Assessing the Accuracy of The Map of the Prefectural Capital of 1261 Using Geographic Information Systems

This paper explores the application of geographic information systems (GIS) in the evaluation of the accuracy of early maps through a case study of The Map of the Prefectural Capital of 1261. The evaluation of the accuracy of early maps is an important aspect of the study of the history of cartography, but no standard methodology has been generally accepted. The purpose of this paper is to assess the positional accuracy and the relative relations of the spatial objects on The Map of the Prefectural Capital using GIS. The procedure of the study includes identification of locations of the points and features of The Map of the Prefectural Capital on a modern base map, digitization of the early map and the modern base map, overlays of the digitized early map and modern base map, and an analysis of the absolute and relative distortion of the early map. The results of the analysis show that The Map of the Prefectural Capital of 1261 is reasonably accurate considering the technical ability of the thirteenth century, although it contains a considerable amount of positional displacement. In contrast to the amount of positional displacement, the relative relations among the objects are depicted much more precisely.     

EVIDENCE OF A RESPONSE-BIAS EXPLANATION OF NONEUCLIDEAN COGNITIVE MAPS*

Two groups of subjects with varying amounts of experience with the city in which they lived judged from memory distances between familiar locations. The distance judgments were processed by a multidimensional scaling algorithm (MULTISCALE) that estimates the parameters of a power function transformation of the response scale and the coordinates of the locations in k-dimensional euclidean space. The results for both subject groups suggested that inaccuracies of distance cognition do not reflect the noneuclidean nature of urban cognitive maps but are caused by response bias.     

CLIMATOLOGY OF SURFACE CYCLONE TRAJECTORY AND INTENSITY FOR HEAVY-SNOW EVENTS AT THREE MIDWESTERN STATIONS

In this paper, we assess interstorm cyclone variations in intensity and motion for heavy-snow events at three north-central U.S. stations: Minneapolis, Madison, and Indianapolis. Daily data for the period from 1966 to 1996 were used to select the 157 storm events. Heavy-snow cyclone track location (latitude and longitude) and intensity (central pressure) means and standard deviations are calculated for each station and related to snowfall magnitude. The most northwesterly of the three stations, Minneapolis, had the largest median heavy-snowfall total and also the largest standard deviation in heavy-snowfall amount. Statistical analysis of surface cyclone parameters reveals significant interstation differences in storm trajectory and intensity measures for all cyclones and cyclogenesis group subsets. Chi-square tests suggest that the distribution of storms by month and cyclogenesis type is significantly nonrandom for all stations. Summary findings indicate that Midwestern heavy-snow events are dominated by southern Great Plains cyclones and that storms from secondary cyclogenic regions contribute to significant differences at the three selected locations. [Key words: cyclones, snowfall, Midwest.]     

Color map design for visualization in flood risk assessment

Visualizations of flood maps from simulation models are widely used for assessing the likelihood of flood hazards in spatial planning. The choice of a suitable type of visualization as well as efficient color maps is critical to avoid errors or bias when interpreting the data. Based on a review of previous flood uncertainty visualization techniques, this paper identifies areas of improvements and suggests criteria for the design of a task-specific color scale in flood map visualization. We contribute a novel color map design for visualizing probabilities and uncertainties from flood simulation ensembles. A user study encompassing 83 participants was carried out to evaluate the effects of this new color map on user’s decisions in a spatial planning task. We found that the type of visualization makes a difference when it comes to identification of non-hazardous sites in the flood risk map and when accepting risks in more uncertain areas. In comparison with two other existing visualization techniques, we observed that the new design was superior both in terms of task compliance and efficiency. In regions with uncertain flood statuses, users were biased toward accepting less risky locations with our new color map design.     

Visualisation and evaluation of flood uncertainties based on ensemble modelling

This study evaluates how users incorporate visualisation of flood uncertainty information in decision-making. An experiment was conducted where participants were given the task to decide building locations, taking into account homeowners’ preferences as well as dilemmas imposed by flood risks at the site. Two general types of visualisations for presenting uncertainties from ensemble modelling were evaluated: (1) uncertainty maps, which used aggregated ensemble results; and (2) performance bars showing all individual simulation outputs from the ensemble. Both were supplemented with either two-dimensional (2D) or three-dimensional (3D) contextual information, to give an overview of the area.

The results showed that the type of uncertainty visualisation was highly influential on users’ decisions, whereas the representation of the contextual information (2D or 3D) was not. Visualisation with performance bars was more intuitive and effective for the task performed than the uncertainty map. It clearly affected users’ decisions in avoiding certain-to-be-flooded areas. Patterns to which the distances were decided from the homeowners’ preferred positions and the uncertainties were similar, when the 2D and 3D map models were used side by side with the uncertainty map. On the other hand, contextual information affected the time to solve the task. With the 3D map, it took the participants longer time to decide the locations, compared with the other combinations using the 2D model.

