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On schematic metro maps, high-quality label placement is helpful to passengers performing route planning and orientation tasks. It has been reported that the artificial neural network (ANN) has the potential to place labels with learned labeling knowledge. However, the previous ANN-based method only considered the effects of station points and their connected edges. Indeed, unconnected but surrounding features (points, edges, and labels) also significantly affect the quality of label placement. To address this, we have proposed an improved method. The relations between label positions and both connected and surrounding features are first modeled based on labeling natural intelligence (i.e., the experience, knowledge, and rules of labeling established by cartographers). Then, ANN is employed to learn such relations. Quantitative evaluations show that our method reaches lower percentages of label–point overlap (0.00%), label–edge overlap (4.12%), and label–label overlap (20.58%) compared to the benchmark (4.17%, 14.29%, and 35.11%, respectively). On the other hand, our method effectively avoids ambiguous labels and ensures labels from the same line are placed on the same side. Qualitative evaluations show that approximately 75% of users prefer our results. This novel method has the potential to advance the automated generation of schematic metro maps. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Creating a map style from scratch is challenging. Cartographers may find inspirations from artistic paintings and transfer their style to maps. However, the reference painting and the extracted style elements may not fit well with the content and function of maps, resulting in undesirable or even frustrating map stylization. The question of how to choose appropriate paintings as inspirations and utilize their essential visual elements to stylize maps remains unanswered. As neuroscience has developed, an increasing number of neural mechanisms underlying visual perception have been discovered, deepening our understanding of artistic styles and their adaptation to maps. In this paper, we draw connections between visual neurons and style elements of both artistic paintings and maps by examining seven neural mechanisms (i.e. central-peripheral vision, color-to-contour adhesion, double-opponent effects, visual filling-in, orientation selectivity, latency variation, and what-where separation) that are typical of artistic paintings. We also demonstrate that these mechanisms are transferable to maps. We then create a cartographic style syntactics to generally indicate how and to what degree these mechanisms can be reflected in four cartographic stylistic criteria (i.e. identification, expressiveness, aesthetic appeal and emotional impact). Our work contributes to the integration of principles from neuroscience with cartographic design to deepen our understanding of map perception and to facilitate map style transfer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Designed to answer the call for a new methodology that 'combine[s] analysis of the translated product with an investigation of the translation process', this essay uses graphic materials from a translator's notebooks for a glimpse of the birth of a translation. It concentrates on the seating maps David Hawkes drew when translating some banquet scenes in China's greatest eighteenth-century novel, The Story of the Stone, and experiments on exploring the continuity between visual representations and verbal representations in the translation process, thereby adding a new visual dimension to traditional verbal and textual modes of investigation. Continuing my interest in how the translator-as-reader's mental experience of fictional worlds represented by the source text influences the reader-as-translator's translation process and the textual outcome of the translation, this essay argues that the translator's maps and mapping offer innovative explanations for some important translational decisions, and foreground some hitherto neglected translatorial behaviors, thereby furnishing translation studies with a new perspective to understand the logical systems that inform the translator's decision-making and the becoming of a translation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For almost everyone in the world, the last few years have been unlike any experienced in their lifetimes. The public health crisis, spawned by the SARS‐CoV‐2 virus and the outbreak of COVID‐19, presented a geospatial analysis challenge like none other as public health officials, emergency rooms, and the general public struggled to track the spread of the disease, allocate resources for testing and care, and understand the origin of this new zoonotic pathogen. During this period, the combination of rapid and open access genomic data combined with case counts and the mapping tools of geographic information systems allowed for near real‐time tracking of the pandemic. This paper describes these tools, how they were used to advise policy‐makers in the US at the height of the pandemic, and some of the lessons learned. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Antonino Saliba, a sixteenth century cartographer hailing from the Maltese island of Gozo, published a map in 1582 espousing his cosmology. Its popularity at the time is attested via the multiple editions and copies that were produced in Europe. Numerous sky phenomena, amongst them comets, are portrayed in the map. This study presents a detailed analysis of Saliba's treatment of these phenomena, following the first comprehensive translation of the map's text to English. It elucidates the sources that Saliba used, clarifying and shedding further light on the views he held. Where possible, the comets mentioned by Saliba are identified and explained. Besides showing how Saliba wholly conformed to the Aristotelian and Ptolemaic representation of the world, in which respect he was quite orthodox, it is also shown for the first time that his work is significantly derived from previous