K). Interpolation by kriging produced digital spatial maps of available P and K. Ground water quality map was generated in GIS domain on the basis of EC (electrical conductivity) and RSC (residual sodium carbonate) of ground water samples collected from 374 georeferenced tube wells. Integration of soil and ground water quality maps enabled generating a map showing degree (high, moderate and low) and type (salinity, sodicity and both) of vulnerability to secondary salinization. Fine-textured soils have been found to be highly sensitive to secondary salinisation, whereas medium-textured soils as moderately sensitive to secondary salinisation. The resultant map was integrated with available P and K maps to show the combined influence of soil texture and ground water quality on available soil nutrients. The results show that available P and K in the soils of different physiographic units were found in the order of Ap1 < Ap2 < Ap3. The soils of all physiographic units had sizeable area having high content of P (>22.5 kg / ha) and medium available K (135–335 kg ha⁻¹) in most of the test sites when irrigated with saline, sodic or poor quality water.     

Water Supply Maps for the Western Front (Belgium and Northern France) Developed by British,German and American Military Geologists during World War I: Pioneering Studies in Hydrogeology from Trench Warfare

Abstract

Innovations for the British Army during World War I included use of a military geologist to compile 'water supply' maps and to guide well drilling. Between June 1915 and November 1918, W. B. R. King served as a staff lieutenant at General Headquarters of the British Expeditionary Force deployed on the Western Front. He pioneered British development of water supply maps for parts of Belgium and northern France, in several different styles and at scales of 1 : 100 000, 1 : 250 000 and 1 : 40 000. These assisted planning for advances into enemy-occupied territory or the development of water supply infrastructure within the region held ultimately by five British armies: in total about 1,500,000 men with some 500,000 horses and mules, each man/animal requiring on average 10 gallons (45 L) per day of potable water. The maps guided emplacement of over 470 military boreholes to supply drinking water to British forces, especially in provinces underlain by Cretaceous Chalk: Picardy and Artois. German forces also made use of military geologists at the Front, but in much greater number: up to about 300 in total. Water supply tasks were given high priority, and German water supply maps were finally standardized like other medium scale German geotechnical maps at 1 : 25 000. Six geologists were deployed with the American Expeditionary Force late in the war, and for their sector of the Front compiled at least two water supply maps at 1 : 80 000, and 11 at 1 : 50 000 that were supported by explanatory reports. Wartime imperatives thus generated expertise in hydrogeology that became available for civilian use post-war, and laid the foundation for further military development during World War II.     

Application of remote sensing data in characterization and mapping of soil resources for watershed planning in arid Western Rajasthan

Visual interpretation of IRS-L1SS-II (January, 1995) FCC (1:50,000 scale) of spectral bands 2, 3 and 4 was carried out for the identification and mapping of major physiographic units in an arid watershed of Jodhpur district (Rajasthan). Based on image characteristics and field traverses, seven major physiographic units identified are (1) hills (2) pediments, flat to undulating (3) buried pediments, moderately deep to deep, coarse textured (4) buried pediment, shallow to moderately deep and deep, medium to fine textured, saline (5) older alluvial plains, deep and very deep, coarse textured (6) younger alluvial plains, deep to very deep, very coarse textured and (7) dune complexes. Based on physiographicvariatton and soil or site characteristics such as texture, depth, slope, erosion and underneath substrata, 41 soil mapping units were identified and mapped. Final physiography, soil, slope, drainage and landuse maps were prepared on 1:5,000 scale. Taxonomically, the soils of the watershed were classified as Para-Lithic Torriorthents, coarse-loamy, Lithic/Typic Haplocambids, fine-loamy, Lithic/Typic Haplosalids and Typic Torrifluvents and Typic Torripsamments. Land suitability for various mapping units in the watershed have been assessed on the basis of soil physico-chemical characteristics.     

