Geographic information system (GIS) maps and malaria control monitoring: intervention coverage and health outcome in distal villages of Khammouane province, Laos.

PubMed

Shirayama, Yoshihisa; Phompida, Samlane; Shibuya, Kenji

2009-09-22

Insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) are a key intervention to control malaria. The intervention coverage varies as a consequence of geographical accessibility to remote villages and limitations of financial and human resources for the intervention. People's adherence to the intervention, i.e., proper use of ITNs, also affects malaria health outcome. The study objective is to explore the impact of the intervention coverage and people's adherence to the intervention on malaria health outcome among targeted villages in various geographic locations. Geographic information system (GIS) maps were developed using the data collected in an active case detection survey in Khammouane province, Laos. The survey was conducted using rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) and a structured questionnaire at 23 sites in the province from June to July, the rainy season, in 2005. A total of 1,711 villagers from 403 households participated in the survey. As indicated on the GIS maps, villages with malaria cases, lower intervention coverage, and lower adherence were identified. Although no malaria case was detected in most villages with the best access to the district center, several cases were detected in the distal villages, where the intervention coverage and adherence to the intervention remained relatively lower. Based on the data and maps, it was demonstrated that malaria remained unevenly distributed within districts. Balancing the intervention coverage in the distal villages with the overall coverage and continued promotion of the proper use of ITNs are necessary for a further reduction of malaria cases in the province.

A method for locating potential tree-planting sites in urban areas: a case study of Los Angeles, USA

Treesearch

Chunxia Wua; Qingfu Xiaoa; Gregory E. McPherson

2008-01-01

A GIS-based method for locating potential tree-planting sites based on land cover data is introduced. Criteria were developed to identify locations that are spatially available for potential tree planting based on land cover, sufficient distance from impervious surfaces, a minimum amount of pervious surface, and no crown overlap with other trees. In an ArcGIS...

Promoting Teacher Adoption of GIS Using Teacher-Centered and Teacher-Friendly Design

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hong, Jung Eun

2014-01-01

This article reports the results of a case study that employed user-centered design to develop training tutorials for helping middle school social studies teachers use Web-based GIS in their classrooms. This study placed teachers in the center of the design process in planning, designing, and developing the tutorials. This article describes how…

Case studies in geographic information systems for internet portals

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2012-06-30

The following report investigates the experiences of transportation agencies in the deployment of Internet-based mapping portals based on GIS. It presents background information, a series of case studies, and a summary of conclusions given the experi...

Applications and issues of GIS as tool for civil engineering modeling

USGS Publications Warehouse

Miles, S.B.; Ho, C.L.

1999-01-01

A tool that has proliferated within civil engineering in recent years is geographic information systems (GIS). The goal of a tool is to supplement ability and knowledge that already exists, not to serve as a replacement for that which is lacking. To secure the benefits and avoid misuse of a burgeoning tool, engineers must understand the limitations, alternatives, and context of the tool. The common benefits of using GIS as a supplement to engineering modeling are summarized. Several brief case studies of GIS modeling applications are taken from popular civil engineering literature to demonstrate the wide use and varied implementation of GIS across the discipline. Drawing from the case studies, limitations regarding traditional GIS data models find the implementation of civil engineering models within current GIS are identified and countered by discussing the direction of the next generation of GIS. The paper concludes by highlighting the potential for the misuse of GIS in the context of engineering modeling and suggests that this potential can be reduced through education and awareness. The goal of this paper is to promote awareness of the issues related to GIS-based modeling and to assist in the formulation of questions regarding the application of current GIS. The technology has experienced much publicity of late, with many engineers being perhaps too excited about the usefulness of current GIS. An undoubtedly beneficial side effect of this, however, is that engineers are becoming more aware of GIS and, hopefully, the associated subtleties. Civil engineers must stay informed of GIS issues and progress, but more importantly, civil engineers must inform the GIS community to direct the technology development optimally.

A GIS-based decision support system for regional eco-security assessment and its application on the Tibetan Plateau.

PubMed

Xiaodan, Wang; Xianghao, Zhong; Pan, Gao

2010-10-01

Regional eco-security assessment is an intricate, challenging task. In previous studies, the integration of eco-environmental models and geographical information systems (GIS) usually takes two approaches: loose coupling and tight coupling. However, the present study used a full coupling approach to develop a GIS-based regional eco-security assessment decision support system (ESDSS). This was achieved by merging the pressure-state-response (PSR) model and the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) into ArcGIS 9 as a dynamic link library (DLL) using ArcObjects in ArcGIS and Visual Basic for Applications. Such an approach makes it easy to capitalize on the GIS visualization and spatial analysis functions, thereby significantly supporting the dynamic estimation of regional eco-security. A case study is presented for the Tibetan Plateau, known as the world's "third pole" after the Arctic and Antarctic. Results verified the usefulness and feasibility of the developed method. As a useful tool, the ESDSS can also help local managers to make scientifically-based and effective decisions about Tibetan eco-environmental protection and land use. Copyright (c) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The impact of geographic information systems on emergency management decision making at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

King, Steven Gray

Geographic information systems (GIS) reveal relationships and patterns from large quantities of diverse data in the form of maps and reports. The United States spends billions of dollars to use GIS to improve decisions made during responses to natural disasters and terrorist attacks, but precisely how GIS improves or impairs decision making is not known. This research examined how GIS affect decision making during natural disasters, and how GIS can be more effectively used to improve decision making for emergency management. Using a qualitative case study methodology, this research examined decision making at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) during a large full-scale disaster exercise. This study indicates that GIS provided decision makers at DHS with an outstanding context for information that would otherwise be challenging to understand, especially through the integration of multiple data sources and dynamic three-dimensional interactive maps. Decision making was hampered by outdated information, a reliance on predictive models based on hypothetical data rather than actual event data, and a lack of understanding of the capabilities of GIS beyond cartography. Geospatial analysts, emergency managers, and other decision makers who use GIS should take specific steps to improve decision making based on GIS for disaster response and emergency management.

Water environmental management with the aid of remote sensing and GIS technology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Xiaoling; Yuan, Zhongzhi; Li, Yok-Sheung; Song, Hong; Hou, Yingzi; Xu, Zhanhua; Liu, Honghua; Wai, Onyx W.

2005-01-01

Water environment is associated with many disciplinary fields including sciences and management which makes it difficult to study. Timely observation, data getting and analysis on water environment are very important for decision makers who play an important role to maintain the sustainable development. This study focused on developing a plateform of water environment management based on remote sensing and GIS technology, and its main target is to provide with necessary information on water environment through spatial analysis and visual display in a suitable way. The work especially focused on three points, and the first one is related to technical issues of spatial data organization and communication with a combination of GIS and statistical software. A data-related model was proposed to solve the data communication between the mentioned systems. The second one is spatio-temporal analysis based on remote sensing and GIS. Water quality parameters of suspended sediment concentration and BOD5 were specially analyzed in this case, and the results suggested an obvious influence of land source pollution quantitatively in a spatial domain. The third one is 3D visualization of surface feature based on RS and GIS technology. The Pearl River estuary and HongKong's coastal waters in the South China Sea were taken as a case in this study. The software ARCGIS was taken as a basic platform to develop a water environmental management system. The sampling data of water quality in 76 monitoring stations of coastal water bodies and remote sensed images were selected in this study.

Predicting habitat suitability for wildlife in southeastern Arizona using Geographic Information Systems: scaled quail, a case study

Treesearch

Kirby D. Bristow; Susan R. Boe; Richard A. Ockenfels

2005-01-01

Studies have used Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to evaluate habitat suitability for wildlife on a landscape scale, yet few have established the accuracy of these models. Based on documented habitat selection patterns of scaled quail (Callipepla squamata pallida), we produced GIS covers for several habitat parameters to create a map of...

Automatic recognition of seismic intensity based on RS and GIS: a case study in Wenchuan Ms8.0 earthquake of China.

PubMed

Zhang, Qiuwen; Zhang, Yan; Yang, Xiaohong; Su, Bin

2014-01-01

In recent years, earthquakes have frequently occurred all over the world, which caused huge casualties and economic losses. It is very necessary and urgent to obtain the seismic intensity map timely so as to master the distribution of the disaster and provide supports for quick earthquake relief. Compared with traditional methods of drawing seismic intensity map, which require many investigations in the field of earthquake area or are too dependent on the empirical formulas, spatial information technologies such as Remote Sensing (RS) and Geographical Information System (GIS) can provide fast and economical way to automatically recognize the seismic intensity. With the integrated application of RS and GIS, this paper proposes a RS/GIS-based approach for automatic recognition of seismic intensity, in which RS is used to retrieve and extract the information on damages caused by earthquake, and GIS is applied to manage and display the data of seismic intensity. The case study in Wenchuan Ms8.0 earthquake in China shows that the information on seismic intensity can be automatically extracted from remotely sensed images as quickly as possible after earthquake occurrence, and the Digital Intensity Model (DIM) can be used to visually query and display the distribution of seismic intensity.

GIS soil conservation planning: A case study of a pristine Central America watershed

Treesearch

Steven Shultz

2000-01-01

In the Pacuare River Watershed in Costa Rica, farm size, ownership, and production data were collected and spatially referenced through global positioning surveys and farmer assessments of property boundaries in relation to cadastral maps and air photographs. Using GIs based spatial overlays, this data were integrated with previously collected land use and land...

Estimating and mapping the incidence of dengue and chikungunya in Honduras during 2015 using Geographic Information Systems (GIS).

PubMed

Zambrano, Lysien I; Sierra, Manuel; Lara, Bredy; Rodríguez-Núñez, Iván; Medina, Marco T; Lozada-Riascos, Carlos O; Rodríguez-Morales, Alfonso J

Geographical information systems (GIS) use for development of epidemiological maps in dengue has been extensively used, however not in other emerging arboviral diseases, nor in Central America. Surveillance cases data (2015) were used to estimate annual incidence rates of dengue and chikungunya (cases/100,000 pop) to develop the first maps in the departments and municipalities of Honduras. The GIS software used was Kosmo Desktop 3.0RC1 ® . Four thematic maps were developed according departments, municipalities, diseases incidence rates. A total of 19,289 cases of dengue and 85,386 of chikungunya were reported (median, 726 cases/week for dengue and 1460 for chikungunya). Highest peaks were observed at weeks 25th and 27th, respectively. There was association between progression by weeks (p<0.0001). The cumulated crude national rate was estimated in 224.9 cases/100,000 pop for dengue and 995.6 for chikungunya. The incidence rates ratio between chikungunya and dengue is 4.42 (ranging in municipalities from 0.0 up to 893.0 [San Vicente Centenario]). Burden of both arboviral diseases is concentrated in capital Central District (>37%, both). Use of GIS-based epidemiological maps allow to guide decisions-taking for prevention and control of diseases that still represents significant issues in the region and the country, but also in emerging conditions. Copyright © 2016 King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Prediction of Floor Water Inrush: The Application of GIS-Based AHP Vulnerable Index Method to Donghuantuo Coal Mine, China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Qiang; Liu, Yuanzhang; Liu, Donghai; Zhou, Wanfang

2011-09-01

Floor water inrush represents a geohazard that can pose significant threat to safe operations for instance in coal mines in China and elsewhere. Its occurrence is controlled by many factors, and the processes are often not amenable to mathematical expressions. To evaluate the water inrush risk, the paper proposes the vulnerability index approach by coupling the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and geographic information system (GIS). The detailed procedures of using this innovative approach are shown in a case study in China (Donghuantuo Coal Mine). The powerful spatial data analysis functions of GIS was used to establish the thematic layer of each of the six factors that control the water inrush, and the contribution weights of each factor was determined with the AHP method. The established AHP evaluation model was used to determine the threshold value for each risk level with a histogram of the water inrush vulnerability index. As a result, the mine area was divided into five regions with different vulnerability levels which served as general guidelines for the mine operations. The prediction results were further corroborated with the actual mining data, and the evaluation result is satisfactory.

The Contribution of GIS to Display and Analyze the Water Quality Data Collected by a Wireless Sensor Network: Case of Bouregreg Catchment, Morocco

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boubakri, S.; Rhinane, H.

2017-11-01

The monitoring of water quality is, in most cases, managed in the laboratory and not on real time bases. Besides this process being lengthy, it doesn't provide the required specifications to describe the evolution of the quality parameters that are of interest. This study presents the integration of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) with wireless sensor networks (WSN) aiming to create a system able to detect the parameters like temperature, salinity and conductivity in a Moroccan catchment scale and transmit information to the support station. This Information is displayed and evaluated in a GIS using maps and spatial dashboard to monitor the water quality in real time.

A population-based case-control study of drinking-water nitrate and congenital anomalies using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to develop individual-level exposure estimates.

PubMed

Holtby, Caitlin E; Guernsey, Judith R; Allen, Alexander C; Vanleeuwen, John A; Allen, Victoria M; Gordon, Robert J

2014-02-05

Animal studies and epidemiological evidence suggest an association between prenatal exposure to drinking water with elevated nitrate (NO3-N) concentrations and incidence of congenital anomalies. This study used Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to derive individual-level prenatal drinking-water nitrate exposure estimates from measured nitrate concentrations from 140 temporally monitored private wells and 6 municipal water supplies. Cases of major congenital anomalies in Kings County, Nova Scotia, Canada, between 1988 and 2006 were selected from province-wide population-based perinatal surveillance databases and matched to controls from the same databases. Unconditional multivariable logistic regression was performed to test for an association between drinking-water nitrate exposure and congenital anomalies after adjusting for clinically relevant risk factors. Employing all nitrate data there was a trend toward increased risk of congenital anomalies for increased nitrate exposure levels though this was not statistically significant. After stratification of the data by conception before or after folic acid supplementation, an increased risk of congenital anomalies for nitrate exposure of 1.5-5.56 mg/L (2.44; 1.05-5.66) and a trend toward increased risk for >5.56 mg/L (2.25; 0.92-5.52) was found. Though the study is likely underpowered, these results suggest that drinking-water nitrate exposure may contribute to increased risk of congenital anomalies at levels below the current Canadian maximum allowable concentration.

A Population-Based Case-Control Study of Drinking-Water Nitrate and Congenital Anomalies Using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to Develop Individual-Level Exposure Estimates

PubMed Central

Holtby, Caitlin E.; Guernsey, Judith R.; Allen, Alexander C.; VanLeeuwen, John A.; Allen, Victoria M.; Gordon, Robert J.

2014-01-01

Animal studies and epidemiological evidence suggest an association between prenatal exposure to drinking water with elevated nitrate (NO3-N) concentrations and incidence of congenital anomalies. This study used Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to derive individual-level prenatal drinking-water nitrate exposure estimates from measured nitrate concentrations from 140 temporally monitored private wells and 6 municipal water supplies. Cases of major congenital anomalies in Kings County, Nova Scotia, Canada, between 1988 and 2006 were selected from province-wide population-based perinatal surveillance databases and matched to controls from the same databases. Unconditional multivariable logistic regression was performed to test for an association between drinking-water nitrate exposure and congenital anomalies after adjusting for clinically relevant risk factors. Employing all nitrate data there was a trend toward increased risk of congenital anomalies for increased nitrate exposure levels though this was not statistically significant. After stratification of the data by conception before or after folic acid supplementation, an increased risk of congenital anomalies for nitrate exposure of 1.5–5.56 mg/L (2.44; 1.05–5.66) and a trend toward increased risk for >5.56 mg/L (2.25; 0.92–5.52) was found. Though the study is likely underpowered, these results suggest that drinking-water nitrate exposure may contribute to increased risk of congenital anomalies at levels below the current Canadian maximum allowable concentration. PMID:24503976

Sharing knowledge of Planetary Datasets through the Web-Based PRoGIS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Giordano, M. G.; Morley, J. M.; Muller, J. P. M.; Barnes, R. B.; Tao, Y. T.

2015-10-01

The large amount of raw and derived data available from various planetary surface missions (e.g. Mars and Moon in our case) has been integrated withco-registered and geocoded orbital image data to provide rover traverses and camera site locations in universal global co-ordinates [1]. This then allows an integrated GIS to use these geocoded products for scientific applications: we aim to create a web interface, PRoGIS, with minimal controls focusing on the usability and visualisation of the data, to allow planetary geologists to share annotated surface observations. These observations in a common context are shared between different tools and software (PRoGIS, Pro3D, 3D point cloud viewer). Our aim is to use only Open Source components that integrate Open Web Services for planetary data to make available an universal platform with a WebGIS interface, as well as a 3D point cloud and a Panorama viewer to explore derived data. On top of these tools we are building capabilities to make and share annotations amongst users. We use Python and Django for the server-side framework and Open Layers 3 for the WebGIS client. For good performance previewing 3D data (point clouds, pictures on the surface and panoramas) we employ ThreeJS, a WebGL Javascript library. Additionally, user and group controls allow scientists to store and share their observations. PRoGIS not only displays data but also launches sophisticated 3D vision reprocessing (PRoVIP) and an immersive 3D analysis environment (PRo3D).

Management of Esophageal Food Impaction Varies Among Gastroenterologists and Affects Identification of Eosinophilic Esophagitis.

PubMed

Hiremath, Girish; Vaezi, Michael F; Gupta, Sandeep K; Acra, Sari; Dellon, Evan S

2018-06-01

Esophageal food impaction (EFI) is a gastrointestinal emergency requiring immediate evaluation in the emergency room (ER) and an esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) for disimpaction. EFI is also a distinct presenting feature of eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE). This study aimed at understanding the management of EFI among gastroenterologists (GIs) and estimated its impact on identification of EoE in USA. GIs associated with three major gastroenterology societies based in USA were invited to participate in a web-based survey. Information on the resources available and utilized, and the clinical decision-making process related to management of EFI cases was collected and analyzed. Of 428 responses, 49% were from pediatric GIs, 86% practiced in the USA, and 78% practiced in an academic setting. Compared to the pediatric GIs, adult GIs were more likely to perform EGD in the emergency room [OR 87.96 (25.43-304.16)] and advance the food bolus into stomach [5.58 (3.08-10.12)]. Only 34% of respondents obtained esophageal biopsies during EGD, and pediatric GIs were more likely to obtain esophageal biopsies [3.49 (1.12-10.84)] compared to adult GIs. In USA, by our conservative estimates, 10,494 patients presenting to ER with EFI and at risk of EoE are likely being missed each year. EFI management varies substantially among GIs associated with three major gastroenterology societies in USA. Based on their practice patterns, the GIs in USA are likely to miss numerous EoE patients presenting to ER with EFI. Our findings highlight the need for developing and disseminating evidence-based EFI management practice guidelines.

Challenges and Opportunities: One Stop Processing of Automatic Large-Scale Base Map Production Using Airborne LIDAR Data Within GIS Environment. Case Study: Makassar City, Indonesia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Widyaningrum, E.; Gorte, B. G. H.

2017-05-01

LiDAR data acquisition is recognized as one of the fastest solutions to provide basis data for large-scale topographical base maps worldwide. Automatic LiDAR processing is believed one possible scheme to accelerate the large-scale topographic base map provision by the Geospatial Information Agency in Indonesia. As a progressive advanced technology, Geographic Information System (GIS) open possibilities to deal with geospatial data automatic processing and analyses. Considering further needs of spatial data sharing and integration, the one stop processing of LiDAR data in a GIS environment is considered a powerful and efficient approach for the base map provision. The quality of the automated topographic base map is assessed and analysed based on its completeness, correctness, quality, and the confusion matrix.

Exploring childhood lead exposure through GIS: a review of the recent literature.

PubMed

Akkus, Cem; Ozdenerol, Esra

2014-06-18

Childhood exposure to lead remains a critical health control problem in the US. Integration of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) into childhood lead exposure studies significantly enhanced identifying lead hazards in the environment and determining at risk children. Research indicates that the toxic threshold for lead exposure was updated three times in the last four decades: 60 to 30 micrograms per deciliter (µg/dL) in 1975, 25 µg/dL in 1985, and 10 µb/dL in 1991. These changes revealed the extent of lead poisoning. By 2012 it was evident that no safe blood lead threshold for the adverse effects of lead on children had been identified and the Center for Disease Control (CDC) currently uses a reference value of 5 µg/dL. Review of the recent literature on GIS-based studies suggests that numerous environmental risk factors might be critical for lead exposure. New GIS-based studies are used in surveillance data management, risk analysis, lead exposure visualization, and community intervention strategies where geographically-targeted, specific intervention measures are taken.

Exploring Childhood Lead Exposure through GIS: A Review of the Recent Literature

PubMed Central

Akkus, Cem; Ozdenerol, Esra

2014-01-01

Childhood exposure to lead remains a critical health control problem in the US. Integration of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) into childhood lead exposure studies significantly enhanced identifying lead hazards in the environment and determining at risk children. Research indicates that the toxic threshold for lead exposure was updated three times in the last four decades: 60 to 30 micrograms per deciliter (µg/dL) in 1975, 25 µg/dL in 1985, and 10 µb/dL in 1991. These changes revealed the extent of lead poisoning. By 2012 it was evident that no safe blood lead threshold for the adverse effects of lead on children had been identified and the Center for Disease Control (CDC) currently uses a reference value of 5 µg/dL. Review of the recent literature on GIS-based studies suggests that numerous environmental risk factors might be critical for lead exposure. New GIS-based studies are used in surveillance data management, risk analysis, lead exposure visualization, and community intervention strategies where geographically-targeted, specific intervention measures are taken. PMID:24945189

Web-GIS oriented systems viability for municipal solid waste selective collection optimization in developed and transient economies

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Rada, E.C., E-mail: Elena.Rada@ing.unitn.it; Ragazzi, M.; Fedrizzi, P.

Highlights: ► As an appropriate solution for MSW management in developed and transient countries. ► As an option to increase the efficiency of MSW selective collection. ► As an opportunity to integrate MSW management needs and services inventories. ► As a tool to develop Urban Mining actions. - Abstract: Municipal solid waste management is a multidisciplinary activity that includes generation, source separation, storage, collection, transfer and transport, processing and recovery, and, last but not least, disposal. The optimization of waste collection, through source separation, is compulsory where a landfill based management must be overcome. In this paper, a few aspectsmore » related to the implementation of a Web-GIS based system are analyzed. This approach is critically analyzed referring to the experience of two Italian case studies and two additional extra-European case studies. The first case is one of the best examples of selective collection optimization in Italy. The obtained efficiency is very high: 80% of waste is source separated for recycling purposes. In the second reference case, the local administration is going to be faced with the optimization of waste collection through Web-GIS oriented technologies for the first time. The starting scenario is far from an optimized management of municipal solid waste. The last two case studies concern pilot experiences in China and Malaysia. Each step of the Web-GIS oriented strategy is comparatively discussed referring to typical scenarios of developed and transient economies. The main result is that transient economies are ready to move toward Web oriented tools for MSW management, but this opportunity is not yet well exploited in the sector.« less

The GIS map coloring support decision-making system based on case-based reasoning and simulated annealing algorithm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deng, Shuang; Xiang, Wenting; Tian, Yangge

2009-10-01

Map coloring is a hard task even to the experienced map experts. In the GIS project, usually need to color map according to the customer, which make the work more complex. With the development of GIS, more and more programmers join the project team, which lack the training of cartology, their coloring map are harder to meet the requirements of customer. From the experience, customers with similar background usually have similar tastes for coloring map. So, we developed a GIS color scheme decision-making system which can select color schemes of similar customers from case base for customers to select and adjust. The system is a BS/CS mixed system, the client side use JSP and make it possible for the system developers to go on remote calling of the colors scheme cases in the database server and communicate with customers. Different with general case-based reasoning, even the customers are very similar, their selection may have difference, it is hard to provide a "best" option. So, we select the Simulated Annealing Algorithm (SAA) to arrange the emergence order of different color schemes. Customers can also dynamically adjust certain features colors based on existing case. The result shows that the system can facilitate the communication between the designers and the customers and improve the quality and efficiency of coloring map.

Risk factors, prevalence trend, and clustering of hypospadias cases in Puerto Rico.

PubMed

Avilés, Luis A; Alvelo-Maldonado, Laureane; Padró-Mojica, Irmari; Seguinot, José; Jorge, Juan Carlos

2014-12-01

The aim was to determine the distribution pattern of hypospadias cases across a well-defined geographic space. The dataset for this study was produced by the Birth Defects Prevention and Surveillance System of the Department of Health of Puerto Rico (BDSS-PR), which linked the information of male newborns of the Puerto Rico Birth Cohort dataset (PRBC; n=92,285) from 2007 to 2010. A population-based case-control study was conducted to determine prevalence trend and to estimate the potential effects of maternal age, paternal age, birth-related variables, and health insurance status on hypospadias. Two types of geographic information systems (GIS) methods (Anselin Local Moran's I and Getis-Ord G) were used to determine the spatial distribution of hypospadias prevalence. Birthweight (<2500 g), age of mother (40+years), and private health insurance were associated with hypospadias as confirmed with univariate and multivariate analyses at 95% CI. A cluster of hypospadias cases was detected in the north-central region of Puerto Rico with both GIS methods (p≤0.05). The clustering of hypospadias prevalence provides an opportunity to assess the underlying causes of the condition and their relationships with geographical space. Copyright © 2014 Journal of Pediatric Urology Company. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

An ArcGIS decision support tool for artificial reefs site selection (ArcGIS ARSS)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stylianou, Stavros; Zodiatis, George

2017-04-01

Although the use and benefits of artificial reefs, both socio-economic and environmental, have been recognized with research and national development programmes worldwide their development is rarely subjected to a rigorous site selection process and the majority of the projects use the traditional (non-GIS) approach, based on trial and error mode. Recent studies have shown that the use of Geographic Information Systems, unlike to traditional methods, for the identification of suitable areas for artificial reefs siting seems to offer a number of distinct advantages minimizing possible errors, time and cost. A decision support tool (DSS) has been developed based on the existing knowledge, the multi-criteria decision analysis techniques and the GIS approach used in previous studies in order to help the stakeholders to identify the optimal locations for artificial reefs deployment on the basis of the physical, biological, oceanographic and socio-economic features of the sites. The tool provides to the users the ability to produce a final report with the results and suitability maps. The ArcGIS ARSS support tool runs within the existing ArcMap 10.2.x environment and for the development the VB .NET high level programming language has been used along with ArcObjects 10.2.x. Two local-scale case studies were conducted in order to test the application of the tool focusing on artificial reef siting. The results obtained from the case studies have shown that the tool can be successfully integrated within the site selection process in order to select objectively the optimal site for artificial reefs deployment.

Utilizing mobile technology in GIS education: A case study of using iPad and iBooks in fieldwork and location based exercises

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chuang, Yi-Ting

The advancement of mobile computing technology has provided diverse way for education. Combination of mobile devices and GIS tools has become a trend in many geospatial technology applications (i.e., Google Maps application on smartphones). This research aims to develop an iBook prototype (a GIS textbook) for GIS education on Apple iPads and to evaluate the effectiveness of adopting the GIS iBook in classes and fieldwork exercises. We conducted the evaluation tests in two GIS courses (GEOG104 and GEOG381) in Fall 2014 at San Diego State University. There are two main research questions in this study: (1) How to assess and evaluate the effectiveness of location-based learning exercises (from iBook) and fieldwork exercises for first-time GIS students? (2) What were major technical challenges and opportunities to utilize mobile device and mobile technology in GIS education? The procedures of developing and evaluating the prototype of the GIS iBook include creating two new chapters (chapter three: Wander the World through Remote Sensing Data and chapter four: Internet and Mobile GIS), interviewing five educators from high schools and community colleges, and improving the contents of the GIS iBook after the interview. There were 31 students who tested the GIS iBook and did a fieldwork exercise with iPads. The 31 students were required to finish five questionnaires after the exercise to express their user experiences and thoughts about the GIS iBook. Based on the result of questionnaires, most students preferred to take GIS classes with the free GIS iBook and thought fieldwork exercise can help their learning. The students also performed better in knowledge oriented survey after reading the GIS iBook. This research also adopts the SWOT analysis method to evaluate the prototype of the GIS iBook. The result of the SWOT analysis indicates that utilizing mobile device in GIS education does have a great potential value in enhancing student's understanding. The strengths of utilizing mobile device in GIS education include portability, easy update contents and abundant free development resources, while the weaknesses include distracting multimedia widgets, lack of Internet access, and security issues. The opportunities of SWOT analysis include financial plan for iPads and lack of competitors, while the threats include higher price and incompatibility of iBooks on other tablet computers. The major limitations and key challenges are limited survey time, small sample size, and technical difficulties of developing the GIS iBook.

A GIS-based modeling system for petroleum waste management. Geographical information system.

PubMed

Chen, Z; Huang, G H; Li, J B

2003-01-01

With an urgent need for effective management of petroleum-contaminated sites, a GIS-aided simulation (GISSIM) system is presented in this study. The GISSIM contains two components: an advanced 3D numerical model and a geographical information system (GIS), which are integrated within a general framework. The modeling component undertakes simulation for the fate of contaminants in subsurface unsaturated and saturated zones. The GIS component is used in three areas throughout the system development and implementation process: (i) managing spatial and non-spatial databases; (ii) linking inputs, model, and outputs; and (iii) providing an interface between the GISSIM and its users. The developed system is applied to a North American case study. Concentrations of benzene, toluene, and xylenes in groundwater under a petroleum-contaminated site are dynamically simulated. Reasonable outputs have been obtained and presented graphically. They provide quantitative and scientific bases for further assessment of site-contamination impacts and risks, as well as decisions on practical remediation actions.

GIS based 3D visualization of subsurface and surface lineaments / faults and their geological significance, northern tamil nadu, India

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saravanavel, J.; Ramasamy, S. M.

2014-11-01

The study area falls in the southern part of the Indian Peninsular comprising hard crystalline rocks of Archaeozoic and Proterozoic Era. In the present study, the GIS based 3D visualizations of gravity, magnetic, resistivity and topographic datasets were made and therefrom the basement lineaments, shallow subsurface lineaments and surface lineaments/faults were interpreted. These lineaments were classified as category-1 i.e. exclusively surface lineaments, category-2 i.e. surface lineaments having connectivity with shallow subsurface lineaments and category-3 i.e. surface lineaments having connectivity with shallow subsurface lineaments and basement lineaments. These three classified lineaments were analyzed in conjunction with known mineral occurrences and historical seismicity of the study area in GIS environment. The study revealed that the category-3 NNE-SSW to NE-SW lineaments have greater control over the mineral occurrences and the N-S, NNE-SSW and NE-SW, faults/lineaments control the seismicities in the study area.

Soil erosion modeled with USLE, GIS, and remote sensing: a case study of Ikkour watershed in Middle Atlas (Morocco)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

El Jazouli, Aafaf; Barakat, Ahmed; Ghafiri, Abdessamad; El Moutaki, Saida; Ettaqy, Abderrahim; Khellouk, Rida

2017-12-01

The Ikkour watershed located in the Middle Atlas Mountain (Morocco) has been a subject of serious soil erosion problems. This study aimed to assess the soil erosion susceptibility in this mountainous watershed using Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE) and spectral indices integrated with Geographic Information System (GIS) environment. The USLE model required the integration of thematic factors' maps which are rainfall aggressiveness, length and steepness of the slope, vegetation cover, soil erodibility, and erosion control practices. These factors were calculated using remote sensing data and GIS. The USLE-based assessment showed that the estimated total annual potential soil loss was about 70.66 ton ha-1 year-1. This soil loss is favored by the steep slopes and degraded vegetation cover. The spectral index method, offering a qualitative evaluation of water erosion, showed different degrees of soil degradation in the study watershed according to FI, BI, CI, and NDVI. The results of this study displayed an agreement between the USLE model and spectral index approach, and indicated that the predicted soil erosion rate can be due to the most rugged land topography and an increase in agricultural areas. Indeed, these results can further assist the decision makers in implementation of suitable conservation program to reduce soil erosion.

GIS and Remote Sensing Use in the Exploration of Lyme Disease Epidemiology

PubMed Central

Ozdenerol, Esra

2015-01-01

Given the relatively recent recognition of Lyme disease (LD) by CDC in 1990 as a nationally notifiable infectious condition, the rise of reported human cases every year argues for a better understanding of its geographic scope. The aim of this inquiry was to explore research conducted on spatiotemporal patterns of Lyme disease in order to identify strategies for implementing vector and reservoir-targeted interventions. The focus of this review is on the use of GIS-based methods to study populations of the reservoir hosts, vectors and humans in addition to the spatiotemporal interactions between these populations. New GIS-based studies are monitoring occurrence at the macro-level, and helping pinpoint areas of occurrence at the micro-level, where spread within populations of reservoir hosts, clusters of infected ticks and tick to human transmission may be better understood. PMID:26633445

Pesticide exposure and hepatocellular carcinoma risk: A case-control study using a geographic information system (GIS) to link SEER-Medicare and California pesticide data.

PubMed

VoPham, Trang; Brooks, Maria M; Yuan, Jian-Min; Talbott, Evelyn O; Ruddell, Darren; Hart, Jaime E; Chang, Chung-Chou H; Weissfeld, Joel L

2015-11-01

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the most common type of primary liver cancer, is associated with low survival. U.S. studies examining self-reported pesticide exposure in relation to HCC have demonstrated inconclusive results. We aimed to clarify the association between pesticide exposure and HCC by implementing a novel data linkage between Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER)-Medicare and California Pesticide Use Report (PUR) data using a geographic information system (GIS). Controls were frequency-matched to HCC cases diagnosed between 2000 and 2009 in California by year, age, race, sex, and duration of residence in California. Potential confounders were extracted from Medicare claims. From 1974 to 2008, pounds (1 pound represents 0.45 kg) of applied organophosphate, organochlorine, and carbamate pesticides provided in PURs were aggregated to the ZIP Code level using area weighting in a GIS. ZIP Code exposure estimates were linked to subjects using Medicare-provided ZIP Codes to calculate pesticide exposure. Agricultural residents were defined as living in ZIP Codes with a majority area intersecting agricultural land cover according to the 1992, 2001, and 2006 National Land Cover Database (NLCD) rasters. Multivariable conditional logistic regression was used to estimate the association between pesticide exposure and HCC. Among California residents of agriculturally intensive areas, previous annual ZIP Code-level exposure to over 14.53 kg/km(2) of organochlorine pesticides (75(th) percentile among controls) was associated with an increased risk of HCC after adjusting for liver disease and diabetes (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 1.87, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.17, 2.99; p=0.0085). ZIP Code-level organochlorines were significantly associated with an increased risk of HCC among males (adjusted OR 2.76, 95% CI 1.58, 4.82; p=0.0004), but not associated with HCC among females (adjusted OR 0.83, 95% CI 0.35, 1.93; p=0.6600) (interaction p=0.0075). This is the first epidemiologic study to use GIS-based exposure estimates to study pesticide exposure and HCC. Our results suggest that organochlorine pesticides are associated with an increase in HCC risk among males but not females. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Pesticide exposure and hepatocellular carcinoma risk: a case-control study using a geographic information system (GIS) to link SEER-Medicare and California pesticide data

PubMed Central

VoPham, Trang; Brooks, Maria M.; Yuan, Jian-Min; Talbott, Evelyn O.; Ruddell, Darren; Hart, Jaime E.; Chang, Chung-Chou H.; Weissfeld, Joel L.

2015-01-01

Background Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the most common type of primary liver cancer, is associated with low survival. U.S. studies examining self-reported pesticide exposure in relation to HCC have demonstrated inconclusive results. We aimed to clarify the association between pesticide exposure and HCC by implementing a novel data linkage between Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER)-Medicare and California Pesticide Use Report (PUR) data using a geographic information system (GIS). Methods Controls were frequency-matched to HCC cases diagnosed between 2000 and 2009 in California by year, age, race, sex, and duration of residence in California. Potential confounders were extracted from Medicare claims. From 1974 to 2008, pounds (1 pound represents 0.45 kg) of applied organophosphate, organochlorine, and carbamate pesticides provided in PURs were aggregated to the ZIP Code level using area weighting in a GIS. ZIP Code exposure estimates were linked to subjects using Medicare-provided ZIP Codes to calculate pesticide exposure. Agricultural residents were defined as living in ZIP Codes with a majority area intersecting agricultural land cover according to the 1992, 2001, and 2006 National Land Cover Database (NLCD) rasters. Multivariable conditional logistic regression was used to estimate the association between pesticide exposure and HCC. Results Among California residents of agriculturally intensive areas, previous annual ZIP Code-level exposure to over 14.53 kg/km2 of organochlorine pesticides (75th percentile among controls) was associated with an increased risk of HCC after adjusting for liver disease and diabetes (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 1.87, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.17, 2.99; p=0.0085). ZIP Code-level organochlorines were significantly associated with an increased risk of HCC among males (adjusted OR 2.76, 95% CI 1.58, 4.82; p=0.0004), but not associated with HCC among females (adjusted OR 0.83, 95% CI 0.35, 1.93; p=0.6600) (interaction p=0.0075). Conclusions This is the first epidemiologic study to use GIS-based exposure estimates to study pesticide exposure and HCC. Our results suggest that organochlorine pesticides are associated with an increase in HCC risk among males but not females. PMID:26451881

Geographical Indications, "Terroir", and Socioeconomic and Ecological Sustainability: The Case of Tequila

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bowen, Sarah; Zapata, Ana Valenzuela

2009-01-01

In this paper, we use the case of tequila to examine the potential for geographical indications (GIs) to contribute to socioeconomic and environmental sustainability. GIs are place-based names (e.g., Champagne, Roquefort) that convey the geographical origin, as well as the cultural and historical identity, of agricultural products. The GI for…

Designing and Implementing an Online GIS Tool for Schools: The Finnish Case of the PaikkaOppi Project

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Riihelä, Juha; Mäki, Sanna

2015-01-01

This article describes initiatives implemented in Finland to create an online learning environment for studying geographic information systems (GIS). A development project produced an online GIS tool called PaikkaOppi, aimed at promoting GIS studies and spatial thinking skills in upper secondary schools. The project is reviewed through analysis of…

GIS-based agroecological assessment of land suitability for food crop development at a regional scale: A study case of Buton Island.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ramlan, A.; Baja, S.; Arif, S.; Neswati, R.

2018-05-01

Agriculture has long become a prime sector for regional development in Buton Island, although local government emphasis on perennial crops. Food crop have been developed in very limited land areas, mainly on transmigration areas, as parts of central government programs. Today, the central government has launched a national strategic program on food self-sufficiency and has imposed the local government to optimize available land for cultivating food crop. The primary aim of study is to develop rapid assessment on a spatial basis using GIS for agricultural land suitability evaluation of agriculture commodities, i.e., rice (irrigated paddy field, rainfed rice) and corn (Zea maize L.). The study was undertaken using the following procedures: (i) conducting reconnaissance soil survey based on land units; (ii) constructing soil database in a GIS; and (iii) classifying land suitability using the FAO method. Spatial data were generated from digital topographic map, soil survey, soil characteristics, as well as climate data. Preliminary results indicate that quite large area available for food crop cultivation both in the context of land suitability (mostly in S2 and S3 classes) and land availability. All data bases were managed in GIS, then it is amenable to various operations in GIS to accommodate possible additional assessment including socio-economic and policy assessment.

Building a functional, integrated GIS/remote sensing resource analysis and planning system. [Utah

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ridd, M. K.; Wheeler, D. J.

1985-01-01

To be an effective tool for resource analysis and planning, a geographic information system (GIS) needs to be integrated with a digital remote sensing capability. To be truly functional, the paired system must be driven by grass roots local needs. A case study couched in a Soil Conservation District in northern Utah is presented. Agency representatives determined that the most fundamental data sets to be entered into the GIS system analysis system in the first round were: land use/land cover; geomorphic/soil unit data; hydrologic unit data; and digital terrain. The least expensive and best ways to obtain these data were determined. Data were acquired and formatted to enter the state's PRIME/ARC-INFO GIS, and are being interrogated for resource management decisions related to such issues as agricultural preservation, urban expansion, soil erosion control, and dam siting.

Application of Geographic Information System (GIS) to Model the Hydrocarbon Migration: Case Study from North-East Malay Basin, Malaysia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rudini; Nasir Matori, Abd; Talib, Jasmi Ab; Balogun, Abdul-Lateef

2018-03-01

The purpose of this study is to model the migration of hydrocarbon using Geographic Information System (GIS). Understanding hydrocarbon migration is important since it can mean the difference between success and failure in oil and gas exploration project. The hydrocarbon migration modeling using geophysical method is still not accurate due to the limitations of available data. In recent years, GIS has emerged as a powerful tool for subsurface mapping and analysis. Recent studies have been carried out about the abilities of GIS to model hydrocarbon migration. Recent advances in GIS support the establishment and monitoring of prediction hydrocarbon migration. The concept, model, and calculation are based on the current geological situation. The spatial data of hydrocarbon reservoirs is determined by its geometry of lithology and geophysical attributes. Top of Group E horizon of north-east Malay basin was selected as the study area due to the occurrence of hydrocarbon migration. Spatial data and attributes data such as seismic data, wells log data and lithology were acquired and processed. Digital Elevation Model (DEM) was constructed from the selected horizon as a result of seismic interpretation using the Petrel software. Furthermore, DEM was processed in ArcGIS as a base map to shown hydrocarbon migration in north-east Malay Basin. Finally, all the data layers were overlaid to produce a map of hydrocarbon migration. A good data was imported to verify the model is correct.

Teaching Thousands with Cloud-based GIS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gould, Michael; DiBiase, David; Beale, Linda

2016-04-01

Teaching Thousands with Cloud-based GIS Educators often draw a distinction between "teaching about GIS" and "teaching with GIS." Teaching about GIS involves helping students learn what GIS is, what it does, and how it works. On the other hand, teaching with GIS involves using the technology as a means to achieve education objectives in the sciences, social sciences, professional disciplines like engineering and planning, and even the humanities. The same distinction applies to CyberGIS. Understandably, early efforts to develop CyberGIS curricula and educational resources tend to be concerned primarily with CyberGIS itself. However, if CyberGIS becomes as functional, usable and scalable as it aspires to be, teaching with CyberGIS has the potential to enable large and diverse global audiences to perform spatial analysis using hosted data, mapping and analysis services all running in the cloud. Early examples of teaching tens of thousands of students across the globe with cloud-based GIS include the massive open online courses (MOOCs) offered by Penn State University and others, as well as the series of MOOCs more recently developed and offered by Esri. In each case, ArcGIS Online was used to help students achieve educational objectives in subjects like business, geodesign, geospatial intelligence, and spatial analysis, as well as mapping. Feedback from the more than 100,000 total student participants to date, as well as from the educators and staff who supported these offerings, suggest that online education with cloud-based GIS is scalable to very large audiences. Lessons learned from the course design, development, and delivery of these early examples may be useful in informing the continuing development of CyberGIS education. While MOOCs may have passed the peak of their "hype cycle" in higher education, the phenomenon they revealed persists: namely, a global mass market of educated young adults who turn to free online education to expand their horizons. The ability of CyberGIS to attract and effectively serve this market may be one measure of its success.

Flood area and damage estimation in Zhejiang, China.

PubMed

Liu, Renyi; Liu, Nan

2002-09-01

A GIS-based method to estimate flood area and damage is presented in this paper, which is oriented to developing countries like China, where labor is readily available for GIS data collecting, and tools such as, HEC-GeoRAS might not be readily available. At present local authorities in developing countries are often not predisposed to pay for commercial GIS platforms. To calculate flood area, two cases, non-source flood and source flood, are distinguished and a seed-spread algorithm suitable for source-flooding is described. The flood damage estimation is calculated in raster format by overlaying the flood area range with thematic maps and relating this to other socioeconomic data. Several measures used to improve the geometric accuracy and computing efficiency are presented. The management issues related to the application of this method, including the cost-effectiveness of approximate method in practice and supplementing two technical lines (self-programming and adopting commercial GIS software) to each other, are also discussed. The applications show that this approach has practical significance to flood fighting and control in developing countries like China.

PBL-GIS in Secondary Geography Education: Does It Result in Higher-Order Learning Outcomes?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liu, Yan; Bui, Elisabeth N.; Chang, Chew-Hung; Lossman, Hans G.

2010-01-01

This article presents research on evaluating problem-based learning using GIS technology in a Singapore secondary school. A quasi-experimental research design was carried to test the PBL pedagogy (PBL-GIS) with an experimental group of students and compare their learning outcomes with a control group who were exposed to PBL but not GIS. The…

Security attack detection algorithm for electric power gis system based on mobile application

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Chao; Feng, Renjun; Wang, Liming; Huang, Wei; Guo, Yajuan

2017-05-01

Electric power GIS is one of the key information technologies to satisfy the power grid construction in China, and widely used in power grid construction planning, weather, and power distribution management. The introduction of electric power GIS based on mobile applications is an effective extension of the geographic information system that has been widely used in the electric power industry. It provides reliable, cheap and sustainable power service for the country. The accurate state estimation is the important conditions to maintain the normal operation of the electric power GIS. Recent research has shown that attackers can inject the complex false data into the power system. The injection attack of this new type of false data (load integrity attack LIA) can successfully bypass the routine detection to achieve the purpose of attack, so that the control center will make a series of wrong decision. Eventually, leading to uneven distribution of power in the grid. In order to ensure the safety of the electric power GIS system based on mobile application, it is very important to analyze the attack mechanism and propose a new type of attack, and to study the corresponding detection method and prevention strategy in the environment of electric power GIS system based on mobile application.

Free and simple GIS as appropriate for health mapping in a low resource setting: a case study in eastern Indonesia.

PubMed

Fisher, Rohan P; Myers, Bronwyn A

2011-02-25

Despite the demonstrated utility of GIS for health applications, there are perceived problems in low resource settings: GIS software can be expensive and complex; input data are often of low quality. This study aimed to test the appropriateness of new, inexpensive and simple GIS tools in poorly resourced areas of a developing country. GIS applications were trialled in pilot studies based on mapping of health resources and health indicators at the clinic and district level in the predominantly rural province of Nusa Tenggara Timur in eastern Indonesia. The pilot applications were (i) rapid field collection of health infrastructure data using a GPS enabled PDA, (ii) mapping health indicator data using open source GIS software, and (iii) service availability mapping using a free modelling tool. Through contextualised training, district and clinic staff acquired skills in spatial analysis and visualisation and, six months after the pilot studies, they were using these skills for advocacy in the planning process, to inform the allocation of some health resources, and to evaluate some public health initiatives. We demonstrated that GIS can be a useful and inexpensive tool for the decentralisation of health data analysis to low resource settings through the use of free and simple software, locally relevant training materials and by providing data collection tools to ensure data reliability.

