Hand-drawn Maps Research Articles

Participatory topological mapping: A novel approach for exploring and communicating situated knowledge of complex socio-ecological systems

Land use change impacts on Sámi reindeer husbandry are well-documented, but existing maps often fail to capture socio-ecological relationships between herders, reindeer and nature. Conventional Geographic Information Systems (GIS) simplify these relationships, lacking local context and excluding valuable knowledge due to their rigid structure. This paper introduces participatory topological mapping, a low-tech, knowledge co-production method that allows communities to share geospatial insights without advanced software. Combining hand-drawn maps with a standardised topological structure facilitates the visualisation of geographical relationships and dynamic land use systems from a local perspective. Developed and assessed through a Swedish case study in collaboration with Vittangi and Malå reindeer herding communities, the method aims to reduce barriers to knowledge exchange and enhance dialogue between Indigenous knowledge-holders, researchers and decision-makers. The paper discusses the authors’ experiences with participatory topological mapping, emphasising its potential and limitations for knowledge exchange. The method is advocated for broader use, recognising its value in articulating concerns about land use change beyond research settings and reindeer husbandry. Participatory topological mapping enables knowledge-holders to control the map and its narrative, deciding what is included or excluded. The maps and accompanying stories are valuable sources for documenting, sharing and analysing local perspectives on landscapes and the effects of land use change. The method treats mapping as a social process with the potential to affect how we understanding the world. When thoughtfully applied, it offers a valuable avenue for knowledge co-production, fostering deeper engagement, supporting informed decision-making and empowering communities.

Mediating Monstrosity: The Threat of the (In)Visible in the MonsterVerse

Drawing on Susan Sontag’s understanding of the anxieties about contemporary existence lurking beneath the surface of science fiction films, this article argues that the focus on media monitoring, mapping and materializing the giant monster in the MonsterVerse functions as a negotiation of the limits of visibility of catastrophe. Hiding, waiting, lurking underneath the surface in the “Hollow Earth”, the giant monsters are—paradoxically—invisible and hypervisible, absent and present at the same time. Throughout and across the films and series in the narrative universe, media in the MonsterVerse are charged with “proving” the threat of the (in)visible, while at the same time challenging mediated registers of truth and trustability. Making the monster is simultaneously presented as the promise and problem of technological mediation. With the emphasis on flashbacks to different time periods—including the 1940s in Kong: Skull Island (2017), the 1950s in Monarch: Legacy of Monsters (2023) and the 1990s in Godzilla (2014)—this not only appears to be about the mediatization of the monsters but rather their analogization. Captured in hand-drawn maps, grainy images and static sound recordings, proving the existence of the monstrous threat becomes a question of materiality as well.

Using Expert Participation to Evaluate the Accuracy of Hand-Drawn Water-Table Maps.

Water-table maps are fundamental to hydrogeological studies and a manual, hand-drawn method is still commonly used to produce them. Despite this, the accuracy and variability of such maps have received little attention in international literature. In a unique experiment, 63 groundwater professionals drew water-table equipotential contours based on the same dataset of point measurements and were asked to infer flow directions and predict groundwater elevations at predefined locations. The root mean squared error (RMSE) for the average map calibration data was 10.5 m, which is accuracy comparable to numerical groundwater models. This study confirmed that to produce hand-drawn water-table maps, practitioners seek to not only fit the spatial data, but also to conform to their own cognitive model of hydrogeological concepts and processes. The calibration accuracy increased with experience; from a RMSE of 13.3 m for practitioners with 0-3 years of experience to a RMSE of 9.2 m for those with four or more years. Despite considerable variability in the style of the hand-drawn water-table maps, the maps were consistent in their representation of the dominant regional groundwater flow directions. There was less consensus, however, in predicting the direction of surface water-groundwater interaction for a stream reach. Hand-drawn water-table mapping remains useful and valid, especially as a starting point for hydrogeological conceptualization, yet further work is required to resolve issues around transparency, repeatability, and reproducibility.

