Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
1. College of Science Dean's Office
2. Department of Geography & Geoinformation Science
3. Geographic Information Science Center of Excellence
4. Center for Earth Observing & Space Research
5. Center for Geospatial Intelligence
6. Joint Center for Intelligent Spatial Computing
7. Center for Spatial Information Science and Systems
8. Laboratory for Natural Hazards
9. Super Computing Facility
Another example of content is the Student Union Building II shown in
Figure 3 . Besides lounges and student study areas, it contains the Meal
Plan Office, the Photo Identification Office and the student mail service
center. Each of these sub-elements of their buildings is included in the
localized gazetteer because of their utility in providing a geo-reference.
Other attributes of naming include former names which endure in vernacu-
lar usage for years after a building has been renamed. Some structures
adjoin buildings but have no distinct name. The observatory connected to
Research I (shown in Figure 3 as a noticeable appendage to building 48) is
an example of this. It would be included in the localized gazetteer. More
transient events might be associated with a building and could be added as
an event grouping in the localized gazetteer.
A further consideration for the application of this localized gazetteer is
what structures to include in it beyond the obvious buildings and parking
lots. For the localized gazetteer to provide its greatest value, it should
cover the widest areas of highest use as well as those with the highest
safety or security risk for the population. Although a university campus
may have a well-defined boundary, the access to the campus and adjacent
areas should be considered for inclusion. Additionally, unnamed areas
should be added to the localized gazetteer based on an analysis of safety.
For example, the western edge of the Fairfax campus at GMU holds nu-
merous athletic fields which are isolated. These places should be described
in terms that the students use, even if no official name exists. Prominent
landmarks are common reference points and should be included, such as a
clock or water tower.
Although our gazetteer data model forms a starting point for a functional
system, we are constantly discovering new ways to modify it to make our
system better. User feedback is critical, particularly because the system
relies on end-users to become involved with communicating about changes
to navigation corridors and the presence of obstacles or hazards to navigation.
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