NOTES ON THE USE OF THE SLIDE-RULE IN TOPOGRAPHICAL SURVEYING

Abstract

The Survey in which the following methods were employed was for a final map on a scale of 1/500,000, with contours at a 500-foot Vertical Interval. In order to make use of any available information shown on existing maps, the scale used in different areas in the field was that of existing maps. These scales were 1,000 roods to 1 inch (1 rood = 12.396 English feet), 840 roods to 1 inch (1/125,000), and 1,680 roods to 1 inch (1/250,000).     

Knowledge Discovery from Area–Class Resource Maps: Capturing Prototype Effects

This paper presents a knowledge discovery approach to extracting knowledge from area–class resource maps. Prototype theory forms the basis of the approach which consists of two major components: (1) a scheme for organizing knowledge used in categorizing geographic entities which allows for the modeling of indeterminate boundaries and non–uniform memberships within categories; and (2) a data mining method using the Expectation Maximization (EM) algorithm for extracting such knowledge from area–class maps. A case study on knowledge discovery from a soil map demonstrates the details of the approach. The study shows that knowledge for classifying geographic entities with indeterminate boundaries is embedded in area–class maps and can be extracted through data mining; and that continuous spatial variation of geographic entities can be better modeled if the knowledge discovery process retains knowledge of within-class variations as well as transitions between classes.     

European digital archive on soil maps (EuDASM): preserving important soil data for public free access

Abstract

Historical soil survey paper maps are valuable resources that underpin strategies to support soil protection and promote sustainable land use practices, especially in developing countries where digital soil information is often missing. However, many of the soil maps, in particular those for developing countries, are held in traditional archives that are not easily accessible to potential users. Additionally, many of these documents are over 50 years old and are beginning to deteriorate. Realising the need to conserve this information, the Joint Research Centre (JRC) and the ISRIC-World Soil Information foundation have created the European Digital Archive of Soil Maps (EuDASM), through which all archived paper maps of ISRIC has been made accessible to the public through the Internet. The immediate objective is to transfer paper-based soil maps into a digital format with the maximum possible resolution and to ensure their preservation and easy disclosure. More than 6,000 maps from 135 countries have been captured and are freely available to users through a user-friendly web-based interface. Initial feedback has been very positive, especially from users in Africa, South America and Asia to whom archived soil maps were made available to local users, often for the first time. Link: http://eusoils.jrc.ec.europa.eu/library/maps/country_maps/list_countries.cfm     

Soil erosion prediction based on land cover dynamics at the Semenyih watershed in Malaysia using LTM and USLE models

This study attempts to identify and forecast future land cover (LC) by using the Land Transformation Model (LTM), which considers pixel changes in the past and makes predictions using influential spatial features. LTM applies the Artificial Neural Networks algorithm) in conducting the analysis. In line with these objectives, two satellite images (Spot 5 acquired in 2004 and 2010) were classified using the Maximum Likelihood method for the change detection analysis. Consequently, LC maps from 2004 to 2010 with six classes (forest, agriculture, oil palm cultivations, open area, urban, and water bodies) were generated from the test area. A prediction was made on the actual soil erosion and the soil erosion rate using the Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE) combined with remote sensing and GIS in the Semenyih watershed for 2004 and 2010 and projected to 2016. Actual and potential soil erosion maps from 2004 to 2010 and projected to 2016 were eventually generated. The results of the LC change detections indicated that three major changes were predicted from 2004 to 2016 (a period of 12 years): (1) forest cover and open area significantly decreased at rates of almost 30 and 8 km², respectively; (2) cultivated land and oil palm have shown an increment in sizes at rates of 25.02 and 5.77 km², respectively; and, (3) settlement and Urbanization has intensified also by almost 5 km². Soil erosion risk analysis results also showed that the Semenyih basin exhibited an average annual soil erosion between 143.35 ton ha^?1 year^?1 in 2004 and 151 in 2010, followed by the expected 162.24 ton ha^?1 year^?1. These results indicated that Semenyih is prone to water erosion by 2016. The wide range of erosion classes were estimated at a very low level (0–1 t/ha/year) and mainly located on steep lands and forest areas. This study has shown that using both LTM and USLE in combination with remote sensing and GIS is a suitable method for forecasting LC and accurately measuring the amount of soil losses in the future.     