A new approach to geostatistical synthesis of historical records reveals capuchin spatial responses to climate and demographic change.

Recent proliferation of GPS technology has transformed animal movement research. Yet, time-series data from this recent technology rarely span beyond a decade, constraining longitudinal research. Long-term field sites hold valuable historic animal location records, including hand-drawn maps and semantic descriptions. Here, we introduce a generalised workflow for converting such records into reliable location data to estimate home ranges, using 30 years of sleep-site data from 11 white-faced capuchin (Cebus imitator) groups in Costa Rica. Our findings illustrate that historic sleep locations can reliably recover home range size and geometry. We showcase the opportunity our approach presents to resolve open questions that can only be addressed with very long-term data, examining how home ranges are affected by climate cycles and demographic change. We urge researchers to translate historical records into usable movement data before this knowledge is lost; it is essential to understanding how animals are responding to our changing world.

CROSSOVER AND EXTENSION OF HAND-DRAWN MAP IN HERITAGE TOURISM: A CASE STUDY

In the realm of thematic map development, hand-drawn maps tailored for tourism hold considerable significance. Nonetheless, their progress is impeded by inherent limitations and challenges, thereby constraining their potential advancement. Concurrently, the emergence and progression of computer and network technology have furnished a proficient platform for fostering interdisciplinary growth in the realm of hand-drawn cartography. The aim of this study is establishing a customized, culturally relevant, metaphorical and de-identified design framework for enhancing visualization in digital interactions, drawing upon the universal design principles inherent in traditional animation. A comprehensive depiction of the design workflow, along with intricate design particulars pertaining to each stage, was demonstrated through a case study centered on the hand-drawn style drawing and map design for Dahuaishu Ancestor Memorial Garden. By adopting such a design framework, the potential outcome entails a more user-friendly and captivating means of disseminating information within digital tourist maps of the same genre. This approach preserves the inherent merits of hand-drawn maps while simultaneously broadening their scope and capabilities.

ELSM: Evidence-Based Line Segment Merging

Abstract Existing line segment detectors break perceptually contiguous linear structures into multiple line segments. This can be offset by re-merging the segments, but existing merging algorithms over-merge and produce globally incorrect segments. Geometric cues are necessary but not sufficient for deciding whether to merge two segments or not. By restricting the result of any merging decision to have underlying image support, we reduce over-merging and globally incorrect segments. We propose a novel measure for evaluating merged segments based on line segment Hausdorff distance. On images from YorkUrbanDB, we show that our algorithm improves both qualitative and quantitative results obtained from four existing line segment detection methods and is better than two existing line segment merging methods. Our method does not suffer from inconsistent results produced by four recent deep learning-based models. The method is easily customisable to work for line drawings such as hand-drawn maps to obtain vectorized representations.

Background grid extraction from historical hand-drawn cadastral maps

Background grid extraction from historical hand-drawn cadastral maps

Tactical Landscapes

Desert landscapes serve as a site for the dynamic interplay of competing historical and geopolitical narratives. In Kuwait, tribal, colonial, and global conflicts across the hinterland have mobilized state planning efforts, articulating a geospatial division between urban and desert life. Concurrently, visioning tools such as hand-drawn maps and satellite imagery have not only shaped the understanding of this desert, but have been shaped by it. Through an examination of the forces that have driven its transformation, this landscape is shown as both product and producer of cultural, social, and political complexity. The contemporary desert exists as a patchwork, the result of a disparate collection of essential narratives projected onto the territory.

