Interrelationships between Web-GIS and E-Collaboration Research

The development of geographic information systems (GIS) is now being accompanied by an increasing popularity of Internet GIS mapping services. This study concerns two important issues with Internet GIS interoperability and Open source resources. Centering on the interplay of these two issues, we provide a systematic overview of techniques that have been used to deliver Internet GIS mapping and the relevance of the two issues with regard to these techniques. We then present a standard-and-open-source-based framework for Internet GIS mapping services to achieve data interoperability and high visual quality. The framework employs the Web Feature Service (WFS) to handle vector data and raster data. The Geography Markup Language (GML) standard is used for interoperable data storage and management. The Scalable Vector Graphic (SVG) standard is used to visualize GML data in web browsers. Two preliminary prototypes have been developed to demonstrate the capabilities of the framework. We conclude that using standard-based solutions is an important and viable direction of interoperable Internet GIS services. Advances in standardization and technology have significant implications for Internet GIS mapping. There are many powerful open sources tools which, when coupled with open standards, may be used to develop high-quality online GIS services. Importantly, these solutions require no investment in software, yet achieve excellent interoperability and visualization quality; they are excellent alternative approaches to Internet mapping.

Promoting inclusion in urban land use planning using participatory geographic information system (PGIS) techniques: A systematic review

The inherent geographic nature of displacement in refugee camps is requiring further use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technology for community-based information and asset management. Additionally, refugees have a fundamental need for livelihood development in host countries due to the protracted nature of displacement. This paper presents our work on the Refugee GIS or ‘RefuGIS’ project that addresses these two topics via a training and capacity building education program and community mobilization efforts. RefuGIS is currently at the prototype level of development in the Za'atari Syrian Refugee Camp in northern Jordan. RefuGIS is the one of world's first efforts at enabling GIS capacity among refugees themselves and was funded by a grant from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Innovation fund. Specifically, this paper will discuss (a) design of the RefuGIS educational program via utilization of a non-profit GIS software donation, hardware procurement and customized GIS educational curriculum, (b) selection of refugee participants through spatial thinking aptitude testing, (c) practical experiences and lessons learned from education, training, and capacity building of refugees on the topics of GIS and related information technology skills, (d) insights into use of GIS as a community information and asset management tool by refugees themselves as demonstrated by evaluation of project outputs such as reference mapping products and field surveys conducted by refugees. Lessons learned from the RefuGIS project, even at the prototype stage, have potential to inform other refugee community information and asset management projects. Since creation of the project, refugees in Za'atari camp have been able to obtain cash-for-work GIS jobs in Za'atari using the skills learned via the RefuGIS project. The RefuGIS project demonstrates the refugee livelihood potential that training and capacity building around GIS can build as well as the empowerment effect that technology education and livelihood development can bring to refugees.

The most prominent problem of rapid urbanism in Harare is the development of slums and Epworth is a notable example. The quality of planning and decision making in the participatory slum upgrading initiative can be sustainably improved by well managed processes of spatial and socio-economic data collection. More so, existing approaches for slum upgrading are built on the basis of collaborative planning and thus community participation. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) tools and support systems should explicitly consider the needs of professional and non-professional stakeholders in slum upgrading process. This study aimed to develop a customized “GIS based slum upgrading system" that would empower the community to participate in the planning and decision making processes involved in slum upgrading. The study involved developing tools that could be used by lay people, to achieve the same results an expert would. To achieve this, a PostgreSQL/Postgis spatial database integrating the spatial and enumeration data component was developed as the backend with a front end developed using VB.Net. A Map Control tool was imported from Map window 4.7 for displaying and interacting with spatial data. Techniques such as buffering were incorporated in the system to allow users to check for structures within a given distance of a feature. The system also provided a tool that allowed users to select an area and calculate the number of stands that can be obtained after inputting parameters like stand size and type of road. The system provided for tools that calculate statistical values e.g. determining the population as well as the number of households in a selected area. Users could also query for socio-economic data by selecting spatial features. This provided flexibility in terms of the interaction of the users with the data. The system proved that with user oriented GIS system it is possible to develop tools that can be used by lay people especially those in slums to formalize their areas and obtain security of tenure.Keywords: Slum upgrading, Participatory GIS, Security of tenure

Simulation of a gas pipeline pathway integrating remote sensing data and geografic information systems. The use of decision suport tools in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) has assisted in applications areas such as impact, suitability and viability analysis. This work presents an example of the application of these tools for the analysis of gas pipeline pathway connecting a refinery to three cities in the region of Campinas, Sao Paulo State. Land use and digital elevation model (DEM) were used as variables. The processing and analysis of spatial information were done using GIS IDRISI. The first approach used a cost surface to determine the least cost route. The pathway obtained considered in the majority areas of pastures and with slope of up to 15%. The second approach was based on multiple criteria analysis balancing factors such as distance, slope and land use. The multiple criteria analysis was influenced by land use; however, the slope and the distance between the cities are the basic factors in tracing the pathway, reflecting the lowest cost. This result constitutes an important subsidy for decisions on the best alternative for gas pipeline pathway, allowing a more rational and less subjective choice.

