Evaluation of vegetative criteria for near-surface groundwater detection using multispectral mapping and GIS techniques in semi-arid Botswana

The critical need to consider all options in the search for groundwater in semi-arid areas has promoted work on the possible association of near-surface groundwater and vegetation characteristics using a combination of remote-sensing data and geographic information systems (GIS) techniques. Two vegetative criteria (dense woody cover and abundance of deep-rooting species) are identified as being indicative of near-surface groundwater, and their spatial distribution is tested against the location of aquifers in southeast Botswana. Vegetative criteria classes were combined in a GIS environment with the distribution of geomorphic units and bedrock geology to determine the degree of coincidence with assumed or known aquifers. Results indicate that the distribution of dense woody vegetation as mapped from Thematic Mapper imagery has some potential in identifying especially surficial but also bedrock near-surface groundwater sources in mostly naturally vegetated semi-arid areas. Dense woody cover classes tend to select aquifers in topographically higher areas while classes comprising some deep-rooting species tend to select low-lying aquifers such as those occurring in fossil valleys. Deep-rooting species, however, are less successful as a vegetative criterion. Although various technical refinements are suggested, this work shows that vegetative criteria mapping can however be used in conjunction with conventional geological/geophysical techniques to enhance the prospects for groundwater location in relatively undisturbed semi-arid areas.     

VEGETATION MAPPING USING REMOTE SENSING AND GIS

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Increasing the spatial resolution of agricultural land cover maps using a Hopfield neural network

Land cover class composition of remotely sensed image pixels can be estimated using soft classification techniques increasingly available in many GIS packages. However, their output provides no indication of how such classes are distributed spatially within the instantaneous field of view represented by the pixel. Techniques that attempt to provide an improved spatial representation of land cover have been developed, but not tested on the difficult task of mapping from real satellite imagery. The authors investigated the use of a Hopfield neural network technique to map the spatial distributions of classes reliably using information of pixel composition determined from soft classification previously. The approach involved designing the energy function to produce a ‘best guess’ prediction of the spatial distribution of class components in each pixel. In previous studies, the authors described the application of the technique to target identification, pattern prediction and land cover mapping at the sub-pixel scale, but only for simulated imagery. We now show how the approach can be applied to Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) agriculture imagery to derive accurate estimates of land cover and reduce the uncertainty inherent in such imagery. The technique was applied to Landsat TM imagery of small-scale agriculture in Greece and largescale agriculture near Leicester, UK. The resultant maps provided an accurate and improved representation of the land covers studied, with RMS errors for the Landsat imagery of the order of 0.1 in the new fine resolution map recorded. The results showed that the neural network represents a simple efficient tool for mapping land cover from operational satellite sensor imagery and can deliver requisite results and improvements over traditional techniques for the GIS analysis of practical remotely sensed imagery at the sub pixel scale.     

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.     

Integration of genetic algorithms and GIS for optimal location search

Optimal location search is frequently required in many urban applications for siting one or more facilities. However, the search may become very complex when it involves multiple sites, various constraints and multiple‐objectives. The exhaustive blind (brute‐force) search with high‐dimensional spatial data is infeasible in solving optimization problems because of a huge combinatorial solution space. Intelligent search algorithms can help to improve the performance of spatial search. This study will demonstrate that genetic algorithms can be used with Geographical Information systems (GIS) to effectively solve the spatial decision problems for optimally sitting n sites of a facility. Detailed population and transportation data from GIS are used to facilitate the calculation of fitness functions. Multiple planning objectives are also incorporated in the GA program. Experiments indicate that the proposed method has much better performance than simulated annealing and GIS neighborhood search methods. The GA method is very convenient in finding the solution with the highest utility value.     

An Object Extraction Approach for Impervious Surface Classification with Very-High-Resolution Imagery

Detailed land cover maps provide important information for research and decision-making but are often expensive to develop and can become outdated quickly. Widespread availability of aerial photography provides increased accessibility of high-resolution imagery and the potential to produce high-accuracy land cover classifications. However, these classifications often require expert knowledge and are time consuming. Our goal was to develop an efficient, accurate technique for classifying impervious surface in urbanizing Wake County, North Carolina. Using an iterative training technique, we classified 111 nonmosaicked, very-high-resolution images using the Feature Analyst software developed by Visual Learning Systems. Feature Analyst provides object extraction classifications by analyzing spatial context in relation to spectral data to classify high-resolution imagery. Our image classification results were 95 percent accurate in impervious surface extraction, with an overall total accuracy of 92 percent. Using this method, users with relatively limited geographic information system (GIS) training and modest budgets can produce highly accurate object-extracted classifications of impervious and pervious surface that are easily manipulated in a GIS.     