Advances in Neuroanatomy through Brain Atlasing

Human brain atlases are tools to gather, present, use, and discover knowledge about the human brain. The developments in brain atlases parallel the advances in neuroanatomy. The brain atlas evolution has been from hand-drawn cortical maps to print atlases to digital platforms which, thanks to tremendous advancements in acquisition techniques and computing, has enabled progress in neuroanatomy from gross (macro) to meso-, micro-, and nano-neuroanatomy. Advances in neuroanatomy have been feasible because of introducing new modalities, from the initial cadaveric dissections, morphology, light microscopy imaging and neuroelectrophysiology to non-invasive in vivo imaging, connectivity, electron microscopy imaging, genomics, proteomics, transcriptomics, and epigenomics. Presently, large and long-term brain projects along with big data drive the development in micro- and nano-neuroanatomy. The goal of this work is to address the relationship between neuroanatomy and human brain atlases and, particularly, the impact of these atlases on the understanding, presentation, and advancement of neuroanatomy. To better illustrate this relationship, a brief outline on the evolution of the human brain atlas concept, creation of brain atlases, atlas-based applications, and future brain-related developments is also presented. In conclusion, human brain atlases are excellent means to represent, present, disseminate, and support neuroanatomy.

Hand-drawn concept-mapping as a participatory visual method

To explore both the potential and current impact of digital technologies on schooling in two rural school communities, the use of hand-drawn concept maps as a participatory method of inquiry was chosen to enable school community members to express their views. This approach enabled the ideas and issues they considered most important to be expressed with minimal direction or interference from the researcher. A variety of stakeholders from two school communities were asked to produce two hand-drawn concept maps and then participate in a focus group or interview to elicit further data. This graphic-elicitation approach was used to encourage participants to further express and expand on their ideas that they had expressed in the concept maps themselves, and to provide participant validation of the content of the concept maps. The results of this method of data collection, drawing on a range of analytical approaches, showed that the participant-generated, hand-drawn concept maps allowed participants to express their beliefs, perceptions, ideals, values, and emotions about digital technologies in a way which revealed the complexity and sometimes contradictory ideas about technology use in their schools. Using hand-drawn concept maps as a participatory visual method was also particularly useful for showing affective orientations in the responses of participants.

Mapping perceptions diachronically

This research takes a diachronic approach to perceptual dialectology and uses data collected in 2016-2017 to replicate work done in Michigan in 1985-87 (Preston 1996) to examine possible changes in perceptions. The frequency of identification of regions and their spatial distributions were analyzed in 148 newly collected hand-drawn maps. The rates of regional identification in these are generally similar to the earlier ones, with the exception of increases of over 10% for three of the fourteen regions and decreases of more than 10% for two others. GIS analysis of the five most frequently identified regions showed that the South and Northeast are larger in the newer work, while the North, Plains and Mountains, and West are similar to the earlier study. These findings allow questions about the factors that influence change in perceptions over time and address a gap in diachronic studies in perceptual dialectology.

Mapping mining’s temporal disruptions: understanding Peruvian women’s experiences of place-attachment in changing landscapes

The importance of mining temporalities and gendered impacts of mining activity are receiving increasing academic attention. This article contributes to these debates by addressing the impacts of large-scale mining activity on women’s sense of place-attachment and landscape, focusing on Cajamarca, Peru, home to the Yanacocha mine since 1993. Using women’s hand-drawn maps representing ‘sites of change’, the article critically examines the various ways in which women communicate mining as deeply affecting their everyday lives in gendered ways. This mapping method tapped into emotional connections to place and local landscapes, and by incorporating stories and maps of both women opposing and supporting further mining expansion in the region, the article goes on to show that both groups share an understanding of the Yanacocha mine as a disruption of time and place.

