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Modern Geospatial Data Acquisition, Tools and Applications in Interdisciplinary Research

A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Earth Sciences".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 April 2024) | Viewed by 11146

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Land Measurements and Cadastre, Faculty of Civil Engineering, Technical University of Cluj-Napoca, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Interests: topography; land survey; construction survey; mapping; cadastre; UAV photogrammetry
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Guest Editor
Faculty of Geography, Babes Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Interests: GIS modelling; forest favorability; landslide dynamics; land evaluation; environmental impact assessment; multirisk
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The access to geospatial data is the backbone to numerous fields of research related to the fields of geodesy, geosciences, civil engineering, environmental studies, precision in agriculture, and forestry, etc. Thanks to the ongoing advances in instrumentation, software, and availability of open source data, data acquisition has never been more accessible to the public and research sectors. Geospatial techniques are efficient tools for the mapping, monitoring, and assessment of lands. An accurate land survey and field data acquisition can help scientists, policymakers, and stakeholders to improve the decision-making process in regards to better management, planning, and design. Thus, new tools and best practices, both in terms of data capture and in their processing and modelling, can be deployed to identify the most efficient solutions in a rapidly evolving field. This Special Issue aims to present and promote original scientific contributions to the concepts, technologies, methods, and tools in the acquisition and processing of geospatial data in a wide range of interdisciplinary applications.

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • New tools and techniques in field data acquisition, from the traditional topographic-geodetic instrumentations (total stations, GNSS systems, TLS, etc.) to the modern solutions (UAV, LiDAR, digital photogrammetry, satellite images, etc.);
  • Models, methods, techniques, and tools for geospatial applications;
  • Integrating modern techniques of data acquisition in cadastre and technical documentation in order to increase productivity and mitigate field risk;
  • Improving the traditional topographic surveys with the help of geomatics tools and GIS applications;
  • Advances in 3D modelling;
  • New developments in sensors for surveying and monitoring;
  • Surveying methods for monitoring and documentation of the built environment;
  • Techniques for 3D data acquisition and objects reconstruction/modelling;
  • Best practices, guidelines, and planning using acquired geospatial data;
  • Mapping and monitoring in a rapidly urbanizing world;
  • GIS applications in land management, land policy, and decision making.

Dr. Paul Sestraș
Dr. Sanda Roșca
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Applied Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • land survey
  • data acquisition
  • geodesy
  • remote sensing
  • geosciences
  • digitalisation
  • GIS
  • topography
  • instrumentation
  • cadastre

