Evaluating Maps and Illustrations in Geography Books for the Middle Stage

This research aims to (evaluating maps and illustrations in geography books for the preparatory stage). In order to answer the research questions, the researchers prepared two tools, the first tool represented the quality standard of maps, while the second tool represented the standard of photographers, and the map tool in its final form consisted of (51) fifty-one indicators distributed on (13) thirteen basic elements of the map and a visual variable, either The graphic tool included (39) thirty-nine indicators distributed over (12) twelve criteria, and the validity was confirmed by presenting them to the arbitrators. Stability through time, stability between two analysts, so the reliability coefficient reached: for the researcher over time for the maps criterion (91%) and for the graphics criterion (93%), and the reliability coefficient between the researcher and the other analysts for the maps criterion (88%) and for the graphics criterion (90%). To analyze the data, the researcher used the statistical methods and means represented by: Cooper's equation to calculate the reliability coefficient, frequencies, arithmetic mean and standard deviation to find out the degree of availability of each indicator and each criterion. Most of them were low for these books. As for the pictorial ones (pictures and drawings), the percentage of verification in the fourth and fifth grade book was higher than what was achieved in the sixth grade book.

Electroencephalography (EEG)-Based Neural Emotional Response to the Vegetation Density and Integrated Sound Environment in a Green Space

Emotion plays an important role in physical and mental health. Green space is an environment conducive to physical and mental recovery and influences human emotions through visual and auditory stimulation. Both the visual environment and sound environment of a green space are important factors affecting its quality. Most of the previous relevant studies have focused solely on the visual or sound environment of green spaces and its impacts. This study focused on the combination of vegetation density (VD) and integrated sound environment (ISE) based on neural emotional evaluation criteria. VD was used as the visual variable, with three levels: high (H), moderate (M) and low (L). ISE was used as the sound variable, with four levels: low-decibel natural and low-decibel artificial sounds (LL), low-decibel natural and high-decibel artificial sounds (LH), high-decibel natural and low-decibel artificial sounds (HL) and high-decibel natural and high-decibel artificial sounds (HH). These two variables were combined into 12 unique groups. A total of 360 volunteer college students were recruited and randomly assigned to the 12 groups (N = 30). All 12 groups underwent the same 5 min high-pressure learning task (pretest baseline), followed by a 5 min audio-visual recovery (posttest). Six indicators of neural emotion (engagement, excitement, focus, interest, relaxation and stress) were dynamically measured by an Emotiv EPOC X device during the pretest and posttest. Analysis of covariance was used to determine the main and coupled effects of the variables. (1) VD and ISE have significant effects on human neural emotions. In moderate- and high-VD spaces, artificial sound levels may have a positive effect on excitement. (2) A higher VD is more likely to result in excitatory neural emotion expression. (3) Low-VD and high-VD spaces have a higher degree of visual continuity. Both extremely low and extremely high VDs result in a higher expression of stressful emotions than observed for a moderate VD. (4) High-decibel artificial sounds are more likely to attract attention, possibly because artificial sounds are easier to recognize than natural sounds. However, when both the natural and artificial sounds are low, it is difficult to induce higher tones, and the lower the artificial sound decibel level, the easier it is to relax. Additionally, under the influence of an ISE, attention recovery and stress recovery may be negatively correlated. The results show that an appropriate combination of VD and ISE can improve the health benefits of a green space and thus the well-being of visitors.

Audiovisual Bimodal and Interactive Effects for Soundscape Design of the Indoor Environments: A Systematic Review

A growing number of soundscape studies involving audiovisual factors have been conducted; however, their bimodal and interactive effects on indoor soundscape evaluations have not yet been thoroughly reviewed. The overarching goal of this systematic review was to develop the framework for designing sustainable indoor soundscapes by focusing on audiovisual factors and relations. A search for individual studies was conducted through three databases and search engines: Scopus, Web of Science, and PubMed. Based on the qualitative reviews of the selected thirty papers, a framework of indoor soundscape evaluation concerning visual and audiovisual indicators was proposed. Overall, the greenery factor was the most important visual variable, followed by the water features and moderating noise annoyance perceived by occupants in given indoor environments. The presence of visual information and sound-source visibility would moderate perceived noise annoyance and influence other audio-related perceptions. Furthermore, sound sources would impact multiple perceptual responses (audio, visual, cognitive, and emotional perceptions) related to the overall soundscape experiences when certain visual factors are interactively involved. The proposed framework highlights the potential use of the bimodality and interactivity of the audiovisual factors for designing indoor sound environments in more effective ways.

