Web‐based GIS Approaches to Enhance Public Participation in Wind Farm Planning

Planning information pertaining to the potential visual impacts of proposed construction developments is particularly important in the case of wind farm planning, given the high levels of concern amongst members of the public regarding the perceived negative visual impacts of wind turbines on the landscape. Previous research has highlighted the shortcomings associated with traditional visualization techniques used to assess these impacts, and also the means by which such information is then disseminated to the wider public during the consultation stages of the wind farm planning process. This research is concerned with examining the potential of Web‐based mapping and digital landscape visualization techniques for addressing some of these shortcomings. This article reports the findings of a Web‐based survey study designed to evaluate the potential of online GIS‐based approaches for improving the effectiveness and dissemination of wind farm visualizations and enhancing public participation in the wind farm planning process. Results from the survey study add to the research literature by demonstrating how innovative Web‐based approaches have real potential for augmenting existing methods of information provision and public participation in the planning process. The findings of this study are also potentially transferrable to other landscape planning scenarios.     

Modeling Collaborative GIS Processes Using Soft Systems Theory, UML and Object Oriented Design

The evidence from collaborative GIS problem solving indicates that although environmental problems are context dependent, meaningful solutions are framed around the core issues of multiple stakeholder interests, complexity, wicked problems, ill‐defined problem specification, and their spatial characteristics. Based on subsets of these issues, there exists a number of overlapping collaborative GIS designs and processes. The goal of this study is to reconcile the overlap by modeling a core collaborative GIS design and process. General systems theory is used to classify core technical components of the collaborative GIS design, and soft systems theory characterizes the human activity dynamics of the collaborative process. Further, object oriented principles are used to generate a flexible problem domain design, and the unified modeling language (UML) visually describes the structure and behavior of the collaborative process. The core formalism facilitates GIS process integration, standardization, reusability, ontology design, and rapid solution design in new problem contexts. The collaborative spatial Delphi (CSD) methodology is a proof of concept. This research contributes to the design and specification of a core collaborative GIS model, a reusable pattern, and their ontological impacts.     

How Reliable are Citizen‐Derived Scientific Data? Assessing the Quality of Contrail Observations Made by the General Public

Citizen science projects encourage the general public to participate in scientific research. Participants can contribute large volumes of data over broad spatial and temporal frames; however, the challenge is to generate data of sufficient quality to be useable in scientific research. Most observations made by citizen‐scientists can be independently verified by “experts”. However, verification is more problematic when the phenomena being recorded are short‐lived. This article uses a GIS methodology to verify the quality of contrail observations made by the general public as part of the OPAL Climate Survey. We verify observations using datasets derived from a variety of different sources (experts, models and amateur enthusiasts) with different spatial and temporal properties which reflect the complex 3D nature of the atmosphere. Our results suggest that ～70% of citizen observations are plausible, based on favorable atmospheric conditions and the presence or absence of aircraft; a finding which is in keeping with other, more conventional citizen science projects. However, questions remain as to why the quality of the citizen‐based observations was so high. Given the lack of supporting data on observers, it is impossible to determine whether the dataset was generated by the activities of many participants or a small but dedicated number of individual observers.     

Applying Cost/Benefit Analysis to Evaluate Investment in GIS: The Case of Ghana's Lands Commission Secretariat, Accra

One of the many reasons why GIS programmes in Africa and elsewhere in the developing world never get started is that top management are not fully persuaded to support such innovations. A favourable financial analysis of GIS investment will greatly enhance its chances of approval and continued funding if the computation is tied to the goals set by organisations. We argue that an approach provided by a score and weight process that is part of the Investment Evaluation Methodology (IEM) developed by Digital Equipment Corporation USA, for cost benefit analysis fulfils this objective as it is designed to assist top managers and policy‐makers in coming to an understanding of the nature and scope of the proposed GIS project. The methodology involves measuring benefits that are quantifiable (tangibles) and identifying those that are not (intangibles). A coherent and consistent framework for evaluating the GIS project is therefore made. The methodology is generic enough to be applied in any developing country context.     

