外文翻譯---在網(wǎng)絡(luò)地理信息系統(tǒng)環(huán)境中地圖的作用（英文）

1、Abstract. The World Wide Web has changed the perspective on the role that maps can play. Their traditional function remains, e.g. to represent an abstraction of a selected part of reality to offer insight into geospatial

2、 patterns and relations. Additionally the map can be an important part of a search engine, especially in the context of geospatial data infrastructure. Maps can also function as an interface to other geographic and non-

3、geographic information on the Web. The question ‘What are the implications of this expanding role of maps for a WebGIS environment?’ is addressed in this paper.1 IntroductionMaps are recognised in their capacity to offer

4、 an overview of and insight into spatial patterns and relations. Maps can guide us from A to B, show the structure of the landscape, display the changes in population distributions, or show future urban plans. Maps do th

5、is because they represent abstractions and selections of reality. If well designed, the meaning of their symbology will give the user a link to a part of reality.Geographical Information Systems (GIS) are characterised b

6、y the abilityto integrate geospatial data from a wide variety of sources. The functionality of such systems allows different kinds of spatial analysis operations. The nature of these operations is often based on applicat

7、ions models, the current disciplinary approach to the problem at hand. Obviously, maps play an important role in GIS. Not only do they present the final results of the spatial analysis but they are also critical during t

8、he whole iterative process of geospatial data handling. The popularity of GIS has had a great impact on maps. Many maps have been created and used, but during the beginning of the GIS era map quality was not always accep

9、table. This was partly due to the fact that not all people involved in GIS-mapmaking were skilled in this process, and partly due to the limited resolution of screens and plotters.The rise of the Internet, and in particu

10、lar the World Wide Web, wasanother stimulant to map making and map use. However, the Web has alsoJ Geograph Syst (2004) 6:83–93 DOI: 10.1007/s10109-004-0127-2The role of the map in a Web-GIS environmentMenno-Jan KraakInt

11、ernational Institute of Geoinformation Science and Earth Observation, Department of GeoInformation Processing, PO Box 6, 7500 AA Enschede, The Netherlands (e-mail: kraak@itc.nl)having had influence on the map are image a

12、nalysis, exploratory data analysis (EDA), and of course methodological developments in GIS and cartography not to be forgotten.The above developments in scientific visualisation stimulated (DiBiase1990) to define a model

13、 for map-based scientific visualisation. It covers both the communication and thinking functions of the map. Communication is described as ‘‘public visual communication’’ since it concerns maps aimed at a wide audience.

14、Thinking is defined as ‘‘private visual thinking’’ because it is often an individual playing with the geospatial data to determine its significance. On a more detailed level, different visualisation stages can be recogni

15、sed, each requiring a different strategy from the perspective of map use. This ranges from presentation to exploration. The first fits into the traditional realm of cartography, where the cartographer works on known geos

16、patial data and creates communicative maps. These maps are often created for multiple uses. Exploration often involves a discipline expert creating maps while dealing with unknown data. These maps are generally for a sin

17、gle purpose, expedient in the expert’s attempt to solve a problem. While dealing with the data, the expert should be able to rely on cartographic expertise, provided by the software or some other means.From the map persp

18、ective, a synthesis of all the above trends results ingeovisualization. Geovisualization integrates approaches from scientific visualization, to provide theory, methods, and tools for visual exploration, analysis, synthe

19、sis, and presentation of geospatial data). This trend has been described by (MacEachren and Kraak 2001) for the Commission on Visualisation and Virtual Environments of the International Cartographic Association. More inf

20、ormation can be found on the Commission’s Website (URL1) or in the special issue of Cartographic and Geographic Information Sciences (2001) vol. 28, no 1.In this context, it is obvious that cartographic design and resear

21、ch payattention to human computer interaction – the interfaces, and revive the attention for the usability of their products. Additionally, one has to work on representation issues and the integration of geocomputing in

22、the visualiza- tion process. As such maps and graphics are used to explore geospatial data, the exploration process can generate hypotheses, develop problem solutions, and ultimately construct knowledge.In a geovisualiza

23、tion environment maps are used to stimulate (visual)thinking about geospatial patterns, relationships, and trends. One important approach here is to view geospatial data sets in a number of alternative ways, e.g., using

24、multiple representations without constraints set by traditional techniques or rules. This should avoid the trap described by (Finke et al. 1992) who claim that ‘‘most researchers tend to rely on well-worn procedures and

25、paradigms...’’ while they should realize that ‘‘…creative discoveries, in both art and science, often occur in unusual situations, where one is forced to think unconventionally.’’ New, fresh, creative graphics might also

26、 offer different insights and would probably have more impact than traditional mapping methods. These arguments are valid in a WebGIS environment as well, but do require specific interactive functionality that is not alw