Information Visualization Methods Research Articles

Electronic tongue made of gelatin self-supporting films on printed electrodes to detect lactose

An electronic tongue was developed for the detection of lactose content in commercial foods. This was accomplished by employing optimized detection units comprised of gelatin films and information visualization methods for data analysis. The films incorporating gelatin, tannic acid, and zein, served as the basis for the sensors, whose electrodes were screen printed using carbon black ink. Self-supporting films were produced using various combinations of these materials, some of which had limited solubility in water (from 33% to 36%). They were hydrophobic and yielded reproducible electrical impedance spectra to be used as sensing units. Lactose detection experiments were conducted using various standard concentrations and commercial food samples. Capacitance decreased with lactose concentration at low frequencies, with films lacking a hydrophobic coating showing higher capacitance signals (exceeding 200 nF). Low limits of detection were obtained for the most sensitive films, as low as 2.03 × 10−19 mol/L, comparable to existing biosensors to detect lactose. Combining data from four sensing units in an electronic tongue allowed for the differentiation of lactose concentrations ranging from 1 × 10−20 mol/L to 1 × 10−6 mol/L using the interactive document mapping (IDMAP) projection technique, leading to a silhouette coefficient of 0.716. The discriminatory power of the electronic tongue was validated by distinguishing between lactose-containing and lactose-free food products. These findings highlight the potential of electronic tongues made with sustainable materials for applications in food quality assessment and lactose intolerance management.

PRACTICAL IMPLEMENTATION OF KAIZEN TECHNOLOGY IN THE FORMATION OF RESEARCH COMPETENCE OF FUTURE MANAGERS OF GENERAL SECONDARY EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS

The article presents kaizen technology in the process of forming the research competence of future managers of general secondary education institutions and highlights the stages of its practical implementation: motivational-stimulating, preparatory-organizational, content-research and reflective-conclusive.
 The motivational-stimulating stage involves a number of didactic activities aimed at increasing motivation for research activities and stimulating interest in this type of activity with the help of kaizen questions. The forms (mini-lectures, lecture-briefings, interactive seminars, express workshops, online meetings, kaizen trainings) and training methods (Q&A session, Buzz session, Incident process, Interactive&collaborative whiteboards) that are appropriate to apply at this stage have been determined.
 The preparatory-organizational stage includes: preparation of research tasks for master's students, which focus on the study of various aspects of the management activity of the head of general secondary education institutions (development of projects, cases); preparation of infographics of the process of asking kaizen questions; definition of topics for scientific and practical conferences of the graduation department; implementation of an individual approach by drawing up a schedule of research activities for each master's student; working out with master's students the method of setting goals (building a "tree of goals", visualization of the goal).
 The organization of work with master's students involves the use of forms (lectures, consultations) and teaching methods (methods of projects, cases, visualization of educational information, computer-oriented methods). The content-research stage involves the direct work of master's students on research tasks, projects, cases and constant improvement of this process. At this stage, it is advisable to conduct research workshops for master's students as a mix of theoretical presentations, practical actions and discussions on the proposed topics and selected issues. Forms (scientific-research workshops, independent work, consultations) and teaching methods (method of projects, cases, visualization of educational information, computer-oriented methods, interactive teaching methods, etc.) of this stage have been determined. The reflective-conclusive stage involves summarizing the results of the research work, reflection of the master's students regarding the correspondence of the obtained results to the set goal in research tasks and projects. At this stage, it will be appropriate to hold round tables, seminars in the form of a press conference, at which it is worth emphasizing the kaizen questions of two groups: 1) personal-oriented kaizen questions; 2) perspective-oriented kaizen questions. It was found that the organization of work with master's students at this stage involves the use of forms (round tables, seminars in the form of a press conference) and methods of reflection (Q&A session, Buzz session, the method "Increase in knowledge and achievements", "Steps to success", "I want to praise myself for the fact that...", as well as the method of information visualization, computer-oriented methods).

