Journal articles on the topic 'Geo-reasoning'

Abstract— There have been many studies on technology-supported learning based on cognitive theory in the literature. However, little is known about GeoGebra-assisted social cognitive learning in supporting students' reasoning abilities for online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aims to examine and analyze the differences in the improvement of students' mathematical reasoning abilities who follow GeoGebra-assisted social cognitive learning (Geo-SCL) and GeoGebra-assisted problem-based learning (Geo-PBL). This study used a quantitative method with a quasi-experimental nonequivalent pre-test post-test control-group design. The sample consisted of 70 students from XI SMA Negeri 8 in Bandung, Indonesia. Before and after therapy, research data were collected using a mathematical reasoning test consisting of 5 essay questions. Paired sample t-test analysis and independent t-test were used to answer the research hypothesis. The results of the study concluded that students who studied with Geo-SCL obtained a higher increase in mathematical reasoning abilities than students who studied with Geo-PBL, with the criteria for improving abilities in both classes being in the moderate category. Research findings related to the application of Geo-SCL can be an alternative learning model in online learning situations.

Knowledge discovery with geo-spatial information processing is of prime importance in geomorphology. The temporal characteristics of evolving geographic features result in geo-spatial events that occur at a specific geographic location. Those events when consecutively occur result in a geo-spatial process that causes a phenomenal change over the period of time. Event and process are essential constituents in geo-spatial dynamism. The geo-spatial data acquired by remote sensing technology is the source of input for knowledge discovery of geographic features. This article performs qualitative inference of geographic process by identifying events causing geo-spatial deformation over time. The evolving geographic features and their types have association with spatial and temporal factors. Event calculus-based spatial knowledge formalism allows reasoning over intervals of time. Hence, representation of Event Attributed Spatial Entity (EASE) Knowledge is proposed. Logical event-based queries are evaluated on the formal representation of EASE Knowledge Base. Event-based queries are executed on the proposed knowledge base and when experimented on, real data sets yielded comprehensive results. Further, the significance of EASE-based spatio-temporal reasoning is proved by evaluating with respect to query processing time and accuracy. The enhancement of EASE with a direction for further development to explore its significance towards prediction is discussed towards the end.

This research departs from the conflict between Jabiri's fragmented geo-epistemology and his antipathy towards ‘irfānī epistemology, vis a vis the character and style of Indonesian Islamic reasoning. The strong influence of Jabiri's thoughts in this country makes it important to answer the question of the development of the discourse on the criticism of Arab Islamic reasoning, how Indonesian figures absorb his thoughts, and how to develop them in the future. Using the qualitative method and an Islamic philosophical approach, this research comes to the following conclusions: first, Jabiri's fragmented geo-epistemology is not consistent with its initial holistic vision, is stuck in a selective attitude, fails to appreciate Eastern Islamic culture, and rests on assumptions of rationality that lack depth. Second, Jabiri's influence in Indonesian Islamic discourse has not made local figures adhere to a fragmented epistemology, nor have they become antipathetic towards ‘irfānī reasoning. Third, the development of integrative epistemology and 'irfānī epistemology in Indonesian Islamic reasoning can be enriched with a foothold on Neo-Sadra philosophical models. All data in this study were collected using library research methods.

Este artigo analisa e discute algumas das principais contribuições de John Dewey e William H. Kilpatrick para o ensino e aprendizagem da Geografia, com ênfase no desenvolvimento da alfabetização científica e do raciocínio geográfico por meio das metodologias ativas de aprendizagem. A pesquisa, baseada em uma revisão narrativa da literatura, está organizada em duas categorias principais: 1- as obras fundamentais de John Dewey (Experiência e Educação e Como Pensamos) e William H. Kilpatrick (The Project Method e Educação para uma Civilização em Mudança), 2- estudos sobre metodologias ativas no ensino de Geografia, com ênfase na Aprendizagem Baseada na Resolução de Problemas (ABRP) e Geo-Inquiry, selecionados em bases de dados como o Education Resources Information Center (ERIC) e na plataforma de periódico da CAPES, acesso via CAFe. Os estudos analisados indicam que metodologias focadas em estratégias investigativas, como a ABRP e Geo-Inquiry, contribuem para a promoção da alfabetização científica e do raciocínio geográfico. Palavras-chave Aprendizagem Baseada na Resolução de Problemas; Alfabetização científica; Ensino de Geografia; Metodologias ativas; Geo-Inquiry. The contributions of John Dewey and Willian Kilpatrick to the development of scientific literacy and geographical reasoning in school Geography Abstract This article analyzes and discusses some of the main contributions of John Dewey and William H. Kilpatrick to the teaching and learning of Geography, with an emphasis on the development of scientific literacy and geographic reasoning through active learning methodologies. The research, based on a narrative review of the literature, is organized into two main categories: 1- the fundamental works of John Dewey (Experience and Education and How We Think) and William H. Kilpatrick (The Project Method and Education for a Changing Civilization), 2- studies on active methodologies in the teaching of Geography, with an emphasis on Problem-Based Learning (ABRP) and Geo-Inquiry, selected from databases such as the Education Resources Information Center (ERIC) and the CAPES journal platform, accessed via CAFe. The studies analyzed indicate that methodologies focused on investigative strategies, such as ABRP and Geo-Inquiry, can contribute to the promotion of scientific literacy and geographic reasoning. Keywords Problem Based Learning; Geography teaching; Scientific literacy; Active methodologies; Geo-Inquiry. Las contribuciones de John Dewey y Willian Kilpatrick al desarrollo de la alfabetización científica y el razonamiento geográfico en la Geografía escolar Resumen Este artículo analiza y discute algunas de las principales contribuciones de John Dewey y William H. Kilpatrick a la enseñanza y aprendizaje de la Geografía, con énfasis en el desarrollo de la alfabetización científica y el razonamiento geográfico a través de metodologías de aprendizaje activo. La investigación, basada en una revisión narrativa de la literatura, se organiza en dos categorías principales: 1- las obras fundamentales de John Dewey (Experiencia y Educación y Cómo Pensamos) y William H. Kilpatrick (El Método de Proyectos y Educación para una Civilización Cambiante), 2- estudios sobre metodologías activas en la enseñanza de la Geografía, con énfasis en el Aprendizaje Basado en Problemas (ABRP) y el Geo-Inquiry, seleccionados de bases de datos como el Centro de Información de Recursos Educativos (ERIC) y la plataforma de revistas CAPES, a las que se accede vía CAFe. Los estudios analizados indican que las metodologías centradas en estrategias investigativas, como ABRP y Geo-Inquiry, pueden contribuir a la promoción de la alfabetización científica y el razonamiento geográfico. Palabras clave Aprendizaje Basado en Problemas; Alfabetización científica; Enseñanza de la Geografía; Metodologías activas; Geo-Inquiry.

Describing where a place is situated is an innate communication skill that relies on spatial cognition, spatial reasoning, and linguistic systems. Accordingly, textual geolocation, a task for retrieving the coordinates of a place from linguistic descriptions, requires computerized spatial inference and natural language understanding. Yet, machine-based textual geolocation is currently limited, mainly due to the lack of rich geo-textual datasets necessitated to train natural language models that, in-turn, cannot adequately interpret the language-based expressions. These limitations are intensified in morphologically rich and resource-poor languages, such as Hebrew. This study aims to analyze and understand the linguistic systems used for place descriptions in Hebrew, later to be used to train machine learning natural language models. A novel crowdsourced geo-textual dataset is developed, composed of 5,695 written place descriptions provided by 1,554 native Hebrew speakers. All place descriptions rely on memory only, which increases spatial vagueness and requires referring expression resolution. Qualitative linguistic analysis of place descriptions shows that geospatial reasoning is greatly used in Hebrew, while empirical analysis with textual geolocation engines indicates that literal descriptions pose challenges for existing methods, as they require real understanding of space and geospatial references and cannot simply be geolocated by matching gazetteer with textual geo-entity extractions. The findings offer improved understanding of the challenges entailed in natural language processing of Hebrew geolocation, contributing to formalizing computerized systems used in future machine learning models for complex geographic information retrieval tasks.

The “Math by the Month” activities are designed to appeal directly to students. Students may work on the activities individually or in small groups. No solutions are suggested so that students will look to themselves as the mathematical authority, thereby developing the confidence to validate their work. This month's collection uses Spain and Spanish culture as a setting for activities that involve graphing, estimation, logical reasoning, geo-metry, measurement, and computation.

Poaching poses a significant threat to wildlife and their habitats, necessitating advanced tools for its prediction and prevention. Existing tools for poaching prediction face challenges such as inconsistent poaching data, spatiotemporal complexity, and translating predictions into actionable insights for conservation efforts. This paper presents PoachNet, a novel predictive system that integrates deep learning with Semantic Web reasoning to infer poaching likelihood. Using elephant GPS data extracted from an ontology-based knowledge graph, PoachNet employs a sequential neural network to predict future movements, which are semantically modelled and incorporated into the graph. Semantic Web Rule Language (SWRL) is applied to infer poaching risk based on these geo-location predictions and poaching rule-based logic. By addressing spatiotemporal complexity and integrating predictions into an actionable semantic rule, PoachNet advances the field, with its geo-location prediction model outperforming state-of-the-art approaches.

The differentiable neural computer (DNC) is a neural network model with an addressable external memory that can solve algorithmic and question-answering tasks. Improved versions of the DNC have been proposed, including the robust and scalable DNC (rsDNC) and DNC-deallocation-masking-sharpness (DNC-DMS). However, integrating structured knowledge and calculations into these DNC models remains a challenging research question. In this study, we incorporate an architecture for knowledge and calculations into the DNC, rsDNC, and DNC-DMS to improve their abilities to generate correct answers for questions with multi-hop reasoning and provide calculations over structured knowledge. Our improved rsDNC model achieves the best performance for the mean top-1 accuracy, and our improved DNC-DMS model scores the highest for the top-10 accuracy in the GEO dataset. In addition, our improved rsDNC model outperforms other models in regards to the mean top-1 accuracy and mean top-10 accuracy in the augmented GEO dataset.

Geographical referencing of data and resources on the Web has become prevalent. Discovering and linking this information poses eminent research challenges to the geospatial semantic web, with regards to the representation and manipulation of information on geographic places. Towards addressing these challenges, this work explores the potential of the current semantic web languages and tools. In particular, an integrated logical framework of rules and ontologies, using current W3C standards, is assessed for modeling geospatial ontologies of place and for encoding both symbolic and geometric references to place locations. Spatial reasoning is incorporated in the framework to facilitate the deduction of implicit spatial relations and for expressing spatial integrity constraints. The logical framework is extended with geo-computation engines that offer more effective manipulation of geometric information. Example data sets mined from web resources are used to demonstrate and evaluate the framework, offering insights to its potentials and limitations.

Information foraging and sense-making with heterogeneous information are context-dependent activities. Thus visual analytics tools to support these activities must incorporate context. But, context is a difficult concept to define, model, and represent. Creating and representing context in support of visually-enabled reasoning about complex problems with complex information is a complementary but different challenge than that addressed in context-aware computing. In the latter, the goal is automated system adaptation to meet user application needs such as location-based services where information about the location, the user, and user goals filters what gets presented on a small mobile device. In contrast, for visual analytics-enabled information foraging and sense-making, the user generally takes an active role in foraging for the contextual information needed to support sense-making in relation to some multifaceted problem. In this paper, we address the challenges of constructing and representing context within visual interfaces that support analytic reasoning in crisis management and humanitarian relief. The challenges stem from the diverse forms of information that can provide context and difficulty in defining and operationalizing context itself. Here, we focus on document foraging to support construction of geographic and historical context for facilitating monitoring and sense-making. Specifically, we present the concept of geo-historical context and outline an empirical assessment of both the concept and its implementation in the Context Discovery Application (CDA), a web-based tool that supports document foraging and sense-making. We also discuss the CDA’s transition into applied use for the United Nations to demonstrate the generality of underlying CDA concepts.

Traditional Geographic Information Systems (GIS) represent the environment under reductionist thinking, which disaggregates a geographic environment into independent geographic themes. The reductionist approach makes the spatiotemporal characteristics of geo-features explicit, but neglects the holistic nature of the environment, such as the hierarchical structure and interactions among environmental elements. To fill this gap, we integrate the concept geographic scenario with the fundamental principles of General System Theory to realize the environmental complexity in GIS. With the integration, a geographic scenario constitutes a hierarchy of spatiotemporal frameworks for organizing environmental elements and subserving the exploration of their relationships. Furthermore, we propose geo-characterization with ontological commitments to both static and dynamic properties of a geographic scenario and prescribe spatial, temporal, semantic, interactive, and causal relationships among environmental elements. We have tested the utility of the proposed representation in OWL and the associated reasoning process in Semantic Web Rule Language (SWRL) rules in a case study in Nanjing, China. The case study represents Nanjing and the Nanjing presidential palace to demonstrate the connections among environmental elements in different scenarios and the support for information queries, evolution process simulation, and semantic inferences. The proposed representation encodes geographic knowledge of the environment, makes the interactions among environmental elements explicit, supports geographic process simulation, opens opportunities for deep knowledge mining, and grounds a foundation for GeoAI to discover geographic complexity and dynamics beyond the support of conventional theme-centric inquiries in GIS.

