A Microsoft VBA Application for Generating Heat Maps

A choropleth map is a form of thematic map used to portray the structural characteristics of some particular geographical distribution not apparent in data presented in tabular form. Preparation of a choropleth map starts with the assignment of map features to classes based on the value of a specific feature attribute followed by the association of classes of features with appropriate map colors or symbols. Map features are often geographical regions with naturally or artificially defined boundaries, but choropleth maps can also be prepared by segmenting the area to be mapped into a regular grid of regions. Maps prepared with each grid shaded in an intuitive manner such as blue for grids with the lowest attribute values to red for the highest values can be termed “heat maps”. This technical note describes the HeatMap Microsoft Excel application which converts information contained in a worksheet into a heat map, and then converts the heat map into a file suitable for display using mapping systems such as Google Earth. An example illustrates how the application can be used to visualize the seventeenth century frontier between the Polish/Lithuanian Commonwealth and the Ottoman Empire.     

Forest cover type and landuse mapping using landsat Thematic Mapper False colour Composite a case study for chakrata in western himalayas U.P.

In the present study authors have attempted to prepare a forest composition cover type map using landsat Thematic Mapper (T.M.) False colour Composite (F.C.C.) on 1:3n250,000 scale synthesized by combining band 2, 3 & 4 pertaining to study area. Landsat T.M.F.C.C. have been visually interpreted for delineation of forest cover type identified on the basis of tone/colour, texture, pattern & phenology and correlated with geographical location for drawing the final inferences. Limited field checks were done and types identified were correlated at some conspicuous identifiable location on image and ground and the informations were extrapolated for the whole study area. The forested area have been stratified into broad forest composition types as per Champion & Seth’s classification scheme. Temperate forest consisting of Oak forest and Deodar/mixed conifers could easily be separated due to sharp tonal contrast, however sub-tropical Chirpine and Northern tropical miscellaneous forest could be identified after having much correlation with the geographical location. The broad composition types were further classified into two density classes and the area under each category have been worked out using dot grid.     

Point grid map: a new type of thematic map for statistical data associated with geographic points

ABSTRACT

Social, economic, and environmental statistical data associated with geographic points are currently globally available in large amounts. When conventional thematic maps, such as proportional symbol maps or point diagram maps, are used to represent these data, the maps appear cluttered if the point data volumes are relatively large or cover a relatively dense region. To overcome these limitations, we propose a new type of thematic map for statistical data associated with geographic points: the point grid map. In a point grid map, an input point data set is transformed into a grid in which each point is represented by a square grid cell of equal size while preserving the relative position of each point, which leads to a clear and uncluttered appearance, and the grid cells can be shaded or patterned with symbols or diagrams according to the attributes of the points. We present an algorithm to construct a point grid map and test it with several simulated and real data sets. Furthermore, we present some variants of the point grid map.     

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.     

Cartographic Design Matters – A Comparison of Thematic Polygon Design

The number of web services providing cartographic data is increasing. A main challenge is to enable a user to combine these services, not only from a technical perspective, but also from a cartographic one. One common use case for these services is to create mashups based on thematic polygons on top of background maps. In this study we compare four cartographic designs of thematic polygons: only boundaries, transparencies, hatches and icons. The aim of the comparison is to investigate whether the designs are good for identifying the extent of the polygons and if the design disturbs the reading of the background map. The comparison is based on an eye-tracking study, where 24 participants performed polygon identification tasks as well as background search tasks. The study revealed that hatches were more efficient than the other designs for polygon identification. Hatches had significantly shorter total fixation times as well as scanpath lengths, possibly since the participants were able to identify the extent of the polygon solely based on the interior (i.e. the hatches), while for the other designs the participants were extensively reliant on the boundaries. However, the results also indicate that the hatches design disturbs the reading of the background map more than the other designs; hatches also appear visually unpleasant for many users. Since each design had its strengths and weaknesses, we recommend producers of services for thematic data to provide several designs so users can select an appropriate design for their own use cases.     