Skill analysis of library and information science professionals

This paper investigated professional skills for library and information science (LIS) professionals based on the American Library Association (ALA) job website. The study identified job categories and library types, examined required soft skills and professional skills, and analyzed the relationships between professional skills and job categories, and the relationships between professional skills and library types as well. Data mining, subject analysis, and information visualization methods were used in the study. The findings of this study show that the LIS field demands a wide range of comprehensive professional skills. In total, over 160 distinct professional skill requirements and 24 skill themes were uncovered. Across various LIS job categories, an average of 8.84 professional skill themes per job category was found to be necessary for success. Among these skill themes, certain ones stood out as particularly in-demand, including: Productivity Software, MARC Standards and Guidance, Integrated Library Automation, Programming, and Data Analysis. Furthermore, it was observed that the specific professional skill requirements varied across different types of libraries. Notably, Academic/Research (College/University) libraries and Public Libraries stood out as two types that demanded a broader range of professional skill themes compared to other types of libraries. The findings of this research study can inform library and information science researchers, educators, and professionals to better understand the LIS professional skill requirements, improve existing curricular systems, and develop new courses to meet the job market needs.

Computationally Efficient Labeling of Cancer-Related Forum Posts by Non-clinical Text Information Retrieval

Modern societies produce vast amounts of digital data and merely keeping up with transmission and storage is difficult enough, but analyzing it to extract and apply useful information is harder still. Almost all research within healthcare data processing is concerned with formal clinical data. However, there is a lot of valuable but idle information in non-clinical data too; this information needs to be retrieved and activated. The present study combines state-of-the-art methods within distributed computing, text retrieval, clustering, and classification into a coherent and computationally efficient system that is able to clarify cancer patient trajectories based on non-clinical and freely available online forum posts. The motivation is: well informed patients, caretakers, and relatives often lead to better overall treatment outcomes due to enhanced possibilities of proper disease management. The resulting software prototype is fully functional and build to serve as a test bench for various text information retrieval and visualization methods. Via the prototype, we demonstrate a computationally efficient clustering of posts into cancer-types and a subsequent within-cluster classification into trajectory related classes. Also, the system provides an interactive graphical user interface allowing end-users to mine and oversee the valuable information.

Research on the brand image of iOS and Android smart phone operating systems based on mixed methods.

To analyze the differences in system functions, interaction behaviors and user experience between iOS and Android smart phone operating system, and then study the differences in their brand images, so as to provide theory and research method for shaping corporate brand images from the perspective of product interaction design. This study was divided into three stages. In the first stage, the functional information architecture of iOS and Android smart phone operating system are studied comparatively by using information visualization methods. In the second stage, the brand image differences between the two systems at the explicit, behavioral and semantic levels are analyzed comparatively by building the "explicit - behavioral - semantic" product brand gene model. In the third stage, the functions of "setting alarm clock", "sharing pictures" and "modifying passwords" were selected for interactive behavior analysis. First, analyze the user experience of the three system functions from the perspective of interaction process and information architecture, and present the analysis results using the method of information visualization.; Secondly, the user experience and brand image differences between the two systems are analyzed by setting up manipulation task experiments. The brand images of iOS and Android systems are similar in conciseness, clearness and efficiency; In terms of uniqueness, iOS system is more unique, while Android system has stronger applicability. This study constructs an "explicit-behavior-semantic" brand gene model to create a unique product brand image for software products such as operating systems through interactive design, so as to solve the problem of product brand image homogeneity caused by the convergence of function and interaction design.

The science of team science (SciTS): An emerging and evolving field of interdisciplinary collaboration

In recent years, collaboration within a team to solve complicated scientific and social problems has attracted growing popularity. In particular, many complex challenges and opportunities require expertise and skills across disciplinary, organizational, and cultural boundaries. However, rapid growth in the demand for scientific collaboration has outpaced changes in the factors needed to support scientific teams. Also, scientific results are not simply a combination of different working results; understanding how teams work and what causes them to fail or succeed is of the utmost importance. Thus, the Science of Team Science (SciTS), an emerging interdisciplinary research area, has emerged as a way of understanding and managing the circumstances that facilitate or hinder the effectiveness of large-scale cross-disciplinary, collaborative research, training, and translational initiatives. SciTS integrates various quantitative and qualitative research methods and is still advancing in its sophistication. Using bibliometric and information visualization methods, this paper clarifies the concepts and connotations of teams and team science. It sets out important events in the emergence and development of SciTS and summarizes the characteristics of the SciTS literature, identifying seven main research areas. The paper concludes with a discussion on the challenges facing the future advancement of SciTS and corresponding recommendations for breaking through these bottlenecks. Our goal is to deepen researchers’ understanding of SciTS and better inform the policies and practices that govern SciTS for more effective team science.

Visualization and Object Detection Based on Event Information.