Designing the visualisation so as to provide more detailed information made respondents avoid dangerous decisions. This has also led to less variation in their overall responses.     

THE IDENTIFICATION OF REGIONAL BOUNDARIES ON COGNITIVE MAPS*

This study investigates regions on cognitive maps and methods used to identify their boundaries. Subjects either drew regional boundaries on a map or decided in which region sample points were located. These methods produced similar results with differences associated more with regional boundaries than cores. The amount of time needed to make point decisions demonstrated the subjects' cognitive process and corroborated boundaries and cores for the cognitive regions. Differences among subjects' maps were greater when boundaries were drawn.     

A cell-based algorithm for evaluating directional distances in GIS

Directional distance is commonly used in geographical information systems as a measure of openness. In previous works, the sweep line method and the interval tree method have been employed to evaluate the directional distances on vector maps. Both methods require rotating original maps and study points in every direction of interest. In this article, we propose a cell-based algorithm that pre-processes a map only once; that is, it subdivides the map into a group of uniform-sized cells and records each borderline of the map into the cells traversed by its corresponding line segment. Based on the pre-processing result, the neighbouring borderlines of a study point can be directly obtained through the neighbouring cells of the point, and the borderlines in a definite direction can be simply acquired through the cells traversed by the half line as well. As a result, the processing step does not need to enumerate all the borderlines of the map when determining whether a point is on a borderline or finding the nearest intersection between a half line and the borderlines. Furthermore, we implement the algorithm for determining fetch length in coastal environment. Once the pre-processing is done, the algorithm can work in a complex archipelago environment such as to calculate the fetch lengths in multiple directions, to determine the inclusion property of a point, and to deal with the singularity of a study point on a borderline.     

Landslide Representation Strategies in Susceptibility Studies using Weights-of-Evidence Modeling Technique

This paper is focused primarily on how to represent landslide scarp areas, how to analyze results achieved by the application of specific strategies of representation and how to compare the outcomes derived by different tests, within a general framework related to landslide susceptibility assessment. These topics are analyzed taking into account the scale of data survey (1:10,000) and the role of a landslide susceptibility map into projects targeted toward the definition of prediction, prevention, and mitigation measures, in a wider context of civil protection planning. These aims are achieved by using ArcSDM (Arc Spatial Data Modeler), a software extension to ArcView GIS useful for developing spatial prediction models using regional datasets. This extension requires a representation by points of the investigated problems (landslide susceptibility, aquifer vulnerability, detection of mineral deposits, identification of natural habitats of animals, and plants, etc.). Maps of spatial evidence from regional geological and geomorphological datasets were used to generate maps showing susceptibility to slope failures in two different study areas, located in the northern Apennines and in the central Alps (Italy), respectively. The final susceptibility maps for both study areas were derived by the application of the weights-of-evidence (WofE) modeling technique. By this method a series of subjective decisions were required, strongly dependent on an understanding of the natural processes under study, supported by statistical analysis of the spatial associations between known landslides and evidential themes. Except for maps of attitude, permeability, and structure, that were not available for both study areas, the other data were the same and comprised geological, land use, slope, and internal relief maps. The paper illustrates how different representations of scarp areas by points (in terms of different number of points) did not greatly influence the final response map, considering the scale of this work. On the contrary, some differences were observed in the capability of the model to describe the relations between predictor variables and landslides. In effect, a representation of the scarp areas using one point every 50 m led to a more efficient model able to better define relationships of this type. It avoided both problems of redundancy of information, deriving by the use of too many points, and problems related to a random positioning of the centroid. Moreover, it permitted to minimize the uncertainty related with identification and mapping of landslides.     

Does base map size and imagery matter in sketch mapping?

Sketch mapping has been an important data collection technique for geographers since the 1960s. Structured sketch mapping requires participants to draw spatial data onto a base map containing cartographic information, in order to assist with spatial referencing. A concern that base map characteristics may influence sketch map content has been raised repeatedly in the research literature. However little scholarly attention has been paid to systematically testing the effect of base maps.This paper aims to test the effects of base map size and imagery on structured sketch maps of avoidance behaviour in university students. Using an experimental design, 272 sketch maps were compared for differences in: sketch map style; the location of collective avoidance hotspots; the extent of the reported area avoided; the number of reported areas avoided; the intensity of avoidance; and the tortuosity of sketch map features.No significant differences were found between base maps in sketch map style or the size, intensity or number of areas avoided. Provision of larger base maps caused respondents to draw more detailed sketch maps. Collective avoidance hotspots shifted location slightly between base maps, probably due to difficulties interpreting aerial photographs.Sketch map content appears to be remarkably robust to changes in base map. Base maps appear to assist respondents with spatial referencing rather than cueing respondents to report specific features.     

