MSC-YOLO:Improved YOLOv7 Based on Multi-Scale Spatial Context for Small Object Detection in UAV-View

Accurately identifying small objects in high-resolution aerial images presents a complex and crucial task in thefield of small object detection on unmanned aerial vehicles(UAVs).This task is challenging due to variations inUAV flight altitude,differences in object scales,as well as factors like flight speed and motion blur.To enhancethe detection efficacy of small targets in drone aerial imagery,we propose an enhanced You Only Look Onceversion 7(YOLOv7)algorithm based on multi-scale spatial context.We build the MSC-YOLO model,whichincorporates an additional prediction head,denoted as P2,to improve adaptability for small objects.We replaceconventional downsampling with a Spatial-to-Depth Convolutional Combination(CSPDC)module to mitigatethe loss of intricate feature details related to small objects.Furthermore,we propose a Spatial Context Pyramidwith Multi-Scale Attention(SCPMA)module,which captures spatial and channel-dependent features of smalltargets acrossmultiple scales.This module enhances the perception of spatial contextual features and the utilizationof multiscale feature information.On the Visdrone2023 and UAVDT datasets,MSC-YOLO achieves remarkableresults,outperforming the baseline method YOLOv7 by 3.0%in terms ofmean average precision(mAP).The MSCYOLOalgorithm proposed in this paper has demonstrated satisfactory performance in detecting small targets inUAV aerial photography,providing strong support for practical applications.

Design of a spatial sampling scheme considering the spatial autocorrelation of crop acreage included in the sampling units

Information on crop acreage is important for formulating national food polices and economic planning. Spatial sampling, a combination of traditional sampling methods and remote sensing and geographic information system （GIS） technology, provides an efficient way to estimate crop acreage at the regional scale. Traditional sampling methods require that the sampling units should be independent of each other, but in practice there is often spatial autocorrelation among crop acreage contained in the sampling units. In this study, using Dehui County in Jilin Province, China, as the study area, we used a thematic crop map derived from Systeme Probatoire d＇Observation de la Terre （SPOT-5） imagery, cultivated land plots and digital elevation model data to explore the spatial autocorrelation characteristics among maize and rice acreage included in sampling units of different sizes, and analyzed the effects of different stratification criteria on the level of spatial autocorrelation of the two crop acreages within the sampling units. Moran＇s/, a global spatial autocorrelation index, was used to evaluate the spatial autocorrelation among the two crop acreages in this study. The results showed that although the spatial autocorrelation level among maize and rice acreages within the sampling units generally decreased with increasing sampling unit size, there was still a significant spatial autocorrelation among the two crop acreages included in the sampling units （Moran＇s / varied from 0.49 to 0.89）, irrespective of the sampling unit size. When the sampling unit size was less than 3000 m, the stratification design that used crop planting intensity （CPI） as the stratification criterion, with a stratum number of 5 and a stratum interval of 20% decreased the spatial autocorrelation level to almost zero for the maize and rice area included in sampling units within each stratum. Therefore, the traditional sampling methods can be used to estimate the two crop acreages. Compared with CPI, there was still a strong spatial correlation among the two crop acreages included in the sampling units belonging to each stratum when cultivated land fragmentation and ground slope were used as stratification criterion. As far as the selection of stratification criteria and sampling unit size is concerned, this study provides a basis for formulating a reasonable spatial sampling scheme to estimate crop acreage.

Fundamental Theories of Spatial Similarity Relations in Multi-scale Map Spaces

Similarity relation is one of the spatial relations in the community of geographic information science and cartography.It is widely used in the retrieval of spatial databases, the recognition of spatial objects from images, and the description of spatial features on maps.However, little achievements have been made for it by far.In this paper, spatial similarity relation was put forward with the introduction of automated map generalization in the construction of multi-scale map databases;then the definition of spatial similarity relations was presented based on set theory, the concept of spatial similarity degree was given, and the characteristics of spatial similarity were discussed in detail, in-cluding reflexivity, symmetry, non-transitivity, self-similarity in multi-scale spaces, and scale-dependence.Finally a classification system for spatial similarity relations in multi-scale map spaces was addressed.This research may be useful to automated map generalization, spatial similarity retrieval and spatial reasoning.

