An Interactive Story Map

for the Methana Volcanic Peninsula

Varvara Antoniou

, Paraskevi Nomikou

, Pavlina Bardouli

, Danai Lampridou

, Theodora Ioannou

Ilias Kalisperakis

, Christos Stentoumis

, Malcolm Whitworth

, Mel Krokos

and Lemonia Ragia

Department of Geology and Geoenvironment, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens,

Panepistimioupoli Zografou, 15784 Athens, Greece

up2metric P.C., Engineering - Research - Software Development, Michail Mela 21, GR-11521, Athens, Greece

School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Portsmouth, Burnaby Road, Portsmouth PO1 3QL, U.K.

School of Creative Technologies, University of Portsmouth, Winston Churchill Avenue, Portsmouth PO1 2DJ, U.K.

Natural Hazards, Tsunami and Coastal Engineering Laboratory, Technical University of Crete, Chania, Greece

{ilias, christos}@up2metric.com, {malcolm.whitworth, mel.krokos}@port.ac.uk, lragia@isc.tuc.gr

Keywords: GIS Story Map, Geomorphology, Methana Peninsula, Greece, Volcano, Geotope, Hiking Trails.

Abstract: The purpose of this research is the identification, recording, mapping and photographic imaging of the special

volcanic geoforms as well as the cultural monuments of the volcanic Methana Peninsula. With the use of

novel methods the aim is to reveal and study the impressive topographic features of the Methana geotope and

discover its unique geodiversity. The proposed hiking trails along with the Methana’s archaeology and history,

will be highlighted through the creation of an ‘intelligent’ interactive map (Story Map). Two field trips have

been conducted for the collection of further information and the digital mapping of the younger volcanic flows

of Kammeni Chora with drones. Through the compiled data, thematic maps were created depicting the lava

flows and the most important points of the individual hiking paths. The thematic maps were created using a

Geographic Information System (GIS). Finally, those maps were the basis for the creation of the main Story

Map. The decision to use Story Maps was based on the numerous advantages on offer such as user-friendly

mapping, ease of use and interaction and user customized displays.

1 INTRODUCTION

Recent advancements in digital Geographic

Information Systems (GIS) technologies can provide

new opportunities for immersively engaging public

audiences with complex multivariate datasets.

Story Maps can be not only robust but also

versatile tools for visualising spatial data effectively

and when combined with multi-media assets (e.g.

photos or videos) and narrative text, they can provide

support for scientific storytelling in a compelling and

straightforward way.

Thereby, Story Maps can be used in order to

disseminate and make scientific findings easy to

access and understand to broader non-technical

audiences (Janicki, J. et al., 2016; Wright, D.J. et al.,

2014).

The aim of the present research is to identify,

record, map and photographically image the special

volcanic geomorphs as well as the cultural

monuments of the Methana Peninsula (East

Peloponnese, Greece).

Methana peninsula is composed by 32 volcanic

craters with rough topography, belonging to the

western part of the Hellenic Volcanic Arc. Using

Story Maps along with novel methods and research

tools it is planned to reveal and highlight the peculiar

geomorphs of the Methana geotope and discover its

unique geodiversity.

Adopting Story Maps for this work offers a

number of advantages as compared to traditional

methods: friendly mapping, the ease of use and

understanding of the provided information, the

increased interactivity comparing to analogue or

simple web maps, the customized display based on

the user’s needs, the ability to import different kind

of media (images and videos) and ultimately the

ability to add explanatory text covering a wide range

of heterogeneous information.

Antoniou, V., Nomikou, P., Bardouli, P., Lampridou, D., Ioannou, T., Kalisperakis, I., Stentoumis, C., Whitworth, M., Krokos, M. and Ragia, L.

An Interactive Story Map for the Methana Volcanic Peninsula.

