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SketchMapia

About

SketchMapia is a framework that contains the complete workflow of collection, recognition, interpretation, integration and visualization of sketch maps. In the context of Volunteered Geographic Information (VGI), SketchMapia employs sketch maps to contribute geographic information. It opens more capabilities of Geographic Information Systems (GISs) to the general public. In spite people who have difficulties to draw a map, all others can use the sketching interface that SketchMapia provides to produce user-generated spatial contents. However, due to human cognition, sketch maps are incomplete, distorted, schematized, and therefore not as accurate as metric maps. This project develops a qualitative computational model to represent sketch maps in a computer-understandable way. SketchMapia integrates information from various sketch maps and metric maps into one data repository which can be queried by users via a query-by-sketch interface. Finally, spatial information from sketch maps is integrated with quantitative data to be represented on metric maps.

About the Projet

SIL’s research on recognition and alignment of sketch maps is carried within the DFG funded Sketch Mapia project (www.sketchmapia.de). SketchMapia is a project that aims to develop a framework for collection, recognition, interpretation, integration and visualization of sketch maps. In the context of Volunteered Geographic Information (VGI), SketchMapia employs sketch maps for contribution of geographic information. It opens more capabilities of Geographic Information Systems (GISs) to the general public. In spite people who have difficulties to draw a map, all others can use the sketching interface that SketchMapia provides to produce user-generated spatial contents. However, due to human cognition, sketch maps are incomplete, distorted, schematized, and therefore not as accurate as metric maps. The Sketch Mapia project develops a qualitative computational model to represent sketch maps in a computer-understandable way. SketchMapia integrates information from various sketch maps and metric maps into one data repository which can be queried by users via a query-by-sketch interface. The main research topics within the Sketch Mapia cover the semantic recognition of sketched objects, cognitive criteria for sketch map alignment and their qualitative formalization as well as computational aspects for sketch map alignment.

Project Summary

Systems based on user-generated content such as Wikipedia, WikiMapia, and OpenStreetMaps have increasingly gained importance in global acquisition and communication of information. This is particularly the case for spatial information: Traditional acquisition and maintenance of spatial data is slow and expensive, because it is carried out only by government authorities. Since spatial information about the environment is accessible to everybody, ordinary citizens could act as data collectors, which is faster, less expensive, and more dynamic. Volunteered Geographic Information (VGI) is a framework to create, assemble, and disseminate spatial information provided voluntarily by individuals. Current VGI approaches rely on a metric base map, which allow users to add their own content and assign it to a location on the metric map to publish it. The SketchMapia project aims at relaxing technical constraints and proposes to develop a framework taking freehand sketch maps as input. Sketch maps are intuitive and commonly used in human communication about environments. However, due to human cognition, sketch maps are incomplete, distorted, schematized, and therefore not as accurate as metric maps. This project develops a qualitative computational model to represent sketch maps in a computer-understandable way. SketchMapia integrates information from various sketch maps and metric maps into one data repository which can be queried by users via a query-by-sketch interface. Finally, spatial information from sketch maps is integrated with quantitative data to be represented on metric maps.

At a glance:

Funding Period 1:

04/2011 – 03/2016
DFG Sachbeihilfe

Funding Period 2:

08/2017 – 01/2023
DFG Sachbeihilfe