Mapping Project Research Articles

Toward a Sense of Place Unified Conceptual Framework Based on a Narrative Review: A Way of Feeding Place-Based GIS

Space and place are two of the main concepts in several fields of knowledge, such as human geography, environmental psychology, urban sociology, architecture, urban planning, and others. Space is an objective and structured concept. It is mainly a physical location characterized by measured dimensions and geographical coordinates, while place is a location that holds meaning and value for an individual or a group, created through the human experience and social interactions. Sense of place is thus a set of precepted meanings and attitudinal ties toward a place (conative, affective, and cognitive bonds). From a geospatial perspective, the subjective aspect of sense of place is difficult to depict in a cartographic projection. From this angle, Place-Based Geographic Information Systems represent a set of initiatives that attempt to combine the objectivity of spaces and the subjectivity of places in digital systems, and that integrate spatial semantic characteristics as described by places’ users. In this paper, the methodological approach is mainly based on a systematic analysis and search of the scientific literature. It is a narrative review inspired and based on a scoping review strategy following the JBI methodology and the PRISMA-ScR (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis Extension for Scoping Reviews) checklist. This bibliographic analysis is about understanding the characterization and the components of sense of place. Results take the form of a synthesis of the conceptual approaches most prominent in the literature, in addition to a conceptual model encompassing the full conceptual specificities of the sense of place concept.

MR study on white matter injury in patients with acute diquat poisoning

To explore the microstructural damage of white matter in acute diquat (DQ) poisoning patients using diffusion kurtosis imaging (DKI) and Tract-based Spatial Statistics (TBSS). This study included 19 DQ poisoning patients and 19 age-matched controls. MRI was performed using a 3.0 T Philips Achieva scanner with sequences including 3D T1WI, T2WI, DWI, 3D T2WI-FLAIR, and DKI (3 b-values, 15 directions). DICOM to NIFTI image form conversion was done using MRIcron's Dcm2niigui, followed by motion and eddy current correction with FSL to create a brain mask. Scalar indicators (MK, AK, RK, FAK) were calculated with DKE software. TBSS was used for spatial normalization, skeletonization, and projection of DKI indices for group analysis with TFCE for multiple comparison correction (P < 0.025). After the screening and enrollment process, 19 DQ-poisoned patients and 19 healthy volunteers were analyzed. No significant age or sex differences were found between groups. For Mean Kurtosis (MK), the right corticospinal tract showed a significant difference with a mean difference of 0.21 (95 % CI: 0.15-0.27) and P = 0.000503. Axial Kurtosis (AK) in the left superior longitudinal fasciculus had a mean difference of 0.18 (95 % CI: 0.12-0.24) and P = 0.0024. Fractional Anisotropy of Kurtosis (FAK) in the right corticospinal tract showed a mean difference of 0.19 (95 % CI: 0.13-0.25) and P = 0.0000318. Axial Kurtosis (AK) positively correlated with blood drug levels (r = 0.52, P < 0.05). Seven patients developed subcortical leukodystrophy, mainly in the frontal parietal lobe, with possible insular lobe involvement. DQ poisoning primarily damages the right corticospinal tract, right cingulate gyrus, and left superior longitudinal fasciculus, potentially causing movement and visual impairments. The injury involves demyelination and axonal degeneration, with asymmetrical damage between hemispheres. The left superior longitudinal fasciculus injury is dose-dependent, and unlike prior studies, dopaminergic nuclei were unaffected. The frontal parietal lobe is predominantly affected, with some insular lobe involvement in DQ poisoning patients.

RegBoost: Enhancing mouse brain image registration using geometric priors and Laplacian interpolation.