An Application of a Choice Heuristic Algorithm for Managing Land Resource Allocation Problems Involving Multiple Parties and Conflicting Interests

Competition among individuals and communities for the use of resources has made resource management activity very contentious and complex. Conflicts over the allocation of resources are forcing resource managers worldwide, particularly those in Sub-Saharan Africa, to widen the range of interests they consider and embrace environmental factors before they make and implement resource policies. In tandem with the recent extension of GIS applications into the region therefore is the expectation that the technology would create opportunities for public participation and for resolving conflicts that result from competition for resources. However, creating a supportive environment for people in the communities to actively participate in resource policy decisions requires simple, but efficient, participatory decision support procedures that are lacking in many of today's GIS. This paper describes the application of a decision support algorithm for managing resource allocation problems involving competing interests. A case involving multiple claims to resources in the Aboma Forest Reserve located at Kofiase in Southern Ghana is used to illustrate the Public Participatory GIS (PPGIS) methodology.     

A New GIScience Application for Visualized Natural Resources Management and Decision Support

This article presents two decision support plug‐ins in free GIS software: ArcGIS Explorer Desktop. The ubiquitous WebGIS Analysis Toolkit for Extensive Resources (uWATER) focuses on providing GIS analysis functions: spatial and attribute queries in the public services tool for users with limited access to commercial GIS software. The interface of uWATER is general enough to support decision‐making in numerous management issues in natural resources, economics and agriculture. The uWATER‐Pumping Assessment (uWATER‐PA) toolkit, on the other hand, is an extended package targeting the specific environmental issue of groundwater pumping impacts. The uWATER‐PA package is an excellent alternative to evaluating complex groundwater pumping assessment issues before investing significant time, labor, and funds in monitoring and detailed scientific study. It incorporates simulation of the physics of groundwater flow and user interaction into GIS software. A graphical user interface makes both data entry and interpretation of results intuitive to non‐technical individuals. Results are presented as colored drawdown maps and can be saved in GIS format for future dissemination. The impact of drawdown on existing wells can be characterized and mapped, through the use of uWATER's spatial query capabilities and the drawdown maps generated by uWATER‐PA.     

Modeling Situation Factors Used in MCE Procedures for Raster GIS

Multi‐criteria evaluation (MCE) procedures are widely used in raster‐based geographic information systems (GIS) to perform a variety of land use siting applications. Many of the criteria used in an MCE analysis are based on spatial relationships or situation characteristics. Situation factors measure the accessibility that each raster cell is to resources or land uses that generate spatial externalities for the activity being sited. This accessibility can be measured either in terms of distance to the nearest target cell containing resources or the overall level of resource availability as measured by a spatial interaction model. This paper examines the spatial structure of these situation factors to identify the set of critical target cells for which distance estimates are most sensitive. Critical target cells are especially important in the case of positive externalities in which an activity would be inclined to locate near these cells to use or consume the resources there. Critical target cells are useful for evaluating the utility of the final site selection with respect to resource/activity ratios.     

基于GIS的土地利用规划公众参与研究

在介绍公众参与在土地利用规划中的地位、作用、方式的基础上,提出将GIS应用于土地利用规划公众参与,提出了GIS辅助土地利用规划公众参与的主要功能,对照国内外GIS应用探讨了GIS辅助土地利用规划公众参与的模式,结合土地利用规划各阶段公众参与的特点提出的GIS辅助土地利用规划公众参与的框架。     

Cumulative spatial impact layers: A novel multivariate spatio‐temporal analytical summarization tool

Scientific inquiry often requires analysis of multiple spatio‐temporal datasets, ranging in type and size, using complex multi‐step processes demanding an understanding of GIS theory and software. Cumulative spatial impact layers (CSIL) is a GIS‐based tool that summarizes spatio‐temporal datasets based on overlapping features and attributes. Leveraging a recursive quadtree method, and applying multiple additive frameworks, the CSIL tool allows users to analyze raster and vector datasets by calculating data, record, or attribute density. Providing an efficient and robust method for summarizing disparate, multi‐format, multi‐source geospatial data, CSIL addresses the need for a new integration approach and resulting geospatial product. The built‐in flexibility of the CSIL tool allows users to answer a range of spatially driven questions. Example applications are provided in this article to illustrate the versatility and variety of uses for this CSIL tool and method. Use cases include addressing regulatory decision‐making needs, economic modeling, and resource management. Performance reviews for each use case are also presented, demonstrating how CSIL provides a more efficient and robust approach to assess a range of multivariate spatial data for a variety of uses.     

