Context Of Geographic Information Systems Research Articles

Bibliometric Analysis of Geographic Information System Impact on Urban Areas Management

Geographic Information System is a global phenomenon that has revolutionized technology and is receiving much attention currently. To objectively conceptualize the research context of Geographic Information System (GIS) impact on human settlement, bibliometrix and biblioshiny software packages were applied to conduct data mining and qualitative analysis. Research papers including journals and articles in the fields of GIS and Urban Areas management spanning from 2000 to 2023 were extracted. This scientific data was extracted on 8TH January 2023 in the Publish or Perish core collection database. The results indicated that: publications fell from 2000 to 2001, however, they increased a bit in 2002. There was no significant change until 2007 when there was a slight increase in publications up to 2008. Geographic Information Systems, flood-prone areas, urban areas, suitable areas, rural areas and maps are the most frequently used keywords in the field of GIS and urban areas management in recent years. Consequently, the paper concludes that the research directions on GIS impact on human settlement management in future include the following processes and mechanisms: the application of state-of-the-art GIS technologies, the introduction of GIS crime monitoring innovations for urban centers, robust GIS simulation innovations to enhance urban resilience and digitization of human settlements for promotion of sustainable, Smart and Blue Cities. Finally, research into the creation of geo-spatial database platforms and data infrastructure for human or urban centers should be promoted. This paper aims to review the literature on the significance of GIS as a powerful tool in addressing the complexities and challenges inherent in urban environments.

GIS-Based RUSLE Reservoir Sedimentation Estimates: Temporally Variable C-Factors, Sediment Delivery Ratio, and Adjustment for Stream Channel and Bank Sediment Sources

The empirical Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) has been adapted to geographical information system (GIS) frameworks to study the spatial variability of soil erosion across landscapes and has also been used to estimate reservoir sedimentation. The literature presents contradictory results about the efficacy of using RUSLE in a GIS context for quantifying reservoir sedimentation, requiring further evaluation and validation of its estimates relative to measured reservoir sedimentation. Our primary objective was to determine if these contradictory results may be a function of the RUSLE’s inability to account for sediments derived from gullies, stream channels, or stream banks; the temporal variability of some of RUSLE’s empirically based factors such as the land cover/land management (C-) factor; and in some model renditions, the choice of value for the sediment delivery ratio (SDR). The usefulness of adjusting these estimates using a regional representative value of gully/stream bank sediment contributions was also assessed. High-spatial horizontal resolution (2 m) digital elevation models (DEMs) for 12 watersheds were used together with C-factor data for five representative years in a GIS-based RUSLE model that incorporates SDR within a sediment routing routine to study the impacts of choice of C-factor and SDR on reservoir sedimentation estimates. Choice of image date for developing C-factors was found to impact reservoir estimates. We also found that the value of SDR for some of the study watersheds would have to be unrealistically small to produce sedimentation estimates comparable to measured values. Estimates of reservoir sedimentation were comparable to measured data for 5 of the 12 watersheds, when the regionally based adjustment for gully/stream bank contributions was applied. However, differences remained large for the remaining seven watersheds. Statistical analysis revealed that certain combinations of geomorphic, pedologic, or topographic variables could be used to predict the degree of sediment underestimation with a significant and high level of correlation (0.72 < R2 ≤ 0.99; p-value < 0.05). Our findings indicate that the level of agreement between GIS-based RUSLE estimates of reservoir sedimentation and measured values is a function of watershed characteristics; for example, the area-weighted soil erodibility (K-) factor of the soils within the watershed and stream channels, the stream entrenchment ratio and bank full depth, the percentage of the stream corridor having slopes ≥ 21°, and the width of the stream flood way as a percentage of the watershed area. Within the context of GIS, these metrics are easily obtained from digital elevation models and publicly available soils data and may be useful in prioritizing reservoirs’ assessments for function and safety.

Vulnerability assessment of atmospheric environment driven by human impacts

Atmospheric environment quality worsening is a substantial threat to public health worldwide, and in many places, air pollution due to the intensification of the human activity is increasing dramatically. However, no studies have been investigated the integration of vulnerability assessment and atmospheric environment driven by human impacts. The objective of this study was to identify and prioritize the undesirable environmental changes as an early warning system for environment managers and decision makers in term of human, atmospheric environment, and social economic elements. We conduct a vulnerability assessment method of atmospheric environment associated with human impact, this method integrates spatial context of Geographic Information System (GIS) tool, multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) method, ordered weighted averaging (OWA) operators under the Exposure-Sensitivity- Adaptive Capacity (ESA) framework. Decision makers can find out relevant vulnerability assessment results with different vulnerable attitudes. In the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei (BTH) region, China, we further applied this developed method and proved it to be reliable and consistent with the China Environmental Status Bulletin. Results indicate that the vulnerability of atmospheric environment in the BTH region is not optimistic, and environment managers should do more about air pollution. Thus, the most appropriate strategic decision and development program of city or state can be picked out assisting by the vulnerable results.