and contemporary sources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spatial narratives are becoming increasingly significant in contextualizing geographical phenomena. Whereas many studies focus on spatial narratives of real spaces projected from the Earth's surface, this article examines the imaginary spaces in the narrative of Hollywood puzzle films, arguing that cognitive maps are more effective in understanding and navigating these spaces. Through an analysis of well-known puzzle films, the article demonstrates how cognitive maps can encode imaginary spaces, draw the audience's attention to key landmarks, and guide both the filmmaker and the audience through the film's narrative. Beyond films, this study underscores the potential of cognitive maps in decoding complex space–time relationships in real-world context. By bridging the gap between cinematic imagination and geographical exploration, this article aims not only to inspire filmmakers but also to encourage geographers, cartographers, and GIScientists to look beyond their own fields and draw inspiration from other areas, such as cinematography, to envision a terra incognita that extends beyond the real world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aggregation, as an operation of cartographic generalization, provides an effective means of abstracting the configuration of building features by combining them according to the scale reduction of the 2D map. Automating this design process effectively helps professional cartographers design both paper and digital maps, but finding the best aggregation result from the numerous combinations of building features has been a challenge. This paper presents a novel approach to assist cartographers in interactively designing the aggregation of building features in scale‐aware map visualization. Our contribution is to provide an appropriate set of candidates for the cartographer to choose from among a limited number of possible combinations of building features. This is achieved by collecting locally optimal solutions that emerge in the course of aggregation operations, formulated as a label cost optimization problem. Users can also explore better aggregation results by interactively adjusting the design parameters to update the set of possible combinations, along with an operator to force the combination of manually selected building features. Each cluster of aggregated building features is tightly enclosed by a concave hull, which is later adaptively simplified to abstract its boundary shapes. Experimental design examples and evaluations by expert cartographers demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed approach to interactive aggregation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 1730, the Dutch cartographer and meteorological observer Nicolaas Samuel Cruquius constructed a spectacular map of the river Merwede. Cruquius's map is celebrated as one of the earliest to use lines of equal depth—or indeed any type of contour lines. So far, however, the secondary literature has paid no attention to why Cruquius created these lines or to the knowledge involved in his innovation. This essay makes three related points. First, Cruquius intentionally used lines representing equal depth in an entirely new way: whereas earlier maps had used similar lines to represent a river's navigability, for Cruquius they visualized river flow. Second, different technical and epistemic practices grounded the making of the map: Cruquius built on his expertise in surveying but also on practices from both natural history and mathematical physics, with which he was familiar through contacts at Leiden University and the Royal Society of London. Third, Cruquius's case does not fit with the way work cutting across different fields of expertise is usually conceptualized. Cruquius did not just straddle different fields. Instead, he gave new meaning to lines of equal depth by integrating specific practices from different fields of expertise and omitting others; through this integration, Cruquius created a way to visualize water flows and gave shape to possible new ways of acting on the river and its environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurate positioning in space is an important foundation for ensuring the stability of autonomous flight and successful mapping and navigation of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). At present, the SLAM algorithm based on the Cartographer algorithm for real-time positioning and mapping is widely used in fields such as robot navigation and autonomous driving. However, in the context of UAV applications, this algorithm has a high dependence on the amount of point cloud information in the surrounding environment, and cannot achieve precise positioning in open spaces with insufficient lighting and fewer feature points, resulting in significant mapping errors. In order to solve the problem of low positioning estimation accuracy in the Cartographer algorithm in above environment, this paper proposes a precise positioning algorithm for UAVs that integrates VIO and Cartographer. This algorithm can continuously output more accurate position estimation information during UAV flight, compensating for the problem of inaccurate position estimation caused by partial feature loss or coordinate system drift in point clouds. In addition, this algorithm ensures navigation obstacle avoidance in narrow spaces by improving positioning accuracy and mapping accuracy, making it more applicable in the field of UAVs. