Supporting multi-resolution out-of-core rendering of massive LiDAR point clouds through non-redundant data structures

In recent years, the evolution and improvement of LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) hardware has increased the quality and quantity of the gathered data, making the storage, processing and management thereof particularly challenging. In this work we present a novel, multi-resolution, out-of-core technique, used for web-based visualization and implemented through a non-redundant, data point organization method, which we call Hierarchically Layered Tiles (HLT), and a tree-like structure called Tile Grid Partitioning Tree (TGPT). The design of these elements is mainly focused on attaining very low levels of memory consumption, disk storage usage and network traffic on both, client and server-side, while delivering high-performance interactive visualization of massive LiDAR point clouds (up to 28 billion points) on multiplatform environments (mobile devices or desktop computers). HLT and TGPT were incorporated and tested in ViLMA (Visualization for LiDAR data using a Multi-resolution Approach), our own web-based visualization software specially designed to work with massive LiDAR point clouds.     

Leveraging geotagged Twitter data to examine neighborhood happiness,diet, and physical activity

ObjectivesUsing publicly available, geotagged Twitter data, we created neighborhood indicators for happiness, food and physical activity for three large counties: Salt Lake, San Francisco and New York.MethodsWe utilize 2.8 million tweets collected between February–August 2015 in our analysis. Geo-coordinates of where tweets were sent allow us to spatially join them to 2010 census tract locations. We implemented quality control checks and tested associations between Twitter-derived variables and sociodemographic characteristics.ResultsFor a random subset of tweets, manually labeled tweets and algorithm labeled tweets had excellent levels of agreement: 73% for happiness; 83% for food, and 85% for physical activity. Happy tweets, healthy food references, and physical activity references were less frequent in census tracts with greater economic disadvantage and higher proportions of racial/ethnic minorities and youths.ConclusionsSocial media can be leveraged to provide greater understanding of the well-being and health behaviors of communities—information that has been previously difficult and expensive to obtain consistently across geographies. More open access neighborhood data can enable better design of programs and policies addressing social determinants of health.     

Minnesota—A Sketch

Abstract

This article reports the results of an exploratory project to determine the abilities of Grade 6 children to work with digital data. The research questions dealt with understanding what is digital data, understanding what is a pixel, and how digital data can be used, making a digital map, and using pixels to determine area on maps. The results of the project showed that the children in this study were able to work with digital data, and that there is potential for using digital data on the Grade 6 level in geography instruction.     

颈动脉粥样硬化与血浆肾素-血管紧张素水平的相关性

目的 探讨高血压病患者颈动脉粥样硬化与血浆肾素-血管紧张素水平的关系。方法 对2015年1月~2016年3月在心血管内科住院的原发性高血压患者的临床资料进行回顾性研究。结果 颈动脉粥样硬化与年龄、血糖、总胆固醇、低密度脂蛋白、尿酸相关。血浆立卧位肾素-血管紧张素水平与颈动脉粥样硬化：随着立卧位血管紧张素Ⅱ水平、立位肾素水平的增高,颈动脉粥样硬化的发生率增高（P<0.05）。Logistic回归分析显示,年龄、卧位血管紧张素Ⅱ、总胆固醇、尿酸与颈动脉粥样硬化呈正相关,高密度胆固醇与颈动脉粥样硬化呈负相关（P<0.05）。结论 血浆血管紧张素Ⅱ水平与颈动脉粥样硬化呈独立相关关系。     

What does Gunshot Detection Technology tell us about gun violence?

PurposeEvaluate the sensitivity of Gunshot Detection Technology (GDT) relative to Calls for Service. Existing crime data sources have biases that do not present a complete picture of gun-related crime. GDT may offer a new metric for firearm crimes. However, few studies have assessed the accuracy of GDT and its relationship to other measures of violence.MethodsGDT and gun crime-related Calls for Service in Washington, DC during 2010 were studied. Using temporal comparisons for month, day of year, weekday, and hour of the day, spatial comparisons on a quarter-mile square grid, and a Poisson-Lognormal-CAR spatial regression model on a combined grid by time period dataset, we examined the sensitivity of GDT activations relative to gunshot-related calls for service.ResultsThe results showed that relative GDT sensitivity changed by time and by space. In particular, the relative sensitivity of GDT was much stronger in the evening and at nighttime than in the daytime. In terms of spatial variation, we found that GDT sensitivity decreased with distance from the nearest zone centroid. In addition, there were two small geographic areas in the study area in which the relative GDT sensitivity was lower than expected.ConclusionsGDT systems identify the frequency and locational accuracy of gunshot incidents, particularly at nighttime. This technology has the potential to improve data collection on gun use and violence and produce more accurate representations if the temporal and distance limitations of the technology are understood. GDT may improve gun detection and, thereby, improve police operations and public support for police.     