Vulnerability assessment of urban ecosystems driven by water resources, human health and atmospheric environment

Summary As ecosystem management is a hotspot and urgent topic with increasing population growth and resource depletion. This paper develops an urban ecosystem vulnerability assessment method representing a new vulnerability paradigm for decision makers and environmental managers, as it’s an early warning system to identify and prioritize the undesirable environmental changes in terms of natural, human, economic and social elements. The whole idea is to decompose a complex problem into sub-problem, and analyze each sub-problem, and then aggregate all sub-problems to solve this problem. This method integrates spatial context of Geographic Information System (GIS) tool, multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) method, ordered weighted averaging (OWA) operators, and socio-economic elements. Decision makers can find out relevant urban ecosystem vulnerability assessment results with different vulnerable attitude. To test the potential of the vulnerability methodology, it has been applied to a case study area in Beijing, China, where it proved to be reliable and consistent with the Beijing City Master Plan. The results of urban ecosystem vulnerability assessment can support decision makers in evaluating the necessary of taking specific measures to preserve the quality of human health and environmental stressors for a city or multiple cities, with identifying the implications and consequences of their decisions.

Identification of Suitability of Sites for Microenterprises for Value Chain Development: A Study in Gazipur District, Bangladesh

AbstractIn recent years, many commercial poultry farm microenterprises (MEs) have flourished in rural areas with the help of an extensive microfinance program in Bangladesh. These poultry MEs are in a key position for the profitable operation of other actors in the poultry subsector value chain. But not all these MEs are located in suitable places, which results in poor input supply and marketing facilities for their products and thus cause higher costs and less profit. The government, nongovernment organizations (NGOs) and donor agencies apply the same policy for providing support services to all these poultry farmers, irrespective of their locations. Thus, this paper tries to explain the poultry value chain in Gazipur District, where the concentration of poultry farms is highest, and to delineate suitable sites for poultry MEs using the multicriteria evaluation technique within a Geographic Information System context, utilizing factors such as flood‐free land, and infrastructures related to the poultry business‐enabling environment of the value chain. The delineation of suitable land areas for farms can help NGOs, as well as the government, to design interventions and appropriate policy development for farmers in different locations, and thus help all farmers to increase their profit and sustainability.

Qualitative GIS and the visualization of narrative activity space data

Qualitative activity space data, i.e. qualitative data associated with the routine locations and activities of individuals, are recognized as increasingly useful by researchers in the social and health sciences for investigating the influence of environment on human behavior. However, there has been little research on techniques for exploring qualitative activity space data. This research illustrates the theoretical principles of combining qualitative and quantitative data and methodologies within the context of geographic information systems (GIS), using visualization as the means of inquiry. Through the use of a prototype implementation of a visualization system for qualitative activity space data and its application in a case study of urban youth we show how these theoretical methodological principles are realized in applied research. The visualization system uses a variety of visual variables to simultaneously depict multiple qualitative and quantitative attributes of individuals' activity spaces. The visualization is applied to explore the activity spaces of a sample of urban youth participating in a study on the geographic and social contexts of adolescent substance use. Examples demonstrate how the visualization can be used to explore individual activity spaces to generate hypotheses, investigate statistical outliers, and explore activity space patterns among subject subgroups.

Trust in Web GIS: the role of the trustee attributes in the design of trustworthy Web GIS applications

Since the introduction of Xerox PARC Map Viewer, there is a high growth in the number of Web GIS (Geographical Information System) applications for public use in different contexts. These applications instruct, advise and provide the tools for spatial analysis to their users, and the people who use them depend or rely on these systems. Many of these users are non-experts who have no GIS expertise and a limited understanding of spatial data handling. These inherent characteristics of non-expert interaction establish risk and uncertainty, which are further increased due to the complexity of Web GIS interfaces. These issues of uncertainty, risk perception and dependence are all trust-related aspects. Online trust has been repeatedly identified as a major concept for online information systems and its value recognised as it influences the intentions to use and the acceptance of online systems and the overall user experience. However, there is a very limited understanding as to exactly how trust is constructed when people, especially non-experts, interact with Web GIS. To improve knowledge in this domain, this article explores the theoretical foundations on how trust can be investigated in this context. Trust studies (mainly from the e-commerce domain) suggest that a trust-oriented interface design may improve the trustworthiness of online systems, and such attention can be given to Web GIS interfaces. Such studies are reviewed and their applicability is considered in the Web GIS context, taking into consideration their special characteristics. A case study is used to discuss how some features may potentially influence the trustworthiness of Web GIS applications. This article concludes by suggesting future research directions for the implementation of a holistic approach, which is necessary to investigate trust in this context.

GIS-facilitated spatial narratives: Danish plantations in Ghana

Geografisk Tidsskrift, Danish Journal of Geography 108(2):49–57, 2008 The paper examines the implementation and dissemination of spatial narratives within a geographical information system context with specific reference to portable GPS-enabled devices. The overall goal is to establish a framework for the creation of computer assisted ‘guided tours’ based on the thematically and narrative linking of a set of locations within an area. A spatial narrative that describes the—largely unsuccessful—history of Danish plantations on the Gold Coast (1788–1850) is implemented through the Google Earth client. This client is seen both as a type of media in itself for ‘home-based’ exploration of sites related to the narrative and as a tool that facilitates the design of spatial narratives before implementation within portable GIS devices. The Google Earth-based visualization of the spatial narrative is created by a Python script that outputs a web-accessible KML format file. The KML-file defines extended functionality for navigating within the narrative as well as additional data layers.