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed positioning algorithm was verified through experimental analysis of the Cartographer dataset and practical testing of UAVs in real scenarios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article delves into the interplay between the political, social, and cultural context and the material conditions of governing a cartographic mission within a French territory in the northeastern Amazon. It brings to the fore the collaborative endeavors involving a spectrum of stakeholders, ranging from local knowledge to various institutions, financial and technical resources, and human and logistical support. This research aims to offer an understanding of the cartographic mission during the period of departmentalization, with a specific focus on the situated and context-specific nature of knowledge production. By scrutinizing the fieldwork and the distinct labor regimes of local members of the mission in AEF and French Guiana, along with investigating the intra-imperial circulation of epistemic practices, it examines the colonial integration of cartographers through their trajectories. In a broader context, the article underscores the pivotal role played by geographical knowledge, enriching the landscape of research on the history of cartography during the transformation of the French colonial empire. Employing an approach encompassing material and social dimensions, this study shows the intricacies inherent in colonial cartography and illuminates its implications in the post-World War II era. In doing so, it unlocks fresh avenues for comprehending the geographical and colonial dynamics that characterize this period. • Develops the history of mapping during decolonization by studying the fieldwork of geographers. • Focuses on circulation and hierarchization of European and vernacular geographical knowledge. • Compares labor regime and embodied work of go-betweens in French Guiana and AEF in 1946–1947. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Al-Adab / Al-ādāb is the property of Republic of Iraq Ministry of Higher Education & Scientific Research (MOHESR) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

When faced with challenges such as adapting to dynamic environments and handling ambiguous identification, indoor service robots encounter manifold difficulties. This paper aims to address this issue by proposing the design of a service robot equipped with precise small-object recognition, autonomous path planning, and obstacle-avoidance capabilities. We conducted in-depth research on the suitability of three SLAM algorithms (GMapping, Hector-SLAM, and Cartographer) in indoor environments and explored their performance disparities. Upon this foundation, we have elected to utilize the STM32F407VET6 and Nvidia Jetson Nano B01 as our processing controllers. For the program design on the STM32 side, we are employing the FreeRTOS operating system, while for the Jetson Nano side, we are employing ROS (Robot Operating System) for program design. The robot employs a differential drive chassis, enabling successful autonomous path planning and obstacle-avoidance maneuvers. Within indoor environments, we utilized the YOLOv3 algorithm for target detection, achieving precise target identification. Through a series of simulations and real-world experiments, we validated the performance and feasibility of the robot, including mapping, navigation, and target detection functionalities. Experimental results demonstrate the robot's outstanding performance and accuracy in indoor environments, offering users efficient service and presenting new avenues and methodologies for the development of indoor service robots. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The traditional laser SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping) algorithm uses the global relative poses and local ones to form residual blocks. Its constructed map is not smooth enough and the constraint construction is too simplex under some special scenarios. Thus, this paper proposes an odometer constraint fusion method called FOSLAM (Fusion Odometer SLAM) to construct residual blocks between constrains and solve the nonlinear least squares by Ceres. The effectiveness and accuracy of this method have been verified through comparative experiments. Experimental results showed that without increasing the time and space complexity, by involving the odometer constraint into the SLAM optimization process, the convergence of scan matching scores can be improved and the constructed grid map edges are smoother and the jagged phenomenon can be reduced. Under sophisticated scene, FOSLAM is able to acquire more accurate maps and laser odometer trajectory than Cartographer method. Therefore, it is suitable to be used on indoor robot for cleaning and inspection and can be further deployed on autonomous unmanned vehicles involving spatial visualization and neuro-heuristic guidance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Efficient geovisualization is beneficial for understanding geospatial phenomena, an important research direction for GISers and Cartographers. However, the current research on geovisualization overemphasizes the visual effects while neglecting the prominent representation of crucial information and failing to consider the user's cognitive workload of information processing. Following the laws of visual perception of the human eyes, this article proposes a visual attention-guided augmented representation approach of geographic scenes that involves area of interest computation, background simplification, and compound graphic variables. Finally, we select bridge stress visualization as a case study for experimental analysis. The experimental results of eye-tracking show that augmented representation could draw the participants' attention to areas of interest in a short time, increasing their duration of fixations and the accuracy of completing given tasks. These findings suggest that our approach can enhance geographic scenes' cognitive efficiency, offers a new idea for the theoretical studies of geovisualization, and holds promising potential for broader application in various geographical phenomena visualization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The manufacturing of colonial legal spatialities in the Age of Discovery has traditionally been studied by historians, human geographers, and cartographers. Seldom have legal scholars examined it. This essay aims to fill the gap in legal research and assesses processes of spatial production that took place in colonies by adopting a legal-geographical