A dynamic vision sensor is an optical sensor that focuses on dynamic changes and outputs event information containing only position, time, and polarity. It has the advantages of high temporal resolution, high dynamic range, low data volume, and low power consumption. However, a single event can only indicate that the increase or decrease in light exceeds the threshold at a certain pixel position and a certain moment. In order to further study the ability and characteristics of event information to represent targets, this paper proposes an event information visualization method with adaptive temporal resolution. Compared with methods with constant time intervals and a constant number of events, it can better convert event information into pseudo-frame images. Additionally, in order to explore whether the pseudo-frame image can efficiently complete the task of target detection according to its characteristics, this paper designs a target detection network named YOLOE. Compared with other algorithms, it has a more balanced detection effect. By constructing a dataset and conducting experimental verification, the detection accuracy of the image obtained by the event information visualization method with adaptive temporal resolution was 5.11% and 4.74% higher than that obtained using methods with a constant time interval and number of events, respectively. The average detection accuracy of pseudo-frame images in the YOLOE network designed in this paper is 85.11%, and the number of detection frames per second is 109. Therefore, the effectiveness of the proposed visualization method and the good performance of the designed detection network are verified.

Применение МСА 570 (пересмотренный) «Непрерывность деятельности» для оценки даты объективного банкротства

Bookkeeping expertise unites many areas of the economy. The issues of objective bankruptcy affect accounting, analysis and external audit. The purpose of the work was to analyze the possibility of taking into account the auditors’ conclusions meeting the requirements of ISA 570 (revised) by the heads of the audited organizations and experts (especially assessing the date of objective bankruptcy) and to propose a variant of taking into account the provisions of international auditing standards in expert practice. Methods of retrospective and comparative analysis, expert assessments, as well as tabular methods of information visualization were used. A historical excursus and an overview of scientific works of the researchers who studied application of the principle of the activity continuity in the Russian audit are given. On the basis of the analysis and statistics the conclusion about the subtleties of taking into account the auditor's opinion on business continuity and the possibilities of applying ISA 570 (revised) norms in expert work is drawn. The obtained results are connected with understanding of increasing complexity in the development of external audit standards. The conclusion of the study is as follows: heads of organizations and bankruptcy experts can benefit from independent study and application of certain norms of relevant standards. In particular, it is worth presenting the signs that raise doubts about the assumption of the business continuity in the form of indicators. It is also important to take into account the possibilities of using the auditor's questionnaires developed to meet the requirements of the standards for the expert to receive additional information about the feasibility of the enterprises plans to overcome the crisis when determining the date of objective bankruptcy.

Sex-Specific Human, Agent, and Environment-Related Interactions in Traumatic Brain Injury: Utility of The Haddon Matrix

<h3>Research Objectives</h3> To explore sex differences in the Host, the Agent, and the Environment utilizing computational analysis of traumatic brain injury (TBI) events. <h3>Design</h3> The retrospective population-based study utilized province-wide population-based decade-long health administrative data collected through the routine operation of the publicly funded health system in Ontario, Canada. <h3>Setting</h3> We used a previously established cohort of patients discharged between the fiscal years 2007/2008 and 2015/2016 from acute care and from the emergency department (ED) with diagnoses of TBI. <h3>Participants</h3> We drew upon health records of 235,003 unique patients (57% male) with TBI and the same number of reference patients without TBI, who were individually matched based on sex, age, place of residence, and income level, to organize factors associated with the TBI event. We dissected complex and multidimensional TBI event data by exploiting data mining and information visualization methods in male and female patients separately. We adopted concepts of the Haddon Matrix (Human, Agent, Environment) to organize injury event factors and compare TBI events of male and female patients. <h3>Interventions</h3> Not applicable. <h3>Main Outcome Measures</h3> Sex differences in the health status of the Host, the Agent, and the Environment at the TBI event phase. <h3>Results</h3> Based on perceived similarities, the computational technique detected 35 injury event-related factors, allowing observation of a set of definable patterns within the Host, the Agent, and the Environment. We uncovered significant sex-based differences in Host, Agent, and Environment patterns. We found that the Host's health status is of great importance to injury severity, and the Agent and the Environment have implications for external causes of injury. <h3>Conclusions</h3> Study findings support the utility of computational data mining in examining patterns of information within the TBI event. <h3>Author(s) Disclosures</h3> Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) under Award Number R21HD089106 and the National Institute Of Neurological Disorders And Stroke of the NIH under Award Number R01NS117921 and partially by Canada Research Chair Programs.

