Hui Lin

Sustainable land use optimization using Boundary-based Fast Genetic Algorithm

Under the notion of sustainable development, a heuristic method named as the Boundary-based Fast Genetic Algorithm (BFGA) is developed to search for optimal solutions to a land use allocation problem with multiple objectives and constraints. Plans are obtained based on the trade-off among economic benefit, environmental and ecological benefit, social equity including Gross Domestic Product (GDP), conversion cost, geological suitability, ecological suitability, accessibility, Not In My Back Yard (NIMBY) influence, compactness, and compatibility. These objectives and constraints are formulated into a Multi-objective Optimization of Land Use (MOLU) model based on a reference point method (i.e. goal programming). This paper demonstrates that the BFGA is effective by offering the possibility of searching over tens of thousands of plans for trade-off sets of non-dominated plans. This paper presents an application of the model to the Tongzhou Newtown in Beijing, China. The results clearly evince the potential of the model in a planning support process by generating suggested near-optimal planning scenarios considering multi-objectives with different preferences. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Exploring Virtual Geographic Environments

Abstract Virtual geographic environments (VGE) are environments pertaining to the relationship between post-humans and 3-D virtual worlds. Post-humans are defined as a combination of humans in the real world with 3-D avatars in 3-D virtual worlds. Five types of space, namely Internet space, data space, 3-D graphical space, personal perceptual and cognitive space, and social space are used to explore the characteristics of VGE. The evolution of VGE is illuminated via three stages: virtual crowds, virtual villages, and virtual cities. Taking VGE as study object, virtual geography can be defined as a discipline to study the characteristics and laws involving VGE as well as the relationship and interaction between VGE and real geographic environments. Different from VGE, georeferenced virtual environment systems allow distributed users to congregate virtually on the Web and interact with 3-D graphical worlds to explore the Earths geographic phenomena and processes in an immersive or semi-immersive way. They can be divisions or whole virtual laboratories embedded in VGE. In this paper, a georeferenced virtual environment system prototype, called VirtualPark, is developed for managing and disseminating information regarding the Shing Mun Country Park in Hong Kong, and for facilitating public participation in policy-making, protection of ecological systems, and the development of the tourism industry.

Application of Association Rule in Disaster Weather Forecasting

Abstract Recently, the evidences have indicated that the heavy rainfall in Yangtze River Basin is directly caused by Mesoscale Convective System (MCS) over the Tibetan Plateau in China. In this paper, the trajectories of MCS over the Tibetan Plateau are automatically tracked using GMS (Geostationary Meteorological Satellite) brightness temperature (Tbb) and High Resolution Limited Area Analysis and Forecasting System (HLAFS) data provided by China National Satellite Meteorological Center from June to August 1998. Based on these, the relationships between the trajectories of MCSs moving out of the Plateau and their environmental physical field values are analyzed using spatial association rule mining technique. The results indicate that at the level of 400hPa, the trajectories of MCSs, which move out of the Plateau, are mainly influenced by geopotential height, relative humidity, vorticity, divergence and vertical wind speed, while at the level of 500hPa, geopotential height, relative humidity, temperature, vertical wind speed and K index are the main factors which influence MCS to move out of the Plateau.

GIS in urban cultural studies: reflections from the project on Republican Beijing

This is a reflective report of our historical GIS project on Beijings urban culture during a culturally transitional and transformative period when the city operated not under direct political and ideological control by a supreme sovereign authority as the capital of an empire or an effectively unified nation-state. It is between the fall of the imperial order and before the Japanese occupation, 12 years before the establishment of the Peoples Republic of China. In this article, we will report what the project is about but we also have an underlying concern of what more GIS can tell us about historical Beijing as a city. This question will be addressed by drawing from the experience of our project. The article discusses the benefits gained and difficulties we encountered and our reflections upon a number of more fundamental theoretical issues. The scholarship contexts pertaining to the application of historical GIS to modern Chinese history and urban history are provided, against which a case of legal cultural development, especially that of the newly emergent legal profession, is discussed to illustrate in a spatial perspective the complex interplay between the legal heritage and transplants in Republican Beijing.

Atmospheric Path Radiation Map Generated from Remote Sensing Digital Image Based on Heterogeneous Surface Reflectance

Abstract The state of the atmospheric environment is related to the values of atmospheric path radiation in remote sensing data. As an important information resource, an atmospheric path radiation image derived from remotely sensed data can be used in many research fields. These include the research in the transmission properties of the atmosphere, the atmospheric modification of remote sensing image, the study of both regional and urban atmospheric environment, and the monitoring of the atmospheric environmental qualities. The principle and methodology for generating the heterogeneous atmospheric path radiation image are described in detail. It is based on known surface reflectance. Using remote sensing images from Shanghai City as a demonstration example, we briefly analyzed the properties of the resulting image of atmospheric path radiation.

