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A three-dimensional network-based space–time prism

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Abstract

Time-geographic concepts are effective tools for the geovisualization of human activity patterns and to assess individual accessibility. In their traditional form, however, time-geographic concepts assume uniform travel velocities in an isotropic and homogeneous space. Because transportation systems confine travellers to links of road and rail networks with time-varying flows, these premises are typically unsatisfied in real-world situations. This paper provides an innovative approach to ameliorate the realism and applicability of space–time prisms by developing new three-dimensional space–time objects. Three-dimensional solid models which account for non-uniform movement are discussed, and their usefulness is assessed and illustrated by means of an example.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank the anonymous referees for their helpful comments that significantly improved this paper. Grateful acknowledgement is also made to the University Research Fund (BOF-UGent) and the Research Foundation Flanders (Belgium) for financial support.

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Correspondence to Tijs Neutens.

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Neutens, T., Van de Weghe, N., Witlox, F. et al. A three-dimensional network-based space–time prism. J Geograph Syst 10, 89–107 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10109-007-0057-x

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