We show in this work that incorporating geometric features and geometry processing algorithms for mouse brain image registration broadens the applicability of registration algorithms and improves the registration accuracy of existing methods. We introduce the preprocessing and postprocessing steps in our proposed framework as RegBoost. We develop a method to align the axis of 3D image stacks by detecting the central planes that pass symmetrically through the image volumes. We then find geometric contours by defining external and internal structures to facilitate image correspondences. We establish Dirichlet boundary conditions at these correspondences and find the displacement map throughout the volume using Laplacian interpolation. We discuss the challenges in our standalone framework and demonstrate how our new approaches can improve the results of existing image registration methods. We expect our new approach and algorithms will have critical applications in brain mapping projects.

SP-TSA Spherical Projections and Tubular Surface Approximation for UAV Object Trajectory Estimation

SP-TSA Spherical Projections and Tubular Surface Approximation for UAV Object Trajectory Estimation

Regional-Scale Equidistance Optimizing Method Considering the Equidistance Patterns of Discrete Global Grid Systems

The Discrete Global Grid System (DGGS) provides a foundational framework for the digital Earth, where uniform intercell distances are essential for accurate numerical simulations. However, due to the spherical topology, achieving strictly equidistant spherical grid cells is impractical. Most existing studies have focused on regional scales, which are constrained by data acquisition limitations and render global equidistant optimization algorithms economically infeasible. The equidistant characteristics of cells are influenced by map projections and often exhibit regional variations. In this paper, we analyze these equidistant characteristics and construct an equidistant pattern for an icosahedral hexagonal DGGS. By integrating this pattern into the icosahedral orientation method, we develop a regional-scale equidistant optimization method for DGGS. Experiments on river network extraction in the Yangtze River Basin demonstrate significant improvements: the equidistance of grid cells covering the region increased by over 34.2%, while the accuracy of river network extraction improved by 51.41%. Moreover, this method is extensible to other grid models, enhancing the broader applicability of DGGS.

Our Experience about Shared Venous Hemodynamics Map (SVHM): A Least Common Denominator for Computerized Comparison of the Results of Chronic Venous Disease (CVD) Treatment.

Varicose veins, while frequently perceived as a cosmetic concern, should be evaluated within the broader context of chronic venous insufficiency (CVI) affecting the lower extremities. The Mappa Emodinamica Venosa Condivisa, Italian for Shared Venous Hemodynamics Map (MEVeC) project aims to provide an objective method for assessing the hemodynamic disorders underlying CVI and standardizing the evaluation of therapeutic interventions for lower extremity CVI. To achieve objective treatment assessment, it is essential to ensure uniform expertise among phlebologists and the ability to replicate comparable clinical outcomes. The study focused on patients with internal saphenous vein varices due to saphenous-femoral junction incompetence. Cases exhibiting non-saphenous reflux or incontinence perforating veins were excluded from the study cohort. Experienced medical practitioners conducted ultrasound Doppler scans and interventions on patients meeting specific inclusion criteria. These criteria included age, varix status, lifestyle, and Clinical Etiology Anatomy Pathophysiology (CEAP) classification. The study involved 40 limbs of patients in two groups, one undergoing traditional surgery and the other ablative laser treatment, with a six-month follow-up. Group A (surgical intervention) exhibited a 5% incidence of ostial reflux and no saphenous vein reflux. In contrast, Group B (laser ablation) showed a 15% incidence of ostial reflux and a 20% incidence of saphenous vein reflux, with only one instance exceeding 0.5 seconds. The reflux observed in Group A was attributed to a previously undisclosed incontinent pudendal sub-ostial vein. In Group B, two instances of ostial refluxes resulted from a common incontinent confluence of the epigastric vein with other collateral vessels, while the third case presented sub-ostial incontinence. Despite the absence of a standardized protocol for assessing the efficacy of diverse therapeutic interventions for Chronic Venous Disease (CVD), the MEVeC technique may offer a methodology to reproduce comparable clinical outcomes regardless of the treatment used. The primary objective of MEVeC is to quantitatively evaluate the hemodynamic disorders that are fundamental to the pathogenesis of chronic venous insufficiency, thereby facilitating standardized comparative analyses of outcomes across various Multidisciplinary Vascular Clinic (MVC) treatment strategies.