Free and simple GIS as appropriate for health mapping in a low resource setting: a case study in eastern Indonesia

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background Despite the demonstrated utility of GIS for health applications, there are perceived problems in low resource settings: GIS software can be expensive and complex; input data are often of low quality. This study aimed to test the appropriateness of new, inexpensive and simple GIS tools in poorly resourced areas of a developing country. GIS applications were trialled in pilot studies based on mapping of health resources and health indicators at the clinic and district level in the predominantly rural province of Nusa Tenggara Timur in eastern Indonesia. The pilot applications were (i) rapid field collection of health infrastructure data using a GPS enabled PDA, (ii) mapping health indicator data using open source GIS software, and (iii) service availability mapping using a free modelling tool. Results Through contextualised training, district and clinic staff acquired skills in spatial analysis and visualisation and, six months after the pilot studies, they were using these skills for advocacy in the planning process, to inform the allocation of some health resources, and to evaluate some public health initiatives. Conclusions We demonstrated that GIS can be a useful and inexpensive tool for the decentralisation of health data analysis to low resource settings through the use of free and simple software, locally relevant training materials and by providing data collection tools to ensure data reliability. PMID:21352553

Nation-Wide, Web-Based, Geographic Information System for the Integrated Surveillance and Control of Dengue Fever in Mexico

PubMed Central

Hernández-Ávila, Juan Eugenio; Rodríguez, Mario-Henry; Santos-Luna, René; Sánchez-Castañeda, Veronica; Román-Pérez, Susana; Ríos-Salgado, Víctor Hugo; Salas-Sarmiento, Jesús Alberto

2013-01-01

Dengue fever incidence and its geographical distribution are increasing throughout the world. Quality and timely information is essential for its prevention and control. A web based, geographically enabled, dengue integral surveillance system (Dengue-GIS) was developed for the nation-wide collection, integration, analysis and reporting of geo-referenced epidemiologic, entomologic, and control interventions data. Consensus in the design and practical operation of the system was a key factor for its acceptance. Working with information systems already implemented as a starting point facilitated its acceptance by officials and operative personnel. Dengue-GIS provides the geographical detail needed to plan, asses and evaluate the impact of control activities. The system is beginning to be adopted as a knowledge base by vector control programs. It is used to generate evidence on impact and cost-effectiveness of control activities, promoting the use of information for decision making at all levels of the vector control program. Dengue-GIS has also been used as a hypothesis generator for the academic community. This GIS-based model system for dengue surveillance and the experience gathered during its development and implementation could be useful in other dengue endemic countries and extended to other infectious or chronic diseases. PMID:23936394

Approach to spatial information security based on digital certificate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cong, Shengri; Zhang, Kai; Chen, Baowen

2005-11-01

With the development of the online applications of geographic information systems (GIS) and the spatial information services, the spatial information security becomes more important. This work introduced digital certificates and authorization schemes into GIS to protect the crucial spatial information combining the techniques of the role-based access control (RBAC), the public key infrastructure (PKI) and the privilege management infrastructure (PMI). We investigated the spatial information granularity suited for sensitivity marking and digital certificate model that fits the need of GIS security based on the semantics analysis of spatial information. It implements a secure, flexible, fine-grained data access based on public technologies in GIS in the world.

A GIS-based atmospheric dispersion model for pollutants emitted by complex source areas.

PubMed

Teggi, Sergio; Costanzini, Sofia; Ghermandi, Grazia; Malagoli, Carlotta; Vinceti, Marco

2018-01-01

Gaussian dispersion models are widely used to simulate the concentrations and deposition fluxes of pollutants emitted by source areas. Very often, the calculation time limits the number of sources and receptors and the geometry of the sources must be simple and without holes. This paper presents CAREA, a new GIS-based Gaussian model for complex source areas. CAREA was coded in the Python language, and is largely based on a simplified formulation of the very popular and recognized AERMOD model. The model allows users to define in a GIS environment thousands of gridded or scattered receptors and thousands of complex sources with hundreds of vertices and holes. CAREA computes ground level, or near ground level, concentrations and dry deposition fluxes of pollutants. The input/output and the runs of the model can be completely managed in GIS environment (e.g. inside a GIS project). The paper presents the CAREA formulation and its applications to very complex test cases. The tests shows that the processing time are satisfactory and that the definition of sources and receptors and the output retrieval are quite easy in a GIS environment. CAREA and AERMOD are compared using simple and reproducible test cases. The comparison shows that CAREA satisfactorily reproduces AERMOD simulations and is considerably faster than AERMOD. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

a 3d GIS Method Applied to Cataloging and Restoring: the Case of Aurelian Walls at Rome

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Canciani, M.; Ceniccola, V.; Messi, M.; Saccone, M.; Zampilli, M.

2013-07-01

The project involves architecture, archaeology, restoration, graphic documentation and computer imaging. The objective is development of a method for documentation of an architectural feature, based on a three-dimensional model obtained through laser scanning technologies, linked to a database developed in GIS environment. The case study concerns a short section of Rome's Aurelian walls, including the Porta Latina. The city walls are Rome's largest single architectural monument, subject to continuous deterioration, modification and maintenance since their original construction beginning in 271 AD. The documentation system provides a flexible, precise and easily-applied instrument for recording the full appearance, materials, stratification palimpsest and conservation status, in order to identify restoration criteria and intervention priorities, and to monitor and control the use and conservation of the walls over time. The project began with an analysis and documentation campaign integrating direct, traditional recording methods with indirect, topographic instrument and 3D laser scanning recording. These recording systems permitted development of a geographic information system based on three-dimensional modelling of separate, individual elements, linked to a database and related to the various stratigraphic horizons, the construction techniques, the component materials and their state of degradation. The investigations of the extant wall fabric were further compared to historic documentation, from both graphic and descriptive sources. The resulting model constitutes the core of the GIS system for this specific monument. The methodology is notable for its low cost, precision, practicality and thoroughness, and can be applied to the entire Aurelian wall and to other monuments.

Anaerobic co-digestion plants for the revaluation of agricultural waste: Sustainable location sites from a GIS analysis.

PubMed

Villamar, Cristina Alejandra; Rivera, Diego; Aguayo, Mauricio

2016-04-01

The aim of this study was to establish sustainably feasible areas for the implementation of anaerobic co-digestion plants for agricultural wastes (cattle/swine slurries and cereal crop wastes). The methodology was based on the use of geographic information systems (GIS), the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and map algebra generated from hedges related to environmental, social and economic constraints. The GIS model obtained was applied to a region of Chile (Bío Bío Region) as a case study showing the energy potential (205 MW-h) of agricultural wastes (swine/cattle manures and cereal crop wastes) and thereby assessing its energy contribution (3.5%) at country level (Chile). From this model, it was possible to spatially identify the influence of each factor (environmental, economic and social) when defining suitable areas for the siting of anaerobic co-digestion plants. In conclusion, GIS-based models establish appropriate areas for the location of anaerobic co-digestion plants in the revaluation of agricultural waste from the production of energy through biogas production. © The Author(s) 2016.

RockFall analyst: A GIS extension for three-dimensional and spatially distributed rockfall hazard modeling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lan, Hengxing; Derek Martin, C.; Lim, C. H.

2007-02-01

Geographic information system (GIS) modeling is used in combination with three-dimensional (3D) rockfall process modeling to assess rockfall hazards. A GIS extension, RockFall Analyst (RA), which is capable of effectively handling large amounts of geospatial information relative to rockfall behaviors, has been developed in ArcGIS using ArcObjects and C#. The 3D rockfall model considers dynamic processes on a cell plane basis. It uses inputs of distributed parameters in terms of raster and polygon features created in GIS. Two major components are included in RA: particle-based rockfall process modeling and geostatistics-based rockfall raster modeling. Rockfall process simulation results, 3D rockfall trajectories and their velocity features either for point seeders or polyline seeders are stored in 3D shape files. Distributed raster modeling, based on 3D rockfall trajectories and a spatial geostatistical technique, represents the distribution of spatial frequency, the flying and/or bouncing height, and the kinetic energy of falling rocks. A distribution of rockfall hazard can be created by taking these rockfall characteristics into account. A barrier analysis tool is also provided in RA to aid barrier design. An application of these modeling techniques to a case study is provided. The RA has been tested in ArcGIS 8.2, 8.3, 9.0 and 9.1.

GIS-based intersection inventory system (GIS-IIS) : integrating GIS, traffic signal data and intersection images

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2005-02-25

This study developed a GIS-based Intersection Inventory System (GIS-IIS) for the signalized : intersections on the state-maintained highway system of IDOT District 6. GIS-IIS is a tool to have an : easy access to intersection inventory data, photogra...

Using Web-Based GIS in Introductory Human Geography

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Songer, Lynn C.

2010-01-01

Advocates for using a geographic information system (GIS) in education assert that GIS improves student learning. However, studies to clarify the relationship between learning and using GIS are still needed. This study examines the effects of using Web-based GIS maps in place of paper maps on students' geography content knowledge and motivation…

Development of a GIS-based spill management information system.

PubMed

Martin, Paul H; LeBoeuf, Eugene J; Daniel, Edsel B; Dobbins, James P; Abkowitz, Mark D

2004-08-30

Spill Management Information System (SMIS) is a geographic information system (GIS)-based decision support system designed to effectively manage the risks associated with accidental or intentional releases of a hazardous material into an inland waterway. SMIS provides critical planning and impact information to emergency responders in anticipation of, or following such an incident. SMIS couples GIS and database management systems (DBMS) with the 2-D surface water model CE-QUAL-W2 Version 3.1 and the air contaminant model Computer-Aided Management of Emergency Operations (CAMEO) while retaining full GIS risk analysis and interpretive capabilities. Live 'real-time' data links are established within the spill management software to utilize current meteorological information and flowrates within the waterway. Capabilities include rapid modification of modeling conditions to allow for immediate scenario analysis and evaluation of 'what-if' scenarios. The functionality of the model is illustrated through a case study of the Cheatham Reach of the Cumberland River near Nashville, TN.

BMP analysis system for watershed-based stormwater management.

PubMed

Zhen, Jenny; Shoemaker, Leslie; Riverson, John; Alvi, Khalid; Cheng, Mow-Soung

2006-01-01

Best Management Practices (BMPs) are measures for mitigating nonpoint source (NPS) pollution caused mainly by stormwater runoff. Established urban and newly developing areas must develop cost effective means for restoring or minimizing impacts, and planning future growth. Prince George's County in Maryland, USA, a fast-growing region in the Washington, DC metropolitan area, has developed a number of tools to support analysis and decision making for stormwater management planning and design at the watershed level. These tools support watershed analysis, innovative BMPs, and optimization. Application of these tools can help achieve environmental goals and lead to significant cost savings. This project includes software development that utilizes GIS information and technology, integrates BMP processes simulation models, and applies system optimization techniques for BMP planning and selection. The system employs the ESRI ArcGIS as the platform, and provides GIS-based visualization and support for developing networks including sequences of land uses, BMPs, and stream reaches. The system also provides interfaces for BMP placement, BMP attribute data input, and decision optimization management. The system includes a stand-alone BMP simulation and evaluation module, which complements both research and regulatory nonpoint source control assessment efforts, and allows flexibility in the examining various BMP design alternatives. Process based simulation of BMPs provides a technique that is sensitive to local climate and rainfall patterns. The system incorporates a meta-heuristic optimization technique to find the most cost-effective BMP placement and implementation plan given a control target, or a fixed cost. A case study is presented to demonstrate the application of the Prince George's County system. The case study involves a highly urbanized area in the Anacostia River (a tributary to Potomac River) watershed southeast of Washington, DC. An innovative system of management practices is proposed to minimize runoff, improve water quality, and provide water reuse opportunities. Proposed management techniques include bioretention, green roof, and rooftop runoff collection (rain barrel) systems. The modeling system was used to identify the most cost-effective combinations of management practices to help minimize frequency and size of runoff events and resulting combined sewer overflows to the Anacostia River.

Perception Modelling of Visitors in Vargas Museum Using Agent-Based Simulation and Visibility Analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carcellar, B. G., III

2017-10-01

Museum exhibit management is one of the usual undertakings of museum facilitators. Art works must be strategically placed to achieve maximum viewing from the visitors. The positioning of the artworks also highly influences the quality of experience of the visitors. One solution in such problems is to utilize GIS and Agent-Based Modelling (ABM). In ABM, persistent interacting objects are modelled as agents. These agents are given attributes and behaviors that describe their properties as well as their motion. In this study, ABM approach that incorporates GIS is utilized to perform analyticcal assessment on the placement of the artworks in the Vargas Museum. GIS serves as the backbone for the spatial aspect of the simulation such as the placement of the artwork exhibits, as well as possible obstructions to perception such as the columns, walls, and panel boards. Visibility Analysis is also done to the model in GIS to assess the overall visibility of the artworks. The ABM is done using the initial GIS outputs and GAMA, an open source ABM software. Visitors are modelled as agents, moving inside the museum following a specific decision tree. The simulation is done in three use cases: the 10 %, 20 %, and 30 % chance of having a visitor in the next minute. For the case of the said museum, the 10 % chance is determined to be the closest simulation case to the actual and the recommended minimum time to achieve a maximum artwork perception is 1 hour and 40 minutes. Initial assessment of the results shows that even after 3 hours of simulation, small parts of the exhibit show lack of viewers, due to its distance from the entrance. A more detailed decision tree for the visitor agents can be incorporated to have a more realistic simulation.

Using participatory design to develop (public) health decision support systems through GIS.

PubMed

Dredger, S Michelle; Kothari, Anita; Morrison, Jason; Sawada, Michael; Crighton, Eric J; Graham, Ian D

2007-11-27

Organizations that collect substantial data for decision-making purposes are often characterized as being 'data rich' but 'information poor'. Maps and mapping tools can be very useful for research transfer in converting locally collected data into information. Challenges involved in incorporating GIS applications into the decision-making process within the non-profit (public) health sector include a lack of financial resources for software acquisition and training for non-specialists to use such tools. This on-going project has two primary phases. This paper critically reflects on Phase 1: the participatory design (PD) process of developing a collaborative web-based GIS tool. A case study design is being used whereby the case is defined as the data analyst and manager dyad (a two person team) in selected Ontario Early Year Centres (OEYCs). Multiple cases are used to support the reliability of findings. With nine producer/user pair participants, the goal in Phase 1 was to identify barriers to map production, and through the participatory design process, develop a web-based GIS tool suited for data analysts and their managers. This study has been guided by the Ottawa Model of Research Use (OMRU) conceptual framework. Due to wide variations in OEYC structures, only some data analysts used mapping software and there was no consistency or standardization in the software being used. Consequently, very little sharing of maps and data occurred among data analysts. Using PD, this project developed a web-based mapping tool (EYEMAP) that was easy to use, protected proprietary data, and permit limited and controlled sharing between participants. By providing data analysts with training on its use, the project also ensured that data analysts would not break cartographic conventions (e.g. using a chloropleth map for count data). Interoperability was built into the web-based solution; that is, EYEMAP can read many different standard mapping file formats (e.g. ESRI, MapInfo, CSV). Based on the evaluation of Phase 1, the PD process has served both as a facilitator and a barrier. In terms of successes, the PD process identified two key components that are important to users: increased data/map sharing functionality and interoperability. Some of the challenges affected developers and users; both individually and as a collective. From a development perspective, this project experienced difficulties in obtaining personnel skilled in web application development and GIS. For users, some data sharing barriers are beyond what a technological tool can address (e.g. third party data). Lastly, the PD process occurs in real time; both a strength and a limitation. Programmatic changes at the provincial level and staff turnover at the organizational level made it difficult to maintain buy-in as participants changed over time. The impacts of these successes and challenges will be evaluated more concretely at the end of Phase 2. PD approaches, by their very nature, encourage buy-in to the development process, better addresses user-needs, and creates a sense of user-investment and ownership.

Exploring multicriteria decision strategies in GIS with linguistic quantifiers: A case study of residential quality evaluation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Malczewski, Jacek; Rinner, Claus

2005-06-01

Commonly used GIS combination operators such as Boolean conjunction/disjunction and weighted linear combination can be generalized to the ordered weighted averaging (OWA) family of operators. This multicriteria evaluation method allows decision-makers to define a decision strategy on a continuum between pessimistic and optimistic strategies. Recently, OWA has been introduced to GIS-based decision support systems. We propose to extend a previous implementation of OWA with linguistic quantifiers to simplify the definition of decision strategies and to facilitate an exploratory analysis of multiple criteria. The linguistic quantifier-guided OWA procedure is illustrated using a dataset for evaluating residential quality of neighborhoods in London, Ontario.

Research on spatio-temporal database techniques for spatial information service

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Rong; Wang, Liang; Li, Yuxiang; Fan, Rongshuang; Liu, Ping; Li, Qingyuan

2007-06-01

Geographic data should be described by spatial, temporal and attribute components, but the spatio-temporal queries are difficult to be answered within current GIS. This paper describes research into the development and application of spatio-temporal data management system based upon GeoWindows GIS software platform which was developed by Chinese Academy of Surveying and Mapping (CASM). Faced the current and practical requirements of spatial information application, and based on existing GIS platform, one kind of spatio-temporal data model which integrates vector and grid data together was established firstly. Secondly, we solved out the key technique of building temporal data topology, successfully developed a suit of spatio-temporal database management system adopting object-oriented methods. The system provides the temporal data collection, data storage, data management and data display and query functions. Finally, as a case study, we explored the application of spatio-temporal data management system with the administrative region data of multi-history periods of China as the basic data. With all the efforts above, the GIS capacity of management and manipulation in aspect of time and attribute of GIS has been enhanced, and technical reference has been provided for the further development of temporal geographic information system (TGIS).

A geographic information system approach to evaluating the effects of the endangered species protection program on mosquito control.

PubMed

Spradling, S L; Olson, J K; Coulson, R N; Lovelady, C N

1998-06-01

The purpose of this study was to assess what impacts on organized mosquito control the implementation of an Endangered Species Protection Program for the Houston toad might have in Chambers and Harris counties, Texas. The study was also intended to demonstrate the value of using geographic information system (GIS) techniques and methodologies in making such assessments to those in mosquito control who are unfamiliar with GIS and its applications. Using the GIS, Geographical Analysis Support System (GRASS), databases were developed on the habitats and patterns of mosquito control insecticide usage occurring in Chambers and Harris counties. These databases were then employed by means of various utilities associated with GRASS and computer-supported, rule-based reasoning processes to create maps depicting the amount and locations of toad habitat and the areas treated annually with insecticides by districts in Chambers and Harris counties. This map information was then used via other GRASS utilities to identify and depict zones of overlap or coincidence between toad habitat and areas treated with insecticides for mosquito control in the 2 counties. As compared to existing maps for toad habitat, our resulting GIS-generated maps gave more precise, easy-to-use information that could be used to make decisions as to how to protect the toad in the zones of coincidence in each county without causing undue disruption to mosquito control activities in these zones.

Spatial modeling of the geographic distribution of wildlife populations: A case study in the lower Mississippi River region

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ji, W.; Jeske, C.

2000-01-01

A geographic information system (GIS)-based spatial modeling approach was developed to study environmental and land use impacts on the geographic distribution of wintering northern pintails (Arias acuta) in the Lower Mississippi River region. Pintails were fitted with backpack radio transmitter packages at Catahoula Lake, LA, in October 1992-1994 and located weekly through the following March. Pintail survey data were converted into a digital database in ARC/INFO GIS format and integrated with environmental GIS data through a customized modeling interface. The study verified the relationship between pintail distributions and major environmental factors and developed a conceptual relation model. Visualization-based spatial simulations were used to display the movement patterns of specific population groups under spatial and temporal constraints. The spatial modeling helped understand the seasonal movement patterns of pintails in relation to their habitat usage in Arkansas and southwestern Louisiana for wintering and interchange situations among population groups wintering in Texas and southeastern Louisiana. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V.

Systematic plan of building Web geographic information system based on ActiveX control

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Xia; Li, Deren; Zhu, Xinyan; Chen, Nengcheng

2003-03-01

A systematic plan of building Web Geographic Information System (WebGIS) using ActiveX technology is proposed in this paper. In the proposed plan, ActiveX control technology is adopted in building client-side application, and two different schemas are introduced to implement communication between controls in users¡ browser and middle application server. One is based on Distribute Component Object Model (DCOM), the other is based on socket. In the former schema, middle service application is developed as a DCOM object that communicates with ActiveX control through Object Remote Procedure Call (ORPC) and accesses data in GIS Data Server through Open Database Connectivity (ODBC). In the latter, middle service application is developed using Java language. It communicates with ActiveX control through socket based on TCP/IP and accesses data in GIS Data Server through Java Database Connectivity (JDBC). The first one is usually developed using C/C++, and it is difficult to develop and deploy. The second one is relatively easy to develop, but its performance of data transfer relies on Web bandwidth. A sample application is developed using the latter schema. It is proved that the performance of the sample application is better than that of some other WebGIS applications in some degree.

GLABROUS INFLORESCENCE STEMS (GIS) is required for trichome branching through gibberellic acid signaling in Arabidopsis.

PubMed

An, Lijun; Zhou, Zhongjing; Su, Sha; Yan, An; Gan, Yinbo

2012-02-01

Cell differentiation generally corresponds to the cell cycle, typically forming a non-dividing cell with a unique differentiated morphology, and Arabidopsis trichome is an excellent model system to study all aspects of cell differentiation. Although gibberellic acid is reported to be involved in trichome branching in Arabidopsis, the mechanism for such signaling is unclear. Here, we demonstrated that GLABROUS INFLORESCENCE STEMS (GIS) is required for the control of trichome branching through gibberellic acid signaling. The phenotypes of a loss-of-function gis mutant and an overexpressor showed that GIS acted as a repressor to control trichome branching. Our results also show that GIS is not required for cell endoreduplication, and our molecular and genetic study results have shown that GIS functions downstream of the key regulator of trichome branching, STICHEL (STI), to control trichome branching through the endoreduplication-independent pathway. Furthermore, our results also suggest that GIS controls trichome branching in Arabidopsis through two different pathways and acts either upstream or downstream of the negative regulator of gibbellic acid signaling SPINDLY (SPY).

Salmonella infections modelling in Mississippi using neural network and geographical information system (GIS).

PubMed

Akil, Luma; Ahmad, H Anwar

2016-03-03

Mississippi (MS) is one of the southern states with high rates of foodborne infections. The objectives of this paper are to determine the extent of Salmonella and Escherichia coli infections in MS, and determine the Salmonella infections correlation with socioeconomic status using geographical information system (GIS) and neural network models. In this study, the relevant updated data of foodborne illness for southern states, from 2002 to 2011, were collected and used in the GIS and neural networks models. Data were collected from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), MS state Department of Health and the other states department of health. The correlation between low socioeconomic status and Salmonella infections were determined using models created by several software packages, including SAS, ArcGIS @RISK and NeuroShell. Results of this study showed a significant increase in Salmonella outbreaks in MS during the study period, with highest rates in 2011 (47.84 ± 24.41 cases/100,000; p<0.001). MS had the highest rates of Salmonella outbreaks compared with other states (36 ± 6.29 cases/100,000; p<0.001). Regional and district variations in the rates were also observed. GIS maps of Salmonella outbreaks in MS in 2010 and 2011 showed the districts with higher rates of Salmonella. Regression analysis and neural network models showed a moderate correlation between cases of Salmonella infections and low socioeconomic factors. Poverty was shown to have a negative correlation with Salmonella outbreaks (R(2)=0.152, p<0.05). Geographic location besides socioeconomic status may contribute to the high rates of Salmonella outbreaks in MS. Understanding the geographical and economic relationship with infectious diseases will help to determine effective methods to reduce outbreaks within low socioeconomic status communities. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/

Combining Google Earth and GIS mapping technologies in a dengue surveillance system for developing countries

PubMed Central

Chang, Aileen Y; Parrales, Maria E; Jimenez, Javier; Sobieszczyk, Magdalena E; Hammer, Scott M; Copenhaver, David J; Kulkarni, Rajan P

2009-01-01

Background Dengue fever is a mosquito-borne illness that places significant burden on tropical developing countries with unplanned urbanization. A surveillance system using Google Earth and GIS mapping technologies was developed in Nicaragua as a management tool. Methods and Results Satellite imagery of the town of Bluefields, Nicaragua captured from Google Earth was used to create a base-map in ArcGIS 9. Indices of larval infestation, locations of tire dumps, cemeteries, large areas of standing water, etc. that may act as larval development sites, and locations of the homes of dengue cases collected during routine epidemiologic surveying were overlaid onto this map. Visual imagery of the location of dengue cases, larval infestation, and locations of potential larval development sites were used by dengue control specialists to prioritize specific neighborhoods for targeted control interventions. Conclusion This dengue surveillance program allows public health workers in resource-limited settings to accurately identify areas with high indices of mosquito infestation and interpret the spatial relationship of these areas with potential larval development sites such as garbage piles and large pools of standing water. As a result, it is possible to prioritize control strategies and to target interventions to highest risk areas in order to eliminate the likely origin of the mosquito vector. This program is well-suited for resource-limited settings since it utilizes readily available technologies that do not rely on Internet access for daily use and can easily be implemented in many developing countries for very little cost. PMID:19627614

Application of IRS-1D data in water erosion features detection (case study: Nour roud catchment, Iran).

PubMed

Solaimani, K; Amri, M A Hadian

2008-08-01

The aim of this study was capability of Indian Remote Sensing (IRS) data of 1D to detecting erosion features which were created from run-off. In this study, ability of PAN digital data of IRS-1D satellite was evaluated for extraction of erosion features in Nour-roud catchment located in Mazandaran province, Iran, using GIS techniques. Research method has based on supervised digital classification, using MLC algorithm and also visual interpretation, using PMU analysis and then these were evaluated and compared. Results indicated that opposite of digital classification, with overall accuracy 40.02% and kappa coefficient 31.35%, due to low spectral resolution; visual interpretation and classification, due to high spatial resolution (5.8 m), prepared classifying erosion features from this data, so that these features corresponded with the lithology, slope and hydrograph lines using GIS, so closely that one can consider their boundaries overlapped. Also field control showed that this data is relatively fit for using this method in investigation of erosion features and specially, can be applied to identify large erosion features.

GIS-BASED RISK ASSESSMENT OF PESTICIDE DRIFT CASE STUDY: FRESNO COUNTY, CALIFORNIA

EPA Science Inventory

The report describes the potential risk of herbicide drift and accidentally damaging neighboring crops or surrounding native vegetation. This study is the first to use the California Pesticide Use Reporting database within a mapping framework (known as a Geographic Information S...

The Changing Nature of GIS and the Provision of Formal GIS Education in the UK: A Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Walford, Nigel

2017-01-01

The arrival of the term Geographical Information System (GIS) in the 1960s soon created a demand for training and education in the use of this specialist hardware and software. Initially the main focus was on training people to use GIS, formal named degree programmes leading to postgraduate and undergraduate qualifications arrived later. This…

A GIS-based approach for comparative analysis of potential fire risk assessment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Ying; Hu, Lieqiu; Liu, Huiping

2007-06-01

Urban fires are one of the most important sources of property loss and human casualty and therefore it is necessary to assess the potential fire risk with consideration of urban community safety. Two evaluation models are proposed, both of which are integrated with GIS. One is the single factor model concerning the accessibility of fire passage and the other is grey clustering approach based on the multifactor system. In the latter model, fourteen factors are introduced and divided into four categories involving security management, evacuation facility, construction resistance and fire fighting capability. A case study on campus of Beijing Normal University is presented to express the potential risk assessment models in details. A comparative analysis of the two models is carried out to validate the accuracy. The results are approximately consistent with each other. Moreover, modeling with GIS promotes the efficiency the potential risk assessment.

Tsunami Vulnerability Assessment In Greece Using Gis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Papathoma, M.; Dominey-Howes, D.; Zong, Y.; Smith, D.

A new methodology is described that uses GIS (Geographical Information System)to determine tsunami vulnerability at different spatial and temporal scales. The method- ology is based on the construction of a GIS database, which may be used by different end-users and under varying hazard scenarios. Primary data are collected for a range of parameters that relate to the natural environment, land use, the built environment, the local economy and services, as well as socio-economic parameters. The methodol- ogy permits interrogation of the primary datasets by several different end-user groups. For example, the GIS may be used: (1) by the emergency services in order to locate large numbers of casualties, to organise the immediate post-tsunami disaster response and to design evacuation routes; (2) by insurance companies in order to set the premi- ums of individual buildings and businesses and (3) by the municipal authorities as a tool for local planning (planning regulations, relocation of buildings). The results of two applications of the methodology in Greece are presented. The first application in Herakleio (Crete) relates to the impact that the 1650AD tsunami would have in the area under the current circumstances. The worse case scenario for the second application is based on the 1963 tsunami, which affected the coastal segment west of Aeghio in Peloponnese. The two case studies provide valuable information for civil protection, disaster management and planning.

Research on sudden environmental pollution public service platform construction based on WebGIS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bi, T. P.; Gao, D. Y.; Zhong, X. Y.

2016-08-01

In order to actualize the social sharing and service of the emergency-response information for sudden pollution accidents, the public can share the risk source information service, dangerous goods control technology service and so on, The SQL Server and ArcSDE software are used to establish a spatial database to restore all kinds of information including risk sources, hazardous chemicals and handling methods in case of accidents. Combined with Chinese atmospheric environmental assessment standards, the SCREEN3 atmospheric dispersion model and one-dimensional liquid diffusion model are established to realize the query of related information and the display of the diffusion effect under B/S structure. Based on the WebGIS technology, C#.Net language is used to develop the sudden environmental pollution public service platform. As a result, the public service platform can make risk assessments and provide the best emergency processing services.

Development of a GIS-based integrated framework for coastal seiches monitoring and forecasting: A North Jiangsu shoal case study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qin, Rufu; Lin, Liangzhao

2017-06-01

Coastal seiches have become an increasingly important issue in coastal science and present many challenges, particularly when attempting to provide warning services. This paper presents the methodologies, techniques and integrated services adopted for the design and implementation of a Seiches Monitoring and Forecasting Integration Framework (SMAF-IF). The SMAF-IF is an integrated system with different types of sensors and numerical models and incorporates the Geographic Information System (GIS) and web techniques, which focuses on coastal seiche events detection and early warning in the North Jiangsu shoal, China. The in situ sensors perform automatic and continuous monitoring of the marine environment status and the numerical models provide the meteorological and physical oceanographic parameter estimates. A model outputs processing software was developed in C# language using ArcGIS Engine functions, which provides the capabilities of automatically generating visualization maps and warning information. Leveraging the ArcGIS Flex API and ASP.NET web services, a web based GIS framework was designed to facilitate quasi real-time data access, interactive visualization and analysis, and provision of early warning services for end users. The integrated framework proposed in this study enables decision-makers and the publics to quickly response to emergency coastal seiche events and allows an easy adaptation to other regional and scientific domains related to real-time monitoring and forecasting.

Real-time GIS data model and sensor web service platform for environmental data management.

PubMed

Gong, Jianya; Geng, Jing; Chen, Zeqiang

2015-01-09

Effective environmental data management is meaningful for human health. In the past, environmental data management involved developing a specific environmental data management system, but this method often lacks real-time data retrieving and sharing/interoperating capability. With the development of information technology, a Geospatial Service Web method is proposed that can be employed for environmental data management. The purpose of this study is to determine a method to realize environmental data management under the Geospatial Service Web framework. A real-time GIS (Geographic Information System) data model and a Sensor Web service platform to realize environmental data management under the Geospatial Service Web framework are proposed in this study. The real-time GIS data model manages real-time data. The Sensor Web service platform is applied to support the realization of the real-time GIS data model based on the Sensor Web technologies. To support the realization of the proposed real-time GIS data model, a Sensor Web service platform is implemented. Real-time environmental data, such as meteorological data, air quality data, soil moisture data, soil temperature data, and landslide data, are managed in the Sensor Web service platform. In addition, two use cases of real-time air quality monitoring and real-time soil moisture monitoring based on the real-time GIS data model in the Sensor Web service platform are realized and demonstrated. The total time efficiency of the two experiments is 3.7 s and 9.2 s. The experimental results show that the method integrating real-time GIS data model and Sensor Web Service Platform is an effective way to manage environmental data under the Geospatial Service Web framework.

A GIS-based methodology for selecting stormwater disconnection opportunities.

PubMed

Moore, S L; Stovin, V R; Wall, M; Ashley, R M

2012-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to introduce a geographic information system (GIS)-based decision support tool that assists the user to select not only areas where (retrofit) sustainable drainage systems (SuDS) could be implemented within a large catchment (>100 ha), but also to allow discrimination between suitable SuDS techniques based on their likely feasibility and effectiveness. The tool is applied to a case study catchment within London, UK, with the aim of increasing receiving water quality by reducing combined sewer overflow (CSO) spill frequency and volume. The key benefit of the tool presented is to allow rapid assessment of the retrofit SuDS potential of large catchments. It is not intended to replace detailed site investigations, but may help to direct attention to sites that have the greatest potential for retrofit SuDS implementation. Preliminary InfoWorks CS modelling of 'global disconnections' within the case study catchment, e.g. the removal of 50% of the total impervious area, showed that CSO spill volume could be reduced by 55 to 78% during a typical year. Using the disconnection hierarchy developed by the authors, the feasibility of retrofit SuDS deployment within the case study catchment is assessed, and the implications discussed.

Cloud GIS Based Watershed Management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bediroğlu, G.; Colak, H. E.

2017-11-01

In this study, we generated a Cloud GIS based watershed management system with using Cloud Computing architecture. Cloud GIS is used as SAAS (Software as a Service) and DAAS (Data as a Service). We applied GIS analysis on cloud in terms of testing SAAS and deployed GIS datasets on cloud in terms of DAAS. We used Hybrid cloud computing model in manner of using ready web based mapping services hosted on cloud (World Topology, Satellite Imageries). We uploaded to system after creating geodatabases including Hydrology (Rivers, Lakes), Soil Maps, Climate Maps, Rain Maps, Geology and Land Use. Watershed of study area has been determined on cloud using ready-hosted topology maps. After uploading all the datasets to systems, we have applied various GIS analysis and queries. Results shown that Cloud GIS technology brings velocity and efficiency for watershed management studies. Besides this, system can be easily implemented for similar land analysis and management studies.

Determining Historical Pesticide Deposition on Cape Cod through Sediment Core Analysis:A Validation of GIS as An Exposure Assessment Tool

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Feingold, B. J.; Benoit, G.; Rudel, R.

2006-12-01

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) has emerged as a powerful tool to assess current and historical exposure to environmental pollutants. GIS aids in the visualization and understanding of associations between exposure to contaminants and disease. This study is an example of the bridge between environmental science and public health and of how new technology such as GIS can be incorporated into these fields to strengthen both the research and the communication of scientific results. It attempts to validate a GIS-based aerial drift model which predicts the residential exposure to and boundaries of historical organochlorine pesticide (OCP) drift from applications on cranberry bogs, tree pest sprayings and others by analytically quantifying the historical pesticide deposition in a transect of lakes radiating from a distinct spray source. This model was previously used to assess historical residential exposure to OCPs in an environmental epidemiological case-control study of breast cancer incidence on Cape Cod, MA, where the incidence rate of the disease is significantly higher than in the rest of the state. The model's validation in this current study is essential to establishing its predictive ability and thus, its further use. Ground truthing of the model was done through the collection and analysis of sediment cores along a transect of five hydrologically independent kettle ponds radiating from a distinct OCP tree-pest spray area. Measurements of OCP concentrations, total carbon and total organic carbon were determined, and dating of the sediments was completed using 210Pb and verified using 137Cs. Each 50-cm core was sliced into 25 2- cm sections for the analyses, creating a fine-scale depositional history in each pond. Information gathered from each core allows for the determination of the extent and degree of dissipation of individual spray events of a known source area and determine how well the model fits the actual data.

Combating Flood Crisis with Geographic Information System (GIS): An Example From Akure, Southwest Nigeria

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eludoyin, A. O.; Akinbode, O. M.; Archibong, Ediang Okuku

2007-07-01

Flood is a natural environmental disaster which could be aggravated by man's unguided development. It may subsequently cause destruction of properties and loss of life. Therefore it needs to be controlled and human influences controlled. This study attempts to describe an application of GIS as decision support to flooding problems in an urban area in Nigeria. The objective of the study is to describe the efficacy of GIS in monitoring of development on floodplains in an urban area in Nigeria. Topographic features were digitised from an existing 1:5,000 topographic map of Akure, with some position data collected and map updated using a handheld GPS. A database was created using both cartographic and attributes data collected from these and other sources. Spatial analyses were carried out using a PC based Integrated Land and Water Information System (ILWIS), version 3.2. The results obtained implicated dumpsites within the river channel as well as structural development within the River Ala floodplain as the major causes of inundation in this section of the city, especially, in the wet season. The study concluded that GIS could provide adequate decision support information to policy makers.

Towards Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Implementation: A Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Meaney, Miriam

2006-01-01

"Despite its central role in real-world geography, the Geographic Information System (GIS) has had little uptake to date in School Geography." (Wiegand, 2001) This statement can be accurately applied to the author's current school setting and was the focus of her and her colleagues' case study, commenced in 2004 and continued into 2005.…

Integration of GIS, Electromagnetic and Electrical Methods in the Delimitation of Groundwater Polluted by Effluent Discharge (Salamanca, Spain): A Case Study.

PubMed

Montes, Rubén Vidal; Martínez-Graña, Antonio Miguel; Martínez Catalán, José Ramón; Arribas, Puy Ayarza; Sánchez San Román, Francisco Javier; Zazo, Caridad

2017-11-10

The present work envisages the possible geometry of a contaminated plume of groundwater near hospital facilities by combining GIS (Geographic Information System) and geophysical methods. The rock underlying the soil and thin sedimentary cover of the study area is moderately fractured quartzite, which makes aquifers vulnerable to pollution. The GIS methodology is used to calculate the area that would be affected by the effluent source of residual water, based on algorithms that consider ground surface mapping (slopes, orientations, accumulated costs and cost per distance). Geophysical methods (electromagnetic induction and electric resistivity tomography) use changes in the electrical conductivity or resistivity of the subsurface to determine the geometry of the discharge and the degree of contamination. The model presented would allow a preliminary investigation regarding potential corrective measures.

Integration of GIS, Electromagnetic and Electrical Methods in the Delimitation of Groundwater Polluted by Effluent Discharge (Salamanca, Spain): A Case Study

PubMed Central

Montes, Rubén Vidal; Sánchez San Román, Francisco Javier; Zazo, Caridad

2017-01-01

The present work envisages the possible geometry of a contaminated plume of groundwater near hospital facilities by combining GIS (Geographic Information System) and geophysical methods. The rock underlying the soil and thin sedimentary cover of the study area is moderately fractured quartzite, which makes aquifers vulnerable to pollution. The GIS methodology is used to calculate the area that would be affected by the effluent source of residual water, based on algorithms that consider ground surface mapping (slopes, orientations, accumulated costs and cost per distance). Geophysical methods (electromagnetic induction and electric resistivity tomography) use changes in the electrical conductivity or resistivity of the subsurface to determine the geometry of the discharge and the degree of contamination. The model presented would allow a preliminary investigation regarding potential corrective measures. PMID:29125556

Using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) at Schools without a Computer Laboratory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Demirci, Ali

2011-01-01

This article reports the results of a study that explored the applicability and effectiveness of a GIS-based exercise implemented by a teacher on a single computer in an ordinary classroom. The GIS-based exercise was implemented in two different environments with two different groups of students. The study reveals that implementing GIS exercises…

Artificial-intelligence-based optimization of the management of snow removal assets and resources.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2002-10-01

Geographic information systems (GIS) and artificial intelligence (AI) techniques were used to develop an intelligent : snow removal asset management system (SRAMS). The system has been evaluated through a case study examining : snow removal from the ...

A General Provincial Situation Visualization System Based on iPhone Operating System of Shandong Province

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ye, Z.; Xiang, H.

2014-04-01

The paper discusses the basic principles and the problem solutions during the design and implementation of the mobile GIS system, and base on the research result, we developed the General Provincial Situation Visualization System Based on iOS of Shandong Province. The system is developed in the Objective-C programming language, and use the ArcGIS Runtime SDK for IOS as the development tool to call the "World-map Shandong" services to implement the development of the General Provincial Situation Visualization System Based on iOS devices. The system is currently available for download in the Appstore and is chosen as the typical application case of ESRI China ArcGIS API for iOS.

Web-Based Geographic Information Systems: Experience and Perspectives of Planners and the Implications for Extension

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Göçmen, Z. Asligül

2016-01-01

Web-based geographic information system (GIS) technology, or web-based GIS, offers many opportunities for public planners and Extension educators who have limited GIS backgrounds or resources. However, investigation of its use in planning has been limited. The study described here examined the use of web-based GIS by public planning agencies. A…

A GIS semiautomatic tool for classifying and mapping wetland soils

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moreno-Ramón, Héctor; Marqués-Mateu, Angel; Ibáñez-Asensio, Sara

2016-04-01

Wetlands are one of the most productive and biodiverse ecosystems in the world. Water is the main resource and controls the relationships between agents and factors that determine the quality of the wetland. However, vegetation, wildlife and soils are also essential factors to understand these environments. It is possible that soils have been the least studied resource due to their sampling problems. This feature has caused that sometimes wetland soils have been classified broadly. The traditional methodology states that homogeneous soil units should be based on the five soil forming-factors. The problem can appear when the variation of one soil-forming factor is too small to differentiate a change in soil units, or in case that there is another factor, which is not taken into account (e.g. fluctuating water table). This is the case of Albufera of Valencia, a coastal wetland located in the middle east of the Iberian Peninsula (Spain). The saline water table fluctuates throughout the year and it generates differences in soils. To solve this problem, the objectives of this study were to establish a reliable methodology to avoid that problems, and develop a GIS tool that would allow us to define homogeneous soil units in wetlands. This step is essential for the soil scientist, who has to decide the number of soil profiles in a study. The research was conducted with data from 133 soil pits of a previous study in the wetland. In that study, soil parameters of 401 samples (organic carbon, salinity, carbonates, n-value, etc.) were analysed. In a first stage, GIS layers were generated according to depth. The method employed was Bayesian Maxim Entropy. Subsequently, it was designed a program in GIS environment that was based on the decision tree algorithms. The goal of this tool was to create a single layer, for each soil variable, according to the different diagnostic criteria of Soil Taxonomy (properties, horizons and diagnostic epipedons). At the end, the program generated a set of layers with the geographical information, which corresponded with each diagnostic criteria. Finally, the superposition of layers generated the different homogeneous soil units where the soil scientist should locate the soil profiles. Historically, the Albufera of Valencia has been classified as a soil homogeneous unit, but it was demonstrated that there were six homogeneous units after the methodology and the GIS tool application. In that regard, the outcome reveals that it had been necessary to open only six profiles, against the 19 profiles opened when the real study was carried out. As a conclusion, the methodology and the SIG tool demonstrated that could be employed in areas where the soil forming-factors cannot be distinguished. The application of rapid measurement methods and this methodology could economise the definition process of homogeneous units.

Using participatory design to develop (public) health decision support systems through GIS

PubMed Central

Dredger, S Michelle; Kothari, Anita; Morrison, Jason; Sawada, Michael; Crighton, Eric J; Graham, Ian D

2007-01-01

Background Organizations that collect substantial data for decision-making purposes are often characterized as being 'data rich' but 'information poor'. Maps and mapping tools can be very useful for research transfer in converting locally collected data into information. Challenges involved in incorporating GIS applications into the decision-making process within the non-profit (public) health sector include a lack of financial resources for software acquisition and training for non-specialists to use such tools. This on-going project has two primary phases. This paper critically reflects on Phase 1: the participatory design (PD) process of developing a collaborative web-based GIS tool. Methods A case study design is being used whereby the case is defined as the data analyst and manager dyad (a two person team) in selected Ontario Early Year Centres (OEYCs). Multiple cases are used to support the reliability of findings. With nine producer/user pair participants, the goal in Phase 1 was to identify barriers to map production, and through the participatory design process, develop a web-based GIS tool suited for data analysts and their managers. This study has been guided by the Ottawa Model of Research Use (OMRU) conceptual framework. Results Due to wide variations in OEYC structures, only some data analysts used mapping software and there was no consistency or standardization in the software being used. Consequently, very little sharing of maps and data occurred among data analysts. Using PD, this project developed a web-based mapping tool (EYEMAP) that was easy to use, protected proprietary data, and permit limited and controlled sharing between participants. By providing data analysts with training on its use, the project also ensured that data analysts would not break cartographic conventions (e.g. using a chloropleth map for count data). Interoperability was built into the web-based solution; that is, EYEMAP can read many different standard mapping file formats (e.g. ESRI, MapInfo, CSV). Discussion Based on the evaluation of Phase 1, the PD process has served both as a facilitator and a barrier. In terms of successes, the PD process identified two key components that are important to users: increased data/map sharing functionality and interoperability. Some of the challenges affected developers and users; both individually and as a collective. From a development perspective, this project experienced difficulties in obtaining personnel skilled in web application development and GIS. For users, some data sharing barriers are beyond what a technological tool can address (e.g. third party data). Lastly, the PD process occurs in real time; both a strength and a limitation. Programmatic changes at the provincial level and staff turnover at the organizational level made it difficult to maintain buy-in as participants changed over time. The impacts of these successes and challenges will be evaluated more concretely at the end of Phase 2. Conclusion PD approaches, by their very nature, encourage buy-in to the development process, better addresses user-needs, and creates a sense of user-investment and ownership. PMID:18042298

The evolution of internet-based map server applications in the United States Department of Agriculture, Veterinary Services.