倾向性评分匹配法评估手术联合术中放疗在肝癌治疗中的安全性及有效性

目的 倾向性评分匹配法（Propensity Score Matching,PSM）评估手术联合术中放疗治疗原发性肝癌的安全性及疗效。方法 收集2009~2012年于笔者医院肝胆外科行手术联合术中放疗（intraoperative electron radiotherapy,IOERT）的18例原发性肝癌（primary liver cancer,PLC）患者的临床资料,其中16例经术后病理证实为肝细胞癌（hepatocellular carcinoma,HCC）,2例为肝内胆管细胞癌（intrahepatic cholangiocarcinomas,ICC）;采用倾向性评分匹配方法,按照1∶2比例从同期行单纯手术的原发性肝癌患者中筛选出36例做为对照组（32例HCC,4例ICC）,比较两组患者术中及术后并发症发生情况及HCC患者术后早期（2年内）复发率。结果 所有患者均获随访,随访率100%。两组患者术中出血量、术后3个月内肝功能、凝血功能、血常规及术后住院天数的比较,差异均无统计学意义（P>0.05）,仅在手术时长方面,联合IOERT组长于单纯手术组（P=0.000）。此外,联合IOERT组术后出现1例急性肾功能衰竭和1例胸腔积液,单纯手术组术后出现1例肝创面出血。在疗效方面,以两组48例HCC患者为研究对象,联合IOERT组的HCC患者为16例,其中6例在2年内复发,早期复发率为37.5%;单纯手术组的HCC患者为32例,20例在2年内复发,早期复发率为62.5%,两组早期复发率的比较,差异无统计学意义（P=0.101）。结论 手术联合术中放疗治疗原发性肝癌安全可行,尽管联合放疗组早期复发率低于单纯手术组,但差异并无统计学意义。     

Teaching and Tragedy: Lessons from a Population and GIS workshop in Cambodia

Abstract

Long-term collection of soil temperature with depth is important when studying climate change. The international program GLOBE® provides an excellent opportunity to collect such data, although currently endorsed temperature collection protocols need to be refined. To enhance data quality, protocol-based methodology and automated data logging, along with other physical data, were used to collect soil temperature to a depth of one meter. Data show that diurnal and shallow variation ceases at around 50 cm depth. Therefore the need to incorporate deeper depths into the current protocols for heat flux calculations is warranted. The manual methodology was also found to give representative data.     

Modelling the temporal element in land information systems

Abstract

This paper considers the use of a modern programming language (Modula-2) to develop a data model for a lot-based land information system. The emphasis is on the importance of maintaining the history of the lots, and a data model is developed which incorporates the history of each lot.     

Geographical Notes

Abstract

This article describes the benefits of combining field-based learning within the context of a competitive setting in the geography curriculum. Findings and data are presented based on experiences gathered from teaching an upper-level university geography course that combined geographic techniques and theory into a game of capture-the-flag. Students analyzed a variety of geospatial data sources, using ArcMap Geographic Information System software, to prepare a series of maps for the game. Students reported a first-time understanding of many geographic skills that were previously ambiguous to them when the material was presented in a different format, such as lectures and labs.     

THE PRODUCTION AND EMPLOYMENT OF GEOGRAPHERS IN CANADA

This paper considers the appropriateness of typologies of urban retailing areas based on multivariate functional data. The findings of a case study in which statistical and graphical methods were employed within the framework of multivariate ordination are presented. It is shown that the functional attributes of retail areas are closely associated with their location, accessibility, quality, morphology, size, period of development, and socioeconomic character.     

脑靶向紫杉醇纳米胶束的体外实验研究

目的 研发一种新型的治疗乳腺癌脑转移的靶向递药系统。方法 采用薄膜水化法制备载药胶束,将胶束与脑靶向分子Angiopep-2连接,使胶束具有脑靶向功能。结果 体外细胞实验证实该胶束具有良好的靶向性。结论 连接有靶向分子Angiopep-2的纳米胶束具有良好的脑靶向功能。     

Efficiently implementable algebra for distributed in-network spatial analysis

Existing sensor network query processors (SNQPs) have demonstrated that in-network processing is an effective and efficient means of interacting with wireless sensor networks (WSNs) for data collection tasks. Inspired by these findings, this article investigates the question as to whether spatial analysis over WSNs can be built upon established distributed query processing techniques, but, here, emphasis is on the spatial aspects of sensed data, which are not adequately addressed in the existing SNQPs. By spatial analysis, we mean the ability to detect topological relationships between spatially referenced entities (e.g. whether mist intersects a vineyard or is disjoint from it) and to derive representations grounded on such relationships (e.g. the geometrical extent of that part of a vineyard that is covered by mist). To support the efficient representation, querying and manipulation of spatial data, we use an algebraic approach. We revisit a previously proposed centralized spatial algebra comprising a set of spatial data types and a comprehensive collection of operations. We have redefined and re-conceptualized the algebra for distributed evaluation and shown that it can be efficiently implemented for in-network execution. This article provides rigorous, formal definitions of the spatial data types, points, lines and regions, together with spatial-valued and topological operations over them. The article shows how the algebra can be used to characterize complex and expressive topological relationships between spatial entities and spatial phenomena that, due to their dynamic, evolving nature, cannot be represented a priori.     