STUDY ON SPATIAL AUTOCORRELATION OF URBAN LAND PRICE DISTRIBUTION IN CHANGZHOU CITY OF JIANGSU PROVINCE

This paper uses a spatial statistics method based on the calculation of spatial autocorrelation as a possible approach for modeling and quantifying the distribution of urban land price in Changzhou City, Jiangsu Province. GIS and spatial statistics provide a useful way for describing the distribution of urban land price both spatially and temporally, and have proved to be useful for understanding land price distribution pattern better. In this paper, we apply the statistical analysis method to 8379 urban land price samples collected from Changzhou Land Market, and it is turned out that the proposed approach can effectively identify the spatial clusters and local point patterns in dataset and forms a general method for conceptualizing the land price structure. The results show that land price structure in Changzhou City is very complex and that even where there is a high spatial autocorrelation, the land price is still relatively heterogeneous. Furthermore, lands for different uses have different degrees of spatial autocorrelation. Spatial autocorrelation of commercial lands is more intense than that of residential and industrial lands in regional central district. This means that treating land price as integration of homogeneous units can limit analysis of pattern, over-simplifying the structure of land price, but the methods, just as the autocorrelation approaches, are useful tools for quantifying the variables of land price.

Spatial Autocorrelation Analysis on Regional Economic Disparity of Northeast Economic Region in China

Popular regional inequality indexes such as variation coefficient and Gini coefficient can only reveal overall inequality, and have limited ability in revealing spatial dependence or spatial agglomeration. Recently some methods of exploratory spatial data analysis such as spatial autocorrelation have provided effective tools to analyze spatial agglomeration and cluster, which can reveal the pattern of regional inequality. This article attempts to use spatial autocorrelation at county level to get refined spatial pattern of regional disparity in Chinese northeast economic region over 2000-2006 (2001 absent). The result indicates that the basic trend of regional economy is an increasing concentration of growth among counties in northeast economic region, and there are two geographical clusters of poorer counties including the counties in western Liaoning Province and adjacent counties in Inner Mongolia, poorer counties of Heihe, Qiqihar and Suihua in Heilongjiang Province. This article also reveals that we can use the methods of exploratory spatial data analysis as the supplementary analysis methods in regional economic analysis.

Formula for calculating spatial similarity degrees between point clouds on multi-scale maps taking map scale change as the only independent variable

The degree of spatial similarity plays an important role in map generalization, yet there has been no quantitative research into it. To fill this gap, this study first defines map scale change and spatial similarity degree/relation in multi-scale map spaces and then proposes a model for calculating the degree of spatial similarity between a point cloud at one scale and its gener- alized counterpart at another scale. After validation, the new model features 16 points with map scale change as the x coordinate and the degree of spatial similarity as the y coordinate. Finally, using an application for curve fitting, the model achieves an empirical formula that can calculate the degree of spatial similarity using map scale change as the sole independent variable, and vice versa. This formula can be used to automate algorithms for point feature generalization and to determine when to terminate them during the generalization.

Dynamic evolution and trend prediction of multi-scale green innovation in China

Numerous studies deal with spatial analysis of green innovation(GI).However,researchers have paid limited attention to analyzing the multi-scale evolution patterns and predicting trends of GI in China.This paper seeks to address this research gap by examining the multi-scale distribution and evolutionary characteristics of GI activities based on the data from 337 cities in China during 2000-2019.We used scale variance and the two-stage nested Theil decomposition method to examine the spatial distribution and inequalities of GI in China at multiple scales,including regional,provincial,and prefectural.Additionally,we utilized the Markov chain and spatial Markov chain to explore the dynamic evolution of GI in China and predict its long-term development.The findings indicate that GI in China has a multi-scale effect and is highly sensitive to changes in spatial scale,with significant spatial differences of GI decreasing in each scale.Furthermore,the spatiotemporal evolution of GI is influenced by both geospatial patterns and spatial scales,exhibiting the“club convergence”effect and a tendency to transfer to higher levels of proximity.This effect is more pronounced on a larger scale,but it is increasingly challenging to transfer to higher levels.The study also indicates a steady and sustained growth of GI in China,which concentrates on higher levels over time.These results contribute to a more precise understanding of the scale at which GI develops and provide a scientific basis and policy suggestions for optimizing the spatial structure of GI and promoting its development in China.

