APPLICATIONS OF REMOTE SENSING IN THE STUDY OF THE MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN OF DAGESTAN

The authors explore a wide range of applications of remote sensing methods in the study of natural hazards posed by exogenous geomorphologic processes in areas of predominantly calcareous and shale-based rock in mountainous portions of Dagestan. Space imagery, air photographs, and ground truth established from field observations provides the basis for the mapping of environmental conditions with an emphasis on the extent to which mass movements and other exogenous geomorphologic processes pose natural hazards to human residence and economic activity. Translated by Elliott B. Urdang, Providence, RI 02906 from: Geomorfologiya, 1993, No. 4, pp. 26-35.     

MAPPING OF PLAINS RELIEF ALTERED BY MINING ACTIVITY

Basic principles of mapping for areas of mineral development for reclamation purposes are outlined. In particular special thematic maps should portray both the evolution of man-made landforms subjected to exogenous and endogenous geomorphologic processes and changes in particular elements (components) of those forms resulting from such evolution. More specifically, such indices as elevation, slope, lithology, age, major geomorphological processes, reclamation measures planned or underway, physical-chemical properties, and adjacent land uses are to be incorporated in the legends of maps documenting the existence of mining-altered areas, the severity of the impact, and the prospects for restoration. Translated from: Vestnik Moskovskogo Universiteta, geografiya, 1987, No. 5, pp. 40-46.     

REMOTE SENSING AND THE STUDY OF SIBERIAN MINERAL RESOURCES

The authors outline the general policy governing the use of remote sensing in Siberian mineral exploration—as a tool in the structural-geomorphologic mapping of potential mineral-bearing locations. Such maps are used to infer geologic structure (and endogenous conditions for mineral formation) and the character of contemporary exogenous processes (and conditions of transport and concentration of mineral residues) from geoindicators in surface terrain visible from space. Uses of space imagery in the study of seismic activity and engineering geomorphology are also described. Translated from: Kompleksnyye aerokosmicheskiye Issledovaniya Sibiri, A. L. Yanshin and L. K. Zyat'kova, eds. Novosibirsk: Nauka, 1984, pp. 5-14.     

THE USE OF ANCIENT MAPS AND SPACE IMAGERY IN THE STUDY OF ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE

The author outlines, in diagrammatic form, a procedure for the joint use of old maps (topographic, land survey, etc.) and current space imagery to compile maps of environmental change. The ancient maps reveal land use and physical conditions which serve as a benchmark for evaluation of subsequent change. Space imagery is useful both in updating the current state of the environment and providing a cartographic base for the preparation of final maps. Selected areas of Moscow Oblast are used as test sites. Translated from: Izvestiya vuzov, Geodeziya i aerofotos' yem-ka, 1985, No. 1, pp. 104-109.     

ENGINEERING GEOMORPHOLOGICAL MAPPING WITH SPACE IMAGERY USING STATISTICAL PROBABILITY ANALYSIS

Fault tectonics (i.e., frequency and intensity of faulting) is proposed as a leading factor governing the spatial distribution of exogenous processes which hinder construction activity (landslides, caveins, general subsidence, karst formation, etc.). This relationship provides the theoretical basis for compilation of engineering geomorphology maps which forecast the probability that such processes will occur in particular locations. Interpretation of space imagery at a variety of scales provides the raw date needed to test this relationship and compile the maps themselves. Sample maps prepared for river diversion and railroad construction projects are provided. Translated from: Geomorfologiya, 1984, No. 3, pp. 36-43.     

A MAP OF THE AVERAGED RELIEF OF THE RUSSIAN PLAIN

The authors outline a methodology for the small-scale hypsometric mapping of plains areas based on the averaging of relief—this for the purpose of portraying the most important details of local relief (small erosional landforms) without obscuring larger, major relief forms or compromising the readability of the map. An example map (25-m contour interval) of the Soviet portion of the East European Plain at a scale of 1:5,000,000 is included. The elevations portrayed on this map were averaged, according to a multi-stage procedure, from grid cells on a 1:2,500,000 map before transference onto the smaller-scale map base. The new map makes possible a revised estimate of the average elevation of the Russian Plain and depicts well the effects of both endogenous and exogenous factors on relief formation. Translated from: Geomorfologiya, 1987, No. 1, pp. 22-29.     