approach. Special attention is paid to how the English, and later British Empires manufactured both terrestrial and oceanic spaces. The essay maintains that, within what this article calls the 'Anglo/British Empire', the integrated geographies of land and sea were facilitated by some intrinsic qualities of the English common law. Its legal coding devised a holistic approach that captured the whole earth even beyond the divide between land and sea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study proposes a solution for Active Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (Active SLAM) of robots in unknown indoor environments using a combination of Deep Deterministic Policy Gradient (DDPG) path planning and the Cartographer algorithm. To enhance the convergence speed of the DDPG network and minimize collisions with obstacles, we devised a unique reward function that integrates exploration and exploitation strategies. The exploration strategy allows the robot to achieve the shortest running time and movement trajectory, enabling efficient traversal of unmapped environments. Moreover, the exploitation strategy introduces active closed loops to enhance map accuracy. We conducted experiments using the simulation platform Gazebo to validate our proposed model. The experimental results demonstrate that our model surpasses other Active SLAM methods in exploring and mapping unknown environments, achieving significant grid completeness of 98.7%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To address the problem that the low-density canopy of greenhouse crops affects the robustness and accuracy of simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) algorithms, a greenhouse map construction method for agricultural robots based on multiline LiDAR was investigated. Based on the Cartographer framework, this paper proposes a map construction and localization method based on spatial downsampling. Taking suspended tomato plants planted in greenhouses as the research object, an adaptive filtering point cloud projection (AF-PCP) SLAM algorithm was designed. Using a wheel odometer, 16-line LiDAR point cloud data based on adaptive vertical projections were linearly interpolated to construct a map and perform high-precision pose estimation in a greenhouse with a low-density canopy environment. Experiments were carried out in canopy environments with leaf area densities (LADs) of 2.945-5.301 m2/m3. The results showed that the AFPCP SLAMalgorithm increased the averagemapping area of the crop rows by 155.7% compared with that of the Cartographer algorithm. The mean error and coefficient of variation of the crop row length were 0.019 m and 0.217%, respectively, which were 77.9% and 87.5% lower than those of the Cartographer algorithm. The average maximum void length was 0.124 m, which was 72.8% lower than that of the Cartographer algorithm. The localization experiments were carried out at speeds of 0.2 m/s, 0.4 m/s, and 0.6 m/s. The average relative localization errors at these speeds were respectively 0.026 m, 0.029 m, and 0.046 m, and the standard deviation was less than 0.06 m. Compared with that of the track deduction algorithm, the average localization error was reduced by 79.9% with the proposed algorithm. The results show that our proposed framework can map and localize robots with precision even in low-density canopy environments in greenhouses, demonstrating the satisfactory capability of the proposed approach and highlighting its promising applications in the autonomous navigation of agricultural robots. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For point clusters, the conflict and crowding of map symbols is an inevitable problem during the transition from large to small scales. The cartographic generalization involved in this problem as a spatial decision-making process is usually related to the analysis of spatial context, the choice of abstraction operators, and the judgment of the resulting data quality. The rules summarized by traditional generalization methods usually require manual setting of conditions or thresholds and sometimes encounter special cases that make it difficult to directly match certain rules or integrate different rules together. An alternative method is using a data-driven strategy under AI technology background to simulate cartographer behaviors through typical sample training, such as deep learning. The integration of cartography domain knowledge and deep learning is a better choice to settle generalization decisions. This study uses a combination of domain knowledge and a data-driven approach to introduce graph neural networks into point cluster generalization. First, we construct a virtual graph structure of point clusters using Delaunay triangulation, secondly, we extract spatial features, contextual features, and attributes of each point separately, and then propose a generalization model based on the TAGCN network. Finally, this model is trained with the manually generalized sample to realize the automatic point cluster generalization. The results demonstrate that the proposed model is valid and efficient for point cluster generalization and that this algorithm can better maintain various characteristics of the point cluster in both the local area and the overall map compared to other methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As an important part of maps, road networks have always been the focus of research in map generalization. However, the fully automated quality evaluation of road network generalization has not been implemented. This paper proposes a framework of Sample-Map database to evaluate road network generalization quality using spatial similarity measures. The similarity calculation model considers spatial distribution, topological relations, and distance relations of road networks. A Sample-Maps database is created as an evaluation set for different road network types. The method is tested on multi-scale maps from Shenzhen, China, and validated by psychological cognition experiments and professional