Critical human capacity in Geographic Information Science (GISc) is developed at the Botswana International University of Science and Technology, a specialized, research university. Strategies employed include GISc courses offered each semester to students from various programs, the conduct of field-based projects, enrolment in online courses, geo-spatial initiatives with external partners, and final year research projects utilizing geospatial technologies. A review is made of available GISc courses embedded in the Bachelor of Science Environmental Science program. GISc courses are incorporated in three Bachelor degree programs as distinct courses. Geospatial technologies are employed in several other courses. Student researches apply GIS and Remote Sensing methods to environmental and geological themes. The overarching goals are to equip students in various disciplines to utilize geospatial technologies, and enhance their spatial thinking and reasoning skills.

<p><strong>Abstract.</strong> With the rapid development of 3D technology currently, in particular, on the context of building smart cities, a number of novel 3D geo-visualizations have been advanced, such as immersive maps, panoramic location-based service, and augmented reality systems. These visualizations refer to not only the technological aspects but also the user’s abilities to cognize and make used of presented information(Herman et al., 2018, Šašinka et al., 2018, Kubíček et al., 2019). Note the existing researches usually concentrate on the presentation parameters and the usability of consequential visualizations in actual tasks(Lokka and Coltekin, 2016, Roth et al., 2017, Lokka and Coltekin, 2019). The influence of user factors on 3D spatial perception which is essential for 3D geo-visualization applications still remains unclear.</p><p>In our study, we explored the user differences of spatial perception in 3D geo-visualization in contrast to that in real scene. The research questions were specified as follows: (1) How does the user factors, i.e. gender, age, academic background, mental rotation ability, and abstract reasoning ability, influence the user performance in spatial tasks related to distance perception, height perception, and environmental perception(Siegel and White, 1975)? (2) Is the user perception ability in 3D geo-visualization consistent with that in real scene?</p><p>This study is an exploratory research. Series of experiments were designed based on questionnaire survey, mental mapping and eye-tracking techniques. On the one hand, a questionnaire, a Mental Rotation Test (MRT) and an Abstract Reasoning Test (ART) were conducted to figure out the user profiles, namely the personal information of the participants. On the other hand, a list of spatial tasks were instructed both in a 3D geo-visualization and in a real scene. During the procedure, participants were requested to answer several questions, in addition, their eye movements were recorded using an eye tracker. The participants were also asked to draw a mental map with hands to recall the layout of scene and their travelling path. After all these experiments, the participants’ spatial perception ability were assessed by calculating the accuracy and efficiency of their performance. Consequentially, the significance of participant differences were investigated through a set of quantitative analysis.</p><p>The experimental process refers to three stages: Firstly the questionnaire including MRT and ART, secondly spatial performance in a virtual 3D scene, and thirdly comparative spatial performance in the real scene. For the stage of virtual 3D scene, an interactive 3D geo-visualization platform was developed, so that the users can freely switch the Line of Sight (LOS) and Angle of Field (AOF). For the stage of real scene, a real-world area which is isomorphic to the virtual 3D scene was designated as the test filed. Forty participants were recruited from three universities in Wuhan, China. According to our study, a few interesting results can be obtained:</p><p>(1) In general, there are significant user differences in spatial perception with respect to the visual style, i.e. 3D geo-visualization and real scene. The participants expressed higher level of environmental perception in real scene thanin 3D geo-visualization (r<sub>_3d</sub>=4.333, r<sub>_real</sub>=4.001, Sig.=0.044). The participants provided mental maps of real scenein more details than that of the 3D geo-visualization. Meanwhile, they perform better way-finding behaviour with shorter distance moving and less corner turning in real scene.</p><p>(2) By measuring the single influence of user characters, it is indicated that orientation idiom has significant effect onuser’s mental rotation ability. The participants who use front-back-left-right as their orientation idioms trend tohave higher correct accuracy in MRT, while those using north-south-east-west as their orientation idiom seem tohave lower correct accuracy (r<sub>_fblr</sub>=19.64, r<sub>_nsew</sub>=12.46, Sig.=0.030, Independent-samples Mann-Whitney U Test).</p><p>When we group participants with the spatial reference frameworks of self-centred reference, fixed reference andcoordinative reference(Byrne et al., 2007), it is easy to find that the type of spatial reference frameworks hasrelative significant effect on distance perception in 3D geo-visualization. Those participants using self-centredreference show the highest accuracy rate, while the ones using coordinative reference show relative lowestaccuracy rate(r<sub>_selfCent</sub>=22.42, r<sub>_fixed</sub>=15.47, r<sub>_coord</sub>=13.43, Sig.=0.056, Independent-samples Kruskal-Wallis Test). Nevertheless, other user factors, including academic background (students of cartography or non-cartography), age (from 21–24) and activity scope, show no significant influence on spatial perception in 3D geo-visualization as well as in real scene.</p><p>(3) Looking into the combined influence of multiple factors, there is a significant interaction between gender andorientation idioms on the environmental perception in 3D geo-visualization environment, but neither of themshows a significant main effect (Sig.<sub>_gender</sub>=0.817, Sig.<sub>_oriIdio</sub>=0.423, Sig.<sub>_combined</sub>=0.037). The female participantsusing north-south-east-west orientation idiom have higher level of environmental perception than those using front-back-left-right (Sig.=0.064), however, the male participants show no significant difference no matter whichorientation idiom they use.</p><p>Spatial reference framework and orientation idiom have similar significant interaction on distance perception inreal scene, furthermore, the orientation idiom presents a relative significant main effect (Sig.<sub>_spatialRef</sub>=0.882,Sig.<sub>_oriIdio</sub>=0.071, Sig.<sub>_combined</sub>=0.038). The participants who use self-centred reference and orientation idiom ofnorth-south-east-west have higher accuracy rate than the ones using self-centred reference and orientation idiom offront-back-left-right (Sig.=0.007).</p><p>In addition, gender and spatial reference framework seem have relative significant interaction on distanceperception in 3D geo-visualization, and the spatial reference framework provides a main effect significantly(Sig.<sub>_gender</sub>=0.223, Sig.<sub>_spatialRef</sub>=0.019, Sig.<sub>_combined</sub>=0.077).</p><p>These experimental results provide a bright prospect to improve the 3D geo-visualizations to fit users’ personalized charactoristics for certain spatial tasks. They will also be beneficial to the design of mixed 3D geo-visualization, e.g. immersive maps and augmented reality systems, that combines the advantages of visual 3D scene and real scene.</p>

What is ‘small’ in the small states? What is the geo-psychology of Nepal as a small state? Scholars have not been able to conclude what is ‘small’ in small states. The economy, population, territory, and military elements have been regarded as criteria responsible for the smallness of the small states. The study has investigated the psychological ‘self’ and ‘forced’ positioning as a small state. Further, the study argues that the smallness in Nepal is the psychological construction determined by the geographical positioning of the country as well as through social phenomena of interaction (cognitive process) and experiential form. The study forwards the argument that Nepal as a small state is the outcome of the geopolitical reasoning and geopolitical imagination of the ‘other’. The smallness of Nepal is intersubjective, a psychological construct, which was shaped through shared experience, particularly in relation to the neighbours. The study contests the traditional idea of quantitative analysis of smallness in a state, unfolding the collective national psyche of small states which are mainly impacted by geography and intersubjective interactions. Furthermore, the study’s conceptual framework is based on the idea of ‘geopsychology’, which takes ‘geography’ as a determining factor of state psychology. The qualitative study examines the origin of smallness in Nepal using secondary data sources from academic journals, books, reports, and online platforms.

The rapid developments in sensor technology and mobile devices bring a flourish of social images, and large-scale social images have attracted increasing attention to researchers. Existing approaches generally rely on recognizing object instances individually with geo-tags, visual patterns, etc. However, the social image represents a web of interconnected relations; these relations between entities carry semantic meaning and help a viewer differentiate between instances of a substance. This article forms the perspective of the spatial relationship to exploring the joint learning of social images. Precisely, the model consists of three parts: (a) a module for deep semantic understanding of images based on residual network (ResNet); (b) a deep semantic analysis module of text beyond traditional word bag methods; (c) a joint reasoning module from which the text weights obtained using image features on self-attention and a novel tree-based clustering algorithm. The experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of using Flickr30k and Microsoft COCO datasets. Meanwhile, our method considers spatial relations while matching.

Abstract. The intrinsic connections between geographical elements are important for uncovering hidden geo-scientific laws. However, current research on terrain and landform analysis mainly focuses on the landscapes themselves, with insufficient attention to the connections between them. Therefore, this study proposes a knowledge graph approach based on geographical units (TUKG). Specifically, fi-negrained geographical units are extracted based on three types of data: remote sensing images, DEM, and contour lines. These units serve as entity nodes in the TUKG and are described by their slope and aspect. Additionally, point-based and line-based connections between geographical units are proposed based on spatial topological relationships, serving as connections between entity nodes in the TUKG. Finally, inference rules for ridge landscape problems are extracted from typical cases of ridge land-scapes to support reasoning in the TUKG. Experimental results conducted in the Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon in southwest China demonstrate that the TUKG can accurately infer ridge landscapes and has the potential to identify more complex terrain landscapes.

Land use segmentation is a fundamental yet challenging task in remote sensing. Most current methods mainly take images as input and sometimes cannot achieve satisfactory results due to limited information. Inspired by the inherent relations between land cover and land use, we investigate land use segmentation using additional land cover data. The topological relations among land cover objects are beneficial for bridging the semantic gap between land cover and land use. Specifically, these relations are usually depicted by a geo-object-based graph structure. Deep convolutional neural networks (CNNs) are capable of extracting local patterns but fail to efficiently explore topological relations. In contrast, contextual relations among objects can be easily captured by graph convolutional networks (GCNs). In this study, we integrated CNNs and GCNs and proposed the CNN-enhanced HEterogeneous Graph Convolutional Network (CHeGCN) to incorporate local spectral-spatial features and long-range dependencies. We represent topological relations by heterogeneous graphs which are constructed with images and land cover data. Afterwards, we employed GCNs to build topological relations by graph reasoning. Finally, we fused CNN and GCN features to accomplish the inference from land cover to land use. Compared with other homogeneous graph-based models, the land cover data provide more sufficient information for graph reasoning. The proposed method can achieve the transformation from land cover to land use. Extensive experiments showed the competitive performance of CHeGCN and demonstrated the positive effects of land cover data. On the IoU metric over two datasets, CHeGCN outperforms CNNs and GCNs by nearly 3.5% and 5%, respectively. In contrast to homogeneous graphs, heterogeneous graphs have an IoU improvement of approximately 2.5% in the ablation experiments. Furthermore, the generated visualizations help explore the underlying mechanism of CHeGCN. It is worth noting that CHeGCN can be easily degenerated to scenarios where no land cover information is available and achieves satisfactory performance.

Within the framework of this project methods are being tested and implemented a) to introduce remote sensing based approaches into the existing process of biotope mapping and b) to develop a framework serving the multiple requirements arising from different users’ backgrounds and thus the need for comprehensive data interoperability. Therefore state-wide high resolution land cover vector-data have been generated in an automated object oriented workflow based on aerial imagery and a normalised digital surface models.These data have been enriched by an extensive characterisation of the individual objects by e.g. site specific, contextual or spectral parameters utilising multitemporal satellite images, DEM-derivatives and multiple relevant geo-data. Parameters are tested on relevance in regard to the classification process using different data mining approaches and have been used to formalise categories of the European nature information system (EUNIS) in a semantic framework. The Classification will be realised by ontology-based reasoning. Dissemination and storage of data is developed fully INSPIRE-compatible and facilitated via a web portal. Main objectives of the project are a) maximum exploitation of existing “standard” data provided by state authorities, b) combination of these data with satellite imagery (Copernicus), c) create land cover objects and achieve data interoperability through low number of classes but comprehensive characterisation and d) implement algorithms and methods suitable for automated processing on large scales.

Administrative geography is concerned with the hierarchy of areas related to national and local government in a country. They form an important dataset in the country’s open data provision and act as the geo-referencing backdrop for many types of geospatial data. Proprietary ontologies are built to model and represent these data with little focus on spatial semantics. Studying the quality of these ontologies and developing methods for their evaluation are needed. This paper addresses these problems by studying the spatial semantics of administrative geography data and proposes a uniform set of qualitative semantics that encapsulates the inherent spatial structure of the administrative divisions and allows for the application of spatial reasoning. Topological and proximity semantics are defined and combined into a single measure of spatial completeness and used for defining a set of competency questions to be used in the evaluation process. The significance of the novel measure of completeness and competency questions is demonstrated on four prominent real world administrative geography ontologies. It is shown how these can provide an objective measure of quality of the geospatial ontologies and gaps in their definition. The proposed approach to defining spatial completeness complements the established methods in the literature, that primarily focus on the syntactical and structural dimensions of the ontologies, and offers a novel approach to ontology evaluation in the geospatial domain.

