Design and Usability of an Enhanced Geographic Information System for Exploration of Multivariate Health Statistics*

The multidimensional nature of many types of data in modern geography calls for creative and innovative approaches to their analysis. Statisticians have recently developed methods for exploring and visualizing large, multivariate datasets, but cartographers and geographers in general have only recently begun to integrate these methods for use with spatial and spatiotemporal datasets that are multivariate in character. This article will present an example of such an integration—an environment for visualization of health statistics—as a case study to demonstrate the philosophical and practical advantages of geovisualization systems for the exploration of complex spatiotemporal information. Emphasis is placed on the encouragement of creative thinking about geographic phenomena through the use of such data‐rich graphical tools.     

A spatiotemporal calculus for reasoning about land-use trajectories

Earth observation images are a powerful source of data about changes in our planet. Given the magnitude of global environmental changes taking place, it is important that Earth Science researchers have access to spatiotemporal reasoning tools. One area of particular interest is land-use change. Using data obtained from images, researchers would like to express abstractions such as ‘land abandonment’, ‘forest regrowth’, and ‘agricultural intensification’. These abstractions are specific types of land-use trajectories, defined as multi-year paths from one land cover into another. Given this need, this paper introduces a spatiotemporal calculus for reasoning about land-use trajectories. Using Allen’s interval logic as a basis, we introduce new predicates that express cases of recurrence, conversion and evolution in land-use change. The proposed predicates are sufficient and necessary to express different kinds of land-use trajectories. Users can build expressions that describe how humans modify Earth’s terrestrial surface. In this way, scientists can better understand the environmental and economic effects of land-use change.     

Design and Usability of an Enhanced Geographic Information System for Exploration of Multivariate Health Statistics

Abstract

The multidimensional nature of many types of data in modern geography calls for creative and innovative approaches to their analysis. Statisticians have recently developed methods for exploring and visualizing large, multivariate datasets, but cartographers and geographers in general have only recently begun to integrate these methods for use with spatial and spatiotemporal datasets that are multivariate in character. This article will present an example of such an integration—an environment for visualization of health statistics—as a case study to demonstrate the philosophical and practical advantages of geovisualization systems for the exploration of complex spatiotemporal information. Emphasis is placed on the encouragement of creative thinking about geographic phenomena through the use of such data-rich graphical tools.

     

集成遥感数据的陆地净初级生产力估算模型研究综述

净初级生产力(NPP)是衡量碳循环、指导土地利用、评估生态安全、指示环境变化、反映粮食安全等的重要参量,其估算受模型构建机理和生态系统关键地表参数输入的影响。近年来,随着遥感数据的不断丰富和遥感处理技术的快速发展,集成遥感数据的NPP估算模型相较于仅采用气候、土壤等传统观测数据的非遥感模型,在分析时空异质性等方面的优势日益凸显。本文基于Web of Science和CNKI两大数据库,采用文献统计分析方法,系统回顾NPP研究概况及国内外集成遥感数据的NPP估算模型的近期进展;并将集成遥感数据进行NPP估算的模型分为统计模型、光能利用率模型、过程模型及耦合模型四类;重点阐述了各类遥感估算模型的机理、差异性、适宜性及局限性;最后,在分析NPP遥感估算面临困境和科学挑战的基础上,从机理与影响因素、数据基础、参数反演、时空尺度拓展、软硬件支撑等方面对未来研究进行了展望。     

移动定位大数据视角下的人群移动模式及城市空间结构研究进展

了解城市人群移动行为和空间结构对城市规划、交通管理、应急响应等具有重要的意义。近年来,随着信息技术(ICT)的快速发展,采集大规模、长时间序列的人群移动定位大数据变得容易,为人群移动行为研究带来了新的机遇和挑战。本文首先介绍了目前用于城市人群移动行为和空间结构研究的主要数据源及其特征,并分别从人群移动行为、城市空间结构2个方面对近3年国内外相关研究进行归纳总结。目前的研究主要从移动定位大数据中挖掘人群移动模式,理解人群移动时空规律,进一步透视城市的空间结构特征;而对城市空间结构与人群移动行为影响的研究较少。未来可通过融合多源时空数据,综合研究人群移动行为与城市空间结构之间的相互作用,发展大规模群体移动行为时空分析理论和模型,进一步深入理解人群移动行为与城市空间结构的耦合关系。     