DOI: 10.5220/0006702300680078

In Proceedings of the 4th International Conference on Geographical Information Systems Theory, Applications and Management (GISTAM 2018), pages 68-78

ISBN: 978-989-758-294-3

2 STUDY AREA

The Methana volcanic peninsula (Methana Volcano)

is located at the Western Saronic Gulf, approx.

163Km from Athens, covering an area of 50Km².

Methana Volcano is at the western part of the Aegean

volcanic arc extending from Saronic Gulf up to Kos-

Nisyros volcanic field at the eastern part (Fig. 1). The

Aegean volcanic arc belongs to the Hellenic Orogenic

Arc, which is formed along the convergent plate

boundary of the northwards subducting African plate

underneath the active margin of the European plate

(Nomikou et al., 2013). The peninsula of Methana has

the longest recorded volcanic history of any volcanic

centre in the Aegean Volcanic Arc, consisting of 30

volcanic cones. Particularly noteworthy are the

historical references regarding the volcanic activity of

the submarine volcano Pausanias, lying offshore the

northwest part of Methana peninsula (Pavlakis et al.,

1990), in the 3rd century BC.

Throughout Methana peninsula there is a well-

developed network of hiking trails, passing through

historic settlements, small churches, hot springs and

unique geomorphological features attributed to the

volcanic history (lava formations) and the complex

tectonic regime of the area (Pe-Piper and Piper,

2013). The overall length of the hiking network is

approximately 60Km, and based on the present study

the hiking distances range between 0.5Km up to

5Km. Moreover, the trails are rated into different

difficulty levels and in several cases appropriate

equipment is needed.

Volcanic activity in the area is considered to have

begun in the late Pliocene (Gaitanakis and Dietrich,

1995), and the last eruption took place in 230 BC

giving andesitic lava, at Kammeni Hora, as recorded

by the ancient geographer Strabo (Georgalas, 1962).

The Quaternary volcanic rocks on Methana

consist of domes and flows radiating from the central

part of the peninsula, overlying older, undated

volcanic rocks (inferred Pliocene or early Pleistocene

in age). At a map scale, many of the domes are

elongated in an east–west or northeast–southwest

direction. The volcanic style and rate of eruption are

closely related to periods of change in regional

tectonic style (Pe-Piper and Piper, 2013).

Moreover, Pe-Piper and Piper (2013) deciphered

the volcanological evolution of the Volcano in great

detail based on geochemical, geochronological

analyses and field observations. The following

volcanic history has been identified (Fig. 2):

 Phase A. Late Pliocene. Small domes of andesite

and dacite were extruded on N–S-striking faults in

eastern and southern Methana. Either

synchronously or later, a larger volcanic edifice

grew somewhere near the present centre of the

peninsula.

 Phase B. Erosion of the central edifice to form the

volcanoclastic apron, perhaps associated with

faulting and uplift.

 Phase C. Eruption of basaltic andesite now

preserved in northern Methana around

Kounoupitsa, at Ag. Andreas and Akri Pounda. A

series of explosive Plinian eruptions deposited in

the northern and eastern parts of the

volcanοclastic apron and at Akri Pounda. Erosion

of the central edifice and volcanοclastic

deposition on the apron continued. The age of

phase C is poorly constrained — the 1.4 ± 0.3 Ma

date on a dome in northern Methana is only

tentatively correlated with this phase.

 Phase D. Andesite flows in the north-western part

of the peninsula and dacites in the south show

some geochemical similarities to phase C (e.g.

high TiO

content), but overlie the volcanoclastic

apron and its associated erosion surface in eastern

Methana. Imprecise radiometric dates range from

0.5 to 0.9 Ma.

 Phase E. The north-western dacite volcanoes

were formed and are dated at 0.6 ± 0.2 Ma in this

study.

 Phases F and G. These phases were characterised

by the eruption of the central andesite volcanoes

and the E–W fissure dacites. Some explosive

pyroclastic eruptions preceded major andesite and

dacite eruptions. Available radiometric ages from

phase G cluster between 0.29 and 0.34 Ma.