一种个人地理标记数据的可视化方法

个人地理标记数据是个人通过笔记本、平板电脑或者手机等设备发布的包含地理位置且与个人相关的文本、照片和视频等信息。本文针对个人地理标记数据的特点,提出了一种适用于地理标签数据的可视化方法——个人地理标记数据拓扑图,并设计和实现了核心算法。为了比较和评估该方法的效能,对"文本列表""普通地图"和"标记拓扑图"3种用户界面进行了可用性测试,并对测试数据进行了方差分析。测试结论表明,3种不同用户界面在查找个人地理标记数据的效率方面存在显著性差异,其中文本列表和标记拓扑图均优于普通地图,文本列表和标记拓扑图在查找时间上的差异并不显著,标记拓扑图在查找时间均值上略优于文本列表。     

基于ArcGIS API for JavaScript的森林抚育成效监测专题图研究

为了及时掌握森林抚育的实施情况,科学评价政策实施绩效,准确反映森林抚育对森林生长和效益等各方面的影响,建立森林抚育成效监测体系。本文首先对森林抚育成效监测的相关业务调查分析,总结了现阶段森林抚育成效监测的主要内容,分析适用于森林抚育成效监测专题地图的可视化表达机制,设计并实现了森林抚育成效监测专题图表达框架。并针对ArcGIS API for JavaScript没有提供图表专题类的问题,提出了一种与ECharts图表库相结合制作专题图的方法。此方法通过Canvas方式在客户端生成统计图表,具有丰富的图表类型和强大的交互功能,能够满足不同数据的处理需求,丰富了统计图表专题图表达形式,让数据呈现更加完美,能满足各种用户的制图需求。     

多时相空间信息的动态可视化方法的研究及应用

目前如何处理地理信息随时间变化的动态特性成为GIS的重要研究方向之一。本文设计和实现了用于多时相空间信息几何特征、属性特征、属性专题统计特征的动态可视化的一些方法,建立了一套矢量动态符号库用于在地图上展示时空数据的几何和属性信息随时间变化的动态特性,实现了一组专题统计动态图表用于展示时空数据的属性专题统计结果随时间变化的动态特性。     

Tree cover mapping based on Sentinel-2 images demonstrate high thematic accuracy in Europe

The spatial and temporal distribution of trees has a large impact on human health and the environment through contributions to important climate mechanisms as well as commercial, recreational and social activities in society. A range of tree mapping methodologies has been presented in the literature, but tree cover estimates still differ widely between the individual datasets, and comparisons of the thematic accuracy of the resulting tree maps are rather scarce. The Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellites, which were launched in 2015 and 2017, have a combination of high spatial and temporal resolution. Given that this is a new satellite, a substantial amount of research on development of tree mapping algorithms as well as accuracy assessment of said algorithms have to be done in the years to come. To contribute to this process, a tree map produced through unsupervised classification was created for six Sentinel-2 tiles. The agreement between the tree map and the corresponding national forest inventory, as a function of the band combination chosen, was analysed and the thematic accuracy was assessed for two out of the six tiles. The results show that the highest agreement between the present tree map and the national forest inventory was found for bands 2, 3, 6 and 12. The present tree map has a relative difference in tree cover between 8% and 79% compared to previous estimates, but results are characterised by large scatter. Lastly, it is shown that the overall thematic accuracy of the present map is up to 90%, with the user’s accuracy ranging from 34.85% to 92.10%, and the producer’s accuracy ranging from 23.80% to 97.60% for the various thematic classes. This demonstrates that tree maps with high thematic accuracy can be produced from Sentinel-2. In the future the thematic accuracy can be increased even more through the use of temporal averaging in the mapping procedure, which will enable an accurate estimate of the European tree cover.     

Establishing Classification and Hierarchy in Populated Place Labeling for Multiscale Mapping for The National Map

Current standards for federal mapping call for use of the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) point layer for placement of United States populated place labels. However, this point layer contains limited classification information and hierarchy information, resulting in problems of map quality for database-driven, multi-scale, reference mapping, such as maps served by The National Map Viewer from USGS. Database-driven mapping often relies simply on what labels fit best in the map frame. Our research investigates alternative sources for labeling populated places, including polygons defined by the U.S. Census Bureau, such as incorporated place, census designated place (CDP), and economic place. Within each of these polygon layers we investigate relevant attributes from the decennial and economic censuses, such as population for incorporated places and CDPs, and the number of employees for economic places. The data selected are available for the entire country to serve national mapping requirements. This combination of data allows a more refined classification of populated places on maps that better represents relative importance. Visual importance on maps through scale should derive from more than simply residential population, but also economic importance, though comparison is made to this simpler case. We differentiate a fourth category of GNIS populated place points, essentially “neighborhoods” and related features—which are not incorporated places, CDPs, nor economic places. Populated places in this fourth class do not have federally defined boundaries, necessitating an alternative method for determining hierarchy in label presentation through scale.     

