Systematic Photography Research Articles

Unbalanced or Absent: Assessing Indigenous Representation in Interpretive Materials at Government Administered Heritage Sites in Cascadia and Hawai‘i

ABSTRACT Unbalanced or absent Indigenous representation in interpretive materials at government administered heritage sites in settler-colonial contexts can create contention and perpetuate a misinformed or one-dimensional visitor experience and historical narrative. This research therefore examines representation in interpretive materials accessible in 2019 at heritage sites with Indigenous ancestral connections in settler-colonial contexts. This study uses 10 U.S. case study heritage sites and two supplementary sites in Washington, Idaho, and Hawai‘i. Researchers utilized participant observation and systematic photography during two 2019 research phases to document interpretive materials. Quantification generated 731 analytic units which were subsequently assessed for the presence of inductively and deductively generated codes. The assembled empirical results illustrate three overarching themes: (1) controlled historical narrative; (2) absence of shared authority; and (3) challenges in representing and/or integrating different ways of knowing. This research contributes to heritage studies and practical heritage site management in two ways: (1) offering a timely multi-sited and multicultural sample of settler-colonial heritage site interpretive materials comparable to other sites; and (2) illustrating empirical trends in interpretive materials that privilege settlers over Indigenous peoples. This research suggests that future interpretation could benefit from a more balanced multivocal approach that recognizes ancestral and contemporary Indigenous homelands and the complexity of Indigenous-settler interactions.

Development of a Dundee Ground Truth imaging protocol for recording indoor crime scenes to facilitate virtual reality reconstruction

Early and accurate visualisation of a crime scene is highly desirable such that a rapid, agile, and informed decision-making process can be undertaken by an investigative team. We present a new standard operating procedure for imaging an indoor scene using DSLR cameras conventionally used by crime scene investigators and examiners. The standard operating procedure (SOP) enables the systematic photography of indoor spaces in such a way that the Structure from Motion (SfM) photogrammetry technique can be implemented, allowing the scene to be recreated in Virtual Reality (VR). To demonstrate the method’s validity, we compare two VR-rendered representations of an example scene using (a) photographs taken by an experienced crime scene examiner using a conventional photographic method and (b) photographs taken by a novice photographer following the developed SOP.

The antarctica photography of Adriana Lestido

During early 2012, the Argentine photographer Adriana Lestido spent two months undertaking photography on the Argentine Peninsula of Antartica. Hers is the first systematic photography of the region, and it demonstrates the attempt to capture visually the fully range of that landscape. Our customary imaginary of the Antarctic landscape is very impoverished, one of ice and white snow, with some scattered fauna. Lestido’s systematic project reveals, by contrast, complex patterns of shifting climatic process and how shadow and light are far more complex than the conventional imaginary holds. A Guggenheim Foundation fellow, Lestido, who is known for her uncompromising photography of urban feminist social subjectivity, has, in a new phase of her work, turned to landscape photography and her Antarctica photographs constitute an highly original artistic undertaking to visualize how we might expand our understanding of the natural environment.

The cost-effectiveness of systematic screening for age-related macular degeneration in South Korea.

BackgroundInterventions that can facilitate early diagnosis of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) will facilitate early treatment and improve clinical outcomes but there has been concerns about additional medical costs to the health care system. An examination through a retina fundus photography by a non-specialist has been suggested as a potential cost-effective alternative to a direct examination by a specialist, but limited scientific data exists on the cost-effectiveness of screening strategies for AMD. Our objective is to conduct an economic evaluation of various population-wide screening strategies for AMD among the South Korean population.Methods and findingsUsing a Markov cohort model, we evaluated the cost-effectiveness of four AMD screening strategies (opportunistic examination, opportunistic treatment, systematic photography, and systematic examination) in comparison with status quo (no screening) for South Korean adults. We projected a life time horizon to study a hypothetical cohort of 100,00 persons of age 40 with and without AMD at baseline. The outcome measures were quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) gained, cost from the societal perspective, and the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) of each strategy. Interventions were evaluated at a willingness-to-pay (WTP) threshold of 30,000,000 KRW ($27,538) per QALY gained. Deterministic and probabilistic sensitivity analyses were conducted to address the model uncertainty. Opportunistic examination was strongly dominated because it generated fewer expected QALYs but incurred greater expected cost than the other screening strategies. The mean lifetime expected costs were 289,013 KRW, 363,692 KRW, 9,351,964 KRW, and 12,309,783 KRW, and the mean QALYs gained were 37.73, 37.75, 40.47, 40.68, for no screening, opportunistic treatment, systematic photography, and systematic examination, respectively. The results were most sensitive to the utility weight of mild AMD, the probability of complication from treatment, the cost of being in mild AMD, and the probability of recovery from complication. After eliminating the two weakly dominated strategies, systematic photography was cost-effective at the ICER of 3,310,448 KRW per QALY in comparison to status quo.ConclusionsUnder the WTP threshold of 30,000,000 KRW per QALY, systematic photography is cost-effective for screening AMD in South Korean adults. Systematic examination by ophthalmologists generates more expected QALY and cost compared to systematic photography.