 Phase H. Eruption of the Kammeni Hora flows,

probably within the last 0.2 Ma, with the most

recent eruption in historic times.

2.1 Geomorphology

Methana peninsula is characterized by rough

topography, generated by the complex regional

tectonic regime in combination with the volcanic

activity. The mountainous relief of the peninsula, 740

masl at its highest point, falls to the sea with no

lowland plain. Abrupt and sudden changes in slope

gradient alternate with flat basinal areas (Fig. 3) filled

by Quaternary sediments, where at the same time

volcanic agglomerates commonly fill depressions

between domes (James et al.,1994). Moreover, the

volcanic landforms are dissected by stream gullies,

reflecting the intense erosion. This rugged terrain,

with the well-developed drainage system and the

steep slopes, is prone to landslides and rockfalls

induced by geomorphologic and geologic controls.

An Interactive Story Map for the Methana Volcanic Peninsula

Figure 1: Topographic map of the southern Aegean Sea combining onshore and offshore data. The four modern volcanic

groups are indicated within red boxes together with the names of the main terrestrial and submarine volcanic centers along

the volcanic arc (Nomikou et al., 2013).

Figure 2: Schematic cross-sections (E–W or SE–NW) and maps of Methana, showing inferred relationship of volcanic

stratigraphy to evolution of regional fault patterns. Cross sections illustrate stratigraphy; no representation of the magmatic

plumbing system is attempted (Pe-Piper and Piper, 2013).

GISTAM 2018 - 4th International Conference on Geographical Information Systems Theory, Applications and Management

Figure 3: Morphological Map of Methana peninsula.

3 DATA COLLECTION

To tackle the challenge of creating the Story Map of

Methana volcanic peninsula, different types of

datasets have been collected (Fig. 4). All the available

literature regarding the geology, geodiversity,

archaeology and biodiversity has been compiled and

geospatial data have been downloaded from open

source portals. Moreover, two field trips took place in

September in order to acquire field data.

3.1 Field Trips

Two field trips have taken place in order to collect

new photographic material, to trace paths and find

places of special interest, attaching representative

photographs or videos, etc. In order to collect all these

new data, up – to – date technology has been used

which is the Collector for ArcGIS software and GPS.

Furthermore, an aerial campaign with an unmanned

aerial vehicle (UAV) was conducted. A commercial,

off-the-shelf quadrocopter (DJI Phantom 4 Pro Plus)

was used with a 21 MP digital RGB camera from

University of Portsmouth and up2metric Company.

Flights were performed at different areas of interest,

over the City of Methana, the Kammeni Chora village

and the volcanic formations at the western part of

Methana. There, video sequences and images at

constant time intervals were captured, to guarantee a

higher than 80% image overlap (Fig. 5).

Figure 4: Chart showing the different types of datasets used

in this study.

An Interactive Story Map for the Methana Volcanic Peninsula

Figure 5: Photo taken during the fieldtrips capturing Methana Volcano.

4 METHODOLOGY

4.1 References

For the present research, a geo-database was created,

which is the systematic collection of the existing

information for the study area into a user – friendly

and functional system in order to support effective

ways for data visualisation. Specifically, our database

was divided into two subsets of data. The first subset

consists of the available data files for the area

(bibliography, topographic map, geological – tectonic

structure etc.). Those that were in analogue form were

converted into digital form, in order to make further

use of them. This subset also includes the vector data

files that have been designed for the data collection in

the field work. The second subset consists of the data

files that resulted from the processing of the

aforementioned, or their modification with new field

data, and these are the files that thematic maps were

based on. These files were gradually transformed into

a format suitable for online use (feature or image

services) and easily applied to the Story Map.