PubMed

Maroney, Susan A; McCool, Mary Jane; Geter, Kenneth D; James, Angela M

2007-01-01

The internet is used increasingly as an effective means of disseminating information. For the past five years, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Veterinary Services (VS) has published animal health information in internet-based map server applications, each oriented to a specific surveillance or outbreak response need. Using internet-based technology allows users to create dynamic, customised maps and perform basic spatial analysis without the need to buy or learn desktop geographic information systems (GIS) software. At the same time, access can be restricted to authorised users. The VS internet mapping applications to date are as follows: Equine Infectious Anemia Testing 1972-2005, National Tick Survey tick distribution maps, the Emergency Management Response System-Mapping Module for disease investigations and emergency outbreaks, and the Scrapie mapping module to assist with the control and eradication of this disease. These services were created using Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI)'s internet map server technology (ArcIMS). Other leading technologies for spatial data dissemination are ArcGIS Server, ArcEngine, and ArcWeb Services. VS is prototyping applications using these technologies, including the VS Atlas of Animal Health Information using ArcGIS Server technology and the Map Kiosk using ArcEngine for automating standard map production in the case of an emergency.

Mapping toxicology: Using ARC info to protect the public health

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Morrison, M.

1998-07-01

There are many issues in dealing with the problems of the release of toxic chemicals into the environment. Those issues include determining the extent of the contamination, identifying possible receptor populations, and estimating the amount of exposure to those populations. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) are useful tools to address those issues. With a GIS, a professional can plot the location of areas of contamination, populations can be estimated by linking census data with the graphical data in the GIS or addresses of individuals can be plotted, sampling results can be used to create contours of exposure levels, and overlays ofmore » other relevant information (cancer rates) can all be done using a GIS. The spatial features in a GIS can be used with diffusion and other models to estimate spread of contamination from a source. This paper will use a case study method to demonstrate various aspects of using GIS to answer questions of public health relevance from the potential exposures to toxic substances in the environment. The case study will include a discussion of data identification and gathering, spatial analysis, and a full discussion of the possible conclusions that could be reached using the data in the GIS.« less

An Overview of the GIS Weasel

USGS Publications Warehouse

Viger, Roland J.

2008-01-01

This fact sheet provides a high-level description of the GIS Weasel, a software system designed to aid users in preparing spatial information as input to lumped and distributed parameter environmental simulation models (ESMs). The GIS Weasel provides geographic information system (GIS) tools to help create maps of geographic features relevant to the application of a user?s ESM and to generate parameters from those maps. The operation of the GIS Weasel does not require a user to be a GIS expert, only that a user has an understanding of the spatial information requirements of the model. The GIS Weasel software system provides a GIS-based graphical user interface (GUI), C programming language executables, and general utility scripts. The software will run on any computing platform where ArcInfo Workstation (version 8.1 or later) and the GRID extension are accessible. The user controls the GIS Weasel by interacting with menus, maps, and tables.

Web Based GIS System For Monitoring the Implementation of County Integrated Development Plan a Case Study of Nandi County, Kenya.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kurui, P. K.; Mutua, F.

2016-12-01

The paper seek to propose a conceptual framework of a way of monitoring and evaluating the implementation of the projects listed in the county integrated development plan by applying the use of the geospatial technologies with the focus being developing a web based GIS system in which the public can be able to track and monitor the progress of implementation of the projects in various parts of the county , although the guidelines developed by the ministry of devolution provides for the inclusion of the implementation monitoring and evaluation framework specifying projects to be implemented during the plan period and specification of veriable indicators it does not provide mechanisms for public participation during implementation and monitoring stage. This calls for a system that the public can interact with. The web based GIS system has been developed using the free open source softwares. Development projects have been categorized into; ongoing, completed and planned It can also be shown that a web based GIS system can be used as an important tool for monitoring the implementation of the CIDP due to its easy to use nature and supported by the fact that internet is easily accessed by the majority of the public making it a powerful tool for public participation.

A GIS-based methodology for the estimation of potential volcanic damage and its application to Tenerife Island, Spain

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Scaini, C.; Felpeto, A.; Martí, J.; Carniel, R.

2014-05-01

This paper presents a GIS-based methodology to estimate damages produced by volcanic eruptions. The methodology is constituted by four parts: definition and simulation of eruptive scenarios, exposure analysis, vulnerability assessment and estimation of expected damages. Multi-hazard eruptive scenarios are defined for the Teide-Pico Viejo active volcanic complex, and simulated through the VORIS tool. The exposure analysis identifies the elements exposed to the hazard at stake and focuses on the relevant assets for the study area. The vulnerability analysis is based on previous studies on the built environment and complemented with the analysis of transportation and urban infrastructures. Damage assessment is performed associating a qualitative damage rating to each combination of hazard and vulnerability. This operation consists in a GIS-based overlap, performed for each hazardous phenomenon considered and for each element. The methodology is then automated into a GIS-based tool using an ArcGIS® program. Given the eruptive scenarios and the characteristics of the exposed elements, the tool produces expected damage maps. The tool is applied to the Icod Valley (North of Tenerife Island) which is likely to be affected by volcanic phenomena in case of eruption from both the Teide-Pico Viejo volcanic complex and North-West basaltic rift. Results are thematic maps of vulnerability and damage that can be displayed at different levels of detail, depending on the user preferences. The aim of the tool is to facilitate territorial planning and risk management in active volcanic areas.

Application of GIS to predict malaria hotspots based on Anopheles arabiensis habitat suitability in Southern Africa

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gwitira, Isaiah; Murwira, Amon; Zengeya, Fadzai M.; Shekede, Munyaradzi Davis

2018-02-01

Malaria remains a major public health problem and a principal cause of morbidity and mortality in most developing countries. Although malaria still presents health problems, significant successes have been recorded in reducing deaths resulting from the disease. As malaria transmission continues to decline, control interventions will increasingly depend on the ability to define high-risk areas known as malaria hotspots. Therefore, there is urgent need to use geospatial tools such as geographic information system to detect spatial patterns of malaria and delineate disease hot spots for better planning and management. Thus, accurate mapping and prediction of seasonality of malaria hotspots is an important step towards developing strategies for effective malaria control. In this study, we modelled seasonal malaria hotspots as a function of habitat suitability of Anopheles arabiensis (A. Arabiensis) as a first step towards predicting likely seasonal malaria hotspots that could provide guidance in targeted malaria control. We used Geographical information system (GIS) and spatial statistic methods to identify seasonal hotspots of malaria cases at the country level. In order to achieve this, we first determined the spatial distribution of seasonal malaria hotspots using the Getis Ord Gi* statistic based on confirmed positive malaria cases recorded at health facilities in Zimbabwe over four years (1996-1999). We then used MAXENT technique to model habitat suitability of A. arabiensis from presence data collected from 1990 to 2002 based on bioclimatic variables and altitude. Finally, we used autologistic regression to test the extent to which malaria hotspots can be predicted using A. arabiensis habitat suitability. Our results show that A. arabiensis habitat suitability consistently and significantly (p < 0.05) predicts malaria hotspots from 1996 to 1999. Overall, our results show that malaria hotspots can be predicted using A. arabiensis habitat suitability, suggesting the possibility of developing models for malaria early warning based on vector habitat suitability.

Multidisciplinary Cooperation in GIS Education: A Case Study of US Colleges and Universities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kawabata, Mizuki; Thapa, Rajesh Bahadur; Oguchi, Takashi; Tsou, Ming-Hsiang

2010-01-01

This paper examines the degree of multidisplinary cooperation for Geographic Information Science (GIS) education programs that award GIS-related degrees or certificates at US colleges and universities. We classified departments and courses into ten major disciplines using Dewey Decimal Classification. In the 2007-2008 academic year, approximately…

GIS In-Service Teacher Training Based on TPACK

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hong, Jung Eun; Stonier, Francis

2015-01-01

This article introduces the geographic information systems (GIS) in-service teacher training, focusing on the intersection of technological, pedagogical, and content knowledge (TPACK) for successful implementation of GIS in the classroom. Eleven social studies teachers in Georgia learned GIS technologies, inquiry-based learning, and social studies…

Application of a DRAINMOD-based watershed model to a lower coastal plain watershed

Treesearch

Glenn P. Fernandez; George M. Chescheir; R. Wayne Skaggs; Devendra M. Amatya

2003-01-01

This is a case study for applying DRAINMOD-GIS, a DRAINMOD based lumped parameter watershed model to Chicod Creek, a 11300 ha coastal plain watershed in North Carolina which is not intensively instrumented or documented. The study utilized the current database of land-use, topography, stream network, soil, and weather data available to the State and Federal agencies....

Erosion risk analysis by GIS in environmental impact assessments: a case study--Seyhan Köprü Dam construction.

PubMed

Sahin, S; Kurum, E

2002-11-01

Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is a systematically constructed procedure whereby environmental impacts caused by proposed projects are examined. Geographical Information Systems (GIS) are crucially efficient tools for impact assessment and their use is likely to dramatically increase in the near future. GIS have been applied to a wide range of different impact assessment projects and dams among them have been taken as the case work in this article. EIA Regulation in force in Turkey requires the analysis of steering natural processes that can be adversely affected by the proposed project, particularly in the section of the analysis of the areas with higher landscape value. At this point, the true potential value of GIS lies in its ability to analyze spatial data with accuracy. This study is an attempt to analyze by GIS the areas with higher landscape value in the impact assessment of dam constructions in the case of Seyhan-Köprü Hydroelectric Dam project proposal. A method needs to be defined before the overlapping step by GIS to analyze the areas with higher landscape value. In the case of Seyhan-Köprü Hydroelectric Dam project proposal of the present work, considering the geological conditions and the steep slopes of the area and the type of the project, the most important natural process is erosion. Therefore, the areas of higher erosion risk were considered as the Areas with Higher Landscape Value from the conservation demands points of view.

Determination of production regions for pollution-free Chinese medicinal materials by geographic information system: Achyranthes bidentata (Niu Qi) in Tianjin as an example

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background The land and ecology suitability for producing pollution-free Chinese medicinal materials should be evaluated based on Geographic Information System (GIS). This study aims to determine production regions for pollution-free Achyranthes bidentata in Tianjin as a case to illustrate the workflow based on GIS. Methods The slopes, land usage, residential areas and roads were selected to evaluate the land suitability, to avoid the potential pollution sources. The ecology suitability evaluation was performed based on the soil type and nine climate factors, such as active accumulated temperature, mean January temperature, mean July temperature, the lowest temperature in January, the highest temperature in July, mean annual temperature, sunshine duration, relative humidity, annual precipitation, affecting the natural growth of A. bidentata. Results The best production regions for pollution-free A. bidentata in Tianjin, with a total area of approximately 575 km2, were found in Jinghai County, Ninghe County, Wuqing District, and Dagang District. Conclusion This study illustrated a workflow based on GIS for determining the production regions in Tianjin for pollution-free A. bidentata. PMID:25342961

The Development of GIS Educational Resources Sharing among Central Taiwan Universities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chou, T.-Y.; Yeh, M.-L.; Lai, Y.-C.

2011-09-01

Using GIS in the classroom enhance students' computer skills and explore the range of knowledge. The paper highlights GIS integration on e-learning platform and introduces a variety of abundant educational resources. This research project will demonstrate tools for e-learning environment and delivers some case studies for learning interaction from Central Taiwan Universities. Feng Chia University (FCU) obtained a remarkable academic project subsidized by Ministry of Education and developed e-learning platform for excellence in teaching/learning programs among Central Taiwan's universities. The aim of the project is to integrate the educational resources of 13 universities in central Taiwan. FCU is serving as the hub of Center University. To overcome the problem of distance, e-platforms have been established to create experiences with collaboration enhanced learning. The e-platforms provide coordination of web service access among the educational community and deliver GIS educational resources. Most of GIS related courses cover the development of GIS, principles of cartography, spatial data analysis and overlaying, terrain analysis, buffer analysis, 3D GIS application, Remote Sensing, GPS technology, and WebGIS, MobileGIS, ArcGIS manipulation. In each GIS case study, students have been taught to know geographic meaning, collect spatial data and then use ArcGIS software to analyze spatial data. On one of e-Learning platforms provide lesson plans and presentation slides. Students can learn Arc GIS online. As they analyze spatial data, they can connect to GIS hub to get data they need including satellite images, aerial photos, and vector data. Moreover, e-learning platforms provide solutions and resources. Different levels of image scales have been integrated into the systems. Multi-scale spatial development and analyses in Central Taiwan integrate academic research resources among CTTLRC partners. Thus, establish decision-making support mechanism in teaching and learning. Accelerate communication, cooperation and sharing among academic units

GIS-based analysis of drinking-water supply structures: a module for microbial risk assessment.

PubMed

Kistemann, T; Herbst, S; Dangendorf, F; Exner, M

2001-05-01

Water-related infections constitute an important health impact world-wide. A set of tools serving for Microbial Risk Assessment (MRA) of waterborne diseases should comprise the entire drinking-water management system and take into account the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) concept which provides specific Critical Control Points (CCPs) reflecting each step of drinking-water provision. A Geographical Information System (GIS) study concerning water-supply structure (WSS) was conducted in the Rhein-Berg District (North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany). As a result, suitability of the existing water databases HYGRIS (hydrological basis geo-information system) and TEIS (drinking-water recording and information system) for the development of a WSS-GIS module could be demonstrated. Spatial patterns within the integrated raw and drinking-water data can easily be uncovered by GIS-specific options. The application of WSS-GIS allows a rapid visualization and analysis of drinking-water supply structure and offers huge advantages concerning microbial monitoring of raw and drinking water as well as recognition and investigation of incidents and outbreaks. Increasing requests regarding health protection and health reporting, demands for a better outbreak management and water-related health impacts of global climate change are major challenges of future water management to be tackled with methods including spatial analysis. GIS is assumed to be a very useful tool to meet these requirements.

GIS and Game Theory for Water Resource Management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ganjali, N.; Guney, C.

2017-11-01

In this study, aspects of Game theory and its application on water resources management combined with GIS techniques are detailed. First, each term is explained and the advantages and limitations of its aspect is discussed. Then, the nature of combinations between each pair and literature on the previous studies are given. Several cases were investigated and results were magnified in order to conclude with the applicability and combination of GIS- Game Theory- Water Resources Management. It is concluded that the game theory is used relatively in limited studies of water management fields such as cost/benefit allocation among users, water allocation among trans-boundary users in water resources, water quality management, groundwater management, analysis of water policies, fair allocation of water resources development cost and some other narrow fields. Also, Decision-making in environmental projects requires consideration of trade-offs between socio-political, environmental, and economic impacts and is often complicated by various stakeholder views. Most of the literature on water allocation and conflict problems uses traditional optimization models to identify the most efficient scheme while the Game Theory, as an optimization method, combined GIS are beneficial platforms for agent based models to be used in solving Water Resources Management problems in the further studies.

Management of a water distribution network by coupling GIS and hydraulic modeling: a case study of Chetouane in Algeria

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abdelbaki, Chérifa; Benchaib, Mohamed Mouâd; Benziada, Salim; Mahmoudi, Hacène; Goosen, Mattheus

2017-06-01

For more effective management of water distribution network in an arid region, Mapinfo GIS (8.0) software was coupled with a hydraulic model (EPANET 2.0) and applied to a case study region, Chetouane, situated in the north-west of Algeria. The area is characterized not only by water scarcity but also by poor water management practices. The results showed that a combination of GIS and modeling permits network operators to better analyze malfunctions with a resulting more rapid response as well as facilitating in an improved understanding of the work performed on the network. The grouping of GIS and modeling as an operating tool allows managers to diagnosis a network, to study solutions of problems and to predict future situations. The later can assist them in making informed decisions to ensure an acceptable performance level for optimal network operation.

A method of groundwater quality assessment based on fuzzy network-CANFIS and geographic information system (GIS)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gholami, V.; Khaleghi, M. R.; Sebghati, M.

2017-11-01

The process of water quality testing is money/time-consuming, quite important and difficult stage for routine measurements. Therefore, use of models has become commonplace in simulating water quality. In this study, the coactive neuro-fuzzy inference system (CANFIS) was used to simulate groundwater quality. Further, geographic information system (GIS) was used as the pre-processor and post-processor tool to demonstrate spatial variation of groundwater quality. All important factors were quantified and groundwater quality index (GWQI) was developed. The proposed model was trained and validated by taking a case study of Mazandaran Plain located in northern part of Iran. The factors affecting groundwater quality were the input variables for the simulation, whereas GWQI index was the output. The developed model was validated to simulate groundwater quality. Network validation was performed via comparison between the estimated and actual GWQI values. In GIS, the study area was separated to raster format in the pixel dimensions of 1 km and also by incorporation of input data layers of the Fuzzy Network-CANFIS model; the geo-referenced layers of the effective factors in groundwater quality were earned. Therefore, numeric values of each pixel with geographical coordinates were entered to the Fuzzy Network-CANFIS model and thus simulation of groundwater quality was accessed in the study area. Finally, the simulated GWQI indices using the Fuzzy Network-CANFIS model were entered into GIS, and hence groundwater quality map (raster layer) based on the results of the network simulation was earned. The study's results confirm the high efficiency of incorporation of neuro-fuzzy techniques and GIS. It is also worth noting that the general quality of the groundwater in the most studied plain is fairly low.

Qualitative analysis of precipiation distribution in Poland with use of different data sources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Walawender, J.; Dyras, I.; Łapeta, B.; Serafin-Rek, D.; Twardowski, A.

2008-04-01

Geographical Information Systems (GIS) can be used to integrate data from different sources and in different formats to perform innovative spatial and temporal analysis. GIS can be also applied for climatic research to manage, investigate and display all kinds of weather data. The main objective of this study is to demonstrate that GIS is a useful tool to examine and visualise precipitation distribution obtained from different data sources: ground measurements, satellite and radar data. Three selected days (30 cases) with convective rainfall situations were analysed. Firstly, scalable GRID-based approach was applied to store data from three different sources in comparable layout. Then, geoprocessing algorithm was created within ArcGIS 9.2 environment. The algorithm included: GRID definition, reclassification and raster algebra. All of the calculations and procedures were performed automatically. Finally, contingency tables and pie charts were created to show relationship between ground measurements and both satellite and radar derived data. The results were visualised on maps.

A satellite based telemetry link for a UAV application

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bloise, Anthony

1995-01-01

The requirements for a satellite based communication facility to service the needs of the Geographical Information System (GIS) data collection community are addressed in this paper. GIS data is supplied in the form of video imagery at sub-television rates in one or more spectral bands / polarizations laced with a position correlated data stream. The limitations and vicissitudes of using a terrestrial based telecommunications link to collect GIS data are illustrated from actual mission scenarios. The expectations from a satellite based communications link by the geophysical data collection community concerning satellite architecture, operating bands, bandwidth, footprint agility, up link and down link hardware configurations on the UAV, the Mobile Control Vehicle and at the Central Command and Data Collection Facility comprise the principle issues discussed in the first section of this paper. The final section of the paper discusses satellite based communication links would have an increased volume and scope of services the GIS data collection community could make available to the GIS user community, and the price the data collection community could afford to pay for access to the communication satellite described in the paper.

Prioritising sewerage maintenance using inferred sewer age: a case study for Edinburgh.

PubMed

Arthur, S; Burkhard, R

2010-01-01

The reported research project focuses on using a database which contains details of customer contacts and CCTV data for a key Scottish catchment to construct a GIS based sewer condition model. Given the nature of the asset registry, a key research challenge was estimating the age of individual lengths of pipe. Within this context, asset age was inferred using the estimated age of surface developments-this involved overlaying the network in a GIS with historical digital maps. The paper illustrates that inferred asset age can reliably be used to highlight assets which are more likely to fail.

Landfill site selection using combination of GIS and fuzzy AHP, a case study: Iranshahr, Iran.

PubMed

Torabi-Kaveh, M; Babazadeh, R; Mohammadi, S D; Zaresefat, M

2016-03-09

One of the most important recent challenges in solid waste management throughout the world is site selection of sanitary landfill. Commonly, because of simultaneous effects of social, environmental, and technical parameters on suitability of a landfill site, landfill site selection is a complex process and depends on several criteria and regulations. This study develops a multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) process, which combines geographic information system (GIS) analysis with a fuzzy analytical hierarchy process (FAHP), to determine suitable sites for landfill construction in Iranshahr County, Iran. The GIS was used to calculate and classify selected criteria and FAHP was used to assess the criteria weights based on their effectiveness on selection of potential landfill sites. Finally, a suitability map was prepared by overlay analyses and suitable areas were identified. Four suitability classes within the study area were separated, including high, medium, low, and very low suitability areas, which represented 18%, 15%, 55%, and 12% of the study area, respectively. © The Author(s) 2016.

A global network for the control of snail-borne disease using satellite surveillance and geographic information systems.

PubMed

Malone, J B; Bergquist, N R; Huh, O K; Bavia, M E; Bernardi, M; El Bahy, M M; Fuentes, M V; Kristensen, T K; McCarroll, J C; Yilma, J M; Zhou, X N

2001-04-27

At a team residency sponsored by the Rockefeller Foundation in Bellagio, Italy, 10-14 April 2000 an organizational plan was conceived to create a global network of collaborating health workers and earth scientists dedicated to the development of computer-based models that can be used for improved control programs for schistosomiasis and other snail-borne diseases of medical and veterinary importance. The models will be assembled using GIS methods, global climate model data, sensor data from earth observing satellites, disease prevalence data, the distribution and abundance of snail hosts, and digital maps of key environmental factors that affect development and propagation of snail-borne disease agents. A work plan was developed for research collaboration and data sharing, recruitment of new contributing researchers, and means of access of other medical scientists and national control program managers to GIS models that may be used for more effective control of snail-borne disease. Agreement was reached on the use of compatible GIS formats, software, methods and data resources, including the definition of a 'minimum medical database' to enable seamless incorporation of results from each regional GIS project into a global model. The collaboration plan calls for linking a 'central resource group' at the World Health Organization, the Food and Agriculture Organization, Louisiana State University and the Danish Bilharziasis Laboratory with regional GIS networks to be initiated in Eastern Africa, Southern Africa, West Africa, Latin America and Southern Asia. An Internet site, www.gnosisGIS.org, (GIS Network On Snail-borne Infections with special reference to Schistosomiasis), has been initiated to allow interaction of team members as a 'virtual research group'. When completed, the site will point users to a toolbox of common resources resident on computers at member organizations, provide assistance on routine use of GIS health maps in selected national disease control programs and provide a forum for development of GIS models to predict the health impacts of water development projects and climate variation.

Long-term Evaluation of Landuse Changes On Landscape Water Balance - A Case Study From North-east Germany

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wegehenkel, M.

In this paper, long-term effects of different afforestation scenarios on landscape wa- ter balance will be analyzed taking into account the results of a regional case study. This analysis is based on using a GIS-coupled simulation model for the the spatially distributed calculation of water balance.For this purpose, the modelling system THE- SEUS with a simple GIS-interface will be used. To take into account the special case of change in forest cover proportion, THESEUS was enhanced with a simple for- est growth model. In the regional case study, model runs will be performed using a detailed spatial data set from North-East Germany. This data set covers a mesoscale catchment located at the moraine landscape of North-East Germany. Based on this data set, the influence of the actual landuse and of different landuse change scenarios on water balance dynamics will be investigated taking into account the spatial distributed modelling results from THESEUS. The model was tested using different experimen- tal data sets from field plots as well as obsverded catchment discharge. Additionally to such convential validation techniques, remote sensing data were used to check the simulated regional distribution of water balance components like evapotranspiration in the catchment.

Teaching Gis outside of Geography: A Case Study in the School of International Development, University of East Anglia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bearman, Nick; Munday, Paul; McAvoy, Daniel

2015-01-01

The importance of developing employability skills of graduates has become a strategic priority in higher education. Knowledge of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) tools is a valuable skill for graduates both in terms of the specific skillset it provides and of the wider transferable skills. This paper discusses the importance of GIS as an…

Natural and environmental vulnerability analysis through remote sensing and GIS techniques: a case study of Indigirka River basin, Eastern Siberia, Russia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boori, Mukesh S.; Choudhary, Komal; Kupriyanov, Alexander; Sugimoto, Atsuko; Evers, Mariele

2016-10-01

The aim of this research work is to understand natural and environmental vulnerability situation and its cause such as intensity, distribution and socio-economic effect in the Indigirka River basin, Eastern Siberia, Russia. This paper identifies, assess and classify natural and environmental vulnerability using landscape pattern from multidisciplinary approach, based on remote sensing and Geographical Information System (GIS) techniques. A model was developed by following thematic layers: land use/cover, vegetation, wetland, geology, geomorphology and soil in ArcGIS 10.2 software. According to numerical results vulnerability classified into five levels: low, sensible, moderate, high and extreme vulnerability by mean of cluster principal. Results are shows that in natural vulnerability maximum area covered by moderate (29.84%) and sensible (38.61%) vulnerability and environmental vulnerability concentrated by moderate (49.30%) vulnerability. So study area has at medial level vulnerability. The results found that the methodology applied was effective enough in the understanding of the current conservation circumstances of the river basin in relation to their environment with the help of remote sensing and GIS. This study is helpful for decision making for eco-environmental recovering and rebuilding as well as predicting the future development.

Analysis of sea use landscape pattern based on GIS: a case study in Huludao, China.

PubMed

Suo, Anning; Wang, Chen; Zhang, Minghui

2016-01-01

This study aims to analyse sea use landscape patterns on a regional scale based on methods of landscape ecology integrated with sea use spatial characteristics. Several landscape-level analysis indices, such as the dominance index, complex index, intensivity index, diversity index and sea congruency index, were established using Geographic Information System (GIS) and applied in Huludao, China. The results indicated that sea use landscape analysis indices, which were created based on the characteristics of sea use spatial patterns using GIS, are suitable to quantitatively describe the landscape patterns of sea use. They are operable tools for the landscape analysis of sea use. The sea use landscape in Huludao was dominated by fishing use with a landscape dominance index of 0.724. The sea use landscape is a complex mosaic with high diversity and plenty of fishing areas, as shown by the landscape complex index of 27.21 and the landscape diversity index of 1.25. Most sea use patches correspond to the marine functional zonation plan and the sea use congruency index is 0.89 in the fishing zone and 0.92 in the transportation zone.

Use of a GIS-based hybrid artificial neural network to prioritize the order of pipe replacement in a water distribution network.

PubMed

Ho, Cheng-I; Lin, Min-Der; Lo, Shang-Lien

2010-07-01

A methodology based on the integration of a seismic-based artificial neural network (ANN) model and a geographic information system (GIS) to assess water leakage and to prioritize pipeline replacement is developed in this work. Qualified pipeline break-event data derived from the Taiwan Water Corporation Pipeline Leakage Repair Management System were analyzed. "Pipe diameter," "pipe material," and "the number of magnitude-3( + ) earthquakes" were employed as the input factors of ANN, while "the number of monthly breaks" was used for the prediction output. This study is the first attempt to manipulate earthquake data in the break-event ANN prediction model. Spatial distribution of the pipeline break-event data was analyzed and visualized by GIS. Through this, the users can swiftly figure out the hotspots of the leakage areas. A northeastern township in Taiwan, frequently affected by earthquakes, is chosen as the case study. Compared to the traditional processes for determining the priorities of pipeline replacement, the methodology developed is more effective and efficient. Likewise, the methodology can overcome the difficulty of prioritizing pipeline replacement even in situations where the break-event records are unavailable.

Improving Access to Precipitation Data for GIS Users: Designing for Ease of Use

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stocker, Erich F.; Kelley, Owen A.

2007-01-01

The Global Precipitation Measurement Mission (GPM) is a NASA/JAXA led international mission to configure a constellation of space-based radiometers to monitor precipitation over the globe. The GPM goal of making global 3-hour precipitation products available in near real-time will make such global products more useful to a broader community of modelers and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) users than is currently the case with remote sensed precipitation products. Based on the existing interest to make Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) data available to a growing community of GIS users as well as what will certainly be an expanded community during the GPM era, it is clear that data systems must make a greater effort to provide data in formats easily used by GIS. We describe precipitation GIS products being developed for TRMM data. These products will serve as prototypes for production efforts during the GPM era. We describe efforts to convert TRMM precipitation data to GeoTIFF, Shapefile, and ASCII grid. Clearly, our goal is to format GPM data so that it can be easily used within GIS applications. We desire feedback on these efforts and any additions or direction changes that should be undertaken by the data system.

The Potential of GIS as a Management Tool for Avenue Trees Population in Small Communities; a Case Study of Idi-Shin Community, Ibadan, Nigeria

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Olokeogun, O. S.; Akintola, O. O.; Abodunrin, E. K.

2016-06-01

This study demonstrates the potentials of Geographic Information System (GIS) as a management tool for avenue trees (Street trees) populations in small communities (using Idi-Ishin community, Ibadan, Nigeria as a case study). GIS is a decision support system which integrate data or set of data from different sources, bringing them under the same referencing system in a computer system. An Ikonos Imagery (1m Spatial Resolution) of the study area was digitized to produce a digital map using ArcGIS 10.1 version. The avenue trees species ≥ 5cm diameter at breast height (DBH) was selected for enumeration. These trees were then measured and tagged. The Height, Girth and Geographic location (X &Y coordinate) of the trees were measured with Haga altimeter, Girthing tape and Hand held Global Positioning System (GPS) respectively. The species and families of the trees enumerated were also identified. Data were analysed for basal area (BA) and volume (V). A total number of 43 avenue trees were assessed in Idi-Ishin Community. Roystonea regia accounted for the majority of the avenue trees (25.58%), followed by Polyanthia longiflora (23.26%), Gliricida seprium (20.93%), Eucalyptus toreliana (13.95%), Delunix regea (6.98%). However Terminalia catapa, Terminalia radii, Azadrachita indica and Newbodia levis had the same abundance of 2.33%. It was also observed that the benefits derived from these avenue trees includes; Carbon sequestration, Beautification, Wind break and shade. A spatial relational database was created for the assessed avenue trees using ArcCatalog of ArcGIS 10.1 version. Based on the findings from the study (which serves as baseline information for the management of the avenue trees in the study area), it was therefore recommended that subsequent assessment should be carried out at 3-5 year interval in other to ensure proper and continuous monitoring and updating of the data.

GLABROUS INFLORESCENCE STEMS regulates trichome branching by genetically interacting with SIM in Arabidopsis.

PubMed

Sun, Li-Li; Zhou, Zhong-Jing; An, Li-Jun; An, Yan; Zhao, Yong-Qin; Meng, Xiao-Fang; Steele-King, Clare; Gan, Yin-Bo

2013-07-01

Arabidopsis trichomes are large branched single cells that protrude from the epidermis. The first morphological indication of trichome development is an increase in nuclear content resulting from an initial cycle of endoreduplication. Our previous study has shown that the C2H2 zinc finger protein GLABROUS INFLORESCENCE STEMS (GIS) is required for trichome initiation in the inflorescence organ and for trichome branching in response to gibberellic acid signaling, although GIS gene does not play a direct role in regulating trichome cell division. Here, we describe a novel role of GIS, controlling trichome cell division indirectly by interacting genetically with a key endoreduplication regulator SIAMESE (SIM). Our molecular and genetic studies have shown that GIS might indireclty control cell division and trichome branching by acting downstream of SIM. A loss of function mutation of SIM signficantly reduced the expression of GIS. Futhermore, the overexpression of GIS rescued the trichome cluster cell phenotypes of sim mutant. The gain or loss of function of GIS had no significant effect on the expression of SIM. These results suggest that GIS may play an indirect role in regulating trichome cell division by genetically interacting with SIM.

The role of rivers in ancient societies, or how man transformed the alluvial landscapes of Khuzestan (SW Iran)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Walstra, J.; Heyvaert, V.; Verkinderen, P.

2012-04-01

For many thousands of years the alluvial plains of Khuzestan (SW Iran) have been subject to intensive settlement and agriculture. Ancient societies depended on the position of major rivers for their economic survival and hence, there is ample evidence of human activities trying to control the distribution of water. Throughout the plains ancient irrigation and settlement patterns are visible, although traces are rapidly disappearing due to expanding modern land use. Aim of this study is to unlock and integrate the rich information on landscape and archaeology, which only survives through the available historical imagery and some limited archaeological surveys. A GIS-based geomorphological mapping procedure was developed, using a variety of imagery, including historical aerial photographs, CORONA, Landsat and SPOT images. In addition, supported by the evidence from previous geological field surveys, archaeological elements were identified, mapped and included in a GIS database. The resulting map layers display the positions of successive palaeochannel belts and extensive irrigation networks, together indicating a complex alluvial history characterized by avulsions and significant human impact. As shown in several case-studies, integrating information from multiple disciplines provides valuable insights in the complex landscape evolution of this region, both from geological and historical perspectives. Remote sensing and GIS are essential tools in such a research context. The presented work was undertaken within the framework of the Interuniversity Attraction Pole "Greater Mesopotamia: Reconstruction of its Environment and History" (IAP 6/34), funded by the Belgian Science Policy.

A GIS-based approach: Influence of the ventilation layout to the environmental conditions in an underground mine.

PubMed

Bascompta, Marc; Castañón, Ana María; Sanmiquel, Lluís; Oliva, Josep

2016-11-01

Gases such as CO, CO2 or NOx are constantly generated by the equipment in any underground mine and the ventilation layout can play an important role in keeping low concentrations in the working faces. Hence, a method able to control the workplace environment is crucial. This paper proposes a geographical information system (GIS) for such goal. The system created provides the necessary tools to manage and analyse an underground environment, connecting pollutants and temperatures with the ventilation characteristics over time. Data concerning the ventilation system, in a case study, has been taken every month since 2009 and integrated into the management system, which has quantified the gasses concentration throughout the mine due to the characteristics and evolution of the ventilation layout. Three different zones concerning CO, CO2, NOx and effective temperature have been found as well as some variations among workplaces within the same zone that suggest local airflow recirculations. The system proposed could be a useful tool to improve the workplace conditions and efficiency levels. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The research on regional conservation planning of urban historical and cultural areas based on GIS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Shangli; Xu, Jian; Li, Qian

2017-06-01

With the rapid economic development and the growth of population happening in the urban historical and cultural areas, heritage and historical buildings along with their natural and artificial surrounding environments are suffering constructive destruction. Due to the lack of precise partition of protection region and construction control region in the local cultural relics protection law, traditional regional conservation planning cannot engaged with the urban controllability detailed planning very well. According to the several protection regulations about heritage and historical buildings from latest laws, we choose Baxian Temple area to study on the improvments of traditional regional conservation planning. The technical methods of this study mainly rely on GIS, which can complete the fundamental work of each stage. With the analytic hierarchy process(AHP), the comprehensive architectural value assessments can be calculated according to the investigation results. Based on the calculation results and visual corridor analysis, the precise range of protection region and construction control region can be decided and the specific protection measures can be formulated.

Measuring Land Uses Accessibility by Using Fuzzy Majority Gis-Based Multicriteria Decision Analysis Case Study: Malayer City

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Taravat, A.; Yari, A.; Rajaei, M.; Mousavian, R.

2014-10-01

Public spaces accessibility has become one of the important factors in urban planning. Therefore, considerable attention has been given to measure accessibility to public spaces on the UK, US and Canada, but there are few studies outside the anglophone world especially in developing countries such as Iran. In this study an attempt has been made to measure objective accessibility to public spaces (parks, school, library and administrative) using fuzzy majority GIS-based multicriteria decision analysis. This method is for defining the priority for distribution of urban facilities and utilities as the first step towards elimination of social justice. In order to test and demonstrate the presented model, the comprehensive plan of Malayer city has been considered for ranking in three objectives and properties in view of index per capital (Green space, sport facilities and major cultural centers like library and access index). The results can be used to inform the local planning process and the GIS approach can be expanded into other local authority domains. The results shows that the distribution of facilities in Malayer city has followed on the base of cost benefit law and the human aspect of resource allocation programming of facilities (from centre to suburbs of the city).

[Application of electronic fence technology based on GIS in Oncomelania hupensis snail monitoring].

PubMed

Zhi-Hua, Chen; Yi-Sheng, Zhu; Zhi-Qiang, Xue; Xue-Bing, Li; Yi-Min, Ding; Li-Jun, Bi; Kai-Min, Gao; You, Zhang

2017-07-27

To study the application of Geographic Information System (GIS) electronic fence technique in Oncomelania hupensis snail monitoring. The electronic fence was set around the history and existing snail environments in the electronic map, the information about snail monitoring and controlling was linked to the electronic fence, and the snail monitoring information system was established on these bases. The monitoring information was input through the computer and smart phone. The electronic fence around the history and existing snail environments was set in the electronic map (Baidu map), and the snail monitoring information system and smart phone APP were established. The monitoring information was input and upload real-time, and the snail monitoring information was demonstrated in real time on Baidu map. By using the electronic fence technology based on GIS, the unique "environment electronic archives" for each snail monitoring environment can be established in the electronic map, and real-time, dynamic monitoring and visual management can be realized.

Land cover change detection using a GIS-guided, feature-based classification of Landsat thematic mapper data. [Geographic Information System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Enslin, William R.; Ton, Jezching; Jain, Anil

1987-01-01

Landsat TM data were combined with land cover and planimetric data layers contained in the State of Michigan's geographic information system (GIS) to identify changes in forestlands, specifically new oil/gas wells. A GIS-guided feature-based classification method was developed. The regions extracted by the best image band/operator combination were studied using a set of rules based on the characteristics of the GIS oil/gas pads.

Study on the total amount control of atmospheric pollutant based on GIS.

PubMed

Wang, Jian-Ping; Guo, Xi-Kun

2005-08-01

To provide effective environmental management for total amount control of atmospheric pollutants. An atmospheric diffusion model of sulfur dioxide on the surface of the earth was established and tested in Shantou of Guangdong Province on the basis of an overall assessment of regional natural environment, social economic state of development, pollution sources and atmospheric environmental quality. Compared with actual monitoring results in a studied region, simulation values fell within the range of two times of error and were evenly distributed in the two sides of the monitored values. Predicted with the largest emission model method, the largest emission of sulfur dioxide would be 54,279.792 tons per year in 2010. The mathematical model established and revised on the basis of GIS is more rational and suitable for the regional characteristics of total amount control of air pollutants.

Putting Chronic Disease on the Map: Building GIS Capacity in State and Local Health Departments

PubMed Central

Casper, Michele; Tootoo, Joshua; Schieb, Linda

2013-01-01

Techniques based on geographic information systems (GIS) have been widely adopted and applied in the fields of infectious disease and environmental epidemiology; their use in chronic disease programs is relatively new. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention is collaborating with the National Association of Chronic Disease Directors and the University of Michigan to provide health departments with capacity to integrate GIS into daily operations, which support priorities for surveillance and prevention of chronic diseases. So far, 19 state and 7 local health departments participated in this project. On the basis of these participants’ experiences, we describe our training strategy and identify high-impact GIS skills that can be mastered and applied over a short time in support of chronic disease surveillance. We also describe the web-based resources in the Chronic Disease GIS Exchange that were produced on the basis of this training and are available to anyone interested in GIS and chronic disease (www.cdc.gov/DHDSP/maps/GISX). GIS offers diverse sets of tools that promise increased productivity for chronic disease staff of state and local health departments. PMID:23786907

Putting chronic disease on the map: building GIS capacity in state and local health departments.

PubMed

Miranda, Marie Lynn; Casper, Michele; Tootoo, Joshua; Schieb, Linda

2013-06-20

Techniques based on geographic information systems (GIS) have been widely adopted and applied in the fields of infectious disease and environmental epidemiology; their use in chronic disease programs is relatively new. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention is collaborating with the National Association of Chronic Disease Directors and the University of Michigan to provide health departments with capacity to integrate GIS into daily operations, which support priorities for surveillance and prevention of chronic diseases. So far, 19 state and 7 local health departments participated in this project. On the basis of these participants' experiences, we describe our training strategy and identify high-impact GIS skills that can be mastered and applied over a short time in support of chronic disease surveillance. We also describe the web-based resources in the Chronic Disease GIS Exchange that were produced on the basis of this training and are available to anyone interested in GIS and chronic disease (www.cdc.gov/DHDSP/maps/GISX). GIS offers diverse sets of tools that promise increased productivity for chronic disease staff of state and local health departments.

[Research on suitable distribution of Paris yunnanensis based on remote sensing and GIS].

PubMed

Luo, Yao; Dong, Yong-Bo; Zhu, Cong; Peng, Wen-Fu; Fang, Qing-Mao; Xu, Xin-Liang

2017-11-01

Paris yunnanensis is a kind of rare medicinal herb, having a very high medicinal value. Studying its suitable ecological condition can provide a basis for its rational exploitation, artificial cultivation, and sustainable utilization. A practicable method in this paper has been proposed to research the suitable regional distribution of P. yunnanensis in Sichuan province. By the case study of P. yunnanensis in Sichuan province, and according to related literatures, the suitable ecological condition of P. yunnanensis such as altitude, mean annual temperature (MAT), annual precipitation, regional slope, slope ranges, vegetative cover, and soil types was analyzed following remote sensing (RS) and GIS.The appropriate distribution regionof P. yunnanensis and its area were extracted based on RS and GIS technology,combing with the information of the field validation data. The results showed that the concentrated distribution regions in counties of Sichuan province were, Liangshan prefecture, Aba prefecture, Sertar county of Ganzi prefecture, Panzhihua city, Ya'an city, Chengdu city, Meishan city, Leshan city, Yibin city, Neijiang city, Luzhou city, Bazhong city, Nanchong city, Guangyuan city and other cities and counties area.The suitable distribution area in Sichuan is about 7 338 km², accounting for 3.02% of the total study regional area. The analysis result has high consistency with the filed validation data, and the research method for P. yunnanensis distribution region based onspatial overlay analysis and the extracted the information of land usage and ecological factors following the RS and GIS is reliable. Copyright© by the Chinese Pharmaceutical Association.

Section 4. The GIS Weasel User's Manual

USGS Publications Warehouse

Viger, Roland J.; Leavesley, George H.

2007-01-01

INTRODUCTION The GIS Weasel was designed to aid in the preparation of spatial information for input to lumped and distributed parameter hydrologic or other environmental models. The GIS Weasel provides geographic information system (GIS) tools to help create maps of geographic features relevant to a user's model and to generate parameters from those maps. The operation of the GIS Weasel does not require the user to be a GIS expert, only that the user have an understanding of the spatial information requirements of the environmental simulation model being used. The GIS Weasel software system uses a GIS-based graphical user interface (GUI), the C programming language, and external scripting languages. The software will run on any computing platform where ArcInfo Workstation (version 8.0.2 or later) and the GRID extension are accessible. The user controls the processing of the GIS Weasel by interacting with menus, maps, and tables. The purpose of this document is to describe the operation of the software. This document is not intended to describe the usage of this software in support of any particular environmental simulation model. Such guides are published separately.

GIS-assisted spatial analysis for urban regulatory detailed planning: designer's dimension in the Chinese code system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yu, Yang; Zeng, Zheng

2009-10-01

By discussing the causes behind the high amendments ratio in the implementation of urban regulatory detailed plans in China despite its law-ensured status, the study aims to reconcile conflict between the legal authority of regulatory detailed planning and the insufficient scientific support in its decision-making and compilation by introducing into the process spatial analysis based on GIS technology and 3D modeling thus present a more scientific and flexible approach to regulatory detailed planning in China. The study first points out that the current compilation process of urban regulatory detailed plan in China employs mainly an empirical approach which renders it constantly subjected to amendments; the study then discusses the need and current utilization of GIS in the Chinese system and proposes the framework of a GIS-assisted 3D spatial analysis process from the designer's perspective which can be regarded as an alternating processes between the descriptive codes and physical design in the compilation of regulatory detailed planning. With a case study of the processes and results from the application of the framework, the paper concludes that the proposed framework can be an effective instrument which provides more rationality, flexibility and thus more efficiency to the compilation and decision-making process of urban regulatory detailed plan in China.

Filaria monitoring visualization system: a geographical information system-based application to manage lymphatic filariasis in Andhra Pradesh, India.

PubMed

Upadhyayula, Suryanaryana Murty; Mutheneni, Srinivasa Rao; Kumaraswamy, Sriram; Kadiri, Madhusudhan Rao; Pabbisetty, Sampath Kumar; Yellepeddi, Venkata Suryanarayana Murthy

2012-05-01

Among various public health diseases, filariasis constitutes a major public health problem in India, wherein an estimated 553.7 million people are at risk of infection. The aim of this article is to present a spatial mapping and analysis of filariasis data over a 3-year period (2004-2007) from Karimnagar, Chittoor, East and West Godavari districts of Andhra Pradesh, India. The data include epidemiological and entomological studies (i.e., infection rate, infectivity rate, mosquito per man hour, and microfilaria rate). These parameters were customized on Geographical Information System (GIS) platform and developed filaria monitoring visualization system (FMVS) for identifying the endemic/risk areas of filariasis among these four districts. GIS map for filariasis transmission from the study areas was created and stratified into different spatial entities like low, medium, and high risk zones. On the basis of the data and FMVS maps, it was demonstrated that filariasis remained unevenly distributed within the districts. Balancing the intervention coverage in different villages with overall mass drug administration and continued promotion of the proper use of control measures are necessary for further reduction of filarial cases in these districts.

Design of AN Intelligent Individual Evacuation Model for High Rise Building Fires Based on Neural Network Within the Scope of 3d GIS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Atila, U.; Karas, I. R.; Turan, M. K.; Rahman, A. A.

2013-09-01

One of the most dangerous disaster threatening the high rise and complex buildings of today's world including thousands of occupants inside is fire with no doubt. When we consider high population and the complexity of such buildings it is clear to see that performing a rapid and safe evacuation seems hard and human being does not have good memories in case of such disasters like world trade center 9/11. Therefore, it is very important to design knowledge based realtime interactive evacuation methods instead of classical strategies which lack of flexibility. This paper presents a 3D-GIS implementation which simulates the behaviour of an intelligent indoor pedestrian navigation model proposed for a self -evacuation of a person in case of fire. The model is based on Multilayer Perceptron (MLP) which is one of the most preferred artificial neural network architecture in classification and prediction problems. A sample fire scenario following through predefined instructions has been performed on 3D model of the Corporation Complex in Putrajaya (Malaysia) and the intelligent evacuation process has been realized within a proposed 3D-GIS based simulation.