Parallelism of spatial data mining based on autocorrelation decision tree

Define and theory of autocorrelation decision tree （ADT） is introduced. In spatial data mining, spatial parallel query are very expensive operations. A new parallel algorithm in terms of autocorrelation decision tree is presented. And the new method reduces CPU- and I/O-time and improves the query efficiency of spatial data. For dynamic load balancing, there are better control and optimization. Experimental performance comparison shows that the improved algorithm can obtain a optimal accelerator with the same quantities of processors. There are more completely accesses on nodes. And an individual implement of intelligent information retrieval for spatial data mining is presented.

The impact of spatial autocorrelation on CPUE standardization between two different fisheries

Catch per unit of eff ort(CPUE) data can display spatial autocorrelation. However, most of the CPUE standardization methods developed so far assumes independency of observations for the dependent variable, which is often invalid. In this study, we collected data of two fisheries, squid jigging fishery and mackerel trawl fishery. We used standard generalized linear model(GLM) and spatial GLMs to compare the impact of spatial autocorrelation on CPUE standardization for different fisheries. We found that spatialGLMs perform better than standard-GLM for both fisheries. The overestimation of precision of CPUE estimates was observed in both fisheries. Moran's I was used to quantify the level of autocorrelation for the two fisheries. The results show that autocorrelation in mackerel trawl fishery was much stronger than that in squid jigging fishery. According to the results of this paper, we highly recommend to account for spatial autocorrelation when using GLM to standardize CPUE data derived from commercial fisheries.

Spatial Autocorrelation and Localization of Urban Development

A nonlinear analysis of urban evolution is made by using of spatial autocorrelation theory. A first-order nonlinear autoregression model based on Clark’s negative exponential model is proposed to show urban population density. The new method and model are applied to Hangzhou City, China, as an example. The average distance of population activities, the auto-correlation coefficient of urban population density, and the auto-regressive function values all show trends of gradual increase from 1964 to 2000, but there always is a sharp first-order cutoff in the partial auto- correlations. These results indicate that urban development is a process of localization. The discovery of urban locality is significant to improve the cellular-automata-based urban simulation of modeling spatial complexity.

Spatial autocorrelation analysis of 13 leading malignant neoplasms in Taiwan: a comparison between the 1995-1998 and 2005-2008 periods

Spatial autocorrelation methodologies, including Global Moran’s I and Local Indicators of Spatial Association statistic (LISA), were used to describe and map spatial clusters of 13 leading malignant neoplasms in Taiwan. A logistic regression fit model was also used to identify similar characteristics over time. Two time periods (1995-1998 and 2005-2008) were compared in an attempt to formulate common spatio-temporal risks. Spatial cluster patterns were identified using local spatial autocorrelation analysis. We found a significant spatio-temporal variation between the leading malignant neoplasms and well-documented spatial risk factors. For instance, in Taiwan, cancer of the oral cavity in males was found to be clustered in locations in central Taiwan, with distinct differences between the two time periods. Stomach cancer morbidity clustered in aboriginal townships, where the prevalence of Helicobacter pylori is high and even quite marked differences between the two time periods were found. A method which combines LISA statistics and logistic regression is an effective tool for the detection of space-time patterns with discontinuous data. Spatio-temporal mapping comparison helps to clarify issues such as the spatial aspects of both two time periods for leading malignant neoplasms. This helps planners to assess spatio-temporal risk factors, and to ascertain what would be the most advantageous types of health care policies for the planning and implementation of health care services. These issues can greatly affect the performance and effectiveness of health care services and also provide a clear outline for helping us to better understand the results in depth.

