Spatial Signatures of Mapping Expertise Among Field Geologists     

《制图学和地理信息科学》2013,40(3):119-132

Geologists consider field mapping skills necessary for the development of expertise in geology. We discuss the results of a day-long geology mapping exercise in the Tobacco Root Mountains, Montana, USA. Sixty-seven volunteer geologists, chosen specifically to represent a continuum from novice to expert, were asked to create a map of bedrock geology for approximately 70 square hectares. In order to identify and assess field mapping strategies, GPS tracks of each participant's field activities were analyzed using GIS and sequence alignment techniques. Results indicate differences in routes used during the field task by participants with varying levels of mapping expertise. To investigate this result, the field area was divided into thirty-three sub-regions based on topography, vegetation, rock outcrops, and participant traffic. Using these sub-regions, multiple variables such as amount of time spent in each sub-region and the order in which these sub-regions were visited were determined for each participant. Geologic mapping experts and others who are able to produce highly accurate maps recorded similar spatio-temporal sequences during the task, likely related to development of a reasonable structural hypothesis early in the task. These results have implications for field education and emphasize the role of working hypotheses in informing the movement of experts in the field.  相似文献   

Spectral Schemes: Controversial Color Use on Maps     

《制图学和地理信息科学》2013,40(4):203-220

Cartographers have long discouraged the use of spectral, or rainbow, color schemes on thematic maps of quantitative geographic data, though such color use is common in GIS and scientific visualization. Recent research, however, has shown that spectral schemes are preferred and are interpreted accurately when used as multi-hue renditions of diverging schemes. Both spectral and diverging schemes can emphasize a critical point within a data range with light colors and emphasize both high and low extremes of the data with dark colors. Although spectral schemes include multiple saturated hues, they can be designed to accommodate map reading by people with red-green impaired color vision by skipping over the yellow-greens in the spectral sequence. Cartographers should encourage use of spectral color schemes for depicting diverging quantitative data, rather than insisting that these schemes should not be used.  相似文献