Recent evaluations of Large Multimodal Models (LMMs) have explored their capabilities in various domains, with only few benchmarks specifically focusing on urban environments. Moreover, existing urban benchmarks have been limited to evaluating LMMs with basic region-level urban tasks under singular views, leading to incomplete evaluations of LMMs' abilities in urban environments. To address these issues, we present UrBench, a comprehensive benchmark designed for evaluating LMMs in complex multi-view urban scenarios. UrBench contains 11.6K meticulously curated questions at both region-level and role-level that cover 4 task dimensions: Geo-Localization, Scene Reasoning, Scene Understanding, and Object Understanding, totaling 14 task types. In constructing UrBench, we utilize data from existing datasets and additionally collect data from 11 cities, creating new annotations using a cross-view detection-matching method. With these images and annotations, we then integrate LMM-based, rule-based, and human-based methods to construct large-scale high-quality questions. Our evaluations on 21 LMMs show that current LMMs struggle in the urban environments in several aspects. Even the best performing GPT-4o lags behind humans in most tasks, ranging from simple tasks such as counting to complex tasks such as orientation, localization and object attribute recognition, with an average performance gap of 17.4%. Our benchmark also reveals that LMMs exhibit inconsistent behaviors with different urban views, especially with respect to understanding cross-view relations.

Abstract Case-based reasoning (CBR) means adopting previous experiences (i.e, data from previous patients) to meet new demands (new patients). In this scenario, we developed an application named OpGen to generate optimization objective values for head and neck radiotherapy inverse treatment planning, using the previously treated patient with an acceptable outcome. OpGen will be helpful in radiotherapy treatment planning automation and efficiently reducing the required time to reach the target goals and improving the quality and safety of the treatment.OpGen has been developed in Python and has four main modules: 1- Analyzing radiotherapy treatment planning parameters of the previous patients in the database. We have developed (a) a powerful graphical user interface (GUI) that allows quantitative and qualitative analysis of the previous knowledge, including the type of frequently used objective parameter (Min Dose, Max Dose, Min DVH dose, etc.); (b) The range of values used for each specific objective type, and (c) Histogram of the number of patients vs. values used for a specific objective type. 2- Importing patients from treatment planning and retrieving a user-defined number of treatment planning information from the previously treated patients in the database corresponding to the given patient using the user-defined quantitative features (geometrical, distance or geo-distance) and retrieval algorithms (k-Nearest Neighbor and Random Forest). 3- Generating optimization objective values based on the following available options: (a) The most similar patient in the database; (b)- Average or median value over the number of patients retrieved from the database; and (c) Deep learning generated values using a model trained over 100 similar cases retrieved from the database. 4- Generate a portable database of the objective values and patient geometric information for any inter- or intra-institutional usage of the algorithm. OpGen is compatible with RayStation (RaySearch Laboratories™) treatment planning and can retrieve, analyze and generate treatment planning optimization parameters in less than 3 minutes. OpGen can potentially increase the quality and safety of radiotherapy treatment planning by improving the efficiency of the optimization process. Citation Format: Reza Reiazi, Surendra Prajapati, Abdallah Sherif Mohamed, Clifton David Fuller, Mohammad Salehpour. Optimization generator app (OpGen) for radiotherapy treatment planning using case-based reasoning. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2023; Part 1 (Regular and Invited Abstracts); 2023 Apr 14-19; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2023;83(7_Suppl):Abstract nr 5398.

Augmented Reality (AR) has been widely used in areas such as medicine, education, entertainment and cultural heritage to enhance activities that include (but are not limited to) teaching, training and amusement, through the completion of the real world with viewable and usually interactive virtual data (e.g. 3D models, geo-markers and labels). Despite the already confirmed AR benefits in the referred areas, many of the existing AR systems rely on heavy and obsolete hardware bundles composed of several devices and numerous cables that usually culminate in considerably expensive solutions. This issue is about to be tackled through the recent technological developments which currently enable the production of small-sized boards with remarkable capabilities – such as processing, visualization and storage – at relatively low prices. Following this line of reasoning, this paper proposes and compares five different multi-purpose AR mobile units, running Windows or Android operating systems, having in mind low-cost and lightweight requirements and different levels of immersion: a laptop computer, two tablets, a smartphone and smartglasses. A set of tests was carried out to evaluate the proposed unit performance. Moreover, a set of users' assessments was also conducted, highlighting an overall acceptance regarding the use of the proposed units in AR applications. This paper is an extension of a previous work (Pádua et al., 2015) in which a conceptual architecture for mobile units - complying with AR requirements (including visualization, processing, location and communication) for indoor or outdoor utilization - was presented, along with a shorter set of lightweight and cost-effective AR mobile units and respective performance tests.

Nicolaus Steno (Niels Stensen, 1638–86) is considered to be the founder of geology as a discipline of modern science, and is also considered to be founder of scientific conceptions of the human glands, muscles, heart and brain. With respect to his anatomical results the judgment of posterity has always considered Steno to be one of the founders of modern anatomy, whereas Steno’s paternity to the methods known to day of all students of geology was almost forgotten during the 130 yr from 1700 to 1830. Besides geology and anatomy there are still important sides of Steno’s scientific contributions to be rediscovered. Steno’s general philosophy of science is one of the clearest formulated philosophies of modern science as it appeared during the 17th Century. It includes • separation of scientific methods from religious arguments, • a principle of how to seek “demonstrative certainty” by demanding considerations from both reductionist and holist perspectives, • a series of purely structural (semiotic) principles developing a stringent basis for the pragmatic, historic (diachronous) sciences as opposed to the categorical, timeless (achronous) sciences, • “Steno’s ladder of knowledge” by which he formulated the leading principle of modern science i.e., how true knowledge about deeper, hidden causes (“what we are ignorant about”) can be approached by combining analogue experiences with logic reasoning. However, Steno’s ideas and influence on the general principles of modern science are still quite unknown outside Scandinavia, Italy, France and Germany. This unfortunate situation may be explained with the fact that most of his philosophical statements have not been translated to English until recent decades. Several Latin philologists state that Steno’s Latin language is of great beauty and poetic value, and that translations to other languages cannot give justice to Steno’s texts. Thus, translations may have seemed too difficult. Steno’s ideas on the philosophy of science appear in both his many anatomical and in his fewer geological papers, all of which with one exception (in French) were written in Latin. A concentration of his philosophy of science was given by himself in his last scientific lecture “Prooemium” (1673), which was not translated from Latin to English before 1994. Therefore, after the decline of Latin as a scientific language Steno’s philosophy of science and ideas on scientific reasoning remained quite unknown, although his ideas should be considered extremely modern and path finding for the scientific revolution of the bio- and geo-sciences. Moreover, Steno’s philosophy of science is comparable to Immanuel Kant’s 80 yr younger theory on perception, Charles S. Peirce’s 230 yr younger theory on abduction, and—especially—Karl R. Popper’s 300 yr younger theory on scientific discovery by conjecture and refutation.

The topic of knowledge graphs (KGs) has recently attracted extensive attention in both industry and academia. Knowledge graphs are a new paradigm for representing, retrieving, integrating, and reasoning data from highly heterogeneous and multimodal sources. For example, international conferences, such as the Knowledge Graph Conference, have emerged in the past years, not to mention the increasing number of specialized workshops on KGs co-located with major computer science conferences, including Knowledge Graph Workshop at KDD 2021, Workshop for Deep Learning in Knowledge Graphs at ISWC 2021, Workshop on Knowledge Graph Construction at ESWC 2021, to name but a few. Also, the number of KGs-related papers accepted at these major conferences, including SIGSPATIAL, is rapidly increasing. Meanwhile, we also witness the increasing popularity of knowledge graph technologies in geography, geoinformatics, and GIScience domains. There are growing numbers of knowledge graph-related manuscripts accepted to the top geospatial-related venues, such as the International Journal of Geographical Information Science, Transactions in GIS, the International Journal of Applied Earth Observation and Geoinformation, and so on. Transactions in GIS also held two special issues about knowledge graphs: 1) Symbolic and Subsymbolic GeoAI: Geospatial Knowledge Graphs and Spatially Explicit Machine Learning [4], and 2) Knowledge-based GIS (K-GIS): Theories, Techniques and Applications. In addition, government agencies, industries, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are also lifting resources on topics of exploring KGs to build up interdisciplinary science and applications. One example is NSF's Accelerate Convergence Program, which promotes the idea of building an Open Knowledge Network to harness the data revolution. Funded by this program, the KnowWhereGraph is presently among the largest geo-enabled knowledge graphs, which integrates 28 different data layers at the intersection between humans and their environment [2].

Aims and Study Area: A study conducted to identify how climate change affects water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) sector for Barguna Sadar Upazila.
 Methodology: This study applied inductive reasoning methods with inductive and statistical generalization criteria. Used mixed method approach where both qualitative and quantitative data were collected from study areas. However, this study also triangulated findings from literature review and conducted Geo Spatial Analysis that enhanced the strength of the study findings.
 Results: From the quantitative findings it was identified that 32% reported they don’t even know what the risk factors of climate change are, among them 41% female which is very alarming for WASH. However, from the KII respondents reported to have waterlogging, increase of temperature, heavy rainfall, and scarcity of water in their locality. 37% of respondents reported to not available the drinking water in all year round and they mentioned it happens due to lower groundwater level, increase salinity in water, damage of water source and draught. 60% of the respondents reported that their latrines were destroyed by a cyclone/tidal surge/water lodging and 33% reported to experience water borne disease in the past three months. Only 10% of respondents agreed that they have sufficient knowledge of the result of climate changes in the WASH sector. Only 5% of women agreed they have access to WASH Management systems during cyclone/tidal surge/water lodging. A total of 30% respondents reported that climate change resulted in extra burden for women and girls in WASH sector.
 Conclusion: This study identified that mostly climate change impacts women and girls as have less knowledge on impacts of climate changes in WASH. From those findings this study identified some recommendations which can improve the conditions in WASH sector in Barguna as well as Coastal belt of Bangladesh.

The aim of this paper is to investigate newly developed spatial monitoring and analysis systems&mdash;the emergent area of&nbsp;<em>location intelligence (LI)</em>&nbsp;in relation to&nbsp;<em>geographic information systems</em>&nbsp;(<em>GIS</em>)&mdash;from the perspective of the design research strategic modification. It has been argued that this perspective implies corrective attributes and criteria that can advance the existing spatial research models and platforms by proposing a&nbsp;<em>designerly enhanced intelligence research framework</em>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<em>technical solution</em>&nbsp;while also integrating the external transformative issues that have posed a demand for spatial research systems rethinking and redefinition, too. These issues have been centered around the several notions&mdash;(1) the extension of the spatial research scale and domain marked by the move from&nbsp;<em>geo</em>-determinants to&nbsp;<em>cosmo</em>-determinants alongside&nbsp;<em>locational</em>&nbsp;or&nbsp;<em>place-based</em>&nbsp;specification, (2) the articulation of dynamic properties and complexity, and (3) the new forms and techniques of reasoning and representation in spatial sciences advanced by digital information technologies, the space-information integration, the use of large data-systems and their control. They have been thoroughly explained alongside different effects they produce, while terminological and technical refinements have been proposed in their regard, as well. The important scientific and theoretical research areas have been addressed for solid framing of such thematic and disciplinary convergence. Their synthesis has indicated the major objective of the paper&mdash;the construction of the new common ground for all spatial sciences in the form of the digital research and representation system, strategy and methodology based on&nbsp;<em>design intelligence</em> attributes and modes of operation.

Term and concept of bioethics (Bio-Ethik) originally were developed by Fritz Jahr, a Protestant Pastor in Halle an der Saale in 1927, long before the period, when bioethics in the modern sense was recreated in the US in 1970s and since that time has spread globally. Jahr’s bioethical imperative, influenced by Christian and humanist traditions from Assisi to Schopenhauer and by Buddhist philosophy holds its own position against Kant’s anthropological imperative and against dogmatic Buddhist reasoning: ‘Respect each living being as an end in itself and treat it, if possible, as such’. Jahr interprets the 5th Commandment ‘Thou shall not kill’ offensively and liberally as ‘common morality’ which includes the obligation of caring for one’s own health, public health and health education within the wider framework of a universal bioethical Sittengesetz.&#x0D; In the article-translation the actual contemporary thoughts about the bioethical imperative, which serves not only the object of interdisciplinary study, but also the practical approach to acquiring responsibility and environmental image of thinking, are found. Didactic considerations of Yahr go beyond the paternalistic upbringing, they point to the content and methodological purpose of teaching ethics to ethical discourse. According to Yahr, ethics does not regulate philosophical, theological or political knowledge, does not act as a dictatorship of a way of behavior. Ethics is the conduct of discussions, the culture of discussion and communication. Following the philosophy of Yahr, Professor Hans-Martin Zass formulated the geo-ethical imperative: "Respect the Mother Earth and all natural life as it is, for which the responsible person is an end in itself, and get around as much as possible in this way!". In respect for all living things, there is a relationship between man and animals, plants, nature, including the health systems, educational-informational and research organizations. Pastor Fritz Jahr, who had no immediate influence during his times, built a strong first Protestant foundation for contemporary theological and ethical concepts in medical ethics, bioethics, and environmental ethics.

