Portfolio

Longitude:

Latitude:

0 km

Norway 2021

Using recorded GPS Track and photos from the journey I visualized memories from the great road trip across Norway. Map was created using Mapbox GL JS and Turf.js libraries with data imported from GeoJSON file that contains coordinates of taken photos, name of the place and a file name. Rendered track is updated in real-time as it was suggested in this Mapbox example.

I used Turf function that returns the closest point on the line to show images at the moment the path gets closer. Before visualization process there is a new GeoJSON created that contains corresponding point on the GPS Track and information about real point. Once the path is being rendered there is a comparison if there is any new photo to display on the way. During presentation it is also possible to adjust map zoom level and position if you want to explore some places in details. Pins that are created along the way enable to open pop-up that shows picturesque places along the road that were presented before.

I enjoy making maps both to show the road that is ahead of me in order to plan it and also the one already travelled in order to have the memories recorded. While on the previous slides I presented GPS track visualization using Mapbox after completed journey, here is the map I used in order to plan this trip. It was created using QGIS, where you can specify basemap, symbolization based on the properties of your dataset and labels. It is possible to present several “maps” on one “print” and here it was used to show details of hikes on the way on the left sidebar. The map includes information about route duration, hiking trails, attractions, ferries as well as possible accommodation on the way.

Path Explorer is a first-person puzzle video game requiring spatial recognition skill to solve those challenges. Open world enables exploration of the best places from Møre og Romsdal region (Norwegian county), where the action takes place. The terrain used in the game presents real world data as it was implemented using Mapbox Maps SDK for Unity. Various 3D model maps are waiting in set points. They will show the place where the user is standing right now and the next destination. The task is to remember where the place is and be able to navigate to it. During the journey, distances will get longer and there will be more obstacles on the way.

The game was developed using Unity, with C# scripts for behaviors. Logo and UI elements were created in SketchBook - raster graphics software from Autodesk. Small terrain model and the first level maps texture were created in Blender. Contours textures were developed in QGIS. The game was developed individually as a final project for a Game Development course during my student exchange to Norway. I wanted to create a geospatial game for everyone regardless of their previous gaming experience. The idea emerged after noticing that many people struggle to go around the terrain or using maps these days. I think that this skill is very useful and learning it in the Norwegian scenery might be a very pleasant experience.

I believe that insightful spatial visualization can be very helpful to understand many environmental problems, so in the future they are possible to solve. This is the way I wanted to get involved in the university project, beside my main study course, that aimed to understand the problem of waste on the Norwegian coastline. Using PowerBI together with one other student we processed real-world data accumulated through several years and presented it on interactive charts with maps. It was later shown in the meeting with people from environmental organizations that were trying to tackle this issue.

As my Bachelor's degree project I've been developing a web application for customizable storage and visualisation of spatio-temporal data using OpenLayers and its extensions. The personalised environment enables users to manage data more efficiently in the long term as all inputs and outputs are created dynamically based on the type of data. What is a crucial and innovative is the way that data is grouped in two ways - as layers (based on the same attributes) and as trips (based on the same time and theme). Although it is stored only once based on layer group (as it is traditional gis software) in a geojson format. I found the lack of this functionality very limiting while managing my own travel data and I deduced that it must be the same issue in the scientific world.

As shown in the presentation above, the app could be used for both scientific and geographical excursions as well as monitoring and analysing the movements of selected animals. I used my own travel data as well as public data from iNaturalist (community platform for mapping global biodiversity). The project is still under development and the final version, in addition to management and visualisation, will also enable advanced spatio-temporal analysis.