Simulating land-use dynamics under planning policies by integrating artificial immune systems with cellular automata

Cellular automata (CA) have been increasingly used in simulating urban expansion and land-use dynamics. However, most urban CA models rely on empirical data for deriving transition rules, assuming that the historical trend will continue into the future. Such inertia CA models do not take into account possible external interventions, particularly planning policies, and thus have rarely been used in urban and land-use planning. This paper proposes to use artificial immune systems (AIS) as a technique for incorporating external interventions and generating alternatives in urban simulation. Inspired by biological immune systems, the primary process of AIS is the evolution of a set of ‘antibodies’ that are capable of learning through interactions with a set of sample ‘antigens’. These ‘antibodies’ finally get ‘matured’ and can be used to identify/classify other ‘antigens’. An AIS-based CA model incorporates planning policies by altering the evolution mechanism of the ‘antibodies’. Such a model is capable of generating different scenarios of urban development under different land-use policies, with which the planners will be able to answer ‘what if’ questions and to evaluate different options. We applied an AIS-based CA model to the simulation of urban agglomeration development in the Pearl River Delta in southern China. Our experiments demonstrate that the proposed model can be very useful in exploring various planning scenarios of urban development.     

A statistical method for detecting spatiotemporal co-occurrence patterns

Spatiotemporal co-occurrence patterns (STCOPs) are subsets of Boolean features whose instances frequently co-occur in both space and time. The detection of STCOPs is crucial to the investigation of the spatiotemporal interactions among different features. However, prevalent STCOPs reported by available methods do not necessarily indicate the statistically significant dependence among different features, which is likely to result in highly erroneous assessments in practice. To improve the reliability of results, this paper develops a statistical method to detect STCOPs and discern their statistical significance. The proposed method detects STCOPs against the null hypothesis that the spatiotemporal distributions of different features are independent of each other. To construct the null hypothesis, suitable spatiotemporal point-process models considering spatiotemporal autocorrelation are employed to model the distributions of different features. The performance of the proposed statistical method is assessed by synthetic experiments and a case study aimed at identifying crime patterns among multiple crime types in Portland City. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method is more effective for detecting meaningful STCOPs than the available alternative methods.     

Spatiotemporal data model for network time geographic analysis in the era of big data

There has been a resurgence of interest in time geography studies due to emerging spatiotemporal big data in urban environments. However, the rapid increase in the volume, diversity, and intensity of spatiotemporal data poses a significant challenge with respect to the representation and computation of time geographic entities and relations in road networks. To address this challenge, a spatiotemporal data model is proposed in this article. The proposed spatiotemporal data model is based on a compressed linear reference (CLR) technique to transform network time geographic entities in three-dimensional (3D) (x, y, t) space to two-dimensional (2D) CLR space. Using the proposed spatiotemporal data model, network time geographic entities can be stored and managed in classical spatial databases. Efficient spatial operations and index structures can be directly utilized to implement spatiotemporal operations and queries for network time geographic entities in CLR space. To validate the proposed spatiotemporal data model, a prototype system is developed using existing 2D GIS techniques. A case study is performed using large-scale datasets of space-time paths and prisms. The case study indicates that the proposed spatiotemporal data model is effective and efficient for storing, managing, and querying large-scale datasets of network time geographic entities.     

Analyzing the distribution of human activity space from mobile phone usage: an individual and urban-oriented study

Travel activities are embodied as people’s needs to be physically present at certain locations. The development of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs, such as mobile phones) has introduced new data sources for modeling human activities. Based on the scattered spatiotemporal points provided in mobile phone datasets, it is feasible to study the patterns (e.g., the scale, shape, and regularity) of human activities. In this paper, we propose methods for analyzing the distribution of human activity space from both individual and urban perspectives based on mobile phone data. The Weibull distribution is utilized to model three predefined measurements of activity space (radius, shape index, and entropy). The correlation between demographic factors (age and gender) and the usage of urban space is also tested to reveal underlying patterns. The results of this research will enhance the understanding of human activities in different urban systems and demographic groups, as well as providing novel methods to expand the important and widely applicable area of geographic knowledge discovery in the age of instant access.     