基于GIS的四川省生态旅游分区评价

GIS是正在被广泛应用并具有强大空间分析能力的高新技术，与生态旅游分区评价模型结合，可充分发挥其地图化表现和空间分析能力。本研究以四川生态旅游数据库为基础，建立了基于AHP法的生态旅游分区评价系统。并对四川七个生态旅游区进行了评价，生成了相应的专题评价图。     

The application of spatial data processing to land use conflict resolution in the lal lal water catchment of the Ballarat growth corridor: a case study from chapter one of the Buninyong planning scheme

Land use conflict within the Lal Lal Water Catchment is between landowners, the Shire, the Water Board and those directing regional pressures for development. It is exacerbated by inconsistency in building permit appraisal outcomes. The deliberations involved would clearly have benefited from access to spatial data sets through use of a Geographical Information System (GIS) during applications appraisal, in that inconsistencies are most obvious when mapped in relation to the criteria applied. GIS methodologies would ensure that information of a high standard was produced. Three strategic points are identified for the implementation of GIS: at the planning scheme formulation stage; the permit application stage; and the formal conflict resolution stage. Reference to GIS at the first two stages presupposes the existence of a local government area (LGA) spatial data base and a GIS/LIS that can output overlay maps. Application of GIS at the third stage is somewhat ‘after the event’. This study suggests that without such a regional review of the spatial patterns of permit appraisal criteria (including overland flow modelling) each appeal or negotiation is likely to yield an outcome that is inconsistent in relation to other cases. An LGA planning office maintaining a GIS with all layers relating to these criteria will have assembled its spatial data according to the requirements of its planning scheme and will make most use of it in a GIS at the permit appraisal stage.     

基于GIS的秦岭地区大熊猫栖息地质量因子研究

该文分析大熊猫栖息地环境现状，将影响大熊猫栖息地质量的因素归为4类：地形因素、植被因素、食物因素和人类活动因素。根据陕西省秦岭山区第三次大熊猫栖息地调查资料，应用GIS空间数据内插分析及统计技术，从海拔高度、坡度、坡向、森林起源、乔木郁闭度、灌木盖度、竹子盖度、竹子生长状况以及人类生产活动等方面系统分析大熊猫栖息地质量状况，绘制各自然要素的空间分布图，得出结论：现有调查区的大部分区域适宜大熊猫栖息。同时，探讨人类社会活动对大熊猫栖息地质量的影响，指出人类生产活动对大熊猫栖息地的负面影响仍在不断扩大。     

基于遥感和GIS的城市热场分布规律研究

以气象卫星资料为主要信息源，以陆地卫星TM资料，土地利用专题图件，气象观测资料为辅助信息源，利用GIS空间分析技术，对城市热力分布特征和变化规律进行动态监测和综合分析，同时还对地面亮温和气温的相关模式进行研究和建立，取得了较好的应用效果。     

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.     

Supporting local health decision making with spatial video: Dengue,Chikungunya and Zika risks in a data poor,informal community in Nicaragua

One challenge facing spatial scientists trying to support public health outreach and intervention in challenging environments is the lack of fine scale spatial data. These data are required to gain a better understanding of both physical and social systems; why disease occurs where it does, and how to disrupt it. While data options exist, including high resolution aerial imagery, remotely sensed data, and even online mapping products like Google Street View, these all come with limitations. One option that has previously been utilized to assess cholera risk is spatial video. Here it is used to map potential mosquito breeding sites in an endemic Dengue and Chikungunya, and emerging Zika impacted community. We show how this method can provide mapping support in the hands of non-specialist public health workers who, working in collaboration with out-of-area geographic information systems (GIS) teams, can identify where to target limited intervention resources. We use a case study of an impoverished informal style Nicaraguan community suffering from a high disease burden to show spatial variation in potential mosquito breeding habitats. A field team collected street-by-street spatial video data to produce fine scale risk maps of standing water and trash locations, which, when interpreted with the associated spatial video imagery, were used to suggest where intervention strategies should be targeted. We also discuss how these same data layers can be used to address other health concerns traditionally found in informal settlements.     

