GIS Based Studies in the Humanities and Social Sciences - Chpater 2 pdf

19

2

A Tool for Creating Pseudo-3D Spaces with
Hyperphoto: An Application in Ethnographic

Studies

Hiroya Tanaka, Masatoshi Arikawa, Ryosuke Shibasaki,
and Yuki Konagaya
CONTENTS

2.1 Introduction 19
2.2 Related Concepts 22
2.2.1 Photo Collage 22
2.2.2 Hypermedia 23
2.3 STAMP: A Tool for Hyperphoto Collage 25
2.3.1 Concepts and System Overview 25
2.3.2 STAMP-Maker 27
2.3.3 STAMP-Navigator 29
2.3.4 Visualization Options 30
2.4 An Application 30
2.5 Conclusion 32
References 33

2.1 Introduction

In the field of ethnography, researchers deal with a large number of photos.
A researcher’s mission is to stay in developing countries, often in Asia or
Africa, and describe their environment while sharing experiences with
native people. During their stay, they try to record their everyday life in
detail (Konagaya, 1991; Konagaya, 1998; Konagaya, 1999). Some research-
ers will stay for about one year in the target locale and take more than 100
photos per day. Photos are a particularly useful medium for establishing

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a record of places, people, life, and atmosphere in a target area because
they provide a rich source of information about spaces or places in the real
world. The main advantages of photos in such studies



are:
• Instant acquisition: An ordinary camera can be used quickly and
easily.
• Rich information: Far from representing abstract data, photos are
genuine records of real-world phenomena.
• Subjectivity: A photo often reveals not only the photographer’s
target, but also the subjective point of interest (POI) of the photog-
rapher.
• Scalability: Photos include micrographs, landscape photos, satellite

photos, and so on. Photos thus enable us to examine the real world
on any spatial scale.
While photos are clearly the most important medium for such studies,
several problems make it difficult to effectively manage large collections
of photos. These problems are related to two aspects of the way we manage
photos:
• Organization and association
• Browsing and interaction
A few methods for organizing and associating photos have already been
developed. For example, one method is to plot locations of photos onto
two-dimensional (2D) maps like a typical geographical information sys-
tems (GIS)



(Figure 2.1). If the location (latitude and longitude) where each
photo is taken can be recorded using global-positioning system (GPS) and
other technologies, we can plot locations of photos onto a map almost
automatically. However, such conventional methods do not enable us to
sufficiently understand the

relationships

among photos. With regard to
browsing and interaction, two general approaches are usually taken —
the album approach and the slide show approach (Figure 2.2). However,
neither of these is essentially interactive or sufficient to describe the
dynamic experiences of the photographer.
In this chapter, we describe a new method for managing photos through
computers. We have developed and implemented a software that we call

STAMP (S
patio-Temporal Association with Multiple Photos) [Tanaka
(2002a), Tanaka (2002b), Tanaka (2003)]. STAMP allows us to easily create,
publish, share, and navigate pseudo-three-dimensional (3D) spaces com-
prised of multiple photos. With this software, users can create not only
intensive scenes, but also extensive 3D scenes, which enable interactive
and continuous navigation. Furthermore, users can relive their own or
other’s experiences sequentially. Researchers can manage photos based on
the

context

of the photos by using this software. Our software can solve

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several of the problems mentioned above and advance the use of photo
applications.
In the following sections, we describe two important concepts that under-
lie our approach — photo collage and hypermedia. In Section 2.3, we
explain STAMP and discuss the characteristics of STAMP. In Section 2.4,
we report on an experiment using STAMP, and then conclude in the final
section.

FIGURE 2.1

Photos plotted their locations onto a 2D map.

FIGURE 2.2

An album approach and a slide show approach.
Time

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2.2 Related Concepts

2.2.1 Photo Collage

Our approach is based on artistic representation through the concept of
photo collage on a 2D canvas; that is, a general method of organizing and
associating photos. People can connect, overlap, and rotate photos on the
2D canvas to compose a single image that represents a memorable sight or
event in the real world. Figure 2.3 shows an example of our photo collage.
David Hockney, a famous artist who created so many photo collages, said
that photo collage clearly reveals the photographer’s perception of the world
(Hockney, 1985). David named the series of his photo collage works “Moving
Focus.” This naming implies his notion about photo collage.
Photo collage is an effective way to assemble multiple photos into one
complete image. Moreover, we can read through multiple scenarios in a
single photo collage. Figure 2.4 shows an example of the visual paths in our

photo collage.
The photo collage approach has shortcomings, though, in that it is only a
static, 2D graphic representation. Our proposed representation is a pseudo-

FIGURE 2.3

An example of 2D photo collage.