Public participation in GIS via mobile applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brovelli, Maria Antonia; Minghini, Marco; Zamboni, Giorgio

2016-04-01

Driven by the recent trends in the GIS domain including Volunteered Geographic Information, geo-crowdsourcing and citizen science, and fostered by the constant technological advances, collection and dissemination of geospatial information by ordinary people has become commonplace. However, applications involving user-generated geospatial content show dramatically diversified patterns in terms of incentive, type and level of participation, purpose of the activity, data/metadata provided and data quality. This study contributes to this heterogeneous context by investigating public participation in GIS within the field of mobile-based applications. Results not only show examples of how to technically build GIS applications enabling user collection and interaction with geospatial data, but they also draw conclusions about the methods and needs of public participation. We describe three projects with different scales and purposes in the context of urban monitoring and planning, and tourism valorisation. In each case, an open source architecture is used, allowing users to exploit their mobile devices to collect georeferenced information. This data is then made publicly available on specific Web viewers. Analysis of user involvement in these projects provides insights related to participation patterns which suggests some generalized conclusions.

Development of web-based GIS services for sustainable soil resource management at farm level

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Papadopoulos, Antonis; Kolovos, Chronis; Troyanos, Yerasimos; Doula, Maria

2017-09-01

Modern farms situated in urban or suburban areas, include various and in most cases diverse land covers. Land uses in such farms may serve residential, structured, aesthetic and agricultural purposes, usually delimited inside the boundaries of a single property. The environmental conditions across a farm, especially if it is situated on an irregular terrain, can be highly differentiated. Managing soil resources in a small scale diverse farm environment in a holistic and sustainable way should have spatial and temporal reference and take advantage of cut-edge geospatial technologies. In present study, an 8 hectare farm with various land uses in the southern suburbs of Attica Prefecture, Greece was systematically monitored regarding its soil, water and plant resources. Almost 80% of the farm's area is covered with trees, shrubs and low vegetation planted in a mosaic of parterres. Farm data collected concerned soil and water physicochemical characteristics, plant species, topographical features, irrigation network, valves and infrastructure. All data were imported and developed in a GIS geodatabase. Furthermore, web GIS services and a mobile GIS app were developed in order to monitor, update and synchronize present status and future changes performed in the farm. Through the web services and using the mobile GIS app, the user has access to all data stored in the geodatabase and according to access rights he can view or edit the spatial entities. The user can easily make query to specific features, combine their properties with other overlaying spatial data and reach accurate decisions. The app can be downloaded and implemented in mobile devices like smartphones and tablets for extending its functionality. As proven in this study, web GIS services and mobile GIS apps constitute an attractive suite of methodologies for effective and user friendly management of natural resources at farm level.

Applying a Geospatial Visualization Based on USSD Messages to Real Time Identification of Epidemiological Risk Areas in Developing Countries: A Case of Study of Paraguay.

PubMed

Ochoa, Silvia; Talavera, Julia; Paciello, Julio

2015-01-01

The identification of epidemiological risk areas is one of the major problems in public health. Information management strategies are needed to facilitate prevention and control of disease in the affected areas. This paper presents a model to optimize geographical data collection of suspected or confirmed disease occurrences using the Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) mobile technology, considering its wide adoption even in developing countries such as Paraguay. A Geographic Information System (GIS) is proposed for visualizing potential epidemiological risk areas in real time, that aims to support decision making and to implement prevention or contingency programs for public health.

Using Geographic Information System-based Ecologic Niche Models to Forecast the Risk of Hantavirus Infection in Shandong Province, China

PubMed Central

Wei, Lan; Qian, Quan; Wang, Zhi-Qiang; Glass, Gregory E.; Song, Shao-Xia; Zhang, Wen-Yi; Li, Xiu-Jun; Yang, Hong; Wang, Xian-Jun; Fang, Li-Qun; Cao, Wu-Chun

2011-01-01

Hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) is an important public health problem in Shandong Province, China. In this study, we combined ecologic niche modeling with geographic information systems (GIS) and remote sensing techniques to identify the risk factors and affected areas of hantavirus infections in rodent hosts. Land cover and elevation were found to be closely associated with the presence of hantavirus-infected rodent hosts. The averaged area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.864, implying good performance. The predicted risk maps based on the model were validated both by the hantavirus-infected rodents' distribution and HFRS human case localities with a good fit. These findings have the applications for targeting control and prevention efforts. PMID:21363991

Estimation of the possible flood discharge and volume of stormwater for designing water storage.

PubMed

Kirzhner, Felix; Kadmon, Avri

2011-01-01

The shortage of good-quality water resources is an important issue in arid and semiarid zones. Stormwater-harvesting systems that are capable of delivering good-quality wastewater for non-potable uses while taking into account environmental and health requirements must be developed. For this reason, the availability of water resources of marginal quality, like stormwater, can be a significant contribution to the water supply. Current stormwater management practices in the world require the creation of control systems that monitor quality and quantity of the water and the development of stormwater basins to store increased runoff volumes. Public health and safety considerations should be considered. Urban and suburban development, with the creation of buildings and roads and innumerable related activities, turns rain and snow into unwitting agents of damage to our nation's waterways. This urban and suburban runoff, legally known as stormwater, is one of the most significant sources of water pollution in the world. Based on various factors like water quality, runoff flow rate and speed, and the topography involved, stormwater can be directed into basins, purification plants, or to the sea. Accurate floodplain maps are the key to better floodplain management. The aim of this work is to use geographic information systems (GIS) to monitor and control the effect of stormwater. The graphic and mapping capabilities of GIS provide strong tools for conveying information and forecasts of different storm-water flow and buildup scenarios. Analyses of hydrologic processes, rainfall simulations, and spatial patterns of water resources were performed with GIS, which means, based on integrated data set, the flow of the water was introduced into the GIS. Two cases in Israel were analyzed--the Hula Project (the Jordan River floods over the peat soil area) and the Kishon River floodplains as it existed in the Yizrael Valley.

INITIAL EXPLORATION OF NEWLY IMPLEMENTED PUBLIC HEALTH POLICY USING GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEMS: THE CASE OF A U.S. SILVER ALERT PROGRAM.

PubMed

Yamashita, Takashi; Carr, Dawn C; Brown, J Scott

2014-01-01

Public health policies are designed for specific subsets of the population. Evidence that a policy is effectively designed should be based on whether it effectively addresses its mission. A critical factor is determining whether utilization patterns reflect the mission and the efficacy of public health policies, particularly during early stages of implementation. We assert that utilization patterns can be effectively assessed using geographic information systems (GIS). This paper uses the Silver Alert program, a recently implemented public health policy, as a case for how and why GIS can be used to examine utilization patterns. GIS are employed to visualize and spatially analyze a new health policy--North Carolina's Silver Alert policy. We use visualized data and spatial statistics to assess utilization patterns and mission adherence. Results show disproportionate utilization patterns of the Silver Alert policy. In particular, an outstanding number of Silver Alerts were used in Wake County and its surrounding counties, which are both the political and media center of North Carolina. Other counties, including populous counties, had few if any alerts. Findings suggest that the North Carolina's Silver Alert policy needs to be adjusted to more effectively address its mission. We identify several factors that need further examination prior to a statewide evaluation. From this case study, we propose ways future programs, particularly the introduction of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in 2014, might use GIS to examine utilization patterns as a means to better understand whether and in what ways the health care needs of the public are being met with such a policy.

Impact of floating population on the epidemic of tuberculosis: a spatial analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jia, Zhongwei; He, Xiaoxin; Zhao, Wenjuan; An, Yansheng; Cao, Wuchun; Li, Xiaowen

2007-06-01

According to the report issued by the Health Bureau of Beijing that the number of newly registered active pulmonary tuberculosis cases in floating population exceeded half of that in registered permanent residence in 2006. More attention has been paid to the tuberculosis of floating population. Materials and methods: The population data included in the studied was reported by the Beijing Police Bureau in 2004, and the case source from 2004 to 2006 was provided by Beijing Research Institute for TB Control. Two GIS-based methods have been used to detect the hot spots of tuberculosis in 18 districts of Beijing. Results: The distributions of hot spots of tuberculosis in Beijing are significantly associated with that of floating people. Most likely cluster from all population matches with those from floating population, which is stable from 2004 to 2006. Conclusion: The spatial analytical results indicated that the floating population has a drastic influence on the epidemic of tuberculosis in Beijing. The tuberculosis control measures should incorporate the effect of floating population.

Study on Global GIS architecture and its key technologies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cheng, Chengqi; Guan, Li; Lv, Xuefeng

2009-09-01

Global GIS (G2IS) is a system, which supports the huge data process and the global direct manipulation on global grid based on spheroid or ellipsoid surface. Based on global subdivision grid (GSG), Global GIS architecture is presented in this paper, taking advantage of computer cluster theory, the space-time integration technology and the virtual reality technology. Global GIS system architecture is composed of five layers, including data storage layer, data representation layer, network and cluster layer, data management layer and data application layer. Thereinto, it is designed that functions of four-level protocol framework and three-layer data management pattern of Global GIS based on organization, management and publication of spatial information in this architecture. Three kinds of core supportive technologies, which are computer cluster theory, the space-time integration technology and the virtual reality technology, and its application pattern in the Global GIS are introduced in detail. The primary ideas of Global GIS in this paper will be an important development tendency of GIS.

Study on Global GIS architecture and its key technologies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cheng, Chengqi; Guan, Li; Lv, Xuefeng

2010-11-01

Global GIS (G2IS) is a system, which supports the huge data process and the global direct manipulation on global grid based on spheroid or ellipsoid surface. Based on global subdivision grid (GSG), Global GIS architecture is presented in this paper, taking advantage of computer cluster theory, the space-time integration technology and the virtual reality technology. Global GIS system architecture is composed of five layers, including data storage layer, data representation layer, network and cluster layer, data management layer and data application layer. Thereinto, it is designed that functions of four-level protocol framework and three-layer data management pattern of Global GIS based on organization, management and publication of spatial information in this architecture. Three kinds of core supportive technologies, which are computer cluster theory, the space-time integration technology and the virtual reality technology, and its application pattern in the Global GIS are introduced in detail. The primary ideas of Global GIS in this paper will be an important development tendency of GIS.

Test-based exclusion diets in gastro-esophageal reflux disease patients: a randomized controlled pilot trial.

PubMed

Caselli, Michele; Zuliani, Giovanni; Cassol, Francesca; Fusetti, Nadia; Zeni, Elena; Lo Cascio, Natalina; Soavi, Cecilia; Gullini, Sergio

2014-12-07

To investigate the clinical response of gastro-esophageal reflux disease (GERD) symptoms to exclusion diets based on food intolerance tests. A double blind, randomized, controlled pilot trial was performed in 38 GERD patients partially or completely non-responders to proton pump inhibitors (PPI) treatment. Fasting blood samples from each patients were obtained; leukocytotoxic test was performed by incubating the blood with a panel of 60 food items to be tested. The reaction of leukocytes (rounding, vacuolization, lack of movement, flattening, fragmentation or disintegration of cell wall) was then evaluated by optical microscopy and rated as follows: level 0 = negative, level 1 = slightly positive, level 2 = moderately positive, and level 3 = highly positive. A "true" diet excluding food items inducing moderate-severe reactions, and a "control" diet including them was developed for each patient. Then, twenty patients received the "true" diet and 18 the "control" diet; after one month (T1) symptoms severity was scored by the GERD impact scale (GIS). Hence, patients in the "control" group were switched to the "true" diet, and symptom severity was re-assessed after three months (T2). At baseline (T0) the mean GIS global score was 6.68 (range: 5-12) with no difference between "true" and control group (6.6 ± 1.19 vs 6.7 ± 1.7). All patients reacted moderately/severely to at least 1 food (range: 5-19), with a significantly greater number of food substances inducing reaction in controls compared with the "true" diet group (11.6 vs 7.0, P < 0.001). Food items more frequently involved were milk, lettuce, brewer's yeast, pork, coffee, rice, sole asparagus, and tuna, followed by eggs, tomato, grain, shrimps, and chemical yeast. At T1 both groups displayed a reduction of GIS score ("true" group 3.3 ± 1.7, -50%, P = 0.001; control group 4.9 ± 2.8, -26.9%, P = 0.02), although the GIS score was significantly lower in "true" vs "control" group (P = 0.04). At T2, after the diet switch, the "control" group showed a further reduction in GIS score (2.7 ± 1.9, -44.9%, P = 0.01), while the "true" group did not (2.6 ± 1.8, -21.3%, P = 0.19), so that the GIS scores didn't differ between the two groups. Our results suggest that food intolerance may play a role in GERD symptoms development, and leucocytotoxic test-based exclusion diets may be a possible therapeutic approach when PPI are not effective or indicated.

Use NASA GES DISC Data in ArcGIS

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yang, Wenli; Pham, Long B.; Kempler, Steve

2015-01-01

This presentation describes GIS relevant data at NASA Goddard Earth Sciences Data and Information Services Center (GES DISC), GES DISC Services and Support for GIS Users, and use cases of GES DISC data in ArcGIS.

International Conference on Remote Sensing Applications for Archaeological Research and World Heritage Conservation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2002-01-01

Contents include the following: Monitoring the Ancient Countryside: Remote Sensing and GIS at the Chora of Chersonesos (Crimea, Ukraine). Integration of Remote Sensing and GIS for Management Decision Support in the Pendjari Biosphere Reserve (Republic of Benin). Monitoring of deforestation invasion in natural reserves of northern Madagascar based on space imagery. Cartography of Kahuzi-Biega National Park. Cartography and Land Use Change of World Heritage Areas and the Benefits of Remote Sensing and GIS for Conservation. Assessing and Monitoring Vegetation in Nabq Protected Area, South Sinai, Egypt, using combine approach of Satellite Imagery and Land Surveys. Evaluation of forage resources in semi-arid savannah environments with satellite imagery: contribution to the management of a protected area (Nakuru National Park) in Kenya. SOGHA, the Surveillance of Gorilla Habitat in World Heritage sites using Space Technologies. Application of Remote Sensing to monitor the Mont-Saint-Michel Bay (France). Application of Remote Sensing & GIS for the Conservation of Natural and Cultural Heritage Sites of the Southern Province of Sri Lanka. Social and Environmental monitoring of a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve: Case Study over the Vosges du Nord and Pfalzerwald Parks using Corona and Spot Imagery. Satellite Remote Sensing as tool to Monitor Indian Reservation in the Brazilian Amazonia. Remote Sensing and GIS Technology for Monitoring UNESCO World Heritage Sites - A Pilot Project. Urban Green Spaces: Modern Heritage. Monitoring of the technical condition of the St. Sophia Cathedral and related monastic buildings in Kiev with Space Applications, geo-positioning systems and GIS tools. The Murghab delta palaeochannel Reconstruction on the Basis of Remote Sensing from Space. Acquisition, Registration and Application of IKONOS Space Imagery for the cultural World Heritage site at Mew, Turkmenistan. Remote Sensing and VR applications for the reconstruction of archaeological landscapes. Archaeology through Space: Experience in Indian Subcontinent. The creation of a GIS Archaeological Site Location Catalogue in Yucatan: A Tool to preserve its Cultural Heritage. Mapping the Ancient Anasazi Roads of Southeast Utah. Remote Sensing and GIS Technology for Identification of Conservation and Heritage sites in Urban Planning. Mapping Angkor: For a new appraisal of the Angkor region. Angkor and radar imaging: seeing a vast pre-industrial low-density, dispersed urban complex. Technical and methodological aspects of archaeological CRM integrating high resolution satellite imagery. The contribution of satellite imagery to archaeological survey: an example from western Syria. The use of satellite images, digital elevation models and ground truth for the monitoring of land degradation in the "Cinque Terre" National park. Remote Sensing and GIS Applications for Protection and Conservation of World Heritage Site on the coast - Case Study of Tamil Nadu Coast, India. Multispectral high resolution satellite imagery in combination with "traditional" remote sensing and ground survey methods to the study of archaeological landscapes. The case study of Tuscany. Use of Remotely-Sensed Imagery in Cultural Landscape. Characterisation at Fort Hood, Texas. Heritage Learning and Data Collection: Biodiversity & Heritage Conservation through Collaborative Monitoring & Research. A collaborative project by UNESCO's WHC (World Heritage Center) & The GLOBE Program (Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment). Practical Remote Sensing Activities in an Interdisciplinary Master-Level Space Course.

Using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to assess the role of the built environment in influencing obesity: a glossary.

PubMed

Thornton, Lukar E; Pearce, Jamie R; Kavanagh, Anne M

2011-07-01

Features of the built environment are increasingly being recognised as potentially important determinants of obesity. This has come about, in part, because of advances in methodological tools such as Geographic Information Systems (GIS). GIS has made the procurement of data related to the built environment easier and given researchers the flexibility to create a new generation of environmental exposure measures such as the travel time to the nearest supermarket or calculations of the amount of neighbourhood greenspace. Given the rapid advances in the availability of GIS data and the relative ease of use of GIS software, a glossary on the use of GIS to assess the built environment is timely. As a case study, we draw on aspects the food and physical activity environments as they might apply to obesity, to define key GIS terms related to data collection, concepts, and the measurement of environmental features.

ABM and GIS-based multi-scenarios volcanic evacuation modelling of Merapi

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jumadi, Carver, Steve; Quincey, Duncan

2016-05-01

Conducting effective evacuation is one of the successful keys to deal with such crisis. Therefore, a plan that considers the probability of the spatial extent of the hazard occurrences is needed. Likewise, the evacuation plan in Merapi is already prepared before the eruption on 2010. However, the plan could not be performed because the eruption magnitude was bigger than it was predicted. In this condition, the extent of the hazardous area was increased larger than the prepared hazard model. Managing such unpredicted situation need adequate information that flexible and adaptable to the current situation. Therefore, we applied an Agent-based Model (ABM) and Geographic Information System (GIS) using multi-scenarios hazard model to support the evacuation management. The methodology and the case study in Merapi is provided.

A Geographical Information System Based Approach for Integrated Strategies of Tick Surveillance and Control in the Peri-Urban Natural Reserve of Monte Pellegrino (Palermo, Southern Italy).

PubMed

Torina, Alessandra; Blanda, Valeria; Blanda, Marcellocalogero; Auteri, Michelangelo; La Russa, Francesco; Scimeca, Salvatore; D'Agostino, Rosalia; Disclafani, Rosaria; Villari, Sara; Currò, Vittoria; Caracappa, Santo

2018-02-27

Ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) are bloodsucking arthropods involved in pathogen transmission in animals and humans. Tick activity depends on various ecological factors such as vegetation, hosts, and temperature. The aim of this study was to analyse the spatial/temporal distribution of ticks in six sites within a peri-urban area of Palermo (Natural Reserve of Monte Pellegrino) and correlate it with field data using Geographical Information System (GIS) data. A total of 3092 ticks were gathered via dragging method from June 2012 to May 2014. The species collected were: Ixodes ventalloi (46.09%), Hyalomma lusitanicum (19.99%), Rhipicephalus sanguineus (17.34%), Rhipicephalus pusillus (16.11%), Haemaphisalis sulcata (0.36%), Dermacentor marginatus (0.10%), and Rhipicephalus turanicus (0.03%). GIS analysis revealed environmental characteristics of each site, and abundance of each tick species was analysed in relation to time (monthly trend) and space (site-specific abundance). A relevant presence of I. ventalloi in site 2 and H. lusitanicum in site 5 was observed, suggesting the possible exposure of animals and humans to tick-borne pathogens. Our study shows the importance of surveillance of ticks in peri-urban areas and the useful implementation of GIS analysis in vector ecology; studies on temporal and spatial distribution of ticks correlated to GIS-based ecological analysis represent an integrated strategy for decision support in public health.

Geographical information systems as a tool for monitoring tobacco industry advertising.

PubMed

Vardavas, C I; Connolly, G N; Kafatos, A G

2009-06-01

Although the use of a geographical information systems (GIS) approach is usually applied to epidemiological disease outbreaks and environmental exposure mapping, it has significant potential as a tobacco control research tool in monitoring point-of-purchase (POP) tobacco advertising. An ecological study design approach was applied so as to primarily evaluate and interpret the spatial density and intensity of POP and tobacco industry advertisements within <300 m to high schools in Greece with the application of GIS methodology combining mapping, photographing and global positioning data. The GIS approach identified 133 POP and 44 billboards within 300 m of the school gates of Heraklion schools. On average 13 POP (range 4-21) and 4.4 billboards (range 1-9) were located per school, and all had at least 1 POP within 20 m of the school gate. On average (SD) 9 (6) tobacco advertisements per POP (range 0-25) were noted, and 80% of them were below child height. The GIS protocol identified that kiosks, that were excepted from the Greek ban on tobacco advertising, in comparison to other POP, were found not only to be closer and visible from the school gates (44.1% vs 10.8%, p<0.001) but were also found to have more external advertisements (8 (5) vs 5 (3), p<0.001). This study demonstrates the effectiveness of a GIS system in monitoring tobacco industry advertising on a large population-based scale and implies its use as a standardised method for monitoring tobacco industry strategies and tobacco control efforts.

GIS-Based Education Course for Bachelor of Management Program in the Lomonosov Moscow State University Business School

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pirogov, A.

2014-04-01

An optional course, "Geographical Aspects of Business" in the framework of the Bachelor of management program in the Lomonosov Moscow State University Business School is setting the goal to introduce future discipline specialists with geographical topics of current interest for management and provide knowledge, skills and expertise of geospatial analysis and the use of geoinformation technologies in finding solutions to economic and managerial tasks. The students' feedback shows interest and demand for such a course for management students. The course has an interdisciplinary links with the main subjects such as marketing, public administration, visual communication, etc., and is based on the set of business cases dealing with Web-GIS Services, LBS, Geomarketing, Spatial analysis, etc. Open Data and corporate geodata sets are used. The pragmatist approach is selected for successful accomplishment of the course's goal, which is based on using Web-GIS tools. The Geomixer - a free web- GIS product by the company SCANEX - is chosen to be one of them. The principle "I do - I analyze" helps to minimize the theoretic constituent of the course improving the outcome of the classes. Owing to innovative methods of teaching, the educational goal of the course is achieved to the full scope despite the small number of allocated hours. The classes surely improve both the general level of geographic competence of students and provide them with the skills to work with GIS. Such optional courses will undoubtedly contribute to the development of GIS-education in management administration.

WebGIS based community services architecture by griddization managements and crowdsourcing services

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Haiyin; Wan, Jianhua; Zeng, Zhe; Zhou, Shengchuan

2016-11-01

Along with the fast economic development of cities, rapid urbanization, population surge, in China, the social community service mechanisms need to be rationalized and the policy standards need to be unified, which results in various types of conflicts and challenges for community services of government. Based on the WebGIS technology, the article provides a community service architecture by gridding management and crowdsourcing service. The WEBGIS service architecture includes two parts: the cloud part and the mobile part. The cloud part refers to community service centres, which can instantaneously response the emergency, visualize the scene of the emergency, and analyse the data from the emergency. The mobile part refers to the mobile terminal, which can call the centre, report the event, collect data and verify the feedback. This WebGIS based community service systems for Huangdao District of Qingdao, were awarded the “2015’ national innovation of social governance case of typical cases”.

The use of a geographic information system to identify a dairy goat farm as the most likely source of an urban Q-fever outbreak.

PubMed

Schimmer, Barbara; Ter Schegget, Ronald; Wegdam, Marjolijn; Züchner, Lothar; de Bruin, Arnout; Schneeberger, Peter M; Veenstra, Thijs; Vellema, Piet; van der Hoek, Wim

2010-03-16

A Q-fever outbreak occurred in an urban area in the south of the Netherlands in May 2008. The distribution and timing of cases suggested a common source. We studied the spatial relationship between the residence locations of human cases and nearby small ruminant farms, of which one dairy goat farm had experienced abortions due to Q-fever since mid April 2008. A generic geographic information system (GIS) was used to develop a method for source detection in the still evolving major epidemic of Q-fever in the Netherlands. All notified Q-fever cases in the area were interviewed. Postal codes of cases and of small ruminant farms (size >40 animals) located within 5 kilometres of the cluster area were geo-referenced as point locations in a GIS-model. For each farm, attack rates and relative risks were calculated for 5 concentric zones adding 1 kilometre at a time, using the 5-10 kilometres zone as reference. These data were linked to the results of veterinary investigations. Persons living within 2 kilometres of an affected dairy goat farm (>400 animals) had a much higher risk for Q-fever than those living more than 5 kilometres away (Relative risk 31.1 [95% CI 16.4-59.1]). The study supported the hypothesis that a single dairy goat farm was the source of the human outbreak. GIS-based attack rate analysis is a promising tool for source detection in outbreaks of human Q-fever.

Integration agent-based models and GIS as a virtual urban dynamic laboratory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Peng; Liu, Miaolong

2007-06-01

Based on the Agent-based Model and spatial data model, a tight-coupling integrating method of GIS and Agent-based Model (ABM) is to be discussed in this paper. The use of object-orientation for both spatial data and spatial process models facilitates their integration, which can allow exploration and explanation of spatial-temporal phenomena such as urban dynamic. In order to better understand how tight coupling might proceed and to evaluate the possible functional and efficiency gains from such a tight coupling, the agent-based model and spatial data model are discussed, and then the relationships affecting spatial data model and agent-based process models interaction. After that, a realistic crowd flow simulation experiment is presented. Using some tools provided by general GIS systems and a few specific programming languages, a new software system integrating GIS and MAS as a virtual laboratory applicable for simulating pedestrian flows in a crowd activity centre has been developed successfully. Under the environment supported by the software system, as an applicable case, a dynamic evolution process of the pedestrian's flows (dispersed process for the spectators) in a crowds' activity center - The Shanghai Stadium has been simulated successfully. At the end of the paper, some new research problems have been pointed out for the future.

An empirical inferential method of estimating nitrogen deposition to Mediterranean-type ecosystems: the San Bernardino Mountains case study

Treesearch

A. Bytnerowicz; R.F. Johnson; L. Zhang; G.D. Jenerette; M.E. Fenn; S.L. Schilling; I. Gonzalez-Fernandez

2015-01-01

The empirical inferential method (EIM) allows for spatially and temporally-dense estimates of atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition to Mediterranean ecosystems. This method, set within a GIS platform, is based on ambient concentrations of NH3, NO, NO2 and HNO3; surface conductance of NH4...

Use of Business-Naming Practices to Delineate Vernacular Regions: A Michigan Example

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liesch, Matthew; Dunklee, Linda M.; Legg, Robert J.; Feig, Anthony D.; Krause, Austin Jena

2015-01-01

This article provides a history of efforts to map vernacular regions as context for offering readers a way of using business directories in order to construct a GIS-based map of vernacular regions. With Michigan as a case study, the article discusses regional-naming conventions, boundaries, and inclusions and omissions of areas from regional…

Development of Gis Tool for the Solution of Minimum Spanning Tree Problem using Prim's Algorithm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dutta, S.; Patra, D.; Shankar, H.; Alok Verma, P.

2014-11-01

minimum spanning tree (MST) of a connected, undirected and weighted network is a tree of that network consisting of all its nodes and the sum of weights of all its edges is minimum among all such possible spanning trees of the same network. In this study, we have developed a new GIS tool using most commonly known rudimentary algorithm called Prim's algorithm to construct the minimum spanning tree of a connected, undirected and weighted road network. This algorithm is based on the weight (adjacency) matrix of a weighted network and helps to solve complex network MST problem easily, efficiently and effectively. The selection of the appropriate algorithm is very essential otherwise it will be very hard to get an optimal result. In case of Road Transportation Network, it is very essential to find the optimal results by considering all the necessary points based on cost factor (time or distance). This paper is based on solving the Minimum Spanning Tree (MST) problem of a road network by finding it's minimum span by considering all the important network junction point. GIS technology is usually used to solve the network related problems like the optimal path problem, travelling salesman problem, vehicle routing problems, location-allocation problems etc. Therefore, in this study we have developed a customized GIS tool using Python script in ArcGIS software for the solution of MST problem for a Road Transportation Network of Dehradun city by considering distance and time as the impedance (cost) factors. It has a number of advantages like the users do not need a greater knowledge of the subject as the tool is user-friendly and that allows to access information varied and adapted the needs of the users. This GIS tool for MST can be applied for a nationwide plan called Prime Minister Gram Sadak Yojana in India to provide optimal all weather road connectivity to unconnected villages (points). This tool is also useful for constructing highways or railways spanning several cities optimally or connecting all cities with minimum total road length.

Epidemiologic Investigation of Dysentery in North of Iran: Use of Geographic Information System (GIS).

PubMed

Nadi, Aliasghar; Abedi, Ghassem; Isazadeh, Khatoon; Rostami, Farideh; Siamian, Hasan; Hosseini, Mahbobeh; Asadi-Aliabadi, Mehran

2016-12-01

Dysentery is an intestinal inflammation which is created by the microorganisms attacking intestine mucus. Knowing the prevalence of this disease in different societies paves the way for programming and providing treatment and preventive measures. The main purpose of this study is to investigate the epidemiologic pattern and geographical distribution of dysentery based on GIS. This was a cross-sectional and analytical study. The dysentery cases were gathered from the section of contagious diseases in health chancellery of Mazandaran University of medical sciences through a checklist during the years 2008 to 2013. In order to analyze the data, we made use of chi-square test. Then, the GIS software was used to recognize the geographical distribution of the disease. There was reported about 653 cases affected by dysentery and the disease proportion was equal for both men and women. Most of the persons with dysentery was city dwellers. The highest rate of incidents was reported to be in Fereidunkenar in 2011, and the disease was mostly found among farmers, students, and college students. Since dysentery is a disease transmitted from water and food, and in this study, it was found out that the disease sources included using polluted water, vegetables, and lack of appropriate personal hygiene. Therefore, it is essential to take into consideration the health issues. Moreover, the suitable conditions of the geographical area which has the highest rate of incident have paved the way for dysentery occurrence. In addition, using geographic information system (GIS) as a visual instrument can help the stakeholders and officials to elaborate on the death trend and recognize the areas for optimal use of the available resources.

Epidemiologic Investigation of Dysentery in North of Iran: Use of Geographic Information System (GIS)

PubMed Central

Nadi, Aliasghar; Abedi, Ghassem; Isazadeh, Khatoon; Rostami, Farideh; Siamian, Hasan; Hosseini, Mahbobeh; Asadi-Aliabadi, Mehran

2016-01-01

Introduction: Dysentery is an intestinal inflammation which is created by the microorganisms attacking intestine mucus. Knowing the prevalence of this disease in different societies paves the way for programming and providing treatment and preventive measures. The main purpose of this study is to investigate the epidemiologic pattern and geographical distribution of dysentery based on GIS. Method: This was a cross-sectional and analytical study. The dysentery cases were gathered from the section of contagious diseases in health chancellery of Mazandaran University of medical sciences through a checklist during the years 2008 to 2013. In order to analyze the data, we made use of chi-square test. Then, the GIS software was used to recognize the geographical distribution of the disease. Findings: There was reported about 653 cases affected by dysentery and the disease proportion was equal for both men and women. Most of the persons with dysentery was city dwellers. The highest rate of incidents was reported to be in Fereidunkenar in 2011, and the disease was mostly found among farmers, students, and college students. Conclusion: Since dysentery is a disease transmitted from water and food, and in this study, it was found out that the disease sources included using polluted water, vegetables, and lack of appropriate personal hygiene. Therefore, it is essential to take into consideration the health issues. Moreover, the suitable conditions of the geographical area which has the highest rate of incident have paved the way for dysentery occurrence. In addition, using geographic information system (GIS) as a visual instrument can help the stakeholders and officials to elaborate on the death trend and recognize the areas for optimal use of the available resources. PMID:28144197

Lessons Learnt From Exercise Celestial Navigation: The Application of a Geographic Information System to Inform Legionnaires' Disease Control Activity.

PubMed

Quinn, Emma; Hsiao, Kai; Truman, George; Rose, Nectarios; Broome, Richard

2018-05-02

Geographic information systems (GIS) have emerged in the past few decades as a technology capable of assisting in the control of infectious disease outbreaks. A Legionnaires' disease cluster investigation in May 2016 in Sydney, New South Wales (NSW), Australia, demonstrated the importance of using GIS to identify at-risk water sources in real-time for field investigation to help control any immediate environmental health risk, as well as the need for more staff trained in the use of this technology. Sydney Local Health District Public Health Unit (PHU) subsequently ran an exercise (based on this investigation) with 11 staff members from 4 PHUs across Sydney to further test staff capability to use GIS across NSW. At least 80% of exercise participants reported that the scenario progression was realistic, assigned tasks were clear, and sufficient data were provided to complete tasks. The exercise highlighted the multitude of geocoding applications and need for inter-operability of systems, as well as the need for trained staff with specific expertise in spatial analysis to help assist in outbreak control activity across NSW. Evaluation data demonstrated the need for a common GIS, regular education and training, and guidelines to support the collaborative use of GIS for infectious disease epidemiology in NSW. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2018;page 1 of 3).

Smart caching based on mobile agent of power WebGIS platform.

PubMed

Wang, Xiaohui; Wu, Kehe; Chen, Fei

2013-01-01

Power information construction is developing towards intensive, platform, distributed direction with the expansion of power grid and improvement of information technology. In order to meet the trend, power WebGIS was designed and developed. In this paper, we first discuss the architecture and functionality of power WebGIS, and then we study caching technology in detail, which contains dynamic display cache model, caching structure based on mobile agent, and cache data model. We have designed experiments of different data capacity to contrast performance between WebGIS with the proposed caching model and traditional WebGIS. The experimental results showed that, with the same hardware environment, the response time of WebGIS with and without caching model increased as data capacity growing, while the larger the data was, the higher the performance of WebGIS with proposed caching model improved.

Use of wild bird surveillance, human case data and GIS spatial analysis for predicting spatial distributions of West Nile virus in Greece.

PubMed

Valiakos, George; Papaspyropoulos, Konstantinos; Giannakopoulos, Alexios; Birtsas, Periklis; Tsiodras, Sotirios; Hutchings, Michael R; Spyrou, Vassiliki; Pervanidou, Danai; Athanasiou, Labrini V; Papadopoulos, Nikolaos; Tsokana, Constantina; Baka, Agoritsa; Manolakou, Katerina; Chatzopoulos, Dimitrios; Artois, Marc; Yon, Lisa; Hannant, Duncan; Petrovska, Liljana; Hadjichristodoulou, Christos; Billinis, Charalambos

2014-01-01

West Nile Virus (WNV) is the causative agent of a vector-borne, zoonotic disease with a worldwide distribution. Recent expansion and introduction of WNV into new areas, including southern Europe, has been associated with severe disease in humans and equids, and has increased concerns regarding the need to prevent and control future WNV outbreaks. Since 2010, 524 confirmed human cases of the disease have been reported in Greece with greater than 10% mortality. Infected mosquitoes, wild birds, equids, and chickens have been detected and associated with human disease. The aim of our study was to establish a monitoring system with wild birds and reported human cases data using Geographical Information System (GIS). Potential distribution of WNV was modelled by combining wild bird serological surveillance data with environmental factors (e.g. elevation, slope, land use, vegetation density, temperature, precipitation indices, and population density). Local factors including areas of low altitude and proximity to water were important predictors of appearance of both human and wild bird cases (Odds Ratio = 1,001 95%CI = 0,723-1,386). Using GIS analysis, the identified risk factors were applied across Greece identifying the northern part of Greece (Macedonia, Thrace) western Greece and a number of Greek islands as being at highest risk of future outbreaks. The results of the analysis were evaluated and confirmed using the 161 reported human cases of the 2012 outbreak predicting correctly (Odds = 130/31 = 4,194 95%CI = 2,841-6,189) and more areas were identified for potential dispersion in the following years. Our approach verified that WNV risk can be modelled in a fast cost-effective way indicating high risk areas where prevention measures should be implemented in order to reduce the disease incidence.

Applications of geographic information systems (GIS) for highway traffic noise analysis : case studies of select transportation agencies

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2012-11-30

Noise from highway traffic can be pervasive in areas near roadways. How and to what extent noise travels is strongly influenced by geospatial features such as terrain and elevation. Thus geographic information systems (GIS), which enable users to mor...

Monitoring Method of Cow Anthrax Based on Gis and Spatial Statistical Analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Lin; Yang, Yong; Wang, Hongbin; Dong, Jing; Zhao, Yujun; He, Jianbin; Fan, Honggang

Geographic information system (GIS) is a computer application system, which possesses the ability of manipulating spatial information and has been used in many fields related with the spatial information management. Many methods and models have been established for analyzing animal diseases distribution models and temporal-spatial transmission models. Great benefits have been gained from the application of GIS in animal disease epidemiology. GIS is now a very important tool in animal disease epidemiological research. Spatial analysis function of GIS can be widened and strengthened by using spatial statistical analysis, allowing for the deeper exploration, analysis, manipulation and interpretation of spatial pattern and spatial correlation of the animal disease. In this paper, we analyzed the cow anthrax spatial distribution characteristics in the target district A (due to the secret of epidemic data we call it district A) based on the established GIS of the cow anthrax in this district in combination of spatial statistical analysis and GIS. The Cow anthrax is biogeochemical disease, and its geographical distribution is related closely to the environmental factors of habitats and has some spatial characteristics, and therefore the correct analysis of the spatial distribution of anthrax cow for monitoring and the prevention and control of anthrax has a very important role. However, the application of classic statistical methods in some areas is very difficult because of the pastoral nomadic context. The high mobility of livestock and the lack of enough suitable sampling for the some of the difficulties in monitoring currently make it nearly impossible to apply rigorous random sampling methods. It is thus necessary to develop an alternative sampling method, which could overcome the lack of sampling and meet the requirements for randomness. The GIS computer application software ArcGIS9.1 was used to overcome the lack of data of sampling sites.Using ArcGIS 9.1 and GEODA to analyze the cow anthrax spatial distribution of district A. we gained some conclusions about cow anthrax' density: (1) there is a spatial clustering model. (2) there is an intensely spatial autocorrelation. We established a prediction model to estimate the anthrax distribution based on the spatial characteristic of the density of cow anthrax. Comparing with the true distribution, the prediction model has a well coincidence and is feasible to the application. The method using a GIS tool facilitates can be implemented significantly in the cow anthrax monitoring and investigation, and the space statistics - related prediction model provides a fundamental use for other study on space-related animal diseases.

A GIS-based approach for the screening assessment of noise and vibration impacts from transit projects.

PubMed

Hamed, Maged; Effat, Waleed

2007-08-01

Urban transportation projects are essential in increasing the efficiency of moving people and goods within a city, and between cities. Environmental impacts from such projects must be evaluated and mitigated, as applicable. Spatial modeling is a valuable tool for quantifying the potential level of environmental consequences within the context of an environmental impact assessment (EIA) study. This paper presents a GIS-based tool for the assessment of airborne-noise and ground-borne vibration from public transit systems, and its application to an actual project. The tool is based on the US Federal Transit Administration's (FTA) approach, and incorporates spatial information, satellite imaging, geostatistical modeling, and software programming. The tool is applied on a case study of initial environmental evaluation of a light rail transit project in an urban city in the Middle East, to evaluate alternative layouts. The tool readily allowed the alternative evaluation and the results were used as input to a multi-criteria analytic framework.

Tsunami vulnerability and damage assessment in the coastal area of Rabat and Salé, Morocco

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Atillah, A.; El Hadani, D.; Moudni, H.; Lesne, O.; Renou, C.; Mangin, A.; Rouffi, F.

2011-12-01

This study, a companion paper to Renou et al. (2011), focuses on the application of a GIS-based method to assess building vulnerability and damage in the event of a tsunami affecting the coastal area of Rabat and Salé, Morocco. This approach, designed within the framework of the European SCHEMA project (www.schemaproject.org) is based on the combination of hazard results from numerical modelling of the worst case tsunami scenario (inundation depth) based on the historical Lisbon earthquake of 1755 and the Portugal earthquake of 1969, together with vulnerability building types derived from Earth Observation data, field surveys and GIS data. The risk is then evaluated for this highly concentrated population area characterized by the implementation of a vast project of residential and touristic buildings within the flat area of the Bouregreg Valley separating the cities of Rabat and Salé. A GIS tool is used to derive building damage maps by crossing layers of inundation levels and building vulnerability. The inferred damage maps serve as a base for elaborating evacuation plans with appropriate rescue and relief processes and to prepare and consider appropriate measures to prevent the induced tsunami risk.

Street Lighting Infrastructure Assessment Using Discriminant and GIS Method on Mount Merapi Evacuation Road

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Izdihar, R. P.; Maryono, M.; Widjonarko, W.; Rahayu, S.

2018-02-01

This research aims to assess street lighting infrastructure in rural-urban of Mount Merapi Evacuation road. Three evacuation road/corridor; Mriyan-Boyolali, Wonodoyo-Boyolali and Samiran-Boyolali are selected as case study. By using discriminant this study examine 6 variables namely type of lamp, physical component, height, time, power and cons consumption. In addition this study also using GIS method to assessing geographical feature as of previous result. According to the discriminant analysis, the characteristic of street lighting could be distinguished as two characteristic, while from the GIS assessment, the study found three characteristic of geographical street lighting feature.

Utilizing environmental, socioeconomic data and GIS techniques to estimate the risk for ascariasis and trichuriasis in Minas Gerais, Brazil.

PubMed

Scholte, Ronaldo G C; Freitas, Corina C; Dutra, Luciano V; Guimaraes, Ricardo J P S; Drummond, Sandra C; Oliveira, Guilherme; Carvalho, Omar S

2012-02-01

The impact of intestinal helminths on human health is well known among the population and health authorities because of their wide geographic distribution and the serious problems they cause. Geohelminths are highly prevalent and have a big impact on public health, mainly in underdeveloped and developing countries. Geohelminths are responsible for the high levels of debility found in the younger population and are often related to cases of chronic diarrhea and malnutrition, which put the physical and intellectual development of children at risk. These geohelminths have not been sufficiently studied. One obstacle in implementing a control program is the lack of knowledge of the prevalence and geographical distribution. Geographical information systems (GIS) and remote sensing (RS) have been utilized to improve understanding of infectious disease distribution and climatic patterns. In this study, GIS and RS technologies, as well as meteorological, social, and environmental variables were utilized for the modeling and prediction of ascariasis and trichuriasis. The GIS and RS technologies specifically used were those produced by orbital sensing including the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM). The results of this study demonstrated important factors related to the transmission of ascariasis and trichuriasis and confirmed the key association between environmental variables and the poverty index, which enabled us to identify priority areas for intervention planning in the state of Minas Gerais in Brazil. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Impact of land-use on groundwater quality: GIS-based study from an alluvial aquifer in the western Ganges basin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khan, Arina; Khan, Haris Hasan; Umar, Rashid

2017-12-01

In this study, groundwater quality of an alluvial aquifer in the western Ganges basin is assessed using a GIS-based groundwater quality index (GQI) concept that uses groundwater quality data from field survey and laboratory analysis. Groundwater samples were collected from 42 wells during pre-monsoon and post-monsoon periods of 2012 and analysed for pH, EC, TDS, Anions (Cl, SO4, NO3), and Cations (Ca, Mg, Na). To generate the index, several parameters were selected based on WHO recommendations. The spatially variable grids of each parameter were modified by normalizing with the WHO standards and finally integrated into a GQI grid. The mean GQI values for both the season suggest good groundwater quality. However, spatial variations exist and are represented by GQI map of both seasons. This spatial variability was compared with the existing land-use, prepared using high-resolution satellite imagery available in Google earth. The GQI grids were compared to the land-use map using an innovative GIS-based method. Results indicate that the spatial variability of groundwater quality in the region is not fully controlled by the land-use pattern. This probably reflects the diffuse nature of land-use classes, especially settlements and plantations.

Spatial distribution and deployment of community-based distributors implementing integrated community case management (iCCM): Geographic information system (GIS) mapping study in three South Sudan states.

PubMed

Pratt, Abigail; Dale, Martin; Olivi, Elena; Miller, Jane

2014-12-01

In late 2012 and in conjunction with South Sudan's Ministry of Health - National Malaria Control Program, PSI (Population Services International) conducted a comprehensive mapping exercise to assess geographical coverage of its integrated community case management (iCCM) program and consider scope for expansion. The operational research was designed to provide evidence and support for low-cost mapping and monitoring systems, demonstrating the use of technology to enhance the quality of programming and to allow for the improved allocation of resources through appropriate and need-based deployment of community-based distributors (CBDs). The survey took place over the course of three months and program staff gathered GPS (global positioning system) data, along with demographic data, for over 1200 CBDs and 111 CBD supervisors operating in six counties in South Sudan. Data was collated, cleaned and quality assured, input into an Excel database, and subsequently uploaded to geographic information system (GIS) for spatial analysis and map production. The mapping results showed that over three-quarters of CBDs were deployed within a five kilometer radius of a health facility or another CBD, contrary to program planning and design. Other characteristics of the CBD and CBD supervisor profiles (age, gender, literacy) were more closely matched with other regional programs. The results of this mapping exercise provided a valuable insight into the contradictions found between a program "deployment plan" and the realities observed during field implementation. It also highlighted an important need for program implementers and national-level strategy makers to consider the natural and community-driven diffusion of CBDs, and take into consideration the strength of the local health facilities when developing a deployment plan.

Geo-relationship between cancer cases and the environment by GIS: a case study of Trabzon in Turkey.

PubMed

Yomralioglu, Tahsin; Colak, Ebru H; Aydinoglu, Arif C

2009-12-01

Cancer is an important health issue in Turkey because it ranks as the second cause of death in the country. Examination of the relationships between the distribution of cancer cases and geo-environmental factors is significant in determining the causes of cancer. In this study, GIS were used to provide data about the distribution of cancer types in Trabzon province, Turkey. To determine the cancer occurrence density, the cancer incidence rates were calculated according to local census data, then a cancer density map was produced, and correlations between cancer types and geographical factors were examined.

Geo-Relationship between Cancer Cases and the Environment by GIS: A Case Study of Trabzon in Turkey

PubMed Central

Yomralioglu, Tahsin; Colak, Ebru H.; Aydinoglu, Arif C.

2009-01-01

Cancer is an important health issue in Turkey because it ranks as the second cause of death in the country. Examination of the relationships between the distribution of cancer cases and geo-environmental factors is significant in determining the causes of cancer. In this study, GIS were used to provide data about the distribution of cancer types in Trabzon province, Turkey. To determine the cancer occurrence density, the cancer incidence rates were calculated according to local census data, then a cancer density map was produced, and correlations between cancer types and geographical factors were examined. PMID:20049256

The research and implementation of coalfield spontaneous combustion of carbon emission WebGIS based on Silverlight and ArcGIS server

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Z.; Bi, J.; Wang, X.; Zhu, W.