Restructuring the SQL Framework for Spatial Queries

Abstract This paper presents an approach to designing a spatial query language, called GeoSQL, in terms of the conventional spatial query and implementation process. A critical factor to the design is how to accommodate spatial operators in an appropriate form, while being compatible with the Structured Query Language (SQL) standard. To achieve this, the FROM clause of SQL is restructured to contain spatial operators via a subquery so that the results of spatial operations can be easily fed into both the SELECT and WHERE clauses. The subquery in the FROM clause creates an intermediate relation, on which the selection in terms of certain criteria is conducted. This is a distinct characteristic of GeoSQL. The syntax and semantics of GeoSQL are described, and a set of examples for testing the expressiveness of the language is given. The interface of the language is also designed with the introduction of visual constructs (e.g., icons and ListBoxes) to aid the entry of query text. This distinguishes GeoSQLs ...

Beijing temples and their social matrix – A GIS reconstruction of the 1912–1937 social scape

ABSTRACT This paper reconstructs the spatial phenomena of Chinese temples in Beijing city during the Republican period (1912–1937). The research that informs the reconstruction is based on a Republican Beijing GIS data set that is focused on the transition of urban culture at that time. Spatial analytical methods based on GIS, including Standard Deviational Ellipse (SDE) and Geographically Weighted Regression (GWR), are used to demonstrate the distribution and change of Chinese temples in the 1920s and 1930s, and explore their interactions with population, industry-commerce, guild and church patterns. Overall, the Chinese temples have declined slightly during the period. The relations between Chinese temples and the selected factors exhibit spatial non-stationary across the city. This study highlights the importance of employing spatial and quantitative methods to yield a better understanding of the religious culture in Republican Beijing. Beijing is one of the top-tier political capitals of the world. Uncovering its historical geography is important to an understanding of the resilience of religion in a time where some religious revival is evident.

Land Cover Classification in the Poyang Lake Region, China, Using Landsat TM and JERS-1 Synthetic Aperture Radar Data

Abstract The Poyang Lake is the largest fresh water lake in China. As an internationally important wetlands, conservation of wild birds needs updated information on land use and land cover in the Poyang Lake region. This paper introduced a non-parametric knowledge-based classification method (decision tree classifier) for land cover classification in the Poyang Lake region. We merged optical sensor (Landsat 5 TM) image with Japanese Earth Resource Satellite-1(JERS-1) synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images. The overall accuracy of the classification result was about 82%, of which forest was classified with higher accuracy (over 87%) and less errors of omission and commission. Main classification errors came from the similar spectrum of different land cover classes in winter. The seasonal dynamics should be considered for selecting optical satellite images for classification when using this pixel-based classification algorithm. The results of this study suggests that the non-parametric decision tree classifier together with fusion of optical and SAR images is an efficient method for mapping complex landscapes with agriculture, wetlands and forests.

B-spline Curve Smoothing for Isobathymetric Line Generalization

Abstract This paper introduces a new method for curve smoothing which is specific for isobathymetric line generalization. Isobaths are modeled with B-spline curves that can maintain the smooth feature of the curves. Smoothing is performed by keeping the curve points always on the deepest side of the original curve so that the result is consistent with the safety constraint. It is done by using a snake model in which the constraints and the smoothness are expressed via external and internal energies defined from the curve derivatives. The advantage of the model is that the deformation is done by minimizing the system energy and, by tuning the parameters during the process, convergence towards a valid solution is ensured. Results from real case studies are presented.

A Model of GIS Virtual Machine

Abstract This paper presents a model of Geographic Information System Virtual Machine. The GIS VM is a software architectural model that facilitates the development of Web-based GIS applications. It is a three-tiered system. Java applets or ActiveX objects, with Web browsers as the container, form the presentation tier that interacts with the user. The core of the GIS VM is the servers in the middle and third tiers. The middle tier includes server components for basic GIS functions and data discovery. The third tire mainly contains the spatial data access server. In addition to these basic servers, the GIS VM includes a model object manager (MOM) that establishes linkages with external models and other application programs. The MOM can also extract metadata about models and carry out the execution process on a users behalf.