Model generalization of two different drainage patterns by self-organizing maps

In this study, we develop a new method using self-organizing maps (SOMs) for the selection of hydrographic model generalization. The most suitable attributes of the stream objects are used as input variables to the SOM. The attributes were weighted using Pearson’s chi-square independence test. We used the Radical Law to determine how many features should be selected, and an incremental approach was developed to determine which clusters should be selected from the SOM. Two drainage patterns (dendritic and modified basic) were obtained from the National Hydrography Datasets of United States Geological Survey at 1:24,000-scale (high resolution) and used in order to derive stream networks at 1:100,000-scale (medium resolution). The 1:100,000-scale stream networks, derived in accordance with the proposed approach, are similar to those in the original maps in both quantity and visual aspects. Stream density and pattern were maintained in each subunit, and continuous and semantically correct networks were obtained.     

The assessment of potential land use in the proposed irrigation command using Remote Sensing and GIS

Standard false colour composites (Std. FCC) on 1:50,000 scale was visually interpreted in conjunction with soil survey to prepare physiographic-soil map. Thirteen mapping units were delineated indicating soil association at family-level. Soil and land resource was evaluated for their land capability and irrigation suitability for its sustained use under irrigation. Land capability and land irrigability maps were generated as attribute map. These maps were integrated to suggest potential land use map. Current land use/land cover map prepared by visual analysis was spatially analysed in relation to potential land use to study potential changes in land use / land cover using GIS. The study reveals that 14.66% area has no limitation and can be brought to intensive agriculture by double cropping.     

A methodology for semi detailed soil surveys using medium scale aerial photographs

A methodology for the preparation of semi detailed soil maps using medium scale aerial photographs for an area of about 3600 ha in Merida area, Spain is presented. The new concepts such as ‘Basic Land Units’, ‘Soil Consociation’ and ‘Soil Set’ developed by Elbersen (1976) were adopted for this study to see their utility for the preparation of semidetailed soil maps which can be used for land evaluation, land classification and also for making prodictions about the feasibility of a particular project for rural development plannning purposes. Basic land units and their subdivisions like major and minor compo-nents were used for the delineation of interpretation units. Mapping units, viz, Soil Consoication, Soil Complex and miscellaneous land type were used for mapping soils. Soils were classified upto family level and shown as subgroups in the 1:50,000 scale soil map. Soils were mapped as soil sets per basic land unit per subgroup. A model legend for use in the preparation of seimdetailed physiographic cum soil maps is given which is in terms of physiography and Soil Taxonomy qualified by soil sets.     

Photo-interpretation and site assessment survey — A case study

A study was undertaken to find out the possibility of using the available aerial photos on scale 1 : 50 000 for selection of areas suitable for industrial plantation. Micro relief or terrain & vegetation density classes were interpreted on air photos and a PI map was prepared. The PI map was then overlaid on land facet & soil facet maps and the result shows that PI map is a useful tool for planning of raw material supply to the forest based industry. The growth data is to be obtained from field sample plots laid out in each stratum.     

Opening the London Underground to visually handicapped tourists

Abstract

There are several practical rules for determining categories (class intervals) for maps representing statistical data, like arithmetic, geometric or equal steps etc. In this paper, however a coherent method is proposed to provide statistically separable Classes on a map with minimum redundancy in terms of information content.

The number of class intervals can be directly computed by means of appropriate statistical methods if the widths of classes are determined by t-test, i.e. when their difference is significant at a high level of confidence. A class narrower than this width would represent data in different categories due only to variance, however, the selection of wider classes leads to a certain loss of information.

The class intervals determined this way should be positioned on the statistical data-set so that each category contains approximately equal number of data providing maximum information content of the output map. At the final step the class intervals derived this way should be rounded, if necessary, to provide user-friendly maps.     

