Virtual Reality in Geography covers "through the window" VR systems, "fully immersive" VR systems, and hybrids of the two types. The authors examine the Virtual Reality Modeling Language approach and explore its deficiencies when applied to real geographic environments. This is a totally unique book covers all the major uses and methods of virtual reality used by geographers. The authors have produced a CDROM that comes with the book of virtual reality images that will be a fascinating companion to the text. This book will be of great interest to geographers, computer scientists and all those interested in multimedia and computer graphics.
This open access book offers a summary of the development of Digital Earth over the past twenty years. By reviewing the initial vision of Digital Earth, the evolution of that vision, the relevant key technologies, and the role of Digital Earth in helping people respond to global challenges, this publication reveals how and why Digital Earth is becoming vital for acquiring, processing, analysing and mining the rapidly growing volume of global data sets about the Earth. The main aspects of Digital Earth covered here include: Digital Earth platforms, remote sensing and navigation satellites, processing and visualizing geospatial information, geospatial information infrastructures, big data and cloud computing, transformation and zooming, artificial intelligence, Internet of Things, and social media. Moreover, the book covers in detail the multi-layered/multi-faceted roles of Digital Earth in response to sustainable development goals, climate changes, and mitigating disasters, the applications of Digital Earth (such as digital city and digital heritage), the citizen science in support of Digital Earth, the economic value of Digital Earth, and so on. This book also reviews the regional and national development of Digital Earth around the world, and discusses the role and effect of education and ethics. Lastly, it concludes with a summary of the challenges and forecasts the future trends of Digital Earth. By sharing case studies and a broad range of general and scientific insights into the science and technology of Digital Earth, this book offers an essential introduction for an ever-growing international audience.
Geographic Visualization: Concepts, Tools and Applications is a 'state-of-the-art' review of the latest developments in the subject. It examines how new concepts, methods and tools can be creatively applied to solve problems relevant to a wide range of topics. The text covers the impact of three-dimensional displays on user interaction along with the potentialities in animation and clearly explains how to create temporally sensitive visualizations. It also explores the potential for handling mobile data and representing uncertainty; as well as the role of participatory visualization systems and exploratory methods. Hallmark Features: An introduction to the diverse forms of geographic visualization which draws upon a number of theoretical perspectives and disciplines to provide an insightful commentary on new methods, techniques and tools. Richly illustrated in full colour throughout, including numerous relevant case studies and accessible discussions of important visualization concepts to enable clearer understanding for non-technical audiences. Chapters are written by leading scholars and researchers in a range of cognate fields, including, cartography, GIScience, architecture, art, urban planning and computer graphics with case studies drawn from Europe, North America and Australia This book is an invaluable resource for all graduate students, researchers and professionals working in the geographic information sector, computer graphics and cartography.
Now available in paperback for the first time, this classic work presents a cognitive-semiotic framework for understanding how maps work as powerful, abstract, and synthetic spatial representations. Explored are the ways in which the many representational choices inherent in mapping interact with information processing and knowledge construction, and how the resulting insights can be used to make informed symbolization and design decisions. A new preface to the paperback edition situates the book within the context of contemporary technologies. As the nature of maps continues to evolve, Alan MacEachren emphasizes the ongoing need to think systematically about the ways people interact with and use spatial information.
The explosion of public interest in the natural environment can, to a large extent, be attributed to greater public awareness of the impacts of global warming and climate change. This has led to increased research interest and funding directed at studies of issues affecting sensitive, natural environments. Not surprisingly, much of this work has re
Visualization, Visual Analytics and Virtual Reality in Medicine: State-of-the-art Techniques and Applications describes important techniques and applications that show an understanding of actual user needs as well as technological possibilities. The book includes user research, for example, task and requirement analysis, visualization design and algorithmic ideas without going into the details of implementation. This reference will be suitable for researchers and students in visualization and visual analytics in medicine and healthcare, medical image analysis scientists and biomedical engineers in general. Visualization and visual analytics have become prevalent in public health and clinical medicine, medical flow visualization, multimodal medical visualization and virtual reality in medical education and rehabilitation. Relevant applications now include digital pathology, virtual anatomy and computer-assisted radiation treatment planning. - Combines visualization, virtual reality and analytics - Written by leading researchers in the field - Gives the latest state-of-the-art techniques and applications
This major reference presents the challenges, issues and directions of computer-based visualization of the natural and built environment and the role of such visualization in landscape and environmental planning. It offers a uniquely systematic approach to the potential of visualization and the writers are acknowledged experts in their field of specialization. Case studies are presented to illustrate many aspects of landscape management including forestry, agriculture, ecology, mining and urban development.
Features a five part structure covering: Foundations; Principles; Techniques; Analysis; and Management and Policy. This book includes chapters on Distributed GIS, Map Production, Geovisualization, Modeling, and Managing GIS. It offers coverage of such topics as: GIS and the New World Order; security, health and well being; and the greening of GIS.
This book reviews and summarizes the development and achievement in cartography and geographic information engineering in China over the past 60 years after the founding of the People's Republic of China. It comprehensively reflects cartography, as a traditional discipline, has almost the same long history with the world's first culture and has experienced extraordinary and great changes. The book consists of nineteen thematic chapters. Each chapter is in accordance with the unified directory structure, introduction, development process, major study achievements, problem and prospect, representative works, as well as a lot of references. It is useful as a reference both for scientists and technicians who are engaged in teaching, researching and engineering of cartography and geographic information engineering.
GIS data and tools are revolutionizing transportation research and decision making, allowing transportation analysts and professionals to understand and solve complex transportation problems that were previously impossible. Here, Miller and Shaw present a comprehensive discussion of fundamental geographic science and the applications of these principles using GIS and other software tools. By providing thorough and accessible discussions of transportation analysis within a GIS environment, this volume fills a critical niche in GIS-T and GIS literature.
