Geoinformation Issues Vol. 5, No 1, 2013
Editorial pages, contents, reviewers of journal "Geoinformation Issues"
editorial pages, contents, reviewers to download
Beata Konopska
The tightening of censorship rules in cartography in Poland 1944–1989
DOI: 10.34867/gi.2013.1
Abstract. In this article an attempt to formulate an answer to the question what influence the apparatus of power had on Polish cartographic publications for general use in the years 1944–1989 was made. To this end, written and cartographic archival documents and conduct an analysis of maps for the deformation of their contents were analysed by the author. Three sub-periods differing in the activity of the apparatus of power in relation to maps and cartographic activities were singled out. The years 1944–1949 cover a time of relative freedom in conducting cartographic mapping ending in the development of a legal basis for its effective limitation; the period from 1950 to 1963 was one of so-called “minimum content” mapping, while the years 1964–1989 cover a time in which the apparatus of power impose a duty to deform maps in cartometric terms. The results of the analysis prove the thesis that maps intended for general use published during the period 1944–1989 are an important historical source documenting the times in which they were developed, and a fairly unreliable source of information about elements of the geographical environment, particularly anthropogenic ones. This paper not only evaluates the impact of the apparatus of power on Polish cartographic publications, but also shows the social effects of counterfeiting maps.
Zbigniew Bochenek, Shailesh Shrestha, Iwona Małek
Hybrid approach for mapping wetland habitats based on application of VHR satellite images
DOI: 10.34867/gi.2013.2
Abstract. The article presents results of work aimed at developing methods for classifying wetland habitats, based on different types of satellite data and on various classification approaches. Very high resolution WorldView-2 satellite images were used for the research work as basic input data. An object-oriented, rulebased approach was applied to achieve high accuracy of classification of wetland vegetation classes. As a result of the research a semi-automatic classification method has been prepared within the eCognition environment, which enables high accuracy of the resultant map (ca. 90%) to be reached. At the final stage of the research, applicability of radar Terra SAR-X images for vegetation classification was studied.
Dariusz Ziółkowski, Iwona Małek, Maria Budzyńska
Dual-Polarimetric signatures of vegetation – a case study Biebrza
DOI: 10.34867/gi.2013.3
Abstract. The main objective of the research presented in this article is to analyse the polarimetric characteristics of three main types of natural vegetation occurring in the Biebrza National Park – forests, shrubs and non-forest land communities covering wetlands. The variability of many different polarimetric products of signal decomposition, depending on the type of vegetation, the microwave image acquisition period and the method of their preliminary treatment, was analysed. An attempt was also made to assess how much polarimetric methods can be useful for modelling biophysical parameters of vegetation. The study used six dualpolarized (HH and HV) ALOS satellite images recorded during the growing season in the years 2008, 2009 and 2010. The images were processed in parallel, using different parameters, in order to estimate the impact of the spatial resolution of images and methods of speckle noise filtering on the value of polarimetric characteristics of different types of vegetation. All methods of polarimetric signal decompositions available using ESA POLSARPRO 4.2 software were tested. Three of them, i.e. the Alpha parameter from the H/A/Alpha decomposition (Cloud and Pottier, 1996) containing information about the dominant scattering mechanisms and two types of entropy: the entropy from the H/A/Alpha decomposition and the Shannon Entropy were selected for further analysis.
The analysed years differed quite significantly from one another in the agro-meteorological conditions of plant growth. It was a cause of significant differences between the values of polarimetric characteristics in images recorded at the same season but in different years. During the growing season individual products of polarimetric signal decomposition are characterized by different variability. This demonstrates the dependence of different polarimetric characteristics on various biophysical parameters of the environment. It was observed that they are characterized by greater information content than the backscattering coefficient, especially if they are subjected to the process of increasing the resolution (oversampling). They can be used to model the biophysical parameters of vegetation.
Milena Napiórkowska, Monika Tomaszewska
The relationship between Carbon dioxide (CO2) /derived/ from SCIAMACHY.ENVISAT-1, meteorological parameters, and vegetation indices - case study of Poland
DOI: 10.34867/gi.2013.4
Abstract. The requirement for information concerning air quality with special attention to CO2 concentration is increasing in different fields of research. Satellite observations could provide information on gases which for special areas could be provided with high temporal resolution. One of the sources of measurements of CO2 was the SCIAMACHY.ENVISAT-1 (the SCanning Imaging Absorption spectroMeter for Atmospheric CHartographY) sensor. The study that has been introduced as part of the National Project (1600/B/T02/2011/40) of the Institute of Geodesy and Cartography: “Application of new generation satellite data for the assessment of the impact of soil moisture and biomass on carbon balance” relates to the application of CO2 measurements by the SCIAMACHY sensor for the environment. The main objective of the Project was to use the satellite data as an input to the model of assessing carbon balance. Unfortunately it was not possible to obtain the data from the satellite at the time of carbon in-situ measurements. The paper presents the relationships performed between CO2 values derived from SCIAMACHY data and meteorological parameters measured at ground stations throughout Poland. Also presented is the relationship between CO2 and the vegetation index (NDVI) calculated from NOAA satellites, and between CO2 concentration and the percentage of forest cover in NUTS2 regions in Poland. The correlation between CO2 and air temperature T has been found to be significant, as well as that between CO2 and net radiation Rn. In the regional scale it was also concluded that the percentage of forest areas determines the concentration of CO2 in the air. In addition the seasonal correlation of CO2 and NDVI was determined. This research might be a contribution for the further analysis of air quality using the Sentinel – 4 and 5 of the COPERNICUS Programme.
Małgorzata Brzezińska-Klusek, Albina Mościcka
The inventory and modernization of information resources of the Institute of Geodesy and Cartography
DOI: 10.34867/gi.2013.5
Abstract. The paper presents the main aspects of resource inventory tasks necessary to develop the OGNIWO system. Special attention was paid to the aspects of modernization and data-sharing and thus to the work which would make it possible to use all data, both using modern tools and from one common platform. The current state of the data, as well as the needs and opportunities for a broader future use of the data were taken into account. The paper presents several main types of modernization work. The scope of the basic characteristics of geoinformation and library resources collected in the system is presented. An important element in the design of the system was an integration of geoinformation resources with library resources. Due to the fact that it was designed at the stage of creating the metadata, these two resources could be combined.
The way resources were integrated as well as the main functionality of the OGNIWO system were also described. The aim of the work was to ensure consistency between the files and their adaptation for the common and joint use. The effects of the work can be viewed at: http://geozasob.igik.edu.pl