Pattern of Oral Lesions in Tuberculosis Patients: A Cross-sectional Study

Introduction: The oral manifestations of tuberculosis form a unique clinical picture. Tuberculosis can occur in the mouth particularly involving the tongue with bizarre and unusual forms. The various manifestations of the oral tubercular lesions produce a distinct pattern of clinical picture and they show a predilection for certain areas of the mouth. Material and methods: This was a cross-sectional study primarily relying on the comparative assessment of the clinical appearance of the lesions found with that of the previously documented and well-described lesions in authoritative books and journals. A thorough case history specific to tuberculosis was gathered by the aid of a specifically structured proforma and a complete oral examination was done with systematic photography. Results: A total of 78 patients were examined, ranging from 13 to 80 years comprising of 69 male and nine female patients. Out of the 78 patients examined, only 57 had oral lesions. Twenty-one patients did not show any mucosal abnormality. Forty-six (60%) patients had pulmonary tuberculosis and 32 (40%) patients had extrapulmonary tuberculosis. Comorbidities present were predominantly diabetes mellitus in 12 patients, HIV infection in four patients, coronary artery disease in two patients, erosive gastric and liver disease in one patient and hypertension in one patient. Conclusion: Apart from the oral lesions that occur in a normal nontuberculosis patient group (the regular lesions) lesions peculiar to the tuberculosis group of patients were recorded. They comprised primarily of lip crusting lesions, ulcerations of buccal mucosa and palate. A soft tissue enlargement was found involving the tongue and the floor of the mouth and was diagnosed as ‘primary oral tuberculosis.’ Drug eruptions on the lips due to rifampicin were noted.

Field Science Ethnography: Methods for Systematic Observation on an Arctic Expedition

The Haughton-Mars expedition is a multidisciplinary project exploring an impact crater in an extreme environment to determine how people might live and work on Mars. This expedition to the Canadian High Arctic seeks to understand and field test Mars facilities, crew roles, operations, and computer tools. The author combines an ethnographic approach to establish a baseline understanding of how scientists prefer to live and work when relatively unencumbered, with a participatory design approach of experimenting with procedures and tools in the context of use. This article focuses on field methods for systematically recording and analyzing the expedition's activities. Systematic photography and time-lapse video are combined with concept mapping to organize and present information. This hybrid approach is generally applicable to the study of modern field expeditions having a dozen or more multidisciplinary participants, spread over a large terrain during multiple field seasons.

Remote-sensing Resources for Monitoring Glacier Fluctuations on Axel Heiberg Island

We document the abundant resources available for the photographic reconstruction of glacier terminus positions in the Canadian High Arctic, with particular reference to Axel Heiberg Island. Early terrestrial photographs may yet be discovered in the archives of explorers, but systematic photography of the High Arctic began with aerial coverage by the U.S. Air Force's Operation Polaris in the early 1940s. This oblique (trimetrogon) coverage was completed by the Royal Canadian Air Force in the early 1950s, and the coverage of vertical photography was completed in the late 1950s. Thereafter the resources become intermittent, but Axel Heiberg Island glaciers have been imaged quite frequently from the air. Visible-band satellite imagery is available from as early as 1962, but the number of useful archived images is limited by persistent, extensive cloud cover and, for some satellites, by distance of the region from ground receiving stations. Radar imagery, which is free of the cloud constraint, has recently become available both from the air and from space. We illustrate the potential of the photographic record by extending back to 1948 an earlier analysis of the terminus fluctuations of White and Thompson Glaciers. Analysis of an oblique photograph demonstrates a significantly more rapid retreat of White Glacier during 1948-60 than during 1960-95, while the advance of Thompson Glacier between 1948 and 1960, at 58 m/a, was almost three times faster than thereafter.