The Hybrid Space of Collaborative Location-Based Mobile Games and the City: A Case Study of Ingress

Structural changes in the way we live and interact in cities are occurring due to advances in mobile communication technologies affecting everyday practices. One such practice, at the forefront of digital technology adoption, is digital gaming or play. Location-based mobile games (LBMGs), such as Pokémon Go and Ingress have surged in popularity in recent years through their introduction of a new mode of play, employing mobile GPS and internet-enabled technology. Distinguished by their embedded GIS, LBMGs can influence how people play, interact with and perceive the city, by merging urban and virtual spaces into ‘hybrid realities.’ Despite the popularity of such games, studies into how LBMGs affect urban dweller interactions with each other and the city have been limited. This article examines how the digital interface of the large-scale collaborative LBMG Ingress affects how players experience and use the city. Ingress is a collaborative hybrid or location-based game that uses GPS location information from smartphones, Google maps, and Google POI to create virtual gameplay environments that correspond to and interact with other players and the city. The methodology cross-references the MDA framework from game studies (Mechanics-Dynamics-Aesthetics) within the urban mobility, sociability and spatiality characteristics of the hybrid realities theoretical framework. In this article, we explore how Ingress (re)produces hybrid space through deliberate design of interface game elements. By applying this analytical approach, we identify the game mechanics and their role in producing a hybrid gameplay environment with impacts on social and mobility practices altering the perception of and engagement with the city.

Architecture Earthquake Disaster Simulation Based on Three-Dimension GIS Algorithm

GIS geographic information system algorithm are able to be used in the disaster initialization period, middle and rescue stage for the advanced two-dimensional simulation technology with its geographical model as well as providing us with accurate and quick geographical indicators, with the estimation of building distribution and mountain damaged condition, can bring us extremely high value in use. But the traditional GIS algorithm also has tremendous convenience, namely we can't form accurate analysis of the buildings and streets form three dimensional regions, we cannot tell the difference between topographic change quantities as well, resulting in certain circumstances that the algorithm is no practical. This article puts forward 3d and 2d embedded GIS algorithm according to the satellite remote sensing technology, which can be used to cope with buildings and streets for disaster situation simulation and analysis, through this algorithm we are able to obtain the original data before a disaster, disaster failure scene and the distribution of post-disaster construction. With verification, this algorithm has high practical value and can shorten the fitting time of data.

Application of Shortest-Path Algorithm in Embedded GIS System

The shortest-path is an important issue in GIS network analysis, and its implementation in embedded systems has already been used widely in the mobile-device-based GPS navigation and city emergency response system fields. Based on our analysis and verification of the Dijkstra algorithm’s application to road network analysis, we presented in detail the design and program implementation of the Dijkstra algorithm and its flow chart. In this paper, the shortest-path example based on Dijkstra algorithm，which was developed in the MapXmobile5.0 and EVC4.0 environment, has been applied to embedded GIS system successfully. The comparison between the results from the program and manually obtained results has shown the Dijkstra algorithm’s feasibility and accuracy.

Study on Information Systems Development and Structural Optimization of Agricultural Products Multimodal Transportation

Achieving scientific decision-making and information sharing of agricultural products multimodal transport is critical to enhance the management level of agricultural transportation. Based on the advantages of agricultural products multimodal transport, this paper makes an analysis of the decision-making and information systems development of agricultural products multimodal transport, which leads into the embedded GIS technology to study information structural optimization of agricultural products multimodal transport. Studies have shown that embedded GIS can improve the agricultural products multimodal transport activities and its logistical support capabilities, so as to provide important quantitative basis for achieving accurate protection of agricultural products multimodal transport under conditions of informatization.

CAN-Based Parallel Guidance System for Agricultural Machinery

The objective of this study was to develop a CAN-based parallel guidance system for small agricultural machinery. The system consisted of field computer, light bar and DGPS receiver. The field computer was developed using PC/104 CPU module, running on the embedded real-time operation system customized by a special development tool. Single chip and CAN controller were selected for guidance light bar design, which used a row of indicator LEDs to guide drivers. Field computer and guidance light bar communicated with each other based on CAN bus. The guidance software running on the field computer was designed in object-oriented manner by integrating embedded GIS development kit. In field test, the average of offline distance was 0.452 meter. The lowest percentage overlap and skip were 3.64% and 3.82% respectively. Results showed that this kind of guidance system was suitable for small-size machinery and could provide effective guidance aid for field operation.

A SURVEY OF THE USE OF GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEMS IN ENGLISH LOCAL AUTHORITY IMPACT ASSESSMENTS

Across the public sector, Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and spatial analysis are increasingly ubiquitous when making decisions involving people and places. However, historically GIS has not been prevalently applied to the various types of impact assessment. As such, this paper presents findings from a survey conducted in 2011 of 100 local authorities in England to examine how embedded GIS, spatial analysis and visualisation practices are to the process of conducting impact assessments. The results show that despite obvious advantages of applying GIS in these processes, applications employing basic techniques are at best sporadic, and where advanced methods are implemented, these in almost all instances are conducted by external contractors, thus illustrating a significant GIS under capacity within the sampled local authorities studied.

Fusion of Dynamic Traffic Information and Embedded GIS

Dynamic traffic information is an important data for Intelligent Transportation System(ITS). Fusion of dynamic traffic information and embedded GIS is a basis for dynamic path planning and dynamic navigation. The approach proposed in this paper designed a model of dynamic traffic information and a hierarchical sub-model of road condition, and established algorithms for fusion with road network. Experiments with embedded GIS show that the models and integration algorithms are validated and effective. We believe the newly developed approach will be of great potential in ITS and future applications of dynamic traffic information.