Applications in geographical information technology: an introduction to this special issue

Maps and mapping are the manifestation of geography for the great bulk of the population. These play a key role in society and underpin many functions of the state. The situation is particularly marked in Britain, both in war and peace, where the Ordnance Survey (the country's national mapping agency) has been central to national mapping for more than two centuries. It is no exaggeration to say that mapping underpins many of the activities of society, especially in Britain. The collation, visualisation and analysis of geographical information through maps are intimately intertwined. Since British geography and British geographers have been involved in all aspects of mapping and its successor, this chapter covers both academic and non-academic aspects of the subject area. This chapter examines the geographical underpinning of British society and its radical transformation, Geographical Information Systems and information technology and non-trivial cartography.

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Geo-Informatics in Resource Management

ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information ◽

10.3390/ijgi9110628 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 9 (11) ◽

pp. 628

Author(s):

Francisco Javier Mesas-Carrascosa

Keyword(s):

Resource Management ◽

Natural Resource Management ◽

Natural Resource ◽

Geographical Information Systems ◽

Global Navigation Satellite Systems ◽

Geographical Information ◽

Special Issue ◽

Satellite Systems ◽

Global Navigation Satellite ◽

Decision Making Tool

Natural resource management requires reliable and timely information available at local, regional, national, and global scales. Geo-informatics, by remote sensing, global navigation satellite systems, geographical information systems, and related technologies, provides information for natural resource management, environmental protection, and support related to sustainable development. Geo-informatics has proven to be a powerful technology for studying and monitoring natural resources as well as in generating predictive models, making it an important decision-making tool. The manuscripts included in this Special Issue focus on disciplines that advance the field of resource management in geomatics. The manuscripts showcased here provide different examples of challenges in resource management.

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Spatially Supported Disaster Management: Introduction to the Special Issue “GI for Disaster Management”

ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information ◽

10.3390/ijgi9050314 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 9 (5) ◽

pp. 314

Author(s):

Orhan Altan ◽

Tullio Joseph Tanzi ◽

Madhu Chandra ◽

Filiz Sunar ◽

Lena Halounová

Keyword(s):

Information System ◽

Geographical Information System ◽

Disaster Management ◽

Geographical Information ◽

Special Issue

This special issue explores most of the scientific issues related to spatially supported disaster management and its integration with geographical information system technologies in different disaster examples and scales [...]

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Safety Assessment of Tunnel Portals for Site Selection Based on Spatial Information Geoprocessing

Infrastructures ◽

10.3390/infrastructures4040070 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 4 (4) ◽

pp. 70

Author(s):

Iau-Teh Wang

Keyword(s):

Information Technology ◽

Slope Stability ◽

Site Selection ◽

Spatial Information ◽

Slope Instability ◽

Geographical Information ◽

Site Evaluation ◽

The Stability ◽

Slice Method ◽

Spatial Information Technology

The evaluation of portal locations for mountain tunnels is among the most crucial considerations during route selection and structural layout planning. The development of spatial information technology has provided a more objective approach for assessing the slope stability of potential portal sites. The simulations in such studies have been performed to evaluate potential hazards and slope stability. However, potential instabilities resulting from excavation are seldom considered in these studies. Therefore, a method based on spatial information technology was developed in this study for considering the potential impact of the direction and depth of excavations on portal stability. An analysis method for an infinite slope was integrated into the geographical information system for evaluating the stability of critical wedges. The proposed method provides a reasonable estimation comparable with that provided by the conventional slice method. The results of applying this method to six mountain tunnel portals where slope instability occurred during construction indicate that the actual outcomes agreed with the predicted outcomes. For potential portal site evaluation, the proposed method facilitates the rapid estimation of safety factors for various slope designations, which is useful for site selection.

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