Gaia Journeys: a museum-based immersive performance exploration of the Earth

Abstract

Gaia Journeys is a collaborative multimedia musical and virtual reality art performance conceived by author Williams, with the aid of staff at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science. Inspired by astronauts who spoke of seeing a border-less world from orbit, Gaia Journeys’ chief goal was to deliver this experience to museum audiences via photo-realistic virtual depictions of the Earth (from orbit as well as via spherical photographic panoramas taken from the ground) choreographed to live musical accompaniment. Gaia Journeys took place in the high resolution digital ‘fulldome’ Gates Planetarium, with Williams playing the violin and keyboards, enhancing a previously recorded backing track, while visuals were generated with SCISS AB's Uniview. The eight tracks of audio were three-dimensionally spatialised to the 16.4 sound system of the Gates Planetarium, providing an immersive sound experience to match the visuals. The audience feedback was generally positive, with great interest in repeat or similar future programming. These visitor evaluations suggest the potent power of the new class of digital planetaria for displaying virtual globe datasets to the public, via both multimedia entertainment like Gaia Journeys as well as traditional lectures.     

Assessing Natural and Cultural Determinants of Urban Forest Quality in Nanjing (China)

This study assessed underlying natural and cultural determinants of tree health and ways to improve urban forest performance in compact Nanjing city. Two groups of factors were investigated: (1) habitat conditions, including planting site, ground-cover, land cover, and district; and (2) tree traits, including species provenance and seasonality, and tree dimensions. A stratified sampling strategy selected 6351 trees for detailed assessment. The data were analyzed by multivariate logistic regressions. Institutional, park-garden and industrial trees with more open-space sites with vegetated ground-cover performed better than roadside and residential ones. Poor trees in confined residential sites deviated from those in other cities. Park-garden sites did not always nurture meritorious, large and diversified trees. District differentiation in tree performance was related to land cover. Exotic and evergreen species grew better than indigenous and deciduous, offering hints on species-habitat matching. Detailed field and statistical analyses could yield tree-environment information to enhance urban forestry research and management.     

Hypercube-Based Visualization Architecture for Web-Based Environmental Geospatial Information Systems

The geospatial field significantly influences the development of the environmental domain, including a wide range of geospatial and cartographic information systems, such as Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Multimedia Atlas Information Systems (MAIS) and more recently web-based GIS (Web-GIS). In this context, we introduce web-based environmental geospatial information systems (Web-EGIS) as a special case of Web-GIS, aiming to integrate the functionalities of geospatial information systems with the enormous quantity of specialized, distributed and highly heterogeneous environmental geo-referenced data and services. We define three main characteristics of the Web-EGIS. The first is a generic hypercube-based data organization and visualization. The next characteristic is a standard-based, three-tier service-oriented architecture. The third and last characteristic is the traceability of the architectural and design decisions, for which we introduce the new concept of an ‘Environmental Application Context’, arguing that not only the functional but also the non-functional requirements (NFRs) have an important role in defining the architecture, software components and data services of such systems. In a nutshell, a Web-EGIS is characterized by a coherent user experience through the hypercube-based visualization concept, technically supported by a service-oriented architecture that is structured according to an extensive analysis of NFRs. On this basis, we introduce the Geodata visualization and interactive training environment (GeoVITe) Platform for Interdisciplinary Environmental Research as a reference implementation of a Web-EGIS with its basic design requirements, integrative hypercube-based visualization for heterogeneous data sources, extended web cartography functionalities, and its de facto system architecture. The concept of the hypercube-based visualization is better transferred to the system architecture by understanding the ‘Environmental Application Context’ of this particular Web-EGIS, which also makes it easier to maintain and enhance. The resulting system is a support platform for research activities in the environmental domain.     

A Cartographer,Shaped by Context and Challenged by Classics

Abstract

Using examples from the governmental, commercial and educational sectors, the development of photo maps and mapping using satellite imagery is outlined. The emphasis of this paper is on the design possibilities and limitations which are evident in these products. Contrast and legibility problems and image clutter are considered, but it is concluded that the institutional impediments to the collaboration of specialists in researching and designing such maps may be of most importance in determining progress in the use of such maps.     

