2018 Volume 13 Issue 1 Pages 236-250
The encouragement of geographical thinking by inspiring “geographical imagination,” i.e., an expanded vision of spatial phenomena, can be a useful approach for the outreach of geography. We developed a method to visualize spatial phenomena using three-dimensional (3D) geospatial information to reconstruct the palaeolandscape including the settlement ecosystem in the Jomon period and examined its effectiveness. Specifically, we first acquired 3D geospatial information on the present landscape using a small unmanned aerial vehicle and performed data analysis for reconstruction of the palaeolandscape. Then different visualization methods and their effectiveness were examined, including an online system of 3D visualization of the palaeolandscape and an exhibition at a cultural museum. For this, we performed trials not only of the integration of research outputs in geography, archaeology, and Quaternary research but also of the integrated expressions of artists. We found that these integrated approaches are effective in promoting an intuitive understanding of palaeolandscapes by supporting the spatiotemporal geographical imagination of various people. We expect that the further development of these methods will contribute to the dissemination of geographical imagination and thinking for the outreach of geography.