AN EXPERIMENT IN THE COMPILATION AND USE OF A COMPLEX ENGINEERING-GLACIOLOGICAL MAP

A method for the compilation of 1:3,000,000-scale maps of natural nival-glacial phenomena is proposed for an area of the High Pamir Range in Soviet Central Asia. Such maps depict the distribution, frequency and intensity/magnitude, and potential impacts of such natural hazards as avalanches, mudslides, “dirty snow” avalanches (combined avalanches-mudslides in late spring), icings (naledy), and glacier pulsations, and are used in the planning of construction and the maintenance of roads and other transportation corridors during winter and spring. Hypothetical examples of the use of the maps are provided. Translated from: Materialy glyatsiologicheskikh issledovanly, USSR Geophysical Committee Publication No. 55. Moscow: Mezhduvedomstvenniy geofizicheskiy komitet, 1986, pp. 213–219.     

ANALYSIS OF REMOTE SENSING IMAGERY IN ENGINEERING GEOMORPHOLOGY

An image interpretation technique known as “indicational analysis” is applied to engineering geomorphology–i.e., image characteristics visible on remote sensing imagery are used to infer (indicate) the presence of features that are not directly visible. In this case the identification of particular relief forms provides a basis for inferring the level of risk posed by geomorphological hazards to major construction projects such as railroads, pipelines, and highways. A key aspect of the procedure is a multiscalar approach, in which different components of the overall store of information brought to bear on a problem are obtained at different levels of interpretation. Translated from: Geomorfologiya, 1987, No. 2, pp. 35–42.     

GEOECOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF ENVIRONMENTALLY DISTURBED AREAS BASED ON CARTOGRAPHIC MODELING: THE EXAMPLE OF AREAS OF MINERAL DEVELOPMENT

The authors describe the results of an extensive geomorphologic mapping program for the Kura-Araks Lowland of Azerbaijan, designed to increase the level of background information available for the rational planning and operation of irrigation systems. A particular focus is placed upon the identification and depiction of landforms of the Lowland exerting an influence on hydrogeologic conditions, the ground water regime, and on crop cultivation patterns. Translated by Edward Torrey, Alexandria, VA 22308 from: Geografiya i prirodnyye resursy, 1995, No. 4, pp. 169-171.     

CHARACTERISTICS OF A DATA PROCESSING TECHNOLOGY FOR THE REVISION OF DIGITAL MAPS

A procedure is described for the revision of digital maps in geographic information systems, the basis of which rests upon a “mutual and unambiguous correspondence” between a digital map and its structural (text or graphic) model(s). Rules of transference, editing, elimination, inclusion, and cross-referencing of names are elaborated for regulation of the processes by which non-digital (cartographic, air photo, statistical) sources of new information are used to transform digital information in the original data base. Revision of digital maps is accomplished through creation of a data base of digital corrections to an original data base and/or subsequent editing of digital map(s) from these corrections or others initiated during raster scanning. Translated from: Geodeziya i kartografiya, 1986, No. 9, pp. 38-43.     

Human conceptions of spaces: Implications for GIS

The way people conceptualize space is an important consideration for the design of GIS, because a better match with people's thinking is expected to lead to easier-to-use information systems. Everyday space, the basis to GIS, has been characterized in the literature as being either small-scale (from table-top to room-size spaces) or large-scale (inside-of-building spaces to city-size spaces). While this dichotomy of space is grounded in the view from psychology that people's perception of space, spatial cognition, and spatial behaviour are experience-based, it is in contrast to current GIS, which enable us to interact with large-scale spaces as though they were small-scale or manipulable. We analyse different approaches to characterizing spaces and propose a unified view in which space is based on the physical properties of manipulability, locomotion, and size of space. Within the structure of our framework, we distinguish six types of spaces: manipulable object space (smaller than the human body), non-manipulable object space (greater than the human body, but less than the size of a building), environmental space (from inside-of-building spaces to city-size spaces), geographic space (state, country, and continent-size spaces), panoramic space (spaces perceived via scanning the landscape), and map space. Such a categorization is an important part of Naive Geography, a set of theories on how people intuitively or spontaneously conceptualize geographic space and time, because it has implications for various theoretical and methodological questions concerning the design and use of spatial information tools. Of particular concern is the design of effective spatial information tools that lead to better communication.     