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3D and interactive representation, the details of which will be introduced in
Section 2.3.3.

2.2.2 Hypermedia

Our approach is also based on the hypermedia concept. In computer science,
the hypermedia concept was a remarkable discovery. The World Wide Web
(WWW), which most of us use daily, is based on hypermedia. The hyper-
media structure is very simple. Only two elements, nodes and hyperlinks,
are used to create hypermedia. We can apply various kinds of media as
nodes, such as texts, images, sounds, movies, and so on.
Historically, hypermedia concept was derived from hypertext concept.
Simply saying, hypertext is a content network comprised of texts and hyper-
links (Figures 2.5 and 2.6).
There are several views regarding hypertext (Peter, 2003). One view of
hypertext technology is that it is an authoring method. In other words,

hypertext is a data-organization paradigm. It augments raw data with a rich,
semantically meaningful structure. Hypertext also provides the means to
create a context



for data. This viewpoint implies that the meaning of data is
not inherent in the data itself, but rather resides in the structures into which
the data is incorporated. Data is, in itself, only useful when set into a context,
structured, and reinterpreted to play a role in a particular setting. Some
researchers view hypertext technology as an interaction paradigm; for exam-
ple, browsing as an alternative to query. We can browse data by continuously

FIGURE 2.4

Visual paths in a photo collage.

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following hyperlinks between nodes. Each path, which typically consists of
several hyperlinks, tells us an inherent story.
With the popularization of various media, such as images, sounds, and
movies, the hypertext concept has been extended to the hypermedia concept.
Today, we can associate various kinds of media, which are not only texts but
also images, sounds, and movies, by using hyperlinks. Hypermedia is easy

to use for both authoring and browsing, so it has achieved worldwide accep-
tance and has enabled the remarkable growth of the WWW.

FIGURE 2.5

Hypertest structure based on nodes and hyperlink.

FIGURE 2.6

Hypertext network.
Node
1
Node
2
Hyperlink
Starting anchor Ending anchor
<A Href> </A> <A Name> </A>

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Our STAMP incorporates the hypermedia concept. Our software is based
on the

hyperphoto

concept, which can be considered a kind of hypermedia.

The details of our hyperphoto concept will be discussed in the following
section.

2.3 STAMP: A Tool for Hyperphoto Collage

2.3.1 Concepts and System Overview

Until now, there has been no direct linkage between the photo collage and
hypermedia, discussed in Section 2.2. The former is a technique used in the
field of art, while the latter is a technique used in the field of computer
science. However, we have found that these two techniques are similar in
important respects. That is, both are easy to use and enable us to create
multiple scenarios from raw data through simple operations. The essential
difference between the two techniques is that a photo collage represents a
continuous space on a 2D plane, and hypermedia is based on a discrete
structure over a computer network. We have tried to merge the advantages
of both the photo collage and hypermedia in a concept.
We named our concept

hyperphoto collage

, which is a combination of hyper-
photo and photo collage. Hyperphoto means a photo that contains hyper-
links to others. Multiple hyperphotos can form hyperphoto networks, which
can be considered a kind of hypermedia.
In our system, users can create spatial associations between raw photos
through simple operations.

Spatial-hyperlink

, which is an extension of ordi-
nary hyperlink, is used for creating an association between two photos. We
will introduce the details of spatial-hyperlink in Section 2.3.2. Figure 2.7
shows the data structure of hyperphoto networks. The ability to make hyper-
photo networks is an authoring technique of our system.
Moreover, our system automatically makes a pseudo-3D photo collage
from hyperphoto and displays it (Figure 2.8). This allows us to navigate in
pseudo-3D space interactively and continuously. This is our browsing tech-
nique. We will discuss this process in detail in Section 2.3.3.
We have implemented two components of STAMP: STAMP-Maker and
STAMP-Navigator. STAMP-Maker is an authoring tool, and STAMP-Navi-
gator is a browsing tool. Figure 2.9 illustrates both the flow of editing photos
with the two STAMP



components and the relations among the three levels
of processing data, that is, raw photo, hyperphoto networks, and hyperphoto
collage, as visualization of hyperphoto.