2014-02-01

As an important sub-topic of the natural process of carbon emission data public information platform construction, coalfield spontaneous combustion of carbon emission WebGIS system has become an important study object. In connection with data features of coalfield spontaneous combustion carbon emissions (i.e. a wide range of data, which is rich and complex) and the geospatial characteristics, data is divided into attribute data and spatial data. Based on full analysis of the data, completed the detailed design of the Oracle database and stored on the Oracle database. Through Silverlight rich client technology and the expansion of WCF services, achieved the attribute data of web dynamic query, retrieval, statistical, analysis and other functions. For spatial data, we take advantage of ArcGIS Server and Silverlight-based API to invoke GIS server background published map services, GP services, Image services and other services, implemented coalfield spontaneous combustion of remote sensing image data and web map data display, data analysis, thematic map production. The study found that the Silverlight technology, based on rich client and object-oriented framework for WCF service, can efficiently constructed a WebGIS system. And then, combined with ArcGIS Silverlight API to achieve interactive query attribute data and spatial data of coalfield spontaneous emmission, can greatly improve the performance of WebGIS system. At the same time, it provided a strong guarantee for the construction of public information on China's carbon emission data.

Framework See-Think as a Tool for Crowdsourcing Support - Case Study on Crisis Management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Netek, R.; Panek, J.

2016-06-01

See-Think-Do is a framework originally used as an approach focused on a service and product marketing on the Internet. Customers can be classified into three groups according to their involvement from potential users to real customers. The article presents an idea of public involvement in community mapping in three levels: "See"—almost any user; "Think"—potential contributors; and "Do"—interested users. The case study implements the See-Think-Do framework as an awareness-based approach used for The Crisis Map of the Czech Republic. It is an Ushahidi-based crowdsourcing platform for sharing spatial and multimedia information during crisis situations, e.g. disaster floods in 2013. While the current crisis projects use public mapping just at the onset of the disaster, according to See-Think-Do any user can be considered as a potential contributor even during the dormant period. The focus is put on the "See" and "Think" groups of contributors, which are currently ignored. The objective of this paper is to summarize approaches (social networks, mass-media, emailing, gamification, …) and tools (GIT/GIS, ICT, multimedia) for increasing the awareness about the project within the resting phase. That recruits a higher number of both active and passive users during the disaster. It allows the training in ICT, cartographical, spatial and GIS skills in a non-stressful way and the targeting on specific operators. Volunteers from the "Think" group may be used for data processing or rectification, GIS professionals from the "Do" group for data verification. The results refer that contributors with already established skills and required literacy (interface, data uploading) provide data faster and more accurate, the usability of the project increases based on users' comments.

Impact of Urbanization and Enviromental Protection Policies on Timber Availibility: A GIS Application

Treesearch

Donald G. Hodges; James T. Gunter; Christopher M. Swalm; James L. Regens

1998-01-01

This study illustrates how remotely-sensed data and GIS can be utilized to allow planners to evaluate the relationship between land use, environmental protection policies, and resource availability. The case study examines St. Tammany Parish in Louisiana which has experienced tremendous population growth and land use change in the past two decades. To date, work has...

Utilizing GIS to Assess the Impact of Urbanization on Timberland Availibility in Southeastern Louisiana

Treesearch

Donald G. Hodges; James T. Gunter; Christopher M. Swalm; James L. Regens

1998-01-01

This study illustrates how remotely-sensed data and GIS can be utilized to allow planners to evaluate the relationship between land use, environmental protection policies, and resource availability. The case study examines St. Tammany Parish in Louisiana which has experienced tremendous population growth and land use change in the past two decades. To date, work has...

Cloud Computing and Its Applications in GIS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kang, Cao

2011-12-01

Cloud computing is a novel computing paradigm that offers highly scalable and highly available distributed computing services. The objectives of this research are to: 1. analyze and understand cloud computing and its potential for GIS; 2. discover the feasibilities of migrating truly spatial GIS algorithms to distributed computing infrastructures; 3. explore a solution to host and serve large volumes of raster GIS data efficiently and speedily. These objectives thus form the basis for three professional articles. The first article is entitled "Cloud Computing and Its Applications in GIS". This paper introduces the concept, structure, and features of cloud computing. Features of cloud computing such as scalability, parallelization, and high availability make it a very capable computing paradigm. Unlike High Performance Computing (HPC), cloud computing uses inexpensive commodity computers. The uniform administration systems in cloud computing make it easier to use than GRID computing. Potential advantages of cloud-based GIS systems such as lower barrier to entry are consequently presented. Three cloud-based GIS system architectures are proposed: public cloud- based GIS systems, private cloud-based GIS systems and hybrid cloud-based GIS systems. Public cloud-based GIS systems provide the lowest entry barriers for users among these three architectures, but their advantages are offset by data security and privacy related issues. Private cloud-based GIS systems provide the best data protection, though they have the highest entry barriers. Hybrid cloud-based GIS systems provide a compromise between these extremes. The second article is entitled "A cloud computing algorithm for the calculation of Euclidian distance for raster GIS". Euclidean distance is a truly spatial GIS algorithm. Classical algorithms such as the pushbroom and growth ring techniques require computational propagation through the entire raster image, which makes it incompatible with the distributed nature of cloud computing. This paper presents a parallel Euclidean distance algorithm that works seamlessly with the distributed nature of cloud computing infrastructures. The mechanism of this algorithm is to subdivide a raster image into sub-images and wrap them with a one pixel deep edge layer of individually computed distance information. Each sub-image is then processed by a separate node, after which the resulting sub-images are reassembled into the final output. It is shown that while any rectangular sub-image shape can be used, those approximating squares are computationally optimal. This study also serves as a demonstration of this subdivide and layer-wrap strategy, which would enable the migration of many truly spatial GIS algorithms to cloud computing infrastructures. However, this research also indicates that certain spatial GIS algorithms such as cost distance cannot be migrated by adopting this mechanism, which presents significant challenges for the development of cloud-based GIS systems. The third article is entitled "A Distributed Storage Schema for Cloud Computing based Raster GIS Systems". This paper proposes a NoSQL Database Management System (NDDBMS) based raster GIS data storage schema. NDDBMS has good scalability and is able to use distributed commodity computers, which make it superior to Relational Database Management Systems (RDBMS) in a cloud computing environment. In order to provide optimized data service performance, the proposed storage schema analyzes the nature of commonly used raster GIS data sets. It discriminates two categories of commonly used data sets, and then designs corresponding data storage models for both categories. As a result, the proposed storage schema is capable of hosting and serving enormous volumes of raster GIS data speedily and efficiently on cloud computing infrastructures. In addition, the scheme also takes advantage of the data compression characteristics of Quadtrees, thus promoting efficient data storage. Through this assessment of cloud computing technology, the exploration of the challenges and solutions to the migration of GIS algorithms to cloud computing infrastructures, and the examination of strategies for serving large amounts of GIS data in a cloud computing infrastructure, this dissertation lends support to the feasibility of building a cloud-based GIS system. However, there are still challenges that need to be addressed before a full-scale functional cloud-based GIS system can be successfully implemented. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)

Embedding Local Places in Global Spaces: Geographical Indications as a Territorial Development Strategy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bowen, Sarah

2010-01-01

Geographical indications (GIs) are place-based names that convey the geographical origin, as well as the cultural and historical identity, of agricultural products. GIs are unique, in that they provide a means of ensuring that control over production and sales of a product stays within a local area, but at the same time they make use of extralocal…

Determining the most suitable areas for artificial groundwater recharge via an integrated PROMETHEE II-AHP method in GIS environment (case study: Garabaygan Basin, Iran).

PubMed

Nasiri, Hossein; Boloorani, Ali Darvishi; Sabokbar, Hassan Ali Faraji; Jafari, Hamid Reza; Hamzeh, Mohamad; Rafii, Yusef

2013-01-01

Flood spreading is a suitable strategy for controlling and benefiting from floods. Selecting suitable areas for flood spreading and directing the floodwater into permeable formations are amongst the most effective strategies in flood spreading projects. Having combined geographic information systems (GIS) and multi-criteria decision analysis approaches, the present study sought to locate the most suitable areas for flood spreading operation in the Garabaygan Basin of Iran. To this end, the data layers relating to the eight effective factors were prepared in GIS environment. This stage was followed by elimination of the exclusionary areas for flood spreading while determining the potentially suitable ones. Having closely examined the potentially suitable areas using the Preference Ranking Organization Method for Enrichment Evaluations (PROMETHEE) II and analytic hierarchy process (AHP) methods, the land suitability map for flood spreading was produced. The PROMETHEE II and AHP were used for ranking all the alternatives and weighting the criteria involved, respectively. The results of the study showed that most suitable areas for the artificial groundwater recharge are located in Quaternary Q(g) and Q(gsc) geologic units and in geomorphological units of pediment and Alluvial fans with slopes not exceeding 3%. Furthermore, significant correspondence between the produced map and the control areas, where the flood spreading projects were successfully performed, provided further evidence for the acceptable efficiency of the integrated PROMETHEE II-AHP method in locating suitable flood spreading areas.

Smart Caching Based on Mobile Agent of Power WebGIS Platform

PubMed Central

Wang, Xiaohui; Wu, Kehe; Chen, Fei

2013-01-01

Power information construction is developing towards intensive, platform, distributed direction with the expansion of power grid and improvement of information technology. In order to meet the trend, power WebGIS was designed and developed. In this paper, we first discuss the architecture and functionality of power WebGIS, and then we study caching technology in detail, which contains dynamic display cache model, caching structure based on mobile agent, and cache data model. We have designed experiments of different data capacity to contrast performance between WebGIS with the proposed caching model and traditional WebGIS. The experimental results showed that, with the same hardware environment, the response time of WebGIS with and without caching model increased as data capacity growing, while the larger the data was, the higher the performance of WebGIS with proposed caching model improved. PMID:24288504

Model of cholera dissemination using geographic information systems and fuzzy clustering means: case study, Chabahar, Iran.

PubMed

Pezeshki, Z; Tafazzoli-Shadpour, M; Mansourian, A; Eshrati, B; Omidi, E; Nejadqoli, I

2012-10-01

Cholera is spread by drinking water or eating food that is contaminated by bacteria, and is related to climate changes. Several epidemics have occurred in Iran, the most recent of which was in 2005 with 1133 cases and 12 deaths. This study investigated the incidence of cholera over a 10-year period in Chabahar district, a region with one of the highest incidence rates of cholera in Iran. Descriptive retrospective study on data of patients with Eltor and NAG cholera reported to the Iranian Centre of Disease Control between 1997 and 2006. Data on the prevalence of cholera were gathered through a surveillance system, and a spatial database was developed using geographic information systems (GIS) to describe the relation of spatial and climate variables to cholera incidences. Fuzzy clustering (fuzzy C) method and statistical analysis based on logistic regression were used to develop a model of cholera dissemination. The variables were demographic characteristics, specifications of cholera infection, climate conditions and some geographical parameters. The incidence of cholera was found to be significantly related to higher temperature and humidity, lower precipitation, shorter distance to the eastern border of Iran and local health centres, and longer distance to the district health centre. The fuzzy C means algorithm showed that clusters were geographically distributed in distinct regions. In order to plan, manage and monitor any public health programme, GIS provide ideal platforms for the convergence of disease-specific information, analysis and computation of new data for statistical analysis. Copyright © 2012 The Royal Society for Public Health. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Study on GIS-based sport-games information system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peng, Hongzhi; Yang, Lingbin; Deng, Meirong; Han, Yongshun

2008-10-01

With the development of internet and such info-technologies as, Information Superhighway, Computer Technology, Remote Sensing(RS), Global Positioning System(GPS), Digital Communication and National Information Network(NIN),etc. Geographic Information System (GIS) becomes more and more popular in fields of science and industries. It is not only feasible but also necessary to apply GIS to large-scale sport games. This paper firstly discussed GIS technology and its application, then elaborated on the frame and content of Sport-Games Geography Information System(SG-GIS) with the function of gathering, storing, processing, sharing, exchanging and utilizing all kind of spatial-temporal information about sport games, and lastly designed and developed a public service GIS for the 6th Asian Winter Games in Changchun, China(CAWGIS). The application of CAWGIS showed that the established SG-GIS was feasible and GIS-based sport games information system was able to effectively process a large amount of sport-games information and provide the real-time sport games service for governors, athletes and the public.

The application of GIS and RS for epidemics: a case study of the spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza in China in 2004-2005

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhong, Shaobo; Lan, Guiwen; Zhu, Haiguo; Wen, Renqiang; Zhao, Qiansheng; Huang, Quanyi

2008-12-01

Because of their inherent advantages, Geographic Information System (GIS) and Remote Sensing (RS) are extremely useful for dealing with geographically referenced information. In the study of epidemics, most data are geographically referenced, which makes GIS and RS the perfect even necessary tools for processing, analysis, representation of epidemic data. Comprehensively considering the data requirements in the study of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) coupled with the quality of the existing remotely sensed data in terms of the resolution of space, time and spectra, the data sensed by MODIS are chosen and the relevant methods and procedures of data processing from RS and GIS for some environmental factors are proposed. Through using spatial analysis functions and Exploratory Spatial Data Analysis (ESDA) of GIS, some results of relationship between HPAI occurrences and these potential factors are presented. The role played by bird migration is also preliminarily illustrated with some operations such as visualization, overlapping etc. provided by GIS. Through the work of this paper, we conclude: Firstly, the migration of birds causes the spread of HPAI all over the country in 2004-2005. Secondly, the migration of birds is the reason why the spread of HPAI is perturbed. That is, for some classic communicable diseases, their spread exhibits obvious spatial diffusion process. However, the spread of HPAI breaks this general rule. We think leap diffusion and time lag are the probable reasons for this kind of phenomena. Potential distribution of HPAI viruses (corresponding to the distribution of flyways and putative risk sources) is not completely consistent with the occurrences of HPAI. For this phenomenon, we think, in addition to the flyways of birds, all kinds of geographical, climatic factors also have important effect on the occurrences of HPAI. Through the case study of HPAI, we can see that GIS and RS can play very important roles in the study of epidemics.

Development of GIS-based Wind Potential Map of Makkah Province, Saudi Arabia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nayyar, Z. A.; Zaigham, N. A.; Aburizaiza, O. S.; Mahar, G. A.; Eusufi, S. N.

2011-12-01

Global energy scenario is changing drastically toward decline, as new major discoveries of fossil fuel are not coming up significantly on regional basis. In case of Saudi Arabia, one of the largest fossil fuel producers, the major oil fields have started exhausting significantly as revealed from the literature research study. Considering the future energy crisis, different other renewable options presently have became imperative to be consider anticipating for the national development. Wind energy in one of them. The development of wind energy technology requires the baseline data relevant to the wind trends and their potentials. Under the present study, an attempt has been made to develop wind power density map of the Makkah Province of Saudi Arabia based on the meteorological data collected at different sparsely located weather stations. GIS application has provided a good option to interpolate the gap areas between the sparsely located weather recording stations. This paper describe the methodology and results of the present study.

The GIS portal based on JSR168 portlet technology and WSRP

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Defu; Chen, Nengcheng; Zhu, Xinyan; Gong, Jianya

2005-10-01

A portal is a powerful Web site that gives users a single point of access to applications and information in a unified interface. A portal lets users view each application or web page in its own window, called a portlet, and a single browser window can contain multiple portlets. The portlet based on JSP168&WSRP is a new technology for interactive, user-facing web services that plug and play with portals. Thanks to the development of Portal&Web GIS, the GIS Poratl is focused on more and more by the researcheres. This paper studies the GIS Portal defined by ESRI and analyzes the development's status, compares with the commercial Portal and points out the great shortage of the ESRI GIS Portal: lack in Personal content and UI. Therefor this paper goes into depth on the discussion of design and implementation scheme of real GIS Portal, and proposes the new idea of developing customized, plug and play GIS Portal Module based on JSP168 Portlet technology and WSRP standard. This way can resolve the difficult problem of the GIS Portal on lacking of content and customization function. According to this idea, this paper plans to use the JaveBeans provided by GeoSurf to develop visual portlet which have basic operating fuction of GIS. Finally deploys the GIS Portal uing the WebLogic Portal.

Structural control of landslides. A regional approach based on a developed ArcGIS tool

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ilinca, Viorel; Sandric, Ionut; Chitu, Zenaida; Jurchescu, Marta

2016-04-01

The relationship between bedding planes and topographic slopes plays a major role in controlling landslide mechanisms. The catastrophic nature of many landslides around the Globe was proved to have a relevant structural background. This paper aims at analyzing the relationship between the spatial distribution of landslides and geological structure and lithology at a regional scale (1:50,000). Moreover, by automatizing a well known method to assess the influence of bedding planes on landslide occurence, this study further provides a GIS-based tool useful to speed up regional analyses, when study areas extend over hundreds or thousands of square kilometers. Three areas with different geological and geomorphological features and extents ranging from 70 to 179 km² were selected as case-studies. The sites are located in the Southern Carpathians, the Curvature and the Getic Subcarpathians of Romania. Computation of the topography - bedding plane relation required the following three phases: i) data acquisition, ii) developing a tool for an easy data processing and analysis and iii) testing the tool on the few selected sites having different geological and geomorphological settings. Three categories of spatial data were acquired: i) landslide inventory data; ii) detailed lithological data and iii) data related to geological structure (dip angle and dip direction point data). The landslide database was built based on interpretation of aerial images and field mapping during a more than 8 years long period. Lithology was extracted from geological maps at a 1:50,000 scale, while dip angle and dip direction data were obtained both from geological maps and direct measurements in the field meant to increase the level of detail. In order to rapidly identify the type of slope in relation to the geological structure (anaclinal, cataclinal and orthoclinal), a tool was developed which integrates a well-known index called TOBIA. This custom created GIS tool was developed using Python programming language and Numpy library and is available both as an ArcGIS Toolbox and as a standalone python script. Both are available at http://www.github.com/sandricionut/tobia. Preliminary results for the three analysed areas stress the influence of the geological structure on landslide occurence. In monoclinal areas the relationship between the geological structure and spatial distribution of landslide is very obvious. In slightly folded areas the relationship does not appear to be so evident, nevertheless the influence of the structure can be seen on the flanks of some anticline and syncline structures. In faulted areas, landslides occurence do not seem to be influenced by structure and the majority of the landslides occur in a diversity of directions. Even if landslides are a common process in all of these areas, their occurrence is strictly depending on the presence of lithological formations in a clayey or a marly facies. The new ArcGIS-tool is a useful instrument, facilitating the work involved in the TOBIA computation by reducing the investigation time. The resulted classiffied slopes can be rapidly incorporated as a favorability factor in landslide susceptibility prediction.

A Geographical Information System Based Approach for Integrated Strategies of Tick Surveillance and Control in the Peri-Urban Natural Reserve of Monte Pellegrino (Palermo, Southern Italy)

PubMed Central

Torina, Alessandra; Blanda, Marcellocalogero; Auteri, Michelangelo; La Russa, Francesco; Scimeca, Salvatore; D’Agostino, Rosalia; Disclafani, Rosaria; Currò, Vittoria; Caracappa, Santo

2018-01-01

Ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) are bloodsucking arthropods involved in pathogen transmission in animals and humans. Tick activity depends on various ecological factors such as vegetation, hosts, and temperature. The aim of this study was to analyse the spatial/temporal distribution of ticks in six sites within a peri-urban area of Palermo (Natural Reserve of Monte Pellegrino) and correlate it with field data using Geographical Information System (GIS) data. A total of 3092 ticks were gathered via dragging method from June 2012 to May 2014. The species collected were: Ixodes ventalloi (46.09%), Hyalomma lusitanicum (19.99%), Rhipicephalus sanguineus (17.34%), Rhipicephalus pusillus (16.11%), Haemaphisalis sulcata (0.36%), Dermacentor marginatus (0.10%), and Rhipicephalus turanicus (0.03%). GIS analysis revealed environmental characteristics of each site, and abundance of each tick species was analysed in relation to time (monthly trend) and space (site-specific abundance). A relevant presence of I. ventalloi in site 2 and H. lusitanicum in site 5 was observed, suggesting the possible exposure of animals and humans to tick-borne pathogens. Our study shows the importance of surveillance of ticks in peri-urban areas and the useful implementation of GIS analysis in vector ecology; studies on temporal and spatial distribution of ticks correlated to GIS-based ecological analysis represent an integrated strategy for decision support in public health. PMID:29495440

Environmental factor analysis of cholera in China using remote sensing and geographical information systems.

PubMed

Xu, M; Cao, C X; Wang, D C; Kan, B; Xu, Y F; Ni, X L; Zhu, Z C

2016-04-01

Cholera is one of a number of infectious diseases that appears to be influenced by climate, geography and other natural environments. This study analysed the environmental factors of the spatial distribution of cholera in China. It shows that temperature, precipitation, elevation, and distance to the coastline have significant impact on the distribution of cholera. It also reveals the oceanic environmental factors associated with cholera in Zhejiang, which is a coastal province of China, using both remote sensing (RS) and geographical information systems (GIS). The analysis has validated the correlation between indirect satellite measurements of sea surface temperature (SST), sea surface height (SSH) and ocean chlorophyll concentration (OCC) and the local number of cholera cases based on 8-year monthly data from 2001 to 2008. The results show the number of cholera cases has been strongly affected by the variables of SST, SSH and OCC. Utilizing this information, a cholera prediction model has been established based on the oceanic and climatic environmental factors. The model indicates that RS and GIS have great potential for designing an early warning system for cholera.

Towards a web-based GIS for teaching geo-informatics at under-graduate level in developing countries: a case study of Iran

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mobasheri, A.; Vahidi, H.; Guan, Q.

2014-04-01

In developing countries, the number of experts and students in geo-informatics domain are very limited compared to experts and students of sciences that could benefit from geo-informatics. In this research, we study the possibility of providing an online education system for teaching geo-informatics at under-graduate level. The hypothesis is that in developing countries, such as Iran, a web-based geo-education system can greatly improve the quantity and quality of knowledge of students in undergraduate level, which is an important step that has to be made in regard of the famous "Geo for all" motto. As a technology for conducting natural and social studies, geo-informatics offers new ways of viewing, representing and analysing information for transformative learning and teaching. Therefore, we design and present a conceptual framework of an education system and elaborate its components as well as the free and open source services and software packages that could be used in this framework for a specific case study: the Web GIS course. The goal of the proposed framework is to develop experimental GI-services in a service-oriented platform for education purposes. Finally, the paper ends with concluding remarks and some tips for future research direction.

An integrated GIS-based interval-probabilistic programming model for land-use planning management under uncertainty--a case study at Suzhou, China.

PubMed

Lu, Shasha; Zhou, Min; Guan, Xingliang; Tao, Lizao

2015-03-01

A large number of mathematical models have been developed for supporting optimization of land-use allocation; however, few of them simultaneously consider land suitability (e.g., physical features and spatial information) and various uncertainties existing in many factors (e.g., land availabilities, land demands, land-use patterns, and ecological requirements). This paper incorporates geographic information system (GIS) technology into interval-probabilistic programming (IPP) for land-use planning management (IPP-LUPM). GIS is utilized to assemble data for the aggregated land-use alternatives, and IPP is developed for tackling uncertainties presented as discrete intervals and probability distribution. Based on GIS, the suitability maps of different land users are provided by the outcomes of land suitability assessment and spatial analysis. The maximum area of every type of land use obtained from the suitability maps, as well as various objectives/constraints (i.e., land supply, land demand of socioeconomic development, future development strategies, and environmental capacity), is used as input data for the optimization of land-use areas with IPP-LUPM model. The proposed model not only considers the outcomes of land suitability evaluation (i.e., topography, ground conditions, hydrology, and spatial location) but also involves economic factors, food security, and eco-environmental constraints, which can effectively reflect various interrelations among different aspects in a land-use planning management system. The case study results at Suzhou, China, demonstrate that the model can help to examine the reliability of satisfying (or risk of violating) system constraints under uncertainty. Moreover, it may identify the quantitative relationship between land suitability and system benefits. Willingness to arrange the land areas based on the condition of highly suitable land will not only reduce the potential conflicts on the environmental system but also lead to a lower economic benefit. However, a strong desire to develop lower suitable land areas will bring not only a higher economic benefit but also higher risks of violating environmental and ecological constraints. The land manager should make decisions through trade-offs between economic objectives and environmental/ecological objectives.

A genetic network that suppresses genome rearrangements in Saccharomyces cerevisiae and contains defects in cancers

PubMed Central

Putnam, Christopher D.; Srivatsan, Anjana; Nene, Rahul V.; Martinez, Sandra L.; Clotfelter, Sarah P.; Bell, Sara N.; Somach, Steven B.; E.S. de Souza, Jorge; Fonseca, André F.; de Souza, Sandro J.; Kolodner, Richard D.

2016-01-01

Gross chromosomal rearrangements (GCRs) play an important role in human diseases, including cancer. The identity of all Genome Instability Suppressing (GIS) genes is not currently known. Here multiple Saccharomyces cerevisiae GCR assays and query mutations were crossed into arrays of mutants to identify progeny with increased GCR rates. One hundred eighty two GIS genes were identified that suppressed GCR formation. Another 438 cooperatively acting GIS genes were identified that were not GIS genes, but suppressed the increased genome instability caused by individual query mutations. Analysis of TCGA data using the human genes predicted to act in GIS pathways revealed that a minimum of 93% of ovarian and 66% of colorectal cancer cases had defects affecting one or more predicted GIS gene. These defects included loss-of-function mutations, copy-number changes associated with reduced expression, and silencing. In contrast, acute myeloid leukaemia cases did not appear to have defects affecting the predicted GIS genes. PMID:27071721

Defining Primary Care Shortage Areas: Do GIS-based Measures Yield Different Results?

PubMed

Daly, Michael R; Mellor, Jennifer M; Millones, Marco

2018-02-12

To examine whether geographic information systems (GIS)-based physician-to-population ratios (PPRs) yield determinations of geographic primary care shortage areas that differ from those based on bounded-area PPRs like those used in the Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) designation process. We used geocoded data on primary care physician (PCP) locations and census block population counts from 1 US state to construct 2 shortage area indicators. The first is a bounded-area shortage indicator defined without GIS methods; the second is a GIS-based measure that measures the populations' spatial proximity to PCP locations. We examined agreement and disagreement between bounded shortage areas and GIS-based shortage areas. Bounded shortage area indicators and GIS-based shortage area indicators agree for the census blocks where the vast majority of our study populations reside. Specifically, 95% and 98% of the populations in our full and urban samples, respectively, reside in census blocks where the 2 indicators agree. Although agreement is generally high in rural areas (ie, 87% of the rural population reside in census blocks where the 2 indicators agree), agreement is significantly lower compared to urban areas. One source of disagreement suggests that bounded-area measures may "overlook" some shortages in rural areas; however, other aspects of the HPSA designation process likely mitigate this concern. Another source of disagreement arises from the border-crossing problem, and it is more prevalent. The GIS-based PPRs we employed would yield shortage area determinations that are similar to those based on bounded-area PPRs defined for Primary Care Service Areas. Disagreement rates were lower than previous studies have found. © 2018 National Rural Health Association.

Spatial epidemiological techniques in cholera mapping and analysis towards a local scale predictive modelling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rasam, A. R. A.; Ghazali, R.; Noor, A. M. M.; Mohd, W. M. N. W.; Hamid, J. R. A.; Bazlan, M. J.; Ahmad, N.

2014-02-01

Cholera spatial epidemiology is the study of the spread and control of the disease spatial pattern and epidemics. Previous studies have shown that multi-factorial causation such as human behaviour, ecology and other infectious risk factors influence the disease outbreaks. Thus, understanding spatial pattern and possible interrelationship factors of the outbreaks are crucial to be explored an in-depth study. This study focuses on the integration of geographical information system (GIS) and epidemiological techniques in exploratory analyzing the cholera spatial pattern and distribution in the selected district of Sabah. Spatial Statistic and Pattern tools in ArcGIS and Microsoft Excel software were utilized to map and analyze the reported cholera cases and other data used. Meanwhile, cohort study in epidemiological technique was applied to investigate multiple outcomes of the disease exposure. The general spatial pattern of cholera was highly clustered showed the disease spread easily at a place or person to others especially 1500 meters from the infected person and locations. Although the cholera outbreaks in the districts are not critical, it could be endemic at the crowded areas, unhygienic environment, and close to contaminated water. It was also strongly believed that the coastal water of the study areas has possible relationship with the cholera transmission and phytoplankton bloom since the areas recorded higher cases. GIS demonstrates a vital spatial epidemiological technique in determining the distribution pattern and elucidating the hypotheses generating of the disease. The next research would be applying some advanced geo-analysis methods and other disease risk factors for producing a significant a local scale predictive risk model of the disease in Malaysia.

Graduate Ethics Curricula for Future Geospatial Technology Professionals (Invited)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wright, D. J.; Dibiase, D.; Harvey, F.; Solem, M.

2009-12-01

Professionalism in today's rapidly-growing, multidisciplinary geographic information science field (e.g., geographic information systems or GIS, remote sensing, cartography, quantitative spatial analysis), now involves a commitment to ethical practice as informed by a more sophisticated understanding of the ethical implications of geographic technologies. The lack of privacy introduced by mobile mapping devices, the use of GIS for military and surveillance purposes, the appropriate use of data collected using these technologies for policy decisions (especially for conservation and sustainability) and general consequences of inequities that arise through biased access to geospatial tools and derived data all continue to be challenging issues and topics of deep concern for many. Students and professionals working with GIS and related technologies should develop a sound grasp of these issues and a thorough comprehension of the concerns impacting their use and development in today's world. However, while most people agree that ethics matters for GIS, we often have difficulty putting ethical issues into practice. An ongoing project supported by NSF seeks to bridge this gap by providing a sound basis for future ethical consideration of a variety of issues. A model seminar curriculum is under development by a team of geographic information science and technology (GIS&T) researchers and professional ethicists, along with protocols for course evaluations. In the curricula students first investigate the nature of professions in general and the characteristics of a GIS&T profession in particular. They hone moral reasoning skills through methodical analyses of case studies in relation to various GIS Code of Ethics and Rules of Conduct. They learn to unveil the "moral ecologies" of a profession through actual interviews with real practitioners in the field. Assignments thus far include readings, class discussions, practitioner interviews, and preparations of original case studies. Curricula thus far are freely available via gisprofessionalethics.org.

EuGI: a novel resource for studying genomic islands to facilitate horizontal gene transfer detection in eukaryotes.

PubMed

Clasen, Frederick Johannes; Pierneef, Rian Ewald; Slippers, Bernard; Reva, Oleg

2018-05-03

Genomic islands (GIs) are inserts of foreign DNA that have potentially arisen through horizontal gene transfer (HGT). There are evidences that GIs can contribute significantly to the evolution of prokaryotes. The acquisition of GIs through HGT in eukaryotes has, however, been largely unexplored. In this study, the previously developed GI prediction tool, SeqWord Gene Island Sniffer (SWGIS), is modified to predict GIs in eukaryotic chromosomes. Artificial simulations are used to estimate ratios of predicting false positive and false negative GIs by inserting GIs into different test chromosomes and performing the SWGIS v2.0 algorithm. Using SWGIS v2.0, GIs are then identified in 36 fungal, 22 protozoan and 8 invertebrate genomes. SWGIS v2.0 predicts GIs in large eukaryotic chromosomes based on the atypical nucleotide composition of these regions. Averages for predicting false negative and false positive GIs were 20.1% and 11.01% respectively. A total of 10,550 GIs were identified in 66 eukaryotic species with 5299 of these GIs coding for at least one functional protein. The EuGI web-resource, freely accessible at http://eugi.bi.up.ac.za , was developed that allows browsing the database created from identified GIs and genes within GIs through an interactive and visual interface. SWGIS v2.0 along with the EuGI database, which houses GIs identified in 66 different eukaryotic species, and the EuGI web-resource, provide the first comprehensive resource for studying HGT in eukaryotes.

Earth observation in support of malaria control and epidemiology: MALAREO monitoring approaches.

PubMed

Franke, Jonas; Gebreslasie, Michael; Bauwens, Ides; Deleu, Julie; Siegert, Florian

2015-06-03

Malaria affects about half of the world's population, with the vast majority of cases occuring in Africa. National malaria control programmes aim to reduce the burden of malaria and its negative, socioeconomic effects by using various control strategies (e.g. vector control, environmental management and case tracking). Vector control is the most effective transmission prevention strategy, while environmental factors are the key parameters affecting transmission. Geographic information systems (GIS), earth observation (EO) and spatial modelling are increasingly being recognised as valuable tools for effective management and malaria vector control. Issues previously inhibiting the use of EO in epidemiology and malaria control such as poor satellite sensor performance, high costs and long turnaround times, have since been resolved through modern technology. The core goal of this study was to develop and implement the capabilities of EO data for national malaria control programmes in South Africa, Swaziland and Mozambique. High- and very high resolution (HR and VHR) land cover and wetland maps were generated for the identification of potential vector habitats and human activities, as well as geoinformation on distance to wetlands for malaria risk modelling, population density maps, habitat foci maps and VHR household maps. These products were further used for modelling malaria incidence and the analysis of environmental factors that favour vector breeding. Geoproducts were also transferred to the staff of national malaria control programmes in seven African countries to demonstrate how EO data and GIS can support vector control strategy planning and monitoring. The transferred EO products support better epidemiological understanding of environmental factors related to malaria transmission, and allow for spatio-temporal targeting of malaria control interventions, thereby improving the cost-effectiveness of interventions.

GIS model for identifying urban areas vulnerable to noise pollution: case study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bilaşco, Ştefan; Govor, Corina; Roşca, Sanda; Vescan, Iuliu; Filip, Sorin; Fodorean, Ioan

2017-04-01

The unprecedented expansion of the national car ownership over the last few years has been determined by economic growth and the need for the population and economic agents to reduce travel time in progressively expanding large urban centres. This has led to an increase in the level of road noise and a stronger impact on the quality of the environment. Noise pollution generated by means of transport represents one of the most important types of pollution with negative effects on a population's health in large urban areas. As a consequence, tolerable limits of sound intensity for the comfort of inhabitants have been determined worldwide and the generation of sound maps has been made compulsory in order to identify the vulnerable zones and to make recommendations how to decrease the negative impact on humans. In this context, the present study aims at presenting a GIS spatial analysis model-based methodology for identifying and mapping zones vulnerable to noise pollution. The developed GIS model is based on the analysis of all the components influencing sound propagation, represented as vector databases (points of sound intensity measurements, buildings, lands use, transport infrastructure), raster databases (DEM), and numerical databases (wind direction and speed, sound intensity). Secondly, the hourly changes (for representative hours) were analysed to identify the hotspots characterised by major traffic flows specific to rush hours. The validated results of the model are represented by GIS databases and useful maps for the local public administration to use as a source of information and in the process of making decisions.

Monitoring desertification using the integrated CA GIS and RS with AHP-derived weights: a case study of Beijing and its neighboring areas in recent 20 years

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Gongwen; Chen, Jianping; Li, Qing; Ding, Huoping

2007-06-01

This paper aims to monitor desertification evolution of different stages and assess its factors using remote sensing (RS) data and cellular automata (CA)-geographical information system (GIS) with an adaptive analytic hierarchy process (AHP) to derive weights of desertification factors. The study areas (114°E to 117°E and 39.5°to 42.2°N) are one of the important agro-pastoral transitional zone, located in Beijing and its neighboring areas, marginal desertified areas in North China. Desertification information including NDVI and desertification area were derived from the satellite images of 1987TM, 1996TM (with a resolution of 28.5), and 2006 CBERS-(with a resolution of 19.5 m) in study areas. The ancillary data in terms of meteorology, geology, 30m-DEM, hydrography can be statistical analyzed with GIS technology. A CA model based on the desertification factors with AHP-derived weights was built by AML program in ArcGIS workstation to assess the evolution of desertification in different stages (from 1987 to 1996, and from 1996 to 2006). The research results show that desertified areas was increased by 3.28% per year from 1987 to 1996, so was 0.51% per year from 1996 to 2006. Although the weights of desertification factors have some changes in different stages, the main factors including climate, NDVI, and terrain did not change except the values in study areas.

An Overview of GIS-Based Modeling and Assessment of Mining-Induced Hazards: Soil, Water, and Forest

PubMed Central

Kim, Sung-Min; Yi, Huiuk; Choi, Yosoon

2017-01-01

In this study, current geographic information system (GIS)-based methods and their application for the modeling and assessment of mining-induced hazards were reviewed. Various types of mining-induced hazard, including soil contamination, soil erosion, water pollution, and deforestation were considered in the discussion of the strength and role of GIS as a viable problem-solving tool in relation to mining-induced hazards. The various types of mining-induced hazard were classified into two or three subtopics according to the steps involved in the reclamation procedure, or elements of the hazard of interest. Because GIS is appropriated for the handling of geospatial data in relation to mining-induced hazards, the application and feasibility of exploiting GIS-based modeling and assessment of mining-induced hazards within the mining industry could be expanded further. PMID:29186922

An Overview of GIS-Based Modeling and Assessment of Mining-Induced Hazards: Soil, Water, and Forest.

PubMed

Suh, Jangwon; Kim, Sung-Min; Yi, Huiuk; Choi, Yosoon

2017-11-27

In this study, current geographic information system (GIS)-based methods and their application for the modeling and assessment of mining-induced hazards were reviewed. Various types of mining-induced hazard, including soil contamination, soil erosion, water pollution, and deforestation were considered in the discussion of the strength and role of GIS as a viable problem-solving tool in relation to mining-induced hazards. The various types of mining-induced hazard were classified into two or three subtopics according to the steps involved in the reclamation procedure, or elements of the hazard of interest. Because GIS is appropriated for the handling of geospatial data in relation to mining-induced hazards, the application and feasibility of exploiting GIS-based modeling and assessment of mining-induced hazards within the mining industry could be expanded further.

a Simulation-As Framework Facilitating Webgis Based Installation Planning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zheng, Z.; Chang, Z. Y.; Fei, Y. F.

2017-09-01

Installation Planning is constrained by both natural and social conditions, especially for spatially sparse but functionally connected facilities. Simulation is important for proper deploy in space and configuration in function of facilities to make them a cohesive and supportive system to meet users' operation needs. Based on requirement analysis, we propose a framework to combine GIS and Agent simulation to overcome the shortness in temporal analysis and task simulation of traditional GIS. In this framework, Agent based simulation runs as a service on the server, exposes basic simulation functions, such as scenario configuration, simulation control, and simulation data retrieval to installation planners. At the same time, the simulation service is able to utilize various kinds of geoprocessing services in Agents' process logic to make sophisticated spatial inferences and analysis. This simulation-as-a-service framework has many potential benefits, such as easy-to-use, on-demand, shared understanding, and boosted performances. At the end, we present a preliminary implement of this concept using ArcGIS javascript api 4.0 and ArcGIS for server, showing how trip planning and driving can be carried out by agents.

GIS and local knowledge in disaster management: a case study of flood risk mapping in Viet Nam.

PubMed

Tran, Phong; Shaw, Rajib; Chantry, Guillaume; Norton, John

2009-03-01

Linking community knowledge with modern techniques to record and analyse risk related data is one way of engaging and mobilising community capacity. This paper discusses the use of the Geographic Information System (GIS) at the local level and the need for integrating modern technology and indigenous knowledge into disaster management. It suggests a way to mobilise available human and technical resources in order to strengthen a good partnership between local communities and local and national institutions. The paper also analyses the current vulnerability of two communes by correlating hazard risk and loss/damage caused by disasters and the contribution that domestic risk maps in the community can make to reduce this risk. The disadvantages, advantages and lessons learned from the GIS flood risk mapping project are presented through the case study of the Quang Tho Commune in Thua Thien Hue province, central Viet Nam.

Mineral resources management based on GIS and RS: a case study of the Laozhaiwan Gold Mine

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Hao; Hua, Xianghong; Wang, Xinzhou; Ma, Liguang; Yuan, Yanbin

2005-10-01

With the development of digital information technology in mining industry, the concept of DM (Digital Mining) and MGIS (Mining Geographical Information System) are becoming the research focus but not perfect. How to effectively manage the dataset of geological, surveying and mineral products grade is the key point that concerned the sustainable development and standardized management in mining industry. Based on the existing combined GIS and remote sensing technology, we propose a model named DMMIS (Digital Mining Management Information System), which is composed of the database layer, the ActiveX layer and the user interface layer. The system is used in Laozhaiwan Gold Mine, Yunnan Province of China, which is shown to demonstrate the feasibility of the research and development achievement stated in this paper. Finally, some conclusions and constructive advices for future research work are given.

Spatio-temporal modelling of electrical supply systems to optimize the site planning process for the "power to mobility" technology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Karl, Florian; Zink, Roland

2016-04-01

The transformation of the energy sector towards decentralized renewable energies (RE) requires also storage systems to ensure security of supply. The new "Power to Mobility" (PtM) technology is one potential solution to use electrical overproduction to produce methane for i.e. gas vehicles. Motivated by these fact, the paper presents a methodology for a GIS-based temporal modelling of the power grid, to optimize the site planning process for the new PtM-technology. The modelling approach is based on a combination of the software QuantumGIS for the geographical and topological energy supply structure and OpenDSS for the net modelling. For a case study (work in progress) of the city of Straubing (Lower Bavaria) the parameters of the model are quantified. The presentation will discuss the methodology as well as the first results with a view to the application on a regional scale.

Effect of Climatic Factors and Population Density on the Distribution of Dengue in Sri Lanka: A GIS Based Evaluation for Prediction of Outbreaks.

PubMed

Sirisena, Pdnn; Noordeen, Faseeha; Kurukulasuriya, Harithra; Romesh, Thanuja Alar; Fernando, LakKumar

2017-01-01

Dengue is one of the major hurdles to the public health in Sri Lanka, causing high morbidity and mortality. The present study focuses on the use of geographical information systems (GIS) to map and evaluate the spatial and temporal distribution of dengue in Sri Lanka from 2009 to 2014 and to elucidate the association of climatic factors with dengue incidence. Epidemiological, population and meteorological data were collected from the Epidemiology Unit, Department of Census and Statistics and the Department of Meteorology of Sri Lanka. Data were analyzed using SPSS (Version 20, 2011) and R studio (2012) and the maps were generated using Arc GIS 10.2. The dengue incidence showed a significant positive correlation with rainfall (p<0.0001). No positive correlation was observed between dengue incidence and temperature (p = 0.107) or humidity (p = 0.084). Rainfall prior to 2 and 5 months and a rise in the temperature prior to 9 months positively correlated with dengue incidence as based on the auto-correlation values. A rise in humidity prior to 1 month had a mild positive correlation with dengue incidence. However, a rise in humidity prior to 9 months had a significant negative correlation with dengue incidence based on the auto-correlation values. Remote sensing and GIS technologies give near real time utility of climatic data together with the past dengue incidence for the prediction of dengue outbreaks. In that regard, GIS will be applicable in outbreak predictions including prompt identification of locations with dengue incidence and forecasting future risks and thus direct control measures to minimize major outbreaks.

Effect of Climatic Factors and Population Density on the Distribution of Dengue in Sri Lanka: A GIS Based Evaluation for Prediction of Outbreaks

PubMed Central

Sirisena, PDNN; Noordeen, Faseeha; Kurukulasuriya, Harithra; Romesh, Thanuja ALAR; Fernando, LakKumar

2017-01-01

Dengue is one of the major hurdles to the public health in Sri Lanka, causing high morbidity and mortality. The present study focuses on the use of geographical information systems (GIS) to map and evaluate the spatial and temporal distribution of dengue in Sri Lanka from 2009 to 2014 and to elucidate the association of climatic factors with dengue incidence. Epidemiological, population and meteorological data were collected from the Epidemiology Unit, Department of Census and Statistics and the Department of Meteorology of Sri Lanka. Data were analyzed using SPSS (Version 20, 2011) and R studio (2012) and the maps were generated using Arc GIS 10.2. The dengue incidence showed a significant positive correlation with rainfall (p<0.0001). No positive correlation was observed between dengue incidence and temperature (p = 0.107) or humidity (p = 0.084). Rainfall prior to 2 and 5 months and a rise in the temperature prior to 9 months positively correlated with dengue incidence as based on the auto-correlation values. A rise in humidity prior to 1 month had a mild positive correlation with dengue incidence. However, a rise in humidity prior to 9 months had a significant negative correlation with dengue incidence based on the auto-correlation values. Remote sensing and GIS technologies give near real time utility of climatic data together with the past dengue incidence for the prediction of dengue outbreaks. In that regard, GIS will be applicable in outbreak predictions including prompt identification of locations with dengue incidence and forecasting future risks and thus direct control measures to minimize major outbreaks. PMID:28068339

A GIS-based multicriteria evaluation for aiding risk management Pinus pinaster Ait. forests: a case study in Corsican Island, western Mediterranean Region.

PubMed

Pasqualini, Vanina; Oberti, Pascal; Vigetta, Stéphanie; Riffard, Olivier; Panaïotis, Christophe; Cannac, Magali; Ferrat, Lila

2011-07-01

Forest management can benefit from decision support tools, including GIS-based multicriteria decision-aiding approach. In the Mediterranean region, Pinus pinaster forests play a very important role in biodiversity conservation and offer many socioeconomic benefits. However, the conservation of this species is affected by the increase in forest fires and the expansion of Matsucoccus feytaudi. This paper proposes a methodology based on commonly available data for assessing the values and risks of P. pinaster forests and to generating maps to aid in decisions pertaining to fire and phytosanitary risk management. The criteria for assessing the values (land cover type, legislative tools for biodiversity conservation, environmental tourist sites and access routes, and timber yield) and the risks (fire and phytosanitation) of P. pinaster forests were obtained directly or by considering specific indicators, and they were subsequently aggregated by means of GIS-based multicriteria analysis. This approach was tested on the island of Corsica (France), and maps to aid in decisions pertaining to fire risk and phytosanitary risk (M. feytaudi) were obtained for P. pinaster forest management. Study results are used by the technical offices of the local administration-Corsican Agricultural and Rural Development Agency (ODARC)-for planning the conservation of P. pinaster forests with regard to fire prevention and safety and phytosanitary risks. The decision maker took part in the evaluation criteria study (weight, normalization, and classification of the values). Most suitable locations are given to target the public intervention. The methodology presented in this paper could be applied to other species and in other Mediterranean regions.