Mental Mapping: A Lesson That Creates Itself

Abstract

Mental image and place-preference maps of college students in Florida were created through a two-part lesson. The patterns revealed by these maps were linked to students' life experiences, census data on migration and income, and similar studies conducted in other states. Students prefer states with established migration links to Florida and better income/job opportunities. Because the maps could not be created without their input, students were wholly engaged in a lesson that uses concepts in population geography and cartography to fulfill several national geography standards.     

Natural trees—neighbourhood-location in a nutshell

Abstract

We present the notion of a natural tree as an efficient method for storing spatial information for quick access. A natural tree is a representation of spatial adjacency, organised to allow efficient addition of new data, access to existing data, or deletions. The nodes of a natural tree are compound elements obtained by a particular Delaunay triangulation algorithm. Improvements to that algorithm allow both the construction of the triangulation and subsequent access to neighbourhood information to be O(N log N). Applications include geographical information systems, contouring, and dynamical systems reconstruction.     

ENVIRONMENTAL DISRUPTION AND ITS MECHANISM IN EAST-CENTRAL EUROPE∗

The development and testing of a computerized technique for utilizing multitemporal Landsat multispectral scanner data to estimate spring small grains acreage are described. The Kauth-Thomas green number transformation is applied to the data prior to application of the pixel-level standardized logic. Four years of data from the U.S. and Canada are used in testing. A comparison of the test results to those of the analyst-intensive procedures indicates a potential for increase in near-harvest estimation efficiency with little sacrifice in accuracy.     

Cartography and Population Geography as Current Events: A Case Study

Abstract

The Sanders housing lawsuit in Pennsylvania provides a case study of how to incorporate current events into the teaching of cartography or population geography at the high school or college level. Settlement of the Sanders case resulted in the release of information about the segregation of public housing by race in the Pittsburgh area. The issues in the Sanders case were mapped using publicly-accessible data, illustrating how an authentic lesson can be created with a minimum of resources.     

Wireless Mapping,GIS, and Learning about the Digital Divide: A Classroom Experience

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to describe a capstone course in undergraduate student geographical research in which GIS and other geospatial tools were used to teach undergraduate students basic geographical principles. The course uses the “cooperative learning” pedagogical approach to address one of a number of client-supplied research projects, chosen on the basis of logistical difficulty, time, student ability, and project importance. In the connection of primary data with existing data, students confronted a number of important research issues such as mapping ethics, database design and management, time management, group dynamics, and research limitations.     

Index to Volume 102

Abstract

Findings of a study that investigated conditions associated with introducing Geographic Information Systems (GIS) into pre-college curricula are described. Questionnaires, field observations, and interviews provided the principal data sources. Key implementation issues were organized into a conceptual model that integrates factors connected with educational applications of GIS. This article also introduces the GIS Readiness Survey, a self-administered questionnaire that enables potential users to assess the status of conditions associated with the classroom introduction of this technology.     

Quadtree storage of vector data†

Abstract

Vector data storage has various advantages in a cartographic or geographical information system (GIS) environment, but lacks internal spatial relationships between individual features. Quadtree structures have been extensively used to store and access raster data. This paper shows how quadtree methods may be adapted for use in spatially indexing vector data. It demonstrates that a vector quadtree stored in floating point representation overcomes the classical problem with raster quadtrees of data approximation. Examples of vector quadtrees applied to realistic size data sets are given     

SCALING TECHNIQUES IN THE ANALYSIS OF ENVIRONMENTAL COGNITION DATA∗

The utility of nonmetric, multidimensional-scaling techniques is demonstrated for the analysis and collection of environmental-cognition data. By comparing the multidimensional-scaling solutions of a real-setting map to scaling solutions for sketch maps and two psychophysical, distance-scaling procedures, we demonstrate that magnitude estimation of actual interpoint distances is comparable in accuracy to sketch maps when produced without constraints, or when subjects are given a specified list of landmarks to include on their maps. Triadic comparisons of actual interpoint distances were less accurate than the three other techniques.