Нова интерактивна дигитална карта на българската дипломация от 1878 до 1914 г.

This article presents the first of its kind digital interactive mapping project of the modern Bulgarian diplomatic service from 1878 to 1914, titled “Mapping the Bulgarian Foreign Service”. The article places the project in the context of digital humanitarian studies, analyses its place in the historiographic discussions regarding the development of Bulgarian diplomacy, highlights some perspectives and challenges for the future of the project, as well as that of the field of digital humanities in Bulgaria.

Making of Mount Everest Map at swisstopo

Abstract. The Swiss Federal Office of Topography (swisstopo), along with many other contributors, produced a 1:50,000 Mount Everest map in 1988. This article focuses on the making of this map at swisstopo, which has not been presented in detail up to now. Today’s map production is mentioned for comparison. The article finishes off with some personal notes by the article author, a former trainee and later working mate of Francis Comtesse, the team leader of the Mount Everest map project at swisstopo.

Geological Survey of Brazil Spectral Library v. 1.0: Rock reflectance signatures in the visible to shortwave infrared range

Reflectance spectral libraries are essential reference databases for the mineralogical characterization of geological samples analyzed using visible and infrared spectroscopy. Since 2011, the Geological Survey of Brazil has been actively developing a comprehensive database of reflectance spectral signatures, based on samples collected from systematic geological mapping and mineral resource projects across the Brazilian territory. This spectral library is now available on a digital platform hosted by the Geological Survey of Brazil's geoscientific database, providing quantitative data for the numerical characterization of lithological types and their alteration products, whether due to weathering or hydrothermal processes.

Historical Bird Atlas and Contemporary Citizen Science Data Reveal Long‐Term Changes in Geographic Range of Kenyan Birds

ABSTRACTAimHistorical bird atlases provide comprehensive datasets for investigating long‐term changes in species' distribution. In the context of accelerating biodiversity loss, these datasets can lend critical insights into the state of bird distributions across broad spatio‐temporal scales and provide much‐needed information for impactful conservation. In Africa, the potential of atlas data to understand changes in avian populations remains largely untapped.LocationThis study mapped changes in national distribution patterns of 1088 bird species found in Kenya.MethodsTapping into one of the earliest atlas databases, this study compared Kenyan bird atlas data collected between 1970 and 1984 with recent citizen science data sourced from the Kenya Bird Map project and eBird to determine changes in ranges across 50 years. We produced maps displaying, for every 27 × 27 km square of the country, whether a species appeared, was present throughout both periods, or disappeared. We account for the change in data collection effort between the two periods by quantifying the confidence of the change for each square.ResultsThe maps produced for each species are publicly accessible through an interactive website: https://kenyabirdtrends.co.ke/. We found that related species tended to experience similar changes in their distribution ranges. The ranges of Palearctic migrants and scavengers declined drastically, while introduced birds experienced a significant range increase over the past 50 years.Main ConclusionsThis study demonstrates the potential of integrating recent citizen science data with historical atlas data to draw out the changes in range for all species at national level. The range contraction of Palearctic migrants and scavengers echoed corresponding drops in abundance at local, regional and global scales. These findings lend additional weight to the need for an increased conservation focus on migratory and scavenging birds in Kenya.

A target geolocation method using laser trilateration under ECEF frame with atmospheric refraction correction

ABSTRACT Target geolocation using UAVs is crucial for search and rescue missions. A method based on laser trilateration using the EO/IR pod on a UAV is proposed, with no deed for accurate camera orientation and reference maps that methods like aerial triangulation require. The target geolocation model is established using least square optimization, with additional steps to reduce errors, including 1) atmospheric refraction correction; 2) Earth Centered Earth Fixed (ECEF) frame usage to avoid length distortion introduced by map projection. Experimental validation at 15,000 m distance shows a 5.8 m geolocation error, offering a reliable and efficient alternative to existing methods.

