Geographic Information Technologies and the History of a Shoreline: The Case of Chapter 91 in New Bedford,Massachusetts

Abstract

This article discusses the use of geographic information technologies to assist researchers in the exploration of historical databases. The case study is a pilot project in which we used geographic information systems (GIS) and global positioning systems (GPS) to study the history of the Public Waterfront Act (the “Chapter 91” program), a policy designed to balance private property rights, public interest, and environmental protection in the Massachusetts tidelands. The issues discussed range from the role of GIS in society and its limitations as a representational tool to the ability of current GIS to deal with historical data and to manage temporal attributes.

     

地理信息系统学科中几个基本问题探讨

地理信息科学(GISci)尚不成熟,但中国地理信息系统(GIS)高等教育发展快速,因此GIS学科发展面临许多问题和挑战。尝试从哲学本体论、认识论和方法论角度探讨GIS学科中的几个基本问题:现实世界、概念世界、数字世界、空间认知、空间表达、空间分析与研究方法,同时从社会实践角度总结了GIS应用中的组织、管理与社会问题。1)系统总结地理空间、空间认知与信息表达的关系以及地理信息的基本特征;2)回顾GIS的概念与内涵演变,论证GIS概念的多样性与同一性,分析了几个代表性的GIS研究方向;3)在回顾地理学研究范式转变的基础上,探讨空间分析、知识产生过程以及基于GIS的地理学研究范式;4)辨析GIS与组织管理间的关系、GIS与社会间的互动关系,特别强调发展中国家GIS应用面临的问题。建议围绕“空间认知与表达”、“GIS方法论”、“GIS、组织与社会”进行跨学科研究,完善GIS学科体系。     

南粤古驿道红色寻踪——基于《寻乌调查》的历史地理分析

基于毛泽东同志所作的《寻乌调查》,利用历史地图资料,结合当前遥感影像数据、道路地名信息及相关历史资料等,运用GIS技术对历史资料进行还原处理,从交通区位、经济地理与区域文化等方面,对20世纪30年代寻乌与南粤的区域历史地理关系进行研究：1）还原并佐证了《寻乌调查》描述的区域交通系统,梳理出寻乌与南粤区域水陆交通网络及交通运输的基本特征,寻乌典型的边区区位与自然地理等条件,成就了其联系南粤的交通枢纽功能。2）寻乌与南粤的区域经济地理关系具有典型的“盐上米下”特征;寻乌在区域贸易流通中承担着中转站的功能,但边区市集发展程度较低,寻乌的社会经济深受以梅县为腹地的南粤地区发展的影响。3）南粤革命力量对中央苏区具有不可磨灭的历史贡献,红色文化底蕴非常深厚。理解寻乌与南粤的区域历史地理关系,既对当前的区域发展规划与政策制定具较强的指导作用,也为当前的南粤古驿道活化和开发提供了一条“寻乌调查红色之旅”路线。     

GIS research to address tensions in geography

The rise of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technologies has been producing powerful tools for spatial data processing, management, analysis, modeling, and visualization. While supporting many tasks, GIS technologies have evoked new thinking and advanced intellectual inquiries in geography. Technological advances in other fields often stimulate new research questions and lead to revolutionary discoveries. The Hubble telescope revolutionizes our understanding of the universe, and 3D digital microscopes transform our knowledge of the coordination among biological, neurological, and physiological systems in living organisms. Can GIS claim similar revolutionary effects on geography? The answer is much up for debate. With GIS technologies, geographic studies can explore a broader extent across multiple scales in space and time and tackle problems through increasingly complex spatial statistics, visual analytics, computation, simulation, machine learning, and artificial intelligence. Both the Hubble telescope and 3D digital microscope were built based on scientific research that subserves the technological advances for inquiries into space and life systems. Likewise, GIScience research innovates GIS methods that enable novel geographic investigations and therefore contribute to geographic knowledge production. For the sake of simplicity, the term GIS used here represents both GIScience and GIS technologies. This essay attempts to clarify the intellectual contributions of GIS to geography on the following two questions: (1) What novel geographic thinking is driven by GIS? (2) How may GIS provoke new geographic inquiries and knowledge? Building on Nystuen's notion of four tensions that trigger geographic questions, the essay discusses how GIS innovations mediate historical tension, space‐time tension, dimensional tension and scale tensions.     