HUNIAN BERULANG DI DOLINA KIDANG, BLORA KALA HOLOSEN DWELLING RECURRING IN DOLINA KIDANG, BLORAHOLOCENE PERIOD Indah Asikin NuraniBalai Arkeologi Daerah Istimewaan Yogyakarta, Jalan Gedong Kuning No 174, Kotagede, YogyakartaEmail: anikardani@gmail.com Abstrak Dolina Kidang adalah suatu lobang besar yang di dalamnya terdapat sebuah gua dan sebuah ceruk. Dolina ini merupakan tempat hunian manusia prasejarah kala Holosen yang sangat intensif dihuni. Bukti-bukti arkeologis memberikan gambaran bagaimana pola hunian yang berlangsung di dalam dolina ini. Temuan hasil ekskavasi meliputi artefak, ekofak, fitur, dan rangka manusia. Kajian geoarkeologis menunjukkan adanya proses pengendapan sedimentasi dan material budaya yang signifikan. Kajian antropologi ragawi memberikan kontribusi tentang sistem kubur yang dianut manusia penghuni Dolina Kidang. Pengembangan teknologi dalam mempertahankan hidup juga memberikan informasi tersendiri dalam pola hidup manusia penghuni Dolina Kidang. Tulisan ini akan memberikan gambaran menyeluruh pola hunian beserta jejak okupasi yang berlangsung di dolina ini. Metode yang digunakan adalah deskriptif analitis, dengan penalaran induktif. Hasil penelitian memberikan informasi tentang pola pemanfaatan lahan gua secara berulang yaitu ditemukan gua berupa konglomerat alas. Kata kunci: Dolina Kidang, stratigrafi, kubur, teknologi, hunian. Abstract. Dolina Kidang is a big hole in which there is a cave and a niche. This Dolina a prehistoric human settlements Holocene period very intensive inhabited. Archaeological evidence gives an overview of how settlement patterns that took place in this dolina. Findings from excavations among others artifacts, ecofacts, features, and skeleton. Geo-archaeological studies showed the deposition process of sedimentation and culturally of significant material. Contributing studies paleoanthropology has information about the system of burial in Dolina Kidang. Studies of technology in maintaining the life had new information in sustaining life in Dolina Kidang. This paper will provide a thorough overview of the occupancy patterns along with traces of occupation that took place in this dolina. The method used is descriptive analytical, with inductive reasoning. The results of study provide information on land use patterns recurring cave that is found in the form of conglomerates pedestal as gab occupation. Keywords: Dolina Kidang, stratigraphy, burial, technology, occupancy.

To accommodate user-specific requirements and preferences, a travel Recommendation System (RS) gives a customized place of interest. The prevalent research did not provide solutions to some essential situations for cultural tourism, including relevant time, environmental conditions, and stay places. Thus, the existing RS models led to unreliable cultural tourism recommendations by neglecting essential factors like personalized itineraries, environmental conditions of the cultural sites, sentiment analysis of the hotel reviews, and sustainable cultural heritage planning. To overcome the above factors, a day- and night-time cultural tourism RS utilizing the Mean Signed Error-centric Recurrent Neural Network (MSE-RNN) is proposed in this paper. The proposed work develops an efficient RS by considering historical data, Geographic Information System (GIS) map location, hotel (stay place) reviews, and environmental data to access day and night cultural tourism. First, from the Geographic Information System (GIS) map and hotel data, the historical and hotel geolocations are extracted. Currently, these locations are fed to Similarity-centric Hamilton Distance-K-Means (SHD-KM) for grouping the nearest locations. Next, hotels are ranked utilizing the Tent Mapping-centric Black Widow Optimization (TM-BWO) approach centered on the locations. In addition, using Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers (BERT), the essential keywords from the historical geo-locations are embedded. In the meantime, the sites’ reviews and timings are extracted from Google. The extracted reviews go through pre-processing, and the keywords from the pre-processed data are extracted. For the extracted keywords, polarity is calculated centered on the Valence-Aware Dictionary for Sentiment Reasoning (VADER). Concurrently, utilizing the Reference-centric Pearson Correlation Coefficient (R-PCC), the timings of the sites are segregated. Lastly, for providing a recommendation of tourist sites, the embedded words, ranked hotels, and segregated timings, along with the pre-processed environment and season data, are fed to the MSE-RNN classifier. At last, the experimental evaluation verified that other recommendation systems were surpassed by the proposed approach.

The paper addresses the task on constructing a method for the identification of complications, arising during oil and gas well drilling, which functions under conditions of an a priori and current uncertainty under the influence of various disturbances, based on the methods of fuzzy sets and fuzzy logic. The methodological approach to assessing the level of complications in the course of oil and gas well drilling, based on the principles of linguistics of the parameters of the drilling process, the linguistics and hierarchy of knowledge about complications in the drilling process, was proposed. We have built mathematical models of the controlled object, which, in contrast to deterministic mathematical models, make it possible to describe in the natural language the cause-effect relations between the parameters of the drilling process and possible complications. These models reflect the logic of an operator&rsquo;s reasoning with the involvement of non-numeric and fuzzy information by an expert specialist, which makes it possible to formalize the decision-making procedures based on Fuzzy Logic using the parameters and indicators for the process of oil and gas well drilling. The structure of decision support system in controlling the process of well drilling under complicated conditions was proposed. The results of simulation of the developed methods for modeling complications based on the methods of fuzzy sets and fuzzy logic were presented. Their advantages in accuracy in comparison with the known methods in problems of identification of assessment and control under conditions of uncertainty about the structure and parameters of the object were shown. The actual complications were detected whose elimination would increase the level of safety when drilling wells. It was shown that the developed methods and models could be used to simulate and identify a wide class of complications on drilling rigs functioning under conditions of an a priori and current uncertainty about their structure, parameters, and geo-environment

Background: Given the disciplinary background, it is unsurprising to state that the fictional portrayals incorporate real or invented settings for the characters in order to characterize a theme at hand. It can be argued that all or any reading of literature encompasses spatial dimension in the form of setting. And, literary places can have the shaping influences on the characters in texts. Although seemingly irrational, characters’ attachments to places invite us to rethink about the tyranny and/or privilege of places. Methods: Informed by Foucauldian notion of utopias, heterotopias, and geo-criticism, this study analyzes the discursive spaces that create the dichotomies of places. Alongside, the analysis of the cases of the primary texts has yielded the analytic need of the research article. The method of within-case analysis has offered the twofold analytical framework: America and Anarkali as problems and privileges and the desire to harm America as it is considered the source of conflicts and standoffs. Results: A character projects varied faces of America after he is educated there and comes back to the place of his birth. Although in abstract manner, the character demonstrates topophilia without adequate reasoning while loathes America for its vices and loves it for its virtues. Primarily, the study of places has offered an interpretation that a character from Pakistan in Mohsin Hamid’s The Reluctant Fundamentalist characterizes America in case by case approaches whilst his birthplace is admired almost unconditionally. Conclusion: Places have associations and those associations offer meanings. Changez in Mohsin Hamid vehemently discusses brighter and darker sides of his American experiences. Not surprisingly, he analyzes his experiences from the perspective of vice and virtue. Contrarily, his birthplace Anarkali and its tea are not comparable to the experience of Princetonian education because they are far more superior. This inference leads to the reconfirmation of the old adage: Birthplace is dear to us despite its severe limitations. Novelty: This study ushers in the renewed emphasis on the association between places and thematic concerns. More particularly, this study contributes to the existing body of narratives by pushing the boundaries of interpretation through the sustained consideration of places and people in literary accounts.

There are many steps in analyzing transcriptome data, from the acquisition of raw data to the selection of a subset of representative genes that explain a scientific hypothesis. The data produced can be represented as networks of interactions among genes and these may additionally be integrated with other biological databases, such as Protein-Protein Interactions, transcription factors and gene annotation. However, the results of these analyses remain fragmented, imposing difficulties, either for posterior inspection of results, or for meta-analysis by the incorporation of new related data. Integrating databases and tools into scientific workflows, orchestrating their execution, and managing the resulting data and its respective metadata are challenging tasks. Additionally, a great amount of effort is equally required to run in-silico experiments to structure and compose the information as needed for analysis. Different programs may need to be applied and different files are produced during the experiment cycle. In this context, the availability of a platform supporting experiment execution is paramount. We present GeNNet, an integrated transcriptome analysis platform that unifies scientific workflows with graph databases for selecting relevant genes according to the evaluated biological systems. It includes GeNNet-Wf, a scientific workflow that pre-loads biological data, pre-processes raw microarray data and conducts a series of analyses including normalization, differential expression inference, clusterization and gene set enrichment analysis. A user-friendly web interface, GeNNet-Web, allows for setting parameters, executing, and visualizing the results of GeNNet-Wf executions. To demonstrate the features of GeNNet, we performed case studies with data retrieved from GEO, particularly using a single-factor experiment in different analysis scenarios. As a result, we obtained differentially expressed genes for which biological functions were analyzed. The results are integrated into GeNNet-DB, a database about genes, clusters, experiments and their properties and relationships. The resulting graph database is explored with queries that demonstrate the expressiveness of this data model for reasoning about gene interaction networks. GeNNet is the first platform to integrate the analytical process of transcriptome data with graph databases. It provides a comprehensive set of tools that would otherwise be challenging for non-expert users to install and use. Developers can add new functionality to components of GeNNet. The derived data allows for testing previous hypotheses about an experiment and exploring new ones through the interactive graph database environment. It enables the analysis of different data on humans, rhesus, mice and rat coming from Affymetrix platforms. GeNNet is available as an open source platform at https://github.com/raquele/GeNNet and can be retrieved as a software container with the command docker pull quelopes/gennet.

In spite of its resources potential, Africa remains the least developed continent on Planet Earth. The paper props into issues promoting or inhibiting the sustainable transformation of the region. It does so by critically unleashing fundamental issues delaying its transformation nexus. The geo-construct of these landlocked states calls for specially designed economic approach to respond to a set of socio-political and economic developments on the continent for over 500 years. European colonialism influenced the pattern of governance of African countries and they continue to do so in several of these states. Colonialism established ruling hierarchies and entrenched forms of poor citizenship which were both blatant (as under apartheid), but also subtle (as in forms of Orientals). Colonialism also produced ways of knowing and meaning-making, which imposed particular forms of reasoning and, at the same time, marginalized or silenced alternative ways of understanding the world. Western colonialist domination imposed an artificial backwardness on African countries and her people. It caused both an abnormal stagnation of cultural development and even cultural retrogressions. The effects of these western-centred influences on developing nations have been a ‘set of facts’. These ‘facts’ are widely employed as evidence that purportedly proves certain delusions – Africa is poor because it is poor to begin with. Therefore, the paper has two objectives, (i) to discredit and discard widely held delusions concerning the poverty of the continent, delusions widely spread among both European and African circles; and (ii) in place of those delusions, supply an applicable set of policies, made comprehensively for practical realization of the sustainable transformation of Africa. It adopts a progressive Afrocentric approach rather than the Eurocentric development strategy that has dominated the economic transformation of the continent for ages. Poor governance backed by poor leadership remains the underlying factors of the continents underdevelopment. A sea of confusion clouds the socioeconomic transformation of the continent. The focus of the paper is on African states in general and in particular landlocked states, leadership and resources use in the transformation of the continent so that the people benefit from natural resources. As such, the paper examines the narratives (positive and negative) emerging from the OBOR and FOCAC offensive for Africa which equally challenges that of Western Europe which has for long seen its role as hegemonic and unquestionable. Theoretically and empirically, the analysis concerns challenging clashing world views and perceptions having implications for the continent’s transformation China’s engagement in Africa. It is clear that countries on the coast line are of advantage, the existence of poor leadership can equally be a curse to these countries. The cases of Nigeria and Cameroon illustrate a good example (Omotola 2006; Forje 2011; Asonganyi 2015). Putting western influence in Africa to one side, how do we aid Africans in achieving the most rapid realization of the people’s mental potentialities, for mastering the advanced technologies? African industry and agriculture urgently require improving the welfare of the people?

В статье приведены особенности строения инверсионных кольцевых структур (ИКС) мезозоя на севере Западной Сибири. Доказана несостоятельность гипотез образования ИКС за счет флюидодинамических процессов. На основании секвенс-стратиграфического анализа данных сейсморазведки МОГТ-2D/3D и глубокого бурения многочисленных ИКС на севере Западной Сибири авторами предложена тектоноседиментационная модель образования ИКС с определяющим вкладом в формирование инверсионных объектов тектонического фактора. Обосновано, что объекты инверсионного типа являются наиболее благоприятными для накопления залежей нефти и газа. Сделан вывод, что инверсионные объекты на севере Западно-Сибирской нефтегазоносной провинции (НГП) первоочередные направления поисков крупных месторождений нефти и газа. The article covers the structural features of Mesozoic inversion ring structures (IRS) in the north of Western Siberia and proves the inconsistency of the IRS formation hypotheses based on fluid dynamic processes. Reasoning from the sequence stratigraphy analysis of 2D/3D CDP seismic exploration and deep well drilling data on numerous IRS in the north of Western Siberia, the authors have proposed a tectonic-sedimentary model of IRS formation with the tectonic factor contributing to the formation of inversion objects. Inversion objects have been proved to be the most favorable in terms of accumulation of oil and gas deposits. A conclusion has been drawn that inversion objects in the north of Western Siberia are the top-priority targets to explore large oil and gas fields.