cartographers' judgment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent studies Java la Grande, the continental land mass that mid sixteenth-century Norman-French map makers (the so-called Dieppe school of cartographers) depicted in the region of Australia, is deemed to be a realisation of the travel writings of Marco Polo and Ludovico di Varthema. This stance implies that the coastlines are invented but it is also possible that the map makers adapted existing cartographic materials for this purpose. It has already been determined, to my satisfaction, that the northern part of the western coastline of Java on the Dieppe maps depicts southwest Java, and that the coastline that extends over about 10 degrees of latitude and is centred on the Tropic of Capricorn is an adaptation of the east coast of Sumatra. Here I argue that the intermediate coastline is an adaptation of coastlines of lands that border the South China Sea namely the east coast of the Malay Peninsula, Vietnam, and the island of Borneo. The old hypotheses that the western coastline of Java la Grande depicts either Australia's west coast or coasts of Java are no longer tenable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The publication analyzes a little-known Liubech plan described by Abraham van Westerveld in his report on Janusz Radziwiłł's march to Kyiv in 1651. The latter was a Lithuanian hetman. The article concerns topographic drawings and geodetic tools used in that time. Modern topographic plans and early modern ones are compared (including respective mistakes). The drawing meets the West European cartographic school: orthogonal projection without decoration and description. It combines fortifications, separate buildings, infrastructure objects, etc. The plan is provided with a scale and English cardinal points. Such a draft was drawn by a skilled cartographer. The above-mentioned can determine the land survey, its methods and tools. The survey was conducted after the Liubech seizure by Janusz Radziwiłł. The geodesist could get acquainted with the object and determine the stages of plan creation. The work was completed properly. There was only one deviation on the plan: the corner tower orientation shift. Besides, several surveying techniques were applied to the plan, which confirms high skills of the geodesist. The plan is almost centered. No pasting or wall direction changing are detected. Such techniques are usable for surveying unknown objects. However, plan errors themselves are typical for surveying tools and methods of the 17th century. Unfortunately, such a plan was created in a single copy. Therefore, we cannot make any assumptions about its authors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On the occasion of the 80th commemoration of Professor Ion Popescu-Voiteşti's demise, we can say with certainty that he still remains one of the pillars of the geological sciences in Romania. As one of the pioneers of this science in Romania, his numerous written contributions also include a significant number of illustrations. Among the latter there are more than a thousand published geological sections and logs, countless hand sketches that have likeley been irretrievably lost, in addition to a remarkable collection of geology-themed maps, the majority of which are still accurate today. Herein, 13 maps signed by him are discussed, maps that are based on the studies carried out by the geologist throughout his lifetime. This work was put together not only to commemorate the aforementioned eight- decade pole, but also as an homage to the excellence that this skillful cartographer bestowed towards the Romanian scientific research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Following the twentieth-century's spatial turn in literary and cultural studies, this paper examines spaces and spatiality in Don DeLillo's novel Falling Man, a seminal fictional response to the most traumatic (spatial) event in the USA at the turn of the century. Starting from Robert T. Tally Jr.'s thesis that authors are cartographers, I analyze how DeLillo acts as a mapper of the post-9/11 space. By exploring the depictions of the altered spatial landscape DeLillo creates, and the world he thrusts his characters into, I examine the intricate relationship between space and identity. Ultimately, I argue that the loss of a familiar and dependable space creates unfamiliar spaces the characters struggle to navigate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines a sketch of the Sikhs in Abbé Raynal's 'Histoire ... dans les deux Indes' (1780), and a corresponding reference to 'les Scheiks' in an accompanying atlas by Rigobert Bonne. Raynal notes the principal ideas of the Sikhs, radical in their modernity, and outlines their struggle for survival and subsequent emergence as a regional power. The reference to Sikhs in Bonne's atlas would soon appear in maps by other cartographers as 'État des Seiks'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We propose a unique, minimal assumption, approach based on variance analyses (compared with standard approaches) to investigate genetic influence on individual differences on the functional connectivity of the brain using 65 monozygotic and 65 dizygotic healthy young adult twin pairs' low‐frequency oscillation resting state functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) data from the Human Connectome Project. Overall, we found high number of genetically‐influenced functional (GIF) connections involving posterior to posterior brain regions (occipital/temporal/parietal) implicated in low‐level processes such as vision, perception, motion, categorization, dorsal/ventral stream visuospatial, and long‐term memory processes, as well as high number across midline brain regions (cingulate) implicated in attentional processes, and emotional responses to pain. We found low number of GIF connections involving anterior to anterior/posterior brain regions (frontofrontal > frontoparietal, frontotemporal, frontooccipital) implicated in high‐level processes such as working memory, reasoning, emotional judgment, language, and action