Environmental Impacts of Illegal Immigration on the Cleveland National Forest in California

Historical geographic information systems (GIS) scholarship has provided important insights into a broad spectrum of historical questions in recent years. This article contributes to the emerging field of historical GIS by employing map algebra and transect analysis to quantitatively assess topographical change resulting from rapid urban growth in New York City since the first quarter of the nineteenth century. These methodological techniques enable a systematic comparison of Manhattan's historical and contemporary topography through a spatial analysis of various topographic metrics, including the extent of positive and negative elevation change, shifts in elevation range, the percentage of geographic area that experienced elevation changes, and the estimated volume of Earth added to and removed from particular areas within the study site. The results indicate that there were more valleys filled than hills leveled on Manhattan's East Side, whereas the reverse was the case on the West Side. The West Side, however, experienced considerably more topographic changes than its eastern counterpart, in large part due to the former's more rugged terrain. Overall, the evidence suggests that although Manhattan's topography has been radically transformed in certain respects, the broader spatial pattern of topographic variation has remained largely constant. These findings, therefore, can be used to support competing narrative claims concerning the significance of the topographical transformations that resulted from the urbanization process in New York City.     

Genocide and GIScience: Integrating Personal Narratives and Geographic Information Science to Study Human Rights

This project combines qualitative data of personal narratives with geographic information science (GIScience) technologies to explore the potential for critical cartography in the study of mass atrocity. The case study used is northern Uganda, where millions have been affected by physical violence and hardship, displacement, and fear. Web-based virtual globes as a ready source of imagery for remote areas and derived spatial data imported to geographic information systems (GIS) provide quantified data that complement testimonials and other qualitative data from the field. Cartographic functions, geovisualization, and spatial analyses available in GIS are used to extract information from high-resolution remote sensing images documenting internally displaced persons (IDP) camps and quantifying evidence of crimes against humanity. These techniques explore spatial relationships and communicate results on the extent and impact of the atrocities in northern Uganda.     

From Geographic Holism to Geographic Information System

Substantial changes in a core idea of geography, integration, have occurred since Alexander von Humboldt published Kosmos (1845-1862). These changes are part of a larger shift in Western civilization to mechanistic reasoning. This shift led to the strengthening of system-based analysis, central to the development of geographic information systems (GIS). The duality of holism and the systems approach has led to an apparent contradiction in geography. R. Hartshorne in The Nature of Geography described this contradiction, but as did Alfred Hettner and Emil Wisotzki before, moved to partial systems as the core concept of geographic integration. Hartshorne's concept of vertical integration is the antecedent for the ubiquitous GIS layer model. The reduction of geographic relationships and processes to mechanistic components (layers) aids the systematic approach, but may lessen geographic understanding of a place's interrelationships. Although the partiality of the system approach was already acknowledged by Finch and Hartshorne in the 1930s, the tension between holistic and system approaches in geography remains. Holism and system-based approaches are indeed complementary methods for developing geographic understanding. Using holistic approaches to understand geographic phenomena, before we teleologically (following a purpose) analyze phenomena as a system, extends GIS to include broader interrelationships of geography in specific locations.     

Integration of GIS and video surveillance

This paper discusses the integration of three-dimensional (3D) geographic information systems (GIS) and video surveillance systems using augmented reality (AR) techniques. The motivation for this integration is to overcome problems faced by conventional video surveillance systems. Explicit information concerning which camera currently monitors what area in such systems is missing; therefore, insight into the situation depends heavily on the operator’s training and experience. To ensure the complete coordination and monitoring of a situation in a system with multiple cameras, it is necessary to introduce a single reference system. GIS arises as a natural solution because it not only provides a solid ground truth but also provides semantic information that can be highly important in certain video surveillance applications. To integrate information into a GIS application, that information must be georeferenced. Based on our previous research regarding the addition of georeferencing information to surveillance video, this paper introduces models that can be applied to help integrate video and GIS. With an analogy to Milgram’s continuum between the real world and virtual reality, and analogous to the augmented reality and augmented virtuality in Milgram’s continuum, two models of integration are defined here: GIS-augmented video and video-augmented GIS. Then, we define the architecture of GIS-based video surveillance based on these proposed integration models, and finally, a prototype is implemented. The implemented prototype serves as a basis for analysing possible applications of real-world systems based on the integration of GIS and video.     

Integrating Geospatial Technologies in Fifth-Grade Curriculum: Impact on Spatial Ability and Map-Analysis Skills

This study explores the effects of geographic information systems (GIS) curriculum on fifth-grade students' spatial ability and map-analysis skills. A total of 174 students from an urban public school district and their teachers participated in a quasi-experimental design study. Four teachers implemented a GIS curriculum in experimental classes over six weeks while three teachers continued with regular teaching in control classes. Both groups completed pre- and post-tests measuring spatial ability and map-analysis skills. Students in the GIS classes demonstrated more growth over time in spatial ability and map-analysis skills than did their peers in the control classes.     