4.2 Field Data Collection

A Geographical Information System, ArcGIS

platform from ESRI Company, with both desktop and

online applications, was used to accomplish this study

(https://www.esri.com/). The creation of information

layers, including existing and new data, has been

performed through ArcMap v.10.5.1 software

(“ArcGIS for Desktop – ArcMap,” n.d.). In addition,

ArcGIS Online (“ArcGIS Online - ArcGIS Online

Help,” n.d.) has been used in order to construct the

online map (webmap) on which collected data would

be presented. Finally, Collector for ArcGIS,

(“ArcGIS Collector,” n.d.), both compatible for

Android and iOS software, has been used for the data

collection. This application supports functionality, to

collect and update spatial and descriptive data

through mobile devices (tablets or smartphones).

More specifically, these advantages are:

GISTAM 2018 - 4th International Conference on Geographical Information Systems Theory, Applications and Management

 Convenient collection of points, lines and

elements that cover a large area.

 Data collection and update using the map or the

GPS signal.

 Photos and videos attachments confirming the

collected descriptive data.

 Capability to download maps in a mobile device

and use of them even with no internet access.

 Capability of monitoring specific areas and report

composition about them.

In more detail, the methodology unfolds as

follows (Fig. 6):

Firstly, collection and organization of existing

vector and grid data was carried out as well as their

spatial and descriptive analysis, if necessary. For this

purpose, a geodatabase has been created via ArcMap

v.10.5.1 software, in which all information layers that

would also appear on the online map have been

added, including the editable ones.

Each of the information layers hosts apart from

the type of the spatial information all the necessary

fields for the descriptive information. This

information would be either the already existing one

or the one that would be collected during field work.

The pre-existing information layers include

coastline, settlements, geological formations (Fig. 7)

and tectonic structures of the island. Two editable

information layers have been created, for the field

data collection (Fig. 8). One point and one polyline

vector file, which apart from spatial information they

will also include descriptive information and photos

or video for each collected feature.

In the second part of this study, information layers

were uploaded in the online platform of ArcGIS and

have been converted to feature services, a file type

that can show information online

(https://goo.gl/mBTiKF).

In the next step, a webmap and the individual

parameters for each of the information layers, e.g. its

symbol and the appearance or not of tags and pop-up

menus etc., have been created (DiBiase et al., 1992;

Newman et al., 2010). Moreover, a refresh interval

for the information layer regarding data collection has

been defined. Specific symbols for each user group

have been created, so that each group can directly be

identified. Imagery, which is available from ArcGIS

platform, was assigned to be the background of the

above information layers.

In this research, GIS technology was used only to

collect, analyse and visualize data, using desktop and

online interactive techniques, because its main aim

was to disseminate this way of data presentation to

the public, combining scientific information about the

volcanic peninsula with archaeology and history.

4.3 UAV Survey

The acquired video samples were used to create small

demonstration videos and panoramic photos. Still

images, captured at constant time intervals to

guarantee a higher than 80% overlap, were also used

to generate photogrammetric 3D textured models. For

the latter, the drone camera was calibrated and all

images were oriented with a standard Structure-

From-Motion (SFM) approach. This procedure

includes the establishment of sparse multi-image

point correspondences. This is achieved by 2D

feature extraction and matching among images,

employing feature descriptors at multiple image

scales. The point correspondences were filtered

through standard RANSAC outlier detection and all

mismatched points were identified and eliminated.

Image orientations were initialized through closed

form algorithms and finally optimal estimations of

exterior and interior orientation parameters were

computed through a standard self-calibrating bundle

adjustment solution.

After image orientation, dense point clouds were

generated by means of dense stereo and multi-image

matching algorithms. Through 3D triangulation, the

3D point clouds were converted to 3D mesh models.

Photorealism was finally achieved by computing

texture for each 3D triangle via a multi-view

algorithm, using a weighted blending scheme.

Photorealistic texture was estimated by means of

interpolation, using all images which view each

particular surface triangle (Fig. 9). The

photogrammetric processing was performed using the

Pix4DMapper commercial software, assisted by own

developed algorithms for dense stereo matching

(Stentoumis et al., 2014) and the refinement of the 3D

model’s texture (Karras et al., 2007).