A GIS-Based Multicriteria Evaluation for Aiding Risk Management Pinus pinaster Ait. Forests: A Case Study in Corsican Island, Western Mediterranean Region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pasqualini, Vanina; Oberti, Pascal; Vigetta, Stéphanie; Riffard, Olivier; Panaïotis, Christophe; Cannac, Magali; Ferrat, Lila

2011-07-01

Forest management can benefit from decision support tools, including GIS-based multicriteria decision-aiding approach. In the Mediterranean region, Pinus pinaster forests play a very important role in biodiversity conservation and offer many socioeconomic benefits. However, the conservation of this species is affected by the increase in forest fires and the expansion of Matsucoccus feytaudi. This paper proposes a methodology based on commonly available data for assessing the values and risks of P. pinaster forests and to generating maps to aid in decisions pertaining to fire and phytosanitary risk management. The criteria for assessing the values (land cover type, legislative tools for biodiversity conservation, environmental tourist sites and access routes, and timber yield) and the risks (fire and phytosanitation) of P. pinaster forests were obtained directly or by considering specific indicators, and they were subsequently aggregated by means of GIS-based multicriteria analysis. This approach was tested on the island of Corsica (France), and maps to aid in decisions pertaining to fire risk and phytosanitary risk ( M. feytaudi) were obtained for P. pinaster forest management. Study results are used by the technical offices of the local administration— Corsican Agricultural and Rural Development Agency (ODARC)—for planning the conservation of P. pinaster forests with regard to fire prevention and safety and phytosanitary risks. The decision maker took part in the evaluation criteria study (weight, normalization, and classification of the values). Most suitable locations are given to target the public intervention. The methodology presented in this paper could be applied to other species and in other Mediterranean regions.

MOICC and GIS: An Impact Study. Final Evaluation Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ryan, Charles W.; Drummond, Robert J.

The Guidance Information System (GIS) is a statewide computer-based career information system developed by the Maine Occupational Information Coordinating Committee (MOICC). A time-series design was utilized to investigate the impact of GIS on selected users in public schools and agencies. Participants completed questionnaires immediately after…

Pretense of parentage by siblings in immigration: Polesky's paradox reconsidered.

PubMed

Wenk, Robert E; Shao, Alison

2014-02-01

Older and younger siblings occasionally attempt to impersonate parent and child to expedite immigration under US family-based visa policies. The rate with which full siblings escape detection by current relationship tests is unknown. Retrospective study of full-sibling immigrant pairs was undertaken to determine the proportion that show insufficient genetic evidence to exclude parentage. Sibship and parentage indices (SI and PI) were compared/case in unexcluded sibling cases and true parent-child cases. Alleles shared per short-tandem-repeat locus were compared in sibling and parent-child pairs. The proportion of successful parentage fraud by siblings was estimated from the parentage exclusion rate among immigrants and the proportion of sibships without genetic inconsistencies (GIs). When 11 to 25 independent loci were tested per two-sibling case to verify or refute parentage, tests failed to demonstrate any GI in 9% and PI was greater than SI in seven of 10 of these cases. Another 29% of full-sibling pairs demonstrated insufficient evidence (fewer than two GIs) to exclude parentage. Thus, 0.4% of sibling pairs could falsely claim a parent-child relationship and show no GIs. Another 1.4% could make that false claim and not present sufficient evidence to be excluded. At present, with no evidence of parentage exclusion in a full-sibling pair, the relative magnitudes of PI and SI are misleading relationship indicators because too few loci are examined and rates of sharing one and two alleles/locus vary greatly in parentage and sibling pairs. Only evidence of exclusion ascertains false parentage claims by siblings. Nevertheless, the expected rate of successful fraud is quite low. © 2013 American Association of Blood Banks.

Defining boundaries across borders: a case study extending a major land resource area into Mexico

Treesearch

Rebecca MacEwen; Roy S. Mann; Philip Heilman; Jeffry J. Stone; Alicia Melgoza Castillo; D. Phillip Guertin

2005-01-01

Geographic information science (GIS) and field work were applied to extend Major Land Resource Area (MLRA) 41, Southeastern Arizona Basin and Range, from Arizona and New Mexico into Sonora and Chihuahua, Mexico. The result of this analysis is a tentative boundary line that delineates MLRA 41 for both the United States and Mexico based on elevation, soils, temperature,...

Keeping it wild: Mapping wilderness character in the United States

Treesearch

Steve Carver; James Tricker; Peter Landres

2013-01-01

A GIS-based approach is developed to identify the state of wilderness character in US wilderness areas using Death Valley National Park (DEVA) as a case study. A set of indicators and measures are identified by DEVA staff and used as the basis for developing a flexible and broadly applicable framework to map wilderness character using data inputs selected by park staff...

Study on the key technology of grain logistics tracking system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhen, Tong; Ge, Hongyi; Jiang, Yuying; Che, Yi

2010-07-01

In recent year, with the rapid development of GIS technology, more and more programming problems depend on the GIS technology and professional model system. The solution of auxiliary programming problem by using GIS technology, which has become very popular. GIS is an important tool and technology, that captures, stores, analyzes, manages, and presents data that are linked to location. A grain logistics distribution system based on GIS is established, which provides a visualization scheme during the process of grain circulation and supports users making decision and analyzing for grain logistics enterprise.

A GIS-BASED MULTI-CRITERIA EVALUATION SYSTEM FOR SELECTION OF LANDFILL SITES: a case study from Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Issa, S. M.; Shehhi, B. Al

2012-07-01

Landfill sites receive 92% of total annual solid waste produced by municipalities in the emirate of Abu Dhabi. In this study, candidate sites for an appropriate landfill location for the Abu Dhabi municipal area are determined by integrating geographic information systems (GIS) and multi-criteria evaluation (MCE) analysis. To identify appropriate landfill sites, eight input map layers including proximity to urban areas, proximity to wells and water table depth, geology and topography, proximity to touristic and archeological sites, distance from roads network, distance from drainage networks, and land slope are used in constraint mapping. A final map was generated which identified potential areas showing suitability for the location of the landfill site. Results revealed that 30% of the study area was identified as highly suitable, 25% as suitable, and 45% as unsuitable. The selection of the final landfill site, however, requires further field research.

The influence of urban development and social mobility on socioeconomic level: The application of GIS on urban ecosystems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suhaili Mansor, Nur; Zulhaidi Mohd Shafri, Helmi; Mansor, Shattri; Paradhan, Biswajeet

2014-06-01

Specifically, the integration between social sciences and natural science are fundamental in our understanding of the economic, social and technological transformations that have drastically changed the society. This study will be based on the municipality of Sungai Petani, Kedah as it has been most influenced by urbanization and urban development. Urban development in Sungai Petani is closely associated with a tremendous increase in demand for land, which is highly related to population growth, human movement and their social mobility. The qualitative case study taken will rely on the visual interpretation technique that would allow the researcher to develop a map of urban changes detection. The potential application of GIS information to estimate socioeconomic indicators and the modelling of socio-economic activities that are explored in this study is hoped to increase further our understanding of the impacts of development and urbanization on social life.

Category identification of changed land-use polygons in an integrated image processing/geographic information system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Westmoreland, Sally; Stow, Douglas A.

1992-01-01

A framework is proposed for analyzing ancillary data and developing procedures for incorporating ancillary data to aid interactive identification of land-use categories in land-use updates. The procedures were developed for use within an integrated image processsing/geographic information systems (GIS) that permits simultaneous display of digital image data with the vector land-use data to be updated. With such systems and procedures, automated techniques are integrated with visual-based manual interpretation to exploit the capabilities of both. The procedural framework developed was applied as part of a case study to update a portion of the land-use layer in a regional scale GIS. About 75 percent of the area in the study site that experienced a change in land use was correctly labeled into 19 categories using the combination of automated and visual interpretation procedures developed in the study.

A study on spatial decision support systems for HIV/AIDS prevention based on COM GIS technology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Kun; Luo, Huasong; Peng, Shungyun; Xu, Quanli

2007-06-01

Based on the deeply analysis of the current status and the existing problems of GIS technology applications in Epidemiology, this paper has proposed the method and process for establishing the spatial decision support systems of AIDS epidemic prevention by integrating the COM GIS, Spatial Database, GPS, Remote Sensing, and Communication technologies, as well as ASP and ActiveX software development technologies. One of the most important issues for constructing the spatial decision support systems of AIDS epidemic prevention is how to integrate the AIDS spreading models with GIS. The capabilities of GIS applications in the AIDS epidemic prevention have been described here in this paper firstly. Then some mature epidemic spreading models have also been discussed for extracting the computation parameters. Furthermore, a technical schema has been proposed for integrating the AIDS spreading models with GIS and relevant geospatial technologies, in which the GIS and model running platforms share a common spatial database and the computing results can be spatially visualized on Desktop or Web GIS clients. Finally, a complete solution for establishing the decision support systems of AIDS epidemic prevention has been offered in this paper based on the model integrating methods and ESRI COM GIS software packages. The general decision support systems are composed of data acquisition sub-systems, network communication sub-systems, model integrating sub-systems, AIDS epidemic information spatial database sub-systems, AIDS epidemic information querying and statistical analysis sub-systems, AIDS epidemic dynamic surveillance sub-systems, AIDS epidemic information spatial analysis and decision support sub-systems, as well as AIDS epidemic information publishing sub-systems based on Web GIS.

GIS-based accident location and analysis system (GIS-ALAS) : project report : phase I

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1998-04-06

This report summarizes progress made in Phase I of the geographic information system (GIS) based Accident Location and Analysis System (GIS-ALAS). The GIS-ALAS project builds on PC-ALAS, a locationally-referenced highway crash database query system d...

GIS based quantitative morphometric analysis and its consequences: a case study from Shanur River Basin, Maharashtra India

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pande, Chaitanya B.; Moharir, Kanak

2017-05-01

A morphometric analysis of Shanur basin has been carried out using geoprocessing techniques in GIS. These techniques are found relevant for the extraction of river basin and its drainage networks. The extracted drainage network was classified according to Strahler's system of classification and it reveals that the terrain exhibits dendritic to sub-dendritic drainage pattern. Hence, from the study, it is concluded that remote sensing data (SRTM-DEM data of 30 m resolution) coupled with geoprocessing techniques prove to be a competent tool used in morphometric analysis and evaluation of linear, slope, areal and relief aspects of morphometric parameters. The combined outcomes have established the topographical and even recent developmental situations in basin. It will also change the setup of the region. It therefore needs to analyze high level parameters of drainage and environment for suitable planning and management of water resource developmental plan and land resource development plan. The Shanur drainage basin is sprawled over an area of 281.33 km2. The slope of the basin varies from 1 to 10 %, and the slope variation is chiefly controlled by the local geology and erosion cycles. The main stream length ratio of the basin is 14.92 indicating that the study area is elongated with moderate relief and steep slopes. The morphometric parameters of the stream have been analyzed and calculated by applying standard methods and techniques viz. Horton (Trans Am Geophys Union 13:350-361, 1945), Miller (A quantitative geomorphologic study of drainage basin characteristics in the clinch mountain area, Virginia and Tennessee Columbia University, Department of Geology, Technical Report, No. 3, Contract N6 ONR 271-300, 1953), and Strahler (Handbook of applied hydrology, McGraw Hill Book Company, New York, 1964). GIS based on analysis of all morphometric parameters and the erosional development of the area by the streams has been progressed well beyond maturity and lithology is an influence in the drainage development. These studies are very useful for planning of rainwater harvesting and watershed management.

Summaries of Minnehaha Creek Watershed District Plans/Studies/Reports

DTIC Science & Technology

2004-01-30

34+ Management of all wetland functional assessment data in a Microsoft Access© database "+ Development of a GIS wetland data management system "+ Recommendations...General Task B Design GIS -Based Decision Making Model: Scenario-Based $125,000 $125,000 Model of Landuse Hydro Data Monitoring Task C Water Quality...Landuse and Land cover data + Watershed GIS data layers + Flood Insurance Rate Maps + Proposed project locations + Stream miles, reaches and conditions

Study of comparison between Ultra-high Frequency (UHF) method and ultrasonic method on PD detection for GIS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Yanran; Chen, Duo; Li, Li; Zhang, Jiwei; Li, Guang; Liu, Hongxia

2017-11-01

GIS (gas insulated switchgear), is an important equipment in power system. Partial discharge plays an important role in detecting the insulation performance of GIS. UHF method and ultrasonic method frequently used in partial discharge (PD) detection for GIS. However, few studies have been conducted on comparison of this two methods. From the view point of safety, it is necessary to investigate UHF method and ultrasonic method for partial discharge in GIS. This paper presents study aimed at clarifying the effect of UHF method and ultrasonic method for partial discharge caused by free metal particles in GIS. Partial discharge tests were performed in laboratory simulated environment. Obtained results show the ability of anti-interference of signal detection and the accuracy of fault localization for UHF method and ultrasonic method. A new method based on UHF method and ultrasonic method of PD detection for GIS is proposed in order to greatly enhance the ability of anti-interference of signal detection and the accuracy of detection localization.

Analyzing rasters, vectors and time series using new Python interfaces in GRASS GIS 7

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Petras, Vaclav; Petrasova, Anna; Chemin, Yann; Zambelli, Pietro; Landa, Martin; Gebbert, Sören; Neteler, Markus; Löwe, Peter

2015-04-01

GRASS GIS 7 is a free and open source GIS software developed and used by many scientists (Neteler et al., 2012). While some users of GRASS GIS prefer its graphical user interface, significant part of the scientific community takes advantage of various scripting and programing interfaces offered by GRASS GIS to develop new models and algorithms. Here we will present different interfaces added to GRASS GIS 7 and available in Python, a popular programming language and environment in geosciences. These Python interfaces are designed to satisfy the needs of scientists and programmers under various circumstances. PyGRASS (Zambelli et al., 2013) is a new object-oriented interface to GRASS GIS modules and libraries. The GRASS GIS libraries are implemented in C to ensure maximum performance and the PyGRASS interface provides an intuitive, pythonic access to their functionality. GRASS GIS Python scripting library is another way of accessing GRASS GIS modules. It combines the simplicity of Bash and the efficiency of the Python syntax. When full access to all low-level and advanced functions and structures from GRASS GIS library is required, Python programmers can use an interface based on the Python ctypes package. Ctypes interface provides complete, direct access to all functionality as it would be available to C programmers. GRASS GIS provides specialized Python library for managing and analyzing spatio-temporal data (Gebbert and Pebesma, 2014). The temporal library introduces space time datasets representing time series of raster, 3D raster or vector maps and allows users to combine various spatio-temporal operations including queries, aggregation, sampling or the analysis of spatio-temporal topology. We will also discuss the advantages of implementing scientific algorithm as a GRASS GIS module and we will show how to write such module in Python. To facilitate the development of the module, GRASS GIS provides a Python library for testing (Petras and Gebbert, 2014) which helps researchers to ensure the robustness of the algorithm, correctness of the results in edge cases as well as the detection of changes in results due to new development. For all modules GRASS GIS automatically creates standardized command line and graphical user interfaces and documentation. Finally, we will show how GRASS GIS can be used together with powerful Python tools such as the NumPy package and the IPython Notebook. References: Gebbert, S., Pebesma, E., 2014. A temporal GIS for field based environmental modeling. Environmental Modelling & Software 53, 1-12. Neteler, M., Bowman, M.H., Landa, M. and Metz, M., 2012. GRASS GIS: a multi-purpose Open Source GIS. Environmental Modelling & Software 31: 124-130. Petras, V., Gebbert, S., 2014. Testing framework for GRASS GIS: ensuring reproducibility of scientific geospatial computing. Poster presented at: AGU Fall Meeting, December 15-19, 2014, San Francisco, USA. Zambelli, P., Gebbert, S., Ciolli, M., 2013. Pygrass: An Object Oriented Python Application Programming Interface (API) for Geographic Resources Analysis Support System (GRASS) Geographic Information System (GIS). ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information 2, 201-219.

GIS-based estimation of the winter storm damage probability in forests: a case study from Baden-Wuerttemberg (Southwest Germany).

PubMed

Schindler, Dirk; Grebhan, Karin; Albrecht, Axel; Schönborn, Jochen; Kohnle, Ulrich

2012-01-01

Data on storm damage attributed to the two high-impact winter storms 'Wiebke' (28 February 1990) and 'Lothar' (26 December 1999) were used for GIS-based estimation and mapping (in a 50 × 50 m resolution grid) of the winter storm damage probability (P(DAM)) for the forests of the German federal state of Baden-Wuerttemberg (Southwest Germany). The P(DAM)-calculation was based on weights of evidence (WofE) methodology. A combination of information on forest type, geology, soil type, soil moisture regime, and topographic exposure, as well as maximum gust wind speed field was used to compute P(DAM) across the entire study area. Given the condition that maximum gust wind speed during the two storm events exceeded 35 m s(-1), the highest P(DAM) values computed were primarily where coniferous forest grows in severely exposed areas on temporarily moist soils on bunter sandstone formations. Such areas are found mainly in the mountainous ranges of the northern Black Forest, the eastern Forest of Odes, in the Virngrund area, and in the southwestern Alpine Foothills.

Involvement of β-carbonic anhydrase (β-CA) genes in bacterial genomic islands and horizontal transfer to protists.

PubMed

Zolfaghari Emameh, Reza; Barker, Harlan R; Hytönen, Vesa P; Parkkila, Seppo

2018-05-25

Genomic islands (GIs) are a type of mobile genetic element (MGE) that are present in bacterial chromosomes. They consist of a cluster of genes which produce proteins that contribute to a variety of functions, including, but not limited to, regulation of cell metabolism, anti-microbial resistance, pathogenicity, virulence, and resistance to heavy metals. The genes carried in MGEs can be used as a trait reservoir in times of adversity. Transfer of genes using MGEs, occurring outside of reproduction, is called horizontal gene transfer (HGT). Previous literature has shown that numerous HGT events have occurred through endosymbiosis between prokaryotes and eukaryotes.Beta carbonic anhydrase (β-CA) enzymes play a critical role in the biochemical pathways of many prokaryotes and eukaryotes. We have previously suggested horizontal transfer of β-CA genes from plasmids of some prokaryotic endosymbionts to their protozoan hosts. In this study, we set out to identify β-CA genes that might have transferred between prokaryotic and protist species through HGT in GIs. Therefore, we investigated prokaryotic chromosomes containing β-CA-encoding GIs and utilized multiple bioinformatics tools to reveal the distinct movements of β-CA genes among a wide variety of organisms. Our results identify the presence of β-CA genes in GIs of several medically and industrially relevant bacterial species, and phylogenetic analyses reveal multiple cases of likely horizontal transfer of β-CA genes from GIs of ancestral prokaryotes to protists. IMPORTANCE The evolutionary process is mediated by mobile genetic elements (MGEs), such as genomic islands (GIs). A gene or set of genes in the GIs are exchanged between and within various species through horizontal gene transfer (HGT). Based on the crucial role that GIs can play in bacterial survival and proliferation, they were introduced as the environmental- and pathogen-associated factors. Carbonic anhydrases (CAs) are involved in many critical biochemical pathways, such as regulation of pH homeostasis and electrolyte transfer. Among the six evolutionary families of CAs, β-CA gene sequences are present in many bacterial species, which can be horizontally transferred to protists during evolution. This study shows for the first time the involvement of bacterial β-CA gene sequences in the GIs, and suggests their horizontal transfer to protists during evolution. Copyright © 2018 American Society for Microbiology.

Technique for ranking potential predictor layers for use in remote sensing analysis

Treesearch

Andrew Lister; Mike Hoppus; Rachel Riemann

2004-01-01

Spatial modeling using GIS-based predictor layers often requires that extraneous predictors be culled before conducting analysis. In some cases, using extraneous predictor layers might improve model accuracy but at the expense of increasing complexity and interpretability. In other cases, using extraneous layers can dilute the relationship between predictors and target...

Communication and implementation of GIS data in fire management: a case study

Treesearch

Kenneth G. Boykin; Douglas I. Boykin; Rusty Stovall; Ryan Whitaker

2008-01-01

Remotely sensed data and Geographical Information Systems (GIS) can be an effective tool in fire management. For the inclusion of these tools, fire management and research personnel must be effective in communication regarding needs and limitations of the data and implementing that data at various scales. A number of personnel can be involved within fire management...

A web GIS based integrated flood assessment modeling tool for coastal urban watersheds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kulkarni, A. T.; Mohanty, J.; Eldho, T. I.; Rao, E. P.; Mohan, B. K.

2014-03-01

Urban flooding has become an increasingly important issue in many parts of the world. In this study, an integrated flood assessment model (IFAM) is presented for the coastal urban flood simulation. A web based GIS framework has been adopted to organize the spatial datasets for the study area considered and to run the model within this framework. The integrated flood model consists of a mass balance based 1-D overland flow model, 1-D finite element based channel flow model based on diffusion wave approximation and a quasi 2-D raster flood inundation model based on the continuity equation. The model code is written in MATLAB and the application is integrated within a web GIS server product viz: Web Gram Server™ (WGS), developed at IIT Bombay, using Java, JSP and JQuery technologies. Its user interface is developed using open layers and the attribute data are stored in MySQL open source DBMS. The model is integrated within WGS and is called via Java script. The application has been demonstrated for two coastal urban watersheds of Navi Mumbai, India. Simulated flood extents for extreme rainfall event of 26 July, 2005 in the two urban watersheds of Navi Mumbai city are presented and discussed. The study demonstrates the effectiveness of the flood simulation tool in a web GIS environment to facilitate data access and visualization of GIS datasets and simulation results.

Effect of a symbiotic gel (Lactobacillus acidophilus + Bifidobacterium lactis + inulin) on presence and severity of gastrointestinal symptoms in hemodialysis patients.

PubMed

Viramontes-Hörner, Daniela; Márquez-Sandoval, Fabiola; Martín-del-Campo, Fabiola; Vizmanos-Lamotte, Barbara; Sandoval-Rodríguez, Ana; Armendáriz-Borunda, Juan; García-Bejarano, Héctor; Renoirte-López, Karina; García-García, Guillermo

2015-05-01

The study aimed to assess the effect of a symbiotic gel on presence and severity of gastrointestinal symptoms (GIS) in hemodialysis patients. A double-blinded, placebo-controlled, randomized, clinical trial was designed. The study was conducted at 2 public hospitals in Guadalajara, Mexico. Twenty-two patients were randomized to the intervention group (nutritional counseling + symbiotic gel) and 20 patients were randomized to the control group (nutritional counseling + placebo), during 2 months of follow-up. Presence and monthly episodes of GIS were assessed by direct interview and severity by using the self-administered GIS questionnaire. Additionally, biochemical parameters, inflammatory markers, and nutritional status (dietary intake, subjective global assessment, anthropometry, and body composition) were evaluated. After a 2-month treatment, intervention group had a significant reduction in prevalence and monthly episodes of vomit, heartburn, and stomachache, as well as a significant decrease in GIS severity compared with control group. Moreover, intervention group had a greater yet not significant decrease in the prevalence of malnutrition and a trend to reduce their C-reactive protein and tumor necrosis factor α levels compared with control group. No symbiotic-related adverse side effects were shown in these patients. Clinical studies with longer follow-up and sample size are needed to confirm these results. We concluded that administration of a symbiotic gel is a safe and simple way to improve common GIS in dialysis patients. Copyright © 2015 National Kidney Foundation, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Remote sensing and GIS-based landslide hazard analysis and cross-validation using multivariate logistic regression model on three test areas in Malaysia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pradhan, Biswajeet

2010-05-01

This paper presents the results of the cross-validation of a multivariate logistic regression model using remote sensing data and GIS for landslide hazard analysis on the Penang, Cameron, and Selangor areas in Malaysia. Landslide locations in the study areas were identified by interpreting aerial photographs and satellite images, supported by field surveys. SPOT 5 and Landsat TM satellite imagery were used to map landcover and vegetation index, respectively. Maps of topography, soil type, lineaments and land cover were constructed from the spatial datasets. Ten factors which influence landslide occurrence, i.e., slope, aspect, curvature, distance from drainage, lithology, distance from lineaments, soil type, landcover, rainfall precipitation, and normalized difference vegetation index (ndvi), were extracted from the spatial database and the logistic regression coefficient of each factor was computed. Then the landslide hazard was analysed using the multivariate logistic regression coefficients derived not only from the data for the respective area but also using the logistic regression coefficients calculated from each of the other two areas (nine hazard maps in all) as a cross-validation of the model. For verification of the model, the results of the analyses were then compared with the field-verified landslide locations. Among the three cases of the application of logistic regression coefficient in the same study area, the case of Selangor based on the Selangor logistic regression coefficients showed the highest accuracy (94%), where as Penang based on the Penang coefficients showed the lowest accuracy (86%). Similarly, among the six cases from the cross application of logistic regression coefficient in other two areas, the case of Selangor based on logistic coefficient of Cameron showed highest (90%) prediction accuracy where as the case of Penang based on the Selangor logistic regression coefficients showed the lowest accuracy (79%). Qualitatively, the cross application model yields reasonable results which can be used for preliminary landslide hazard mapping.

Web-based GIS for spatial pattern detection: application to malaria incidence in Vietnam.

PubMed

Bui, Thanh Quang; Pham, Hai Minh

2016-01-01

There is a great concern on how to build up an interoperable health information system of public health and health information technology within the development of public information and health surveillance programme. Technically, some major issues remain regarding to health data visualization, spatial processing of health data, health information dissemination, data sharing and the access of local communities to health information. In combination with GIS, we propose a technical framework for web-based health data visualization and spatial analysis. Data was collected from open map-servers and geocoded by open data kit package and data geocoding tools. The Web-based system is designed based on Open-source frameworks and libraries. The system provides Web-based analyst tool for pattern detection through three spatial tests: Nearest neighbour, K function, and Spatial Autocorrelation. The result is a web-based GIS, through which end users can detect disease patterns via selecting area, spatial test parameters and contribute to managers and decision makers. The end users can be health practitioners, educators, local communities, health sector authorities and decision makers. This web-based system allows for the improvement of health related services to public sector users as well as citizens in a secure manner. The combination of spatial statistics and web-based GIS can be a solution that helps empower health practitioners in direct and specific intersectional actions, thus provide for better analysis, control and decision-making.

GIS-based regionalized life cycle assessment: how big is small enough? Methodology and case study of electricity generation.

PubMed

Mutel, Christopher L; Pfister, Stephan; Hellweg, Stefanie

2012-01-17

We describe a new methodology for performing regionalized life cycle assessment and systematically choosing the spatial scale of regionalized impact assessment methods. We extend standard matrix-based calculations to include matrices that describe the mapping from inventory to impact assessment spatial supports. Uncertainty in inventory spatial data is modeled using a discrete spatial distribution function, which in a case study is derived from empirical data. The minimization of global spatial autocorrelation is used to choose the optimal spatial scale of impact assessment methods. We demonstrate these techniques on electricity production in the United States, using regionalized impact assessment methods for air emissions and freshwater consumption. Case study results show important differences between site-generic and regionalized calculations, and provide specific guidance for future improvements of inventory data sets and impact assessment methods.

Development of water environment information management and water pollution accident response system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, J.; Ruan, H.

2009-12-01

In recent years, many water pollution accidents occurred with the rapid economical development. In this study, water environment information management and water pollution accident response system are developed based on geographic information system (GIS) techniques. The system integrated spatial database, attribute database, hydraulic model, and water quality model under a user-friendly interface in a GIS environment. System ran in both Client/Server (C/S) and Browser/Server (B/S) platform which focused on model and inquiry respectively. System provided spatial and attribute data inquiry, water quality evaluation, statics, water pollution accident response case management (opening reservoir etc) and 2D and 3D visualization function, and gave assistant information to make decision on water pollution accident response. Polluted plume in Huaihe River were selected to simulate the transport of pollutes.

[Assessment on ecological security spatial differences of west areas of Liaohe River based on GIS].

PubMed

Wang, Geng; Wu, Wei

2005-09-01

Ecological security assessment and early warning research have spatiality; non-linearity; randomicity, it is needed to deal with much spatial information. Spatial analysis and data management are advantages of GIS, it can define distribution trend and spatial relations of environmental factors, and show ecological security pattern graphically. The paper discusses the method of ecological security spatial differences of west areas of Liaohe River based on GIS and ecosystem non-health. First, studying on pressure-state-response (P-S-R) assessment indicators system, investigating in person and gathering information; Second, digitizing the river, applying fuzzy AHP to put weight, quantizing and calculating by fuzzy comparing; Last, establishing grid data-base; expounding spatial differences of ecological security by GIS Interpolate and Assembly.

Watershed Dynamics: Using Web-based GIS to Access Data and Study the Hydrosphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Buzby, C. K.; Jona, K.

2010-12-01

The Watershed Dynamics project has developed online GIS tools and curriculum to provide high school earth science students with access to data and analysis tools to perform investigations on their local watershed. Using FieldScope web-based GIS tools from National Geographic, students investigate precipitation, stream discharge, and land cover data for the US. Students use the data to study water availability across the US and the world, human impacts on the watershed, and more. Curriculum developers at the Office of STEM Education Partnerships (OSEP) at Northwestern University and the GLOBE Program have created two complete units which scaffold students on their way to independent research using GIS. In the Water Availability unit, students work with precipitation, evaporation, and surface runoff to investigate the water cycle and how it varies regionally and seasonally. In the Human Impact unit, students analyze land cover change over time and investigate stream discharge to figure out how humans are impacting their watershed. These units can be used together or individually, but provide students progressively more research independence, leading them to ask their own questions about the watershed using GIS data. Both units have been pilot tested in high school classrooms and found to be successful at increasing student content knowledge about the water cycle. They are being modified for use at the undergraduate level. The web-based GIS interface has the functionality of desktop GIS, but allows for a simpler user-experience and direct links to relevant data. Students can use these tools to learn scientific content and as a stepping-stone for further GIS investigations.

The benefits of GIS to land use planning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Strielko, Irina; Pereira, Paulo

2014-05-01

The development of information technologies has significantly changed the approach to land use and spatial planning, management of natural resources. GIS considerably simplifies territorial planning operating analyzing necessary data concerning their spatial relationship that allows carrying out complex assessment of the situation and creates a basis for adoption of more exact and scientifically reasonable decisions in the course of land use. To assess the current land use situation and the possibility of modeling possible future changes associated with complex of adopted measures GIS allows the integration of diverse spatial data, for example, data about soils, climate, vegetation, and other and also to visualize available information in the form of maps, graphs or charts, 3D models. For the purposes of land use GIS allow using data of remote sensing, which allows to make monitoring of anthropogenic influence in a particular area and estimate scales and rates of degradation of green cover, flora and fauna. Assessment of land use can be made in complex or componentwise, indicating the test sites depending on the goals. GIS make it easy to model spatial distribution of various types of pollution of stationary and mobile sources in soil, atmosphere and the hydrological network. Based on results of the analysis made by GIS choose the optimal solutions of land use that provide the minimum impact on environment, make optimal decisions of conflict associated with land use and control of their using. One of the major advantages of using GIS is possibility of the complex analysis in concrete existential aspect. Analytical opportunities of GIS define conditionality of spatial distribution of objects and interrelation communication between them. For a variety of land management objectives analysis method is chosen based on the parameters of the problem and parameters of use of its results.

Guidelines for the creation and management of geographic data bases within a GIS environment, version 1.0

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Durfee, R.C.; Land, M.L.; McCord, R.A.

1994-07-01

A Geographic Information System (GIS) provides the ability to manage and analyze all types of geographic and environmental information. It performs these functions by providing the tools necessary to capture, access, analyze, and display spatially referenced information in graphic and tabular form. Typical data elements that can be visualized in a map might include roads, buildings, topography, streams, waste areas, monitoring wells, groundwater measurements, soil sample results, landcover, and demography. The intent of this document is to provide data management and quality assurance (QA) guidelines that will aid implementors and users of GIS technology and data bases. These guidelines shouldmore » be useful in all, phases of GIS activities, including the following: (1) project planning, (2) data collection and generation, (3) data maintenance and management, (4) QA and standards, (5) project implementation, (6) spatial analysis and data interpretation, (7) data transformation and exchange, and (8) output and reporting. The daily use of desktop GIS technologies within Martin Marietta Energy Systems, Inc. (Energy Systems), is a relatively new phenomenon, but usage is increasing rapidly. Large volumes of GIS-related data are now being collected and analyzed for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Oak Ridge Reservation (ORR) and its facilities. It is very important to establish and follow good data management practices for GIS. In the absence of such practices, data-related problems will overwhelm users for many years. In comparison with traditional data processing and software life-cycle management, there is limited information on GIS QA techniques, data standards and structures, configuration control, and documentation practices. This lack of information partially results from the newness of the technology and the complexity of spatial information and geographic analysis techniques as compared to typical tabular data management.« less

Quantitative X-ray Map Analyser (Q-XRMA): A new GIS-based statistical approach to Mineral Image Analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ortolano, Gaetano; Visalli, Roberto; Godard, Gaston; Cirrincione, Rosolino

2018-06-01

We present a new ArcGIS®-based tool developed in the Python programming language for calibrating EDS/WDS X-ray element maps, with the aim of acquiring quantitative information of petrological interest. The calibration procedure is based on a multiple linear regression technique that takes into account interdependence among elements and is constrained by the stoichiometry of minerals. The procedure requires an appropriate number of spot analyses for use as internal standards and provides several test indexes for a rapid check of calibration accuracy. The code is based on an earlier image-processing tool designed primarily for classifying minerals in X-ray element maps; the original Python code has now been enhanced to yield calibrated maps of mineral end-members or the chemical parameters of each classified mineral. The semi-automated procedure can be used to extract a dataset that is automatically stored within queryable tables. As a case study, the software was applied to an amphibolite-facies garnet-bearing micaschist. The calibrated images obtained for both anhydrous (i.e., garnet and plagioclase) and hydrous (i.e., biotite) phases show a good fit with corresponding electron microprobe analyses. This new GIS-based tool package can thus find useful application in petrology and materials science research. Moreover, the huge quantity of data extracted opens new opportunities for the development of a thin-section microchemical database that, using a GIS platform, can be linked with other major global geoscience databases.

A spatial information crawler for OpenGIS WFS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jiang, Jun; Yang, Chong-jun; Ren, Ying-chao

2008-10-01

The growth of the internet makes it non-trivial to search for the accuracy information efficiently. Topical crawler, which is aiming at a certain area, attracts more and more intention now because it can help people to find out what they need. Furthermore, with the OpenGIS WFS (Web Feature Service) Specification developed by OGC (Open GIS Consortium), much more geospatial data providers adopt this protocol to publish their data on the internet. In this case, a crawler which is aiming at the WFS servers can help people to find the geospatial data from WFS servers. In this paper, we propose a prototype system of a WFS crawler based on the OpenGIS WFS Specification. The crawler architecture, working principles, and detailed function of each component are introduced. This crawler is capable of discovering WFS servers dynamically, saving and updating the service contents of the servers. The data collect by the crawler can be supported to a geospatial data search engine as its data source.

Real-time Geographic Information System (GIS) for Monitoring the Area of Potential Water Level Using Rule Based System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anugrah, Wirdah; Suryono; Suseno, Jatmiko Endro

2018-02-01

Management of water resources based on Geographic Information System can provide substantial benefits to water availability settings. Monitoring the potential water level is needed in the development sector, agriculture, energy and others. In this research is developed water resource information system using real-time Geographic Information System concept for monitoring the potential water level of web based area by applying rule based system method. GIS consists of hardware, software, and database. Based on the web-based GIS architecture, this study uses a set of computer that are connected to the network, run on the Apache web server and PHP programming language using MySQL database. The Ultrasound Wireless Sensor System is used as a water level data input. It also includes time and geographic location information. This GIS maps the five sensor locations. GIS is processed through a rule based system to determine the level of potential water level of the area. Water level monitoring information result can be displayed on thematic maps by overlaying more than one layer, and also generating information in the form of tables from the database, as well as graphs are based on the timing of events and the water level values.

Use Cases for Combining Web Services with ArcPython Tools for Enabling Quality Control of Land Remote Sensing Data Products.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krehbiel, C.; Maiersperger, T.; Friesz, A.; Harriman, L.; Quenzer, R.; Impecoven, K.

2016-12-01

Three major obstacles facing big Earth data users include data storage, management, and analysis. As the amount of satellite remote sensing data increases, so does the need for better data storage and management strategies to exploit the plethora of data now available. Standard GIS tools can help big Earth data users whom interact with and analyze increasingly large and diverse datasets. In this presentation we highlight how NASA's Land Processes Distributed Active Archive Center (LP DAAC) is tackling these big Earth data challenges. We provide a real life use case example to describe three tools and services provided by the LP DAAC to more efficiently exploit big Earth data in a GIS environment. First, we describe the Open-source Project for a Network Data Access Protocol (OPeNDAP), which calls to specific data, minimizing the amount of data that a user downloads and improves the efficiency of data downloading and processing. Next, we cover the LP DAAC's Application for Extracting and Exploring Analysis Ready Samples (AppEEARS), a web application interface for extracting and analyzing land remote sensing data. From there, we review an ArcPython toolbox that was developed to provide quality control services to land remote sensing data products. Locating and extracting specific subsets of larger big Earth datasets improves data storage and management efficiency for the end user, and quality control services provides a straightforward interpretation of big Earth data. These tools and services are beneficial to the GIS user community in terms of standardizing workflows and improving data storage, management, and analysis tactics.

Crisis GIS: Preparing for the Next Volcanic Crisis in the United States

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ramsey, D. W.; Robinson, J. E.; Schilling, S. P.; Schaefer, J. R.; Kimberly, P.; Trusdell, F. A.; Guffanti, M. C.; Mayberry, G. C.; Cameron, C. E.; Smith, J. G.; McIntire, J. A.; Snedigar, S.; Ewert, J. W.

2004-12-01

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) specialists from the Volcano Hazards Program (VHP) of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), including personnel at Menlo Park, California, the Cascades Volcano Observatory in Vancouver, Washington, the Alaska Volcano Observatory in Anchorage and Fairbanks, Alaska, the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory in Hawaii National Park, Hawaii, and the Smithsonian Institution Global Volcanism Program in Washington, DC, are developing a GIS response plan in the event of a volcano crisis. This plan, referred to as "Crisis GIS", outlines how VHP can ensure rapid, reliable delivery of spatial and ancillary information for data analysis and visualization at any required location during a volcanic crisis or event within the United States. An effective Crisis GIS needs the capacity to store multiple, large datasets, including: base layer data, elevation data, geologic maps, hazard assessment maps, satellite data, and aerial photography for volcanoes around the U.S. It must be readily accessible by VHP GIS specialists stationed around the Nation. Such a GIS should also support installations of monitoring instruments and telemetry equipment that relay monitoring signals, and provision of updates to public officials, the media, and the public during a crisis. GIS technology has proven to be an invaluable tool for crisis response. Recently, GIS was applied as part of the response efforts to two large-scale crises: the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, and the Southern California wildfires of Fall 2003. In each case, GIS was used to organize large quantities of spatial data and to produce electronic and paper maps that illustrated hazards, supported decision making, and communicated developing situations to responsible emergency-management authorities and to the populace affected (Kant, 2002, and Pratt, 2003). VHP GIS specialists are currently testing the software and hardware employed in recent major crisis response efforts and are learning to adapt the technology for volcano crisis response.

Spatio-Temporal Trends and Risk Factors for Shigella from 2001 to 2011 in Jiangsu Province, People's Republic of China

PubMed Central

Bao, Changjun; Hu, Jianli; Liu, Wendong; Liang, Qi; Wu, Ying; Norris, Jessie; Peng, Zhihang; Yu, Rongbin; Shen, Hongbing; Chen, Feng

2014-01-01

Objective This study aimed to describe the spatial and temporal trends of Shigella incidence rates in Jiangsu Province, People's Republic of China. It also intended to explore complex risk modes facilitating Shigella transmission. Methods County-level incidence rates were obtained for analysis using geographic information system (GIS) tools. Trend surface and incidence maps were established to describe geographic distributions. Spatio-temporal cluster analysis and autocorrelation analysis were used for detecting clusters. Based on the number of monthly Shigella cases, an autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) model successfully established a time series model. A spatial correlation analysis and a case-control study were conducted to identify risk factors contributing to Shigella transmissions. Results The far southwestern and northwestern areas of Jiangsu were the most infected. A cluster was detected in southwestern Jiangsu (LLR = 11674.74, P<0.001). The time series model was established as ARIMA (1, 12, 0), which predicted well for cases from August to December, 2011. Highways and water sources potentially caused spatial variation in Shigella development in Jiangsu. The case-control study confirmed not washing hands before dinner (OR = 3.64) and not having access to a safe water source (OR = 2.04) as the main causes of Shigella in Jiangsu Province. Conclusion Improvement of sanitation and hygiene should be strengthened in economically developed counties, while access to a safe water supply in impoverished areas should be increased at the same time. PMID:24416167

Rockfall risk evaluation using geotechnical survey, remote sensing data, and GIS: a case study from western Greece

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nikolakopoulos, Konstantinos; Depountis, Nikolaos; Vagenas, Nikolaos; Kavoura, Katerina; Vlaxaki, Eleni; Kelasidis, George; Sabatakakis, Nikolaos

2015-06-01

In this paper a specific example of the synergistic use of geotechnical survey, remote sensing data and GIS for rockfall risk evaluation is presented. The study area is located in Western Greece. Extensive rockfalls have been recorded along Patras - Ioannina highway just after the cable-stayed bridge of Rio-Antirrio, at Klokova site. The rockfalls include medium- sized limestone boulders with volume up to 1.5m3. A detailed engineering geological survey was conducted including rockmass characterization, laboratory testing and geological - geotechnical mapping. Many Rockfall trajectory simulations were done. Rockfall risk along the road was estimated using spatial analysis in a GIS environment.

GIS, modeling, and politics: on the tensions of collaborative decision support.

PubMed

Ramsey, Kevin

2009-05-01

A tension exists at the heart of efforts to support collaboration with GIS. Many scholars and practitioners seek to support two separate objectives: (1) problem solving and (2) the exploration of diverse problem understandings. GIS applications designed for problem solving often pre-define the problem space by structuring the kind of information that can be considered or the way in which the problem is conceptualized. In doing so, they necessarily privilege particular perspectives and understandings of the problem while marginalizing others. As a result, these initiatives undermine their second objective. This is problematic in the context of contentious environmental decisions which have broad-reaching impacts on people with diverse perspectives and interests. In such contexts, I argue that equitable collaboration is impossible without first emphasizing the exploration of diverse problem understandings. I support this argument theoretically by turning to the literatures on collaborative planning and spatial decision support, and empirically in my analysis of a case study of an effort to construct a GIS for supporting collaborative water resource management in rural Idaho. Reflecting upon the case, I provide a set of recommendations to those seeking to better negotiate the tensions of supporting collaboration with GIS in the context of contentious environmental and natural resource decisions.

a Geodatabase for Multisource Data Applied to Cultural Heritage: the Case Study of Villa Revedin Bolasco

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guarnieri, A.; Masiero, A.; Piragnolo, M.; Pirotti, F.; Vettore, A.

2016-06-01

In this paper we present the results of the development of a Web-based archiving and documenting system aimed to the management of multisource and multitemporal data related to cultural heritage. As case study we selected the building complex of Villa Revedin Bolasco in Castefranco Veneto (Treviso, Italy) and its park. Buildings and park were built in XIX century after several restorations of the original XIV century area. The data management system relies on a geodatabase framework, in which different kinds of datasets were stored. More specifically, the geodatabase elements consist of historical information, documents, descriptions of artistic characteristics of the building and the park, in the form of text and images. In addition, we used also floorplans, sections and views of the outer facades of the building extracted by a TLS-based 3D model of the whole Villa. In order to manage and explore these rich dataset, we developed a geodatabase using PostgreSQL and PostGIS as spatial plugin. The Web-GIS platform, based on HTML5 and PHP programming languages, implements the NASA Web World Wind virtual globe, a 3D virtual globe we used to enable the navigation and interactive exploration of the park. Furthermore, through a specific timeline function, the user can explore the historical evolution of the building complex.

Use of Wild Bird Surveillance, Human Case Data and GIS Spatial Analysis for Predicting Spatial Distributions of West Nile Virus in Greece

PubMed Central

Valiakos, George; Papaspyropoulos, Konstantinos; Giannakopoulos, Alexios; Birtsas, Periklis; Tsiodras, Sotirios; Hutchings, Michael R.; Spyrou, Vassiliki; Pervanidou, Danai; Athanasiou, Labrini V.; Papadopoulos, Nikolaos; Tsokana, Constantina; Baka, Agoritsa; Manolakou, Katerina; Chatzopoulos, Dimitrios; Artois, Marc; Yon, Lisa; Hannant, Duncan; Petrovska, Liljana; Hadjichristodoulou, Christos; Billinis, Charalambos

2014-01-01

West Nile Virus (WNV) is the causative agent of a vector-borne, zoonotic disease with a worldwide distribution. Recent expansion and introduction of WNV into new areas, including southern Europe, has been associated with severe disease in humans and equids, and has increased concerns regarding the need to prevent and control future WNV outbreaks. Since 2010, 524 confirmed human cases of the disease have been reported in Greece with greater than 10% mortality. Infected mosquitoes, wild birds, equids, and chickens have been detected and associated with human disease. The aim of our study was to establish a monitoring system with wild birds and reported human cases data using Geographical Information System (GIS). Potential distribution of WNV was modelled by combining wild bird serological surveillance data with environmental factors (e.g. elevation, slope, land use, vegetation density, temperature, precipitation indices, and population density). Local factors including areas of low altitude and proximity to water were important predictors of appearance of both human and wild bird cases (Odds Ratio = 1,001 95%CI = 0,723–1,386). Using GIS analysis, the identified risk factors were applied across Greece identifying the northern part of Greece (Macedonia, Thrace) western Greece and a number of Greek islands as being at highest risk of future outbreaks. The results of the analysis were evaluated and confirmed using the 161 reported human cases of the 2012 outbreak predicting correctly (Odds = 130/31 = 4,194 95%CI = 2,841–6,189) and more areas were identified for potential dispersion in the following years. Our approach verified that WNV risk can be modelled in a fast cost-effective way indicating high risk areas where prevention measures should be implemented in order to reduce the disease incidence. PMID:24806216

Road landslide information management and forecasting system base on GIS.

