Abstract Ticks are major ectoparasites affecting livestock, wildlife, and humans, transmitting a range of diseases that cause severe health and economic losses estimated at US$ 3.9–30 billion annually. Their abundance and distribution are influenced by environmental and climatic factors, yet surveillance remaining limited in many regions from the world. This study aimed to explore the use of Earth observation (EO) systems in monitoring tick abundance and distribution patterns. Using Scopus and Web of Science databases, bibliometric data from 1989 to July 2025 were analysed following the PRISMA framework, resulting in a final dataset of 90 publications. Results showed that research output is dominated by developed countries, led by the United States (24 publications), Czech Republic (15), and Spain (10), while African contributions remain minimal, with only four countries (Cameroon, Ethiopia, South Africa, and Tanzania) active in this field. The most frequent keywords included “Remote sensing”, “Geographic information system GIS”, “Ixodes ricinus ”, and “Lyme disease” reflecting strong links between geospatial tools and vector surveillance. Findings highlight the critical role of EO technologies in predicting tick habitats and disease risk but reveal gaps in research capacity and application. It is recommended that future efforts prioritize affordable, context-specific EO tools, strengthen international collaboration, and adopt One Health–based approaches to enhance global tick surveillance and management.

Abstract This paper investigates how community perceptions of a peri-urban coastalscape are narrated in digital environments. Focusing on the Lagoa de Albufeira in Sesimbra, Portugal, this study employs a netnographic approach to explore discussions within local Facebook groups. Posts, images, and comments are examined as forms of Social Media Geographic Information (SMGI), providing insight into how the online community interpret social-ecological change and everyday interactions with the place. Drawing on Paulo Freire’s notion of generative themes, recurrent patterns of concern and aspiration are identified, ranging from environmental vulnerability to issues of access, memory, and identity. These themes are translated into creative thick representations—visual narratives that combine text, maps, archives, and imagery to capture the density of local spatial knowledge. The representations culminate in a cultural map of the Lagoa de Albufeira, offering an alternative account of the place that foregrounds community voices and more-than-human relations. The paper contributes in three ways: first, by advancing SMGI as a critical entry point for understanding how local communities articulate place-based concerns online; second, by operationalising Freirean generative themes as a methodological tool to structure a digital ethnography; and third, by proposing cultural mapping through creative thick representations as a means to foreground community voices in peri-urban coastalscapes. Ultimately, it argues that such mappings offer not only new insights into coastal sustainability but also pathways for epistemic justice.

Abstract This short paper on the planning and development of the City of Kowloon (City) at its formative (pre-British colonial) stage as a walled Ch’ing ( Qing ) Dynasty military base, attempts to provide a reasonable account of the apparent in-completion of this imperially planned town. The account is based on a comparison of the written specifications of this City’s design in written narratives in Chinese official documents, and its actual physical configuration after 1847 as it appears in photos, maps, and written sources. The authors postulate that the abandonment of the originally-proposed dimensions, a “ Chun Hoi Lau ” ( Zhenhai Tower ) which venerated the god Pak Tei ( Beitei ) with a strong fung shui ( feng shui ) function, and an uphill gun (cannon) position, was due to local objective topographical and geotechnical constraints that were insurmountable given China’s perceived urgent military needs at the time.

Over the past few decades there has been major growth and transformation in the global wine industry, resulting in increased competition between wineries and wine regions. In this context, many wineries have sought to construct brand identities connected to terroir, tradition, culture, and heritage to distinguish themselves. In the past 30 years, the Okanagan region of British Columbia, Canada has made a name for itself as a New World wine region through its production of high-quality wine and exceptional wine tourism experiences, however little is known about the specific branding strategies of its wineries. Through an analysis of photographic images found on local winery websites, this study reveals how visual representations of place and temporality provide a recurring motif across a range of wineries. More specifically, Okanagan wineries rely on wider region-specific imaginaries to construct their identity, and attempt to evoke longer-term temporalities through imagery suggestive of both historical and intergenerational connection to place. Drawing on the literature on corporate heritage, this study shows how these ‘omni-temporal’ practices are used strategically by wineries to create authenticity in a bid to appeal to consumers influenced by wine’s conventional place-time imaginaries. Overall, these findings add to the wider literature on wine brand identity and have relevance for industry and regional development stakeholders interested in place- and time-based branding strategies.