Internet-based Geographic Information System Research Articles

Site selection and system sizing of desalination plants powered with renewable energy sources based on a web-GIS platform

PurposeThe combination of desalination technology with renewable energy sources (RES) provides a sustainable approach for increasing potable water availability without imposing negative environmental effects. This paper aims to present the development of a platform, which is an internet-based tool integrating the design optimization of desalination systems with spatial modeling based on a geographic information system (GIS).Design/methodology/approachThe proposed platform assists decision-makers to select the optimal location and configuration of both the energy- and water-related subsystems of desalination plants that are power-supplied by RES, such that the lifetime cost of the overall desalination plant is minimized. It enables to optimize the desalination plant site selection and sizing with various hybrid power supply (solar, wind, wave and electrical grid power systems) and desalination technologies combinations, while simultaneously exploiting spatial technologies in an internet-based GIS platform.FindingsA pilot study for the optimal design of stand-alone and grid-connected desalination plants powered by RES is presented, which demonstrates the functionality and features of the proposed platform. It is also shown that a grid-connected desalination plant designed by the proposed software design tool exhibits significantly lower lifetime installation and maintenance costs compared to its stand-alone counterpart.Originality/valueThe proposed platform combines technological, scientific and industrial knowledge with information about societal/political conditions and geo-spatial technologies in a user-friendly graphical interface. Therefore, it provides a design tool enabling its users to secure water supply in a sustainable and economically viable manner.

Designing and evaluating a groundwater quality Internet GIS

Contaminated unregulated drinking water in rural communities is a continuing health issue, leading many resource users to unknowingly consume water with elevated levels of harmful chemicals. Though geographic information systems (GIS) and Internet technology have been particularly useful for water resource management, to date, there exist few studies that specifically address the development of Internet-based GIS applications to increase user access to unregulated drinking water source information. Informed by an existing user centered development framework for Internet mapping, we created an Internet GIS that visualized groundwater contamination on the Navajo Nation in the southwest United States. We employed a usability focus group, expert review of content and pilot test of a prototype GIS application to gather empirical evidence on effectiveness for informing users of a significant water quality issue. Results suggested that the designed and deployed GIS application was appropriate for the target audience of environmental nongovernmental organization (ENGO) and institution of higher education (IHE) professionals. Usability testing and expert review confirmed the importance of these evaluation measures to ensure a high quality GIS prior to deployment. Use of existing Internet mapping guidelines was found to be insufficient for creating a refined GIS interface appropriate for the target audience. Additionally, we demonstrated that an existing user centered design and evaluation framework could be applied successfully to visualize water quality for unregulated groundwater wells in the rural southwest United States. Suggestions for continued research in the use of Internet GIS to inform rural residents about drinking water quality are provided.

ExoGIS: An internet-based geographic information system in support of planetary science

The Canadian Space Agency (CSA) actively supports research projects in the field of planetary sciences that are carried out through the Canadian Analogue Research Network (CARN). CARNd projects provide the background data used in comparative studies of the Earth, Moon, and Mars. These studies require sophisticated tools for the visualization, manipulation, analysis, and interpretation of geospatial terrestrial and planetary databases. The large amount of data, gathered through current and future missions, must be managed for easy access by principal investigators, CSA staff, and stakeholders from government, universities, industry, and other space agencies. We are currently developing an internet-based geographic information system (WebGIS) that has three objectives: (i) to promote and facilitate research at analogue sites in Canada and other locations where CSA field deployments are carried out; (ii) to forge stronger links with the international Earth and planetary science community by sharing geospatial information; and (iii) to give visibility to the CSA in the field of analogue and planetary GIS. We propose building a WebGIS architecture according to the international standards developed by the Open Geospatial Consortium for terrestrial data, and the International Planetary Data Alliance for planetary bodies. To illustrate the versatility of WebGIS applications, we use an example based on the composition of lunar rocks produced from datasets acquired by Lunar Prospector and extracted from the Planetary Data System.