Assessment of groundwater potential zones using GIS technique

A case study was conducted to find out the groundwater potential zones in Kattakulathur block, Tamil Nadu, India with an aerial extent of 360.60 km². The thematic maps such as geology, geomorphology, soil hydrological group, land use / land cover and drainage map were prepared for the study area. The Digital Elevation Model (DEM) has been generated from the 10 m interval contour lines (which is derived from SOI, Toposheet 1:25000 scale) and obtained the slope (%) of the study area. The groundwater potential zones were obtained by overlaying all the thematic maps in terms of weighted overlay methods using the spatial analysis tool in ArcGIS 9.2. During weighted overlay analysis, the ranking has been given for each individual parameter of each thematic map and weights were assigned according to the influence such as soil −25%, geomorphology − 25%, land use/land cover −25%, slope − 15%, lineament − 5% and drainage / streams − 5% and find out the potential zones in terms of good, moderate and poor zones with the area of 49.70 km², 261.61 km² and 46.04 km² respectively. The potential zone wise study area was overlaid with village boundary map and the village wise groundwater potential zones with three categories such as good, moderate and poor zones were obtained. This GIS based output result was validated by conducting field survey by randomly selecting wells in different villages using GPS instruments. The coordinates of each well location were obtained by GPS and plotted in the GIS platform and it was clearly shown that the well coordinates were exactly seated with the classified zones.     

THE CADASTRAL SURVEY OF EGYPT, 1879–1907

Abstract

Repercussions to Failure (1883–96).—So far we have only had occasion to consider the primary fiscal objective of the abandoned cadastral survey; but during the decade devoted to it (1879–88) other public activities had been developing which were no less dependent upon detailed maps for their effective and equitable operation. Pre-eminent among these was the irrigation service. During the previous part of the century various spasmodic efforts to construct general maps of the country had produced little more than a series of conventional diagrams, on scales of I : 100,000, or 200,000, depicting the approximate positions of the main waterways and villages throughout the Delta and Valley against a blank background. But it was upon knowledge of at least the broad pattern of cultivation, waste and marsh, of surface level and incline, throughout the countryside, that the satisfactory planning and operation of the interrelated system of supply and drainage channels depended; while the only regular means of accumulating this knowledge had been the abortive survey. For crude and unreliable as its work was and useless for its intended purpose, that survey had been providing for the first time village by village in important districts an interpretable picture of these broad effects. The Irrigation Service did its best to fill the gap by setting up a survey section to prepare a “hydrographic map” of Lower Egypt to meet its own requirements. The staff were mainly drawn from the disbanded cadastral survey and the methods used are reported to have been essentially the same; but the simpler character of the work evidently fostered certain changes. As the network of property boundaries was ignored the map scale was reduced of 1 : 10,000 and the plane table became the principal instrument of detail survey; and since villages were no longer working units continuous map sheet series were adopted for each province. This accentuated the need for a common basic framework; but the defects of such triangulation as existed appear, however, to have been accepted and extended, some of the more obvious gaps being patched with traverse. So the detail must have been subjected to a good deal of Procrustean treatment. Nevertheless, supplemented where necessary by lines of levelling, the work constituted an indispensable reconnaissance series for irrigation.     

Spatial distribution of block falls using volumetric GIS–decision-tree models

Block falls are considered a significant aspect of surficial instability contributing to losses in land and socio-economic aspects through their damaging effects to natural and human environments. This paper predicts and maps the geographic distribution and volumes of block falls in central Lebanon using remote sensing, geographic information systems (GIS) and decision-tree modeling (un-pruned and pruned trees). Eleven terrain parameters (lithology, proximity to fault line, karst type, soil type, distance to drainage line, elevation, slope gradient, slope aspect, slope curvature, land cover/use, and proximity to roads) were generated to statistically explain the occurrence of block falls. The latter were discriminated using SPOT4 satellite imageries, and their dimensions were determined during field surveys. The un-pruned tree model based on all considered parameters explained 86% of the variability in field block fall measurements. Once pruned, it classifies 50% in block falls’ volumes by selecting just four parameters (lithology, slope gradient, soil type, and land cover/use). Both tree models (un-pruned and pruned) were converted to quantitative 1:50,000 block falls’ maps with different classes; starting from Nil (no block falls) to more than 4000 m³. These maps are fairly matching with coincidence value equal to 45%; however, both can be used to prioritize the choice of specific zones for further measurement and modeling, as well as for land-use management. The proposed tree models are relatively simple, and may also be applied to other areas (i.e. the choice of un-pruned or pruned model is related to the availability of terrain parameters in a given area).     