Tracking Movement of Long-lived Equatorial Coronal Holes from Analysis of Long-term McIntosh Archive Data

Features at the Sun’s surface and atmosphere are constantly changing due to its magnetic field. The McIntosh Archive provides a long-term (45 yr) record of these features, digitized from hand-drawn synoptic maps by Patrick McIntosh. Utilizing this data, we create stack plots for coronal holes, i.e., Hovmöller-type plots of latitude bands, for all longitudes, stacked in time, allowing tracking of coronal hole movement. Using a newly developed two-step method of centroid calculation, which includes a Fourier descriptor to represent a coronal hole’s boundary and calculate the centroid by the use of Green’s theorem, we calculate the centroids of 31 unique, long-lived equatorial coronal holes for successive Carrington rotations during the entire solar cycle 23, and estimate their slopes (time versus longitude) as the coronal holes evolve. We compute coronal hole centroid drift speeds from these slopes, and find an eastward (prograde) pattern that is actually retrograde with respect to the local differential rotation. By discussing the plausible physical mechanisms which could cause these long-lived equatorial coronal holes to drift retrograde, we identify either classical or magnetically modified westward-propagating solar Rossby waves, with a speed of a few tens to a few hundreds of meters per second, to be the best candidate for governing the drift of deep-rooted, long-lived equatorial coronal holes. To explore plausible physics of why long-lived equatorial coronal holes appear few in number during solar minimum/early rising phase more statistics are required, which will be studied in future.

Augmented Reality-Centered Position Navigation for Wearable Devices with Machine Learning Techniques.

People have always relied on some form of instrument to assist them to get to their destination, from hand-drawn maps and compasses to technology-based navigation systems. Many individuals these days have a smartphone with them at all times, making it a common part of their routine. Using GPS technology, these cellphones offer applications such as Google Maps that let people find their way around the outside world. Indoor navigation, on the other hand, does not offer the same level of precision. The development of indoor navigation systems is continuously ongoing. Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, RFID, and computer vision are some of the existing technologies used for interior navigation in current systems. In this article, we discuss the shortcomings of current indoor navigation solutions and offer an alternative approach based on augmented reality and ARCore. Navigating an indoor environment is made easier with ARCore, which brings augmented reality to your smartphone or tablet.

How do schoolchildren perceive litter? Overlooked in urban but not in natural environments

Anthropogenic litter is found in all environments, but perceptions of people about this problem depend on the context. We examined the cognition and perception of litter in the environment by schoolchildren from the Pacific Coast of Latin America. Two studies were conducted, (1) in a daily urban context, and (2) on a natural beach; schoolchildren prepared hand-drawn representations of the environment that were evaluated for the presence and perception of litter. Litter cognition was low in urban (<6% of hand-drawn maps with litter) but high in natural environments (>32% of beach drawings with litter). Perception of litter was highly negative in both environments, but information from previous studies suggests that the reasons differ between urban (litter as an indicator of neglect) and natural environments (impact on personal and animal well-being). Our findings indicate the phenomenon of “litter blindness” in urban contexts, which might be an obstacle to effective litter prevention.

English Landscapes

English Landscapes

Identifying wetland areas in historical maps using deep convolutional neural networks

The local environment and land usages have changed a lot during the past one hundred years. Historical documents and materials are crucial in understanding and following these changes. Historical documents are, therefore, an important piece in the understanding of the impact and consequences of land usage change. This, in turn, is important in the search of restoration projects that can be conducted to turn and reduce harmful and unsustainable effects originating from changes in the land-usage.This work extracts information on the historical location and geographical distribution of wetlands, from hand-drawn maps. This is achieved by using deep learning (DL), and more specifically a convolutional neural network (CNN). The CNN model is trained on a manually pre-labelled dataset on historical wetlands in the area of Jönköping county in Sweden. These are all extracted from the historical map called “Generalstabskartan”.The presented CNN performs well and achieves a F1-score of 0.886 when evaluated using a 10-fold cross validation over the data. The trained models are additionally used to generate a GIS layer of the presumable historical geographical distribution of wetlands for the area that is depicted in the southern collection in Generalstabskartan, which covers the southern half of Sweden. This GIS layer is released as an open resource and can be freely used.To summarise, the presented results show that CNNs can be a useful tool in the extraction and digitalisation of non-textual information in historical documents, such as historical maps. A modern GIS material that can be used to further understand the past land-usage change is produced within this research. Previously, no material of this detail and extent have been available, due to the large effort needed to manually create such. However, with the presented resource better quantifications and estimations of historical wetlands that have been lost can be made.