Mapping Europe in war and peace, 1915–1919: B. C. Wallis and the 1919 Peoples of Austria-Hungary geographical handbook and atlas

The paper examines The Peoples of Austria-Hungary geographical handbook and the accompanying Atlas of Austria-Hungary, published by Britain's Naval Intelligence Division in 1919 and, in greater detail, the antecedent mapping and statistical studies of Bertie Cotterell Wallis, a London schoolteacher, who undertook to study Hungary's nationalities and demography from 1915 as part of the 1:1 M mapping project coordinated by Arthur Hinks in the Royal Geographical Society in London. The paper is the first study of a geographical handbook for World War I and the first to recognise Wallis's involvement and significance. The paper extends geographical studies of mapping and border-making in Europe during and after the First World War. The paper addresses the implications of Wallis's work on the 1919 Handbook and Atlas: for studies of geographical authorship and map making, understanding the nature of the British geographical community at this time, and for illuminating the connections between geography, mapping and military intelligence in Britain.

A Holistic Way to Understand the Determinants of Physical Activity in Urban New South Wales, Australia: A Codesigned Systems Mapping Project.

To meet the World Health Organization goal of reducing physical inactivity by 15% by 2030, a multisectoral system approach is urgently needed to promote physical activity (PA). We report the process of and findings from a codesigned systems mapping project to present determinants of PA in the context of urban New South Wales, Australia. A participatory conceptual mapping workshop was held in May 2023 with 19 participants working in education, transportation, urban planning, community, health, and sport and recreation. Initial maps were developed and refined using online feedback from the participants. Interviews were conducted with 10 additional policymakers from relevant sectors to further refine the maps. Two systems maps were cocreated, identifying over 100 variables influencing PA and their interconnections. Five settings emerged from the adults' map-social and community, policy, built environment and transportation, health care, and workplace-and 4 for the young people's map-family, school, transportation, and community and environment. The maps share similarities, such as regarding potential drivers within the transportation, community, and built environment sectors; however, the young people's map has a specific focus on the school setting and the adults' map on workplace and health care settings. Interviews with policymakers provided further unique insights into understanding and intervening in the PA system. This codesigned participatory systems mapping process, supplemented by stakeholder interviews, provided a unique opportunity to bring together stakeholders across sectors to understand the complexity within the PA system and begin to identify leverage points for tackling physical inactivity in New South Wales.

The Developing Human Connectome Project: A fast deep learning-based pipeline for neonatal cortical surface reconstruction

The Developing Human Connectome Project (dHCP) aims to explore developmental patterns of the human brain during the perinatal period. An automated processing pipeline has been developed to extract high-quality cortical surfaces from structural brain magnetic resonance (MR) images for the dHCP neonatal dataset. However, the current implementation of the pipeline requires more than 6.5 h to process a single MRI scan, making it expensive for large-scale neuroimaging studies. In this paper, we propose a fast deep learning (DL) based pipeline for dHCP neonatal cortical surface reconstruction, incorporating DL-based brain extraction, cortical surface reconstruction and spherical projection, as well as GPU-accelerated cortical surface inflation and cortical feature estimation. We introduce a multiscale deformation network to learn diffeomorphic cortical surface reconstruction end-to-end from T2-weighted brain MRI. A fast unsupervised spherical mapping approach is integrated to minimize metric distortions between cortical surfaces and projected spheres. The entire workflow of our DL-based dHCP pipeline completes within only 24 s on a modern GPU, which is nearly 1000 times faster than the original dHCP pipeline. The qualitative assessment demonstrates that for 82.5% of the test samples, the cortical surfaces reconstructed by our DL-based pipeline achieve superior (54.2%) or equal (28.3%) surface quality compared to the original dHCP pipeline.

