DESIGN AND REPRESENTATION OF SCALING SYSTEMS ON MAPS

A second installment on the theory of scaling in cartography (see MSRS, 1987, No. 2, pp. 104-111) focuses on the design of scaling (symbolization) systems. Attention is devoted to the reasons for the lack of correspondence between numerical relationships of values being depicted on maps and quantitative relationships in the scaling system(s) used to represent them. The most visually dominant attributes of symbols (form, color) in the scaling system should be used to represent the most dominant characteristic of the mapped objects. A final section contains recommendations for symbol design at different levels (nominal, ordinal, etc.) of scaling. Translated from: Vestnik Leningradskogo Universiteta, seriya 7 [geologiya, geografiya], 1987, No. 3, pp. 53-60.     

On Definition of Geograghic Variable Scaling

IntroductionThe map is a basic form of geographic informationvisualization[1]. To provide space attributes or geo-graphic orders is the basic function of a map. Incartography, according to the different measure ofphenomenal quantitative attribute, four fo…     

THEMATIC MAPPING OF PLANETS: CURRENT SITUATION AND PROSPECTS

Principles and objectives governing Soviet thematic mapping of nearby planets are outlined, types of information sources for such mapping categorized, and the suitability of different types of information sources for thematic mapping are evaluated. This is followed by a classification of thematic planetary maps according to type. The need for a standardized, systems approach to the determination of map scales, compilation and generalization, symbolization, and map design is emphasized as an essential prerequisite for the development of complex atlases of individual planets, atlases of “comparative planetology,” and the establishment of “planetary information systems.” Translated by Jay Mitchell; PlanEcon, Inc.; Washington, DC 20005 from: Vestnik Moskovskogo Universiteta, geografiya, 1987, No. 6, pp. 60-67.     

NEW METHODS OF COMPILING GENERAL REFERENCE MAPS IN ATLAS CARTOGRAPHY

Measures to improve the effectiveness and informational content of general reference maps and other materials in atlases designed for the general public are outlined. Emphasis is placed upon (a) enhancing the readability and visual appeal of color “landscape” maps, providing a generalized, small-scale aerial view of the region(s) of interest–this through the application of principles of perception and colorimetry–and (b) developing larger-scale “reference” maps maximizing levels of graphic detail without jeopardizing ease of perception–this based on a careful study of general reference maps in atlases worldwide and broadly based testing of users with various levels of map reading skills. Translated from: Izvestiya vysshykh uchebnykh zavedeniy: Geodeziya i aerofotos'yemka, 1985, No. 6, pp. 111-115.     

REMOTE SENSING IN PROFESSIONAL TRAINING OF CARTOGRAPHER-GEOGRAPHERS

The author reviews the contributions of the “aerospace” disciplines (remote sensing, photogrammetry, photometry) in the training of cartographers at Moscow University. Changes in the present curriculum are advocated, leading to the emergence of a unified educational discipline referred to alternately as “remote mapping methods,” or “remote sensing and mapping.” Training in this discipline is designed to enhance the interpretation and map compilation skills of cartographers working with space imagery. Translated from: Vestnik Moskovskogo Universiteta, geografiya, 1984, No. 5, pp. 40-43.     

MAPPING GLOBAL PROBLEMS OF TODAY: THE FOOD PROBLEM

An approach to the mapping of food supply and distribution problems over the world is outlined and, more specifically, a program for the mapping of geographic types of diet in tropical nations, using Africa as a test case. Among the new types of cartographic products are maps and “typograms” showing the distribution, quality, and structure of standard diets (“food types”) based on various combinations of food products derived from crop agriculture, animal husbandry, hunting and gathering, and fishing in diverse natural and cultural environments. Sources of information and design considerations for the various elements of map content are elaborated. Translated by Jay K. Mitchell, PlanEcon, Inc., Washington, DC 20005 from: Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, seriya geograficheskaya, 1989, No. 4, pp. 98–107.     