Hierarchical self-organizing maps for clustering spatiotemporal data

Spatial sciences are confronted with increasing amounts of high-dimensional data. These data commonly exhibit spatial and temporal dimensions. To explore, extract, and generalize inherent patterns in large spatiotemporal data sets, clustering algorithms are indispensable. These clustering algorithms must account for the distinct special properties of space and time to outline meaningful clusters in such data sets. Therefore, this research develops a hierarchical method based on self-organizing maps. The hierarchical architecture permits independent modeling of spatial and temporal dependence. To exemplify the utility of the method, this research uses an artificial data set and a socio-economic data set of the Ostregion, Austria, from the years 1961 to 2001. The results for the artificial data set demonstrate that the proposed method produces meaningful clusters that cannot be achieved when disregarding differences in spatial and temporal dependence. The results for the socio-economic data set show that the proposed method is an effective and powerful tool for analyzing spatiotemporal patterns in a regional context.     

地理学时空数据分析方法

随着地理空间观测数据的多年积累,地球环境、社会和健康数据监测能力的增强,地理信息系统和计算机网络的发展,时空数据集大量生成,时空数据分析实践呈现快速增长。本文对此进行了分析和归纳,总结了时空数据分析的7类主要方法,包括：时空数据可视化,目的是通过视觉启发假设和选择分析模型;空间统计指标的时序分析,反映空间格局随时间变化;时空变化指标,体现时空变化的综合统计量;时空格局和异常探测,揭示时空过程的不变和变化部分;时空插值,以获得未抽样点的数值;时空回归,建立因变量和解释变量之间的统计关系;时空过程建模,建立时空过程的机理数学模型;时空演化树,利用空间数据重建时空演化路径。通过简述这些方法的基本原理、输入输出、适用条件以及软件实现,为时空数据分析提供工具和方法手段。     

室内定位数据分析与应用研究进展

现代人文地理学的研究越来越多地关注人的时空行为,而获取个体在出行活动中的时空位置数据是研究人类时空行为的前提。受数据获取技术的限制,之前对时空行为的研究主要集中在室外空间。随着室内定位技术的出现和应用,这类研究由室外空间扩展至室内空间。室内定位技术和方法较多,但从数据的角度来看,根据数据获取中使用定位方法的不同,可将室内定位数据分为几何位置数据、指纹位置数据和符号位置数据3类。目前,基于室内定位数据的研究可以归结为以下4个方面,即：人在室内的时空分布、人在室内的移动模式、人在室内的行为习惯及属性推断、人与室内环境的交互作用。然而,总体上目前的研究还处于探索阶段,理论和方法体系尚未成熟。本文认为后续的研究中需要关注以下问题：①数据获取方面。相对于蓝牙、射频识别、红外等定位技术,“智能手机+WiFi”模式的定位系统具有覆盖范围广、成本低廉、无需专门设备支持、易与用户交互等优势,是一种最具应用前景的室内定位技术;②研究内容方面。时空行为特征的研究是基础,个体属性推断及个体与环境的相互作用形式和机理研究将是重点,多时空尺度数据融合分析是一种趋势;③科学伦理方面。室内定位涉及微观尺度人类活动的记录,隐私保护问题需要高度关注。     