Remote Fieldwork in Homes During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Video-Call Ethnography and Map Drawing Methods.

Restrictions on physical movements and in-person encounters during the COVID-19 crisis confronted many qualitative researchers with challenges in conducting and completing projects requiring face-to-face fieldwork. An exploration of engaging in what we term ‘agile research’ in such circumstances can offer novel methodological insights for researching the social world. In this article, we discuss the changes we made to our ethnographic fieldwork in response to the introduction of a national lockdown to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus. The ‘Living with Personal Data’ project, based in Sydney, Australia, and designed well before the advent of COVID-19, explores a diverse range of people’s feelings, practices and understandings concerning home-based digital devices and the personal digital data generated with their use. Using a video ethnography ‘home tour’ and an elicitation technique involving hand-drawn maps of people’s homes, digital devices and the personal data generated with and through these devices, this approach was designed to elicit the sensory, affective and relational elements of people’s digital device and personal data use at home. The fieldwork had just commenced when stay-at-home and physical distancing orders were suddenly introduced. Our article builds on and extends a growing body of literature on conducting fieldwork in the difficult conditions of the extended COVID-19 crisis by detailing our experiences of very quickly converting an ethnographic study that was planned to be in-person to a remote approach. We describe the adaptations we made to the project using video-call software and discuss the limits and opportunities presented by this significant modification.

Necrocartography: Topographies and topologies of non-sites of memory

Based on the experience of spatial confusion and inadequacy common during visits to uncommemorated sites of violence, the authors propose expanding the topological reflection in the research on the spatialities of the Holocaust, as well as to introduce topology into the analysis of the everyday experiences of users of the postgenocidal space of Central and Eastern Europe. The research material is composed of hand-drawn maps by Holocaust eyewitnesses – documents created both in the 1960s and in recent years. The authors begin by summarizing the significance of topology for cultural studies, and provides a state-of-the-art reflection on cartography in the context of the Holocaust. They then proceed to interpret several of the maps as particular topological testimonies. The authors conclude by proposing a multi-faceted method of researching these maps, “necrocartography”, oriented by their testimonial, topological and performative aspects.

Geostatistical analysis for mapping soil salinity in the Lajas Valley Agricultural Reserve, southwestern Puerto Rico

Studies were conducted in the 1950s to evaluate the degree and spatial extent of soil salinity and sodicity in the Lajas Valley in southwestern Puerto Rico. Problem areas were identified and most of these were remediated with the establishment of irrigation and drainage infrastructure, resulting in a four-fold increase in agricultural production over a 10-year period. The area is now an important agricultural region (known as the Lajas Valley Agricultural Reserve). But soil salinity and sodicity are important concerns among farmers. In this paper we used published data and re-created the spatial distribution of soil salinity and sodicity using geostatistical analysis with Geographic Information Systems (GIS). An Ordinary Kriging method was applied to map the spatial distribution of soil salinity and to classify soils in four classes: (i) Normal, (ii) Saline, (iii) Saline-Sodic, and (iv) Sodic. The original hand-drawn maps were digitized using the Georeferencing Tool in ArcGIS, guided by a recent aerial photo of the Lajas Valley. Salinity and sodicity isopleths were created using Surface Generation to map the spatial distribution and to compare the newly created data to the original maps. The relative error in aerial estimate between the old and new maps for Normal, Saline, Saline-Sodic, and Sodic surface soils was between 1 and 5 percent. The new maps developed with geostatistical analysis can predict soil problem areas with a 94% coincidence compared with the hand-drawn maps. The highest proportion of soils classified as Normal was found in the upper soil layers and the proportion of soils affected by salt and sodium increased with depth. The combination of geostatistical analysis and GIS is a cost-effective and trustworthy method for analyzing similar datasets that would otherwise be costly and involve lengthy time commitments.