The global economy is in an age of astonishing change driven by a polycrisis, full of conflicting signals and contradictions. The post-COVID recovery in Serbia in the period 2022-2024 was characterized by slow-tomoderate growth. However, the country's future growth faces significant challenges from deeply rooted external and internal disruptors. One of them certainly is the 30% energy output gap. The structure of energy output is the related challenge. Defining a solution for energy security, in terms of the volume and structure of energy production, as a key limitation to sustainable growth, has been influenced by the green energy transition. Persistent issues, such as a widening energy output gap, a high carbon footprint, the dominance of energy-intensive and hard-toabate industries in economic structure (mining, steel, copper, cement, construction, transportation, ICT, etc.), as well as the low efficiency of end-use sectors, pose serious macroeconomic risks. The policy mix implemented in 2024 successfully curbed inflation, bringing it within the target tolerance band of 3% ± 1.5%, and reduced simultaneously the share of the fiscal deficit and public debt relative to GDP. Consequently, Standard &amp; Poor's has classified Serbia as an economy with an investmentgrade credit rating (BBB-). In parallel, the dangerous nexus of key disruptors continues to fuel inflationary pressures and challenge the country's macroeconomic fundamentals. To make matters worse, (geo) political malaise erupted in Q4 2024. The escalating costs of concerted mediation efforts to counteract these negative consequences have further squeezed the fiscal space available for investment. In this deteriorating context, the current energy output gap could soar to an uncontrollable level, exacerbating the energy security issue. In the meantime, a new external asymmetric shock has emerged, the US sanctions to NIS (Naftna industrija Srbije), a Russian-Serbian joint venture and a leader from the energy sector. The sanctions on NIS could exacerbate an already severe energy output crunch. An additional factor of concern is the structure of Serbia's energy production, which is heavily reliant on lignite, accounting for 68% of electricity generation. There is a growing urgency to address this issue, not only to ensure energy security in Serbia but also to align with global climate change mitigation goals. To achieve and sustain energy security in Serbia, three critical goals provide the solution: energy output expansion, supply diversification, and the shift from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources. The Green Energy Transition Action Plan serves as the framework for achieving these goals. In the energy sector, the EU tends to be more explicit, elevated, and sophisticated in its requirements regarding compatibility with candidate countries. By meeting a net-zero future, Serbia will increase its chances of joining the EU. We want Serbia to be integrated into the EU as sustainably and inclusively as possible. A responsible roadmap should be not only feasible and effective but also based on local renewable energy sources, fiscal space, and the credit potential of relevant stakeholders, making it affordable for the capital blending needed for green finance. Our view is that biomass will be a key renewable energy source in the medium term. Other elements of the plan include the regulatory framework for the carbon marks, the issuance of thematic securities (green bonds, green credits, etc.), and green fiscal subsidies, along with measures to prevent non-complying behavior. Following the previous line of reasoning, the paper is organized around four fundamental issues. Part 1 is dedicated to explaining the polycrisis as the context that demands a polytransition, colloquially referred to as the green transition. In Part 2, we focus on a strategic audit of Serbia's macroeconomic fundamentals as a zero step in defining feasible solutions. Part 3 discusses two growth scenarios: the "as-is" scenario and the "to-be" scenario. Part 4, the most important section, provides the key explanatory details regarding the deployment of biomass technology as the center of Serbia's green energy transition in the medium term, along with aggregate financial projections. The paper concludes with a Nota Bene.

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Abstract.&lt;/strong&gt; Ontologies (in computer science and information science) represent the essential tool for a formalised description of concepts, data, information, knowledge and other entities as well as relations among them. Their history is relatively old. The idea of ontologies in informatics started in the mid-1970s, but ontology as the philosophical discipline connected to existence and nature of reality came from the Ancient Greek. The ontologies as a part of knowledge-based systems were discussed in the 1980s. In 1993 Thomas R. Gruber defined ontology in information science as "a specification of a conceptualisation". After that, the first languages and formats coding ontologies have been developed, and massive construction process of ontologies began. For example, the Basel Register of Thesauri, Ontologies and Classifications presents about 700 ontologies and more the 1000 other tools with a similar character. The theory of ontologies and development as ontologies are entirely on a high level. However, their implementation (especially in several domains) is in its infancy.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt; For example, in the geographical domain, there are many ontologies (called geo-ontologies) such as FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations) Geopolitical Ontology, ontologies of USGS (United States Geological Survey) or ontologies of Ordnance Survey. However, their implementation is usually limited by home organisations, which provide for the management, development and updating of ontologies. In many cases, they are not an integral part of Linked Open Data (LOD). This fact can be considered as the critical shortcoming because only in connection with Linked Open Data and free data sharing and combining the main benefits of ontologies (emphasis on a semantic description, derivation of new knowledge or complete independence) can be fully appreciated.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt; This document has to describe opportunities for the implementation of ontologies in cartography. The purpose of the implementation of an ontology depends on various types of ontologies. There are defined four essential types of ontologies - upper ontologies, domain ontologies, task ontologies and application ontologies.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt; Upper and domain ontologies contain general terms (in the case of upper ontologies) and domain-specific terms (in case of domain ontologies). Annotation properties (labels, definitions or comments) usually describe these terms, interconnected by data properties and/or object properties and restricted by logical axioms. Such ontologies are usually provided as vocabularies or thesauri. They can be used in two ways. Domain ontologies can describe cartography as a science or human activity. In previous years several paper and articles were discussing the term "cartography" and its position in Linked Open Data space, including various ontologies, ontological description of cartographic knowledge or ontological comparison of various definitions of the term "map". These activities can aim for the development of a cartographic knowledge base or building of semantic tools such as multilingual thesauri or vocabularies.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt; The second way consists in the exploitation of domain ontologies containing semantic information about data visualising by a map. In this case, such domain ontology can be used as a tool for development of a legend of a map, especially in a case where a map is focused on particular issues. If such ontology is published as Linked Open Data, it is possible to generate such legend automatically as well as to reflect any changes. Such solution enables an efficient interconnection of cartographers and domain experts. Domain ontologies can be used for a definition of logical rules restricting and describing data, information and knowledge. These rules and knowledge extracted in the reasoning process can be applied during the map development. They can provide information on possible combinations of data or a hierarchy of objects visualising by a map and described by a map legend.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt; The task ontologies are not focused on a complicated system of classes (representing types of object) as domain ontologies. They are usually based on instances (individuals) representing concrete data objects. Therefore they can be used as data resources. However, the overwhelming majority of geo-ontologies does not contain any geometry (coordinates) to enable a visualisation in a map. This apparent disadvantage shows the importance of LOD. If a task ontology is published as 5-star LOD (RDF /Resource Description Framework/ data with interconnection to external data resources published on the Web under an open license), and identity relation (links to equivalent object published in other data sets) are filled, it is possible to find in LOD space geometries as well as other additional information and attributes for visualization.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt; The remaining type of ontologies is called application ontology. It is a combination of both previous kinds &amp;amp;ndash; domain ontology and task ontology. Application ontologies usually provide vocabularies as well as data stored in an ontological structure. Such a combination allows controlling data correctness and integrity by a set of logical rules. This functionality is emphasised by the rich possibilities of the Description Logic (quantifiers or types of relations). Their implementation in cartography corresponds with methods discussed in previous paragraphs. The main advantage of the approach using an application ontology consists in a homogeneous interconnection of data and semantics.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt; The real implementation of ontologies, other semantic resources and Linked Open Data principles in cartography can make web mapping development process more efficient, because the normalised semantic description enables to automatize many activities, including a derivation of new data and knowledge or checking of data as well as cartographic processes. Such an approach can bring the cartography closer to knowledge bases and systems and realise ideas of real-time cartography.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt; The research reported in this paper has been supported by the following project &amp;amp;ndash; Sustainability support of the centre NTIS &amp;amp;ndash; New Technologies for the Information Society, LO1506, Czech Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports.&lt;/p&gt;

Three case studies in Canada are evaluated where a regulatory authority ruled that measures considered by some professionals to be without scientific basis and less protective of human health or the environment were the required courses of action. The three projects were in the field of environmental geoscience. In all three cases, the solution proposed by a Professional Geoscientist (P.Geo.) was opposed by a representative of a regulatory body that held authority for approval. The final outcomes that were approved by the regulator were less protective of human health (increased exposure to potential contaminants) and/or the environment (more resources used; higher contaminant exposure). In two of the three cases, the solutions were also more expensive to the client and the taxpayer. This paper explores the practice of professionalism in geoscience versus regulatory authorities that hold jurisdiction over geoscience in a broad sense. In each of the three cases, the professional opinions and analysis of the P.Geo. working for a private sector client were overridden by a professional (P.Geo. or Professional Engineer) in an approval authority. These three studies highlight the ethical decisions required by professional geoscientists in the face of regulators who hold control over areas of geoscience. Although the training of professionals is similar, regulators appear to be influenced by perceived risk as opposed to actual risk based on scientific evidence. Similarly, some policies do not have a solid scientific basis. As a result, sound scientific reasoning and resulting rational decisions may be hindered in regulatory decision-making.RÉSUMÉTrois études de cas canadiens sont évaluées, où une autorité règlementaire a statué comme requises des mesures qui avaient été déclarées par des professionnels comme étant sans fondements scientifiques et moins protectrices pour la santé humaine ou les milieux de vie. Il s’agit de trois projets du domaine des géosciences des milieux de vie. Dans les trois cas, la solution proposée par un géologue professionnel (P.Geo.) a été contestée par un représentant d'un organisme règlementaire décisionnel. Les résultats définitifs approuvés par l'organisme règlementaire protégeait moins la santé humaine (augmentation de l'exposition aux contaminants potentiels) et/ou le milieu de vie (plus de ressources utilisées; augmentation de l'exposition aux contaminants). Dans deux des trois cas, les solutions étaient également plus coûteuses pour le client et le contribuable. Le présent article explore la pratique professionnelle en géosciences par rapport à celle des autorités règlementaires qui ont juridiction dans le domaine des géosciences en général. Dans chacun de ces trois cas, les avis professionnels et l'analyse de P.Geo. travaillant pour un client du secteur privé ont été supplantés par celui d’un professionnel (P.Geo. ou ingénieur professionnel) œuvrant a sein d’une autorité règlementaire. Ces trois études mettent en lumière des décisions éthiques attendues de géoscientifiques professionnels face à des autorités règlementaires décisionnelles en certains domaines géoscientifiques. La formation de ces professionnels est similaire, mais il semble que les régulateurs soient influencés par le risque perçu plutôt que par le risque réel établi scientifiquement. De même, certaines politiques n'ont pas une base scientifique solide. Il s’en suit qu’un raisonnement scientifique solide et des décisions rationnelles qui en résultent peuvent être contrecarrés par une décision règlementaire.

