Evolution Of Geographic Information Systems Research Articles

Automated mapping process of frontal area and thermal potential indexes: GIS algorithm development and implementation

The impacts of urban areas on microclimate conditions are well-known and highlight the importance of climatological guided urban planning. The growth and evolution of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) have set a backdrop for implementing strategies to apply urban climatological knowledge in planning daily practice. This research brings algorithms to automate the Frontal Area Index (FAI) and Thermal Potential Index (TPI) mapping process. This type of algorithms type facilitates the extraction of detailed spatial information for the decision-making process, making it highly relevant for urban planning and management. Their calculation method is implemented as ESRI © ArcGIS Pro embedded Python Stand Alone Script Tools, using the Python ArcPy library to access the ArcGIS geoprocessing functions. The algorithms are described in detail, allowing their implementation in other GIS platforms. The output maps allow the urban thermal conditions and morphology assessment. The findings from this research may substantially contribute both to the advance in the urban climatology scientific field and to guide urban planners' and managers' practical decision making.

Student Engagement and Educational Benefits of Web GIS-Based Projects

The evolution of geographic information systems (GIS) based on the internet (Web GIS) created new opportunities for the use of GIS technology in education. In the present study a learning environment was developed which incorporates the project-based learning (PBL) methodology based on Web GIS technology. In this context, 3 research projects (GIS based projects) were designed and implemented. Project 1 and 2 combined fieldwork and GIS, and the topic was related to local community issues. Project 3 was an internal project since it was conducted only in the computer lab with data collected from the internet. In order to investigate the effectiveness of this learning environment in students' engagement, a quasi-experimental study was conducted on 58 senior high school students. A pre-test was conducted in advance and a post-test upon concluding all three projects. The results reveal the pedagogical value of the aforementioned learning environment, since it provides multiple pedagogical benefits, having a positive effect on students' engagement.

Geographic information systems and their application in the social sciences: A literature review

This article presents a bibliographic review on the evolution of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and their integration in the social sciences, which is important because the interrelation of these areas contributes to the knowledge of the people. In this sense, the objective was to contribute to the university academic knowledge, through the compilation, classification, analysis and synthesis of scientific works according to the subject treated. For this purpose, the historical, synthetic, dialectical, and analytical methods were used, with a descriptive and documentary type of research, obtaining as a result that the GIS are very useful in different fields of social sciences, ranging from archeology to sociology, including specific topics such as economics and criminology.

Geodesign as a support for proposing actions to fulfil the Sustainable Development Goals

Abstract. This paper discusses the state of the art in Geodesign, as a result from the evolution in the use of geospatial data for shared and co-creative planning. The evolution of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) led to significant advances in geovisualization, the use of cartographic data via the Internet and the construction of SDIs (Spatial Data Infrastructures). These advances fostered the emergence of Geodesign as one of the foundations for territorial planning. The text will also introduce a Brazilian Geodesign platform, GISColab, developed according to the standards set by the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC). The platform introduces layer creation resources via WPS (Web Processing Service), as well as tools for measuring the performance of participatory planning workshops, presently focusing on the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). We introduce case studies in which SDGs were explored in different ways: in post-workshop analyses conducted by coordinators and participants, as well as its application as a supportive tool for decision-making during the workshop, via WPS. Finally, we also discuss the inclusion of SDGs to raise awareness of its key themes and support opinion building, resulting in transformative learning experiences.

Review of Geospatial Technology for Infectious Disease Surveillance: Use Case on COVID-19

This paper discusses on the increasing relevancy of geospatial technologies such as geographic information system (GIS) in the public health domain, particularly for the infectious disease surveillance and modelling strategies. Traditionally, the disease mapping tasks have faced many challenges—(1) authors rarely documented the evidence that were used to create map, (2) before evolution of GIS, many errors aroused in mapping tasks which were expanded extremely at global scales, and (3) there were no fidelity assessment of maps which resulted in inaccurate precision. This study on infectious diseases geo-surveillance is divided into four broad sections with emphasis on handling geographical and temporal issues to help in public health decision-making and planning policies: (1) geospatial mapping of diseases using its spatial and temporal information to understand their behaviour across geography; (2) the citizen’s involvement as volunteers in giving health and disease data to assess the critical situation for disease’s spread and prevention in neighbourhood effect; (3) scientific analysis of health-related behaviour using mathematical epidemiological and geo-statistical approaches with (4) capacity building program. To illustrate each theme, recent case studies are cited and case studies are performed on COVID-19 to demonstrate selected models.

