science

Virtual geographic environments

Virtual geographic environments is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Virtual geographic environments rather than just read about it. In short: Virtual geographic environments (VGEs) are geographic analysis tools. A VGE is a multi-user, intelligent virtual environment which represents an actual geographic feature; it is used for geo-spatial analysis, geo-visualization, and geography-related planning and decision making, as well as for training, education, and entertainment.

Key takeaways

Virtual geographic environments belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Virtual geographic environments to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Virtual geographic environments from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Virtual geographic environments (VGEs) are geographic analysis tools. A VGE is a multi-user, intelligent virtual environment which represents an actual geographic feature; it is used for geo-spatial analysis, geo-visualization, and geography-related planning and decision making, as well as for training, education, and entertainment.

Further reading Hui Lin, Min Chen, Guonian Lv. 2013. Virtual Geographic Environment: A Workspace for Computer-Aided Geographic Experiments. Annals of the Association of American Geographers, 103(3): 465-482. Hui Lin, Min Chen, Guonian Lu, Qing Zhu, Jianhua Gong, Xiong You, Yongning Wen, Bingli Xu, Mingyuan Hu. 2013. Virtual Geographic Environments (VGEs): a New Generation of Geographic Analysis Tool. Earth-Science Reviews,126:74-84. Yin, L. and Hastings, J. 2007. “Capitalizing on Views: Assessing Visibility Using 3D Visualization and GIS Technologies for Hotel Development in the City of Niagara Falls, USA” Journal of Urban Technology, 14(3), pp59–82. [1] Yin, L. 2010. “Integrating 3D Visualization and GIS in Planning Education,” Journal of Geography in Higher Education, 34(3), pp419–438. [2]

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Virtual geographic environments

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Virtual geographic environments claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Virtual geographic environments before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Virtual geographic environments ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Virtual geographic environments

In research: Virtual geographic environments appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Virtual geographic environments in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Virtual geographic environments is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Cartography, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Virtual geographic environments outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Virtual geographic environments in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Virtual geographic environments means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Virtual geographic environments out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Virtual geographic environments in simple terms?

Why does Virtual geographic environments matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Virtual geographic environments?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Virtual geographic environments.