planning. We found very low number of GIF connections involving subcortical/noncortical networks such as basal ganglia, thalamus, brainstem, and cerebellum. In terms of sex‐specific individual differences, individual differences in males were more genetically influenced while individual differences in females were more environmentally influenced in terms of the interplay of interactions of Task positive networks (brain regions involved in various task‐oriented processes and attending to and interacting with environment), extended Default Mode Network (a central brain hub for various processes such as internal monitoring, rumination, and evaluation of self and others), primary sensorimotor systems (vision, audition, somatosensory, and motor systems), and subcortical/noncortical networks. There were >8.5‐19.1 times more GIF connections in males than females. These preliminary (young adult cohort‐specific) findings suggest that individual differences in the resting state brain may be more genetically influenced in males and more environmentally influenced in females; furthermore, standard approaches may suggest that it is more substantially nonadditive genetics, rather than additive genetics, which contribute to the differences in sex‐specific individual differences based on this young adult (male and female) specific cohort. Finally, considering the preliminary cohort‐specific results, based on standard approaches, environmental influences on individual differences may be substantially greater than that of genetics, for either sex, frontally and brain‐wide. [Correction added on 10 May 2023, after first online publication: added: functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging. Added: individual differences in, twice. Added statement between furthermore ... based on standard approaches.] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article argues that Daniel Defoe's tendency to write as a form of narrative cartographer predates his novels of the 1720s and owes much to his periodical writing in the early 1700s. Defoe's Review (1704–13) is an unusually peripatetic periodical, written while its author was travelling widely on the business of Robert Harley. Focusing on the periodical's early years (1704–5), this article explores how The Review acts as a repository for geospatial information. It uses correspondence and advertisements to consider how the periodical details the logistics of its publication and distribution, and how that distribution responds to changes in national infrastructure and politics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Papers of the British School at Rome is the property of Cambridge University Press and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The International Society for the History of the Map (ISHMap) recently held its II Workshop and VII Symposium in Berlin, Germany. The workshop provided early career scholars with the opportunity to exchange knowledge with renowned map historians and other members of the international community interested in the study of maps. The symposium brought together scholars from around the world to discuss various topics related to map history, including knowledge circulation, indigenous mapping, and maps in literature. The event also included a visit to the Map Reading Room at the Staatsbibliothek and a trip to the headquarters of Justus Perthes Verlag in Gotha. Two prize winners were announced for the best papers presented at the symposium. The society also elected new trustees and officers and opened calls for nominations for future prizes and hosting opportunities. [Extracted from the article]

This work reports an information-based landmarks assisted simultaneous localization and mapping (InfoLa-SLAM) in large-scale scenes using single-line lidar. The solution employed two novel designs. The first design was a keyframe selection method based on Fisher information, which reduced the computational cost of the nonlinear optimization for the back-end of SLAM by selecting a relatively small number of keyframes while ensuring the accuracy of mapping. The Fisher information was acquired from the point cloud registration between the current frame and the previous keyframe. The second design was an efficient global descriptor for place recognition, which was achieved by designing a unique graphical feature ID to effectively match the local map with the global one. The results showed that compared with traditional keyframe selection strategies (e.g., based on time, angle, or distance), the proposed method allowed for a 35.16% reduction in the number of keyframes in a warehouse with an area of about 10,000 m2. The relocalization module demonstrated a high probability (96%) of correction even under high levels of measurement noise (0.05 m), while the time consumption for relocalization was below 28 ms. The proposed InfoLa-SLAM was also compared with Cartographer under the same dataset. The results showed that InfoLa-SLAM achieved very similar mapping accuracy to Cartographer but excelled in lightweight performance, achieving a 9.11% reduction in the CPU load and a significant 56.67% decrease in the memory consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the 20th century, the General Drafting Company was one of the "Big Three" American road map makers. When it came to the Company's Christmas card maps cultural biases overrode their commitment to accuracy and high standards. Starting in 1930, General Drafting produced a series of Christmas card maps that featured Santa Claus. Cultural and regional stereotypes are highlighted in the 1930s maps; the 1950s maps also reveal a prominent American nationalist worldview. Although Santa Claus generally serves as an avatar for the benevolent "Traditional American" who is generous and jolly, the Santa of General Drafting maps portray him differently. Santas are seen harvesting natural resources, hunting animals, and being shown deference by non-Americans while disparaging the Soviet Union. Most disturbingly, Santa is shooting a Native American in the back, and enslaving other Santas in Siberia. The abhorrent behavior is being cloaked by the kindly image of Santa Claus to make his (America's) actions more palatable. These Christmas card maps are compelling and unique examples that illustrate how accurate cartography can be supplanted by deeply engrained cultural stereotypes and ideologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