Using GIS to Assess the Environmental Justice Consequences of Transportation System Changes

Although environmental justice research has typically focused on locations of industrial toxic releases or waste sites, recent developments in GIS and environmental modeling provide a foundation for developing measures designed to evaluate the consequences of transportation system changes. In this paper, we develop and demonstrate a workable GIS-based approach that can be used to assess the impacts of a transportation system change on minorites and low-income residents. We focus specifically on two adverse affects: vehicle-generated air pollution and noise. The buffer analysis capabilities of GIS provide a preliminary assessment of environmental justice. We integrate existing environmental pollution models with GIS software to identify the specific locations where noise and air pollution standards could be violated because of the proposed system change. A comparison of the geographic boundaries of these areas with the racial and economic characteristics of the underlying population obtained from block level census data provides a basis for evaluating disproportionate impacts. An existing urban arterial in Waterloo, Iowa, is used to illustrate the methods developed in this research.     

基于GIS的城市数字商务平台研究与实现——以广州市数字商务地理信息公共平台建设为例

目前,国内市场上的电子商务平台多以商品交易为主,信息表达过于平面化、信息访问缺乏立体式的可延伸性。改变传统的电子商务管理与发展模式,深入利用GIS、虚拟仿真、数据仓库、数据挖掘等技术及时全面采集各种商务信息,建立基于二三维GIS的电子商务基础平台,发展智能商务的应用,形成城市"数字商务"地理信息平台是符合当前城市发展的趋势。本文以广州市数字商务地理信息公共平台建设为例,详细介绍了基于GIS的城市数字商务平台建设内容与实现的关键技术,包括二三维地图平台建设技术、突破技术难题的二三维地图的联动切换显示技术、商务专题数据库和POI数据库建立,以及虚拟广告功能实现技术等,为城市数字商务地理信息平台建设提供有价值的参考。     

基于云平台的地理信息公共平台部署与测试

地理信息公共平台是“数字城市”建设的基础部分,面向政府部门、企业及个人,提供着全方位的地理信息在线服务。云计算作为一种新兴技术,利用其资源动态伸缩,自动监控,分布式存储,使得用户群体自订制IT基础设施资源成为可能。广东省地理信息公共平台通过试验依托云平台组建服务器集群,实现了高可配、高性能,为下一步平台全面使用云计算的升级奠定了基础。     

Data democracy – increased supply of geospatial information and expanded participatory processes in the production of data

The global landscape in the supply, co-creation and use of geospatial data is changing very rapidly with new satellites, sensors and mobile devices reconfiguring the traditional lines of demand and supply and the number of actors involved. In this paper we chart some of these technology-led developments and then focus on the opportunities they have created for the increased participation of the public in generating and contributing information for a wide range of uses, scientific and non. Not all this information is open or geospatial, but sufficiently large portions of it are to make it one of the most significant phenomena of the last decade. In fact, we argue that while satellite and sensors have exponentially increased the volumes of geospatial information available, the participation of the public is transformative because it expands the range of participants and stakeholders in society using and producing geospatial information, with opportunities for more direct participation in science, politics and social action.     

基于“天地图”的地震应急服务平台设计

地震应急与社会经济紧密相关,也是防震减灾的重要内容。在总结地震应急相关研究与信息服务的基础上,采用网络技术、GIS技术、数据库技术,设计并开发基于"天地图"的地震应急服务平台,实现震情实时发布、空间查询定位、灾情实时反馈、直接经济损失快速评估、经济人口信息的统计分析等功能。该平台的建立将为震前预测提供完备、现势的数据基础,为震中救援提供可视化的分析平台,为震后恢复重建的资源调配提供数据支持。     