中国历史时期土地覆被数据集地理空间重建进展评述

重建长时间序列具有空间属性的土地覆被数据集,对研究历史时期土地利用/土地覆被变化及其气候和生态效应具有重要意义。近年来,国内外学者就定量重建中国区域历史土地覆被数据集进行了积极探索。但由于历史时期土地利用数据来源多元、重建方法多样、验证方式各异等原因,不同学者的重建结果迥异,其中重建方法是导致差异形成的重要原因之一。本文从重建思路、假设和方法、结果验证等方面对覆盖中国区域的主要空间数据集进行了综合评述,结果表明：①基于历史记录的还原法和基于地理空间模型的重建法是历史土地覆被空间重建的主要方法,而根据建模过程,后者又可进一步分为“自上而下”的配置模型和“自下而上”的演化模型法。②基于数量重建进行空间重建是当前历史土地覆被数据集重建的主流,在缺少充分、客观历史数据的条件下,对基础数据、分布控制因素和限制因子进行合理假设是取得合理结果的重要条件。③为提高研究成果的解释力,需要对重建结果进行检验,直接验证法虽较为准确,但受时空尺度限制,具有显著的局限性,间接验证法可作为有效的补充。     

Developing a parallel computational implementation of AMOEBA

As geospatial researchers' access to high-performance computing clusters continues to increase alongside the availability of high-resolution spatial data, it is imperative that techniques are devised to exploit these clusters' ability to quickly process and analyze large amounts of information. This research concentrates on the parallel computation of A Multidirectional Optimal Ecotope-Based Algorithm (AMOEBA). AMOEBA is used to derive spatial weight matrices for spatial autoregressive models and as a method for identifying irregularly shaped spatial clusters. While improvements have been made to the original ‘exhaustive’ algorithm, the resulting ‘constructive’ algorithm can still take a significant amount of time to complete with large datasets. This article outlines a parallel implementation of AMOEBA (the P-AMOEBA) written in Java utilizing the message passing library MPJ Express. In order to account for differing types of spatial grid data, two decomposition methods are developed and tested. The benefits of using the new parallel algorithm are demonstrated on an example dataset. Results show that different decompositions of spatial data affect the computational load balance across multiple processors and that the parallel version of AMOEBA achieves substantially faster runtimes than those reported in related publications.     

基于GPS数据的海岛型目的地游客时空行为相似性研究————以山东长岛为例

通过爬取GPS轨迹记录平台的轨迹数据,采用季节强度指数、核密度分析、近邻分析等方法对山东长岛游客时空行为进行相似性探讨,研究表明：① 年内,在气候要素影响下,海岛型目的地季节强度指数更高;日内,轨迹数量的“双峰”结构和轨迹长度的“三峰”结构都表明游客出行时间和轨迹长度有强相似性和集中性,且行程结束时间相对更晚;② 空间上,交通的不可直达性和时间的限制性造成游客在岛屿选择上高度集中,空间轨迹相似度很高,呈现典型的“轴状”和“环状”集聚结构,“向海”和“亲海”特征突出;③ 游客在海岛上的流动形成典型的等级分层结构和节点分散分布特征,重要节点对旅游流网络的控制作用明显;④ 与其他类型目的地相比,景区的核心作用在海岛上不够突出,受景区进入率不高的影响,游客在旺季期间与本地居民在公共交通设施和公共休闲空间的使用上重叠率较高,是造成旅游旺季部分路段和休闲空间过度拥挤的核心原因。     

A spatiotemporal data model for river basin‐scale hydrologic systems

Despite a long history of synergy, current techniques for integrating Geographic Information System (GIS) software with hydrologic simulation models do not fully utilize the potential of GIS for modeling hydrologic systems. Part of the reason for this is a lack of GIS data models appropriate for representing fluid flow in space and time. Here we address this challenge by proposing a spatiotemporal data model designed specifically for large‐scale river basin systems. The data model builds from core concepts in geographic information science and extends these concepts to accommodate mathematical representations of fluid flow at a regional scale. Space–time is abstracted into three basic objects relevant to hydrologic systems: a control volume, a flux and a flux coupler. A control volume is capable of storing mass, energy or momentum through time, a flux represents the movement of these quantities within space–time and a flux coupler insures conservation of the quantities within an overall system. To demonstrate the data model, a simple case study is presented to show how the data model could be applied to digitally represent a river basin system.     