Information visualization method for intelligent construction of prefabricated buildings based on P-ISOMAP algorithm

Abstract Prefabricated buildings are assembled from factory prefabricated parts, components, and materials transported to the construction site. Its construction process is often called “building blocks”, and the focus is on “prefabrication” and “assembly”. This paper aims to study how to analyze and study the intelligent construction of prefabricated buildings based on the P-ISOMAP algorithm, and describe the information visualization. This paper presents the problem of information visualization, which is based on the P-ISOMAP algorithm and BIM technology. Therefore, the concepts and related algorithms of the two are expounded, and the case design and analysis of the information visualization of the intelligent construction of prefabricated buildings are carried out. The experimental results show that in the questionnaire survey, 87.61% hope to visualize architectural-related information, 82.30% of structural information, and 91.15% of model display, all of which are very high. The information visualization of intelligent construction meets the needs of the masses. In addition to guiding the assembly of prefabricated components, informatization is also convenient for manufacturing and quality management. According to the data generated by real-time monitoring during the construction process, the construction period and the construction material plan are controlled. In the completion stage, these data can be directly exported to complete the completion report for completion acceptance.

Trends in Synthetic Biology in the Bioeconomy of Non-Food-Competing Biofuels

Despite the acknowledged relevance of renewable energy sources, biofuel production supported by food-related agriculture has faced severe criticism. One way to minimize the considered negative impacts is the use of sources of non-food biomass or wastes. Synthetic biology (SB) embraces a promising complex of technologies for biofuel production from non-edible and sustainable raw materials. Therefore, it is pertinent to identify the global evolution of investments, concepts, and techniques underlying the field in support of policy formulations for sustainable bioenergy production. We mapped the SB scientific knowledge related to biofuels using software that combines information visualization methods, bibliometrics, and data mining algorithms. The United States and China have been the leading countries in developing SB technologies. The Technical University of Denmark and Tsinghua University are institutions with higher centrality and have played prominent roles besides UC Los Angeles and Delft University Technology. We identified six knowledge clusters under the terms: versatile sugar dehydrogenase, redox balance principle, sesquiterpene production, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, recombinant xylose-fermenting strain, and Clostridium saccharoperbutylacetonicum N1-4. The emerging trends refer to specific microorganisms, processes, and products. Yarrowia lipolytica, Oleaginous yeast, E. coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Phaeodactylum tricornutum, and Microalgae are the most prominent microorganisms, mainly from the year 2016 onward. Anaerobic digestion, synthetic promoters, and genetic analysis appear as the most relevant platforms of new processes. Improved biofuels, bioethanol, and N-butanol are at the frontier of the development of SB-derived products. Synthetic biology is a dynamic interdisciplinary field in environmentally friendly bioenergy production pushed by growing social concerns and the emergent bioeconomy.

Bioethanol Producing from Sorghum Crops

The relevance of the article lies in a comprehensive analysis of the trend in the production of biofuels from crop products in Ukraine and other countries of the world. The purpose of the research was to justify on the basis of research by both their own and many authors that sorghum varieties are extremely important in cultivation due to changes in soil and climatic conditions. When conducting research, we used generally accepted methods, techniques and DSTU, in particular: the method of comparison, analysis and synthesis, laboratory and field. Computer methods of information processing and visualization of research results using the Microsoft Office program were also used. According to the results of research, it was found that with less favorable temperature conditions and moisture supply in 2020 yr., grain sorghum crops formed a yield depending on the hybrid in the range of 2.1-6.9 t/ha, in a more favorable year for these indicators in 2021 yr. it was at the level of 6.9-14.5 t/ha, and on average for two years it was in the range of 4.5-10.7 t/ha. Performance stability was determined in the U 60117 IG and Bianca hybrids. On average, over two years, the theoretical yield of biofuels, depending on the hybrid, ranged from 2216 up to 5199 l/ha with a starch content in the grain of more than 75%. The highest estimated alcohol yield per unit area was in the grain sorghum hybrid U 60116 IG, which combines a stable yield (10.7 t/ha) with a high starch content in the grain (75%). Treatment of sugar sorghum crops with biologics and microfertilizers had a positive effect on the yield of structural units per hectare: compared to the control, the yield of leaves during organic balance processing increased by 2.66 t/ha, the yield of panicles – by 1.56 t/ha, and stems – by 3.64 t/ha. The increase in the conditional yield of sugars relative to the control of treatment with Quantum microfertilizers was 0.354 t/ha, organic balance – 0.417 t/ha, and with their combined action – 1.143 t/ha, which was the maximum value

Research on Information Visualization Design for Reducing Cognitive Anxiety during the Epidemic

Purpose: To reduce people’s cognitive anxiety during the special period of the epidemic through the use of information visualization methods, and to build a psychological construction for correct understanding of the epidemic. Methods: Analyze the causes of cognitive anxiety, and propose to reduce cognitive anxiety through data screening and display and visualization design in information visualization design, to reduce people’s cognitive anxiety in emergencies. Conclusion: Through the design of the new coronary pneumonia epidemic data visualization network platform, it provides a valuable model for the research on how to reduce cognitive anxiety through information visualization design.