The penetration of ICT in the management and study of material culture and the emergence of digital cultural repositories and linked cultural data in particular are expected to enable new paths in humanities research and new approaches to cultural heritage. Success is contingent upon securing information trustworthiness, long-term preservation, and the ability to re-use, re-combine and re-interpret digital content. In this perspective, we review the use in the cultural heritage domain of digital curation and curation-aware repository systems; achieving semantic interoperability through ontologies; explicitly addressing contextual issues of cultural heritage and humanities information; and the services of digital research infrastructures. The last two decades have witnessed an increasing penetration of ICT in the management and study of material culture, as well as in the Humanities at large. From collections management, to object documentation and domain modelling, to supporting the creative synthesis and re-interpretation of data, significant progress has been achieved in the development of relevant knowledge structures and software tools. As a consequence of this progress, digital repositories are being created that aim at serving as digital cultural memories, while a process of convergence among the different kinds of memory institutions, i.e., museums, archives, and libraries, in what concerns their information functions is already evolving. Yet the advantages offered by information management technology, mass storage, copying, and the ease of searching and quantitative analysis, are not enough to ensure the usefulness of those digital cultural memories unless information trustworthiness, long-term preservation, and the ability to re-use, re-combine and re-interpret digital content are ensured. Furthermore, the widely encountered need for integrating heterogeneous information becomes all the more pressing in the case of cultural heritage due to the specific traits of information in this domain. In view of the above fundamental requirements, in this presentation we briefly review the leveraging power of certain practices and approaches in realizing the potential of digital cultural memories. In particular, we review the use of digital curation and curation-aware repository systems; achieving semantic interoperability through ontologies; explicitly addressing contextual issues of cultural heritage and humanities information; and the services of digital research infrastructures. Digital curation is an interdisciplinary field of enquiry and practice, which brings together disciplinary traditions and practices from computer science, information science, and disciplines practicing collections-based or data-intensive research, such as history of art, archaeology, biology, space and earth sciences, and application areas 38 such as e-science repositories, organizational records management, and memory institutions (Constantopoulos and Dallas 2008). Digital curation aims at ensuring adequate representation of and long-term access to digital information as its context of use changes, and at mitigating the risk of repositories becoming “data mortuaries”. To this end a lifecycle approach to the representation of curated information objects is adopted; event-centric representations are used to capture information “life events”; the class of agents involved is extended to include knowledge producers and communicators in addition to information custodians; and context-specificity is explicitly addressed. Cultural heritage information comprises representations of actual cultural objects (texts, artefacts, historical records, etc.), their histories, agents (persons and organizations) operating on such objects, and their relationships. It also includes interpretations of and opinions about such objects. The recording of this knowledge is characterized by disciplinary diversity, representational complexity and heterogeneity, historical orientation, and textual bias. These characteristics of information are in line with the character of humanities research: hermeneutic and intertextual, rather than experimental; narrative, rather than formal; idiographic rather than nomothetic; and, conformant to a realist rather than positivist account of episteme (Dallas 1999). The primary use of this information has been to support knowledge-based access, while now it is gradually also being targeted at various synthetic and creative uses. A rich semantic structure, including subsumption, meronymic, temporal, spatial, and various other semantic relations, is inherent to cultural information. Complexity is compounded by terminological inconsistency, subjectivity, multiplicity of interpretation and missing information. From an information lifecycle perspective, digital curation involves a number of distinct processes: appraisal; ingesting; classification, indexing and cataloguing; knowledge enhancement; presentation, publication and dissemination; user experience; repository management; and preservation. These processes rely on three supporting processes, namely, goal and usage modelling, domain modelling and authority management. These processes effectively capture the context of digital curation and produce valuable resources which can themselves be seen as curated digital assets (Constantopoulos and Dallas 2008; Constantopoulos et al. 2009). The field of cultural information presents itself as a privileged domain for digital curation. There is a relatively long history of developing library systems and museum systems, along with recent intense activity on interoperable, semantically rich cultural information systems, boosted by two important developments: the emergence of the CIDOC CRM (ISO 21127) 1 standard ontology for cultural documentation; and the movement for convergence of museum, library and archive systems, one manifestation of which is the CIDOC CRM compatible FRBR-oo model 2 . Advances such as those outlined above allow addressing old research questions in new ways, as well as putting new questions that were very hard or impossible to tackle without the means of digital technologies. Significant enablers towards this direc- 1 http://www.cidoc-crm.org/ 2 http://www.cidoc-crm.org/frbr_inro.html 39 tion are the so-called digital research infrastructures, which bear the promise of facilitating research through sharing tools and data. Several trends can be identified in the development of research infrastructures, which follow two main approaches: a) The normative approach, whereby normalized collections of data and tools are developed as common resources and managed centrally by the infrastructure. b) The regulative approach, whereby resources reside with individual organizations willing to contribute them, under specific terms, to the community. A set of interoperability conditions and mechanisms provide a regulatory function that lies at the heart of the infrastructure. Both approaches are being pursued in all disciplines, but the mix differs: in hard sciences building common normalized infrastructures appears to be a necessity, with a complementary, yet significant role to be played by a network of interoperable, disparate sources. In the humanities, on the other hand, long scholarly traditions have produced a formidable variety of information collections and formats, mostly offering interpreted, rather than raw material for publication and sharing. These conditions favour the development of regulated networks of interoperable sources, with centralized, normative infrastructures in a complementary capacity. By way of example, a recent such infrastructure is DARIAH- GR / ΔΥΑΣ 3 , one of the national constituents of DARIAH-EU 4 , the Europe-wide digital infrastructure in the arts and humanities. DARIAH- GR / ΔΥΑΣ is a hybrid -virtual distributed infrastructure, bringing together the strengths and capacities of leading research, academic, and collection custodian institutions through a carefully defined, lightweight layer of services, tools and activities complementing, rather than attempting to replicate, prior investments and capabilities. Arts and humanities data and content resources are as a rule thematically organized, widely distributed, under the custodianship and curation of diverse institutions, including government agencies and departments, public and private museums, archives and special libraries, as well as academic and research units, associations, research projects, and other actors, and displaying a diverse degree of digitization. The mission of the infrastructure is then to provide the research communities with effective, comprehensive and sustainable capability to discover, access, integrate, analyze, process, curate and disseminate arts and humanities data and information resources, through a concerted plan of virtual services and tools, and hybrid (combined virtual and physical) activities, integrating and running on top of existing primary information systems and leveraging integration and synergies with DARIAH- EU and other related infrastructures and aggregators (e.g. ARIADNE 5 , CARARE 6 , LoCloud 7 ). In its first stage of development, the DARIAH- GR / ΔΥΑΣ Research Infrastructure has offered the following groups of services: 3 http://www.dyas-net.gr/ 4 http://www.dariah.eu/ 5 http://www.ariadne-infrastructure.eu/ 6 http://www.carare.eu/ 7 http://www.locloud.eu/ 40 • Data sharing : comprehensive registries of digital resources; • Supporting the development of digital resources : tools and best practice guidelines for the development of digital resources; • Capacity building: workshops and training activities; and • Digital Humanities Observatory : evidence-based research on digital humanities, monitoring, outreach and dissemination activities. Key factor in the development of DARIAH- GR / ΔΥΑΣ, ARIADNE, CARARE and LoCloud resources alike has been a curation-oriented aggregator, the Metadata and Object Repository - MORe 8 (Gavrilis, Angelis &amp; Dallas 2013; Gavrilis et al. 2013). This system supports the aggregation of metadata from multiple sources (OAI-PMH, Archive, SIP, Omeka, MINT) and heterogeneous systems in a single repository, the creation of unified indexes of normalized and enriched metadata, the creation of RDF databases, and the publication of aggregated records to multiple recipients (OAI- PMH, Archive, Elastic Search, RDF Stores). It enables the dynamic definition of validation and enrichment plans, supported by a number of micro-services, as well as the measurement of metadata quality. MORe can incorporate any XML/RDF metadata schema and can support several intermediate schemas in parallel. Its architecture is based on micro-services, a software development model according to which a complex application is composed of small, independent services communicating via a language-agnostic API, thus being highly reusable. MORe currently maintains access to 30 SKOS-encoded thesauri, totaling several hundred thousands of terms, as well as to copies of the Geo-names and Perio.do services, thus offering information enrichment on the basis of a wide array of sources. Metadata enrichment is a process of automatic generation of metadata through the linking of metadata elements with data sources and/or vocabularies. The enrichment process increases the volume of metadata, but it also considerably enhances their precision, therefore their quality. Performing metadata aggregation and enrichment carries several benefits: increase of repository / site traffic, better retrieval precision, concentration of indexes in one system, better performance of user services. To date MORe is used by 110 content provider institutions, and accommodates 23 different metadata schemas and about 20,800,000 records. The advent of digital infrastructures for arts and humanities research calls for a deeper understanding of how humanists work with digital resources, tools and services as they engage with different aspects of research activity: from capturing, encoding, and publishing scholarly data to analyzing, visualizing, interpreting and communicating data and research argumentation to co-workers and readers. Digitally enabled scholarly work and the integration of digital content, tools and methods present not only commonalities but also differences across disciplines, methodological traditions, and communities of researchers. A significant challenge in providing integrated access to disparate digital humanities resources and, more broadly, in supporting digitally-enabled humanities research, lies in empirically capturing the context of use of digital content, methods and tools. 8 http://more.dcu.gr/ 41 Several attempts have been made to develop a conceptual framework for DH in practice. In 2008, the AHRC ICT Methods Network 9 developed a taxonomy of digital methods in the arts and humanities. This was the basis for the classification of over 200 digital humanities projects funded by the U.K. Arts and Humanities Research Council in the online resource arts-humanities.net, as well as for the subsequent Digital Humanities at Oxford 10 taxonomy. Other initiatives to build a taxonomy of Digital Humanities include TADIRAH 11 and DH Commons 12 . From 2011 to 2015 the Network for Digital Methods in the Arts and Humanities 13 (NeDiMAH) ran over 40 activities structured around key methodological areas in the humanities (digital representations of space and time; visualisation; linked data; creating and using large scale corpora; and creating editions). Through these activities, NeDiMAH gathered a snapshot of the practice of digital humanities in Europe, and the impact of digital methods on research. A key output of NeDiMAH is NeMO 14 : the NeDiMAH Ontology of Digital Methods in the Arts and Humanities . This ontology of digital methods in the humanities has been built as a framework for understanding not just the use of digital methods, but also their relationship to digital content and tools. The development of an ontology, rather than a taxonomy, stands in recognition of the complexity of the digital humanities landscape, the interdisciplinarity of the field, and the dependencies that impact the use of digital methods in research. NeMO provides a conceptual framework capable of representing scholarly work in the humanities, addressing aspects of intentionality and capturing the diverse associations between research actors and their goals, activities undertaken, methods employed, resources and tools used, and outputs produced, with the aim of obtaining semantically rich structured representations of scholarly work (Angelis et al 2015; Hughes, Constantopoulos &amp; Dallas 2016). It is grounded on earlier empirical research through semi-structured interviews with scholars from across Europe, which focused on analysing their research practices and capturing the resulting information requirements for research infrastructures (Benardou, Constantopoulos &amp; Dallas 2013). The relevance of NeMO to the DH community was validated in a series of workshops through use cases contributed by researchers. A variety of complex associative queries articulated by researchers and encoded in SPARQL, demonstrated the potential of NeMO as an effective mechanism for information extraction and reasoning with regard to the use of digital resources in scholarly work and as a knowledge base schema for documenting scholarly practices. In a recent workshop in DH2016, researchers created their own NeMO-based descriptions of projects with an easy to use tool (Constantopoulos et al 2016). 9 http://www.methodsnetwork.ac.uk/index.html 10 https://digital.humanities.ox.ac.uk/people-projects 11 http://tadirah.dariah.eu/vocab/index.php 12 http://dhcommons.org/ 13 http://nedimah.eu/ 14 http://nemo.dcu.gr/ 42 Knowledge bases documenting scholarly practice through NeMO can be useful to researchers by (a) helping them find information on earlier work relevant for their own research; (b) supporting goal-oriented organization of research work; (c) facilitating the discovery of new paths with regard to resources, tools and methods; and, (d) promoting networking among researchers with common interests. In addition research groups can get support for better project planning by explicitly exposing links between goals, actors, activities, methods, resources and tools, as well as assistance for discovering methodological trends, future directions and promising research ideas. Funding agencies, on the other hand, could benefit from the kind of systematic documentation and comparative overview of project work enabled by the ontology.

A geo-ontology can be built around a Geographic Information System (GIS) and enriched with a firstorder logic language under the closed-world assumption (CWA). This extended system provides knowledge representation formalisms that are aimed to describe general conceptual information. They can also be used in the construction of the knowledge base of a reasoning tool. In this paper an environment is defined where a geo-ontology offers possibilities with a system that allows users to represent and reason about some aspects of the real world. With respect to the added intelligence; knowledge is preserved and enhanced. Knowledge enhancement is performed under the CWA in a subset of the first-order logic language. A geo-reasoning task is undertaken so that a GIS and a geo-ontology are integrated in what can correspond to a natural language processing system. The framework is implemented to demonstrate geo-ontology&rsquo;s ability to enhance knowledge in malaria control domain.

A geo-ontology can be built around a Geographic Information System (GIS) and enriched with a firstorder logic language under the closed-world assumption (CWA). This extended system provides knowledge representation formalisms that are aimed to describe general conceptual information. They can also be used in the construction of the knowledge base of a reasoning tool. In this paper an environment is defined where a geo-ontology offers possibilities with a system that allows users to represent and reason about some aspects of the real world. With respect to the added intelligence; knowledge is preserved and enhanced. Knowledge enhancement is performed under the CWA in a subset of the first-order logic language. A geo-reasoning task is undertaken so that a GIS and a geo-ontology are integrated in what can correspond to a natural language processing system. The framework is implemented to demonstrate geo-ontology&rsquo;s ability to enhance knowledge in malaria control domain.

ABSTRACTCurrent geographic knowledge graph research mainly focuses on static knowledge coupling through analysis of web text and maps, but its knowledge expression model fails to incorporate knowledge mechanisms such as process evolution and interactions. The geo‐scene is a synthesis of various geographic elements which prescribes spatial, temporal, semantic, attribute, and interrelationships. It has demonstrated its utility in facilitating geocomputation, spatiotemporal simulation and reasoning related to geo‐process. Therefore, developing a geo‐scene‐based knowledge graph is significant to improve the ability of spatiotemporal knowledge representation and service. In this study, we first analyze the basic characteristics of geo‐scenes and try to emphasize the evolution of geo‐scenes through redefining the ontologies ‘event’, ‘process’ and ‘state’. To describe the dynamic nested structure of geo‐scenes, we propose a geo‐scene knowledge representation framework, and illustrate the representation of a geo‐scene and its inner relationships. Moreover, to keep the integrity, interaction and dynamic of geo‐scenes, we develop a event‐process centered geo‐scene knowledge organization method. Furthermore, we have tested the utility of our proposed representation by the Beijing 731 heavy rainstorm. The case study represents heavy rainstorm to demonstrate the complicated structure of the disaster scene, and the support for precipitation process simulation, early warning information organization, and disaster situation information query. The proposed representation provides an idea for the construction of geo‐dynamic knowledge graphs, encodes both static and dynamic geographic knowledge, makes explicit the evolution and interaction knowledge in geo‐scenes, and expands the application service of geo‐scene knowledge graph in the era of GeoAI.