Ventures into Viral Cartography: Waffle House,Educational Attainment,and the Social Life of Maps

Viral maps—ones that are shared widely on social media and media outlets—have become an increasingly common part of online conversations about a range of issues. Despite the increasing prevalence of these viral maps, only a few academic researchers have examined the factors leading to their popularity or their social use and effect. In this article, we analyze two case studies of viral maps, a viral tweet about the August 2017 total eclipse and an interactive tool for exploring educational attainment by neighborhood in the United States. By reflecting on our experience as authors of these maps and analyzing the reactions they elicited, we identify several key elements of these maps and their circulation. First, viral maps act as a form of phatic communication, allowing users to restate and react to shared social identities. Second, maps are read from specific times and places, and this spatiotemporal context significantly shapes the reactions of map readers. Finally, viral maps illustrate gaps or improvements in trust between mapmakers and map readers, including questions about map accuracy or the intentions behind the map. We close by considering implications for future research and viral cartography. Key Words: online maps, social networks, viral cartography.     

地形图点状符号自动识别中不变性特征参数的提取

特征参数的抽取,是实现地形图中点状符号自动识别的关键。本文根据点状符号在扫描图中可能出现的旋转、缩放等情况,归纳和总结出了４种易于计算的不变性特征,并给出了这些特征的提取方法和部分实验结果。这４种特征参数是:复杂度——用以描述符号外围的复杂程度;扁率——用以反映符号的扁平程度;比重——符号的黑色部分在其整个覆盖区域中所占的比例;偏心率——用以反映符号重心与符号的几何中心的偏离程度。这４种特征参数具有旋转不变性和大小不变性,且便于提取、容易计算。     

Exploring spatial data uncertainties in land‐use change scenarios

This paper evaluates errors and uncertainties in representing landscapes that arise from different data rasterization methods, spatial resolutions, and downscaled land‐use change (LUC) scenarios. A vector LU dataset for Luxembourg (minimum mapping unit: 0.15 ha; year 2000) was used as the baseline reference map. This map was rasterized at three spatial resolutions using three cell class assignment methods. The landscape composition and configuration of these maps were compared. Four alternative scenarios of future LUC were also generated for the three resolutions using existing LUC scenarios and a statistical downscaling method creating 37 maps of LUC for the year 2050. These maps were compared in terms of composition and spatial configuration using simple metrics of landscape fragmentation and an analysis of variance (ANOVA). Differences in landscape composition and configuration between the three cell class assignment methods and the three spatial resolutions were found to be at least as large as the differences between the LUC scenarios. This occurred in spite of the large LUC projected by the scenarios. This demonstrates the importance of the rasterization method and the level of aggregation as a contribution to uncertainty when developing future LUC scenarios and in analysing landscape structure in ecological studies.     

Fluid Borders: Rethinking Historical Geography and Fixed Map Boundaries in Contested Regions

This article introduces a quantitative methodology for analyzing contested map borders. The article applies the new analytical technique to a data set of thirty maps showing Bulgaria in ca. 800 CE, a disputed state and period in medieval historiography with relevance to modern national politics and territorial claims. Based on the data set, we generate a series of new maps that make explicit the fluid medieval boundaries and general disagreement among geographers and historiographers. Our analysis begins with a simple point-in-polygon procedure to create a majority map that depicts the points included within the borders of the Bulgarian polity in sixteen or more of the maps (>50 percent). The majority map is then combined with percentage maps, confidence interval map boundaries, and cluster maps. The confidence interval maps are created via a spatial bootstrapping procedure and measure the uncertainty in the majority map. The cluster maps are developed via a radial basis function and provide insight into the potential affectivity based on the cartographers' countries of origin. The final map reflects the general modern consensus of the borders of the Bulgarian polity around 800 CE. Besides its quantitative contribution to medieval and modern cartographic, historiographical, and political debates, this article has developed a widely applicable methodology for synthesizing map borders and territories in cases of cartographic disagreement.     

基于空间聚类分析的福建省各县市经济发展水平研究

将空间坐标和属性特征有机地结合起来,给出空间距离的定义,提出位置与属性一体化的空间聚类方法——基于空间距离的K-均值聚类法,利用M atlab编写其算法程序。同时以福建省各县市经济发展水平的类型划分作为研究实例,首先选取反映社会经济发展水平的8项指标,并利用G IS技术提取各县市的重心位置坐标,再利用该空间聚类算法将福建省各县市的经济发展水平聚类为5类,结果表明此算法能够综合考虑空间位置邻近性和属性特征相似性的聚类要求,对福建区域可持续发展有一定的指导意义。