Karel Kriz

New capabilities for studies using isotopes in the water cycle

The characterization and quantification of hydrological fluxes within components of the water cycle and across interfaces (e.g., atmosphere/land surface, aquifer/river, soil/plant) are critical for assessing and managing water resources and for understanding the impacts of climate change and variability on the hydrological cycle. Stable isotopes of oxygen and hydrogen, and radioactive isotopes such as tritium and carbon-14, provide unique insights into hydrological and climatic processes at local, regional, and global scales, including the role of groundwater in rivers and lakes, groundwater recharge rates, and sources and recycling rates of atmospheric moisture [Aggarwal et al., 2005; Gat, 1996; Kendall and McDonnell, 1998]. Isotopes also provide critical insights into understanding feedbacks and interactions between physical and biological processes (e.g., ecohydrology).

Design and Production of the Himachal Pradesh Topographic Overview Map, 1:500,000

This article describes the design of a map of the Indian state Himachal Pradesh at the scale of 1:500,000. The aim of this foldable map with topography is to support an interdisciplinary research network focusing on the cultural history of the western Himalayas starting in the eighth century. In this research network, cartography and geography fulfill a mediating role between the disciplines of art history, numismatics, Buddhist philosophy, and Tibetan and Sanskrit philology. The map’s goal is to facilitate scientific work and interdisciplinary collaboration both in the office and out in the field. In addition to the printed version, the map is available for download to the general public through a Web-based cartographic information system. Topographic data was compiled from a variety of sources—starting with maps originally surveyed by the colonial British and ending with satellite imagery. Production involved ArcGIS and Natural Scene Designer for initial data preparation and Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator for final map compilation.

Understanding Different Geographies

Cartographers endeavour to design and develop tools that can be employed to support theme experts in their research that involves the use of geodata. Having access to appropriate cartographic tools provides the facilities to better address how geography, and the location of things like found objects can better inform. However, ‘just’ providing and using these tools does not fully embrace the complexity of ‘different’ geographies, where cartographic applications are applied to geographies that perhaps are outside the conventional thinking of what is meant when a ‘geography’ is defined in conventional terms. There exists a need to address how cartographic research in the development of appropriate tools for theme researchers who work in areas where geography may be described and measured in ways that can be considered to not be conventional. Once developed and provided, these innovative cartographic tools can be employed in the quest to understand different geographies.

Are we Living in a Cartographic Illiterate Society

This contribution focuses on the question whether geo-communication in general and cartography in particular is or can be of use to our society. What role has graphicacy got in a society that primarily focuses on other forms of representation and communication utilising verbal and numerical information?

LWD-Infosystem Tirol — visual information about the current avalanche situation via mobile devices

The Avalanche Warning Center Tyrol (Innsbruck, Austria) together with the Department of Geography and Regional Research at the University of Vienna have developed a complex and very powerful database driven online decision support system for visualization and analysis of current avalanche relevant factors in the Tyrolean Alps. In order to understand the avalanche situation it is important to have spatial coverage of meteorological and snow pack factors as well as information covering the avalanche danger scale and topographic situation. All information can be interactively made accessible to the user and includes for example current snow depth, amount of snow accumulation within the last 24 hours, temperature, wind speed and direction as well as the regional distribution of the avalanche danger scale including height and temporal dependencies. Spatial depiction of this information can help comprehend the situation. The faster this information is made accessible the more useful it can be. For this reason the partners of the project decided to adapt the online maps for the presentation on mobile devices like mobile phone and personal digital assistant (PDA).

Maps and Design–Influence of Depiction, Space and Aesthetics on Geocommunication

A map is a graphical representation of space exploiting artistic concepts to communicate thematic aspects of geography. In this context design issues play an important role and can be seen within cartography as the art or the action of conceiving an artefact before it is made. However, in order to communicate spatial results efficiently, from a cartographic perspective, both the conception and construction of maps must be well-considered beforehand. The proficiency to communicate lies therefore in how maps are designed and in the way they are realized and reproduced.

The 4th ICA Mountain Cartography Workshop, Vall de Núria, Catalonia, Spain (30 September–2 October 2004)

The International Cartographic Association Commission on Mountain Cartography held its fourth Mountain Cartography Workshop in the Vall de Nuria of the Catalan Pyrenees. This location is situated in the north of Catalonia, at 2000m altitude, and is surrounded by mountains that reach nearly 3000m. The valley can be reached only via a silent cog railway and has a wealth of history and tradition, documented since 1087. It was a perfect meeting place to discuss and confer about current issues in the field of mountain cartography. The workshop, held biennially as part of the activities of the commission, covered many topics related to mountain cartography, such as avalanche and glacier mapping, relief presentation, tourist mapping, data capture, photogrammetry, remote sensing, geovisualization, and multimedia. The 40 participants from Austria, Canada, France, Germany, Poland, Romania, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, and the United States spent three fruitful days together. The workshop was sponsored and perfectly organized by the Institut Cartografic de Catalunya (ICC) – special thanks go to Maria Pla and Blanca Baella – and covered the following topics:

Avalanche Cartography: Visualization of Dynamic-Temporal Phenomena in a Mountainous Environment

Avalanches represent a very short, local, dynamic event in snow-covered mountainous regions. They are not easy to predict and often can produce devastating results. Avalanche cartography deals with the causes and consequences of such incidents and attempts to depict them in a variety of ways. The most common cartographic representation within this field is the avalanche hazard map. It incorporates mainly large-scale topographic elements with thematic features. However, besides just visualizing what has happened and depicting locations of potential risk, it is now possible within modern cartography to experiment with different approaches and to visualize complex variables in a cartographically demanding way. This paper deals with the phenomena of avalanches from a cartographic perspective and shows the variety of possibilities cartography can offer today to understand and predict these complex natural hazards. Situees dans les regions montagneuses couvertes de neige, les avalanches representent un evenemen...