移动环境自适应地图综合方法初探

随着移动定位服务等技术的飞速发展,地图综合在专题内容、综合效率等方面已不能满足移动地图服务的需要。这就要求针对当前的移动环境,发展自适应地图综合方法。在系统分析当今移动环境自适应地图综合研究现状的基础上,指出移动环境自适应地图综合的理论基础与技术背景,提出移动环境自适应地图综合的基本思想、特征与关键问题,并以南京市湖南路商业区居民地为试验数据,实现了自适应于用户位置的居民地简化算法。     

Planetary Map Data Model for Geologic Mapping

Geologic mapping and the design of geologic (thematic) maps are nowadays supported by Geographic Information Systems (GIS). In order to gain a high degree of efficiency and to allow exchange of a common structured framework for mapping, map data models have been designed by agencies and individuals in order to support their mapping process. Only a limited number of such models are freely available and most of them are on a conceptual level. They support mappers in their work to define spatial geologic map units by integrating field and remote-sensing information and relate them to non-spatial information, in particular genetic surface types, rock composition, age and age relationships, attitude data, and other surface characteristics. All of these attributes are interrelated and require data models that depict these complex relationships without becoming too complicated for the mapper. Solutions on the basis of database management systems and server-client communication are highly efficient but they cannot be easily employed and require dedicated administration. A well-established alternative are file-based geodatabase concepts which are much more accessible but which also suffer from a number of limitations when it comes to administration and querying data.

The scope of this work is to find an accessible solution for working on and with geologic maps for planetary surfaces. We here present a planetary map data model (PMDM) design that has been implemented within Environmental Systems Research Institute's (ESRI) ArcGIS environment for systematic geologic and geomorphologic mapping of different planetary surfaces. The model copes with different genetic surface types, planetary stratigraphic systems, surface chronologies, specific naming conventions, and different body references. Additional and innovative assets are integrated solutions for semi-automated symbol assignments based on published standards (FGDC) and the possibility to perform topology checks on surface type features and units.     

Accurate mapping of forest types using dense seasonal Landsat time-series

An accurate map of forest types is important for proper usage and management of forestry resources. Medium resolution satellite images (e.g., Landsat) have been widely used for forest type mapping because they are able to cover large areas more efficiently than the traditional forest inventory. However, the results of a detailed forest type classification based on these images are still not satisfactory. To improve forest mapping accuracy, this study proposed an operational method to get detailed forest types from dense Landsat time-series incorporating with or without topographic information provided by DEM. This method integrated a feature selection and a training-sample-adding procedure into a hierarchical classification framework. The proposed method has been tested in Vinton County of southeastern Ohio. The detailed forest types include pine forest, oak forest, and mixed-mesophytic forest. The proposed method was trained and validated using ground samples from field plots. The three forest types were classified with an overall accuracy of 90.52% using dense Landsat time-series, while topographic information can only slightly improve the accuracy to 92.63%. Moreover, the comparison between results of using Landsat time-series and a single image reveals that time-series data can largely improve the accuracy of forest type mapping, indicating the importance of phenological information contained in multi-seasonal images for discriminating different forest types. Thanks to zero cost of all input remotely sensed datasets and ease of implementation, this approach has the potential to be applied to map forest types at regional or global scales.     