PROBLEMS AND PROSPECTS OF THE COMPLEX ECOLOGICAL-GEOGRAPHIC MAPPING OF SIBERIA

A review of basic theoretical principles of “ecological” mapping and types of maps of the environment sets the stage for a more detailed treatment of ecological-geographic maps—maps portraying a wide range of nature-society and nature-nature relationships—as they are used in support of economic development and environmental monitoring in Siberia. Particular attention is devoted to the compilation of map series, which include ecological-geographical maps, for the Lake Baykal area, BAM service zone, West Siberia, and specific territorial production complexes (e.g., Kansk-Achinsk TPC). Translated from: Geografiya i prirodnyye resursy, 1987, No. 3, pp. 10-18.     

THE CLASSIFICATION AND MAPPING OF IMPRECISE GEOGRAPHIC SYSTEMS

The author describes problems with traditional statistical and cartographic methods employed in the classification and mapping of ambiguously or vaguely defined features. Using a series of maps on the same subject (the foreign trade relations of European countries and the USSR), he demonstrates that greater attention should be paid to potential changes in the distribution of mapped objects depending on the criteria selected and the classification algorithms employed, argues that multiple classification strategies be used to determine optimal strategies for visually representing imprecise systems, and provides recommendations for their graphic representation. Translated by Kurt E. Engelmann, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195 from: Vestnik Moskovskogo Universiteta, geografiya, 1989, No. 3, pp. 16–23.     

TOPOLOGY AND THE TRANSFORMATION OF CARTOGRAPHIC IMAGES

A survey of the use of topologic concepts of space in map transofrmation supports the author's contention that so-called “transformed images” represent for the most part rather arbitrary distortions of conventional maps constructed in Euclidean space. This paper demonstrates how truly topologic images can be created “from scratch,” i.e., without manipulation of either the sizes or shapes of areal units on preexisting maps. Images created by quantitatively defining “graphic ratios” of areal units can thus be replicated by other cartographers with a minimum of subjectivity. Translated from: Geodeziya i kartografiya, 1984, No. 12, pp. 28-31.     

TRANSFORMATION OF THE LINE LENGTHS OF CARTOGRAPHIC MODELS IN ACCORDANCE WITH FUNCTIONAL UNITS

A paper devoted to the transformation of cartographic images based on nontraditional systems of scaling (travel time, transport effort, cost, etc.) describes the results of work to develop a more effective algorithm for such transformations, i.e., one which the authors claim provides for the more accurate determination of “transformed” line lengths than possible with earlier methods. Translated from: Izvestiya AN SSSR, seriya geograficheskaya, 1987, No. 4, pp. 105-111.     

SELECTION OF AN OPTIMAL ALGORITHM FOR RECOGNITION OF NATURAL FEATURES

Two widely used Soviet algorithms for the classification of hydromete-orological features are compared for the purposes of mapping water temperature, electrical conductivity, pH, transparency/turbidity, dissolved surface concentration of chemical elements, depth, etc. The KLASS algorithm, using a solution to the “traveling salesman” problem for classifying objects in feature space, produced higher intra-class proximity and greater inter-class “distances” than the KSS algorithm, based on optimizing “shortest-path” criteria. This was determined through the use of five similar measures of recognition quality. Translated from: Vestnik Leningrad-skogo Universiteta, 1985, No. 14, pp. 95-100.     

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.     

THE MAPPING AND STUDY OF THE ISSYK-KUL' SHORELINE WITH AIR PHOTOS

Efforts to monitor and map the changing water level and shoreline of a large mountain lake in Central Asia with aerial photographs are described. The essence of the work involved the mapping of the shoreline and position of river deltas from air photos from various years during the period 1949-1980, at uniform scale and at a level of accuracy permitting the quantitative (cartometric) as well as qualitative assessment of change. The sequence of work in compilation of map-diagrams for different parts of the shoreline involved the preliminary referencing of photos to a map, photo interpretation and compilation of large-scale “graphic diagrams,” preparation of a cartographic base, reduction and placement of diagrams on the base, and transformation of the image as a whole. Results of analysis of these map-diagrams are summarized. Translated from: Vestnik Leningradskogo Universiteta, ser. 7: geologiya, geografiya, 1986, No. 2, pp. 44-48.     