基于GIS的城市数字商务平台研究与实现——以广州市数字商务地理信息公共平台建设为例

目前国内市场上的电子商务平台多以商品交易为主,信息表达过于平面化、信息访问缺乏立体式的可延伸性。改变传统的电子商务管理与发展模式,深入利用GIS、虚拟仿真、数据仓库、数据挖掘等技术及时全面采集各种商务信息,建立基于二三维GIS的电子商务基础平台,发展智能商务的应用,形成城市＂数字商务＂地理信息平台是符合当前城市发展的趋势。本文以广州市数字商务地理信息公共平台建设为例,详细介绍了基于GIS的城市数字商务平台建设内容与实现的关键技术,包括二三维地图平台建设技术,突破技术难题的二三维地图的联动切换显示技术,商务专题数据库和POI数据库建立以及虚拟广告功能实现技术等,为城市数字商务地理信息平台建设提供有价值的参考。     

Exploring the Boundaries of Web Map Services: The Example of the Online Injury Atlas for Ontario

Injury from causes such as falls, traffic accidents, or violence is a major public health issue globally. Injury prevention research aims to identify vulnerable populations and places by analyzing the spatial patterns of demographic and socio‐economic risk factors associated with elevated injury rates. The stakeholders in injury prevention and control are often distributed across government and public health institutions, non‐profits, and even the private sector (e.g. insurance firms). While this situation calls for distributed, online research tools, their implementation may conflict with health data confidentiality and license limitations for socio‐economic data. In this article, we present the Online Injury Atlas for Ontario, which was designed with the explicit goal of making use of, and contributing to, the Canadian Geospatial Data Infrastructure. We propose a service‐based architecture that integrates publicly accessible map services with protected data layers. Thereby, we demonstrate the benefits of using spatial data infrastructures alongside private data at different levels of protection. In addition, we discuss the extensive data processing needs and specific cartographic design requirements of a Web atlas in the health and social sciences domain.     

A Perspective on the Fundamentals of Fuzzy Sets and their Use in Geographic Information Systems

The development of fuzzy sets in geographic information systems (GIS) arose out of the need to handle uncertainty and the ability of soft computing technology to support fuzzy information processing. An overview of the fundamentals of fuzzy sets is used to illustrate its use in GIS. The use of some terms within both the GIS and fuzzy information processing community is clarified. Since one of the key problems when applying fuzzy sets to GIS problems is in the specification of grades of membership, the many methods used to specify memberships in fuzzy sets in GIS applications are presented. The α–cut is defined and shown to be of increasing importance in GIS. Non–compensatory and compensatory connectives are compared. Aggregation operators are reviewed and shown to be useful in a number of GIS studies. Fuzzy relations and fuzzy control systems are briefly discussed with reference to their use in GIS and in relation to the development of modern soft computing technology. Several features of fuzzy sets make that paradigm attractive for use in GIS. It is concluded that as GIS–related applications increase in their levels of complexity and sophistication fuzzy sets will play a major, cost effective role in their development.     

A User‐centered Design for the Addition of Interactive Masking Capability within an existing Web GIS

This article presents a case study of how a user‐centered design (UCD) approach was utilized during the addition of interactive masking capability to an existing web‐based geographic information system (Web GIS). By analyzing and discussing specific aspects of the user‐developer dialog within the context of a Web GIS software development life cycle, this article presents a case study for similar systems. The results of the UCD methodology is a discussion that presents a shift from an initial design to a new design that, based on user feedback, furthers the utility and usability of interactive masking within the Web GIS.     

Spatial understanding and decision support system: A prototype for public GIS

The idea of public participation GIS involves the use of GIS tools to help laypcople understand the spatial consequences of proposed projects, evaluate alternatives, and create new solutions. The widening use of information networks creates opportunities for making GIS a widely accessible decision-making tool, bypassing the constraints of location and time. This paper presents a prototype software that enables group collaboration across space and time using the Internet infrastructure. The prototype, called Spatial Understanding and Decision Support System (SUDSS), was designed to facilitate a controlled experiment in collaborative group work aimed at solving a realistic land-use planning problem. The paper discusses design considerations for a distributed public GIS and presents the functionality of SUDSS using the example of group participation in developing a land-use zoning plan.