"The Orient in Utrecht: Adriaan Reland (1676–1718), Arabist, Cartographer, Antiquarian and Scholar of Comparative Religion" is a book review of a volume edited by Bart Jaski, Christian Lange, Anna Pytlowany, and Henk J. van Rinsum. The book explores the life and work of Adriaan Reland, a versatile scholar known for his study of Islam, the Old Testament, Rabbinic Judaism, cartography, linguistics, and Neo-Latin poetry. The review highlights the various aspects of Reland's scholarship, including his approach to studying Islam from Islamic sources, his cartographical endeavors, and his collection of oriental manuscripts. The volume provides valuable insights into Reland's intellectual background and the cultural and institutional settings that shaped his scholarship. [Extracted from the article]

In this paper, the mobile robot position fusion algorithm is inaccurate. There is a delay, and the map-construction accuracy is not high; an improvement method is proposed. First, the Cartographer algorithm is optimized. Radius filtering is used for data processing after voxel filtering. In contrast, the idea of multi-sensor fusion is used to fuse the processed IMU data information. This improved method improves the efficiency of the algorithm and the accuracy of the positional pose fusion. We verify the effect of the algorithm applied to the environment map, respectively, in the experimental building promenade environment and the teaching building hall environment, and analyze and compare the effect of map construction before and after the improvement; the experiment proves that in the experimental building promenade environment, the absolute error of measuring and analyzing the obstacles reduces by 0.06 m, and the relative error decreases by 1.63%; in the teaching building hall environment, the absolute error of measuring and analyzing the longest side of the map decreases by 1.121 m and the relative error decreased by 5.52%. In addition, during the experimental operation, the CPU occupancy of the optimized algorithm is around 59.5%. In contrast, the CPU occupancy of the original algorithm is 67% on average, and sometimes it will soar to 75%. The experimental results prove that the algorithm in this paper significantly improves performance in all aspects when constructing real-time environment maps. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an analysis of period military maps associated with the Battle of Monmouth Courthouse, and in so doing, encourages researchers of such maps to consult the perspective of the mapmaker and the context surrounding the document. Modernity tends to consider maps as accurate, objective portrayals of events, and modern scholars are overly critical or dismissive of historic maps when divergent or inaccurate features are presented. This mindset may not be appropriate; period maps should not be thought of as merely historic versions of today's satellite images, but rather as depicting the perspective of the draftsman or commissioner of the map, which of itself may harbor important insights to discover. In examining this point, American, French, British, and Hessian maps developed in the aftermath of the battle were consulted, focusing on the important features of each illustration, the backgrounds of the relevant draftsmen and/or commissioners, and their possible motivations and objectives in making the maps. The ultimate goal emphasized by this piece is that the wise historical researcher of military maps from this period should remember that the depiction of positions and events should be perceived through the eyes of the individuals responsible for the map's creation, and not taken at face value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on the "Mapping Asia: Cartography and the Construction of Territoriality" conference held in Gotha, Germany on November 24-25, 2022. Topics include the complex role of maps in imperial projects and local counter-mapping in Asia, the intricate interplay between European and Asian cartographic traditions, and the processes of knowledge production involved in creating maps and defining territoriality.

In this paper, we propose an intelligent contactless delivery scheme for unmanned vehicles based on multi-source sensing signals. Our objective is to address the problem of delivering items in special scenarios that require contactless delivery, such as hospital isolation areas and isolated hotels. Specifically, we apply the simultaneous localization and map construction (SLAM) algorithm to solve the localization and map construction problem when the unmanned vehicle moves in an unknown environment. Additionally, we improve the open-source Cartographer algorithm and use sensors such as LiDAR and depth camera to achieve localization, multi-terrain map construction, automatic navigation, and obstacle avoidance. We experimentally test the map construction, navigation, and obstacle avoidance capabilities of the smart cart in specific scenarios. Our results demonstrate that our proposed smart delivery solution works effectively in urban indoor and outdoor scenarios and can be applied to practical contactless delivery scenarios. This new non-contact delivery mode is expected to be a driving force for future development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the relationship between art, geometry, and science in the Low Countries (1480-1550) concerning cartographic representations, specifically highlighting the painter-cartographer's role in visualizing hydrological campaigns and land alterations due to changing shorelines. It delves into the evolving involvement of painters in mapping projects, emphasizing their increasing scientific input beyond mere aesthetic contributions.