A Novel Hybrid Method for Measuring the Spatial Autocorrelation of Vehicular Crashes: Combining Moran’s Index and Getis-Ord G_i<sup style='margin-left:-7px;'>*</sup>Statistic

Spatial autocorrelation is a measure of the correlation of an observation with other observations through space. Most statistical analyses are based on the assumption that the values of observations are independent of one another. Spatial autocorrelation violates this assumption, because observations at near-by locations are related to each other, and hence, the consideration of spatial autocorrelations has been gaining attention in crash data modeling in recent years, and research have shown that ignoring this factor may lead to a biased estimation of the modeling parameters. This paper examines two spatial autocorrelation indices: Moran’s Index;and Getis-Ord Gi* statistic to measure the spatial autocorrelation of vehicle crashes occurred in Boone County roads in the state of Missouri, USA for the years 2013-2015. Since each index can identify different clustering patterns of crashes, therefore this paper introduces a new hybrid method to identify the crash clustering patterns by combining both Moran’s Index and Gi*?statistic. Results show that the new method can effectively improve the number, extent, and type of crash clustering along roadways.

Identifying Vehicular Crash High Risk Locations along Highways via Spatial Autocorrelation Indices and Kernel Density Estimation

Identifying vehicular crash high risk locations along highways is important for understanding the causes of vehicle crashes and to determine effective countermeasures based on the analysis. This paper presents a GIS approach to examine the spatial patterns of vehicle crashes and determines if they are spatially clustered, dispersed, or random. Moran’s I and Getis-Ord Gi* statistic are employed to examine spatial patterns, clusters mapping of vehicle crash data, and to generate high risk locations along highways. Kernel Density Estimation (KDE) is used to generate crash concentration maps that show the road density of crashes. The proposed approach is evaluated using the 2013 vehicle crash data in the state of Indiana. Results show that the approach is efficient and reliable in identifying vehicle crash hot spots and unsafe road locations.

Spatial autocorrelation calculations of the nine malignant neoplasms in Taiwan in 2005-2009: a gender comparison study

Spatial analytical techniques and models are often used in epidemiology to identify spatial anomalies (hotspots) in disease regions. These analytical approaches can be used to identify not only the location of such hotspots, but also their spatial patterns. We used spatial autocorrelation methodologies, including Global Moran's I and Local Getis-Ord statistics, to describe and map spatial clusters and areas in which nine malignant neoplasms are situated in Taiwan. In addition, we used a logistic regression model to test the characteristics of similarity and dissimilarity between males and females and to formulate the common spatial risk. The mean found by local spatial autocorrelation analysis was used to identify spatial cluster patterns. We found a significant relationship between the leading malignant neoplasms and well-documented spatial risk factors. For instance, in Taiwan, the geographic distribution of clusters where oral cavity cancer in males is prevalent was closely correspond to the locations in central Taiwan with serious metal pollution. In females, clusters of oral cavity cancer were closely related with aboriginal townships in eastern Taiwan, where cigarette smoking, alcohol drinking, and betel nut chewing are commonplace. The difference between males and females in the spatial distributions was stark. Furthermore, areas with a high morbidity of gastric cancer were clustered in aboriginal townships where the occurrence of Helicobacter pylori is frequent. Our results revealed a similarity between both males and females in spatial pattern. Cluster mapping clarified the spatial aspects of both internal and external correlations for the nine malignant neoplasms. In addition, using a method of logistic regression also enabled us to find differentiation between gender-specific spatial patterns.