Searching for useful non-systematic tree-ring data sources for flood hazard analysis using GIS tools

The intrinsic spatial nature of development plans poses specific requirements on the analytical tools applied to support Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) processes. Geographic information systems (GIS), with their mapping and analytical potential, can assist and enhance the various stages of SEA. A method has been developed to apply GIS as a support tool to assist SEA of land use plans in the Republic of Ireland. This chapter describes one phase in the development and testing of the method during the preparation of County Development Plans, a participatory Internet-based GIS tool developed to communicate and gather information in a spatially specific format. The aim of the web site was to promote and expand the use of GIS in public participation and, thus, allow for the incorporation of spatially specific public perceptions in SEA. The results revealed that the integration of public perceptions into the assessment through GIS stimulates debate and provides an overall scientific and social view of the relative environmental significance and vulnerability of the different areas. However, current issues in relation to availability and quality of spatial data constrained the applicability of GIS. Furthermore, complexity of the technology, data disclosure issues, and statutory consultation requirements restricted its implementation and use, affecting the adequacy and the level of public opinion gathered through the Web site.

Chinese cities are becoming larger and urbanization is accelerating with the rapid development of China's economic construction and formulation of planning objectives. Traditional manual management and information processing methods cannot satisfy the requirements of modern urban planning management. Thus, this study analyzes the application of geographic information system (GIS) in urban planning, starting with the characteristics of GIS technology. Structured analysis and design are conducted for urban planning and the location system. The software engineering approach is adopted throughout the entire process, from the survey to the overall design of the system and database. The evaluation factors of the pension facilities in Baohe, Hefei are extracted through the factor evaluation method, and the weight value is determined. The GIS analysis method is then used, and site suitability evaluation is performed on the Baohe district land layout. Results show that the application of urban planning and a location system based on GIS technology can provide the basis for urban planning.

In this paper , a user-friendly Geographic Information Systems (GIS) program was developed to manipulate the property listing for sale geographically, to display the property listing in relation to other social and environmental features including topography, ways, types of unit ,ways, gardens and/or shopping centers, and to provide tools for the houses buyers to search and inspect properties and make choices without the need of getting into the houses or without their need to travel to place of houses. This study combines four luminous areas Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Electronic business System, Management Information System (MIS) and Internet and applies the combined technology in the business of real state to make system this system called (GEMI).The first section explains the methodology and prototypes development for Sherouk Beach Resort Planning and Management (SBRPM) with GIS and how the GIS software program was developed. Secondly various application scenarios were provided to test the program developed. It proves that the GIS program developed in this paper provides a good and convenient option in the search of properties based on different selection criteria as concluded in the final sections. Keywords - Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Electronic business, MIS, Real state, GEMI, SBRPM. I. Introduction The following section will address issues that are raised in each of these three stages in the program development. The GIS program was developed in three stages. The first stage is in system planning that is, to identify what functions will be required by the program and how they are to be incorporated into the software program. To do this, first is to become more familiar with the existing functions and tools in MapInfo 7(1) and then to identify what other functions are needed in this System. The second, stage is to design the interface of the software program and to write codes using PHP to integrate the functions required into the MapInfo software program (2). The software program can be applicable to other regions if similar datasets can be used for those regions. In the third stage, the software program developed in this paper is applied to assist in the search of buying units in Sherouk Beach Resort Region (SBRR). By using different search criteria for the search, the software program is tested which demonstrates that the program is capable of assisting in buying in the real estate industry. Through this testing process, limitations of the software program and possible improvement solutions are also explored.

Even just a decade ago having a chapter dedicated to Geographical Information Systems (GIS) in a book on methods in history would have been seen as unusual, but such is the development of digital mapping and spatial technologies over recent years that historians cannot now afford to be without them. This chapter provides an introduction to GIS and its applica- tion and potential for historical study. Given the scope of the chapter it can only be reasonably cursory and aims to show what can be done with GIS in historical research (and teaching), with some pointers for historians on how they might employ GIS and spatial technologies in their own work. It should become clear that GIS is no longer a highly specialised and technical approach to handling spatial and temporal information but an increasingly user-friendly and accessible basis for integrating, analysing and visualising historical and geographical data of a wide variety, both qualitative and quantitative in nature. With this in mind, the chapter sets out: first, what GIS is and how it works; second, why historians might wish to use GIS; thirdly, how GIS is useful for providing insights into the past; and lastly, what the future might be in using GIS for historical research, particularly its problems and challenges. The chapter also provides some directions for further study, including the locations of a growing number of digital online resources that use GIS to disseminate historical material.