基于．NET平台实现专题地图绘制

专题地图通过将一种或多种与主题相关的要素突出显示,不仅可以表现对象的现状和分布,也可以揭示其动态变化和发展规律。文章以墨西哥各州人口的专题地图绘制为例,运用C#语言,在．NET平台下实现地理学上的专题地图绘制。     

World Maps With Natural Boundaries

The graticule of meridians and parallels is a largely artificial type of map boundary that can detract from the display of irregular features such as oceans. Such natural boundaries as shorelines may be used instead as the boundary of world maps. The principle of natural boundaries has been applied to several examples of equal-area or conformal world ocean maps with single or multiple lobes. By careful selection of the poles and centers, these maps can show both oceans and continents in their entirety on a single map.     

利用天宫一号和Landsat7对地观测数据的森林变化检测

由于自然演替和一些干扰因素的影响,森林覆盖处在不断的变化中.结合云南省西双版纳地区的天宫一号高光谱数据以及Landsat影像,研究了热带森林覆盖制图与变化检测的自动化识别方法.首先分析了每景影像中红光波段的光谱属性,依据直方图提取出纯净森林像元,然后计算影像中各像元与纯净森林像元之间的光谱相似性,从而得到森林指数并以此为依据提取出每景影像对应的森林覆盖图,将多期的森林覆盖专题图进行叠加分析即可得到森林变化专题图.结果表明:(1)使用天宫一号高光谱影像可以进行森林覆盖自动化提取,生成的森林覆盖图合理地反映了森林分布状况;(2)与多期遥感影像结合进行森林变化信息提取,提取结果很好地体现了森林减少和森林恢复情况,对新恢复的未郁闭森林也可以进行有效检测.     

灾害应急远程协同会商系统的设计与集成

传统的电视电话会议,由于空间地域差异或者专业知识的限制,使信息沟通不完整,表述复杂,给会商参与者造成沟通交流障碍。在此基础上,增加分布式地理信息系统,可以使异地参会者实时协作完成各类专题地图制作,增强参会者对会商内容的快速理解,沟通更加便捷,提高会商质量。本文提出灾害应急会商中会议发起人——参会者模式的地图协同标绘应用,研究了会商期间的标绘消息网络推送,实现异地用户对图形标绘信息的远程同步感知,设计了协同编辑指定图元的并发控制流程,分析图元标绘并发操作时的冲突可能性,并提出系统自动裁决、用户协商、权威仲裁的避免冲突策略。文章以玉树地震为应用实例,讲述了民政部利用本系统将远程专家会商结果绘制了物资调配态势图,实现了辅助决策。     

THEMATIC MAPPING OF PLANETS: CURRENT SITUATION AND PROSPECTS

Principles and objectives governing Soviet thematic mapping of nearby planets are outlined, types of information sources for such mapping categorized, and the suitability of different types of information sources for thematic mapping are evaluated. This is followed by a classification of thematic planetary maps according to type. The need for a standardized, systems approach to the determination of map scales, compilation and generalization, symbolization, and map design is emphasized as an essential prerequisite for the development of complex atlases of individual planets, atlases of “comparative planetology,” and the establishment of “planetary information systems.” Translated by Jay Mitchell; PlanEcon, Inc.; Washington, DC 20005 from: Vestnik Moskovskogo Universiteta, geografiya, 1987, No. 6, pp. 60-67.     

Spatial analysis of anthropogenic disturbances in mangrove forests of Bhitarkanika Conservation Area,India

The dependence of coastal communities on mangrove forests for direct consumptive use due to the scarcity of alternate resources makes them one of the highly disturbed landscapes. This paper examines the spatial characteristics and extent of anthropogenic disturbances affecting the mangrove forests of Bhitarkanika Conservation Area situated along the east coast of India by using remotely sensed data and GIS, supplemented with socioeconomic surveys. The study reveals that resource extractions from these forests were considerable despite the protected status. Around 14% of the total fuel wood consumed annually in each of the household came from the mangrove forests of the Park. The patterns of consumption were spatially heterogeneous, controlled by the availability of alternatives, ease of accessibility, presence of markets, human density, and forest composition. The disturbance surface showed 30% of the major forest classes to be under high to very high levels of disturbance especially at easy access points. Besides, the distribution of economically useful species also determined the degree of disturbance. Resource use surfaces clearly identified the biotic pressure zones with respect to specific mangrove use and could be combined with the disturbance regime map to prioritize areas for mangrove restoration.