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 15895 KiB  
Article
A Method for Turning a Single Low-Cost Cube into a Reference Target for Point Cloud Registration
by Ting On Chan, Linyuan Xia, Derek D. Lichti, Xuanqi Wang, Xiong Peng, Yuezhen Cai and Ming Ho Li
Appl. Sci. 2023, 13(3), 1306; https://doi.org/10.3390/app13031306 - 18 Jan 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1359
Abstract
Target-based point cloud registration methods are still widely used by many laser scanning professionals due to their direct and manipulable nature. However, placing and moving multiple targets such as spheres for registration is a time-consuming and tactical process. When the number of scans [...] Read more.
Target-based point cloud registration methods are still widely used by many laser scanning professionals due to their direct and manipulable nature. However, placing and moving multiple targets such as spheres for registration is a time-consuming and tactical process. When the number of scans gets large, the time and labor costs will accumulate to a high level. In this paper, we propose a flexible registration method that requires the installation of only a low-cost cubical target: a die-like object. The method includes virtual coordinate system construction and two error compensation techniques, in which the non-orthogonality of the scanned facets, along with the unknown sizes of the dice are estimated based on projection geometry and cubical constraints so that three pairs of conjugate points can be accurately identified along the axes of the constructed coordinate systems for the registration. No scan overlap of the facet is needed. Two different low-cost dice (with a volume of 0.125 m3 and 0.027 m3) were used for verifying the proposed method, which shows that the proposed method delivers registration accuracy (with an RMSE discrepancy of less than 0.5 mm for check planes) comparable to the traditional sphere- based method using four to six spherical targets spanning the scene. Therefore, the proposed method is particularly useful for registering point clouds in harsh scanning environments with limited target-setting space and high chances of target interruption. Full article
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24 pages, 3852 KiB  
Article
The Integrated Assessment of Degraded Tourist Geomorphosites to Develop Sustainable Tourism: A Case Study of Grădina Zmeilor Geomorphosite, North-West Region, Romania
by Paula Minerva Codrea, Ștefan Bilașco, Sanda Roșca, Ioan-Aurel Irimuș, Vescan Iuliu, Raularian Rusu, Ioan Fodorean and Paul Sestras
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(19), 9816; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12199816 - 29 Sep 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1444
Abstract
Most of the natural geomorphosites represent main attractions that have a high tourism potential and need great care in terms of their capitalization. The irrational tourism capitalization of the geomorphosites may lead to their degradation because of the lack of proper tourism infrastructure [...] Read more.
Most of the natural geomorphosites represent main attractions that have a high tourism potential and need great care in terms of their capitalization. The irrational tourism capitalization of the geomorphosites may lead to their degradation because of the lack of proper tourism infrastructure and the practice of random and uncontrolled tourism. The reintroduction in the tourism circuit of such geomorphological structures that have a high landscape and scientific value claims, first of all, the assessment of the current state of degradation and the drawing up of sustainable development proposals from a geomorphological point of view. This study deals mainly with the assessment of a geomorphosite (Grădina Zmeilor Geomorphosite, North-West Region, Romania), using a complex methodology, which is based on the identification of criteria influencing the tourism development of the geomorphosite, and their analysis by means of qualitative points given according to the impact of each criterion. A total of 17 criteria have been therefore identified. They are structured along four levels of analysis which are integrated in the form of spatial analysis based on weighted average, and highlight the overall value of the analysed geomorphosite. By implementing the methodology in the proposed research, a total value of 0.29 has been obtained in an interval between 0 and 1. This value underlines the high degree of degradation of the geomorphosite. The planning proposals have the main purpose of increasing the overall value of the geomorphosite by providing sustainability in its capitalization. To achieve this, proposals have been made to mitigate the shortcomings for a total of four criteria. The overall value of the geomorphosite has been recalculated, resulting a significant increase of the value (0.33), highlighting the impact of the implementation of these proposals in practice for the development of the geomorphosite and the increase of its level of tourism attractiveness. The introduction of this objective on the tourist map, following the application of the suggestions proposed in this paper, can lead to favorable economic development both at the local and regional level. This analysis model can also be applied to other geomorphists facing the problem of degradation and involution. Full article
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21 pages, 6140 KiB  
Article
User-Centered Design as a Method for Engaging Users in the Development of Geovisualization: A Use Case of Temperature Visualization
by Jelena Nakić, Ivana Nižetić Kosović and Ana Franić
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(17), 8754; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12178754 - 31 Aug 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2041
Abstract
Visualization of geographic data is part of many widely used solutions that aim to communicate the information to the end user. Effective visualizations are those that are tailored to a specific group of users and their tasks, as well as to specific properties [...] Read more.
Visualization of geographic data is part of many widely used solutions that aim to communicate the information to the end user. Effective visualizations are those that are tailored to a specific group of users and their tasks, as well as to specific properties of the data. Usability is a key concept for such solutions, and the most effective way to achieve high usability is to incorporate user-centered design (UCD) into the development process. In visualization, data are often coded by colors, so the choice of color schemes and color range is critical to enable the reverse mapping of colors to data. In this paper, we present a method for integrating the principles of UCD into the development process. In doing so, we use a case involving the selection of the most appropriate color scheme and associated parameters for representing temperature values on geographic maps. The method described is suitable for use in UCD-based research related to the visualization of various types of data and is useful for researchers and developers of geovisualizations. Full article
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19 pages, 9397 KiB  
Article
Land Cover Mapping Using GIS and Remote Sensing Databases for Al Baha Region Saudi Arabia
by Raid Yahia Shrahily, Mohammad Ambarak Alsharif, Babikir Ahmed Mobarak and Abdulrhman Ali Alzandi
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(16), 8115; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12168115 - 13 Aug 2022
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2956
Abstract
Land cover assessment plays a vital role in both current and future planning and use of natural resources for sustainable development for any country. For the good practice of the vision 2030 in Al Baha region (south-western Saudi Arabia), land cover was assessed, [...] Read more.
Land cover assessment plays a vital role in both current and future planning and use of natural resources for sustainable development for any country. For the good practice of the vision 2030 in Al Baha region (south-western Saudi Arabia), land cover was assessed, classified, and analyzed using remote sensing databases and time series analysis combined with spatial analysis in geographic information system (GIS) based on high-resolution Landsat 8 OLI, Sentinel-2 satellite imagery between the period of study 2017/2018 and 2021/2022. Based on both an accuracy assessment and kappa test, the results indicate that Esri Sentinel-2 imagery gives the highest performance compared to Landsat 8 OLI with accuracy and kappa test equal to 87% and 84%, respectively. On the other hand, the land cover classification revealed that the large area of water bodies is localized on Alaqiq (1.45 km2), Baljurish (0.94 km2), and Elmelkhwah (1.57 km2). Furthermore, the built area of the Al Baha region between 2017 and 2021 was estimated to increase by 144 km2 (from 516.5 to 661.07 km2), which is especially significant for the Qelwah district (from 16.97 to 44.16 km2) which demonstrated a decrease in bare ground area of approximately 320 km2. The crop lands have been increased by 162.74% in the 2017–2021 period from 10.39 km2 to 16.90 km2, particularly at Qelwah and Elmelkhwah. Finally, the results obtained by this research can help decision-makers and managers for better natural resources management in the Al Baha region. Full article
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15 pages, 719 KiB  
Article
Interactive Visualization of Geographic Vector Big Data Based on Viewport Generalization Model
by Luo Chen, Zebang Liu and Mengyu Ma
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(15), 7710; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12157710 - 31 Jul 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1531
Abstract
The visualization of geographic vector data is an important premise for spatial analysis and spatial cognition. Traditional geographic vector data visualization methods are data-driven, and their computational costs have increased rapidly with the growth of the scale of data used. Even if the [...] Read more.
The visualization of geographic vector data is an important premise for spatial analysis and spatial cognition. Traditional geographic vector data visualization methods are data-driven, and their computational costs have increased rapidly with the growth of the scale of data used. Even if the distributed parallel strategy is used, it is still difficult to achieve a real-time response when dealing with big geographic vector data (BGVD). To solve this problem, this paper proposes a viewport generalization model and a visualization method for the online interactive visualization of BGVD. The method takes the viewport display pixel as the analysis unit and synthesizes the existence or quantity results of geographic vector data in the corresponding spatial range of each viewport display pixel into the display value of this display pixel; thus, it converts traditional computational complexity, dependent on the data scale, into computational complexity dependent on the number of pixels in the viewport. When the number of pixels in the viewport is much smaller than that of the geographic vector data, the visualization efficiency is greatly improved. In order to realize the above conversion, the pixel quadtree index (VPQ) structure and the real-time visualization algorithm of geographic vector data based on VPQ are proposed. Experiments show that the proposed method can achieve the near-real-time interactive visualization of BGVD, and provides more than a tenfold performance improvement over the best existing methods. Full article
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