Cartographies digital néogéographie, mapping 2.0., geoweb, calls are growing to describe the "revolution" Geomatics renews current patterns of production and consumption of geographic information. ; This "revolution" is linked directly to continuous advancement of new technologies: GPS, Internet, Web 2.0., GIS, virtual globes ... that multiply the production of geographic information and invade everyday life. This "revolution" permanent challenges the Geography school, offering new possibilities, asking questions about the training needed for these new digital uses and the purpose of many these tools.
This article is designed as an introduction to these new challenges, based on some references gleaned from the web and on a personal indexing tools that may be relevant to the teaching of Geography.
Definitions and Issues
Joliveau Thierry, who teaches geography , concepts and methods geomatics, spatial analysis and statistics at the University Jean Monnet Saint-Etienne (France) answered this issue in a popular article . Appeared in 2005 with Google Maps, GeoWeb is " an organization for the space of information on the Internet through a direct or indirect georeferencing on the earth's surface. Google Maps, the pioneer, is designed as a service service is an API invested by IT developers. Other competitors like Bing Maps or Yahoo Maps below. The Geoweb and voluntary contributory also develops as a result of the explosion of Web 2.0. Now we explore the web in the world, thanks to the map services and exploring the world through the web, through mobile applications (think beyond development augmented reality). It is also leading to a ubiquitous and instantaneous information.
Loic Hay distinguished three years ago three types of digital maps:
- model mapping system (GIS geographic information where information is produced and consulted by experts, where the map is a tool for planning and decision
- model mapping 1.0 where the card is produced by experts and searchable by all: it is a tool for information and communication
- model 2.0.où mapping geographic information is produced and available to everyone and map a tool for interaction and participation
Mapping 2.0
R Enaud Euvrard Néogéographie defines as a set of techniques and web tools differing from traditional GIS, and for people using and creating their own maps, while combining them with their own data. It is a neologism, like the Geoweb, which the author combines the web and geographic information. The geoweb formed using the tools of néogéographie.
R Enaud Euvrard Néogéographie defines as a set of techniques and web tools differing from traditional GIS, and for people using and creating their own maps, while combining them with their own data. It is a neologism, like the Geoweb, which the author combines the web and geographic information. The geoweb formed using the tools of néogéographie.
mapping on the Internet - From the néogéographie geoweb
E inally, Jeremiah Valentine presents the key actions of the néogéographie in a series of articles ( What is the Néogéographie? ): Annotate, Comment , Georeference, Building, React, Challenging, Mapping, Represent, Distribute . He also wondered about the meaning of the term which Néogéographie akin to a picture of Geography amateur who stuck with him, but at the same time "does not reflect little or issues related to the proliferation of geo-data or the tools of nomadism that characterizes this universe. "
E inally, Jeremiah Valentine presents the key actions of the néogéographie in a series of articles ( What is the Néogéographie? ): Annotate, Comment , Georeference, Building, React, Challenging, Mapping, Represent, Distribute . He also wondered about the meaning of the term which Néogéographie akin to a picture of Geography amateur who stuck with him, but at the same time "does not reflect little or issues related to the proliferation of geo-data or the tools of nomadism that characterizes this universe. "
Currently, the debates do not seem confined to the use of words trying to conceptualize a tremendous explosion of production and consumption of geographic information. The rapid evolution of tools and systems do not simplify the work of conceptualization, the boundaries between GIS wepmapping and collaborative mapping is increasingly blurred.
What school uses?
New Geography of secondary programs all emphasize the need to use digital mapping, GIS and virtual globes. In June 2007, coffee has published a teaching kit entitled " Geomatics: the wave Google Earth" which shows the pedagogical changes introduced by the popular virtual globe.
question is whether to use tools Geomatics is making Geography?
Genevoix Sylvain recalls some precautions face this new relationship with the image map and the world at your fingertips:
- "Few thought cartographic practices with the computer: what role for the discretization, the thresholding, the construction of the map? How to reduce the gap with the sketch synthesis paper baccalaureate now ritualized?
- Warning against the "reality effects": the viewing card that can accentuate the lecture in video projection, or immersion in 3D navigation (such as flight simulation) without learning which lead to the mapping and ; geography.
- Encouragement to use GIS to geography: a tool for spatial analysis and investigation with real applications spatial attribute, even if the pre-applications or Geoportal 'Edugéo are already an entry. "
- Amateurism: Any user can generate a map from personal
- Handling: the card from individuals or private companies
- Intrusion and problems of compliance with privacy: the many Web 2.0 services. collect and share personal information about users, sometimes without their knowledge. In France, a law requires to request permission to use this information to users. But the law is sometimes worth it for companies based abroad
- partial information: many rural areas are neglected or in conjunction with this production of geographic information. Cities in developed countries are over-represented. Just think of the various zoning definition in Google Earth
- Health Question: There are also discussions on the intensive use of aircraft wave transmitters (mobile phones, GPS, various antennas, wifi ...)
- confidentiality and dissemination of private and public data: from whom, with what limitations? A report that more more states, communities and institutions share their geospatial data, such as INSEE or the World Bank.
- 's economic model Geoweb calls. It collects private data, can sell some services are disappearing ...
When Facebook uses geo-located!
To achieve this, Paul Butler, an engineer Statistician at Facebook, analyzed a sample of 10 million "pairs of friends":
- information about their location
- intensity of connections obtained: the more connections between two points, the greater the stroke that pulls the white materializes
Why use Geoweb Geography in school?
I would borrow Thierry Joliveau, again, the first two arguments:
- "A chara cte r data geoweb requires strong geographical culture." It concerns the state and local, private companies, scientists, too. It raises the question of access and management of masses of data fabulous. The issue of training in this mass of information is a primary challenge with students. is an issue related to both geography and citizenship taught .
- "The GeoWeb is supposed to serve the public by ordering the Internet geographically and by facilitating access to information when and where it's needed." The use of Geoweb multiply, useless to struggle against, better form with usage and digital literacy.
- If GIS are a tool to plebiscite, the Geoweb often offered free services (or partially) reliable and efficient, as the Geoportal, Géoclip. Thus, the GeoWeb is increasingly invested by many institutions . On the other hand, the GeoWeb is not only subject to the commodification of data. Projects like OpenStreetMap proposes to create a map of the open source world as a community and collaborative.
- These tools enable more and more to establish data discretization or queries allottees who remained single until recently the preserve of GIS. These operations are essential in the process of analysis and map construction.
- therefore, in our classes, the professor has a set of tools and geographic services more or less simple, interactive, requiring no installation on doors in a network. In short, a whole set of functional simplicity significant.
To conclude, I offer my selection of interactive mapping tools on a desk symbaloo used in training in the academy of Rouen.
As our group pearltree "Geomatics