CHEN Shu-peng, YUE Tian-xiang, LI Hui-guo
Geo informatic Tupu is a methodology of spatial and temporal geographical analysis. It synthesizes the succinctness of comprehensive landscape maps and the abstractness of mathematical models. It has been developed on the basis of modern spatial technique and information science, which also is integrated with virtual reality technique, to provide series of scenarios for constructing the past and predicting the future. It is an outcome of the Chinese traditional research achievements combining with relative modern technologies. Its development process can be identified into 4 stages: (1) from 1955 to 1956, Chen carried out an experiment on comprehensive landscape mapping in the area of Taihu Lake; (2) in the early 1960s, Chen proposed the concept of Tupu by analyzing the development of cartography; (3) in 1964, Chen preliminarily summarized the early applications of Tupu method; (4) in 1998, Chen proposed an embryonic form of Geo informatic Tupu after exploration for about 40 years. Tupu is a kind of Chinese traditional methodology that uses iconic or graphic language to integrate and express spatial and temporal analyses. Geo informatic Tupu is used, by applying a series of multi dimensional graphic solutions and constructing spatial models, to formulate the current situation, reconstruct the past and forecast the future. In other words, Geo informatic Tupu can be used not only for data collection and data mining, but also for virtual scientific forecast and decision making programs. Geo informatic Tupu has four important functions: (a) the spatial and temporal changes can be reconstructed and simulated by means of Geo informatic Tupu; (b) complex phenomena can be succinctly expressed by using the vivid expression capacity of maps; (c) the complexity of simulation by mathematical models can be greatly reduced because spatial information in multi dimension can be unfolded in two dimension plane; and (d) it is helpful to mathematical model constructors for understanding the spatial information and its processes. In this paper, on the basis of analyzing the research achievements in the geo informatic Tupu, in the strategy of ecosystem development, in the strategy of differential land use (DLU) and in the integration of geogephical information system with mathematical models, a system of sustainable development modelling is proposed. In this system, a major theoretical issue is how to transform the information concerned with sustainable development into sign map, diagnosis map and action map. An analysis of results on the software for automatically programming mathematical models and on the Open GIS has shown that the theoretical issue can be resolved in near future. In short, the system of sustainable development modelling is realizable.