Enhancing transboundary natural tourism resources governance:unveiling the spatial pattern and its influencing factors

Tourism resources that span provincial boundaries in China play a pivotal role in regional development,yet effective governance poses persistent challenges.This study addresses this issue by constructing a comprehensive database of transboundary natural tourism resources(TNTR)through amalgamation of diverse data sources.Utilizing the Getis-Ord Gi^(*),kernel density estimation,and geographical detectors,we scrutinize the spatial patterns of TNTR,focusing on both named and unnamed entities,while exploring the influencing factors.Our findings reveal 7883 identified TNTR in China,with mountain tourism resources emerging as the predominant type.Among provinces,Hunan boasts the highest count,while Shanghai exhibits the lowest.Southern China demonstrates a pronounced clustering trend in TNTR distribution,with the spatial arrangement of biological landscapes appearing more random compared to geological and water landscapes.Western China,characterized by intricate terrain,exhibits fewer TNTR,concurrently unveiling a significant presence of unnamed natural tourism resources.Crucially,administrative segmentation influences TNTR development,generating disparities in regional goals,developmental stages and intensities,and management approaches.In response to these variations,we advocate for strengthening the naming of the unnamed transboundary tourism resources,constructing a geographic database of TNTR for government and establishing a collaborative management mechanism based on TNTR database.Our research contributes to elucidating the intricate landscape of TNTR,offering insights for tailored governance strategies in the realm of cross-provincial tourism resource management.

Evaluation of COVID-19 Cases and Vaccinations in the State of Georgia, United States: A Spatial Perspective

This study evaluates the distribution of COVID-19 cases and mass vaccination campaigns from January 2020 to April 2023. There are over 235,000 COVID-19 cases and over 733,000 vaccinations across the 159 counties in the state of Georgia. Data on COVID-19 was acquired from usafact.org while the vaccination records were obtained from COVID-19 vaccination tracker. The spatial patterns across the counties were analyzed using spatial statistical techniques which include both global and local spatial autocorrelation. The study further evaluates the effect of vaccination and selected socio-economic predictors on COVID-19 cases across the study area. The result of hotspot analysis reveals that the epicenters of COVID-19 are distributed across Cobb, Fulton, Gwinnett, and DeKalb counties. It was also affirmed that the vaccination records followed the same pattern as COVID-19 cases’ epicenters. The result of the spatial error model performed well and accounted for a considerable percentage of the regression with an adjusted R squared of 0.68, Akaike Information Criterion (AIC) 387.682 and Breusch-Pagan of 9.8091. ESDA was employed to select the main explanatory variables. The selected variables include vaccination, population density, percentage of people that do not have health insurance, black race, Hispanic and these variables accounted for 68% of the number of COVID-19 cases in the state of Georgia during the study period. The study concludes that both COVID-19 cases and vaccinated individuals have spatial peculiarities across counties in Georgia state. Lastly, socio-economic variables and vaccination are very important to reduce the vulnerability of individuals to COVID-19 disease.

Spatial Analysis of the Aging Population and Socio-economic Factors of China:Global and Local Perspectives

Population aging has become an inevitable trend and exerted profound influences on socio-economic development in China.In this study,we utilized data from national population census and statistical yearbooks in 2010 and 2020 to explore spatio-temporal patterns of aging population and its coupling correlations with socio-economic factors from both global and local perspectives.The results from Local Indicators of Spatial Association(LISA)uncover notable spatial disparities in aging population rates,with higher rates concentrated in the eastern regions and lower rates in the western areas of the Chinese mainland.The results from the global correlation analysis with the changes in aging population rates show significant positive correlations with government interventions and industrial structures,but negatively correlated with economic development,social consumption,and medical facilities.From a local perspective,a Geographically Weighted(GW)correlation analysis is employed to uncover local correlations between aging trends and socio-economic factors.The insights gained from this technique not only underscore the complexity and diversity of economic implications stemming from population aging,but also provide invaluable guidance for crafting region-specific economic policies tailored to various stages of population aging.

