Mapping maleficia: The borders of witchcraft and a woman’s world through the with trials of Zug, Switzerland, 1737-1738

This thesis argues that the witch trial of Zug, Switzerland, held between August of 1737 and January of 1738 provides a window into the world and spatial conceptualizations of lower status Catholic women living in eighteenth-century Switzerland. Through the examination of the accounts of the accused, the realities and fantasies held by these women are laid bare in the narratives of witchcraft they constructed, informing their interactions with the world around them. The marginal spaces of the Canton of Zug and the broader Swiss context were the backdrop to localized and broader diabolical concepts of witchcraft. Geographic information systems (GIS) databases and maps of the accused’s worlds as demonstrated through the trial record were created, allowing for the visualization of the records. These maps demonstrate that the boundaries of these women’s worlds were intrinsically tied to their regional Catholic identities, forming the basis of their interactions with the world around them.

THE STUDY OF THE CURRENT STATE OF THE SOIL COVER OF THE AKSHAT RURAL COUNTY OF WEST KAZAKHSTAN REGION ON THE BASIS OF GIS TECHNOLOGIES

The rational use and protection of soils in market conditions requires adequate application of new scientific and methodological approaches. One of such systematic-analytical methods of soil cadastre organizations is a combination of traditional terrestrial methods with technologies of geoinformation systems (GIS) based on extensive use of satellite images in different resolutions. The aggregate of information necessary for mapping soil cover patterns and their quantification has been described in GIS databases. Data integration has been realized through the spatial and attributive component in the form of: the results of topographic and thematic maps. At the same time, the creation of attributive GIS databases involves the digitization of thematic maps tied into a single cartographic projection (as a topographic map with a scale of 1: 50 000). As a result of the study, thematic maps and attributive databases of GIS of soils were formed. As a result of research, based on GIS technology, a digital soil map of the Akshat rural county of the Chingirlau district of the West Kazakhstan region has been developed using the ArcGIS software product.

Information Exchange between GIS and Geospatial ITS Databases Based on a Generic Model

This study aims to improve interoperability between Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and geospatial databases for Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS). Road authorities maintain authoritative information for legal and safe navigation in GIS databases. This information needs to be shared with ITS databases for route planning and navigation, and for use in combination with local knowledge from vehicle sensors. Current solutions for modelling and exchanging geospatial information in the domains of GIS and ITS have been studied and evaluated. Limitations have been pointed out related to usability in the GIS domain and flexibility for representing an evolving real world. A prototype for an improved information exchange model has been developed, based on ISO/TC 211 standards, Model Driven Architecture (MDA), and concepts from the studied solutions. The prototype contains generic models for feature catalogues and features, with implementation schemas in the Geography Markup Language (GML). Results from a case study indicated that the models could be implemented with feature catalogues from the ITS standard ISO 14825 Geographic Data Files (GDF) and the INSPIRE Transport Networks specification. The prototype can be a candidate solution for improved information exchange from GIS databases to ITS databases that are based on the Navigation Data Standard.

Wykorzystanie zasobów baz danych GIS na potrzeby analizy zróżnicowania obszarów wiejskich w aspekcie działań PROW = Application of GIS databases for the analysis of rural areas diversity in the aspect of Rural Development Programme

A considerable number of measures taken under the Rural Development Programme have to be objectively and reasonably justified. These stem from strategic administrative decisions based on the results of analyses of complex natural, economic and demographic processes occurring in rural areas in time and space. Due to increasing functionality of the Geographical Information System (GIS) and wider availability of spatial information, the GIS databases and geospatial analyses are now the basis for solving spatial problems in the implementation of the Rural Development Programme. The aim of the study was to identify the features of rural areas in the Dolnośląskie Voivodeship (Lower Silesia Province) based upon selected components. For this purpose digital databases were employed. These are particularly relevant for sensible and sustainable rural development. With the use of the Corine Land Cover (CLC) database, the analysis concerning diversification of land cover and land use in the rural areas of the Dolnośląskie Voivodeship was carried out. Basing on the Digital Elevation Model (DEM), the terrain relief and land slopes were examined. By the means of soil and agriculture database, the analysis of spatial diversification of soil suitability was also performed. Moreover, with the use of the Polish Central Statistical Office databases, the spatial diversification of selected economic and demographic components in the analyzed area was evaluated. The analyses provide geo-visualizations, i.e. digital models presenting high spatial diversification of rural areas of the Dolnośląskie Voivodeship. The spatial diversification results from the high physiographic variability of this area. It should be stressed that the models are very practical and essential for the Rural Development Programme to be implemented by the authorities responsible for protection and rural development.