Remote gully erosion mapping using aster data and geomorphologic analysis in the Main Ethiopian Rift

The Main Ethiopian Rift(MER)is an area of extreme topography underlain by post-Miocene volcanic rocks,Jurassic limestone and a Precambrian basement.A prime concern is the rapid expansion of wide gullies that are impinging on agricultural land.We investigate the potential contribution of Advanced Space-borne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer(ASTER)data and geomorphologic parameters to discern patterns and features of gully erosion in the MER.Maximum Likelihood Classifica-tion(MLC),Support Vector Machine(SVM),and Minimum Distance(MD)classifiers are used to extract different gully shapes and patterns.Several spatial textures based on Grey Level Co-occurrence Matrices(GLCMs)are then generated.Afterwards,the same classifiers are applied to the ASTER data combined with the spatial texture information.We used geomorphologic parameters ex-tracted from SRTM and ASTER DEMs to describe the geomorphologic setting and the gullies’ shapes.The classifications show accuracies varying between 67% and 89%.Maps derived from this quantitative analysis allow the monitoring and mapping of land degradation as a direct result of gully-widening.This study reveals the utility of combining ASTER data and spatial textural infor-mation in discerning areas affected by gully erosion.     

PHOTOMAPS FROM SPACE: THEIR PRODUCTION AND POSSIBLE USES

This paper outlines, from the Soviet perspective, technical principles for the use of remote sensing imagery in mapping, with special emphasis on the compilation of small-scale space photomaps—composite map-space images in which the thematic detail of a photographic image is enhanced and/or supplemented by cartographic techniques. Two systems for producing such images, one Soviet and the other East German, are compared and a series of basic procedures identified—production of orthographic images, compilation of a terrain model and original image of relief, stereoplotting of contours on an orthophotographic base, and overall map design. A concluding section explores potential applications of space photomaps in geographic research. Translated from: Vestnik Moskovskogo Universiteta, geografiya, 1986, No. 1, pp. 49-56.     

Mixed Integer-Real Valued Adjustment (IRA) Problems: GPS Initial Cycle Ambiguity Resolution by Means of the LLL Algorithm

In order to achieve to GPS solutions of first-order accuracy and integrity, carrier phase observations as well as pseudorange observations have to be adjusted with respect to a linear/linearized model. Here the problem of mixed integer-real valued parameter adjustment (IRA) is met. Indeed, integer cycle ambiguity unknowns have to be estimated and tested. At first we review the three concepts to deal with IRA: (i) DDD or triple difference observations are produced by a properly chosen difference operator and choice of basis, namely being free of integer-valued unknowns (ii) The real-valued unknown parameters are eliminated by a Gauss elimination step while the remaining integer-valued unknown parameters (initial cycle ambiguities) are determined by Quadratic Programming and (iii) a RA substitute model is firstly implemented (real-valued estimates of initial cycle ambiguities) and secondly a minimum distance map is designed which operates on the real-valued approximation of integers with respect to the integer data in a lattice. This is the place where the integer Gram-Schmidt orthogonalization by means of the LLL algorithm (modified LLL algorithm) is applied being illustrated by four examples. In particular, we prove that in general it is impossible to transform an oblique base of a lattice to an orthogonal base by Gram-Schmidt orthogonalization where its matrix enties are integer. The volume preserving Gram-Schmidt orthogonalization operator constraint to integer entries produces “almost orthogonal” bases which, in turn, can be used to produce the integer-valued unknown parameters (initial cycle ambiguities) from the LLL algorithm (modified LLL algorithm). Systematic errors generated by “almost orthogonal” lattice bases are quantified by A. K. Lenstra et al. (1982) as well as M. Pohst (1987). The solution point of Integer Least Squares generated by the LLL algorithm is = (L')⁻¹[L'◯] ∈ ℤ ^m where L is the lower triangular Gram-Schmidt matrix rounded to nearest integers, [L], and = [L'◯] are the nearest integers of L'◯, ◯ being the real valued approximation of z ∈ ℤ ^m , the m-dimensional lattice space Λ. Indeed due to “almost orthogonality” of the integer Gram-Schmidt procedure, the solution point is only suboptimal, only close to “least squares.” ? 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

DIGITAL IMAGE PROCESSING IN THE COMPILATION OF LUNAR PHOTOMAPS

A method of compiling lunar thematic photomaps is described, in which telescopically derived photometric data, representing the map theme of albedo variation, is portrayed on a topographic base map prepared from scanner data obtained from a space probe. Digital image processing is employed in a wide range of tasks including data averaging and filtration, and grid and scale transformation. Two maps, representing different versions of final output, are provided: a map with albedo variation displayed according to the shaded-isoline technique, and one in which numerical values are printed over a grid of control points. Translated from: Geodeziya i kartografiya, 1985, No. 1, pp. 38-44.     