This article, titled "GIS Tips & Tricks: Making Your Maps more 'Mappy Maps'", provides several tips for enhancing the visual appeal of maps. The first tip suggests using drop shadows to make polygons stand out on the page. The second tip recommends using different blend modes to further enhance the effect. The third tip explains how to create a water-like effect using gradients. The fourth tip discusses the importance of context on a locator map and suggests using an orthographic projection. The final tip suggests using monochromatic color theory to create variations in the symbology of data features. The article provides step-by-step instructions and examples for each tip. [Extracted from the article]

The implementation of graticules on geographic maps and nautical charts, initially developed in the Hellenistic period, was a rediscovered novelty to Western European cartographers of the early modern period. The research sought to computationally examine the accuracy of spherical coordinates' data extracted from selected geographical maps and nautical charts. Research results suggest that the cartographers who made geographic maps relied significantly on Claudius Ptolemy's data on locations but managed to make certain accuracy improvements. The nautical charts with graticules showed significantly greater longitudinal accuracy, which suggests that they were created by using other data sources as their graphical templates; most likely the portolan charts that were already in existence at the time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cartographers have long been interested in the representation of various movements such as migration, commercial exchanges and transportation. There are several techniques for visualizing this information; this paper focuses on flow mapping. A flow map shows a set of movements through line symbols connecting an origin to a destination. Each link is associated with a value that corresponds to the volume of the movement. However, once data reach a certain volume, the maps quickly become cluttered and can be difficult to read and understand. Moreover, the values of the movements must be correctly represented to avoid inducing biased interpretations. The objective of this paper is to create flow maps displaying flows of highly variable thicknesses so that the associated values are correctly represented. The technique used to create the flow paths does not create crossings between flows. In order to remove any visual clutter, such as overlaps between flows and geographic features, some areas of the map are distorted. In other words, our method of map distortion adapts the polygon vector base map to the flows, the central information of the visualization, and not the other way around. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Autonomous vehicles rely on a combination of sensors for safe navigation around the world. For precise localisation, high-definition (HD) maps are used. These maps are a representation of the world containing information about objects on the road infrastructure. Currently, there are tens of HD map makers, however, no rigorous description of the requirements for the accuracy of HD maps has been published yet. This study fills the gap and offers a mathematical description of the minimum required accuracy for HD maps. In the first part, we identify factors that influence the quality of a map. Based on that, we proceed to present our solution for determining the minimum required accuracy for HD maps, both for static and dynamic models, and present a new formula for the minimum necessary accuracy for HD maps. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on study of language from a global perspective raises questions about the distribution of knowledge, and controversies about indigenous American languages, this theme issue puts global tensions in their respective local contexts and vice versa. It mentions cartographer Ishikawa Ryūsen and philological exercise, the interpretation of the world map fits within Klaproth's lifelong project of studying the languages, history, and geography of Asia in interrelation.

LiDAR is a crucial sensor for 3D environment perception. However, limited by the field of view of the LiDAR, it is sometimes difficult to achieve complete coverage of the environment with a single LiDAR. In this paper, we designed a spinning actuated LiDAR mapping system that is compatible with both UAV and backpack platforms and propose a tightly coupled laser–inertial SLAM algorithm for it. In our algorithm, edge and plane features in the point cloud are first extracted. Then, for the significant changes in the distribution of point cloud features between two adjacent scans caused by the continuous rotation of the LiDAR, we employed an adaptive scan accumulation method to improve the stability and accuracy of point cloud registration. After feature matching, the LiDAR feature factors and IMU pre-integration factor are added to the factor graph and jointly optimized to output the trajectory. In addition, an improved loop closure detection algorithm based on the Cartographer algorithm is used to reduce the drift. We conducted exhaustive experiments to evaluate the performance of the proposed algorithm in complex indoor and outdoor scenarios. The results showed that our algorithm is more accurate than the state-of-the-art algorithms LIO-SAM and FAST-LIO2 for the spinning actuated LiDAR system, and it can achieve real-time performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to introduce a method that can be used for the verification of cartographic communication models. The authors of the maps were placed in the role of the users of their maps. Then, eye-tracking was utilized to reveal their map reading strategies and compare them with the strategies of other cartographers and cartographic novices. The crucial part of the data analysis was scanpath comparison using the sequence of visited Areas of Interest, which helped quantify map reading strategies' similarity. The use of the same strategy as the map author used might be a prerequisite for users' proper understanding of a map reflected by the overlap of the author's and users' realities in Koláčný's model. The overlap was considerable in most cases; however, exceptions in which authors used a different map reading strategy were identified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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