PubMed

Wang, Wei Dong; Du, Xiang Gang; Xie, Cui Ming

2009-09-01

Take account of the characters of road geological hazard and its supervision, it is very important to develop the Road Landslides Information Management and Forecasting System based on Geographic Information System (GIS). The paper presents the system objective, function, component modules and key techniques in the procedure of system development. The system, based on the spatial information and attribute information of road geological hazard, was developed and applied in Guizhou, a province of China where there are numerous and typical landslides. The manager of communication, using the system, can visually inquire all road landslides information based on regional road network or on the monitoring network of individual landslide. Furthermore, the system, integrated with mathematical prediction models and the GIS's strongpoint on spatial analyzing, can assess and predict landslide developing procedure according to the field monitoring data. Thus, it can efficiently assists the road construction or management units in making decision to control the landslides and to reduce human vulnerability.

Classification of forest-based ecotourism areas in Pocahontas County of West Virginia using GIS and pairwise comparison method

Treesearch

Ishwar Dhami; Jinyang. Deng

2012-01-01

Many previous studies have examined ecotourism primarily from the perspective of tourists while largely ignoring ecotourism destinations. This study used geographical information system (GIS) and pairwise comparison to identify forest-based ecotourism areas in Pocahontas County, West Virginia. The study adopted the criteria and scores developed by Boyd and Butler (1994...

Flash-flood potential assessment and mapping by integrating the weights-of-evidence and frequency ratio statistical methods in GIS environment - case study: Bâsca Chiojdului River catchment (Romania)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Costache, Romulus; Zaharia, Liliana

2017-06-01

Given the significant worldwide human and economic losses caused due to floods annually, reducing the negative consequences of these hazards is a major concern in development strategies at different spatial scales. A basic step in flood risk management is identifying areas susceptible to flood occurrences. This paper proposes a methodology allowing the identification of areas with high potential of accelerated surface run-off and consequently, of flash-flood occurrences. The methodology involves assessment and mapping in GIS environment of flash flood potential index (FFPI), by integrating two statistical methods: frequency ratio and weights-of-evidence. The methodology was applied for Bâsca Chiojdului River catchment (340 km2), located in the Carpathians Curvature region (Romania). Firstly, the areas with torrential phenomena were identified and the main factors controlling the surface run-off were selected (in this study nine geographical factors were considered). Based on the features of the considered factors, many classes were set for each of them. In the next step, the weights of each class/category of the considered factors were determined, by identifying their spatial relationships with the presence or absence of torrential phenomena. Finally, the weights for each class/category of geographical factors were summarized in GIS, resulting the FFPI values for each of the two statistical methods. These values were divided into five classes of intensity and were mapped. The final results were used to estimate the flash-flood potential and also to identify the most susceptible areas to this phenomenon. Thus, the high and very high values of FFPI characterize more than one-third of the study catchment. The result validation was performed by (i) quantifying the rate of the number of pixels corresponding to the torrential phenomena considered for the study (training area) and for the results' testing (validating area) and (ii) plotting the ROC (receiver operating characteristics) curve.

Artificial groundwater recharge zones mapping using remote sensing and GIS: a case study in Indian Punjab.

PubMed

Singh, Amanpreet; Panda, S N; Kumar, K S; Sharma, Chandra Shekhar

2013-07-01

Artificial groundwater recharge plays a vital role in sustainable management of groundwater resources. The present study was carried out to identify the artificial groundwater recharge zones in Bist Doab basin of Indian Punjab using remote sensing and geographical information system (GIS) for augmenting groundwater resources. The study area has been facing severe water scarcity due to intensive agriculture for the past few years. The thematic layers considered in the present study are: geomorphology (2004), geology (2004), land use/land cover (2008), drainage density, slope, soil texture (2000), aquifer transmissivity, and specific yield. Different themes and related features were assigned proper weights based on their relative contribution to groundwater recharge. Normalized weights were computed using the Saaty's analytic hierarchy process. Thematic layers were integrated in ArcGIS for delineation of artificial groundwater recharge zones. The recharge map thus obtained was divided into four zones (poor, moderate, good, and very good) based on their influence to groundwater recharge. Results indicate that 15, 18, 37, and 30 % of the study area falls under "poor," "moderate," "good," and "very good" groundwater recharge zones, respectively. The highest recharge potential area is located towards western and parts of middle region because of high infiltration rates caused due to the distribution of flood plains, alluvial plain, and agricultural land. The least effective recharge potential is in the eastern and middle parts of the study area due to low infiltration rate. The results of the study can be used to formulate an efficient groundwater management plan for sustainable utilization of limited groundwater resources.

A GIS-based automated procedure for landslide susceptibility mapping by the Conditional Analysis method: the Baganza valley case study (Italian Northern Apennines)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Clerici, Aldo; Perego, Susanna; Tellini, Claudio; Vescovi, Paolo

2006-08-01

Among the many GIS based multivariate statistical methods for landslide susceptibility zonation, the so called “Conditional Analysis method” holds a special place for its conceptual simplicity. In fact, in this method landslide susceptibility is simply expressed as landslide density in correspondence with different combinations of instability-factor classes. To overcome the operational complexity connected to the long, tedious and error prone sequence of commands required by the procedure, a shell script mainly based on the GRASS GIS was created. The script, starting from a landslide inventory map and a number of factor maps, automatically carries out the whole procedure resulting in the construction of a map with five landslide susceptibility classes. A validation procedure allows to assess the reliability of the resulting model, while the simple mean deviation of the density values in the factor class combinations, helps to evaluate the goodness of landslide density distribution. The procedure was applied to a relatively small basin (167 km2) in the Italian Northern Apennines considering three landslide types, namely rotational slides, flows and complex landslides, for a total of 1,137 landslides, and five factors, namely lithology, slope angle and aspect, elevation and slope/bedding relations. The analysis of the resulting 31 different models obtained combining the five factors, confirms the role of lithology, slope angle and slope/bedding relations in influencing slope stability.

Development of management information system for land in mine area based on MapInfo

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Shi-Dong; Liu, Chuang-Hua; Wang, Xin-Chuang; Pan, Yan-Yu

2008-10-01

MapInfo is current a popular GIS software. This paper introduces characters of MapInfo and GIS second development methods offered by MapInfo, which include three ones based on MapBasic, OLE automation, and MapX control usage respectively. Taking development of land management information system in mine area for example, in the paper, the method of developing GIS applications based on MapX has been discussed, as well as development of land management information system in mine area has been introduced in detail, including development environment, overall design, design and realization of every function module, and simple application of system, etc. The system uses MapX 5.0 and Visual Basic 6.0 as development platform, takes SQL Server 2005 as back-end database, and adopts Matlab 6.5 to calculate number in back-end. On the basis of integrated design, the system develops eight modules including start-up, layer control, spatial query, spatial analysis, data editing, application model, document management, results output. The system can be used in mine area for cadastral management, land use structure optimization, land reclamation, land evaluation, analysis and forecasting for land in mine area and environmental disruption, thematic mapping, and so on.

From Particles and Point Clouds to Voxel Models: High Resolution Modeling of Dynamic Landscapes in Open Source GIS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mitasova, H.; Hardin, E. J.; Kratochvilova, A.; Landa, M.

2012-12-01

Multitemporal data acquired by modern mapping technologies provide unique insights into processes driving land surface dynamics. These high resolution data also offer an opportunity to improve the theoretical foundations and accuracy of process-based simulations of evolving landforms. We discuss development of new generation of visualization and analytics tools for GRASS GIS designed for 3D multitemporal data from repeated lidar surveys and from landscape process simulations. We focus on data and simulation methods that are based on point sampling of continuous fields and lead to representation of evolving surfaces as series of raster map layers or voxel models. For multitemporal lidar data we present workflows that combine open source point cloud processing tools with GRASS GIS and custom python scripts to model and analyze dynamics of coastal topography (Figure 1) and we outline development of coastal analysis toolbox. The simulations focus on particle sampling method for solving continuity equations and its application for geospatial modeling of landscape processes. In addition to water and sediment transport models, already implemented in GIS, the new capabilities under development combine OpenFOAM for wind shear stress simulation with a new module for aeolian sand transport and dune evolution simulations. Comparison of observed dynamics with the results of simulations is supported by a new, integrated 2D and 3D visualization interface that provides highly interactive and intuitive access to the redesigned and enhanced visualization tools. Several case studies will be used to illustrate the presented methods and tools and demonstrate the power of workflows built with FOSS and highlight their interoperability.Figure 1. Isosurfaces representing evolution of shoreline and a z=4.5m contour between the years 1997-2011at Cape Hatteras, NC extracted from a voxel model derived from series of lidar-based DEMs.

Teaching Poverty with Geographic Visualization and Geographic Information Systems (GIS): A Case Study of East Buffalo and Food Access

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gjesfjeld, Christopher D.; Jung, Jin-Kyu

2014-01-01

Although various methods have been used to teach about poverty in the social work classroom (e.g., quantitative, historical, and qualitative), the use of geographic visualization and geographic information systems (GIS) has become a relatively new method. In our analysis of food access on the East Side of Buffalo, New York, we demonstrate the…

a Real-Time GIS Platform for High Sour Gas Leakage Simulation, Evaluation and Visualization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, M.; Liu, H.; Yang, C.

2015-07-01

The development of high-sulfur gas fields, also known as sour gas field, is faced with a series of safety control and emergency management problems. The GIS-based emergency response system is placed high expectations under the consideration of high pressure, high content, complex terrain and highly density population in Sichuan Basin, southwest China. The most researches on high hydrogen sulphide gas dispersion simulation and evaluation are used for environmental impact assessment (EIA) or emergency preparedness planning. This paper introduces a real-time GIS platform for high-sulfur gas emergency response. Combining with real-time data from the leak detection systems and the meteorological monitoring stations, GIS platform provides the functions of simulating, evaluating and displaying of the different spatial-temporal toxic gas distribution patterns and evaluation results. This paper firstly proposes the architecture of Emergency Response/Management System, secondly explains EPA's Gaussian dispersion model CALPUFF simulation workflow under high complex terrain and real-time data, thirdly explains the emergency workflow and spatial analysis functions of computing the accident influencing areas, population and the optimal evacuation routes. Finally, a well blow scenarios is used for verify the system. The study shows that GIS platform which integrates the real-time data and CALPUFF models will be one of the essential operational platforms for high-sulfur gas fields emergency management.

Geolocation Support for Water Supply and Sewerage Projects in Azerbaijan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qocamanov, M. H.; Gurbanov, Ch. Z.

2016-10-01

Drinking water supply and sewerage system designing and reconstruction projects are being extensively conducted in Azerbaijan Republic. During implementation of such projects, collecting large amount of information about the area and detailed investigations are crucial. Joint use of the aerospace monitoring and GIS play an essential role for the studies of the impact of environmental factors, development of the analytical information systems and others, while achieving the reliable performance of the existing and designed major water supply pipelines, as well as construction and exploitation of the technical installations. With our participation the GIS has been created in "Azersu" OJSC that includes systematic database of the drinking water supply and sewerage system, and rain water networks to carry out necessary geo information analysis. GIScreated based on "Microstation" platform and aerospace data. Should be mentioned that, in the country, specifically in large cities (i.e. Baku, Ganja, Sumqait, etc.,) drinking water supply pipelines cross regions with different physico-geographical conditions, geo-morphological compositions and seismotectonics.Mains water supply lines in many accidents occur during the operation, it also creates problems with drinking water consumers. In some cases the damage is caused by large-scale accidents. Long-term experience gives reason to say that the elimination of the consequences of accidents is a major cost. Therefore, to avoid such events and to prevent their exploitation and geodetic monitoring system to improve the rules on key issues. Therefore, constant control of the plan-height positioning, geodetic measurements for the detailed examination of the dynamics, repetition of the geodetic measurements for certain time intervals, or in other words regular monitoring is very important. During geodetic monitoring using the GIS has special significance. Given that, collecting geodetic monitoring measurements of the main pipelines on the same coordinate system and processing these data on a single GIS system allows the implementation of overall assessment of plan-height state of major water supply pipeline network facilities and the study of the impact of water supply network on environment and alternatively, the impact of natural processes on major pipeline.

Data Base Design with GIS in Ecosystem Based Multiple Use Forest Management in Artvin, Turkey: A Case Study in Balcı Forest Management Planning Unit.

PubMed

Yolasığmaz, Hacı Ahmet; Keleş, Sedat

2009-01-01

In Turkey, the understanding of planning focused on timber production has given its place on Multiple Use Management (MUM). Because the whole infrastructure of forestry with inventory system leading the way depends on timber production, some cases of bottle neck are expected during the transition period. Database design, probably the most important stage during the transition to MUM, together with the digital basic maps making up the basis of this infrastructure constitute the main point of this article. Firstly, the forest management philosophy of Turkey in the past was shortly touched upon in the article. Ecosystem Based Multiple Use Forest Management (EBMUFM) approaches was briefly introduced. The second stage of the process of EBMUFM, database design was described by examining the classical planning infrastructure and the coverage to be produced and consumed were suggested in the form of lists. At the application stage, two different geographical databases were established with GIS in Balcı Planning Unit of the years 1984 and 2006. Following that the related basic maps are produced. Timely diversity of the planning unit of 20 years is put forward comparatively with regard to the stand parameters such as tree types, age class, development stage, canopy closure, mixture, volume and increment.

Prediction of groundwater inrush into coal mines from aquifers underlying the coal seams in China: application of vulnerability index method to Zhangcun Coal Mine, China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Qiang; Zhou, Wanfang; Wang, Jinhua; Xie, Shuhan

2009-05-01

Groundwater inrush is a geohazard that can significantly impact safe operations of the coal mines in China. Its occurrence is controlled by many factors and processes are often not amenable to mathematical expressions. To evaluate the water inrush risk, Professor Wu and his colleagues have proposed the vulnerability index approach by coupling the artificial neural network (ANN) and geographic information system (GIS). The detailed procedures of using this innovative approach are shown in a case study. Firstly, the powerful spatial data analysis functions of GIS was used to establish the thematic layer of each of the main factors that control the water inrush, and then to choose the training sample on the thematic layer with the ANN-BP Arithmetic. Secondly, the ANN evaluation model of the water inrush was established to determine the threshold value for each risk level with a histogram of the water inrush vulnerability index. As a result, the mine area was divided into four regions with different vulnerability levels and they served as the general guidelines for the mine operations.

Applications of geographic information systems (GIS) for livability : case studies of select transportation agencies

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2011-03-31

This report synthesizes the findings from four case studies that assess how select organizations (the City of Boulder, Colorado's Transportation Division, the Center for Neighborhood Technology, the University of Oregon and the Oregon Transportation ...

Telecom Big Data for Urban Transport Analysis - a Case Study of Split-Dalmatia County in Croatia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baučić, M.; Jajac, N.; Bućan, M.

2017-09-01

Today, big data has become widely available and the new technologies are being developed for big data storage architecture and big data analytics. An ongoing challenge is how to incorporate big data into GIS applications supporting the various domains. International Transport Forum explains how the arrival of big data and real-time data, together with new data processing algorithms lead to new insights and operational improvements of transport. Based on the telecom customer data, the Study of Tourist Movement and Traffic in Split-Dalmatia County in Croatia is carried out as a part of the "IPA Adriatic CBC//N.0086/INTERMODAL" project. This paper briefly explains the big data used in the study and the results of the study. Furthermore, this paper investigates the main considerations when using telecom customer big data: data privacy and data quality. The paper concludes with GIS visualisation and proposes the further use of big data used in the study.

Soil erosion assessment and its correlation with landslide events using remote sensing data and GIS: a case study at Penang Island, Malaysia.

PubMed

Pradhan, Biswajeet; Chaudhari, Amruta; Adinarayana, J; Buchroithner, Manfred F

2012-01-01

In this paper, an attempt has been made to assess, prognosis and observe dynamism of soil erosion by universal soil loss equation (USLE) method at Penang Island, Malaysia. Multi-source (map-, space- and ground-based) datasets were used to obtain both static and dynamic factors of USLE, and an integrated analysis was carried out in raster format of GIS. A landslide location map was generated on the basis of image elements interpretation from aerial photos, satellite data and field observations and was used to validate soil erosion intensity in the study area. Further, a statistical-based frequency ratio analysis was carried out in the study area for correlation purposes. The results of the statistical correlation showed a satisfactory agreement between the prepared USLE-based soil erosion map and landslide events/locations, and are directly proportional to each other. Prognosis analysis on soil erosion helps the user agencies/decision makers to design proper conservation planning program to reduce soil erosion. Temporal statistics on soil erosion in these dynamic and rapid developments in Penang Island indicate the co-existence and balance of ecosystem.

Global epidemiology, ecology and control of soil-transmitted helminth infections

PubMed Central

Brooker, Simon; Clements, Archie CA; Bundy, Don AP

2007-01-01

Soil-transmitted helminth (STH) infections are among the most prevalent of chronic human infections worldwide. Based on the demonstrable impact on child development, there is a global commitment to finance and implement control strategies with a focus on school-based chemotherapy programmes. The major obstacle to the implementation of cost-effective control is the lack of accurate descriptions of the geographical distribution of infection. In recent years considerable progress has been made in the use of geographical information systems (GIS) and remote sensing (RS) to better understand helminth ecology and epidemiology, and to develop low cost ways to identify target populations for treatment. This chapter explores how this information has been used practically to guide large-scale control programmes. The use of satellite-derived environmental data has yielded new insights into the ecology of infection at a geographical scale that has proven impossible to address using more traditional approaches, and has in turn allowed spatial distributions of infection prevalence to be predicted robustly by statistical approaches. GIS/RS have increasingly been used in the context of large-scale helminth control programmes, including not only STH infections but also those focusing on schistosomiasis, filariasis and onchocerciasis. The experience indicates that GIS/RS provides a cost-effective approach to designing and monitoring programs at realistic scale. Importantly, the use of this approach has begun to transition from being a specialist approach of international vertical programs to become a routine tool in developing public sector control programs. GIS/RS is used here to describe the global distribution of STH infections and to estimate the number of infections in school age children in sub-Saharan Africa (89.9 million) and the annual cost of providing a single anthelmintic treatment using a school-based approach (US$5.0-7.6 million). These are the first estimates at a continental scale to explicitly include the fine spatial distribution of infection prevalence and population, and suggest that traditional methods have overestimated the situation. The results suggest that continent-wide control of parasites is, from a financial perspective, an attainable goal. PMID:16647972

Design and Implementation of Campus Application APP Based on Android

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

dongxu, Zhu; yabin, liu; xian lei, PI; weixiang, Zhou; meng, Huang

2017-07-01

In this paper, "Internet + campus" as the entrance of the Android technology based on the application of campus design and implementation of Application program. Based on GIS(Geographic Information System) spatial database, GIS spatial analysis technology, Java development technology and Android development technology, this system server adopts the Model View Controller architectue to realize the efficient use of campus information and provide real-time information of all kinds of learning and life for campus student at the same time. "Fingertips on the Institute of Disaster Prevention Science and Technology" release for the campus students of all grades of life, learning, entertainment provides a convenient.

GIS-based multicriteria overlay analysis in soil-suitability evaluation for cotton (Gossypium spp.): A case study in the black soil region of Central India

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Walke, N.; Obi Reddy, G. P.; Maji, A. K.; Thayalan, S.

2012-04-01

In this study an attempt was made to characterize the soils of the Ringanbodi watershed, Nagpur district, Maharashtra, Central India, for soil-suitability evaluation for cotton using geographic information system (GIS)-based multicriteria overlay analysis techniques. The study shows that 8 soil series and 16 soil series associations in the study area and soils were classified into three orders, i.e., Entisol, Inceptisol, and Vertisol. The analysis reveals that the soil associations E-F, F-G, G-H, and H-G are "moderately suitable" (S2), D-E are "marginally to moderately suitable," and C-D are marginally (S3) suitable. However, soils B-C are "not suitable" to "marginally suitable" (N2-S3) and A-B are "unsuitable" (N2) for cultivation of cotton. The area analysis shows that for a cotton crop an area about 966.7 ha (49.1%) of TGA is moderately suitable and classified as S2. An area about 469.9 ha (23.8%) of TGA is marginal to moderately suitable (S3-S2). The marginally suitable soils for cotton are classified as S3 and cover an area about 35.2 ha (1.8%) of TGA. However, a 172.3 ha (8.7%) area is not suitable (N2) to marginally suitable (S3) and a 326.9 (16.6%) area is not suitable (N2) for cotton because of uncorrectable factors like soil depth, slope, etc. The study demonstrated that GIS-based multicriteria overlay analysis of soil thematic parameters will be of immense help in soil-suitability evaluation for cotton.

A Field-Based Learning Experience for Introductory Level GIS Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carlson, Tom

2007-01-01

This article describes a pedagogic foundation for introducing a field-based geographic information systems (GIS) experience to the GIS curriculum at the university level and uses a dual evaluation methodology to monitor student learning and satisfaction. Students learned the basics of field-based global position systems (GPS) and GIS data…

Web-GIS-based SARS epidemic situation visualization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lu, Xiaolin

2004-03-01

In order to research, perform statistical analysis and broadcast the information of SARS epidemic situation according to the relevant spatial position, this paper proposed a unified global visualization information platform for SARS epidemic situation based on Web-GIS and scientific virtualization technology. To setup the unified global visual information platform, the architecture of Web-GIS based interoperable information system is adopted to enable public report SARS virus information to health cure center visually by using the web visualization technology. A GIS java applet is used to visualize the relationship between spatial graphical data and virus distribution, and other web based graphics figures such as curves, bars, maps and multi-dimensional figures are used to visualize the relationship between SARS virus tendency with time, patient number or locations. The platform is designed to display the SARS information in real time, simulate visually for real epidemic situation and offer an analyzing tools for health department and the policy-making government department to support the decision-making for preventing against the SARS epidemic virus. It could be used to analyze the virus condition through visualized graphics interface, isolate the areas of virus source, and control the virus condition within shortest time. It could be applied to the visualization field of SARS preventing systems for SARS information broadcasting, data management, statistical analysis, and decision supporting.

[Study on the automatic parameters identification of water pipe network model].

PubMed

Jia, Hai-Feng; Zhao, Qi-Feng

2010-01-01

Based on the problems analysis on development and application of water pipe network model, the model parameters automatic identification is regarded as a kernel bottleneck of model's application in water supply enterprise. The methodology of water pipe network model parameters automatic identification based on GIS and SCADA database is proposed. Then the kernel algorithm of model parameters automatic identification is studied, RSA (Regionalized Sensitivity Analysis) is used for automatic recognition of sensitive parameters, and MCS (Monte-Carlo Sampling) is used for automatic identification of parameters, the detail technical route based on RSA and MCS is presented. The module of water pipe network model parameters automatic identification is developed. At last, selected a typical water pipe network as a case, the case study on water pipe network model parameters automatic identification is conducted and the satisfied results are achieved.

GIS-based spatial statistical analysis of risk areas for liver flukes in Surin Province of Thailand.

PubMed

Rujirakul, Ratana; Ueng-arporn, Naporn; Kaewpitoon, Soraya; Loyd, Ryan J; Kaewthani, Sarochinee; Kaewpitoon, Natthawut

2015-01-01

It is urgently necessary to be aware of the distribution and risk areas of liver fluke, Opisthorchis viverrini, for proper allocation of prevention and control measures. This study aimed to investigate the human behavior, and environmental factors influencing the distribution in Surin Province of Thailand, and to build a model using stepwise multiple regression analysis with a geographic information system (GIS) on environment and climate data. The relationship between the human behavior, attitudes (<50%; X111), environmental factors like population density (148-169 pop/km2; X73), and land use as wetland (X64), were correlated with the liver fluke disease distribution at 0.000, 0.034, and 0.006 levels, respectively. Multiple regression analysis, by equations OV=-0.599+0.005(population density (148-169 pop/km2); X73)+0.040 (human attitude (<50%); X111)+0.022 (land used (wetland; X64), was used to predict the distribution of liver fluke. OV is the patients of liver fluke infection, R Square=0.878, and, Adjust R Square=0.849. By GIS analysis, we found Si Narong, Sangkha, Phanom Dong Rak, Mueang Surin, Non Narai, Samrong Thap, Chumphon Buri, and Rattanaburi to have the highest distributions in Surin province. In conclusion, the combination of GIS and statistical analysis can help simulate the spatial distribution and risk areas of liver fluke, and thus may be an important tool for future planning of prevention and control measures.

Monitoring Metal Pollution Levels in Mine Wastes around a Coal Mine Site Using GIS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sanliyuksel Yucel, D.; Yucel, M. A.; Ileri, B.

2017-11-01

In this case study, metal pollution levels in mine wastes at a coal mine site in Etili coal mine (Can coal basin, NW Turkey) are evaluated using geographical information system (GIS) tools. Etili coal mine was operated since the 1980s as an open pit. Acid mine drainage is the main environmental problem around the coal mine. The main environmental contamination source is mine wastes stored around the mine site. Mine wastes were dumped over an extensive area along the riverbeds, and are now abandoned. Mine waste samples were homogenously taken at 10 locations within the sampling area of 102.33 ha. The paste pH and electrical conductivity values of mine wastes ranged from 2.87 to 4.17 and 432 to 2430 μS/cm, respectively. Maximum Al, Fe, Mn, Pb, Zn and Ni concentrations of wastes were measured as 109300, 70600, 309.86, 115.2, 38 and 5.3 mg/kg, respectively. The Al, Fe and Pb concentrations of mine wastes are higher than world surface rock average values. The geochemical analysis results from the study area were presented in the form of maps. The GIS based environmental database will serve as a reference study for our future work.

A geographical information system-based analysis of cancer mortality and population exposure to coal mining activities in West Virginia, United States of America.

PubMed

Hendryx, Michael; Fedorko, Evan; Anesetti-Rothermel, Andrew

2010-05-01

Cancer incidence and mortality rates are high in West Virginia compared to the rest of the United States of America. Previous research has suggested that exposure to activities of the coal mining industry may contribute to elevated cancer mortality, although exposure measures have been limited. This study tests alternative specifications of exposure to mining activity to determine whether a measure based on location of mines, processing plants, coal slurry impoundments and underground slurry injection sites relative to population levels is superior to a previously-reported measure of exposure based on tons mined at the county level, in the prediction of age-adjusted cancer mortality rates. To this end, we utilize two geographical information system (GIS) techniques--exploratory spatial data analysis and inverse distance mapping--to construct new statistical analyses. Total, respiratory and "other" age-adjusted cancer mortality rates in West Virginia were found to be more highly associated with the GIS-exposure measure than the tonnage measure, before and after statistical control for smoking rates. The superior performance of the GIS measure, based on where people in the state live relative to mining activity, suggests that activities of the industry contribute to cancer mortality. Further confirmation of observed phenomena is necessary with person-level studies, but the results add to the body of evidence that coal mining poses environmental risks to population health in West Virginia.

Research on Livable Community Evaluation Based on GIS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yin, Zhangcai; Wu, Yang; Jin, Zhanghaonan; Zhang, Xu

2018-01-01

Community is the basic unit of the city. Research on livable community could provide a bottom-up research path for the realization of livable city. Livability is the total factor affecting the quality of community life. In this paper, livable community evaluation indexes are evaluated based on GIS and fuzzy comprehensive evaluation method. Then the sum-index and sub-index of community livability are both calculated. And community livable evaluation index system is constructed based on the platform of GIS. This study provides theoretical support for the construction and management of livable communities, so as to guide the development and optimization of city.

Geostatistical and GIS analysis of the spatial variability of alluvial gold content in Ngoura-Colomines area, Eastern Cameroon: Implications for the exploration of primary gold deposit

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Takodjou Wambo, Jonas Didero; Ganno, Sylvestre; Djonthu Lahe, Yannick Sthopira; Kouankap Nono, Gus Djibril; Fossi, Donald Hermann; Tchouatcha, Milan Stafford; Nzenti, Jean Paul

2018-06-01

Linear and nonlinear geostatistic is commonly used in ore grade estimation and seldom used in Geographical Information System (GIS) technology. In this study, we suggest an approach based on geostatistic linear ordinary kriging (OK) and Geographical Information System (GIS) techniques to investigate the spatial distribution of alluvial gold content, mineralized and gangue layers thicknesses from 73 pits at the Ngoura-Colomines area with the aim to determine controlling factors for the spatial distribution of mineralization and delineate the most prospective area for primary gold mineralization. Gold content varies between 0.1 and 4.6 g/m3 and has been broadly grouped into three statistical classes. These classes have been spatially subdivided into nine zones using ordinary kriging model based on physical and topographical characteristics. Both mineralized and barren layer thicknesses show randomly spatial distribution, and there is no correlation between these parameters and the gold content. This approach has shown that the Ngoura-Colomines area is located in a large shear zone compatible with the Riedel fault system composed of P and P‧ fractures oriented NE-SW and NNE-SSW respectively; E-W trending R fractures and R‧ fractures with NW-SE trends that could have contributed significantly to the establishment of this gold mineralization. The combined OK model and GIS analysis have led to the delineation of Colomines, Tissongo, Madubal and Boutou villages as the most prospective areas for the exploration of primary gold deposit in the study area.

Controls on mineralisation in the Sierra Foothills gold province, central California, USA: A GIS-based reconnaissance prospectivity analysis

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bierlein, F.P.; Northover, H.J.; Groves, D.I.; Goldfarb, R.J.; Marsh, E.E.

2008-01-01

The assessment of spatial relationships between the location, abundance and size of orogenic-gold deposits in the highly endowed Sierra Foothills gold province in California, via the combination of field studies and a GIS-based analysis, illustrates the power of such an approach to the characterisation of important parameters of mineral systems, and the prediction of districts likely to host economic mineralisation. Regional- to deposit-scale reconnaissance mapping suggests that deposition of gold-bearing quartz veins occurred in second- and third-order, east-over-west thrusts during regional east - west compression and right-lateral transpression. At the district-scale, significant zones of mineralisation correspond with such transpressional reactivation zones and dilational jogs that developed during the Late Jurassic - Early Cretaceous along the misaligned segments of first-order faults throughout the Sierra Nevada Foothills Metamorphic Belt. Field-based observations and interpretation of GIS data (including solid geology, structural elements, deposit locations, magnetics, gravity) also highlight the importance of structural permeability contrasts, rheological gradients, and variations in fault orientation for localising mineralisation. Although this approach confirms empirical findings and produces promising results at the province scale, enhanced geological, structural, geophysical and geochronological data density is required to generate regionally consistent, high-quality input layers that improve predictive targeting at the goldfield to deposit-scale.

Designing a Structured and Interactive Learning Environment Based on GIS for Secondary Geography Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liu, Suxia; Zhu, Xuan

2008-01-01

Geographic information systems (GIS) are computer-based tools for geographic data analysis and spatial visualization. They have become one of the information and communications technologies for education at all levels. This article reviews the current status of GIS in schools, analyzes the requirements of a GIS-based learning environment from…

Study of New Method Combined Ultra-High Frequency (UHF) Method and Ultrasonic Method on PD Detection for GIS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Yanran; Chen, Duo; Zhang, Jiwei; Chen, Ning; Li, Xiaoqi; Gong, Xiaojing

2017-09-01

GIS (gas insulated switchgear), is an important equipment in power system. Partial discharge plays an important role in detecting the insulation performance of GIS. UHF method and ultrasonic method frequently used in partial discharge (PD) detection for GIS. It is necessary to investigate UHF method and ultrasonic method for partial discharge in GIS. However, very few studies have been conducted on the method combined this two methods. From the view point of safety, a new method based on UHF method and ultrasonic method of PD detection for GIS is proposed in order to greatly enhance the ability of anti-interference of signal detection and the accuracy of fault localization. This paper presents study aimed at clarifying the effect of the new method combined UHF method and ultrasonic method. Partial discharge tests were performed in laboratory simulated environment. Obtained results show the ability of anti-interference of signal detection and the accuracy of fault localization for this new method combined UHF method and ultrasonic method.

Integrated technologies for solid waste bin monitoring system.

PubMed

Arebey, Maher; Hannan, M A; Basri, Hassan; Begum, R A; Abdullah, Huda

2011-06-01

The integration of communication technologies such as radio frequency identification (RFID), global positioning system (GPS), general packet radio system (GPRS), and geographic information system (GIS) with a camera are constructed for solid waste monitoring system. The aim is to improve the way of responding to customer's inquiry and emergency cases and estimate the solid waste amount without any involvement of the truck driver. The proposed system consists of RFID tag mounted on the bin, RFID reader as in truck, GPRS/GSM as web server, and GIS as map server, database server, and control server. The tracking devices mounted in the trucks collect location information in real time via the GPS. This information is transferred continuously through GPRS to a central database. The users are able to view the current location of each truck in the collection stage via a web-based application and thereby manage the fleet. The trucks positions and trash bin information are displayed on a digital map, which is made available by a map server. Thus, the solid waste of the bin and the truck are being monitored using the developed system.

Simulation and Analysis of Electric Field for the Disconnector Switch Incomplete Opening Position Based on 220kV GIS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Feifeng; Huang, Huimin; Su, Yi; Yan, Dandan; Lu, Yufeng; Xia, Xiaofei; Yang, Jian

2018-05-01

It has accounted for a large proportion of GIS equipment defects, which cause the disconnector switches to incomplete open-close position. Once opening operation is not in place, it will arouse continuous arcing between contacts to reduce insulation strength. Otherwise, the intense heat give rise to burn the contact, which has a severe effect on the safe operation of power grid. This paper analyzes some typical defection cases about the opening operation incomplete for disconnector switches of GIS. The COMSOL Multiphysics is applied to verify the influence on electric field distribution. The results show that moving contact out shield is 20 mm, the electric field distribution of the moving contact surface is uneven, and the maximum electric field value can reach 9.74 kV/mm.

Life-threatening gastrointestinal system bleeding in Hodgkin disease: multidetector CT findings and review of the literature.

PubMed

Akpinar, Erhan; Türkbey, Bariş; Cil, Barbaros Erhan; Canyiğit, Murat; Dündar, Ziya; Balkanci, Ferhun

2007-06-01

Acute lower gastrointestinal system (GIS) bleeding is a life-threatening condition. Immediate determination of the origin of the bleeding is crucial, since hemostatic management must be initiated as rapidly as possible. Colonoscopy, radionuclide studies, and conventional angiography are considered the most important methods for assessing the origin of the bleeding. There are few published reports about the feasibility of computed tomography (CT) in acute GIS bleeding. We present multidetector CT (MDCT) findings in a case of Hodgkin disease status one month post-chemotherapy (CHOP protocol; cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, prednisone) that presented with acute lower GIS bleeding.

Study of Earthquake Disaster Prediction System of Langfang city Based on GIS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Meng; Zhang, Dian; Li, Pan; Zhang, YunHui; Zhang, RuoFei

2017-07-01

In this paper, according to the status of China’s need to improve the ability of earthquake disaster prevention, this paper puts forward the implementation plan of earthquake disaster prediction system of Langfang city based on GIS. Based on the GIS spatial database, coordinate transformation technology, GIS spatial analysis technology and PHP development technology, the seismic damage factor algorithm is used to predict the damage of the city under different intensity earthquake disaster conditions. The earthquake disaster prediction system of Langfang city is based on the B / S system architecture. Degree and spatial distribution and two-dimensional visualization display, comprehensive query analysis and efficient auxiliary decision-making function to determine the weak earthquake in the city and rapid warning. The system has realized the transformation of the city’s earthquake disaster reduction work from static planning to dynamic management, and improved the city’s earthquake and disaster prevention capability.

Integrating GIS, cellular automata, and genetic algorithm in urban spatial optimization: a case study of Lanzhou

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Xibao; Zhang, Jianming; Zhou, Xiaojian

2006-10-01

This paper presents a model integrating GIS, cellular automata (CA) and genetic algorithm (GA) in urban spatial optimization. The model involves three objectives of the maximization of land-use efficiency, the maximization of urban spatial harmony and appropriate proportion of each land-use type. CA submodel is designed with standard Moore neighbor and three transition rules to maximize the land-use efficiency and urban spatial harmony, according to the land-use suitability and spatial harmony index. GA submodel is designed with four constraints and seven steps for the maximization of urban spatial harmony and appropriate proportion of each land-use type, including encoding, initializing, calculating fitness, selection, crossover, mutation and elitism. GIS is used to prepare for the input data sets for the model and perform spatial analysis on the results, while CA and GA are integrated to optimize urban spatial structure, programmed with Matlab 7 and coupled with GIS loosely. Lanzhou, a typical valley-basin city with fast urban development, is chosen as the case study. At the end, a detail analysis and evaluation of the spatial optimization with the model are made, and it proves to be a powerful tool in optimizing urban spatial structure and make supplement for urban planning and policy-makers.

Construction schedule simulation of a diversion tunnel based on the optimized ventilation time.

PubMed

Wang, Xiaoling; Liu, Xuepeng; Sun, Yuefeng; An, Juan; Zhang, Jing; Chen, Hongchao

2009-06-15

Former studies, the methods for estimating the ventilation time are all empirical in construction schedule simulation. However, in many real cases of construction schedule, the many factors have impact on the ventilation time. Therefore, in this paper the 3D unsteady quasi-single phase models are proposed to optimize the ventilation time with different tunneling lengths. The effect of buoyancy is considered in the momentum equation of the CO transport model, while the effects of inter-phase drag, lift force, and virtual mass force are taken into account in the momentum source of the dust transport model. The prediction by the present model for airflow in a diversion tunnel is confirmed by the experimental values reported by Nakayama [Nakayama, In-situ measurement and simulation by CFD of methane gas distribution at a heading faces, Shigen-to-Sozai 114 (11) (1998) 769-775]. The construction ventilation of the diversion tunnel of XinTangfang power station in China is used as a case. The distributions of airflow, CO and dust in the diversion tunnel are analyzed. A theory method for GIS-based dynamic visual simulation for the construction processes of underground structure groups is presented that combines cyclic operation network simulation, system simulation, network plan optimization, and GIS-based construction processes' 3D visualization. Based on the ventilation time the construction schedule of the diversion tunnel is simulated by the above theory method.

A fuelwood plantation site selection procedure using geographic information system technology: A case study in support of the NASA Global Habitability Program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Roller, N. E. G.; Colwell, J. E.; Sellman, A. N.

1985-01-01

A study undertaken in support of NASA's Global Habitability Program is described. A demonstration of geographic information system (GIS) technology for site evaluation and selection is given. The objective was to locate potential fuelwood plantations within a 50 km radius of Nairobi, Kenya. A model was developed to evaluate site potential based on capability and suitability criteria and implemented using the Environmental Research Institute of Michigan's geographic information system.

A GIS-based generic real-time risk assessment framework and decision tools for chemical spills in the river basin.

PubMed

Jiang, Jiping; Wang, Peng; Lung, Wu-seng; Guo, Liang; Li, Mei

2012-08-15

This paper presents a generic framework and decision tools of real-time risk assessment on Emergency Environmental Decision Support System for response to chemical spills in river basin. The generic "4-step-3-model" framework is able to delineate the warning area and the impact on vulnerable receptors considering four types of hazards referring to functional area, societal impact, and human health and ecology system. Decision tools including the stand-alone system and software components were implemented on GIS platform. A detailed case study on the Songhua River nitrobenzene spill illustrated the goodness of the framework and tool Spill first responders and decision makers of catchment management will benefit from the rich, visual and dynamic hazard information output from the software. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Test-based exclusion diets in gastro-esophageal reflux disease patients: A randomized controlled pilot trial

PubMed Central

Caselli, Michele; Zuliani, Giovanni; Cassol, Francesca; Fusetti, Nadia; Zeni, Elena; Lo Cascio, Natalina; Soavi, Cecilia; Gullini, Sergio

2014-01-01

AIM: To investigate the clinical response of gastro-esophageal reflux disease (GERD) symptoms to exclusion diets based on food intolerance tests. METHODS: A double blind, randomized, controlled pilot trial was performed in 38 GERD patients partially or completely non-responders to proton pump inhibitors (PPI) treatment. Fasting blood samples from each patients were obtained; leukocytotoxic test was performed by incubating the blood with a panel of 60 food items to be tested. The reaction of leukocytes (rounding, vacuolization, lack of movement, flattening, fragmentation or disintegration of cell wall) was then evaluated by optical microscopy and rated as follows: level 0 = negative, level 1 = slightly positive, level 2 = moderately positive, and level 3 = highly positive. A “true” diet excluding food items inducing moderate-severe reactions, and a “control” diet including them was developed for each patient. Then, twenty patients received the “true” diet and 18 the “control” diet; after one month (T1) symptoms severity was scored by the GERD impact scale (GIS). Hence, patients in the “control” group were switched to the “true” diet, and symptom severity was re-assessed after three months (T2). RESULTS: At baseline (T0) the mean GIS global score was 6.68 (range: 5-12) with no difference between “true” and control group (6.6 ± 1.19 vs 6.7 ± 1.7). All patients reacted moderately/severely to at least 1 food (range: 5-19), with a significantly greater number of food substances inducing reaction in controls compared with the “true” diet group (11.6 vs 7.0, P < 0.001). Food items more frequently involved were milk, lettuce, brewer’s yeast, pork, coffee, rice, sole asparagus, and tuna, followed by eggs, tomato, grain, shrimps, and chemical yeast. At T1 both groups displayed a reduction of GIS score (“true” group 3.3 ± 1.7, -50%, P = 0.001; control group 4.9 ± 2.8, -26.9%, P = 0.02), although the GIS score was significantly lower in “true” vs “control” group (P = 0.04). At T2, after the diet switch, the “control” group showed a further reduction in GIS score (2.7 ± 1.9, -44.9%, P = 0.01), while the “true” group did not (2.6 ± 1.8, -21.3%, P = 0.19), so that the GIS scores didn’t differ between the two groups. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that food intolerance may play a role in GERD symptoms development, and leucocytotoxic test-based exclusion diets may be a possible therapeutic approach when PPI are not effective or indicated. PMID:25493035

Temporal and spatial mapping of hand, foot and mouth disease in Sarawak, Malaysia.

PubMed

Sham, Noraishah M; Krishnarajah, Isthrinayagy; Ibrahim, Noor Akma; Lye, Munn-Sann

2014-05-01

Hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) is endemic in Sarawak, Malaysia. In this study, a geographical information system (GIS) was used to investigate the relationship between the reported HFMD cases and the spatial patterns in 11 districts of Sarawak from 2006 to 2012. Within this 7-years period, the highest number of reported HFMD cases occurred in 2006, followed by 2012, 2008, 2009, 2007, 2010 and 2011, in descending order. However, while there was no significant distribution pattern or clustering in the first part of the study period (2006 to 2011) based on Moran's I statistic, spatial autocorrelation (P = 0.068) was observed in 2012.

The Association Between Ambient Exposure to Organophosphates and Parkinson’s Disease Risk

PubMed Central

Wang, Anthony; Cockburn, Myles; Ly, Thomas T.; Bronstein, Jeff; Ritz, Beate

2014-01-01

Objectives There is a general consensus that pesticides are involved in the etiology of Parkinson’s disease (PD), although associations between specific pesticides and the risk of developing Parkinson’s disease have not been well studied. This study examines the risk of developing PD associated with specific organophosphate pesticides and their mechanisms of toxicity. Methods This case-control study uses a geographic information system (GIS)-based exposure assessment tool to estimate ambient exposure to 36 commonly used organophosphates (OPs) from 1974-1999. All selected OPs were analyzed individually and also in groups formed according to their presumed mechanisms of toxicity. Results The study included 357 incident PD cases and 752 population controls living in the Central Valley of California. Ambient exposure to each OP evaluated separately increased the risk of developing PD. However, most participants were exposed to combinations of OPs rather than a single pesticide. Risk estimates for OPs grouped according to different presumed functionalities and toxicities were similar and did not allow us to distinguish between them. However, we observed exposure-response patterns with exposure to an increasing number of OPs. Conclusions This study adds strong evidence that OPs are implicated in the etiology of idiopathic PD. However, studies of OPs at low doses reflective of real-world ambient exposure are needed to determine the mechanisms of neurotoxicity. PMID:24436061

Remote Sensing Systems Optimization for Geobase Enhancement

DTIC Science & Technology

2003-03-01

through feedback from base users, as well as the researcher’s observations. 3.1 GeoBase and GIS Learning GeoBase and Geographic Information System ...Abstract The U.S. Air Force is in the process of implementing GeoBase, a geographic information system (GIS), throughout its worldwide installations...Geographic Information System (GIS). A GIS is a computer database that contains geo-spatial information . It is the principal tool used to input, view

A Review and Framework for Categorizing Current Research and Development in Health Related Geographical Information Systems (GIS) Studies.

PubMed

Lyseen, A K; Nøhr, C; Sørensen, E M; Gudes, O; Geraghty, E M; Shaw, N T; Bivona-Tellez, C

2014-08-15

The application of GIS in health science has increased over the last decade and new innovative application areas have emerged. This study reviews the literature and builds a framework to provide a conceptual overview of the domain, and to promote strategic planning for further research of GIS in health. The framework is based on literature from the library databases Scopus and Web of Science. The articles were identified based on keywords and initially selected for further study based on titles and abstracts. A grounded theory-inspired method was applied to categorize the selected articles in main focus areas. Subsequent frequency analysis was performed on the identified articles in areas of infectious and non-infectious diseases and continent of origin. A total of 865 articles were included. Four conceptual domains within GIS in health sciences comprise the framework: spatial analysis of disease, spatial analysis of health service planning, public health, health technologies and tools. Frequency analysis by disease status and location show that malaria and schistosomiasis are the most commonly analyzed infectious diseases where cancer and asthma are the most frequently analyzed non-infectious diseases. Across categories, articles from North America predominate, and in the category of spatial analysis of diseases an equal number of studies concern Asia. Spatial analysis of diseases and health service planning are well-established research areas. The development of future technologies and new application areas for GIS and data-gathering technologies such as GPS, smartphones, remote sensing etc. will be nudging the research in GIS and health.

A Review and Framework for Categorizing Current Research and Development in Health Related Geographical Information Systems (GIS) Studies

PubMed Central

Nøhr, C.; Sørensen, E. M.; Gudes, O.; Geraghty, E. M.; Shaw, N. T.; Bivona-Tellez, C.