International Journal on Bioinformatics &amp; Biosciences (IJBB) Vol.2, No.3, September 2012 DOI : 10.5121/ijbb.2012.2301 1 Geo-Ontology and Geographical Information System Extended by a first-order logic language: Application to malaria control Guillaume Koum[1]Josiane Etang [2],[3] [1] D&eacute;partement d&rsquo;Informatique. Ecole Nationale Sup&eacute;rieure Polytechnique. B.P. 8390 Yaound&eacute;, Cameroun g_koum@yahoo.fr [2] Organisation de Coordination pour la lutte contre les End&eacute;mies en Afrique Centrale B.P. 288 Yaound&eacute;, Cameroun [3] Facult&eacute; de M&eacute;decine et de Sciences pharmaceutiques. Universit&eacute; de Douala, B.P. 2701 Douala, Cameroun josyet@yahoo.fr Abstract A geo-ontology can be built around a Geographic Information System (GIS) and enriched with a firstorder logic language under the closed-world assumption (CWA). This extended system provides knowledge representation formalisms that are aimed to describe general conceptual information. They can also be used in the construction of the knowledge base of a reasoning tool. In this paper an environment is defined where a geo-ontology offers possibilities with a system that allows users to represent and reason about some aspects of the real world. With respect to the added intelligence; knowledge is preserved and enhanced. Knowledge enhancement is performed under the CWA in a subset of the first-order logic language. A geo-reasoning task is undertaken so that a GIS and a geo-ontology are integrated in what can correspond to a natural language processing system. The framework is implemented to demonstrate geo-ontology&rsquo;s ability to enhance knowledge in malaria control domain. Keywords: geographic information system, geo-ontology; closed-world assumption, geo-reasoning, malaria control. 1. INTRODUCTION In order for the semantic web to function, computers need access to structured information and reasoning mechanisms [1]. Key to this is the use of ontology. Ontology is considered as specification of a conceptualization, which provides the structured vocabulary and semantics which can be used in the markup of web resources to provide machine understanding [2]. When formalized, ontology can be interpreted by computer easily, and the information contained in the ontology can be processed on semantic level effectively. A geo-ontology is ontology with geographic features [3]. When defined, a geo-ontology model must be capable of: 1. Representing relationships between concepts. 2. Representing constraints on relationships. 3. Expressing integrity rules between individuals belonging to different concepts. 4. Representing advanced composition hierarchies. 5. Etc International Journal on Bioinformatics &amp; Biosciences (IJBB) Vol.2, No.3, September 2012 2 A geo-ontology can be built with capabilities of extending a Geographic Information System (GIS). In malaria control for instance, as far as the geographic distribution and ecological requirements species are concerned, using a geo-ontology approach can be as efficient as predictive species distribution modeling approach based only on presence records. Using computer modeling and data on climate and human populations, the complex landscape of malaria across a country can be revealed through malaria maps. These maps are aimed at everyone involved in the battle against the disease, particularly those actually doing the disease control work on the ground. However, accurate maps detail where the disease is most intense and where the largest concentrations of people at risk are found [4]. This paper is organized as followings. After the introduction in chapter one, the second chapter talks about ontology. The intelligence meaning and the Closed-World Assumption (CWA) are highlighted in this part. In chapter three, the construction of the geo-ontology is undertaken and the corresponding map of Cameroon is extracted from the GIS. The map is generalized through a change not of scale, but of layer. Generalization is one of the most important elements in effective representation of spatial data, especially for GIS data. A logic-based language is formulated. It extends the geo-ontology and contributes to evaluate predicates occurring in the system while complete knowledge is assumed. Chapter four is related to the conclusion where we project the work on the future. 2. ONTOLOGY 2.1 Geo-ontology Geo-ontology results from analysis and modeling of ontology in geo-spatial application that is concepts and the relationships between concepts which is abstracted from real geographic space. A geo-ontology can be defined as this: Geo-ontology is the formalization of concepts sharing among GIS field. Sharing concepts refers to the concept models of geographic information, which are the abstract models generalized from cognition of geographic phenomenon added on the type of concept being used as well as some restrictions Geographic is dedicated to describe the physical structure of reality and ontology the concept explicitly. After formalization, geo-ontology can be readable both to human and computer [5]. Therefore, geo-ontology is used to describe the characteristic of data and resource and data acquiring mode, and thus to provide a uniform expression for data integration and sharing. 2.2 The meaning of intelligence In the geo-ontology application field, geo-ontology reasoning and the query based on it are essential to GIS data sharing and interoperating. The function of reasoning is to discover potential relationship with the known relationship and acquire connotative knowledge with given knowledge by certain logic and rule. Ontology reasoning is a typical instance that the computer comprehends the ontology knowledge. Computer can interpret the information described by ontology and complete task intelligently [6]. The capability of ontology&rsquo;s reasoning proves the fact that ontology is a formal specification of shared concept model. Ontology reasoning is able to judge if certain relation existing among instances. 2.3 Closed-world assumption 2.3.1. Definitions The Closed-World Assumption (CWA) holds that anything that cannot be shown to be true is false; no explicit declaration of falsehood is needed [7]. Consequently, any query (which terminates) will either return true or false; there is no possibility of &quot;unknown&quot;. International Journal on Bioinformatics &amp; Biosciences (IJBB) Vol.2, No.3, September 2012 3 &bull; Technically, one can ask the system to prove that something is Unknown, or to prove that something is Known, so long as there is a means to represent such a query. &bull; The real difficulty with the CWA is that one cannot add information. Everything is known a priori. Most programming systems which use logic or predicate calculus use the CWA, including: &bull; Prolog Language &bull; Relational Databases (these can be viewed as predicate systems) The concept of proof that underlines the Prolog algorithm is relied under the non-monotonic inference rule called Negation as Failure (NAF). For relational databases, the CWA says that all information not true in the database is considered as false. 2.3.2. Ontology domains In the knowledge management arena, the closed world assumption is used in at least two situations: 1) when the knowledge base is known to be complete ( for instance a mosquitoes database containing records for every vector), and 2) when the knowledge base is known to be incomplete but a &quot;best&quot; definite answer must be derived from incomplete information. The geo-ontology may suggest more than one domain concerning malaria control (ecological component, biological process, resistance function, etc&hellip;), each represented by a particular ontology. All terms in a domain can trace their parentage to the root term of the domain, but the ontology itself has not a root. The root nodes are unrelated and do not have a common parent node, and hence the geo-ontology is referred to both as ontologies and as a single ontology consisting of many sub-ontologies. Some graph-based software may require a single root node; in these cases. 3. ELEMENTS OF PRACTICE 3.1. Geographical information system Map. The map in figure1 is a map of Cameroon. Cameroon is a country of Central Africa, located between 2-12&deg; latitude North and 8-16&deg; longitude East. It is commonly referred to as a &ldquo;miniature Africa&rdquo;, owing to the diversity of the geographical and climatic environments it presents. Three members of the An. gambiae s.l. complex exist in Cameroon and are distributed in five ecological regions from North to South [8]. International Journal on Bioinformatics &amp; Biosciences (IJBB) Vol.2, No.3, September 2012 4 Figure1. Map of Cameroon with some malaria vectors ([8]) An. gambiae is comparatively more associated with conditions characterized by higher rainfall and humidity, which are characteristics of the equatorial rainforest. Anopheles gambiae is in fact an assemblage of populations belonging to two molecular forms. Anopheles arabiensis is mainly distributed in the most xeric habitats of northern Cameroon that are characterized by high values of evapo-transpiration and sunlight exposure. The presence of a highly differentiated malaria vector system occurring in a given geographical area, as observed in Cameroon, can clearly have a profound impact on the nature and intensity of transmission [9]. In this context, fine-grained mapping of the vectors&#39; distribution together with the identification, characterization and ranking of their ecological requirements, as well as of the ecological determinants to which mosquitoes respond, is of great interest to assess and predict disease transmission risk. 3.2. Term structure The geo-ontology (GO) we construct is a set of standard terms&mdash;words and predicates&mdash;used for refining information. The structure of GO can be described by a two -level structure as followings: 1)- the first level is a graph where nodes are general terms and the is-a relationship characterizes arcs between terms 2) - the second level is also a graph where each node is a specific term and the relationships between the terms may have different meanings. The relationships used in GO are directed and the graph is acyclic, meaning that cycles are not allowed in the graph. The ontology resembles a hierarchy, where the two levels are such that the instance relationship traduces the arc between a child term and a parent term. Parent terms in the first level are general terms and child terms in the second level are specific. The diagram International Journal on Bioinformatics &amp; Biosciences (IJBB) Vol.2, No.3, September 2012 5 presents the pattern of the combination of two graphs, one per level and the duality of is-a relationship and instance relationship is expressed by a virtual and horizontal arc for the is-a association and by a physical and vertical arc for the instance association. 3.2.1. Unique identifier and term name Every term has a term name&mdash;e.g. sudana savanna, forest, mangrove, etc&hellip;&mdash;and a unique identifier (often called the term). The suffix may be used to precise the nature of term. One example is the suffix pop which indicates the population of the locality. 3.2.2. Namespace Denotes which of the sub-ontologies&mdash;ecological component, biological process , resistance function, etc&hellip;&mdash;the term belongs to. The namespaces as in XML schema are nodes and are associated to a root. 3.2.3. Definition A textual description of what the term represents, plus reference(s) to the source of the information is available in the ontology. The documentation aspect of the system is built through this way. All new terms added to the ontology must have a definition. 3.2.4. Relationships between terms Two physical associations capture how the term relates to other terms in the ontology. Spatial features of the geo-ontology are visible by the fact that at each level of the structure; geographical information is modeled. In the first level for example, a region is considered as a set of spatial data. In the second level, despite the fact that a locality is suffixed by its population, it is an instance of spatial data term. The geo ontology in its second level employs a number of other relations, comprising include or part of (e.g. north, part of sudana savana) and locates (e.g. ngaoundere locates adamawa) as shown in figure2. Figure2. Geo-ontology limited to sudan savanna ecological region International Journal on Bioinformatics &amp; Biosciences (IJBB) Vol.2, No.3, September 2012 6 3.2.5. Border conflicts between ecological and administrative regions The mapping between ecological and administrative regions leads to border conflicts. At this point, two kinds of border conflicts are identified: - Two ecological regions may share at least one single administrative region. For instance sudan savanna and sahel ecological regions cover the Extreme North administrative region; Namely only the south of the Extreme North region is relevant to the sudan savanna ecological region. - Two administrative regions are involved in at least one ecological region. This the case of the North West and West administrative regions which can be characterized by the sudan savanna ecological region. 3.2.6. Incremental ontology building The complexity may arise when assembling geo-ontologies related to all ecological regions. Border conflicts can be intensified in that occasion. Areas of conflicts must be handled as exceptions in a programming language. As far as logic-based languages are concerned, the existential quantifier is able to consider the particularity of those borders. Figure3 shows a map of Cameroon corresponding to the administrative layer. Figure3. Map showing the 10 Administrative regions of Cameroon International Journal on Bioinformatics &amp; Biosciences (IJBB) Vol.2, No.3, September 2012 7 3.3. Spatial data generalization versus multi-layering Spatial data generalization in GIS has a close relationship to traditional map generalization, but the differences exist at the same time. Spatial data generalization in GIS is driven by analysis and query of geographical information [10]. By the analysis and comprehension of map generalization, CWA should entail the generalization of spatial data and should determine their effective organization. Realization and establishment of efficient and seamless geographic database is the foundation of multi-scale spatial data representation and processing. Furthermore, natural language processing can be an important key of generalization. The close relationships between terms in the ontology emphasize the conceptual models of spatial data generalization that a natural language is able to express. In general; map generalization aims at creating a map, which is easy to understand and looks pleasing to the eye. Besides, the complexity of spatial terrain features is simplified when the scale changes smaller, in this way the primary and essential terrain features can be reflected while the secondary and nonessential aspects can be abandoned. Generalization is no longer the precondition of geographical information transmission between multi-scale or multi-resolution data. We promote the multi-layer approach for data generalization in GIS with the help of the geo-ontology. A layer is a set of similar features representing a class of features that exists in the world. Here two particular layers are concerned: - an ecological layer sampling some malaria vectors in Cameroon , - an administrative layer comprising regions of Cameroon. A layer is not actually a data source, but is an object within the GIS that represents a data source that may be present on a local or networked drive, or the layer data source may exist on an internet mapping server. A layer should not simultaneously represent more than one class of features, although it may represent several subclasses. A map document can contain many data frames, and each data frame can contain many layers. Generally, the layers within a single data frame represent data for a common area of the earth. Since these two layers represent the same country, they will overlap. The result is presented in figure 4. International Journal on Bioinformatics &amp; Biosciences (IJBB) Vol.2, No.3, September 2012 8 Figure4. Ecological and Administrative overlap. 3.4. First-order logic language We recall what follows [11]. Let be a signature. The first order language FO( ) on contains the following: 1. the set S( ) of symbols of FO( ) , which is the disjoint union of the following sets: 1. (the non-logical symbols), 2. a countably infinite set V of variables, 3. the set of logical symbols , 4. the singleton consisting of the equality symbol = , and 5. the set of parentheses (left and right) ( ) ; 2. the set T( ) of terms of FO( ) , which is built inductively from S( ) , as follows: 1. Any variable v V is a term; 2. Any constant symbol in is a term; 3. If f is an n -ary function symbol in , and t1 tn are terms, then f(t1 tn) is a term. Centre North Extreme North Adamawa East South Littoral West South West North West International Journal on Bioinformatics &amp; Biosciences (IJBB) Vol.2, No.3, September 2012 9 3. the set F( ) of formulas of FO( ) , which is built inductively from T( ) , as follows: 1. If t1 and t2 are terms, then (t1=t2) is a formula; 2. If R is an n -ary relation symbol and t1 tn are terms, then (R(t1 tn)) is a formula; 3. If is a formula, then so is ( ) ; 4. If and are formulas, then so is ( ) ; 5. If is a formula, and x is a variable, then ( x( )) is a formula. In other words, T( ) and F( ) are the smallest sets, among all sets satisfying the conditions given for terms and formulas, respectively. Formulas in 3(a) and 3(b), which do not contain any logical connectives, are called the atomic formulas. In our system, the language extending the geo-ontology contains a first-order logic core with generalized quantifiers, and plural reference expressions. It comprises the Geo predicate. The mosquitoes database indicates that malaria vectors are either An.arabiensis or An.gambiae. We consider that vect1 is a An.gambiae, and vect2 is An.arabiensis. This can be represented in the language in the following way. (forall ?x vector (inst: ?x) iff An.gambiae (inst: ?x)) (An.arabiensis (inst: ?x) or An.gambiae (inst: vect1) (An.arabiensis (inst: vect2) Here vect1 and vect2 are constants, vector, An.gambiae, and An.arabiensis are predicate symbols. In the language, arguments of predicates are identified via keywords, e.g. any identifier preceded by a question mark, e.g. ?x, is a variable. In declaration we use the boolean operators: iff ( meaning equivalence), and ( meaning conjunction), or ( meaning disjunction), the universal quantifier forall ( ). The question whether all the vectors are in the Adamawa administrative region can also be formulated in the language. To answer this question we must try to infer from the database: (forall ?x vectors (inst: ?x) if An.arabiensis (inst:?x) and An.gambiae (inst:?x) isFound (inst: locality, theme: adamawa)) On the basis of the CWA, the answer has to be positive. Although other vectors may be present in the field, but since they are not recorded in the database the CWA entails a positive response. Users are more familiar to administrative data than ecological data. At the border of the Adamawa and North administrative regions, the sudan savanna ecological region disappears and another ecological region is observed. The existential quantifier must be introduced in queries when there are areas affected by border conflicts. Now let us assume that the An.gambiae S-form from vect1 is found nationwide. This can be represented in the following way. International Journal on Bioinformatics &amp; Biosciences (IJBB) Vol.2, No.3, September 2012 10 Is-a(inst: vect1, theme: locality) Geo (inst: locality) isFound (inst: locality, theme: nationwide) To answer the question whether all An.gambiae from vect1 are found nationwide we have to try to infer the following language expression. (forall ?x isFound (inst: ?x, theme: nationwide) if Is-a (inst: vect1, theme: ?x) and Geo (inst: ?x)). Under the CWA, the answer to this question is negative. Geo predicate is what introduce the geo-ontology within the first-order logic framework. By taking into consideration all pop-suffixed terms, the aboutWhere association in the geoontology brings information at the view of the (administrative) region. As it is virtually defined in the first level of the geo-ontology, an ecological region is a set of (administrative) regions. This operation can be repeated for all localities of a region. By appreciating the presence or absence of given vectors in different localities, then we can determine a spatial generalization in the region not directly from the GIS but from the geo-ontology. This is perhaps not surprising considering that marginality values are related to the extent of the spatial reference set, which in this case was constituted by the whole of Cameroon, a highly diversified country covering several different bio-geographic domains. 3.5. Related work 3.5.1. Former situation Simard [12] has studied the biology, ecology, importance in the transmission of human pathogens, resistance to insecticide and population genetics of the five main human malaria vectors, all present in Cameroon. An. arabiensis extends from the dry savannas in the North (southern border of lake Chad) down to the evergreen forest edge (around 5&deg;N) and An. gambiae s.s. is widespread throughout the country. The species, An. gambiae, is found virtually everywhere in Cameroon and transmits malaria to humans in humid, forested environments in the South as well as in dry savannas and ricefields in the North; in rural, periurban and urban settings; at low (Douala, 12 m a.s.l.) or high (Dschang, 1400m a.s.l.) altitude. 3.5.2. Comparison According to Simard&rsquo;s work, the M-form of An.gambiae was identified in Tibati (6&deg;28&rsquo;N; 12&deg;37&rsquo;E). For us, it is known that Tibati is a locality of Adamawa administrative region. However Tibati does not belong to the sudana savanna ecological region. If this was true we would have said that the An.gambiae M-form is not found in Tibati because this locality is a not under the influence of the sudana savanna ecological region. Consequently we have to take into consideration the exception raised by the Tibati case as a border area. To answer the question whether An.gambiae M- form from vect1 is found in Tibati we must try to infer the following language expression. ( ?x if An.gambiae M-form (inst:?x) isFound (inst: ?x, theme: Tibati) if Is-a (inst: vect1, theme: ?x) and Geo (inst: ?x)). International Journal on Bioinformatics &amp; Biosciences (IJBB) Vol.2, No.3, September 2012 11 Therefore the CWA proves in our study that the M-form of An.gambiae is found in Tibati. At the end, we have a common position with Simard&rsquo;s work. Nevertheless, the difference between us is determined by the fact that our solution is derived from the database. In Simard&rsquo;s point of view the presence is recorded in the database. 4. CONCLUSION Analysis, query and visualization of GIS always come down to multi-resolution data, representation, multi-scale data integration, and so on, which are all supported by spatial data generalization. The most common solution is to establish and save different scale database in GIS and set the scale range of different elements and layers in display. When utilize GIS to process data sets of different scales, especially from different sources, some conflicts usually come forth A geo ontology enriched with the logical proof containing the CWA constitutes another method of spatial data generalization. Spatial data generalization satisfies not only map display and information transmission but also spatial analysis and data integration. This exercise can be performed in the malaria vectors distribution. An.arabiensis and An.gambiae are the ones concerned by the ecological partitioning in a geo-ontology and a logical point of view. Analyses may differ according to eco-geographical variables induced for instance in the Ecological Niche Factor Analysis. However as we demonstrated in this paper, the divergence depends only on the quality of data recorded in the field or derived. In the future, we would call upon a more complex logic language to sustain the geo-ontology by introducing namely temporal and modal operations. The temporal aspect should permit the declaration of data collection time and snapshot issues. The modal operation should be the key for the reasoning in the system to be non-monotone. Bibliography 1. Lee Feigenbaum, Ivan Herman, Tonya Hongsermeier, Eric Neumann, and Susie Stephens (2007). &ldquo; The Semantic Web in Action&rdquo;. Scientific American, 297(6), pp. 90-97. December. 2. Tim Berners-Lee, James Hendler and Ora Lassila (2001). &ldquo;The Semantic Web&rdquo; . Scientific American, May. 3. Yandong Wang, Jingjingf Dai, Jizhen Sheng, Kai Zhou, Jianya Gong (2004). &ldquo; Geoontology design and its logic reasoning&rdquo;. Proc. Of SPIE Vol. 6753 675309-09 4. Fontenille D, Simard F (2004): &ldquo;Unravelling complexities in human malaria transmission dynamics in Africa through a comprehensive knowledge of vector populations&rdquo;. Comp Immunol Microbiol Infect Dis, 27:357-375. 5. Joshua Lieberman, Raj Singh, Chris Goad (2007). &ldquo;W3C Incubator Group Report&rdquo;. 23 October 2007. http://www.w3.org/2005/Incubator/geo/XGR-geo-ont/ 6. T. R. Gruber (1995). &ldquo;Toward principles for the design of ontologies used for knowledge sharing&rdquo;. Padua workshop on Formal Ontology, March 1993, later published in International Journal of Human-Computer Studies, Vol. 43, Issues 4-5, November, pp. 907-928. 7. U. Hustadt (1994): &ldquo;Do we need the closed-world assumption in knowledge representation?&rdquo; In J. Kunze and H. Stoyan, editors, KI-94 Workshops: Extended Abstracts, pp. 123--124. Gesellschaft f&uuml;r Informatik. 8. Simard F, Ayala D, Kamdem G, Pombi M, Etouna J, Ose K, Fotsing J-M, Fontenille D, Besansky N, Costantini C (2009): &ldquo;Ecological niche partitioning between Anopheles International Journal on Bioinformatics &amp; Biosciences (IJBB) Vol.2, No.3, September 2012 12 gambiae molecular forms in Cameroon: the ecological side of speciation&rdquo;. BMC Ecology, 9:17. 9. Pombi M, Caputo B, Simard F, Di Deco MA, Coluzzi M, Della Torre A, Costantini C, Besansky NJ, Petrarca V (2008): &ldquo;Chromosomal plasticity and evolutionary potential in the malaria vector Anopheles gambiae sensu stricto: insights from three decades of rare paracentric inversions&rdquo;. BMC Evol Biol, 8:309. 10. LI Aiqin, DENG Yi, LI Mingfeng, SHI Xinxing (2008). &ldquo;Conceptual modeling of spatial data generalization in GIS&rdquo;. Geoinformatics 2008 and Joint Conference on GIS and Built Environment: Geo-Simulation and Virtual GIS Environments. Lin Liu, Xia Li, Kai Liu, Xinchang Zhang, Aijun Chen, Eds., Proc. of SPIE Vol. 7143 714336-1. 2008 SPIE Digital Library D. 11. Marker (2002). &ldquo;Model Theory, an Introduction&rdquo;. Springer. 12. Frederic Simard (2008). &ldquo;Bionomics and Genetics of Anopheles gambiae in Cameroon&rdquo;. www.anobase.org/embo_meeting/.../Simard.pdf 2008. AUTHORS Dr. Guillaume KOUM is Associate senior Lecturer at University of Yaound&eacute; 1 (Computer Department). His research domains cover a variety of topics relative to Database Systems, Software engineering, Artificial Intelligence, Information Systems. He first studied Mathematics in University of Yaound&eacute; (Cameroon), where he obtained a Licence (Bachelor) in 1977. He after obtained a Doctorate in Computer Science from University Claude Bernard, Lyon1 (France) in 1982. He has been the Chief of Division in charge of Computer Technologies at the Ministry of Finance in Cameroon, before being appointed as Director of Centre National de D&eacute;veloppement de l&rsquo;Informatique (CENADI). He is currently a Senior Consultant and an International Expert in Information Management Systems. He has published more than forty papers in international conferences, journals and books. He is also a reviewer in some international journals. Dr. Josiane ETANG is a Senior Malariologist and Medical Entomologist with extensive experience in research and training. She is member of several professional bodies: Central African Roll Back Malaria Network, African Network on Vector Resistance to insecticides, West and Central African Network on Anopheles Biology and Control, Cameroonian Society of Parasitology, International Society for Health Research and Training. She joined The Organisation de Coordination pour la lutte contre les End&eacute;mies en Afique Centrale (OCEAC) as a researcher in 2006 and subsequently she received an appointment as the sub regional Malaria Programme Coordinator in 2011. Furthermore, she has been appointed in the Faculty of Medecine and Pharmaceutical Sciences (University of Douala) as assistant lecturer in 2007 and after as senior lecturer in 2010. She holds PHD and Master&rsquo;s of Science degrees in Parasitology, from the University of Yaounde1, Cameroon. She has published 27 articles in international peer-reviewed scientific journal.