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FIGURE 2.7

Hyperphoto networks composed of photos and spatial-hyperlinks.

FIGURE 2.8

Hyperphoto collage automatically made from hyperphoto.

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2.3.2 STAMP-Maker

STAMP-Maker, one of the STAMP components, is a tool for creating pseudo-
3D spaces from multiple photos. The operations to associate photos are very
simple. A user specifies the same feature or area in two photos by drawing
a rectangle or polygon on each of the two photos. In the example shown in
Figure 2.10, the same building appears in two photos, and the user has drawn
a rectangle enclosing the building on each of the photos. Specifying two
rectangles on two photos attaches a starting anchor and an ending anchor
to create a spatial-hyperlink between the two photos. A spatial-hyperlink is
comprised of two areal anchors in each photo, which are a starting anchor
and an ending anchor. Unlike ordinary hyperlink, spatial-hyperlink enables
us to make a relationship between two partial areas in each photo.

FIGURE 2.9

A flow of editing photos with stamp.

FIGURE 2.10

Creating a spatial-hyperlink between two photos.
Stamp-Maker
(an authoring tool)
Stamp-Navigator
(a browsing tool)
Raw photos
Hyperphoto networks
Hyperphoto collage

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Thus, users can create associations between any photos, even photos taken
by different people or on different dates. Users can also create additional
spatial-hyperlinks on one photo. Therefore, users can create many different
routes for spatial navigation (Figure 2.11).
A spatial-hyperlink is basically used to specify the same feature or area in
two photos to create an association regarding the spatial meaning in the real
world. A more advanced use, however, is to create an association between
two photos taken in different places. For example, the same kind of dishes
may appear in two photos taken in different restaurants, and a user can
create a spatial-hyperlink associating the two photos. In such cases, the

photos are linked based on

semantic relationship

over the space rather than a

spatial relationship

. Furthermore, STAMP-Maker also offers advance uses of
spatial-hyperlinks, which represent temporal order. In short, these are three
types of using spatial-hyperlinks —

spatial relationship

,

semantic relationship

,
and

temporal relationship

. Their mechanisms are the same at the system level,

FIGURE 2.11



(See color insert following page 176.)

Creating various routes by using spatial-hyperlinks.

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and the differences between them exist only at the application level. We will
introduce those differences through our example in Section 2.4.

2.3.3 STAMP-Navigator

STAMP-Navigator is a browsing tool that allows people to navigate
pseudo-3D spaces through a simple interface. In this component, each
spatial-hyperlink is associated with a geometric transformation combining
translation, rotation, and distortion. The transformation is defined so that
a rectangle specified in the photos at one end of a spatial-hyperlink is
transformed into a corresponding rectangle specified in photos at the other
end of the spatial-hyperlink. This navigation system displays one focused
photo and several linked photos. The focused photo is placed at the center
of the display, and linked photos are placed at transformed positions.
Projection transformation is used for this process. The focused photo is
opaque, while linked photos are translucent and overlaid on the focused
photo. When a user selects a photo from the linked photos by directly
clicking on it, the scene changes. The navigation system displays a short
animation that represents a smooth transition (Figure 2.12). In the transition
to the next scene, the currently focused photo fades out and the next
focused photo moves to the center. Simultaneously, the transparency values

of all photos are changed. This animation gives the user a sense of motion
toward the viewpoint of the next focused photo. A photo may be linked
to more than one photo, which allows scene transitions to fork into multiple
paths. Thus, users can freely step forward, step backward, step sideward,
rotate, translate, and zoom in/out in the pseudo-3D spaces by selecting
from among candidate photos. This mechanism makes great use of a
human’s spatial cognition of perspective scenes. STAMP-Navigator thus
allows people to experience a sensation similar to walking through the real
world.

FIGURE 2.12

Smooth transition from one scene to the next.
A focused photo
A linked photo
A focused photo
A linked photo
Animation

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2.3.4 Visualization Options

STAMP differs from video in its ability to represent multiple paths in scene
transitions, including branches, loops, reverse motions, and terminals. In

this sense, STAMP is closer to nonlinear video, but it can be created through
a process much easier than nonlinear video editing. An advantage of
STAMP is the simplicity it inherits from photography. Also, the structures
of hyperphoto networks are very flexible. The structure of hyperphoto
networks is, in one sense, indirectly structures of a place in the real world.
In other words, hyperphoto networks are the result of an abstraction of
the real world (Figure 2.13).
STAMP offers several visualization options of the whole structure of hyper-
photo networks. Figure 2.14 shows a temporal map and a spatial map of a
hyperphoto network. Each point means hyperphoto, and each line means
spatial-hyperlink. By using such maps, we can analyze places and uncover
characteristic structures.

