engleski

Web GIS in mountaineering in Croatia

Using maps is inevitable in many human activities as well as in mountaineering. Most of the spatial and attribute data of the mountaineer's interest, until recently, it could have been found only in analog form. With the development of information technology, global navigation satellite systems, easily accessible measuring sensors and digital cameras, it is easier to collect, store, visualize, share, and update spatial data. However, such digital data cannot be displayed in real-time on conventional maps but can be visualized and analyzed in geographic information systems (GIS). Desktop GIS tools are complex and are not always available to anyone therefore, the web GIS with its associated applications assumes dominance in browsing and dissemination of spatial data. Web GIS applications are applied in areas where there is a need for processing, analysis and visualization of various data that contain a spatial component, and mountaineering is one of them. When planning hiking, mountaineers need both spatial and attribute information on mountaineering facilities, checkpoints, and hiking trails in the form of GNSS traces. Through the interactive web application interface, it is possible to connect all these data, enabling easy viewing, browsing and analysis, or performing various spatial queries, which greatly facilitates the planning of hiking excursions. This paper presents a review and comparison of four most visited Croatian mountaineering portals: HPS's Interactive Mountaineering Map of Croatia, Mountaineering portal and Geodetic mountaineering portal developed at the Faculty of Geodesy of the University of Zagreb and planinarenje.hr portal developed by the group of mountain enthusiasts. Numerous data on Croatian mountains and peaks, mountain facilities, huts and hiking trails are now accessible through portals to anyone with Internet connection, either with the computers, tablets or smartphones. All users can browse, filter and download data from the portal, and there are additional options for authorized users such as commenting on portal content.

Web GIS ; mountaineering ; Croatia ; HPS ; mountaineering portal ; hiking trail

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