Formation of a generalized semantic network of concepts

The subject of research is the features of formation of a generalized semantic network of concepts. The purpose of article is to substantiate the composition and main types of nodes and relationships characteristic of the semantic network of concepts, as well as the formation of a generalized semantic network of concepts for structural and linguistic recognition of images in computer systems and networks. Research methods: methods of the theory of mathematical logic, mathematical linguistics and set theory; methods of information visualization using graphs. Results: an approach to the formation of a generalized semantic network of structural and linguistic concepts of contour images of objects obtained at different shooting angles is proposed; the substantiation of the composition and types of nodes and relations, characteristic of the semantic network of concepts, has been carried out; the basic principles of constructing a semantic network of structural and linguistic concepts of recognition objects are formulated. Conclusions: To construct an image description that corresponds to the concept of semantic information processing and can be used in systems for collecting relevant images in computer systems and networks, it is advisable to use a structural-linguistic approach to recognition using a generalized semantic network of concepts. The use of this network in the classification and identification of objects can significantly expand the range of images accepted for consideration, taking into account different directions of shooting and different angles of camera deviation from nadir position.

An underground information visualization method and its deep shaft application

With the development and utilization of underground space, the emergence of visualization technology and the increasing amount of associated information, underground engineering information visualization has become increasingly relevant and important. However, at present, information visualization problems are commonly encountered during the process of visualization expression of underground engineering information. These problems include monotonous visualization form, color matching ignoring visual perception, and spatial occlusion reducing information readability. These issues not only reduce the visualization effect and the efficiency of information acquisition, but they are also associated with certain safety issues. In view of the problems that exist in underground engineering information visualization, the aim of this paper was to provide a theoretical basis applicable to cases in order to improve the visualization expression of underground spatial information. This paper conducted research from two perspectives: the visualization principle and the visualization method. The No. 1 shaft deep foundation pit of the Shanghai hard X-ray project was used as the engineering background in order to realize the visual display, analysis, and early warning of the engineering data of the foundation pit project.

Research on Emotional Factors and Emotional Experience of Information Graphic Design in Visual Communication Design

Objectives: With the development of the Internet and the change of the mode of communication, information is disseminated on a large scale in a very short time. Everyone is surrounded by information. Whoever has the information will have the first chance. Methods: Interactive information visualization design provides more space for independent thinking while conveying information and emotion to users. The public has more strict requirements on visual communication design. Only graphic design incorporating emotional factors can gain public recognition and bring visual impact and spiritual enjoyment to the audience. Results: As the most common and common way of transmitting information, visual communication conveys and transmits information in a form that people can visually recognize. As more cutting-edge design concepts spread within the design circle, many designers are beginning to learn and understand information visualization design. Conclusion: This article will explore the emotional factors and emotional experiences of graphical graphic design in visual communication design through rich and specific information visualization methods.

Designing a Teaching Assistant System for Physical Education Using Web Technology

An efficient and effective management is mandatory for the success of every organization, especially educational institutes. Following the course curriculum and completing it in time are beneficial for the students and the colleges’ reputation in educational institutes. In this paper, intelligent management of physical education curriculum is designed using a Web-based teaching assistant system. The multilayer designed system provides convenience for teachers and students of health and physical education. The data layer collects input data from users and transmits it to the storage layer after being compiled by the decoder. The layer uses memory to save the transmitted data and integrate the saved data into the expansion chip and transmit it to the transmission layer. The Web server at this layer outputs the transmitted data in the form of an HTML structure file through a CGI program and feeds back the output to the browser of the application layer. The man-machine interaction interface of the application layer uses a large-scale hierarchical information visualization method to show data on the browser to users. The experimental results show that the system has comprehensive functions, fast processing speed, and low energy consumption. It has a good page display effect, which is in line with the user’s visual cognition; the recall rate of curriculum scheduling data and curriculum selection data is always higher than 96%, and the data analysis ability is excellent.