Assembly and concept of a web-based GIS within the paleolimnological project CONTINENT (Lake Baikal,Russia)

Web-based Geographical Information Systems (GIS) are excellent tools within interdisciplinary and multi-national geoscience projects to exchange and visualize project data. The web-based GIS presented in this paper was designed for the paleolimnological project ‘High-resolution CONTINENTal paleoclimate record in Lake Baikal’ (CONTINENT) (Lake Baikal, Siberia, Russia) to allow the interactive handling of spatial data. The GIS database combines project data (core positions, sample positions, thematic maps) with auxiliary spatial data sets that were downloaded from freely available data sources on the world wide web. The reliability of the external data was evaluated and suitable new spatial datasets were processed according to the scientific questions of the project. GIS analysis of the data was used to assist studies on sediment provenance in Lake Baikal, or to help answer questions such as whether the visualization of present-day vegetation distribution and pollen distribution supports the conclusions derived from palynological analyses. The refined geodata are returned back to the scientific community by using online data publication portals. Data were made citeable by assigning persistent identifiers (DOI) and were published through the German National Library for Science and Technology (TIB Hannover, Hannover, Germany).     

Land Use Change in New Spain: A Three-Dimensional Historical GIS Analysis

The introduction of European livestock into the New World resulted in extensive land use changes. Studying the spatiality of these changes as they actually transpired in a three-dimensional landscape can enhance our knowledge of the environmental transformations that accompanied colonization. This article focuses on a case study area in New Spain, roughly equivalent to present-day Mexico, wherein forty-seven sheep ranches were established through viceregal land grants between 1535 and 1610. An integration of fieldwork, textual analysis of land grants, and imagery analysis enables these ranches to be mapped in a three-dimensional geographic information system (GIS) environment. Once mapped in a GIS, the spatial statistics of each ranch's elevation, slope, and aspect (slope orientation) can be calculated to identify spatio-temporal patterns of land use change. These spatio-temporal patterns can be interpreted within the highly localized contexts of land granting to amplify our understanding of human–environment interaction in New Spain. This article's key findings are that grantees harbored a persistent preference for south-facing land; ranches clustered most heavily on isolated elevations; viceregal ordinances were effective at keeping livestock away from low-lying, agriculturally productive zones; and, as a consequence of native population decline and forced native resettlements, the midelevations experienced a land use change from semiterraced agriculture to ranching. These results offer a fresh perspective on the local-scale processes of land use change that resulted from the European colonization of the New World.     

Combining AHP with GIS for Predictive Cu Porphyry Potential Mapping: A Case Study in Ahar Area (NW,Iran)

Using the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) method for multi-index evaluation has special advantages, while the use of geographic information systems (GIS) is suitable for spatial analysis. Combining AHP with GIS provides an effective approach for studies of mineral potential mapping evaluation. Selection of potential areas for exploration is a complex process in which many diverse criteria are to be considered. In this article, AHP and GIS are used for providing potential maps for Cu porphyry mineralization on the basis of criteria derived from geologic, geochemical, and geophysical, and remote sensing data including alteration and faults. Each criterion was evaluated with the aid of AHP and the result mapped by GIS. This approach allows the use of a mixture of quantitative and qualitative information for decision-making. The results of application in this article provide acceptable outcomes for copper porphyry exploration.     

Typhoon insurance pricing with spatial decision support tools

In disaster insurance and reinsurance, GIS has been used to visualize and manage geospatial data and to help vulnerability and risk analysis for years. However, hazard insurance is a multidisciplinary issue that involves complex factors and uncertainty. GIS, if used alone, has limited functionality due to poor incorporation of intelligence and spatial statistics. The Spatial Decision Support System (SDSS) presented in this paper, addresses some of the deficiencies of traditional GIS, by providing powerful tools to support disaster insurance pricing that involves procedural and declarative knowledge. In the SDSS, the knowledge‐based system shell, using the open‐source CLIPS and supporting fuzziness and uncertainty, can be applied in at least three phases: hazard simulation, fuzzy comprehensive evaluation of risk, and query for insurance pricing. The libraries of statistics and spatial statistics provide a robust support for analysis of spatial factors, including spatial correlation between zones vulnerable to hazard and spatial variation of exposures. The GIS components provide sophisticated visualization and database management support for geospatial data, helping easily locate the insured points and risk zones as well as exploratory analysis of spatial data. Standard database management interfaces are used to manage other aspatial data. COM, an industry‐wide interface protocol, tightly integrates these technologies (the expert shell, GIS, spatial statistics and DBM within an integral system), and can be used to develop mixed complex algorithms in support of other COM objects. An application of typhoon insurance pricing is demonstrated with a case study in Guangdong, China. Developed as a suite of generic tools with abilities to deal with the complex problem of disaster insurance involving spatial factors and field knowledge, this prototype SDSS can also be applied to other disaster insurance and fields that involve similar spatial decision making.     