Soil Organic Carbon Sequestration Potential Maps in the Russian Cropland

Adaptation of the farming systems that aim to store carbon in agricultural soils may be one of the ways to address global climate change. Current study aims were at estimating organic carbon sequestration in the Russian cropland at a soil depth of 0-30 cm by creating a series of maps. Data from global and national databases were used as the input data. Maps were generated in the framework of the FAO Global Soil Carbon Sequestration Map (GSOCseq) project according to the unified methodology using the RothC model to predict the rate of carbon sequestration in the period 2020–2040 under the business-as-usual scenario, as well as under sustainable soil management scenarios with a different increase in organic matter intake (+5, +10 and +20%) due to the use of carbon-saving practices. The total potential rate of sequestration by cropland of the Russian Federation in a layer of 0–30 cm under business-as-usual scenario can be estimated as 8.5 Mt/year, the estimate under sustainable soil management scenarios can reach up to 25.5 Mt/year. It is shown that the carbon sequestration by cropland of each zone of soil-ecological zoning (except for the light chestnut and brown semi-desert soils, where it around zero) and on a national scale are positive. The following regions have the greatest potential for sequestration: Altai Krai, Omsk Oblast, Novosibirsk Oblast, Krasnoyarsk Krai. In a number of subjects of the Russian Federation: the Krasnodar Territory, the Republic of Crimea, the Rostov Region, the Primorsky Territory, the Republic of Adygea and the Kaliningrad Region, measures should be taken to introduce the practice of sustainable management of soil resources.

Flood risk zone mapping and future projections for the Thamirabarani river basin, Southern India: insights from decadal rainfall trends and GIS-based analytical hierarchy process technique

Flood risk zone mapping and future projections for the Thamirabarani river basin, Southern India: insights from decadal rainfall trends and GIS-based analytical hierarchy process technique

Calcium change of transported soils from 1995 to 2010 in acid rain areas in China

Acid rain, a significant environmental threat, negatively impacts soil health and ecosystems. It can leach calcium (Ca) from soils, affecting plant growth and other ecological processes. China has experienced widespread acid rain, particularly in the southern regions. Two national geochemical mapping projects: Environmental Geochemical Monitoring Networks (EGMON) and China Geochemical Baselines (CGB), were conducted to establish baselines for soil Ca. This study compares these baselines to quantify Ca changes in China's acid rain areas from 1995 to 2010 and identify key controlling factors. Our analysis revealed a significant decrease in Ca content in transported soils across these regions during this period. Notably, the median Ca concentration in the top soil (TS) decreased from 0.47 % to 0.36 %, and in the deep soil (DS) from 0.39 % to 0.31 %. Areas experiencing Ca depletion contents were roughly twice as those with increases. Estimated net Ca change rates were −0.07 Pg/a for TS and 0.04 Pg/a for DS, indicating a net Ca loss of 1.25 Pg from the study region's top 125 cm of soil. This translates to a loss rate of 0.083 Pg/a or 0.026 g Ca2+ kg−1 soil per year. Calcium contents in transported soils were influenced by the interplay of acid rain, rainfall, and parent rocks. Acid rain could dissolve Ca from carbonate-rich rocks, enriching nearby rivers with Ca2+. Upon deposition, clay minerals in the soils could adsorb Ca2+, potentially increasing soil Ca content. However, intense acid rain (pH <5.0) could leach Ca2+ from the soil and outweigh the positive influence of parent carbonate-rich rocks, leading to Ca depletion. Additionally, in regions with sufficient rainfall (>1600 mm/a), combined with the leaching effect of acid rain, Ca content could decrease due to overall mobilization and transport out of the soil.