2.4 An Application

We have used the STAMP to create several examples of hyperphoto collage.
One of us (Konagaya) is a researcher engaging in ethnographic studies and

FIGURE 2.13

Conversion from the real world to hyperphoto networks.
Hyperphoto networks
Photograph
Spatial-hyperlink
POI
(Point of Interest)
Real world

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has taken a large number of photos in Mongolia. We tried to associate these
multiple photos with respect to the meaning of their spatial, semantic, and
temporal relationships. In ethnographic studies, a research project often
consists of three phases — fieldwork, a home stay, and postanalysis. Field-
work is carried out for the purpose of surveying and understanding the
spatial and geographic structure of the target area. After the fieldwork,
researchers decide on the area where they will stay. A home stay is the next
phase, during which researchers live with native people for about one year.
After that, they leave the target area, analyze the data collected, and compile
a summary of their studies. Through this process of postanalysis, the
researcher can gain a new understanding regarding the target area.
We think these three phases correspond fairly closely to spatial observa-
tion, temporal observation, and semantic observation, respectively. Based on
these viewpoints, we organized the many photos taken in the Mongolia
studies by using spatial-hyperlinks. We can create spatial relationships



for
photos taken during the fieldwork, temporal relationships for photos taken
during the home stay, and semantic relationships



for postanalysis.
Figure 2.15 shows an example of the hyperphoto collage we were able to

create. We could thus explore the pseudo-3D space and relive the researchers’
experiences. In this work, we used semantic relationships to associate photos
that contained similar plants and woods. By tracing the



three uses of spatial-
hyperlinks, we could easily pass through the various points of interest in
the target area.

FIGURE 2.14

Temporal map and spatial map of hyperphoto networks.
Time
y
x

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2.5 Conclusion

STAMP provides a versatile tool for researchers in the field of ethnographic
studies and in other fields, in that it enables them to make greater use of
photos in new ways. Although STAMP is not intended as a mathematical or
physical analysis tool, it should be useful for presenting information regard-

ing daily activities and experiences. STAMP is a new type of GIS in that it
is flexible and enables us to create storytelling/narrative data structures.

FIGURE 2.15

(See color insert following page 176.)

Hyperphoto network created from photos taken in
Mongolia — spatial relationship (left), temporal relationship (center), and semantic relationship
(right).

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Our STAMP software is available for public use. The public-use version
of STAMP is named “PhotoWalker.” Users can freely download our software
from the Web site www.photowalker.net. This Web site also includes addi-
tional examples of hyperphoto collages. We believe that STAMP will become
widely used in the field of ethnography for various applications and open
the new way to the future GIS.

References

Hockney, D. and Alain, S.,

David Hockney Photographs

,



Rizzoli, 1985.
Peter, J.N.,

What Is Hypertext?

International Conference ACM, Hypertext and hyper-
media, keynote speech, 2003.
Konagaya, Y., Innovation of Writing on the Mongolian Area Studies,

Geography of the
Third World ó from local to global

, Kumagai, K. eds., 1999.



Konagaya, Y.,

The Mongolian Nomadic World (CD-ROM)

, TEXNAI, Tokyo, 1998.
Konagaya, Y.,

The Spring of Inner Mongolia

, Kawadesyoboshinsha, Tokyo, 1991.

Tanaka, H., Arikawa, M., and Shibasaki, R.,

A 3-D Photo Collage System for Spatial
Navigations

, Digital Cities II, Computational and Sociological Approaches, lec-
ture notes in computer science 2362, Springer, 2002a, pp. 305–316.
Tanaka, H., Arikawa, M., and Shibasaki, R.,

Pseudo-3D Photo-Collage

, International
Conference ACM, Web graphics category, Siggraph, conference abstracts,
2002b, p. 317.
Tanaka, H., Arikawa, M., and Shibasaki, R.,

World-Wide Gallery for Pseudo-3D Photo-
Collage

, International Conference ACM, Siggraph, Web expo category,
www.siggraph.org/s2003/conference/web/expo.html, 2003.

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