Visualization of 3D Property Data and Assessment of the Impact of Rendering Attributes

Visualizations of 3D cadastral information incorporating both intrinsically spatial and non-spatial information are examined here. The design of a visualization prototype is linked to real-case 3D property information. In an interview with domain experts, the functional and visual features of the prototype are assessed. The choice of rendering attributes was identified as an important aspect for further analysis. A computational approach to systematic assessment of the consequences of different graphical design choices is proposed. This approach incorporates a colour similarity metric, visual saliency maps, and k-nearest-neighbour (kNN) classification to estimate risks of confusing or overlooking relevant elements in a visualization. The results indicate that transparency is not an independent visual variable, as it affects the apparent colour of 3D objects and makes them inherently more difficult to distinguish. Transparency also influences visual saliency of objects in a scene. The proposed analytic approach was useful for visualization design and revealed that the conscious use of graphical attributes, like combinations of colour, transparency, and line styles, can improve saliency of objects in a 3D scene.

Depicting More Information in Enriched Squarified Treemaps with Layered Glyphs

The Treemap is one of the most relevant information visualization (InfoVis) techniques to support the analysis of large hierarchical data structures or data clusters. Despite that, Treemap still presents some challenges for data representation, such as the few options for visual data mappings and the inability to represent zero and negative values. Additionally, visualizing high dimensional data requires many hierarchies, which can impair data visualization. Thus, this paper proposes to add layered glyphs to Treemap’s items to mitigate these issues. Layered glyphs are composed of N partially visible layers, and each layer maps one data dimension to a visual variable. Since the area of the upper layers is always smaller than the bottom ones, the layers can be stacked to compose a multidimensional glyph. To validate this proposal, we conducted a user study to compare three scenarios of visual data mappings for Treemaps: only Glyphs (G), Glyphs and Hierarchy (GH), and only Hierarchy (H). Thirty-six volunteers with a background in InfoVis techniques, organized into three groups of twelve (one group per scenario), performed 8 InfoVis tasks using only one of the proposed scenarios. The results point that scenario GH presented the best accuracy while having a task-solving time similar to scenario H, which suggests that representing more data in Treemaps with layered glyphs enriched the Treemap visualization capabilities without impairing the data readability.

Analogue video in the age of retrospectacle

This article explores the various manifestations of analogue video in digital culture. Introducing the framing concept of an aesthetics of remanence, it argues that the “society of the spectacle” (Debord) has entered an age of retrospectacle, a dominant signifier of which is the remediation and/or simulation of analogue videography. The concept of remanence connects the material conditions of magnetic tape with analogue video’s aesthetic expressions, and the cultural situation in which analogue video finds itself today. By looking at three different cases related to retro gaming, contemporary hip hop, and “old skool” rave, the article shows how the aesthetics of remanence remains highly susceptible to subcultural sensibilities—while it also functions as their shared visual variable. The short film Kung Fury (David Sandberg, 2015) is a playfully post-ironic recuperation of failed media technologies. The music video “Fromdatomb$” (David M. Helman, 2012) is a complex exploration of the idea(l) of the historical real. And the work of video art Fiorucci Made Me Hardcore (Mark Leckey, 1999) is a creative treatment of nostalgia which invites us to reconsider the medical origins of the term.

The Wonder Years

This article explores the various manifestations of analogue video in digital culture. Introducing the framing concept of an aesthetics of remanence, it argues that the “society of the spectacle” (Debord) has entered an age of retrospectacle, a dominant signifier of which is the remediation and/or simulation of analogue videography. The concept of remanence connects the material conditions of magnetic tape with analogue video’s aesthetic expressions, and the cultural situation in which analogue video finds itself today. By looking at three different cases related to retro gaming, contemporary hip hop, and “old skool” rave, the article shows how the aesthetics of remanence remains highly susceptible to subcultural sensibilities—while it also functions as their shared visual variable. The short film Kung Fury (David Sandberg, 2015) is a playfully post-ironic recuperation of failed media technologies. The music video “Fromdatomb$” (David M. Helman, 2012) is a complex exploration of the idea(l) of the historical real. And the work of video art Fiorucci Made Me Hardcore(Mark Leckey, 1999) is a creative treatment of nostalgia which invites us to reconsider the medical origins of the term.

Computer-Aid Cartography of Map Symbol Design

Taking the natural disaster map as an example, this paper discusses the three-dimensional design supported by Computer-aid Cartography (CAC). It tries to make full use of the unique height and facade visual variables of three-dimensional symbols to express more information, and takes the shadow of three-dimensional symbols as a visual variable to apply in disaster maps. The combined application of the size and the shadow of three-dimensional symbols can maximize the utilization of the optimum visual variable and enhance the readability of the map. Through the questionnaire survey, the paper designs a series of proportional circles suitable for the popular thematic atlas format, thus achieves the automatic size customization of map symbol supported by CAC and conducive to the automation of computer aided mapping.