Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
Figure.1:
Process for integrating user-contributed geospatial data with assistive geotech-
nology using a localized gazetteer
Figure 1
captures a specific scenario in which this functionality might find
utility. A pedestrian in the environs of campus might discover a temporary
obstacle and desire to share this easily with other pedestrians. Possible
obstacles might range from sidewalk construction to a large student rally.
With a basic text message using commonplace and natural descriptions
(e.g., “near the Engineering building”) and perhaps a camera image, he
could register the obstacle. That information is time-stamped and
compared to a localized gazetteer for locating the obstacle in GIS-
understandable geographic space. Alternative paths are identified using
standard network path algorithms. This synthesized information is made
available on a subscribed syndication for any GIS/GPS-equipped users.
Other technologies for text-to-voice can specifically alert and inform the
blind and visually-impaired.
Our localized gazetteer forms the linkage between user-contributed obser-
vations that generally use placenames and existing cartographic resources
contained primarily in ArcGIS. The result is a map-based display system
that contains both existing geospatial data and updates contributed by end-
users.
