Evolution of Concepts in Ubiquitous Mapping
ISBN 978-85-88783-11-9
Authors
1Morita, T.
1HOSEI UNIVERSITY Email: morita@hosei.ac.jp
Abstract
Proposition of the Creation of the Commission on ubiquitous mapping was adopted at the general assembly of ICA Durban 2003, and the author became a chairperson of the commission from Japan. Since then the commission has developed considerations not only in theoretical field - what is ubiquitous mapping, but also to collect examples including cross culture effects - what things are going on in this domain. In this paper, we discuss the direction of this domain in the future by tracing the evolution of concepts and technological environments since its foundation. In 2002, just before the commencement of the commission, there was the ICA report discussing the difference between map, cartography and GIS. There, it was mentioned that map should be dynamic and interactive in digital era, which conduct to the notion of ubiquitous mapping. At that time people had begun to talk about the notion of ubiquitous computing while not few people had already begun to use mobile phone and car navigation system with small screen capable to show digital maps in mobile environment especially in Japan. In 2003, we had begun to discuss the inclusion of the notion of cognitive mapping, which is necessary to analyze the motivation when we discuss a map as dynamic and interactive. In 2004, the first international workshop was held in Tokyo and basic characteristics of ubiquitous mapping were discussed. Ubiquitous mapping is different from GIS because GIS is data handling oriented while ubiquitous mapping considers the interaction between map, spatial image (mental), and the real world. In 2005, it is said that a “map” should be replaced with the concept of “mapping” as digital map as well as mental map which allows for real time creation and manipulation of maps. In 2006, side view issues were treated because in mobile environment we look side view in real world and then search the correspondence between the feature in real world and the symbol in a map. If the symbol itself is located in real world by sign panel, guide line, etc. the space becomes a sort of “real scale map”. In 2007, ubiquitous mapping is a human-oriented system that it incorporates spatial cognition, spatial deduction and abduction, and spatial decision making which may be summarized as spatial communication. In 2008, American semiotician C. Morris (1901-1979)’s three types of relation; syntactics, semantics, and pragmatics can be replaced to mapping world. Syntactics corresponds to the representation types of map, 2D - multiple dimensions. Semantics corresponds to the degree of personalization, official - individual. Pragmatics corresponds to the flexibility of media, fixed - flexible. Any kind of map could be placed in the cube using these three axes. In this framework we may talk about the context and the cross culture issues. In 2009, importance of spatial articulation and structuration was discussed because before taking spatial communication using map we should give definition and classification to each spatial element such as place name, numbering, address system, etc. In 2010, personalized mapping may be egocentric mapping and dynamic mapping when they are used in real world. Putting actual position using GPS on 2D map is common, but it is not enough for users because people should place him or her on the real landscape. Matching between map and the real world is rather difficult especially in urban area where shapes of things are very similar. In 2011, relationships between side view using polar coordinate system and 2D map in conjunction with applications of smartphone and AR system was discussed. In 2012 – today, complementarity between map, directive symbol (arrow) in form of diagram, and audio guide is a subject of discussion. Other topics are characteristics of map use of women and the visualization for physically handicapped people. They are also the subjects of ubiquitous mapping especially for individual mapping in each different situation. Recently, Novel prize was awarded to the subject of inner map of the brain. But it is more interesting that this map is connected to other part of the brain consisting of the network of huge number of neuron to get somewhat spatial recognition. In ubiquitous mapping, we have to consider the relationships between many different elements. May the brain be our analogical model in this domain?
Keywords
ubiquitous mapping; evolution; concepts