From Geographic Holism to Geographic Information System

Substantial changes in a core idea of geography, integration, have occurred since Alexander von Humboldt published Kosmos (1845-1862). These changes are part of a larger shift in Western civilization to mechanistic reasoning. This shift led to the strengthening of system-based analysis, central to the development of geographic information systems (GIS). The duality of holism and the systems approach has led to an apparent contradiction in geography. R. Hartshorne in The Nature of Geography described this contradiction, but as did Alfred Hettner and Emil Wisotzki before, moved to partial systems as the core concept of geographic integration. Hartshorne's concept of vertical integration is the antecedent for the ubiquitous GIS layer model. The reduction of geographic relationships and processes to mechanistic components (layers) aids the systematic approach, but may lessen geographic understanding of a place's interrelationships. Although the partiality of the system approach was already acknowledged by Finch and Hartshorne in the 1930s, the tension between holistic and system approaches in geography remains. Holism and system-based approaches are indeed complementary methods for developing geographic understanding. Using holistic approaches to understand geographic phenomena, before we teleologically (following a purpose) analyze phenomena as a system, extends GIS to include broader interrelationships of geography in specific locations.     

Reflections and speculations on the progress in Geographic Information Systems (GIS): a geographic perspective

Great strides have been made in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) research over the past half-century. However, this progress has created both opportunities and challenges. From a geographic perspective, certain challenges remain, including the modelling of geographic-featured environments with GIS data model, the enhancement of GIS’s analysis functions for comprehensive geographic analysis and achieving human-oriented geographic information presentation. Several basic theoretical and technical ideas that follow the workflow and processes of geographic information induction, geographic scenario modelling, geographic process analysis and geographic environment representation are proposed to fill the gaps between GIS and geography. We also call for designing methods for big geographic data-oriented analysis, making best use of videos and developing virtual geographic scenario-based GIS for further evolution.     

VEGETATION MAPPING USING REMOTE SENSING AND GIS

I.StduyAreaPUschRjdgeoftheSantaCatalinaMountains,CoronadONaionalForest,SoutheastArizona,wasselectedasastudyareafOrvegetationmopingandatestoftheroleOfGISinaidingrem0teIysenseddataclassificati0n.BeinganepitOmeoftheSantaCatalinaMountains,PUscllmdgeiscomprisedOf23O.65sqUarelQnoflandIocatedonthesouthwesternPOrti0noftheSantaCarelinaRangerDistrictOftheCoronadoNationalForest.ltprovidesasharPcontrastbebeenthenamralruggdnessOftheSantaCatalinaMountainsandtheCityOfTucson,Arizona,araPdl…     

Video support in teaching about geographic information systems: a review of six videotapes

Abstract

Abstract. The growing interest in teaching about geographic information systems (GIS) raises a number of issues concerning the effectiveness of conventional instructional methods. To convey basic GIS concepts and applications better requires much more emphasis upon visual media. One such medium is that of VHS (or Beta) videotapes. Six currently-available GIS-oriented videotapes are reviewed for this purpose. Their contents are summarized and an evaluation is made of the usefulness of each in classroom-based GIS instruction.     

GIS应用开发方法回顾与展望

学术界有多种GIS开发方法,但每种方法都有其适用场合和优缺点。该文总结常见的软件开发方法和GIS实施文献,讨论GIS开发管理框架并展望该领域的研究方向。建议GIS、信息系统、管理科学等领域的学者进行协作,通过一定规模的问卷调查和个人访谈进行GIS项目案例研究,总结中国GIS开发中存在的问题和积累的经验;在此基础上撰写适合中国组织、管理与文化背景的GIS开发指南。     

Digital Data-Centric Geography: Implications for Geography's Frontier

The debate regarding geographic information systems (GIS) as tool, toolbox, or science still lingers in geography departments and among geographers. Analysis of geographic information is a vital component of decision making among business, governments, researchers, and academics. GIS users, geographers and nongeographers alike, use and benefit from problem-solving methods in numerous fields and contexts, making the use of GIS and the core competencies associated with using GIS a topic of intense debate. Complicating this ongoing discussion is the rise of data-centric approaches to research in geography that further expand the capabilities of spatial analysis and add to the expected knowledge of a GIS user and analyst. Building on a panel discussion at the 2016 American Association of Geographers (AAG) annual meeting, as well as informal dialogues on Twitter and other social media platforms that navigate this issue in academics and industry, this article explores how skills in research computing and programming operate in geography and GIS, especially given the rise of data-centric approaches to research in these realms. Some topics, like the costs and benefits of open and closed source software, are familiar from previous discussions in geography and GIS. Others, though, like the reward structures and recognition for computing skills or programming ability, have not been widely considered given the current landscape.     