Land use Changes vis-à-vis agricultural development in Southeastern Burkina Faso: the field expansion dilemma

The paper deals with land use changes in semi arid Burkina Faso, specifically the issue of field encroachment on extensively used land. Some theoretical perspectives of field expansions in agricultural production systems characterised by crop-livestock interaction are discussed with reference to Boserup's theories on intensification. The empirical part provides documentation for the land use patterns and practices, based on aerial photos from 1978 and 1994 and village surveys. Answers are sought to some of the key questions presented by the ‘land use land cover change community’, i.e.: how has ‘land cover been changed by human land use?’—how do immediate human and biophysical dynamics affect the sustainability of specific types of land uses?—and how do land uses and land covers affect the vulnerability of land users in the face of change? Based on the findings, the paper proposes the notion of the expansion dilemma which questions the theory that agricultural expansion should always be perceived as a forerunner of intensification.     

Assessing similarity matching for possible integration of feature classifications of geospatial data from official and informal sources

One difficulty in integrating geospatial data sets from different sources is variation in feature classification and semantic content of the data. One step towards achieving beneficial semantic interoperability is to assess the semantic similarity among objects that are categorised within data sets. This article focuses on measuring semantic and structural similarities between categories of formal data, such as Ordnance Survey (OS) cartographic data, and volunteered geographic information (VGI), such as that sourced from OpenStreetMap (OSM), with the intention of assessing possible integration. The model involves ‘tokenisation’ to search for common roots of words, and the feature classifications have been modelled as an XML schema labelled rooted tree for hierarchical analysis. The semantic similarity was measured using the WordNet::Similarity package, while the structural similarities between sub-trees of the source and target schemas have also been considered. Along with dictionary and structural matching, the data type of the category itself is a comparison variable. The overall similarity is based on a weighted combination of these three measures. The results reveal that the use of a generic similarity matching system leads to poor agreement between the semantics of OS and OSM data sets. It is concluded that a more rigorous peer-to-peer assessment of VGI data, increasing numbers and transparency of contributors, the initiation of more programs of quality testing and the development of more directed ontologies can improve spatial data integration.     

城市交通与土地利用一体化模型的理论基础与发展趋势

城市交通与土地利用间的协调发展是科学调控城市发展的重要环节。在基于地租理论的微观区位决策与土地利用与交通系统宏观动态交互理论基础上,回顾了城市交通与土地利用一体化模型的发展过程及不同依据下的分类特征,对空间相互作用和重力模型理论模型、空间经济学理论模型、随机效用和离散选择模型和基于行为的微观模型4类一体化模型的优劣进行了系统梳理分析。分析表明,具有合理理论基础、科学数据处理方法、较高模型精度和政策评估适用性的一体化模型仍存在巨大发展空间。近年来西方学者研究趋向微观化、综合化和简约化,而国内一体化模型发展相对滞后,要求模型理论与综合实证开发的进一步突破。特别是在新数据、新交通技术、国土空间规划体系背景下,城市交通与土地利用一体化模型将从"空间"模型向"时空间"模型转变;从"宏观"集计模型向"微观"行为模型转变;从"交通-土地"模型向"综合系统"模型转变;从"样本数据"模型向"大数据"模型转变;从"交通规划"应用向"国土空间规划"应用转变。旨在对城市交通与土地利用一体化模型的一般结构、原理类型、当前面临的问题和挑战进行深入剖析,以推进一体化模型在中国的研究与开发。     

中国农村地区房屋结构及其脆弱性的分析(英文)

The damage of dwelling houses constitutes the primary cause of casualties and asset loss in seismic disasters that occurred in Chinese rural areas. The structure of houses is crucial for assessing the vulnerability of rural houses. However, at present, available data on rural housing structure are incomplete and their spatial scales are inconsistent. This paper estimated the amount and ratio of rural houses in five structures, namely ’wood’, ’brick’, ’mixed’, ’reinforced concrete’, and ’other’, for 2380 counties across China. With the percent-age sampling census data in 2005, four accuracy levels were specified. Then, a set of down-scaling models were established, where the impact of climate, economic development level and ethnic minority cultural factors on rural housing structure, as well as the spatial autocorrelation of neighboring spatial units were considered. Based on the estimation results, a database of county-level rural housing structure was established, based on which the vul-nerability of rural houses in different areas was clarified.