GIS and remote sensing integration for environmental applications

Abstract

The combined use of remotely-sensed images and vector GIS data has received considerable interest in recent years. This review article discusses the historical move towards closer integration of remote sensing and GIS technologies and the requirements of integrated software systems to enable remotely-sensed data to be combined with vector datasets for maximum effect. The benefits of integration to users of both GIS and remote sensing for environmental applications are reviewed and some thoughts are given on terminology and future directions in this field.     

From Geographic Holism to Geographic Information System

Substantial changes in a core idea of geography, integration, have occurred since Alexander von Humboldt published Kosmos (1845-1862). These changes are part of a larger shift in Western civilization to mechanistic reasoning. This shift led to the strengthening of system-based analysis, central to the development of geographic information systems (GIS). The duality of holism and the systems approach has led to an apparent contradiction in geography. R. Hartshorne in The Nature of Geography described this contradiction, but as did Alfred Hettner and Emil Wisotzki before, moved to partial systems as the core concept of geographic integration. Hartshorne's concept of vertical integration is the antecedent for the ubiquitous GIS layer model. The reduction of geographic relationships and processes to mechanistic components (layers) aids the systematic approach, but may lessen geographic understanding of a place's interrelationships. Although the partiality of the system approach was already acknowledged by Finch and Hartshorne in the 1930s, the tension between holistic and system approaches in geography remains. Holism and system-based approaches are indeed complementary methods for developing geographic understanding. Using holistic approaches to understand geographic phenomena, before we teleologically (following a purpose) analyze phenomena as a system, extends GIS to include broader interrelationships of geography in specific locations.     

长三角城市群空间联系与整合

城市群已成为我国城镇化发展的主体形态,是我国国民经济和国家综合竞争力的重要载体。长三角城市群被誉为世界第六大城市群,正处于城市化高速发展阶段,面临诸多区域性问题,如基础设施对接、人口跨区域流动等。基于城市流强度和城市经济联系强度模型,定量判断长三角城市群空间层级和联系程度。长三角城市群形成了以上海为中心,南京、杭州、苏州、无锡和宁波等特大城市为副中心的多中心支撑的网络化布局。据此,提出长三角城市群由上海城市群、南京城市群和杭甬城市群三大次级城市群组成,整合长三角城市群空间布局,加快区域一体化进程。     

资本积累驱动下不同尺度地理空间的不平衡发展——史密斯马克思主义空间理论探讨

尼尔·史密斯是世界知名的人文地理学者和马克思主义地理学家。他在不平衡发展理论的基础上,整合马克思主义和地理学的资本周期运动、空间一体化与尺度推移等范畴,提出了实现平衡发展的途径,极大地丰富和发展了马克思主义地理学,为研究当代社会空间问题提供了更为具体的分析框架和新的理论解释。其理论的核心是把地理空间视为生产资料、社会产物以及空间关系的总和,认为地理空间生产是特定时期资本增殖的重要方式。目前中国学者虽引进其部分理论,但整体了解还比较欠缺。本文将其理论概括和梳理为空间生产、地理尺度、美式帝国主义、绅士化4个方面,分析资本积累驱动下地理空间的不平衡发展过程,深度解析社会、空间与地理的尺度交错与互动关系,阐明资本周期运动、美式帝国扩张和绅士化的逻辑关联,最后以租隙理论为主剖析了城市尺度的资本周期运动。本文旨在为国内学者研究史密斯的马克思主义空间理论以及马克思主义地理学提供纲要和逻辑线索,并为中国城市化转型和经济增长方式转变提供理论参考和方法启示。     

Geometric-based approach for integrating VGI POIs and road networks

Integrating heterogeneous spatial data is a crucial problem for geographical information systems (GIS) applications. Previous studies mainly focus on the matching of heterogeneous road networks or heterogeneous polygonal data sets. Few literatures attempt to approach the problem of integrating the point of interest (POI) from volunteered geographic information (VGI) and professional road networks from official mapping agencies. Hence, the article proposes an approach for integrating VGI POIs and professional road networks. The proposed method first generates a POI connectivity graph by mining the linear cluster patterns from POIs. Secondly, the matching nodes between the POI connectivity graph and the associated road network are fulfilled by probabilistic relaxation and refined by a vector median filtering (VMF). Finally, POIs are aligned to the road network by an affine transformation according to the matching nodes. Experiments demonstrate that the proposed method integrates both the POIs from VGI and the POIs from official mapping agencies with the associated road networks effectively and validly, providing a promising solution for enriching professional road networks by integrating VGI POIs.     

基于对象关系数据库的矢栅一体化查询与操作研究

在分析矢量栅格数据特点的基础上,提出一系列矢栅一体化查询函数,基于PostgreSQL/PostGIS数据库,实现了支持栅格数据存储与组织的扩展数据类型,并对栅格数据类型与PostGIS矢量数据一体化查询函数进行了扩展实现。最后,通过实例验证了矢栅一体化查询函数的表达能力和解决实际问题的应用前景。     

"泛珠三角"产业、人口分布空间变动的趋势分析

随着地区经济一体化的发展,“泛珠三角”区域的经济格地理局将会出现不同程度的变化。当前“泛珠三角”区域一体化处于中期发展阶段,主要表现为产业和人口向“珠三角”集中。今后随着一体化的进一步发展,产业和人口将具有集中与扩散同时发生的特征,各地区形成特定产业和人口集中的专门化生产的地理格局。     

Defending national linguistic territories in the European Single Market: towards more transnational geolinguistic analysis

This paper calls for more analysis of contemporary transnational linguistic movements. Geographers have hitherto focused on linguistic problems within states and paid less attention to issues that arise as languages, notably English, are used internationally across state boundaries. It does this by examining a conflict that arose when forces integrating the supranational European Single Market space came into conflict with a Member State's determination to protect the linguistic 'integrity' of its national territory. This conflict would appear to be a precursor of similar ones to come as languages increasingly compete in a linguistic market within an integrating Europe and a globalizing world.     

建设新农村与城镇化的关系初探

如何正确处理新农村建设和城镇化的关系，是一个值得深入探讨的问题。中国城市化进程应是以区域一体化为中心的城市化道路，乡村发展也是城镇化的内容。从中国的实情出发，要重新认识“二元经济”理论，“二元经济”的模型是以粮食代表整个农业生产。城镇化和建设新农村在组织形式上存在差异区别，但不存在严重的资金竞争，并且在服务对象、功能、产业结构方面是互补的，城镇化和建设新农村是并行不悖的，城镇化与建设新农村可以在很长时间内共同发展。     

珠江三角洲地区一体化交通运输网络发展构想

从区域经济一体化角度分析了珠江三角洲经济区交通运输的现状、问题和发展趋势，提出了建设一体化交通运输网络的基本思路和总体构想。认为珠三角交通运输设施虽然种类齐全且发展迅速，但还存在数量、质量、结构、布局等方面与区域经济一体化和未来发展趋势不相适应的问题；为了促进区域经济一体化，交通运输应从被动适应变为主动发展并引导城镇体系和生产力布局，从注重设施数量变为强调设施质量并向高速高效型发展；应该分4个层次建设3个枢纽和3大组团并与大运量快速干线相连接，构建区域一体化的交通运输网络。