Remote gully erosion mapping using aster data and geomorphologic analysis in the Main Ethiopian Rift

The Main Ethiopian Rift (MER) is an area of extreme topography underlain by post-Miocene volcanic rocks, Jurassic limestone and a Precambrian basement. A prime concern is the rapid expansion of wide gullies that are impinging on agricultural land. We investigate the potential contribution of Advanced Space-borne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) data and geomorphologic parameters to discern patterns and features of gully erosion in the MER. Maximum Likelihood Classification (MLC), Support Vector Machine (SVM), and Minimum Distance (MD) classifiers are used to extract different gully shapes and patterns. Several spatial textures based on Grey Level Co-occurrence Matrices (GLCMs) are then generated. Afterwards, the same classifiers are applied to the ASTER data combined with the spatial texture information. We used geomorphologic parameters extracted from SRTM and ASTER DEMs to describe the geomorphologic setting and the gullies’ shapes. The classifications show accuracies varying between 67% and 89%. Maps derived from this quantitative analysis allow the monitoring and mapping of land degradation as a direct result of gully-widening. This study reveals the utility of combining ASTER data and spatial textural information in discerning areas affected by gully erosion.     

SOIL-GEOBOTANICAL REGIONALIZATION FROM REMOTE SENSING IMAGERY

A multiscalar approach to mapping soil-vegetation regions from remote sensing imagery is outlined, using the West Siberian Lowland as a study area. At an initial stage small-scale space imagery is used to identify extensive soil-vegetation regions which extend across nearly the entire Lowland. Subsequent analysis focuses on identification and mapping of increasingly smaller units. The dominant criteria used for image interpretation and regionalization vary at each particular level of analysis, changing from vegetation structure and density at the smallest scales to soil “hydromorphism” (waterlogging) and topographic affiliations for intermediate- and large-scale units. Hydromorphic indicators are stressed as most important overall. Translated from: Distantsionnyye issledovaniya rel'yefa Sibiri, A. L. Yanshin and V. N. Sharapov, eds. Novosibirsk: Nauka, 1985, pp. 51-58.     

COMPILING LAND USE MAPS FOR PLANNING PURPOSES

The author outlines a series of recommendations for the compilation of land-use maps used for regional economic planning, based on experience gained in a portion of southwestern Siberia. These recommendations include: (a) selection of an intermediate scale for mapping, suitable for the portrayal of both moderate detail and broad regional patterns, (b) compilation of a series of related environmental-economic maps on a common base, to facilitate comparisons, and (c) portraying on a final map not only land use per se, but incorporating natural limitations and resulting land improvement measures into ratings of existing and potential productivity. An example of the latter is provided, with the map legend organized according to a matrix format. Incorporation of productivity ratings is believed to reduce subjectivity involved in the formulation of planning recommendations. Translated from: Geografiya i prirodnyye resursy, 1985, No. 2, pp. 92-97.     

Open source, spatial analysis, and activity-travel behaviour research: capabilities of the aspace package

This paper reports on recent experience with the development of aspace, an Open Source (OS) library for the geographic visualization and analysis of activity-travel behaviour. The paper begins with an overview of recent progress with respect to the convergence of Open Source technology, spatial analysis, and travel behaviour research. The remainder of the paper focuses on aspace; a collection of functions that, when combined with data describing the geographical location of daily activities, can be used to visualize and describe spatial properties of individual and household activity spaces. These properties include: size, orientation, shape, and the geographical dispersion of activity locations contained within the activity space. Several planar geometries are used to transform measurable spatial properties into intuitive objects for visualizing spatial patterns of activity participation. Experiments are conducted, using data from the first wave of the 2003 Toronto Travel Activity Panel Survey, to demonstrate the potential application of aspace for basic and applied policy-based research into activity-travel behaviour. The toolkit is distributed as a downloadable ‘package’ from the Open Source R Project for Statistical Computing.