Analysis of Spatial Autocorrelation Patterns of Heavy and Super-Heavy Rainfall in Iran

Rainfall is a highly variable climatic element, and rainfall-related changes occur in spatial and temporal dimensions within a regional climate. The purpose of this study is to investigate the spatial autocorrelation changes of Iran＇s heavy and super-heavy rainfall over the past 40 years. For this purpose, the daily rainfall data of 664 meteorological stations between 1971 and 2011 are used. To analyze the changes in rainfall within a decade, geostatistical techniques like spatial autocorrelation analysis of hot spots, based on the Getis-Ord Gi statistic, are employed. Furthermore, programming features in MATLAB, Surfer, and GIS are used. The results indicate that the Caspian coast, the northwest and west of the western foothills of the Zagros Mountains of Iran, the inner regions of Iran, and southern parts of Southeast and Northeast Iran, have the highest likelihood of heavy and super-heavy rainfall. The spatial pattern of heavy rainfall shows that, despite its oscillation in different periods, the maximum positive spatial autocorrelation pattern of heavy rainfall includes areas of the west, northwest and west coast of the Caspian Sea. On the other hand, a negative spatial autocorrelation pattern of heavy rainfall is observed in central Iran and parts of the east, particularly in Zabul. Finally, it is found that patterns of super-heavy rainfall are similar to those of heavy rainfall.

Spatial Distribution Pattern and Influencing Factors of Bed-and-breakfasts(B&Bs)from the Perspective of Urban-rural Differences:A Case Study of Jiaodong Peninsula,China

There are significant differences between urban and rural bed-and-breakfasts(B&Bs)in terms of customer positioning,economic strength and spatial carrier.Accurately identifying the differences in spatial characteristics and influencing factors of each type,is essential for creating urban and rural B&B agglomeration areas.This study used density-based spatial clustering of applications with noise(DBSCAN)and the multi-scale geographically weighted regression(MGWR)model to explore similarities and differences in the spatial distribution patterns and influencing factors for urban and rural B&Bs on the Jiaodong Peninsula of China from 2010 to 2022.The results showed that:1)both urban and rural B&Bs in Jiaodong Peninsula went through three stages:a slow start from 2010 to 2015,rapid development from 2015 to 2019,and hindered development from 2019 to 2022.However,urban B&Bs demonstrated a higher development speed and agglomeration intensity,leading to an increasingly evident trend of uneven development between the two sectors.2)The clustering scale of both urban and rural B&Bs continued to expand in terms of quantity and volume.Urban B&B clusters characterized by a limited number,but a higher likelihood of transitioning from low-level to high-level clusters.While the number of rural B&B clusters steadily increased over time,their clustering scale was comparatively lower than that of urban B&Bs,and they lacked the presence of high-level clustering.3)In terms of development direction,urban B&B clusters exhibited a relatively stable pattern and evolved into high-level clustering centers within the main urban areas.Conversely,rural B&Bs exhibited a more pronounced spatial diffusion effect,with clusters showing a trend of multi-center development along the coastline.4)Transport emerged as a common influencing factor for both urban and rural B&Bs,with the density of road network having the strongest explanatory power for their spatial distribution.In terms of differences,population agglomeration had a positive impact on the distribution of urban B&Bs and a negative effect on the distribution of rural B&Bs.Rural B&Bs clustering was more influenced by tourism resources compared with urban B&Bs,but increasing tourist stay duration remains an urgent issue to be addressed.The findings of this study could provide a more precise basis for government planning and management of urban and rural B&B agglomeration areas.

Research on the Variation of Population Distribution and Its Characteristics Based on Spatial Autocorrelation Method: A Case Study of Poyang Lake Region in Jiangxi Province

According to Statistical Yearbook of Jiangxi Province(2001～2006),We analyze the time-space variation of population distribution of Poyang Lake region from the two points of view.The former is quality of population,which involves culture structure,occupational structure,age structure and sex structure of population.The latter is quantity of population,which only involves the amount of population.Furthermore,we can reveal the internal relations and action mechanism of variation of population distribution by analyzing the regional economic development,population urbanization,land use and ecological landscape of Poyang Lake region.It is important to provide help for region planning,ecological landscape planning and environmental protection by correct understanding the man-land relationship of natural-human ecosystem in Poyang Lake region.