Reasserting Design Relevance in Cartography: Some Examples

Abstract

While concepts and theories about design underpin the work of the professional cartographer, it is unrealistic for most map-makers to be cognisant of the plethora of techniques available to support excellence in design. In the second part of our paper to reassert the relevance of design in cartography, we present the results of a survey of cartographic experts drawn from the academic and professional world. The survey asked participants to present their top ten most expertly designed maps from throughout history. Here, we share the most frequently cited maps that emerged from that survey and describe why they exhibit design excellence. By showing map-makers a range of high-quality cartographic work, we aim to provide exemplars that demonstrate how design affects a map and expertly marries form with function. The techniques on display are well executed and create products that are both well suited to their purpose and have an aesthetic quality that invites people to take notice. They are all, in their own ways, beautiful examples of the art of design in cartography. We have deliberately avoided a ‘top ten’ approach and, instead, offer three examples in a range of map categories. The examples are neither definitive, nor exhaustive and should act as a starting point to explore design in cartography from those who have managed to set the bar high.     

The Military Map of the United Kingdom and its Impact on Mapping in the Twentieth Century

Abstract

Considerable attention has been paid in the literature to the changing style of Ordnance Survey mapping in the twentieth century. However, little has been written about the origins of the characteristic appearance of the first multi-colour editions, other that the Ordnance Survey used a military edition that was already in production. The distinctive style grew out of the work of a committee established in 1892 by the War Office to consider future army requirements for a map of the UK. This paper explores the work of the committee and its long-term implications for the look of mapping in the twentieth century.     

浅谈北京市园林景观设计前期地形图测绘

北京市园林景观设计对前期测绘图有着特殊的要求,特别是在树木的测绘方面,本文结合已完成的多处相关工程的作业经验,简要介绍了此类地形图的测绘方法及特殊要求,为此类工程提供了一套完整有效的作业方法进行参考。     

直升机飞行专题图分层设色方案研究与实践

随着我国低空空域的逐步开放,直升机的应用会越来越广泛。面向直升机飞行使用的专题图需求会越来越迫切。本文在深入研究直升机的飞行特点基础之上,结合分层设色的原理和方法,研究和设计了面向直升机飞行使用的专题图分层设色方案。实践表明该方案能够突出直升机飞行时对地形、地貌关注的特点,对飞行员认知地形具有一定的帮助,具有一定的实用价值。     

Toward seamless indoor-outdoor applications: Developing stakeholder-oriented location-based services

Location-Based Services (LBS), an emerging new business based on smartphone and mobile networks, are becoming more and more popular. Most of these LBSs, however, only offer non-seamless indoor/outdoor applications and simple applications without giving stakeholders the chance to play an active role. Our specific aim is to solve these issues. This paper presents concepts to solve these issues by expanding the Open Location Services Interface Standard (OpenLS) to allow seamless indoor/outdoor positioning and to extend the content of the services to include information recommended by stakeholders.     

The design and composition of persuasive maps

Persuasive maps are ubiquitous in society, yet cartographers have largely neglected to conduct serious, holistic research on them. Persuasive maps represent a form of visual communication that differs markedly from scientific geovisualization. First, many of these maps' communicative goals are anathema to those of scientific representation. Second, many persuasive maps ignore and defy established cartographic conventions. This article argues two things. First, the cartographic discipline can gain insight about how maps communicate information from the longitudinal and holistic analysis of persuasive maps. By comparing the differences and similarities of persuasive maps to scientific geovisualizations, researchers can begin to understand how persuasive maps communicate differently than scientific ones. Second, breaking persuasive maps down into composite parts may make it possible to identify persuasive map norms (i.e., methods of design that are embraced by producers of persuasive maps). The results of a content analysis of 256 persuasive maps are discussed. The article concludes that it may be possible to take the most statistically significant results from this study to begin identifying different rhetorical styles of persuasive maps.