Scaling up of a mechanistic dynamic model in a GIS environment to model temperate grassland production at the regional scale

AbstractRegional‐scale ecological processes are mediated by processes occurring at local scales. Spatially explicit models are needed to understand the broad‐scale consequences of a large number of local processes, driven by factors which are heterogeneous at a broad scale. A Geographic Information System (GIS)‐based mechanistic model, which can be used as a flexible tool to investigate the regional‐scale effects of changes in environmental factors on herbage production from a Lolium perenne sward, was developed and used to investigate the consequences of aggregating driving variables at different resolutions. The model allows rigorous scaling up of previously existing field‐based modelling approaches within a GIS context. The model's mechanistic approach allows flexibility in the simulation of the separate effects of environmental driving variables and of cutting regimes. The driving variables (temperature, solar radiation, available soil moisture and soil nitrogen status) are scaled up using geostatistical techniques. The model is used to evaluate weekly changes in herbage production under environmental conditions, variable both in space and time, under different cutting regimes. It is shown that, in this model, aggregation at 1 km2 is a good compromise between accuracy and practical feasibility, and that, while ignoring heterogeneity over many square kilometres can induce large errors, their magnitude and direction also depend on the model response curve to an input variable. The results obtained were consistent with the known trends in influential environmental factors. The programming within a GIS makes the model flexible in its application and, therefore, makes it easy to apply at a variety of scales.

Negotiating Technology — (Re)considering the Use of GIS by Indigenous Peoples

ABSTRACTGeographic Information Systems (GIS) have been increasingly touted for their ability to help empower indigenous peoples. The opportunity to discuss the development of an iwi‐based GIS with Te Ruunanga O Raukawa provides a platform for reflecting critically on issues that impact the effective use of GIS by indigenous groups. The dialectical context of GIS is explored by (re)considering the opportunities and challenges of applying GIS as a cross‐cultural communication device. A position is negotiated which interprets GIS as conditionally empowering provided that indigenous peoples consider their symbolic representation in, and physical access to GIS before making an initial investment in the technology.

Information integration in computerized distribution system planning

Electricity distribution planning automation involves a great deal of information, residing in different systems. Information sharing among these systems is essential in improving the efficiency and quality of distribution system planning. This paper presents an integrated solution for computerized distribution planning in a geographic information system (GIS) context, a synergy that magnifies the data accessibility between load forecasting and feeder planning tools, sealing the traditional gap between long-term and short-term distribution system planning. A stochastic cell-based load forecasting algorithm is first developed, followed by an optimal load allocation module, NODESIM, which spatially relates the load growth to the vector-based circuit topology from feeder planning tools. NODESIM enables the multi-year distribution system studies in a GIS context, to best assist utility planners in deciding where and when the customers will grow and how to expand the system facilities to meet the demand growth.

A method of modeling vertical fluid flow and solute transport in a GIS context

An irrigated agricultural area of 2350 ha in the San Joaquin Valley of California was used for assessing regional-scale vertical flow and solute transport. The study area was sufficiently large to show variability in salt-loading to the groundwater due to cropping and irrigation efficiency. A geographic information system (GIS) was used to store and manipulate a variety of data required for vertical transport modeling of water flow in the field area. Measured data included crop and irrigation schedules, daily evapotranspiration, soil type maps, and field sampling for determination of physical properties such as the saturation percentage and the gravimetric water content. A data classification scheme was developed consisting of four basic types of variables: (1) local variables for point data; (2) spatial variables for data having a constant value within a restricted domain such as an individual quarter-section; (3) derived variables being those selected based on a discrete value of another parameter (e.g. maximum root depth depends on the discrete variable, crop type), and (4) regional variables exhibiting a constant value over the entire study area. Each specific variable was classified utilizing the classification scheme and a relational database was created for all the data. From the data included in this database, calculations of fluid and solute transport were made at selected locations by a capacity-based, one-dimensional transport model. The results of a calculation were incorporated into the database for further manipulation and representation. A sample calculation was run for 315 locations within the field area to determine the spatial variation of salt-loading to the groundwater.

Representations of Geographic Space: Toward a Conceptual Synthesis

Abstract The need for a conceptually high-level, unifying representational scheme for geographic phenomena was recognized long ago. A number of attempts to address this issue have been made in the past, and each has usually been centered around a specific theoretical point of view (Bartels 1982). This topic has reappeared recently within the context of geographical information systems (GIS). Recognizing that the representational scheme employed in large part determines the efficiency and ease of use within a given application context, there has been much activity in developing better methods for representing geographic data in digital form. Nevertheless, progress has been slow, with such activity usually focused on narrowly viewed implementational issues with no clear answers or overall insights toward solving the overall problem. This vacuum suggests the need for a more unified approach to both research in methods of representing geographic data and practical geographic database design based on a common ...