Geospatial Anchoring of Encyclopedia Articles

Abstract

An encyclopedia provides a written compendium of knowledge consisting of articles concisely and exhaustively covering topics of interest. Most general encyclopedias are structured in an alphabetical manner and favor keyword queries and link-based navigation as the primary form of access. On closer examination, many encyclopedia articles can directly or indirectly be associated with geospatial references. This publication explores ways of anchoring encyclopedia articles to geospatial references and presents a Web-based 3D interface which allows navigation of the German Brockhaus encyclopedia through a geospatial metaphor