Оцінка сформованості фахових компетентностей

The article considers the actual problem of pedagogical diagnostics of the formation of professional competencies of engineering students. Based on a thorough analysis of the educational and professional program "Electrotechnics, electric power engineering and electromechanics" twelve professional competencies were identified, they were correlated with the program results defined in the state standard and possible diagnostic tools were proposed, such as tasks on virtual stands, tasks on physical stands, professional-focused tasks. Such an approach was due to the understanding that professional competencies are cross-curricular in nature, and the possession of them involves not only acquired knowledge, skills and abilities, but also the ability to use them in future professional activities, understanding its content and having the ability to overcome problems arising in production. A method of assessment of professional competencies is proposed, which is based on the principle of differentiation and foresees testing each specific competence using three diagnostic tools, which provided the identification of the level of the fundamental and practical knowledge, ability to work with equipment and solve unusual situations that may arise in production. The following methods were used in the study. Theoretical - analysis and synthesis of research related to pedagogical diagnostics, works in which methods of information visualization are analyzed; design for the development of a program-designer "star of competencies" using the software package MATLAB. Empirical - expert assessment to identify tools for diagnosing the formation of professional competencies common among teachers; diagnostics of formation of professional competences of students by means of testing, interrogation. The visual image of the "competence star" is offered, which allowed to solve a number of tasks: to provide ease and speed of perception of the learning outcome; informational content due to the simultaneous presentation of the results of the formation of twelve competencies and the ability to analyze each separately; to realize better the level of achievements according to the formation of the program results defined in the educational standard.

Some Aspects of Statistical and Scientific Data Visualization

The purpose of the article is to research, analysis and consider the general problems and perspectives for the use of existing methods of statistical and analytical information visualization. The research methods are methods of semantic analysis of the basic concepts of the considered subject area (visualization of statistical and scientific data). The article discusses approaches to information visualization. The novelty of the research is the analysis of the mathematical and statistical apparatus that can be used to visualize statistical and scientific data and describe some aspects of visualization. Conclusions. The research conducted in the article concludes that the paper explores existing views on data visualization, which is a representation of some data in a graphical form and can be used for marketing activities, as well as types of infographic objects and criteria for its creation. Taking into account the results of the analysis, the authors decided to develop a software product for the visualization of statistical and scientific data, determined its mathematical justification.

Геоинформационные исследования и картографирование растительности (дайджест по материалам конференции Интеркарто. Интергис. 1994–2020)

Proceedings of the International conference (ИнтерКарто. ИнтерГИС, Russia) devoted to geographical information systems for sustainable development of territories have been published annually since 1994. The articles discuss theoretical and methodological aspects of geoinformation support for environmental, economic and social aspects of sustainable de­velop­ment, issues of geoinformatics, cartography, remote sensing of the Earth, problems of environmental sustainability and environmental impact assessment. Over a quarter of a century, the conference proceedings got more than 125 articles related to the use of geoinformation technologies to the study and mapping of vegetation. The review of proceedings gives the concrete examples how to solve problems of vegetation mapping using GIS, it is focused on publications providing some examples of GIS appli­cation to the vegetation studies. The review is organized into thematic sections according the field of application of Geoinformatics: 1.Vegetation, 2. Dynamics, state and ecological functions of vegetation, 3. Biodiversity and its assessment, 4. Plant resources, 5. Monitoring of vegetation. The Vegetation section contains publications on vegetation studies and mapping performed for some regions of Russia — the North of the Far East, the Republic of Sakha (Yaku­tia), the Tyva Republic, Central Siberia, and others. More than half of the articles are devoted to vegetation dynamics, state and ecological functions of vegetation at different hierarchical levels. Some papers present the results of the studies based on new types of information sources (photographs) and visualization methods (animation). The use of geoinformation technologies to study biological diversity was included in the agenda of five conference sessions and later reflected in more than ten publications. They cover the development and creation of GIS, the use of geoinformation technologies for the analysis, assessment and mapping of biodiversity, for its monitoring and conservation. Quite a large number of articles are devoted to the study of forest resources. GIS technologies were used to solve problems of forest management, cartometric analysis of forested areas, determination of taxation indicators, systematization of forest conditions, etc. Examples of geoinformation versatile research for medicinal plant resources are given to assess their quality, resources and productivity in the region, to identify growing areas, including ones to be protected. Most of the published materials concerning to vegetation monitoring mainly relate to forests and forest management.