Towards Ubiquitous Cartography

Georg Gartner, David A. Bennett, and Takashi Morita

Computer-generated maps have become commonplace over the past decade. Most internet search engines, for example, have the ability to generate maps in response to spatial queries and routes between specified origins and destinations. Advances in mobile computing technologies provide access to these mapping capabilities from virtually any location on the Earth’s surface. Maps and map-making have become ubiquitous, and this phenomenon requires cartographers to rethink basic concepts about map design and map use. In this special issue we present five research projects that are focused on the emerging field of ubiquitous cartography. These projects were selected, in part, because they are representative of key research challenges that face the cartographic research community. In this introductory paper, key terms are defined and research challenges outlined. By way of this collected set of papers, ubiquitous cartography is presented as a new and important arena for cartographic research.

Keywords: Location-based services, TeleCartography, mobile internet, navigation systems, ubiquitous mapping

Mobile Positioning in Space–Time Behaviour Studies: Social Positioning Method Experiments in Estonia

R. Ahas, A. Aasa, S. Silm, R. Aunap, H. Kalle, and Ü. Mark

The paper introduces methods and applications of the mobile positioning-based social positioning method in geography. The social positioning method (SPM) studies space–time behavior by analyzing the location coordinates of mobile phones and the social characteristics of the people carrying them. We describe the experience gained from the SPM pilot studies carried out in Estonia from 2003 to 2006. The results demonstrate that mobile positioning-based tracing is applicable in different geographical studies, as an analysis of temporal movement patterns and activity spaces. The biggest advantage of mobile positioning-based methods is that mobile phones are widespread, positioning works inside buildings, and collection of movement data is done by a third party at regular intervals. The disadvantage of mobile positioning today is relatively low spatial accuracy and surveillance fears. The boom in the generation of phones with A-GPS will improve positioning accuracy in networks.

User Aspects of Adaptive Visualization for Mobile Maps

Annu-Maaria Nivala and L. Tiina Sarjakoski

The objective of map design is to create, in the mind of map users, an abstraction of the real world appropriate to the map’s purpose. The success of the design depends not only on the cartographer’s skill but also on the user’s ability to read the map and on the particular circumstances of its use. If the user does not understand the meaning of the map symbols, this may lead to frustration or misinterpretations. If, in a mobile map context, users can be provided, in real-time, with map symbols adapted to particular use situations and user preferences, more effective map reading could result. This paper studies those user aspects where map symbols and other visualization are adapted for mobile users’ specific needs. A discussion on the importance of understanding cartographic principles in mobile map design is followed by the description of an adaptive mobile map service implemented within an EU project called “GiMoDig.” This service delivers maps with different point of interest (PoI) symbols and different map designs for varying user groups in different use situations. The paper describes how the cartographic design was evaluated and how the intuitivity of the map symbols was tested. Finally, conclusions and recommendations for future research topics are discussed.

Wireless Campus LBS: A Test Bed for WiFi Positioning and Location Based Services

Barend Köbben

The Wireless Campus LBS project is designed to provide a test bed for location-based services (LBS) research, and it is a valued service for the University of Twente (UT) campus community. Initiated in early 2005, the project’s research team is comprised of members from the University of Twente Computer Architecture Design and Test for Embedded Systems group, the UT department of Information Technology, Library and Education, and the International Institute for Geo–Information Science and Earth Observation. The research has focused on Wireless LAN positioning techniques and contextually aware data management systems for ubiquitous computing. The system delivers mapping information for LBS and mobile applications through the use of adaptive, cartography-aware database objects. In this paper, we describe the theoretical background of LBS and positioning services in location-aware GIS and database technology, the University of Twente Wireless Campus, and the prototype we developed for providing positioning and location-based services using that Wireless Campus environment.

KEYWORDS: Wireless and WebGIS, location based services, WiFi positioning

Place-tagged Podcasts with Synchronized Maps on Mobile Media Players

Masatoshi Arikawa, Ken’ichi Tsuruoka, Hideyuki Fujita, and Akihiro Ome

PodWalks are a new kind of Podcasts where virtual narrators guide users through real-world spaces. PodWalks can increase a user’s appreciation of real spaces by connecting them to audio tours stored on portable media players that can be listened to any time and anywhere without using mobile telecommunication services. One disadvantage of PodWalks is that it can be difficult for listeners to synchronize their locations with the location that the narrator is describing and, as a result, listeners become disoriented. To solve this problem we propose a new framework—maPodWalks—as an extension to PodWalks which provides maps that are synchronized to the narrations on mobile media players. By forming linkages between virtual and real-world experiences, maPodWalks help users develop mental maps of places of interest. In this paper, we discuss the characteristics of maPodWalks and present a prototype maPodWalk Maker that allows users to easily create geocoded audio tours. The results of system tests comparing the performance of PodWalks and maPodWalks are reported as well.

KEYWORDS: Audio tours, mobile media players, Podcasts, PodWalks, place tagging, narrations, synchronized maps, ubiquitous mapping, user-generated content

Augmentation of Indoor Positioning Systems with a Barometric Pressure Sensor for Direct Altitude Determination in a Multi-storey Building

Günther Retscher

To determine the correct floor of a user in a multi-storey building using pedestrian navigation and guidance services is a challenging task, as most common indoor location techniques provide only 2D position determination. Consequently, it is recommended to augment the position determination system with a barometric pressure sensor for direct observation of height differences. In the research project NAVIO (Pedestrian Navigation Systems in Combined Indoor/Outdoor Environments), tests with a barometric pressure sensor have been performed and their results are presented in this paper. The tests show that using a barometric pressure sensor, the building floor at which a person is located can be determined with the standard deviation of better than ± 0.5 m.

Letter from the Editor

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