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their field study area. After collecting the points that constitute the trim line, they are able
to build a model on the device of what the glacier would have looked like according to the
evidence presented. On their device, they also have access to previous models built in the
area by other research scientists that allows them to compare their set of glacial models to
ones which others have built. In terms of spatial scales,
a.
Spatial location
is the collection of data points and building of models. Here, these
points are at the data level. The remote capture and recording of accurate points are an
important problem in its own right.
b.
Neighbourhood
is the glacial cirque under study. The context of the collected points is
important as it defines the kinds of questions that can be answered with the data.
c.
Region
is the spatial distribution and characteristics of other cirques in the area and
research findings about how their form has been accounted for. Glaciers form as part
of a process and can interact with other glaciers. At this level, these interactions are
considered and questions that pertain to a glacial system can be addressed.
2. The user is a property consultant who is interested in the changing face of
city centre
retail,
in Nottingham, a medium-sized city in the East Midlands, United Kingdom, and they have
been tasked with choosing the best potential site for a new retailer. They have a mobile
device where they can record the occupation of retail units in an area of the city. Using
their mobile device, they can compute a list of changes and the relative change in market
position (upmarket, mid-market, downmarket) of the retailers that have come and gone.
They can then compare this in the field with the change in affluence of Nottingham's sur-
rounding population and then come to some conclusions as to why this has happened. By
combining the old datasets with the new data collected in the field, they can quantitatively
calculate potential spend in the city centre and apportion it out by area of the city, thus
coming to a conclusion on the retail unit to recommend to their client based upon observa-
tional and previously recorded spatial data. In terms of spatial scales,
a.
Spatial location
is the location of the retail units in question, that is, where they are
in the world. These are the physical coordinates of the retail units themselves from a
technical perspective and treated in isolation.
b.
Neighbourhood
is Nottingham city centre and the context of the retail units surround-
ing the unit in question. It is at this level that the context of the unit is important,
and relevant questions include: What does the unit border? Are surrounding units
competition or complementary?
c.
Region
is the shoppers who visit Nottingham city centre and the wider considerations
of the problem. At this level, we consider the implications of the retail units being
introduced to an area.
15.4 MAJOR CHARACTERISTICS OF LBGC
Each point in the following structured account is strongly influenced by the manifesto on mobile
computing in geographic education (Armstrong and Bennett, 2005). The major principles involved
in developing a location-based service or app were outlined in that paper and their reported mobile
geographic education system (MoGeo). The MoGeo design is based on contextually aware comput-
ing and a purposeful integration of the following technologies: GPS receivers, GIS software, wire-
less networks, mobile computers (PDAs or tablets) and centralised computers (e.g. servers). MoGeo
was aimed at allowing students to learn in situ, armed with a powerful mix of mobile computing
and associated location-based evidence, supplied by the field site. The scenario considered by the
authors involved students using mobile devices in the field to understand flow rates of a river during
a period when it flooded. Using the device, they can retrieve flow data, calculate the flow curve,
get information from online images and videos and also facilitate or engage in an online discussion
about the history of the area.