Community forestry is a successful development programme of His Majesty's Government (HMG), in the sector of forest management in Nepal. The process of community forestry comprises the assessment of forest resources and drawing‐up of a plan of action for the management of forests. Forest boundary surveying is a mandatory activity in the formal handing over of the forest to the people or Forest User groups (FUG) as they are known in practice. The spatial issues in mapping are more related to the boundary of the forest, location of the forest itself, the geographic characteristics of the forest i.e. slope, aspect, altitude and area covered by particular forest resources i.e. the forest type, Non Timber Forest Products (NTFPs) and information that could be useful in preparing a better management and implementation plan of the forest. The use of Participatory Geographic Information Systems (PGIS) in the field of community forest management combines the collection of quantitative and qualitative information in a way that is beneficial for the FUG (Jordan, 2000) i.e. mapping the boundary of the forest, block division of the forest area and preparing a multiple resource map. The quantitative spatial components can be collected and managed for sustainable forest management i.e. information on the length of forest boundary, resource distribution, stocking and incidence patterns. Without peoples’ participation in the application of GIS and GPS in mapping the forest, the accuracy cannot always be assured on the one hand, while on the other, the information cannot be properly utilized as the ultimate users of the community forest maps are the local communities themselves. Prior to handing over of the forest areas to the FUGs, transect walks are carried‐out in the relevant areas and features of interest are mapped using GPSs. The data is analysed in a GIS environment and maps i.e. Forest Boundaries, delineating NTFP species as well as the location of poor Households are produced. Assessment of products by plots of the relevant species, are also carried‐out. Thus the participatory GIS, incorporates both indigenous knowledge on spatial aspects of community forest management, as well as social, land cover, and cultural features.

The objective of this paper is to address two issues of current Internet Geographic Information Systems (GIS) programs – interoperability and graphic image output issues – using standard-based technologies, specifically, the Geography Markup Language (GML), Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) and the OpenGIS Web Feature Service (WFS) Implementation Specifications developed by the OpenGIS Consortium (OGC). A strategy is proposed to use GML as a coding and data transporting mechanism to achieve data interoperability, SVG to display GML data on the Web, and WFS as a data query mechanism to access and retrieve data at the feature level in real time on the Web. Two case studies are reported to implement this strategy. Our case studies show that the combination of GML, SVG, and WFS has an immense potential to achieve interoperability while not requiring considerable changes to existing legacy data. Data can be in their original formats and still be retrieved using WFS and transformed into GML in real time. SVG can produce superior quality vector maps on a Web browser. More research is needed to explore the full potential of these new standards and to test them in real-world situations.

Spatial decision support and information management application to wildland fire prevention The WILFRIED System

The Lab for Energy and Environment (LFEE) at MIT is developing a Geographic Information System (GIS) for carbon management. The GIS will store, integrate, and manipulate information relating to the components of carbon management systems. Additionally, the GIS can be used to interpret and analyze the effect of developing these systems. In the first year of this three year project, we focused on two tasks: (1) specifying the system design--defining in detail the GIS data requirements, the types of analyses that can be conducted, and the forms of output we will produce, as well as designing the computer architecture of the GIS and (2) creating the ''core'' datasets--identifying data sources and converting them into a form accessible by the GIS.

Purpose . The purpose of the conducted research is to create a specialized geoinformation system as a single platform for systematization and automation of work with spatial and semantic data in planning and monitoring the state of points of the state geodetic and state leveling networks in the territory of the Kursk region, as well as the formation of reporting electronic documentation for the transfer of up-to-date information to the Federal Spatial Data Fund. Methods . Based on the object-oriented analysis of the subject area, functional requirements for a specialized geoinformation system are formulated. A conceptual model of the system for implementing the functional requirements is built. Based on the object-connected method, a relational database for centralized storage and analysis of semantic and spatial information about points of state geodetic networks is designed. The method of thematic mapping is used to visualize data on the current state and location of points of geodetic networks on the ground. Results. A cross-platform web-oriented specialized geographic information system has been developed, providing users with the following set of functions: visualization of the location and current status of points of the state geodetic and state leveling networks on the map of the Kursk region; transformation of coordinates from the WGS 84 system to the MSC 46 system; maintaining the database in an up-to-date state; searching for points using various filters; determining distances between points or arbitrary segments on the map; calculating geodetic coordinates of security zones of points; displaying the boundaries of security zones of points on the map; constructing an optimal route for moving between points; export/import operations for spreadsheet files Conclusion . The developed geographic information system can be used by specialists of geodetic services and state land supervision departments for collecting, storing, editing, visualizing and analyzing spatial and semantic data when planning and monitoring the status of points of state geodetic networks, as well as when generating reporting documentation for transferring up-to-date information to the Federal Spatial Data Fund.