196,315 research outputs found
Conceptual models of urban environmental information systems - toward improved information provision
No full textCities are the hub of European society - for over a millennium, they are the locus of social, political
and economic development. As the core of intensive and creative human activity, they are also the
place where the environmental externalities that accompany rapid development are most visible.
The environmental consequences of urban development have been recognised long ago, as in the
case of London, where in 1388 legislation was introduced to control pollutant emissions
(Lowenthal, 1990). Similar historical environmental regulations can be demonstrated for many
cities in Europe. However, while for most of history those who govern the city (be it the sovereign,
city elders or local government) where responsible for the control, mitigation and management of
the common environment in the city, the last 30 years are a period of profound change. This is due
to the trend toward improved participation in environmental decision making . a more inclusive and
open approach to decisions that deal with the city commons. This change did not occurre overnight
but rather gradually. For example, in the United Kingdom, it was the Town and Country Planning
Act of 1947 which introduced public scrutiny to changes in the urban form (Rydin, 1998), or the
development of public involvement in environmental impact assessment of urban projects as
developed in many countries throughout the developed world during the 1970s and 1980s (Gilpin
1995). These changes accelerate within the last three decades, and especially since the publication
of .Our Common Future. (WCED and Brundtland 1987), the acceptance of the .Sustainable
Development. principles and the Rio conference. A quiet (mini) revolution happened in Europe not
long ago, toward the end of 1998 when the members of the United Nations Economic Commission
for Europe (UN/ECE) signed the .Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in
Decision Making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters. - the Aarhus Convention
(UN/ECE 1998). The convention is expected to come into force by the end of 2001, and calls the
governments and public authorities to open up access to environmental information as a means to
improve public participation in environmental decision making and awareness of environmental
issues (UN/ECE, 1998).
However, these declarations on the value and importance of environmental information do not
match our level of understanding on the role of environmental information in decision making
processes, and especially on the role of information in improving awareness and participation.
Therefore, it is useful to take a step back, and to try and evaluate how environmental information
and access to it and its use support public involvement in such processes.
This paper is aimed to offer a framework that can assist us in the analytical process of
understanding environmental information use. It focuses on public access and assumes that
environmental information will be delivered to the public through the Internet. Such assumption is
based on the current trend within public authorities is to use Information and Communication
Technology (ICT) as a major delivery medium and it seems that it will become more so in the near
future (OECD 2000).
The framework which this paper presents, is based on Soft Systems Methodology (SSM) study
which unpacked some of the core issues relating to public access and use of environmental
information (Haklay, 2001). Although the aim here is not to discuss the merits of SSM, but to focus
on the conceptual models, some introduction to the techniques that are used here is needed.
Therefore, the following section opens with introduction to SSM and its techniques. The core of the
paper is dedicated to the development of conceptual models. After presenting the conceptual
models, some conclusions about these models and their applications are drown
The Three Eras of Environmental Information: The Roles of Experts and the Public
No full textThe chapter explores the relationships between the public and environmental information since the 1960
Citizen science mobile apps for soundscape research and public spaces studies:
No full textHighlights
• Mobile apps have been increasingly developed as participatory tools
within the context of citizen science projects on environmental
noise. However, fewer apps for the combined identification and
assessment of quiet areas have been developed.
• Public quiet areas can be essential for healthy cities, being key to
counterbalancing the detrimental effects of noise pollution on
human health, biodiversity and the environment.
• The free citizen science Hush City app, released in 2017, enables
users to create an open-access map of quiet areas, with the potential
of orientating plans and policies for healthier living.
• Drawing on the experience of the Hush City app, 15 people-centred
recommendations are proposed potentially to inform the design,
build and use of citizen science mobile apps in soundscape research
and public spaces studies, aimed at generating a greater health-related quality of life
The Potential of Volunteered Geographic Information (VGI) in Future Transport Systems
No full textAs transport systems are pushed to the limits in many cities, governments have tried to resolve problems of traffic and congestion by increasing capacity. Miller (2013) contends the need to identify new capabilities (instead of capacity) of the transport infrastructure in order to increase efficiency without extending the physical infrastructure. Kenyon and Lyons (2003) identified integrated traveller information as a facilitator for better transport decisions. Today, with further developments in the use of geographic information systems (GIS) and a greater disposition by the public to provide volunteered geographic information (VGI), the potential of information is not only integrated across modes but also user-generated, real-time and available on smartphones anywhere. This geographic information plays today an important role in sectors such as politics, businesses and entertainment, and presumably this would extend to transport in revealing people’s preferences for mobility and therefore be useful for decision-making. The widespread availability of networks and smartphones offer new opportunities supported by apps and crowdsourcing through social media such as the successful traffic and navigation app Waze, car sharing programmes such as Zipcar, and ride sharing systems such as Uber. This study aims to develop insights into the potential of governments to use voluntary (crowdsourced) geographic information effectively to achieve sustainable mobility. A review of the literature and existing technology informs this article. Further research into this area is identified and presented at the end of the paper
Usability dimensions in collaborative GIS
No full textCollaborative GIS requires careful consideration of the Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) and Usability aspects, given the variety of users that are expected to use these systems, and the need to ensure that users will find the system effective, efficient, and enjoyable. The chapter explains the link between collaborative GIS and usability engineering/HCI studies. The integration of usability considerations into collaborative GIS is demonstrated in two case studies of Web-based GIS implementation. In the first, the process of digitising an area on Web-based GIS is improved to enhance the user's experience, and to allow interaction over narrowband Internet connections. In the second, server-side rendering of 3D scenes allows users who are not equipped with powerful computers to request sophisticated visualisation without the need to download complex software. The chapter concludes by emphasising the need to understand the users' context and conditions within any collaborative GIS project. © 2006, Idea Group Inc
A survey of current trends in incorporating virtual reality and geographical information systems
No full textThe paper describes the results of a comprehensive literature and Internet survey on current
trends in virtual Reality GIS (VRGIS). In the first part of the paper, a background of VRGIS is
set, followed by the description and classification of the main research areas which focus in
VRGIS research with an attempt to clarify the reasons that led the researchers to pursue a VR
solution for the specific problems in their research field.
Based on the observations from the current practice, the main definitions of VRGIS are
discussed in the third section. Finally, future directions and possibilities for development are
drawn
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