Processing and Unification of Environmental Noise Data from Road Traffic with Spatial Dimension Collected through Mobile Phones

Noise measurement using mobile phones is now developed very well. While there are some good applications for the measurement of noise from road traffic, thus on processing of measured data is only paid a very little attention. The data, however, are burdened by specific errors and for further work with them it is necessary to adjust and determine their uncertainty. One of the biggest problems is inaccuracy in position versus the noise source and the shortest length of measurement that can be regarded as representative. Imprecision in terms of location can be determined by calculating the variance of possible distance from the noise source, which for measurement of traffic noise requires a map-matching data points both transverse to the street (sidewalk) network and in the longwise direction. During typical urban measurements, this error can even reach 7 - 10 dB. Three basic types of algorithms for the calculation of uncertainty and positional correction based on the type of input and output data (raster, vector, vector-oriented) were tested. Uncertainty in the variability of the measurement data is necessary to determine from the number of passing vehicles per time unit. The presented solutions are implemented in the Mobile Noise system.

Atlas information systems and geographical names information systems as contributants to spatial data infrastructure

National and international programs dealing with spatial data infrastructures(SDI)made it possible to compile a uniform digital base and a universal toolkit for the integrated description of territories on global to national scales.Atlas information systems(AIS)are considered to be an integrating tool for diverse information resources(modelling,visualisation and analysis),as well as for the elaboration of various scenarios and the possible development of alternatives for such complex systems as those of nature-society-economy.As there is an increased use of digital maps at spatial data infrastructures all aspects related to geographical names are of particular importance in this application of AIS to SDI.It is important to realise a toponymic project,dealing with place-names and their variants depending on the language and time period when a specific place-name was used.The layer of geographical names is considered to be one of the three most important data components of AIS.

Early warning and disaster management:the importance of geographic information(Part A)

Natural disasters such as volcanic eruptions,earthquakes,tsunamis,floods,fires,droughts,landslides and others occur frequently in most parts of our world.Therefore,many activities are being carried out to improve especially the Early Warning(EW)for disasters,but also all other phases of Disaster Management(DM)such as preparedness,awareness,response,recovery and mitigation.

Early warning and disaster management:the importance of geographic information(Part B)

This special issue is part of a double special issue(Part A was published in the previous issue of this journal)dealing with the role of Geographic Information(GI)for Early Warning(EW)and Disaster Management(DM).In the editorial of Part A we gave an introduction to the topic focussing on initiatives from the EU and China and we have highlighted the importance of Digital Earth for EWand DM.We have also reflected on the outcome of some events organized by the guest editors which were important for the topic and for this special issue.

Selected issues of cartographic communication optimization for emergency centers

Cartographic communication and support within emergency management(EM)are complicated issues with changing demands according to the incident extent and phase of the EM cycle.Keeping in mind the specifics of each purpose,it is obvious that spatial data used for maps preparation and production must be differently visualized even for the same type of emergency incident(traffic accident,fire,and natural disaster).Context-based cartography is a promising methodology to deal with the changing demands of an operational EM center.An overview of cartographic communication is presented within the context of an operational EM center,activities of particular actors,and map use supporting the incident elimination.The authors of the paper respond to a series of questions,for example:what is the current cartographic support of operational EM in the Czech Republic in Digital Earth conditions?What possibilities are there to improve the cartographic communication?How can contextual cartographic services be implemented in a Web environment and how can the usability of results be tested?The paper gives several examples of the usage of cartographic technologies in map creation for various emergency situations.

Geographic information science in the era of geospatial big data: A cyberspace perspective

The advent of information and communication technology and the Internet of Things have led our society toward a digital era.The proliferation of personal computers,smartphones,intelligent autonomous sensors,and pervasive network interactions with individuals have gradually shifted human activities from offline to online and from in person to virtual.This transformation has brought a series of challenges in a variety of fields,such as the dilemma of placelessness,some aspects of timelessness(no time relevance),and the changing relevance of distance in the field of geographic information science(GIScience).In the last two decades,“cyber thinking”in GIScience has received significant attention from different perspectives.For instance,human activities in“cyberspace”need to be reconsidered when coupled with the geographic space to observe the first law of geography.

可持续发展情景下丝绸之路沿线国家土地利用及其对陆地碳库影响

可持续发展目标(SDGs)呼吁全世界共同采取行动,促进繁荣并保护地球.本研究面向SDGs构建了环境、粮食和经济等可持续发展情景,预测2020~2030年丝绸之路沿线国家的土地利用变化,并分析其对陆地碳库的影响。研究表明:未来土地利用变化及其对陆地碳库的影响在不同情景下存在显著差异。在可持续环境情景下,林地得到了有效保护,相较于2020年中国林地碳储量增加了约0.60%;在可持续粮食情景下,耕地流失得到了缓解,尤其在南亚及东南亚地区的耕地面积呈现上升趋势:在可持续经济情景下,城市扩张速度加快,引起的碳损失量最多这项研究有助于推进丝绸之路沿线甚至全球可持续发展进程,为探寻可持续发展路径提供了科学依据。