GIS-based geocoding methods for area-based addresses and 3D addresses in urban areas

For more than four decades, two address-matching methods, the street-based address geocoding method and address-point-matching method, have been used to identify geographical coordinates from postal addresses. However, street-based address geocoding methods developed for the US addressing system are not universally applicable in developing a single-portal geocoding middleware for worldwide Internet-based geographic information systems applications. Problems also exist with address-point matching especially in its capability to identify features and incorporate 3D locational data from 3D addresses for analysis of large public buildings, shopping centers or metro-subways, that exist in urban environments. To alleviate these problems, this paper details two alternative address-matching methods, an area-based address geocoding method and a 3D address geocoding method. The area-based address geocoding method is a 2D positioning method based on a 2D area-based address-matching technique. The 3D address geocodin...

Internet-Based GIS in an Inductive Learning Environment: A Case Study of Ninth-Grade Geography Students

This article reports the results of a qualitative case study that explored the use of Internet-based geographic information systems (IGIS) with ninth-grade geography students. The students worked in teams to examine the geography of Africa using IGIS resources with the instructional goal of developing a presentation on a significant issue facing one region or country. The purpose of this study was to explore the use of IGIS as a tool for integrating geospatial technologies into ninth-grade geography curriculum and instruction within an inductive learning environment. The findings for this study indicate that IGIS can be a successful tool for geography education in an inductive learning environment. Based on qualitative data collected through classroom observations, focus group interviews with students, student work samples, and a teacher journal, two assertions are offered: students perceived expanded freedom as a positive aspect of this IGIS project and IGIS projects such as this can lead to gains in students' cultural awareness and empathy for distant others.

A global organism detection and monitoring system for non-native species

Harmful invasive non-native species are a significant threat to native species and ecosystems, and the costs associated with non-native species in the United States is estimated at over $120 Billion/year. While some local or regional databases exist for some taxonomic groups, there are no effective geographic databases designed to detect and monitor all species of non-native plants, animals, and pathogens. We developed a web-based solution called the Global Organism Detection and Monitoring (GODM) system to provide real-time data from a broad spectrum of users on the distribution and abundance of non-native species, including attributes of their habitats for predictive spatial modeling of current and potential distributions. The four major subsystems of GODM provide dynamic links between the organism data, web pages, spatial data, and modeling capabilities. The core survey database tables for recording invasive species survey data are organized into three categories: “Where, Who & When, and What.” Organisms are identified with Taxonomic Serial Numbers from the Integrated Taxonomic Information System. To allow users to immediately see a map of their data combined with other user's data, a custom geographic information system (GIS) Internet solution was required. The GIS solution provides an unprecedented level of flexibility in database access, allowing users to display maps of invasive species distributions or abundances based on various criteria including taxonomic classification (i.e., phylum or division, order, class, family, genus, species, subspecies, and variety), a specific project, a range of dates, and a range of attributes (percent cover, age, height, sex, weight). This is a significant paradigm shift from “map servers” to true Internet-based GIS solutions. The remainder of the system was created with a mix of commercial products, open source software, and custom software. Custom GIS libraries were created where required for processing large datasets, accessing the operating system, and to use existing libraries in C++, R, and other languages to develop the tools to track harmful species in space and time. The GODM database and system are crucial for early detection and rapid containment of invasive species.

DIGITIZATION OF A HISTORIC DATASET: THE WIESLANDER CALIFORNIA VEGETATION TYPE MAPPING PROJECT

In the 1920s and 1930s Albert Everett Wieslander and several others explored much of California’s wilderness sampling vegetation, taking photographs, collecting specimens, and drawing detailed maps of what they found. The collection is now known as the Wieslander Vegetation Type Mapping (VTM) collection, and the entire survey encompassed nearly seventy million acres of the state, covering most of the wild areas exclusive of the deserts and the larger agricultural areas. These data represent a valuable resource for comparative and conservation ecology. We are digitizing the entire project, and making it available to researchers and the public. The current ‘‘VTM Digitization’’ Project, as it is known, is described in this article, and is a collaborative effort by teams at University of California Berkeley and University of California Davis, funded by the U.S. Forest Service and U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service. The VTM Digitization Project aims to digitize the entire VTM collection for use in ecological and geospatial analyses, and to facilitate access and distribution of the data by researchers and interested parties. This article describes our efforts at making the VTM plot data, maps and photographs digital, spatially referenced, readily available, and web-accessible via an Internet-based Geographic Information System (webGIS) application. In addition, we discuss potential uses for the data and caveats associated with its use, particularly spatial accuracy.

