Quantum Leap in Cartography as a requirement of Sustainable Development of the World

Vladimir S Tikunov,Eugene N Eremchenko,Iryna N Tikunova

doi:10.5194/ica-proc-1-112-2018

Abstract

Abstract. Sustainable development is one of the most important challenges for humanity and one of the priorities of the United Nations. Achieving sustainability of the whole World is a main goal of management at all levels – from personal to local to global. Therefore, decision making should be supported by relevant geospatial information system. Nevertheless, classical geospatial products, maps and GIS, violate fundamental demand of ‘situational awareness’ concept, well-known philosophy of decision-making – same representation of situation within a same volume of time and space for all decision-makers. Basic mapping principles like generalization and projections split the universal single model of situation on number of different separate and inconsistent replicas. It leads to wrong understanding of situation and, after all – to incorrect decisions. In another words, quality of the sustainable development depends on effective decision-making support based on universal global scale-independent and projection-independent model. This new way for interacting with geospatial information is a quantum leap in cartography method. It is implemented in the so-called ‘Digital Earth’ paradigm and geospatial services like Google Earth. Com-paring of both methods, as well as possibilities of implementation of Digital Earth in the sustain-able development activities, are discussed.

Highlights

Sustainable Development is a core concept of globalization and one of five main priorities of the United Nations
Inconsistencies of decision-making on different levels is a source of severe problems like wars, unbalance of developing, uncontrollable migration, degradation of environment, crimes, etc
Using hypermedia as transport for semantics. This set of criteria identifies Digital Earth as ‘true’ neogeography, based on new approach for processing and visualizing of geospatial data. This definition is consistent with vision of Digital Earth (ISDE; Gore, 1998), statements of ISDE, as well as visions of future development of Digital Earth concept (Max Craglia et al, 2012)

Summary

Introduction

Achieving the sustainability throughout the World requires adopting of most effective technologies of resource management based on precise, high-accuracy, comprehensive and holistic representation of situation, that constantly and simultaneously changed on all levels from local to global, as information basis for understanding situation and making correct decisions (Pyankov, Tikunov, 2011). There are obstacles – both objective and subjective. It is significant and truistic, that idea of sustainability requires harmonization of activities on different hierarchical levels: global, national, regional, local, personal, etc. Inconsistency of information on different levels is significant objective factor of errors (Fig. 1). Inconsistencies of decision-making on different levels is a source of severe problems like wars, unbalance of developing, uncontrollable migration, degradation of environment, crimes, etc

Understanding the problem

Discussion

Conclusions