The semantics of place-related questions

The trend to equip information systems with question-answering capabilities raises the design problem of deciding which questions a system should be able to answer. Typical solutions build on mining human conversations or logs from similar systems for question patterns. For the case of questions about geographic places, we present a complementary approach, showing how to derive possible questions from an ontology of spatial information and a classification of place facets. We argue that such an approach reduces the inherent and substantial data bias of current solutions. At a more general level, we provide a novel understanding of spatial questions and their role in designing and using spatial information systems.

GIS and Archaeology

Geographic (sometimes geographical or spatial) information systems (GIS) refer to hardware, software, and practices relating to the collection, management, and analysis of geospatial data. A large body of literature exists regarding archaeological GIS due to the discipline’s relatively early adoption in the 1980s. Archaeological uses of GIS relate to interests regarding the interdependence among geographic space, human culture, and various natural phenomena. GIS provides new forms of analyses that are either too difficult or even impossible without the aid of computers. Archaeologists’ interest in theoretical topics associated with interpretation and methodology continues to animate considerable discussion bringing archaeological GIS closer to GIScience, which moves beyond technical instruction to engage deeper conceptual aspects. Many of these aspects relate to particularly sections in this article. Early archaeological GIS interests focus on topics such as inventory, mapping inter- and intra-site distributions, and the prediction of new site locations. Today, archaeological GIS continues to explore these and emerging topics, such as the use of GIS to manage and interpret remotely sensed, visualization, and information science. The application of GIS remains one of the fastest growing areas of disciplinary specialization for archaeology and is central to cultural resources management work around the world. This bibliography groups archaeological GIS on the basis of use. This includes categories such as inventory, geospatial analyses, data visualization (e.g., mapmaking), and so forth. Some sections include subsections, as in the case of geospatial analysis where the literature continues to rapidly expand. Sources are placed into the most relevant section based on focus or best fit in relation to the overall literature on archaeological GIS.

Providing a System Based on Location Systems to Reduce Possible Earthquake Accidents

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effective indexes of damage to a building, with the aim of reducing the possible events caused by the earthquake and presenting a model based on spatial information systems. So, after collecting the data and information required by field method and statistical blocks, a spatial database was obtained. Then, the effectiveness of each of the criteria was based on the creation of a binary comparison matrix and questioning experts from the subject The study was obtained. In the end, in order to establish a link between the influential factors and the estimation of the final vulnerability of each building, a formula was presented in which all the effective factors were involved with the emphasis on the level of effectiveness of each building. Using expert selection software, the indexes were evaluated in terms of weight and value. Finally, the geospatial information system of GIS evaluated the magnitude and severity of the earthquake in different ranges and its consequences in terms of the indices studied for the buildings in the study area.

Adjusting the Regular Network of Squares Resolution to the Digital Terrain Model Surface Shape

A regular network of squares is formed by points uniformly distributed (mostly in the square corners) over the surface that is represented by the network. Each point (node) of the network has specified coordinates (X and Y) with a fixed constant distance between them. The third coordinate in a node (H) is determined by the application of interpolation based on the points distributed (usually dispersed as a point cloud e.g., from LiDAR) over the surface of the area surrounding the node. The regular network of squares formed in this manner allows the representation of a digital terrain model (DTM) to be performed in spatial information systems (SIP, GIS). The main problem that arises during the construction of such a network is the proper determination of its resolution (the base distance between the coordinates X and Y) depending on the topography. This article presents a method of the regular network of squares resolution determination depending on the morphological shape of the terrain surface. Following the application of the procedures being described, a differently shaped terrain is assigned various network densities. This enables the minimisation of inaccuracies of the surface model being formed. Consequently, a regular network of squares is formed with different base square sizes, which is adjusted with its resolution to the morphology of the surface it describes. Such operations allow the terrain model accuracy to be maintained over the entire area while reducing the number of points stored in the DTM database to the minimum.

Infrastructure of the Spatial Information in the European Community (INSPIRE) Based on Examples of Italy and Poland

Binding and planned community regulations regarding INSPIRE and other documents resulting from work on INSPIRE have forced the member countries to implement new or updated regulations. The purpose of creating the spatial information infrastructure was to unify the exchange of geographical data at the national and international levels, create transparent and favorable conditions for the use of geographical data, facilitate decision-making and develop business activity, and, as a consequence, facilitate the creation of the INSPIRE geoportal by the European Research Center (JRC) of the European Commission, which aims be the central hub of the European spatial information infrastructure. Land management systems use layers from geoportals and are also a data source because their task is to develop sustainable space development. The article presents the rules for implementing EU directives in Poland and Italy at various levels of detail and examines access to data and spatial information infrastructure. A comparative analysis of geoportals was performed in terms of the functionality and availability of free data (types of data) at national and local levels in terms of verification of compliance with the Ubiquitous Public Access Context Information Model (UPA) defined by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 19100. National geoportals (Polish Geoportal 2 and the Italian-Geoportale Nazionale) and Municipal Spatial Information Systems from the cities of Olsztyn and Bari were compared.