Abstract The present article sets out to more thoroughly examine George Marshall’s geo-political reasoning on strategic peace-building and the fundamentals of a more viable and sustainable peace structure. In so doing, it shows that although Marshall had been mainly preoccupied with the military side of the United States’ engagement in world affairs, he all the same developed a keen understanding of the strategic imperatives needed to fashion a more stable international order – particularly as concerned the methodical integration of America’s various foreign policies on a global scale.

<em>Applications providing &ldquo;yellow pages information&rdquo; for use over the web should ideally be based on structured information. Use of web pages providing unstructured information poses variety of problems to the user, such as use of arbitrary formats, unsuitability for machine processing and likely incompleteness of&nbsp; information. Structured data alleviates these problems but we require more. Capturing the semantics of adomain in the form of an ontology is necessary to ensure that unforeseen application can easily be created at a later date. Very often yellow page systems are implemented using a centralized database. In some&nbsp; cases, human intermediaries accessible over the phone network examine a centralized database and use their reasoning ability to deal with the user&rsquo;s need for information. Centralized operation and considerable central administration make these systems expensive to operate. Scaling up such systems is difficult. They behave like isolated systems and it is common for such systems to be highly domain specific, for instance systems dealing with accommodation and travel. This paper explores an alternative &ndash; a highly distributed system design meeting a variety of needs &ndash; considerably reducing efforts required at a central organization n enabling large numbers of vendors to enter information about their own products and services, enabling end-users to contribute information such as their own ratings, using an ontology to describe each domain&nbsp;&nbsp;of applic tion in a flexible manner for uses foreseen and unforeseen, enabling distributed search and mashups,&nbsp;use of vendor independent standards, using reasoning to find the best matches to a given query, geospatial reasoning and a simple, interactive, mobile application/interface. We view this design as one in which vendors and end-users do the bulk of the work in building large distributed collections of information in a Web 2.0 style. We give importance to geo-spatial information and mobile applications because of the very wide-spread use of mobile phones and their inherent ability to provide some information about the current location of the user. We have created a prototype using the Jena Toolkit and geo-spatial extensions to SPARQL. We use simple and shallow reasoning to give inferred information in addition to explicitly stored information. We have tested this prototype by asking a group of typical users to use it and to provide structured feedback. We have summarized this feedback in the paper. We believe that&nbsp;the technology can be applied in many contexts in addition to yellow page systems. The essential features are the involvement of a set of creators of information and a set of end-users, the two sets not beingmutually exclusive and the use of an ontology that can span a number of domains in the context of product and service vendors.</em>