From paper maps to the Digital Earth and the Internet of Places

Abstract

Maps have always been tools that have fascinated men, for their ability to make us see the world that surrounds us. They were and are the outcome of models and methods applied to the observation of the world, starting from geodesy, surveying photogrammetry and remote sensing. All these disciplines, which we now group under the new name of geomatics, have had a tremendous boost in recent years. However, the synergy with information computer technology is probably the aspect that is revolutionizing more cartography. Earlier computers and after the Internet have brought us to new concepts and tools that will have profound effects not only in the world of niche of cartographers, but also more generally in the life of all human beings. The Digital Earth, proposed in 1998 by Al Gore, has been enriched in just twenty years of a set of new demands, which make even more interesting and challenging being cartographers today. The paper, without claiming to be comprehensive, aims at providing a concise overview of the state of art and of the advancement in this area. Moreover, it urges the community of geomatics to be protagonist and promoter of a new cartography, largely to be reinvented, and that would put us at the center of processes of knowledge and management of the Earth. The map makers in the past helped discovering new worlds, now the challenge is to rediscover our common world with new eyes of environmental, social, economic equity, sustainability and participation.

Interactive “Image Viewers” – Comparison of Selected Tools and Application Examples

“…The use of the Internet for the dissemination of map resources has led to significant progress in cartography and opened up many new possibilities [Brovelli et al 2015]. Maps available on the Internet are often created by the user community (volunteered geographic information, VGI) [Goodchild 2007, Król 2015a.…”

New Generation Platforms for Exploration of Crowdsourced Geo-Data

“…It was envisioned by Gore (1998) as a multi-resolution, 3D representation of the planet allowing scientists, policy-makers, students and all societal sectors to manage georeferenced information and navigate them in space and time (Brovelli et al 2015). Though DE and virtual globes are often used as synonyms, according to Harvey (2009) Annoni et al 2011;Craglia et al 2012), thus underlining their correspondence to traditional Web browsers in searching, retrieving and organizing information, whose nature is however spatial (Jones 2007).…”

Earth Observation Open Science and Innovation

“…An emerging concept related to virtual globes is Digital Earth (DE). It was envisioned by Gore (1998) as a multi-resolution, 3D representation of the planet allowing scientists, policy-makers, students and all societal sectors to manage georeferenced information and navigate them in space and time (Brovelli et al 2015). Though DE and virtual globes are often used as synonyms, according to Harvey (2009) DE refers to the experiences and knowledge people have, and continue to make of the world, while virtual globes represent the most viable term for discussions of DE software environment.…”