Mapping and measuring place attachment

The concept of place attachment has been studied extensively across multiple disciplines but only recently with empirical measurement using public participation GIS (PPGIS) and related crowd-sourcing mapping methods. This research trialed a spatially explicit method for identifying place attachment in a regional study in South Australia. Our research objectives were to (1) analyze and present the spatial results of the mapping method as a benchmark for future research, (2) compare mapped place attachment to the more common practice of mapping landscape values in PPGIS that comprise a values home range, (3) identify how participant socio-demographic and home location attributes influence place attachment, (4) provide some guidance for mapping place attachment in future research. We found large spatial variability in individual place attachment and mapped landscape values using both area and distance-based measures. The area of place attachment is influenced by occupational roles such as farming or conservation, as well as home location, especially in coastal versus non-coastal contexts. The spatial distribution of mapped landscape values or values home range is related to, but not identical to mapped place attachment with just over half of landscape values located outside the area of mapped place attachment. Economic livelihood values, as an indicator of place dependence, and social values, as an indicator of place identity, are more likely to be mapped within the place attachment area. Aggregated place attachment across participants in the region showed similar spatial intensity to aggregated values home range, but area-based assessment of place attachment and values home range are distorted by edge effects such as a coastline. To further develop the mapping of place attachment in PPGIS, we identify knowledge gaps from our study and offer suggestions for future research design.     

上海市高层建筑的城市热力景观效应研究

以上海市外环线以内为研究区域,运用遥感与地理信息系统技术,建立高层建筑热力景观效应研究的指标体系,分析上海市高层建筑的高度、数量、密度、空间布局形态等对城市亮温的影响,发现高层建筑高度与亮温呈负相关,高度越高,周围的亮温越低;高层建筑集中分布的区域,一般属于亮温的中低温分布区;而高层建筑的数量或密度对热场的影响不大。可见,高层建筑合理布局将有利于减弱城市热场效应。     

Measuring Change in Place Values for Environmental and Natural Resource Planning Using Public Participation GIS (PPGIS): Results and Challenges for Longitudinal Research

Landscape values are a type of place value and are identified and mapped using public participation GIS (PPGIS). PPGIS engages nonexperts to identify important spatial information for environmental or natural resource planning. In 1998, we used PPGIS to identify landscape values for the Chugach National Forest (Alaska) plan revision process. In 2012, we conducted a longitudinal study of the same national forest using Internet PPGIS to identify changes in landscape values. The empirical results indicate stability in landscape values both in importance and spatial distribution. However, the use of different PPGIS methods (paper map vs. Internet) in the longitudinal study also introduced challenges in interpreting and explaining the spatial results. We discuss trade-offs in conducting longitudinal PPGIS research using mixed methods. PPGIS appears well suited for public lands planning, and national forest planning in particular, but barriers to use, such as regulatory approval, remain formidable.     

拉萨地区土地利用动态分析(英文)

Land use change is the result of the interplay between socioeconomic, institutional and environmental factors, and has important impacts on the functioning of socioeconomic and environmental systems with important tradeoffs for sustainability, food security, biodiversity and the vulnerability of people and ecosystems to global change impacts. Based on the results of the First Land Use Survey in Tibet Autonomous Region carried out in the late 1980s, land use map of Lhasa area in 1990 was compiled for the main agricultural area in Lhasa valley using aerial photos obtained in April, May and October 1991 and Landsat imagery in the late 1980s and 1991 as remotely sensed data sources. Using these remotely sensed data, the land use status of Lhasa area in 1991, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1999 and 2000 were mapped through updating annual changes of cultivated land, artificial forest, grass planting, grassland restoration, and residential area and so on. Land use map for Lhasa area in 2007 was made using ALOS AVNIR-2 composite images acquired on October 24 and December 26, 2007 through updating changes of main land use types. According to land use status of Lhasa area in 1990, 1995, 2000 and 2007, the spatial and temporal land use dynamics in Lhasa area from 1990 to 2007 are further analyzed using GIS spatial models in this paper.