Qualitative curriculum mapping of technological skills

Most programs in higher education promise to develop some sort of technology or information literacy in their students (Oliver &amp; Jorre de St Jorre, 2018). This may include the ability to use specialised tools in their field or to think critically about the use and development of modern technologies. However, it is not always clear how these skills are actually developed within study units or subjects (Bone &amp; Ross, 2021; Oliver &amp; Jorre de St Jorre, 2018), which are often offered as separate modules within a program. On the other hand, curriculum mapping has become a popular method for tracking skill development throughout educational programs. However, mapping can sometimes result in box-ticking exercises (Bone &amp; Ross, 2021; Spencer et al., 2012), focusing on whether skills are present or absent in different subjects, based on the description of learning outcomes and the topics covered across individual subjects. Approaching curriculum mapping as a qualitative inquiry (Spencer et al., 2012) can help bridge the gap between formal descriptions of learning outcomes at the program and subject level, and the actual learning activities that students engage in. By following a progressive model of curriculum design (Knight, 2001), a qualitative perspective on curriculum mapping aims to identify skills development beyond their mere presence or absence. Instead, it seeks to explore how students are introduced to these skills, the range of opportunities they have to practice them at different levels of complexity, and how different activities connect to one another. Additionally, by combining multiple sources of information such as document and artifact analysis, interviews, and more, the mapping process can help uncovering barriers and enablers for curriculum reform that may not be apparent through simple box-ticking exercises. This poster will present an excerpt of a qualitative curriculum mapping project, focusing on how specialised data analysis tools are taught in two biology majors. It will highlight the challenges of fully integrating these tools across subjects to provide students with progressive opportunities for practice. Based on this specific case, this poster will provide examples of the type of information that can be collected and the kind of questions that can be addressed through a qualitative curriculum mapping process, depending on the particular needs of each program and the technological skills to be incorporated.

Global Spatial Projections of Forest Soil Respiration and Associated Uncertainties

The accurate prediction of global forest soil respiration (Rs) is critical for climate change research. Rs consists of autotrophic (Ra) and heterotrophic (Rh) respiration, which respond differently to environmental factors. Predicting Rs as a single flux can be biased; therefore, Ra and Rh should be predicted separately to improve prediction accuracy. In this study, we used the SRDB_V5 database and the random forest model to analyze the uncertainty in predicting Rs using a single global model (SGM) and Ra/Rh using a specific categorical model (SCM) and predicted the spatial dynamics of the distribution pattern of forest Ra, Rh, and Rs in the future under the two different climate patterns. The results show that Rs is higher under tropical and inland climatic conditions, while Rh fluctuates less than Ra and Rs. In addition, the SCM predictions better capture key environmental factors and are more consistent with actual data. In the SSP585 (high emissions) scenario, Rs is projected to increase by 19.59 percent, while in the SSP126 (low emissions) scenario, Rs increases by only 3.76 percent over 80 years, which underlines the need for SCM in future projections.

Membership inference attacks via spatial projection-based relative information loss in MLaaS

Machine Learning as a Service (MLaaS) has significantly advanced data-driven decision-making and the development of intelligent applications. However, the privacy risks posed by membership inference attacks (MIAs) remain a critical concern. MIAs are primarily classified into score-based and perturbation-based attacks. The former relies on shadow data and models, which are difficult to obtain in practical applications, while the latter depends solely on perturbation distance, resulting in insufficient identification performance. To this end, we propose a Spatial Projection-based Relative Information Loss (SPRIL) MIA to ascertain the sample membership by flexibly controlling the size of perturbations in the noise space and integrating relative information loss. Firstly, we analyze the alterations in predicted probability distributions induced by adversarial perturbations and leverage these changes as pivotal features for membership identification. Secondly, we introduce a spatial projection technique that flexibly modulates the perturbation amplitude to accentuate the difference in probability distributions between member and non-member data. Thirdly, this quantifies the distribution difference by calculating relative information loss based on KL divergence to identify membership. SPRIL provides a solid method to assess the potential risks of DNN models in MLaaS and demonstrates its efficacy and precision in black-box and white-box settings. Finally, experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of SPRIL across various datasets and model architectures. Notably, on the CIFAR-100 dataset, SPRIL achieves the highest attack accuracy and AUC, reaching 99.27% and 99.73%, respectively.