Collection and Publication of Field Photographs by Using the Photo Database for Integrated Area Studies

Abstract

The Photo Database for Integrated Area Studies (PDIAS) is a web-based system composed of a geo-referenced database and its interface for field photographs taken by researchers in Asian and African area studies. It works as a platform for collecting resources from researchers and providing them to PDIAS users. The collected data now number more than 700 items, and the number of unique accesses through the Internet averages 19.97 per day over the most recent 180 days, which is twice as high as that of the first 180 days. PDIAS shows the maps of Asian and African regions on which clickable points linked to each field photograph are plotted. Users can view field photographs with associated information by clicking points over several reference maps such as topography, land cover and population. We are planning to provide an open source geo-referenced photograph viewer based on the PDIAS, which will help both researchers and network users to understand areas by accumulating a variety of site-specific information.