Integration of Mobile GIS and Wireless Technology for Coastal Management and Decision-Making

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) have become a crucial support tool for governmental decision makers at many levels. Internet-based GIS applications provide unique services for the presentation of spatial data and mapping products to a broad range of audiences. Furthermore, compact and portable mapping devices provide new opportunities for the expansion of Internet-based GIS applications. In this paper, we present results of the research and development of a web-based, mobile, spatial system for coastal management, and decision-making that integrates these technologies. The developed system consists of an on-site mobile spatial subsystem, a web-based shoreline erosion awareness subsystem, and a coastal structures permit subsystem. The system is designed and developed for applications in the Lake Erie area and has the potential to be adapted and applied in other coastal areas.

Web-based analytical tools for the exploration of spatial data

This paper deals with the extension of internet-based geographic information systems with functionality for exploratory spatial data analysis (esda). The specific focus is on methods to identify and visualize outliers in maps for rates or proportions. Three sets of methods are included: extreme value maps, smoothed rate maps and the Moran scatterplot. The implementation is carried out by means of a collection of Java classes to extend the Geotools open source mapping software toolkit. The web based spatial analysis tools are illustrated with applications to the study of homicide rates and cancer rates in U.S. counties.

An Internet-based geographic information system that integrates data, models and users for transportation applications

This paper is concerned with the development of an Internet-based geographic information system (GIS) that brings together spatio-temporal data, models and users in a single efficient framework to be used for a wide range of transportation applications – planning, engineering and operational. The functional requirements of the system are outlined taking into consideration the various enabling technologies, such as Internet tools, large-scale databases and distributed computing systems. Implementation issues as well as the necessary models needed to support the system are briefly discussed.

The Internet, the State Library and the Implementation of Statewide Information Policy

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) are used by government, researchers and businesses in a wide range of domains including economic development, environmental management, education, health, human services, infrastructure management, and disaster response. Most experts agree that the most expensive part of a GIS program is the creation of spatial data. Some estimate that as much as 80 percent of the cost of any application is attributable to the expenses of acquiring and geo-coding information (Thapa and Bosler, 1992). Often the information needs of different GIS applications overlap and data created by one organization can be used by others. Data sharing can therefore help reduce costs of GIS application development and yield considerable benefits and efficiencies. To achieve this purpose, the State of New York has implemented a GIS Coordination Program which features an Internet-based GIS Clearinghouse operated by the New York State Library (Dawes and Eglene, 1998). In this program, the Library acts as a critical implementer and value-added facilitator of an important new state information policy that has influence over spatial data development, exchange, and use at all levels of government and in the private and not-for-profit sectors. The Clearinghouse provides the conceptual framework and operational platform for a fully functioning data cooperative which is the heart of the New York State GIS Data Sharing Policy. The Library-based Clearinghouse has become the essential portal to many newly identified information resources. It organizes the data descriptions, provides a publicly available and easy-to-use means of access, promotes sharing, points the way to education and other services, and generally makes possible the vision of a living data resource.

Sharing environmental data across organisational boundaries: Lessons from the rural Wales terrestrial database project

Despite calls for a more collaborative approach to rural planning and policy making involving land use agencies in the British Isles, there remain few instances of formal inter-agency data exchange and integration to address applied management tasks. The well-rehearsed argument that Geographic Information Systems (GIS) present a technology whereby spatially consistent data from a variety of different sources can be integrated to address environmental problems is challenged by the lack of truly collaborative exercises of this nature. Potential reasons for this are outlined with reference to an early study – the Rural Wales Terrestrial Database (WALTER) project – in which we developed a GIS for a pilot area of Wales within a multi-agency framework. The technical and organisational problems encountered during the course of this project are addressed in relation to attempts at improving accessibility to digital data in the 10 years following the publication of the Chorley Report and in the light of recent technological developments such as the use of Internet-based GIS in collaborative planning. The WALTER project is seen as an important reminder of how a collaborative approach to data handling within a GIS environment can have proven and demonstrable benefits to the agencies concerned given appropriate organisational structures.