The evolution of geodesign as a design and planning tool

As the latest evolution of Geographic Information System (GIS) in environmental design, geodesign has attracted multidisciplinary effort from academia, design professions and geospatial industries to define and contribute to its future. For its further development, whether as transdisciplinary collaboration or methodological advancement in specific disciplines, it is critical to elaborate more explicitly the historical context and interactive evolvement of geodesign in relevant disciplines or professions. As response, this article focuses on addressing how key theories, methods, and practical tools evolve over time in landscape architecture and contribute to the emergence of contemporary geodesign along with the advancement of geospatial sciences and technologies. To construct a clear and essential historical transect of the evolving relationship between geodesign and landscape architecture, the discussion is organized into four major eras, i.e., the analogue era, the poor data era, the small data era, and the big data era, from 1850s to present. The article ends with the authors’ prospect on opportunities and challenges toward geodesign in landscape architecture in the big data era.

Application of Geographic Information System (GIS) in Forest Management

The overall aim of this paper is to explore the potential application of Geographic Information System (GIS) technology in forest management in general and in 3 African countries. The use of GIS has flooded almost every field in the engineering, natural and social sciences, offering accurate, efficient, reproducible methods for collecting, viewing and analyzing spatial data. According to Upadhyay forests are a dynamic resource, affected by many coexisting ecological processes and direct management interventions. To make better decision, to improve productivity, to save time, money and man power in forest management activities, required are dynamic both locational and descriptive inventory data, rather geographic information. The evolution of GIS, the Global Positioning System (GPS), and Remote Sensing (RS) technologies has enabled the collection and analysis of field data in ways that were not possible before the arrival of computers. GIS has proven to play a vital role in the following • Resource Management • Harvest planning • Fire Management • Map production • GIS for strategic planning and modeling The range of applications reviewed in this essay is clear evidence to the significant value of forests and the potential of GIS to aid in their management. Despite the diversity of applications, however, a number of broad conclusions can be reached about the role of GIS in forestry.

Coproduction in the U.S. Department of Defense: Examining How the Evolution of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Expands Non‐Traditional Partner Engagement

This study examines interactions between the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) and its non‐traditional partners. Facilitated by advances in technology hardware and software, the nature of collaboration has changed significantly, shifting from authoritarian to symbiotic relationships. We find that DoD partners have expanded to include geographic information systems (GIS) and information technology professionals, and individual GIS users. As more non‐traditional, external partners become involved, the DoD attempts to exert informational power over its partners to assure data integrity and preserve data security. We consider an appropriate role for the DoD in a polycentric regime where public value increasingly is coproduced. This leads us to consider, by analogy, if there are other public policy arenas where data integrity and security concerns will lead to a similar approach.

GIS Design: A Review of Current Issues in Interoperability

AbstractThe evolution of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) has witnessed an important step towards achieving interoperability through the communication, exchange, cooperation and sharing of resources between systems. The main developments in interoperability include the use of standards for transfer and exchange of geographical information, the integration of different data types up to the development of comprehensive interoperability models. This article aims to review the main advances in interoperability of GIS and provide a basis to identify the future research issues in this field. It first considers the various points of view from which interoperability can be defined and then examines the concept of interoperability itself. An overview is provided on how interoperability can be modelled by discussing the main aspects that directly have an effect on how interoperability levels have been created according to different contexts and purposes of use. It also points out the significant advances in terms of measures that can determine the ability of a GIS to interoperate with other systems, predict the resources needed for successful interoperation, and discover techniques useful to achieving interoperability. We conclude with some suggestions where the research will go next.

Defining and Adapting to Coastal Hazards in Atlantic Canada: Facing the Challenge of Rising Sea Levels, Storm Surges, and Shoreline Erosion in a Changing Climate

The coastal zone, comprising the intertidal zone and a band extending miles landward and seaward of the shoreline, is an area of constant dynamic change. It encompasses some of the world’s most valuable resources, both natural and economic. Coastal hazards include storm-surge flooding, storm-wave run-up, ice ride-up or pile-up, coastal slope failure, and shoreline erosion, among others. It is important to determine the potential for changing hazard conditions under existing rates of relative sea level rise and the possible effects of warming climate, including accelerated sea level rise, increased storminess, reduced sea ice, and other factors. Appropriate design, land management, and risk reduction depend on an adequate understanding of the hazards and realistic mapping of hazard zones. This paper describes how the coastline can no longer be considered as merely a line on paper, it should be understood as a three-dimensional landform that is subject to physical change over time. Coasts, especially those in high energy zones, can be difficult and very costly to map accurately. Recently developed remote-sensing techniques such as airborne laser altimetry provide a new capability to produce high-resolution digital elevation models of low-lying flood-prone terrain in support of other innovative approaches to risk reduction and hazard mitigation. The paper describes how recent technological development s have led to significant advances, including the evolution of geographic information systems (GIS), electronic charts, global positioning systems (GPS), high resolution multibeam swath bathymetry and airborne laser altimetry (LIDAR). Using remotely sensed data at low tide, on can acquire continuous coverage of the intertidal zone, allowing a seamless merger of land topography with bathymetric data. Potential coastal flood areas can also be accurately determined with high-resolution digital elevation modes acquired by airborne and spaceborne remote sensing.