Design Theory, Method And Application Of Thematic Atlas

With the development of statistical technologies, RS and Internet, vast amounts of spatial data has been collected and accumulated, especially after the concept "Digital Earth" has been proposed. The research and development on "Digital Province", "Digital City", "Digital Traffic" and "Digital China" made the amount of spatial and temporal data grow exponentially. Among these data, only 10% available for human use is fully utilized, which results in the contradiction between "abundance of data" and "lack of knowledge". Hence, the research on how to explore useful thematic knowledge and information from the mass data, spatio-temporal data mining, knowledge discovery as well as visualization seems important in this context.On the other hand, as one of the ways that understanding the objective world and conveying spatio-temporal information, maps have already penetrated into every field and aspect of human society and kept playing important roles after thousands of years’ development. Along with the application and development of computer technology as well as modern spatial technology in cartography, especially the multi-media and geographical information technology, map products become more and more diverse. The contemporary maps are no longer confined to local static spatial expression. At present it is feasible to express different types of spatio-temporal information using RS and knowledge discovery technologies. Under this background, it seems unsuitable that still using thematic maps to represent all the spatio-temporal information related to the mapping area, so the concept of thematic atlas expressions is given in this paper.It’s not the single map that thematic atlases focus on, but the organic information synthesis organized systematically by all kinds of thematic information, which is also the thinking aggregation that can profoundly represent one thematic feature or phenomenon and its objective reality. Only by realizing this synthetical nature of atlas can we better develop the functions of thematic atlas, such as information loading, transportation, cognition etc. The spatio-temporal knowledge of thematic information is very complex and abundant, and it’s also the core and subject of thematic atlases. Therefore, the research on geographical spatio-temporal knowledge discovery of thematic information can fully explore the spatial rules, spatial pattern, temporal rules as well as temporal pattern in data. Besides, it can help discover the spatial and temporal patterns of thematic information and guide the compilation and design of thematic atlases, which obviously possesses important theoretical and social significance.Under the background of above two points, and base on the researches around domestic and abroad, this paper banded the two theories of data minning and thematic atlas intelligence designs, on one hand deeply studied some key technologies in knowledge discovery from GIS and thematic atlas intelligence designs, on the other hand discussed the problem of knowledge discovery from GIS in thematic atlas intelligence designs, advanced the concept of thematic atlas intelligence designs (TAID) in order to provide the spatial theoretical basis for thematic atlas intelligence designs. At the same time, taking atlas of gender equality and women’s development in China as the example, this paper discussed the problem of data minning and knowledge discovery from GIS in this atlas, and got some conclusions about thematic atlas intelligence designs. By the comparison of typical thematic atlas achievement at home and abroad, analysis and know driving forces coming to the thematic map designs and their application in the inner structure, as the theory reference of this atlas. Specifically this paper has mainly completed the following researches.(1) It discussed the basic problems in spatio-temporal data, and analyzed the fundamental difference between spatio-temporal data and general data in the research of geo-spatial knowledge discovery; It analyzed the basic meaning and knowledge expression of geo-subject knowledge, and discussed the geo-subject repository, including the hierarchical structure and organizational structure of the repository; It discussed the basic theories and analyzed the categories could be discovered; It analyzed the existing spatio-temporal data winning methods and induced the sorts of them, which laid the foundation for the spatio-temporal data winning method; It analyzed the systematical structure and general process of spatio-temporal data winning. Lead the concept of spatio-temporal data winning into special subject map design is hit by the problem appearing to expect resolving in the current special subject map designs and makes.(2) This paper put forward the concepts and theories of geo-subject knowledge management and geo-subject management system, including the definition and general process of geo-subject knowledge management; It brought forward the concept overall structure design、main function module design of geo-subject knowledge management; Taking gender statistics data as an example, it designed the gender equality and women’s development knowledge management system based on gender statistics data, including the function design、the gender statistics data repository design、the architecture design and operating principle design. From this emphasize significance that the geographical special subject knowledge administration studies.(3) It analyzes the elements of map symbol system, and discusses its grammar rule and the design. Map signal system that constitutes map signal is not composed by the signals that are isolated and not related mutually. The spots, the lines, the surfaces and even the graphs, the colors, the writings are all symbols that are connected mutually according to certain principle. More important, different thematic may form unique design ideas and map symbol system, the unceasingly consummates signal system has had the complex and fixed grammars and the general accepted vocabularies.(4) From the design science, it selects some overseas representative thematic atlases to carry on the comparison, and especially discusses two aspects, that is, the represents method design and symbol design. It selects the illustrative case to carry on the analysis. As we know, thematic atlas is an achievement that reflects the science and the art by the map forms. The subjects of thematic atlas are often systematic and completed. It has many kinds of method to show geographical information. Its compilation procedure and the printing craft are complex. In certain degree it may represent the level of the map Preparation at that time. From thematic map design, some rules and the experience of the construction of map represent method and symbol design researched in order to provide the reference for atlas of gender equality and women’s development in China.(5) It selected a very important content in thematic atlas research——data processing and map design as the key study object of this paper, deeply dissected the meaning of geographical data mining, brought forward the concepts of temporal and spatial statistics data mining and intelligent design of thematic atlas, deeply analyzed the difference and relation among data mining, statistics data mining, temporal and spatial statistics data mining, and drew some conclusions. It induced the characteristic of temporal and spatial statistics data mining for the first time, and studied the classification of temporal and spatial statistics data mining; It briefly analyzed basic issues of temporal and spatial statistics data mining, introduced the basic information of the main function thematic atlas in China; It pointed out the existing problems in thematic atlas, and gave the corresponding solutions. Elements selected of the thematic atlas design issues were discussed in detail, including thematic atlas of foreign and domestic the existing thematic atlas, analyzed its unreasonable. It advanced the theory of intelligent design of thematic atlas, demonstrated the basic concept and principle of it, and indicated the advantages, feasibility and significance of it. It developed new hierarchical division and design proposal, which can be set as the complementarities of existing design. Taking atlas of gender equality and women’s development in China as an example, it introduced in detail the production method of temporal and spatial statistics data mining and intelligent design of thematic atlas by making to support the application of digital map products.(6) It introduced the study situation of the thematic atlas, Taking atlas of gender equality and women’s development in China as an example. Selected data mining and knowledge discovery in geo-spatial of the overall design and editing aspects on Gender Equality and Women’s Development Atlas analysis as a practical example. It analyzed the existing problems in atlas of gender equality and women’s development in China, brought forward the corresponding countermeasures, and discussed some key aspects in the thematic atlas.