MAPS OF COMBUSTIBLE FOREST MATERIALS

An article devoted to applied forest-fire mapping outlines principles for the compilation of maps depicting “raw materials” for such fires. Various types and densities of vegetation cover are classified in terms of combustibility, i.e., according to the intensity of burning expected once they are fully exposed to flames. These maps are used in conjunction with weather data and forecasts to predict and combat the spread of fire across an area. Particular attention is devoted to identification and mapping of “basic conductors” of combustion–layers of forest litter and mossypeaty vegetation along which a forest fire normally spreads. Translated from: Geografiya i prirodnyye resursy, 1987, No. 3, pp. 138-144.     

SYSTEMS MAPPING OF THE PHYSICAL-GEOGRAPHIC PROCESS IN A MARINE ENVIRONMENT

An analog to the (terrestrial) physical-geographical process, the concept of boundary surfaces, is elaborated and developed quantitatively for analyzing the diversity of marine ecosystems. Interactions among physical-chemical components of the oceans, and the adjacent coastal, atmospheric, and ocean bottom environments, provides a model used in the study and mapping of heterogeneous “waterscapes.” A series of tables identifies interacting geographic features commonly used as indices for mapping. Sample maps prepared for the Barents Sea and Indian Ocean demonstrate possible results of a systems approach. Translated from: Izvestiya, Vsesoyuznogo geograficheskogo obshchestva, 1985, No. 3, pp. 201-208.     

基于空间关系认知的新模式地图设计——以路网构架图表达“一带一路”路线为例

地图所要表达的空间结构通常通过空间关系来建构和描述,包括距离关系、方向关系和拓扑关系。本文基于空间关系认知,从定名量表、顺序量表、间隔量表、比率量表4个量表分析了传统地图与新模式地图的空间关系分辨率的变化过程,并以路网架构图为例,对比了传统地图与新模式地图的认知效果,提出在制图中要重视认知效率和表现对象的细节程度。     

DEVELOPMENT OF QUANTITATIVE METHODS OF STUDYING THE EARTH FROM SPACE

The paper surveys the development of “space geography”–a field of knowledge applying the methods of remote sensing, the physical sciences, and mathematics in the solution of geographic problems. Early advances featured methodological improvements (use of quantitative methods in image processing), whereas future research must focus upon perfecting our knowledge of: (a) relationships underlying the use of these methods, i.e., between environmental parameters and reflectance values, (b) methods of effectively combining different types of imagery, and image products and field work, in research, and (c) appropriate quantitative indices for feature recognition. Examples of the operationalization of such concerns are demonstrated for land-use and soil mapping projects. Translated from: Izvestiya, AN SSSR, seriya geograficheskaya, 1985, No. 5, pp. 110–116.     

THE POTENTIAL OF NIGHTTIME SPACE IMAGERY IN ANALYSIS AND MAPPING OF URBAN SETTLEMENT

A procedure is described for the use of nighttime space imagery in the mapping of an urban settlement hierarchy in the Federal Republic of Germany. City “brightness” values provide surrogate measures of urban settlement density, which are then mapped isarithmically. The resulting statistical surface is then divided into regions (first- and second-order settlement systems), and the map compared with one produced by quantitative (cluster analysis) techniques. The two regionalization schemes produce remarkably similar results, although the map compiled from the space image contained a greater number of regions, and was more detailed in other ways. Translated from: Vestnik Leningradskogo Universiteta, seriya geografiches-kaya, 1984, No. 6, pp. 112-114.     

USE OF TRANSFORMED CARTOGRAPHIC IMAGES IN URBAN CONSTRUCTION STUDIES

The authors describe how maps compiled according to non-spatial “metrics” or systems of scaling can be used in the support of urban planning and construction efforts. In particular, maps scaled according to travel time instead of ordinary distance reveal inadequacies not only in urban mass transit, but permit assessment of the rationality of urban land use as a whole, by demonstrating the degree of effort that urban residents must expend to perform such basic activities as shopping, the journey to work, and access to essential services. A methodology for the compilation of such maps is described. Translated from: Izvestiya AN SSSR, seriya geograficheskaya, 1987, No. 1, pp. 100-105.