Geovisualization Techniques of Spatial Environmental Data Using Different Visualization Tools

Abstract

The appearance of online map services and frameworks (e.g., KML, QGIS) has increased the possibilities to easily, quickly and—in many cases—cost-effectively publish spatial data stored in databases. The aim of this study is to present the geovisualization of spatial databases of a Hungarian settlement on the web, using the open source webGIS system and Google application programming interfaces (APIs). The interactive point and interpolated distribution maps available online provide a detailed picture of the level of contamination, the spatial distribution of the ground water supply of the investigated settlement, and the changes which have occurred following the establishment of the sewage system. In the case of PO43− we determined that in the year before the sewage system was constructed, most of the area of the settlement could be considered contaminated, with the highest level of contamination measured in the central area of the settlement. Five years after the construction of the sewage system, the ratio of the contaminated areas had significantly decreased. In the case of NO3− we found a high level of contamination before the construction of the sewage system with a concentration increase in a North–West direction. After the establishment of the sewage system, the increase in concentration was the most intense in the central parts of the settlement, while the characteristic spatial distribution could no longer be observed. The geovisualization techniques developed are able to provide information about the different spatial data for users in a visual way, and also help to understand better the spatial information using a cognitive approach. The advantage of interactive web maps created with the technologies applied over traditional static maps is a new approach, which allows the user to manipulate the temporal and spatial data directly in the most appropriate way.

Construction of a WebGIS Tool Based on a GIS Semiautomated Processing for the Localization of P2G Plants in Sicily (Italy)

“…For instance, virtual web GIS-based applications have been recently used for improving the accessibility of geosites [22]. Similar applications have been recently experimented with to investigate the level of contaminations in a sewage system, providing information through geovisualiza-tion techniques [23]. At the same time, this kind of technology has been used for the creation of virtual immersive 3D environments useful for the enhancement of accessibility of CH [24] or the teaching of landscape design [25].…”

Combination of Geostatistical and Geovisualisation Techniques for Analysing 120 Year Earthquake Events in Indonesia Using Open-Source Software

“…Various visualisation methods and tools have been rapidly developed and are widely used in various studies. For instance, research on the geovisualisation of spatial databases on settlements in Hungary produced interactive web-based maps using the open-source WebGIS tool and Google application programming interfaces (APIs) (Balla et al, 2020).…”

Assessment of Shallow Groundwater Purification Processes after the Construction of a Municipal Sewerage Network

“…In environmental sciences, interpolation can be considered as primary form of geostatistical analysis, which is often used to predict values in unobserved locations based on the values in observed locations. Ordinary kriging, a type of interpolation has become a widely used interpolation method for assessment of spatial variation of groundwater quality [54]. A semivariogram can be used to quantify spatial dependence:…”