Sovremennye tendentsii razvitiia tsifrovykh tekhnologii v sisteme upravleniia zemel'nymi resursami v Evrope

Land administration seeks to obtain optimal social, economic and environmental benefits while promoting the principles of sustainable development. An important element of this process is the understanding of the macroeconomic situation for making adequate management decisions at various levels: local, re-gional, national and global. This information is provided by land administration systems ((LAS), the core of which is a multipurpose cadastral system integrated with other spatial information systems and public registries. In this article, the au-thors present the structure of land administration built in modern Europe and also show the specifics of the design of systems in relation to socio-economic conditions. The publication presents a vision of the role of the cadastre in the global system of accounting and land administration, with cadastral accounting considered as the main infrastructure for ensuring the economic, social and environmental benefits of all users, including individuals, business and the state.

Support of Internal Transport Optimization in Farms with the Use of Spatial Information Systems

Excessive distribution of holdings is one of the most important barriers which causes that in a great part of Poland rational use of farms in impossible. This problem particularly concerns the south and east region of the country. Correct spatial distribution of lands belonging to holdings is one of the most crucial factors that enable an economically profitable activity of these farms. The aim of the paper was verification of the applicability of the prepared spatial data base, farm-land configuration of agricultural plots of the selected agricultural farms to indicate the areas of optimization of the internal transport. As a result, based on the developed spatial data base, an impact of the land configuration of agricultural plots in the investigated group of agricultural producers on organization of the field transport between the holding and agricultural plots was determined. The scope of the paper covered a vegetable producer group, which associates 5 farms that have in total 620 ha of agricultural land.

SPATIAL INFORMATION SYSTEMS – A TOOL SUPPORTING GOOD GOVERNANCE IN SPATIAL PLANNING PROCESSES OF GREEN AREAS

The article presents issues connected with the use of GIS for planning processes of green areas within the city. The main theoretical background of the article is the good governance concept which can be used in planning works with cooperation of local actors. The article shows how the local government can use the geo-survey in the participation processes. The green areas are only the example of the use of this tool in spatial planning processes. The aim of the article is to show how useful can be spatial information systems in the decision-making on the local level and how it supports public participation. Additionally, it has to be indicated that this type of tool can contribute to an increase in the effectiveness of local authorities’ activities in the spatial planning field. The use of these tools contributes to an increase of the level of public participation and to the clarity of the planning process.

The Use of AHP to Prioritize Five Waste Processing Plants Locations in Krakow

The purpose of the paper is to use the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) to determine the prioritization of areas designated for infrastructure investments. The research was carried out using an example of a municipal solid waste incineration plant in Kraków. Based on research tests conducted on actual field data, this paper proves that spatial information systems can be a useful source of information in decision-making processes related to the assessment of the location of an investment project with a function so important for the natural environment and maintaining the principle of sustainable development. Owing to the development of technologies such as remote sensing and GIS, the obtained data are of high quality, and the possibility for processing and making them available in real time makes them up to date. The research methodology for selecting areas for a well-defined purpose includes five separate stages: Defining the parameters, acquiring data from spatial information systems, data standardization, criteria weighting by the analytic hierarchy process (AHP), calculation of the coefficient of area suitability for the location of a particular facility, and its graphic representation on a map. The final result is the ranking of areas in terms of suitability for the implementation of an infrastructural project i.e., the construction of a municipal waste incineration plant.

Cartographic interpretation of the “meta” notion in the cultural heritage context

The monograph [Aslanikashvili, 1974] does not define the term “metacartography”, although the notion itself is described in sufficient detail to be understood. A. Aslanikashvili’s metacartography has proven to be very useful in considering the relations between modern systematic cartographic phenomena, which are often relate to Web 2.0 cartography. The article offers a practical interpretation of the “meta” notion in such phenomena as National Atlases, National Spatial Data Infrastructures and OpenStreetMap. This is done using the Conceptual Frameworks (CoFr) method and the Atlas Extender (AtEx), which allow extending atlases in the classical sense to extended atlas systems. AtEx implements a CoFr method of relational cartography based on patterns (hereinafter RelCa), among which are relational patterns of “meta”. CoFr describe the structure of spatial information systems in an extended sense, and relational cartographies are defined as the coordinated art, science and technology of making and using relations in (extended) cartographic systems and between (extended) cartographic systems. Due to this we can consider relational spaces that have a lot in common with the specific spaces of A. Aslanikashvili. To apply the RelCa methods, the understanding of “metacartography”, “map meta-model” and “map language” notions have been updated. For this purpose, Model-Based Engineering (MBE) has been used, an area of computer science that is evolving in our century. The analogies between BMI constructions, modern systematic cartographic phenomena and A. Aslanikashvili metacartography are shown. It has been proved abductively that in modern conditions the field of cartography research needs to be extended by relational spaces or to a system of spatial systems of a certain epistemological structure. Important in this structuring is the relation of “meta” that A. Aslanikashvili began to explore. The abduction proved the presence and necessity of using the “meta” relation when constructing cultural heritage maps. In particular, the interpretation of the “meta” relation for choropleth maps is proposed, modeling the saturation assessment of the country by the entities of the material cultural heritage. The results obtained will be included in the Atlas of Cultural Heritage of Ukraine.