5 STORY MAP

In order to compose this Story Map, all the available

information was uploaded to the online platform.

Users have the possibility to either using a private

server or uploading information directly to ArcGIS

Online. The latter approach was followed during the

deployment of this Story Map (Fig. 10).

An Interactive Story Map for the Methana Volcanic Peninsula

Figure 6: Workflow to be followed in order to use mobile devices for collecting data via Collector for ArcGIS application.

Figure 7: Screenshot of ArcGIS Desktop 10.5.1, which shows the geological information (spatial and descriptive) for the area.

GISTAM 2018 - 4th International Conference on Geographical Information Systems Theory, Applications and Management

Figure 8: Screenshot which shows data that have been collected during field trips.

Figure 9: Photogrammetric 3D image of Nisaki (Methana peninsula).

An Interactive Story Map for the Methana Volcanic Peninsula

Figure 10: Workflow highlighting the procedure followed to produce a Story Map (Antoniou, 2015).

A certain template, called Story Map Series was

implemented, to present the available information.

Story Map Series comes with three layout options:

tabbed, side accordion and bulleted. The first one was

selected for the main Story. Web maps, narrative text,

images, tables, video, external websites, scenes which

correspond to 3D presentation of data were used.

Also, other Story maps and apps were embedded,

such as Story Map Shortlist, Story Map Series-Side

Accordion and Time Aware. Finally, Story Map

Cascade was used as a home page (Fig. 11).

Thematic maps were created in ArcGIS online

and were based on the collected data, the fieldwork

and literature review, depicting the most important

and unique points. More specifically:

First tab using Story Map Series-Side Accordion,

gives general information about Methana peninsula,

containing the geographical position and

geomorphology and a brief description of the area’s

points of interest. Text is accompanied by webmaps

showing the spatial distribution of these having as

basemap, imagery from ESRI’s basic gallery maps

(Fig. 12).

Second tab presents the geological setting of the

peninsula. Text explains the volcanic activity of the

area and in addition an embedded Time Aware

application presents the geological-volcanic

evolution of the island. As basemap, a 5m-hillshade

of the area was used and a Scene (3D presentation)

was created.

Next three tabs present the main hiking trails in

the area. Story Map Tour application was embedded

in each one of them. Text describes the morphology

of the path and gives detail information for every

point of interest and a webmap gives the spatial

distribution of them. Users are able to select either a

point in the map or a photo - video from the carousel

and gather further information.

Last tab, indicates the Research Team responsible

for the creation of this Story Map.

Finally, in order to give users, the ability to choose

the language they prefer, a Story Map Cascade was

used to be Story Map’s home page.

6 CONCLUSIONS

The use of Story Map has plenty of advantages since

it presents useful and attractive information about the

study area. The use of explanatory text and the

incorporation of multi-media helps the end user to

engage in scientific knowledge transfer and provides

a better understanding of Methana’s volcanic

geodiversity.

The user of the Story Map can navigate easily

through the content, by pop - ups, swipe up and down

and through slides. As it is user - friendly, the

interface can be customized according to the user’s

display screen (mobile phones, computers or tablets)

and every single user has the ability to customize the

application to his needs (for example, unveiling

specific volcanic cone).

GISTAM 2018 - 4th International Conference on Geographical Information Systems Theory, Applications and Management

Figure 11: Methana Volcano Story Map structure.

Figure 12: Representative Screenshot of the Story Map.

In conclusion, Methana Volcano Story Map

portrays a good example of a web map, while

providing information to a wide audience, developing

the interest and possibly motivating the public to

learn more (or even to visit) about the display area.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This work was supported and funded by the

Municipality of Troizinia - Methana in the framework

of the Applied Research Program ‘Evaluation and

exploitation of the geotope of the Methana Volcano”

of National and Kapodistrian University of Athens.

An Interactive Story Map for the Methana Volcanic Peninsula

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