Use of Geospatial Data and Technology for Wilderness Search and Rescue by Nonprofit Organizations

Geospatial data and tools are key in locating lost or missing persons in as short a time as possible. In this study, we used a geographic information system (GIS) to analyze four years of search and rescue (SAR) mission data from Colorado to determine the appropriate use of GIS for volunteer-based SAR organizations with limited resources and GIS expertise. GIS can provide more sophisticated analyses of geospatial data than simple mapping technologies, but our findings indicated that complex spatial analysis might not be required on all missions, because the majority of missions were completed within six to ten hours. Instead, new technologies such as tablets with mapping software and online GIS systems that provide quick and easy access to up-to-date geospatial data such as imagery offer capabilities that could improve mission planning. Here we provide a framework in which SAR missions can apply geospatial technologies to aid with missions, identify critical “hotspots,” and enhance postanalysis and training. The work here is highly applicable for nonprofit SAR groups when deciding on what GIS technologies to consider for their areas.     

Identifying Skill Requirements for GIS Positions: A Content Analysis of Job Advertisements

This study identifies the skill requirements for geographic information system (GIS) positions, including GIS analysts, programmers/developers/engineers, specialists, and technicians, through a content analysis of 946 GIS job advertisements from 2007–2014. The results indicated that GIS job applicants need to possess high levels of GIS analysis and modeling skills (e.g., database development) and personal and social skills (e.g., communication) to obtain employment, although specific skill requirements differed significantly depending on job title. The findings from this study may be useful for improving GIS majors’ employability.     

GIS In-Service Teacher Training Based on TPACK

Abstract

This article introduces the geographic information systems (GIS) in-service teacher training, focusing on the intersection of technological, pedagogical, and content knowledge (TPACK) for successful implementation of GIS in the classroom. Eleven social studies teachers in Georgia learned GIS technologies, inquiry-based learning, and social studies so that they could create technology-enhanced and inquiry-based lessons using GIS technologies. This article reports participating teachers’ opinions and attitudes of the TPACK-based GIS training. It also reports useful pedagogical methods of introducing GIS technologies to students and additional support for teachers to help them use GIS in their classrooms more often.     

OutDet: an algorithm for extracting the outer surfaces of building information models for integration with geographic information systems

The integration of Building Information Modelling (BIM) and geographic information systems (GIS) is a promising but challenging topic to solve problems in construction industry. However, loading and rendering rich BIM geometric data and large-scale GIS spatial information in a unified system is still technologically challenging. Current efforts mainly simplify the geometry in BIM models, or convert BIM geometric data to a lower level of detail (LOD). By noticing that only exterior features of BIM models are visible from outdoor observation points, culling BIM interior facilities can dramatically reduce the computational burden when visualizing BIM models in GIS. This study explores the outline detection problem and presents the OutDet algorithm, which selects representative observation points, transforms & projects the BIM geometric data into the same coordinate system, and detects the visible facilities. Empirical study results show that OutDet can cull a large portion of unnecessary features when rendering BIM models in GIS. The use of outlines of BIM models is not an alternative but rather a supplementary approach for current solutions. Jointly using LOD and outer surface can help improve the efficiency of integrated BIM-GIS visualization.Because OutDet retains BIM geometry and semantics, it can be applied to more BIM-GIS applications..     

The Implementation and Effectiveness of Geographic Information Systems Technology and Methods in Secondary Education

Abstract

Geographic information systems (GIS) technology and methods have transformed decision-making in society by bringing geographic analysis to the desktop computer. Although some educators consider GIS to be a promising means for implementing reform, it has been adopted by less than 2 percent of American high schools. The reasons behind the interest in GIS, its slow implementation, and its effectiveness in teaching and learning are unclear. To address these concerns, this research describes the extent to which GIS is being implemented in American secondary education and assesses the effectiveness of lessons that use GIS. A survey of 1,520 high schools that own GIS software, along with experiments and case studies in three high schools, provided primary data for assessing the implementation and effectiveness of GIS.