“礼炮”号遥感图像在于桥水库流域土壤侵蚀调查及治理规划中的应用

本文论述了采用前苏联“礼炮”号航天遥感图像作信息源开展天津市于桥水库流域1:10万比例尺土壤侵蚀现状调查与制图、面积量算、分区治理规划措施等项研究工作的方法和结果。并在典型样区初步探讨了遥感调查土壤侵蚀与氮、磷元素流失关系,为天津市人民生活和工农业用水水质富营养化问题的解决提供了科学依据。     

土壤调查地区级汇总的遥感制图试验研究

本研究的目的是探讨利用遥感影像数据,对县级土壤调查资料进行地区级汇总的制图工作方法。我们依据的制图综合原则是:(1)以现有的土壤图为基础,充分尊重原图上的界线,主要以土层界线重新综合;(2)研究并搞清各种土壤分布规律和它们之间的组合规律,然后进行归并和区分;(3)参照卫星影像特征和判读标志,对某些明显与实地不符之处,以影像和实地调查资料进行修正,有些土壤类型以组合形式表达。本文对利用遥感数据进行制图综合的工作方法进行了详细描述,其中包括:制图单元的综合和比例尺的改变,底图的制作和利用卫星影像对综合后的土壤图进行编制等。研究结果表明,此种方法与常规方法比较,特别是对有一定物质和技术条件的单位(如省级),不仅在土壤调查中,而且在资源调查中皆可采用此种编图技术,收到节省人力、物力和时间的效果。     

Discriminant models for uncertainty characterization in area class change categorization

Discriminant space defining area classes is an important conceptual construct for uncertainty characterization in area-class maps.Discriminant models were promoted as they can enhance consistency in area-class mapping and replicability in error modeling.As area classes are rarely completely separable in empirically realized discriminant space,where class inseparabil-ity becomes more complicated for change categorization,we seek to quantify uncertainty in area classes(and change classes)due to measurement errors and semantic discrepancy separately and hence assess their relative margins objectively.Experiments using real datasets were carried out,and a Bayesian method was used to obtain change maps.We found that there are large differences be-tween uncertainty statistics referring to data classes and information classes.Therefore,uncertainty characterization in change categorization should be based on discriminant modeling of measurement errors and semantic mismatch analysis,enabling quanti-fication of uncertainty due to partially random measurement errors,and systematic categorical discrepancies,respectively.     

Georelief Transfiguration in Areas Affected by Open‐cast Mining

Open‐cast mining activity causes the largest georelief transfigurations all over the world. Large localities in north‐west Bohemia (the Czech Republic) are affected. In this area, we focus on a very significant case: the royal town Most, which has been turned into a lake. The main aim of this article is the reconstruction of the original georelief in different time periods together with analysis showing the process of landscape devastation. The workflow and analysis is based on precise elevation data obtained from aerial photographs and old maps. The georelief development is reconstructed using the digitized contour lines contained in Derived state‐map 1:5,000 (SMO5) from the years 1953, 1972, and 1980; maps of the 3^rd Military Survey (year 1936); and digital surface models (DSM) extracted, using the pixel correlation method, from aerial images (year 1953 and 2008). The most important results of the analysis are digital terrain models showing the evolution of the landscape which may be used for many purposes in landscape development analysis, historical applications, visualization or landscape reclamation.