2014-01-01

Summary Objectives The application of GIS in health science has increased over the last decade and new innovative application areas have emerged. This study reviews the literature and builds a framework to provide a conceptual overview of the domain, and to promote strategic planning for further research of GIS in health. Method The framework is based on literature from the library databases Scopus and Web of Science. The articles were identified based on keywords and initially selected for further study based on titles and abstracts. A grounded theory-inspired method was applied to categorize the selected articles in main focus areas. Subsequent frequency analysis was performed on the identified articles in areas of infectious and non-infectious diseases and continent of origin. Results A total of 865 articles were included. Four conceptual domains within GIS in health sciences comprise the framework: spatial analysis of disease, spatial analysis of health service planning, public health, health technologies and tools. Frequency analysis by disease status and location show that malaria and schistosomiasis are the most commonly analyzed infectious diseases where cancer and asthma are the most frequently analyzed non-infectious diseases. Across categories, articles from North America predominate, and in the category of spatial analysis of diseases an equal number of studies concern Asia. Conclusion Spatial analysis of diseases and health service planning are well-established research areas. The development of future technologies and new application areas for GIS and data-gathering technologies such as GPS, smartphones, remote sensing etc. will be nudging the research in GIS and health. PMID:25123730

Architecture design of the national plant treasure management information system based on GIS: a case study of Gugong Date Garden in Hebei province

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shen, Shaoling; Li, Renjie; Shen, Dongdong; Tong, Chunyan; Fu, Xueqing

2007-06-01

"Gugong Date Garden", lies in Juguan Village, Qijiawu County, Huanghua City, China. It is the largest forest of winter date in this world, which is the longest in history, largest in area and best in quality and it is also included in the first group of national main protected units of botanic cultural relics. However, it is lacking of uniform management platform and modes. According to the specific characteristics of botanic cultural relics preservation, the author sets up the "Plant Treasure Management Information System" for "Gugong Date Garden", based on the Geographic information system (GIS), Internet, database and virtual reality technologies, along with the idea of modern customer management systems. This system is designed for five types of users, named system administrators, cultural relic supervisors, researchers, farmers and tourists, with the aim of realizing integrated managements of ancient trees' protection, scientific researches, tourism and explorations altogether, so as to make better management, protection, and utilizations.

GPS and GIS-Based Data Collection and Image Mapping in the Antarctic Peninsula

USGS Publications Warehouse

Sanchez, Richard D.

1999-01-01

High-resolution satellite images combined with the rapidly evolving global positioning system (GPS) and geographic information system (GIS) technology may offer a quick and effective way to gather information in Antarctica. GPS- and GIS-based data collection systems are used in this project to determine their applicability for gathering ground truthing data in the Antarctic Peninsula. These baseline data will be used in a later study to examine changes in penguin habitats resulting in part from regional climate warming. The research application in this study yields important information on the usefulness and limits of data capture and high-resolution images for mapping in the Antarctic Peninsula.

Methodological aspects of a GIS-based environmental health inspection program used in the Athens 2004 Olympic and Para Olympic Games.

PubMed

Hadjichristodoulou, Christos; Soteriades, Elpidoforos S; Kolonia, Virginia; Falagas, Matthew E; Pantelopoulos, Efstathios; Panagakos, Georgios; Mouchtouri, Varvara; Kremastinou, Jeni

2005-09-02

The use of geographical information system (GIS) technologies in public health surveillance is gradually gaining momentum around the world and many applications have already been reported in the literature. In this study, GIS technology was used to help county departments of Public Health to implement environmental health surveillance for the Athens 2004 Olympic and Para Olympic Games. In order to assess the workload in each Olympic county, 19 registry forms and 17 standardized inspection forms were developed to register and inspect environmental health items requiring inspection (Hotels, restaurants, swimming pools, water supply system etc), respectively. Furthermore, related databases were created using Epi Info 2002 and a geographical information system (GIS) were used to implement an integrated Environmental Health inspection program. The project was conducted in Athens by the Olympic Planning Unit (OPU) of the National School of Public Health, in close cooperation with the Ministry of Health and Social Solidarity and the corresponding departments of Public Health in all municipalities that were scheduled to host events during the Athens 2004 Olympic and Para Olympic games. A total of 44,741 premises of environmental health interest were geocoded into GIS databases and several electronic maps were developed. Using such maps in association with specific criteria, we first identified the maximum workload required to execute environmental health inspections in all premises within the eleven Olympic County Departments of Public Health. Six different scenarios were created for each county, based on devised algorithms in order to design the most effective and realistic inspection program using the available inspectors from each municipality. Furthermore, GIS applications were used to organize the daily inspection program for the Olympic games, provide coloured displays of the inspection results and link those results with the public health surveillance of specific cases or outbreak investigation. Our computerised program exhibited significant efficiency in facilitating the prudent use of public health resources in implementing environmental health inspections in densely populated urban areas as well as in rural counties. Furthermore, the application of simple algorithms in integrating human and other resources provided tailored and cost-effective applications to different public health agencies.

Applying GIS and high performance agent-based simulation for managing an Old World Screwworm fly invasion of Australia.

PubMed

Welch, M C; Kwan, P W; Sajeev, A S M

2014-10-01

Agent-based modelling has proven to be a promising approach for developing rich simulations for complex phenomena that provide decision support functions across a broad range of areas including biological, social and agricultural sciences. This paper demonstrates how high performance computing technologies, namely General-Purpose Computing on Graphics Processing Units (GPGPU), and commercial Geographic Information Systems (GIS) can be applied to develop a national scale, agent-based simulation of an incursion of Old World Screwworm fly (OWS fly) into the Australian mainland. The development of this simulation model leverages the combination of massively data-parallel processing capabilities supported by NVidia's Compute Unified Device Architecture (CUDA) and the advanced spatial visualisation capabilities of GIS. These technologies have enabled the implementation of an individual-based, stochastic lifecycle and dispersal algorithm for the OWS fly invasion. The simulation model draws upon a wide range of biological data as input to stochastically determine the reproduction and survival of the OWS fly through the different stages of its lifecycle and dispersal of gravid females. Through this model, a highly efficient computational platform has been developed for studying the effectiveness of control and mitigation strategies and their associated economic impact on livestock industries can be materialised. Copyright © 2014 International Atomic Energy Agency 2014. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

GIS- and field based mapping of geomorphological changes in a glacier retreat area: A case study from the Kromer valley, Silvretta Alps (Austria)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guttmann, Markus; Pöppl, Ronald

2017-04-01

Global warming results in an ongoing retreat of Alpine glaciers, leaving behind large amounts of easily erodible sediments. As a consequence processes like rockfalls, landslides and debris flows as well as fluvial processes occur more frequently in pro- and paraglacial areas, often involving catastrophic consequences for humans and infrastructure in the affected valleys. The main objective of the presented work was to map and spatially quantify glacier retreat and geomorphological changes in the Kromer valley, Silvretta Alps (Austria) by applying GIS- and field-based geomorphological mapping. In total six geomorphological maps (1950s, 1970s, 2001, 2006, 2012, and 2016) were produced and analyzed in the light of the study aim. First results have shown a significant decrease of total glaciated area from 96 ha to 53 ha which was accompanied by increased proglacial geomorphic activity (i.e. fluvial processes, rockfalls, debris flows, shallow landslides) in the last 15 years. More detailed results will be presented at the EGU General Assembly 2017.

Geographic information systems and logistic regression for high-resolution malaria risk mapping in a rural settlement of the southern Brazilian Amazon.

PubMed

de Oliveira, Elaine Cristina; dos Santos, Emerson Soares; Zeilhofer, Peter; Souza-Santos, Reinaldo; Atanaka-Santos, Marina

2013-11-15

In Brazil, 99% of the cases of malaria are concentrated in the Amazon region, with high level of transmission. The objectives of the study were to use geographic information systems (GIS) analysis and logistic regression as a tool to identify and analyse the relative likelihood and its socio-environmental determinants of malaria infection in the Vale do Amanhecer rural settlement, Brazil. A GIS database of georeferenced malaria cases, recorded in 2005, and multiple explanatory data layers was built, based on a multispectral Landsat 5 TM image, digital map of the settlement blocks and a SRTM digital elevation model. Satellite imagery was used to map the spatial patterns of land use and cover (LUC) and to derive spectral indices of vegetation density (NDVI) and soil/vegetation humidity (VSHI). An Euclidian distance operator was applied to measure proximity of domiciles to potential mosquito breeding habitats and gold mining areas. The malaria risk model was generated by multiple logistic regression, in which environmental factors were considered as independent variables and the number of cases, binarized by a threshold value was the dependent variable. Out of a total of 336 cases of malaria, 133 positive slides were from inhabitants at Road 08, which corresponds to 37.60% of the notifications. The southern region of the settlement presented 276 cases and a greater number of domiciles in which more than ten cases/home were notified. From these, 102 (30.36%) cases were caused by Plasmodium falciparum and 174 (51.79%) cases by Plasmodium vivax. Malaria risk is the highest in the south of the settlement, associated with proximity to gold mining sites, intense land use, high levels of soil/vegetation humidity and low vegetation density. Mid-resolution, remote sensing data and GIS-derived distance measures can be successfully combined with digital maps of the housing location of (non-) infected inhabitants to predict relative likelihood of disease infection through the analysis by logistic regression. Obtained findings on the relation between malaria cases and environmental factors should be applied in the future for land use planning in rural settlements in the Southern Amazon to minimize risks of disease transmission.

[Wetland landscape pattern change based on GIS and RS: a review].

PubMed

Kong, Fan-Ting; Xi, Min; Li, Yue; Kong, Fan-Long; Chen, Wan

2013-04-01

Wetland is an ecological landscape with most biodiversity in nature, which has unique ecological structure and function, and contains abundant natural resources to provide material guarantee for human's living and development. Wetland landscape pattern is the comprehensive result of various ecological processes, and has become a hot issue in wetland ecological study. At present, the combination of geographic information system (GIS) and remote sensing (RS) technologies is an important way to study the wetland landscape pattern change. This paper reviewed the research progress in the wetland landscape change based on GIS and RS from the aspects of the research methods of wetland landscape pattern, index of wetland landscape pattern, and driving forces of wetland landscape pattern evolution, and discussed the applications of the combination of GIS and RS in monitoring the wetland landscape pattern change, the index selection of wetland landscape pattern, and the driving mechanisms of the combined action of human and nature. Some deficiencies in the current studies were put forward, and the directions of the future-studies were prospected.

GeoPAT: A toolbox for pattern-based information retrieval from large geospatial databases

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jasiewicz, Jarosław; Netzel, Paweł; Stepinski, Tomasz

2015-07-01

Geospatial Pattern Analysis Toolbox (GeoPAT) is a collection of GRASS GIS modules for carrying out pattern-based geospatial analysis of images and other spatial datasets. The need for pattern-based analysis arises when images/rasters contain rich spatial information either because of their very high resolution or their very large spatial extent. Elementary units of pattern-based analysis are scenes - patches of surface consisting of a complex arrangement of individual pixels (patterns). GeoPAT modules implement popular GIS algorithms, such as query, overlay, and segmentation, to operate on the grid of scenes. To achieve these capabilities GeoPAT includes a library of scene signatures - compact numerical descriptors of patterns, and a library of distance functions - providing numerical means of assessing dissimilarity between scenes. Ancillary GeoPAT modules use these functions to construct a grid of scenes or to assign signatures to individual scenes having regular or irregular geometries. Thus GeoPAT combines knowledge retrieval from patterns with mapping tasks within a single integrated GIS environment. GeoPAT is designed to identify and analyze complex, highly generalized classes in spatial datasets. Examples include distinguishing between different styles of urban settlements using VHR images, delineating different landscape types in land cover maps, and mapping physiographic units from DEM. The concept of pattern-based spatial analysis is explained and the roles of all modules and functions are described. A case study example pertaining to delineation of landscape types in a subregion of NLCD is given. Performance evaluation is included to highlight GeoPAT's applicability to very large datasets. The GeoPAT toolbox is available for download from

Oceanography Information System of Spanish Institute of Oceanography (IEO)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tello, Olvido; Gómez, María; González, Sonsoles

2016-04-01

Since 1914, the Spanish Institute of Oceanography (IEO) performs multidisciplinary studies of the marine environment. In same case are systematic studies and in others are specific studies for special requirements (El Hierro submarine volcanic episode, spill Prestige, others.). Different methodologies and data acquisition techniques are used depending on studies aims. The acquired data are stored and presented in different formats. The information is organized into different databases according to the subject and the variables represented (geology, fisheries, aquaculture, pollution, habitats, etc.). Related to physical and chemical oceanography data, in 1964 was created the DATA CENTER of IEO (CEDO), in order to organize the data about physical and chemical variables, to standardize this information and to serve the international data network SeaDataNet. www.seadatanet.org. This database integrates data about temperature, salinity, nutrients, and tidal data. CEDO allows consult and download the data. http://indamar.ieo.es On the other hand, related to data about marine species in 1999 was developed SIRENO DATABASE. All data about species collected in oceanographic surveys carried out by researches of IEO, and data from observers on fishing vessels are incorporated in SIRENO database. In this database is stored catch data, biomass, abundance, etc. This system is based on architecture ORACLE. Due to the large amount of information collected over the 100 years of IEO history, there is a clear need to organize, standardize, integrate and relate the different databases and information, and to provide interoperability and access to the information. Consequently, in 2000 it emerged the first initiative to organize the IEO spatial information in an Oceanography Information System, based on a Geographical Information System (GIS). The GIS was consolidated as IEO institutional GIS and was created the Spatial Data Infrastructure of IEO (IDEO) following trend of INSPIRE. All data included in the GIS have their corresponding metadata about ISO19115 and INSPIRE. IDEO is based on Web services, Quality of Services, Open standards, ISO (OGC) and INSPIRE standards, and both provide access to the geographical marine information of IEO. The GIS allows the information to be organized, visualized, consulted and analyzed. The data from different IEO databases are integrated into a GIS corporate Geodatabase (Esri format). This tool is essential in the decision making of aspects like: - Protection of marine environment - Sustainable management of resources - Natural Hazards. - Marine spatial planning. Examples of the use of GIS as a spatial analysis tool are: - Mud volcanoes explored in LIFE-INDEMARES project. - Cartographic series about Spanish continental shelf, developed from data integrated in IEO marine GIS, acquired from oceanographic surveys in ESPACE project. - Cartography developed from the information gathered in Initial Assessment of Marine Strategy Framework Directive. - Studies of natural hazards related to submarine canyons in southeast region marine Spanish. Currently the IEO is participating in many European initiatives, especially in several lots of EMODNET. The IEO besides is working in consonance with INSPIRE, Growth Blue, Horizon 2020, etc., to contribute to, the knowledge of marine environment, its protection and its spatial planning are extremely relevant issues. In order to facilitate the access to the Spatial Data Infrastructure of IEO, the IEO Geoportal was developed in 2012. It mainly involves a metadata catalog, access to the data viewers and Web Services of IDEO. http://www.geo-ideo.ieo.es/geoportalideo/catalog/main/home.page

A Geo-referenced 3D model of the Juan de Fuca Slab and associated seismicity

USGS Publications Warehouse

Blair, J.L.; McCrory, P.A.; Oppenheimer, D.H.; Waldhauser, F.

2011-01-01

We present a Geographic Information System (GIS) of a new 3-dimensional (3D) model of the subducted Juan de Fuca Plate beneath western North America and associated seismicity of the Cascadia subduction system. The geo-referenced 3D model was constructed from weighted control points that integrate depth information from hypocenter locations and regional seismic velocity studies. We used the 3D model to differentiate earthquakes that occur above the Juan de Fuca Plate surface from earthquakes that occur below the plate surface. This GIS project of the Cascadia subduction system supersedes the one previously published by McCrory and others (2006). Our new slab model updates the model with new constraints. The most significant updates to the model include: (1) weighted control points to incorporate spatial uncertainty, (2) an additional gridded slab surface based on the Generic Mapping Tools (GMT) Surface program which constructs surfaces based on splines in tension (see expanded description below), (3) double-differenced hypocenter locations in northern California to better constrain slab location there, and (4) revised slab shape based on new hypocenter profiles that incorporate routine depth uncertainties as well as data from new seismic-reflection and seismic-refraction studies. We also provide a 3D fly-through animation of the model for use as a visualization tool.

Geoscience information integration and visualization research of Shandong Province, China based on ArcGIS engine

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Mingzhu; Gao, Zhiqiang; Ning, Jicai

2014-10-01

To improve the access efficiency of geoscience data, efficient data model and storage solutions should be used. Geoscience data is usually classified by format or coordinate system in existing storage solutions. When data is large, it is not conducive to search the geographic features. In this study, a geographical information integration system of Shandong province, China was developed based on the technology of ArcGIS Engine, .NET, and SQL Server. It uses Geodatabase spatial data model and ArcSDE to organize and store spatial and attribute data and establishes geoscience database of Shangdong. Seven function modules were designed: map browse, database and subject management, layer control, map query, spatial analysis and map symbolization. The system's characteristics of can be browsed and managed by geoscience subjects make the system convenient for geographic researchers and decision-making departments to use the data.

Optimal siting of solid waste-to-value-added facilities through a GIS-based assessment.

PubMed

Khan, Md Mohib-Ul-Haque; Vaezi, Mahdi; Kumar, Amit

2018-01-01

Siting a solid waste conversion facility requires an assessment of solid waste availability as well as ensuring compliance with environmental, social, and economic factors. The main idea behind this study was to develop a methodology to locate suitable locations for waste conversion facilities considering waste availability as well as environmental and social constraints. A geographic information system (GIS) spatial analysis was used to identify the most suitable areas and to screen out unsuitable lands. The analytic hierarchy process (AHP) was used for a multi-criteria evaluation of relative preferences of different environmental and social factors. A case study was conducted for Alberta, a western province in Canada, by performing a province-wide waste availability assessment. The total available waste considered in this study was 4,077,514tonnes/year for 19 census divisions collected from 79 landfills. Finally, a location-allocation analysis was performed to determine suitable locations for 10 waste conversion facilities across the province. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Ontology-Based Retrieval of Spatially Related Objects for Location Based Services

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haav, Hele-Mai; Kaljuvee, Aivi; Luts, Martin; Vajakas, Toivo

Advanced Location Based Service (LBS) applications have to integrate information stored in GIS, information about users' preferences (profile) as well as contextual information and information about application itself. Ontology engineering provides methods to semantically integrate several data sources. We propose an ontology-driven LBS development framework: the paper describes the architecture of ontologies and their usage for retrieval of spatially related objects relevant to the user. Our main contribution is to enable personalised ontology driven LBS by providing a novel approach for defining personalised semantic spatial relationships by means of ontologies. The approach is illustrated by an industrial case study.

Using Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process multicriteria and Geographical information system for coastal vulnerability analysis in Morocco: The case of Mohammedia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tahri, Meryem; Maanan, Mohamed; Hakdaoui, Mustapha

2016-04-01

This paper shows a method to assess the vulnerability of coastal risks such as coastal erosion or submarine applying Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (FAHP) and spatial analysis techniques with Geographic Information System (GIS). The coast of the Mohammedia located in Morocco was chosen as the study site to implement and validate the proposed framework by applying a GIS-FAHP based methodology. The coastal risk vulnerability mapping follows multi-parametric causative factors as sea level rise, significant wave height, tidal range, coastal erosion, elevation, geomorphology and distance to an urban area. The Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process methodology enables the calculation of corresponding criteria weights. The result shows that the coastline of the Mohammedia is characterized by a moderate, high and very high level of vulnerability to coastal risk. The high vulnerability areas are situated in the east at Monika and Sablette beaches. This technical approach is based on the efficiency of the Geographic Information System tool based on Fuzzy Analytical Hierarchy Process to help decision maker to find optimal strategies to minimize coastal risks.

Geospatial analysis based on GIS integrated with LADAR.

PubMed

Fetterman, Matt R; Freking, Robert; Fernandez-Cull, Christy; Hinkle, Christopher W; Myne, Anu; Relyea, Steven; Winslow, Jim

2013-10-07

In this work, we describe multi-layered analyses of a high-resolution broad-area LADAR data set in support of expeditionary activities. High-level features are extracted from the LADAR data, such as the presence and location of buildings and cars, and then these features are used to populate a GIS (geographic information system) tool. We also apply line-of-sight (LOS) analysis to develop a path-planning module. Finally, visualization is addressed and enhanced with a gesture-based control system that allows the user to navigate through the enhanced data set in a virtual immersive experience. This work has operational applications including military, security, disaster relief, and task-based robotic path planning.

Hydrological and hydraulic models for determination of flood-prone and flood inundation areas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aksoy, Hafzullah; Sadan Ozgur Kirca, Veysel; Burgan, Halil Ibrahim; Kellecioglu, Dorukhan

2016-05-01

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) are widely used in most studies on water resources. Especially, when the topography and geomorphology of study area are considered, GIS can ease the work load. Detailed data should be used in this kind of studies. Because of, either the complication of the models or the requirement of highly detailed data, model outputs can be obtained fast only with a good optimization. The aim in this study, firstly, is to determine flood-prone areas in a watershed by using a hydrological model considering two wetness indexes; the topographical wetness index, and the SAGA (System for Automated Geoscientific Analyses) wetness index. The wetness indexes were obtained in the Quantum GIS (QGIS) software by using the Digital Elevation Model of the study area. Flood-prone areas are determined by considering the wetness index maps of the watershed. As the second stage of this study, a hydraulic model, HEC-RAS, was executed to determine flood inundation areas under different return period-flood events. River network cross-sections required for this study were derived from highly detailed digital elevation models by QGIS. Also river hydraulic parameters were used in the hydraulic model. Modelling technology used in this study is made of freely available open source softwares. Based on case studies performed on watersheds in Turkey, it is concluded that results of such studies can be used for taking precaution measures against life and monetary losses due to floods in urban areas particularly.

Using a Combined Platform of Swarm Intelligence Algorithms and GIS to Provide Land Suitability Maps for Locating Cardiac Rehabilitation Defibrillators

PubMed Central

KAFFASH-CHARANDABI, Neda; SADEGHI-NIARAKI, Abolghasem; PARK, Dong-Kyun

2015-01-01

Background: Cardiac arrest is a condition in which the heart is completely stopped and is not pumping any blood. Although most cardiac arrest cases are reported from homes or hospitals, about 20% occur in public areas. Therefore, these areas need to be investigated in terms of cardiac arrest incidence so that places of high incidence can be identified and cardiac rehabilitation defibrillators installed there. Methods: In order to investigate a study area in Petersburg, Pennsylvania State, and to determine appropriate places for installing defibrillators with 5-year period data, swarm intelligence algorithms were used. Moreover, the location of the defibrillators was determined based on the following five evaluation criteria: land use, altitude of the area, economic conditions, distance from hospitals and approximate areas of reported cases of cardiac arrest for public places that were created in geospatial information system (GIS). Results: The A-P HADEL algorithm results were more precise about 27.36%. The validation results indicated a wider coverage of real values and the verification results confirmed the faster and more exact optimization of the cost function in the PSO method. Conclusion: The study findings emphasize the necessity of applying optimal optimization methods along with GIS and precise selection of criteria in the selection of optimal locations for installing medical facilities because the selected algorithm and criteria dramatically affect the final responses. Meanwhile, providing land suitability maps for installing facilities across hot and risky spots has the potential to save many lives. PMID:26587471

GIS and the Analytic Hierarchy Process for Regional Landfill Site Selection in Transitional Countries: A Case Study From Serbia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zelenović Vasiljević, Tamara; Srdjević, Zorica; Bajčetić, Ratko; Vojinović Miloradov, Mirjana

2012-02-01

The Serbian National Waste Management Strategy for the Period 2010-2019, harmonized with the European Union Directives, mandates new and very strict requirements for landfill sites. To enable analysis of a number of required qualitative and quantitative factors for landfill site selection, the traditional method of site selection must be replaced with a new approach. The combination of GIS and the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) was selected to solve this complex problem. The Srem region in northern Serbia, being one of the most environmentally sensitive areas, was chosen as a case study. Seventeen factors selected as criteria/sub-criteria were recognized as most important, divided into geo-natural, environmental, social and techno-economic factors, and were evaluated by experts from different fields using an AHP extension in Arc GIS. Weighted spatial layers were combined into a landfill suitability map which was then overlapped with four restriction maps, resulting in a final suitability map. According to the results, 82.65% of the territory of Srem is unsuitable for regional landfill siting. The most suitable areas cover 9.14%, suitable areas 5.24%, while areas with low and very low suitability cover 2.21 and 0.76% of the territory, respectively. Based on these findings, five sites close to two large urban agglomerations were suggested as possible locations for a regional landfill site in Srem. However, the final decision will require further field investigation, a public acceptance survey, and consideration of ownership status and price of the land.

Genomic study of the Type IVC secretion system in Clostridium difficile: understanding C. difficile evolution via horizontal gene transfer.

PubMed

Zhang, Wen; Cheng, Ying; Du, Pengcheng; Zhang, Yuanyuan; Jia, Hongbing; Li, Xianping; Wang, Jing; Han, Na; Qiang, Yujun; Chen, Chen; Lu, Jinxing

2017-01-01

Clostridium difficile, the etiological agent of Clostridium difficile infection (CDI), is a gram-positive, spore-forming bacillus that is responsible for ∼20% of antibiotic-related cases of diarrhea and nearly all cases of pseudomembranous colitis. Previous data have shown that a substantial proportion (11%) of the C. difficile genome consists of mobile genetic elements, including seven conjugative transposons. However, the mechanism underlying the formation of a mosaic genome in C. difficile is unknown. The type-IV secretion system (T4SS) is the only secretion system known to transfer DNA segments among bacteria. We searched genome databases to identify a candidate T4SS in C. difficile that could transfer DNA among different C. difficile strains. All T4SS gene clusters in C. difficile are located within genomic islands (GIs), which have variable lengths and structures and are all conjugative transposons. During the horizontal-transfer process of T4SS GIs within the C. difficile population, the excision sites were altered, resulting in different short-tandem repeat sequences among the T4SS GIs, as well as different chromosomal insertion sites and additional regions in the GIs.

Remodeling census population with spatial information from Landsat TM imagery

USGS Publications Warehouse

Yuan, Y.; Smith, R.M.; Limp, W.F.

1997-01-01

In geographic information systems (GIS) studies there has been some difficulty integrating socioeconomic and physiogeographic data. One important type of socioeconomic data, census data, offers a wide range of socioeconomic information, but is aggregated within arbitrary enumeration districts (EDs). Values reflect either raw counts or, when standardized, the mean densities in the EDs. On the other hand, remote sensing imagery, an important type of physiogeographic data, provides large quantities of information with more spatial details than census data. Based on the dasymetric mapping principle, this study applies multivariable regression to examine the correlation between population counts from census and land cover types. The land cover map is classified from LandSat TM imagery. The correlation is high. Census population counts are remodeled to a GIS raster layer based on the discovered correlations coupled with scaling techniques, which offset influences from other than land cover types. The GIS raster layer depicts the population distribution with much more spatial detail than census data offer. The resulting GIS raster layer is ready to be analyzed or integrated with other GIS data. ?? 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

Using GIS in risk analysis: a case study of hazardous waste transport.

PubMed

Lovett, A A; Parfitt, J P; Brainard, J S

1997-10-01

This paper provides an illustration of how a geographic information system (GIS) can be used in risk analysis. It focuses on liquid hazardous waste transport and utilizes records archived by the London Waste Regulatory Authority. This data source provides information on the origin and destination of each waste stream, but not the route followed during transport. A GIS was therefore employed to predict the paths used, taking into account different routing criteria and characteristics of the available road network. Details were also assembled on population distribution and ground-water vulnerability, thus providing a basis for evaluating the potential consequences of a waste spillage during transport. Four routing scenarios were implemented to identify sections of road which consistently saw heavy traffic. These simulations also highlighted that some interventions could lead to risk tradeoffs rather than hazard mitigation. Many parts of the research would not have been possible without a GIS, and the study demonstrates the considerable potential of such software in environmental risk assessment and management.

An integrated ecosystem approach for sustainable prevention and control of dengue in Central Havana.

PubMed

Bonet, Mariano; Spiegel, Jerry M; Ibarra, Ana Maria; Kouri, Gustavo; Pintre, Alfredo; Yassi, Annalee

2007-01-01

The authors developed and evaluated a comprehensive participatory ecosystem health approach for preventing the transmission of dengue, the most prevalent vector-borne disease in Cuba and the Latin America-Caribbean region. The integrated surveillance system central to this initiative encompassed three main subsystems (environmental; entomological; clinical-epidemiologic), relying on extensive community involvement. The study was conducted in Central Havana, Cuba. Indicators from each subsystem were selected and mapped using a GIS procedure providing instant visualization by city block in the municipality. To elucidate the factors affecting control and prevention efforts, perceived needs and risks, as well as knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors related to dengue, were assessed. Specific factors associated with the presence of mosquito breeding sites and risks of dengue were examined in a case-control study.

[Design and implementation of Geographical Information System on prevention and control of cholera].

PubMed

Li, Xiu-jun; Fang, Li-qun; Wang, Duo-chun; Wang, Lu-xi; Li, Ya-pin; Li, Yan-li; Yang, Hong; Kan, Biao; Cao, Wu-chun

2012-04-01

To build the Geographical Information System (GIS) database for prevention and control of cholera programs as well as using management analysis and function demonstration to show the spatial attribute of cholera. Data from case reporting system regarding diarrhoea, vibrio cholerae, serotypes of vibrio cholerae at the surveillance spots and seafoods, as well as surveillance data on ambient environment and climate were collected. All the data were imported to system database to show the incidence of vibrio cholerae in different provinces, regions and counties to support the spatial analysis through the spatial analysis of GIS. The epidemic trends of cholera, seasonal characteristics of the cholera and the variation of the vibrio cholerae with times were better understood. Information on hotspots, regions and time of epidemics was collected, and helpful in providing risk prediction on the incidence of vibrio cholerae. The exploitation of the software can predict and simulate the spatio-temporal risks, so as to provide guidance for the prevention and control of the disease.

Climate Impact and GIS Education Using Realistic Applications of Data.gov Thematic Datasets in a Structured Lesson-Based Workbook

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Amirazodi, S.; Griffin, R.; Bugbee, K.; Ramachandran, R.; Weigel, A. M.

2016-12-01

This project created a workbook which teaches Earth Science education undergraduate and graduate students through guided in-class activities and take-home assignments organized around climate topics which use GIS to teach key geospatial analysis techniques and cartography skills. The workbook is structured to the White House's Data.gov climate change themes, which include Coastal Flooding, Ecosystem Vulnerability, Energy Infrastructure, Arctic, Food Resilience, Human Health, Transportation, Tribal Nations, Water. Each theme provides access to framing questions, associated data, interactive tools, and further reading (e.g. the US Climate Resilience Toolkit and National Climate Assessment). Lessons make use of the respective theme's available resources. The structured thematic approach is designed to encourage independent exploration. The goal is to teach climate concepts and concerns, GIS techniques and approaches, and effective cartographic representation and communication of results; and foster a greater awareness of publically available resources and datasets. To reach more audiences more effectively, a two level approach was used. Level 1 serves as an introductory study and relies on only freely available interactive tools to reach audiences with fewer resources and less familiarity. Level 2 presents a more advanced case study, and focuses on supporting common commercially available tool use and real-world analysis techniques.

A spatial DB model to simulate the road network efficiency in hydrogeological emergency

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Michele, Mangiameli, E-mail: michele.mangiameli@dica.unict.it; Giuseppe, Mussumeci

We deal with the theme of the simulation of risk analysis using a technological approach based on the integration of exclusively free and open source tools: PostgreSQL as Database Management System (DBMS) and Quantum GIS-GRASS as Geographic Information System (GIS) platform. The case study is represented by a seismic land in Sicily characterized by steep slopes and frequent instability phenomena. This area includes a city of about 30.000 inhabitants (Enna) that lies on the top of a mountain at about 990 m a.s.l.. The access to the city is assured by few and very winding roads that are also highly vulnerablemore » to seismic and hydrogeological hazards. When exceptional rainfall events occur, the loss of efficiency of these roads should compromise timeliness and effectiveness of rescue operations. The data of the sample area have been structured into the adopted DBMS, and the connection to the GIS functionalities allows simulating the exceptional events. We analyzed the hazard, vulnerability and exposure related to these events and calculated the final risk defining three classes for each scenario: low (L), medium (M) and high (H). This study can be a valuable tool to prioritize risk levels and set priorities for intervention to the main road networks.« less

A spatial DB model to simulate the road network efficiency in hydrogeological emergency

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Michele, Mangiameli; Giuseppe, Mussumeci

2015-12-01

We deal with the theme of the simulation of risk analysis using a technological approach based on the integration of exclusively free and open source tools: PostgreSQL as Database Management System (DBMS) and Quantum GIS-GRASS as Geographic Information System (GIS) platform. The case study is represented by a seismic land in Sicily characterized by steep slopes and frequent instability phenomena. This area includes a city of about 30.000 inhabitants (Enna) that lies on the top of a mountain at about 990 m a.s.l.. The access to the city is assured by few and very winding roads that are also highly vulnerable to seismic and hydrogeological hazards. When exceptional rainfall events occur, the loss of efficiency of these roads should compromise timeliness and effectiveness of rescue operations. The data of the sample area have been structured into the adopted DBMS, and the connection to the GIS functionalities allows simulating the exceptional events. We analyzed the hazard, vulnerability and exposure related to these events and calculated the final risk defining three classes for each scenario: low (L), medium (M) and high (H). This study can be a valuable tool to prioritize risk levels and set priorities for intervention to the main road networks..

Climate Impact and GIS Education Using Realistic Applications of Data.gov Thematic Datasets in a Structured Lesson-Based Workbook

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Amirazodi, Sara; Griffin, Robert; Bugbee, Kaylin; Ramachandran, Rahul; Weigel, Amanda

2016-01-01

This project created a workbook which teaches Earth Science to undergraduate and graduate students through guided in-class activities and take-home assignments organized around climate topics which use GIS to teach key geospatial analysis techniques and cartography skills. The workbook is structured to the White House's Data.gov climate change themes, which include Coastal Flooding, Ecosystem Vulnerability, Energy Infrastructure, Arctic, Food Resilience, Human Health, Transportation, Tribal Nations, and Water. Each theme provides access to framing questions, associated data, interactive tools, and further reading (e.g. The US Climate Resilience Toolkit and National Climate Assessment). Lessons make use of the respective theme's available resources. The structured thematic approach is designed to encourage independent exploration. The goal is to teach climate concepts and concerns, GIS techniques and approaches, and effective cartographic representation and communication results; and foster a greater awareness of publicly available resources and datasets. To reach more audiences more effectively, a two level approach was used. Level 1 serves as an introductory study and relies on only freely available interactive tools to reach audiences with fewer resources and less familiarity. Level 2 presents a more advanced case study, and focuses on supporting common commercially available tool use and real-world analysis techniques.

Potential of tourism and recreational postindustrial city (Radzionków GIS-based case study)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ślesak, Barbara; Absalon, Damian; Pytel, Sławomir

2014-10-01

The paper presents an analysis of the land structure use in the town Radzionków. The study area, despite of the industrial past, distinguished by a large proportion of green areas: parks, forests, agricultural lands, recreational areas. The study shows how important is the role of shaping the image of the municipality as an interesting tourist, plays right policy and how important local municipal authorities may support use of local tourism resources through appropriate and targeted use of space (Municipal Development Plan).

Development and management of a geographic information system for health research in a developing-country setting: a case study from Bangladesh.

PubMed

Sugimoto, Jonathan D; Labrique, Alain B; Ahmad, Salahuddin; Rashid, Mahbubur; Klemm, Rolf D W; Christian, Parul; West, Keith P

2007-12-01

In the last decade, geographic information systems (GIS) have become accessible to researchers in developing countries, yet guidance remains sparse for developing a GIS. Drawing on experience in developing a GIS for a large community trial in rural Bangladesh, six stages for constructing, maintaining, and using a GIS for health research purposes were outlined. The system contains 0.25 million landmarks, including 150,000 houses, in an area of 435 sq km with over 650,000 people. Assuming access to reasonably accurate paper boundary maps of the intended working area and the absence of pre-existing digital local-area maps, the six stages are: to (a) digitize and update existing paper maps, (b) join the digitized maps into a large-area map, (c) reference this large-area map to a geographic coordinate system, (d) insert location landmarks of interest, (e) maintain the GIS, and (f) link it to other research databases. These basic steps can produce a household-level, updated, scaleable GIS that can both enhance field efficiency and support epidemiologic analyses of demographic patterns, diseases, and health outcomes.

Development and Management of a Geographic Information System for Health Research in a Developing-country Setting: A Case Study from Bangladesh

PubMed Central

Sugimoto, Jonathan D.; Labrique, Alain B.; Salahuddin, Ahmad; Rashid, Mahbubur; Klemm, Rolf D.W.; Christian, Parul; West, Keith P.

2007-01-01

In the last decade, geographic information systems (GIS) have become accessible to researchers in developing countries, yet guidance remains sparse for developing a GIS. Drawing on experience in developing a GIS for a large community trial in rural Bangladesh, six stages for constructing, maintaining, and using a GIS for health research purposes were outlined. The system contains 0.25 million landmarks, including 150,000 houses, in an area of 435 sq km with over 650,000 people. Assuming access to reasonably accurate paper boundary maps of the intended working area and the absence of pre-existing digital local-area maps, the six stages are: to (a) digitize and update existing paper maps, (b) join the digitized maps into a large-area map, (c) reference this large-area map to a geographic coordinate system, (d) insert location landmarks of interest, (e) maintain the GIS, and (f) link it to other research databases. These basic steps can produce a household-level, updated, scaleable GIS that can both enhance field efficiency and support epidemiologic analyses of demographic patterns, diseases, and health outcomes. PMID:18402187

Research on the theory and methodology of integrating GIS and MAS and its application in simulating of pedestrians flows in a crowd's activity centre of Shanghai metropolitan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Miaolong; Chen, Peng

2006-10-01

Based on the development trend of research on urban morphology and its evolution from macro scale to micro scale, a new tight-coupling integrating method of GIS and MAS has been discussed briefly in this paper. After analyzing the characteristics and mechanism of pedestrian's flows in a crowds' activity center in a metropolitan, a prototype and mathematical expression of pedestrian's flows simulation have been put forward in the paper. A few key expressions and techniques for treating the specific behaviors of pedestrians flows, especially how the individuals of the flows make a decision to follow a original designed direction, how to make a decision whether stop or change his movement and select a new direction when the individuals meet a obstacle have been explored and discussed in detail. Using some tools provided by general GIS systems (such as ArcGIS 9) and a few specific programming languages, a new software system integrating GIS and MAS applicable for simulating pedestrians flows in a crowd activity centre has been developed successfully. Under the environment supported by the software system, as an applicable case, a dynamic evolution process of the pedestrian's flows (dispersed process for the spectators) in a crowds' activity center - The Shanghai Stadium has been simulated successfully. The successful simulating of a case of emergence when one or more exits emerge accidents will be very useful for managing and treating crowds' safety in a lot of assembling centers. At the end of the paper, some new research problems have been pointed out for the future.

Adding Value: A GIS Minor to Complement the Geology Major

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rhodes, D. D.

2008-12-01

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) has proven to be a valuable addition to the geology curriculum at Georgia Southern University. The Department of Geology and Geography offers course work in GIS required for the geography major and has used these courses to create a minor in GIS. Approximately half the students graduating with degrees in geology during the last 5 years have taken the GIS minor. A working knowledge of GIS has helped students secure summer employment and internships. For some of them it was the key to immediate employment upon graduation and for others it was a valuable additional skill to present as part of graduate school applications. Although once daunting in the financial and intellectual capital required to create a program, GIS software has become much more user friendly and standard PCs are now the platform on which most GIS work is conducted. Georgia Southern's GIS minor is based on five courses taught by four members of the faculty (3 geographers and 1 geologist). The foundation of the minor is two courses integrating the fundamentals of GIS and cartography. The other three courses cover data bases and web-based applications of GIS, remote sensing, and a semester long project in applied GIS. Although missing topics that are part of the curriculum for certificates or degrees in GIS, this five-course sequence provides a sound basis for introductory level positions in government and industry and graduate programs in geology.

Using geographic information systems (GIS) to identify communities in need of health insurance outreach: An OCHIN practice-based research network (PBRN) report.

PubMed

Angier, Heather; Likumahuwa, Sonja; Finnegan, Sean; Vakarcs, Trisha; Nelson, Christine; Bazemore, Andrew; Carrozza, Mark; DeVoe, Jennifer E

2014-01-01

Our practice-based research network (PBRN) is conducting an outreach intervention to increase health insurance coverage for patients seen in the network. To assist with outreach site selection, we sought an understandable way to use electronic health record (EHR) data to locate uninsured patients. Health insurance information was displayed within a web-based mapping platform to demonstrate the feasibility of using geographic information systems (GIS) to visualize EHR data. This study used EHR data from 52 clinics in the OCHIN PBRN. We included cross-sectional coverage data for patients aged 0 to 64 years with at least 1 visit to a study clinic during 2011 (n = 228,284). Our PBRN was successful in using GIS to identify intervention sites. Through use of the maps, we found geographic variation in insurance rates of patients seeking care in OCHIN PBRN clinics. Insurance rates also varied by age: The percentage of adults without insurance ranged from 13.2% to 86.8%; rates of children lacking insurance ranged from 1.1% to 71.7%. GIS also showed some areas of households with median incomes that had low insurance rates. EHR data can be imported into a web-based GIS mapping tool to visualize patient information. Using EHR data, we were able to observe smaller areas than could be seen using only publicly available data. Using this information, we identified appropriate OCHIN PBRN clinics for dissemination of an EHR-based insurance outreach intervention. GIS could also be used by clinics to visualize other patient-level characteristics to target clinic outreach efforts or interventions. © Copyright 2014 by the American Board of Family Medicine.

Martian Lobate Debris Aprons: Compilation of a New GIS-Based Global Map

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chuang, F. C.; Crown, D. A.; Berman, D. C.; Skinner, J. A.; Tanaka, K. L.

2011-03-01

Compilation of a new GIS-based global map of lobate debris aprons is underway to better understand the global inventory of these relict ice-rich features. We welcome contributions of GIS-based data from other investigators.

Health information system strengthening and malaria elimination in Papua New Guinea.

PubMed

Rosewell, Alexander; Makita, Leo; Muscatello, David; John, Lucy Ninmongo; Bieb, Sibauk; Hutton, Ross; Ramamurthy, Sundar; Shearman, Phil

2017-07-05

The objective of the study was to describe an m-health initiative to strengthen malaria surveillance in a 184-health facility, multi-province, project aimed at strengthening the National Health Information System (NHIS) in a country with fragmented malaria surveillance, striving towards enhanced control, pre-elimination. A remote-loading mobile application and secure online platform for health professionals was created to interface with the new system (eNHIS). A case-based malaria testing register was developed and integrated geo-coded households, villages and health facilities. A malaria programme management dashboard was created, with village-level malaria mapping tools, and statistical algorithms to identify malaria outbreaks. Since its inception in 2015, 160,750 malaria testing records, including village of residence, have been reported to the eNHIS. These case-based, geo-coded malaria data are 100% complete, with a median data entry delay of 9 days from the date of testing. The system maps malaria to the village level in near real-time as well as the availability of treatment and diagnostics to health facility level. Data aggregation, analysis, outbreak detection, and reporting are automated. The study demonstrates that using mobile technologies and GIS in the capture and reporting of NHIS data in Papua New Guinea provides timely, high quality, geo-coded, case-based malaria data required for malaria elimination. The health systems strengthening approach of integrating malaria information management into the eNHIS optimizes sustainability and provides enormous flexibility to cater for future malaria programme needs.

Positional accuracy and geographic bias of four methods of geocoding in epidemiologic research.

PubMed

Schootman, Mario; Sterling, David A; Struthers, James; Yan, Yan; Laboube, Ted; Emo, Brett; Higgs, Gary

2007-06-01

We examined the geographic bias of four methods of geocoding addresses using ArcGIS, commercial firm, SAS/GIS, and aerial photography. We compared "point-in-polygon" (ArcGIS, commercial firm, and aerial photography) and the "look-up table" method (SAS/GIS) to allocate addresses to census geography, particularly as it relates to census-based poverty rates. We randomly selected 299 addresses of children treated for asthma at an urban emergency department (1999-2001). The coordinates of the building address side door were obtained by constant offset based on ArcGIS and a commercial firm and true ground location based on aerial photography. Coordinates were available for 261 addresses across all methods. For 24% to 30% of geocoded road/door coordinates the positional error was 51 meters or greater, which was similar across geocoding methods. The mean bearing was -26.8 degrees for the vector of coordinates based on aerial photography and ArcGIS and 8.5 degrees for the vector based on aerial photography and the commercial firm (p < 0.0001). ArcGIS and the commercial firm performed very well relative to SAS/GIS in terms of allocation to census geography. For 20%, the door location based on aerial photography was assigned to a different block group compared to SAS/GIS. The block group poverty rate varied at least two standard deviations for 6% to 7% of addresses. We found important differences in distance and bearing between geocoding relative to aerial photography. Allocation of locations based on aerial photography to census-based geographic areas could lead to substantial errors.

Integrating High Resolution Water Footprint and GIS for Promoting Water Efficiency in the Agricultural Sector: A Case Study of Plantation Crops in the Jordan Valley

PubMed Central

Shtull-Trauring, Eliav; Aviani, Ido; Avisar, Dror; Bernstein, Nirit

2016-01-01

Addressing the global challenges to water security requires a better understanding of humanity's use of water, especially the agricultural sector that accounts for 70% of global withdrawals. This study combined high resolution-data with a GIS system to analyze the impact of agricultural practices, crop type, and spatial factors such as drainage basins, climate, and soil type on the Water Footprint (WF) of agricultural crops. The area of the study, the northern Lower Jordan Valley, covers 1121 ha in which three main plantation crops are grown: banana (cultivated in open-fields or net-houses), avocado and palm-dates. High-resolution data sources included GIS layers of the cultivated crops and a drainage pipe-system installed in the study area; meteorological data (2000–2013); and crop parameters (yield and irrigation recommendations). First, the study compared the WF of the different crops on the basis of yield and energy produced as well as a comparison to global values and local irrigation recommendations. The results showed that net-house banana has the lowest WF based on all different criteria. However, while palm-dates showed the highest WF for the yield criteria, it had the second lowest WF for energy produced, emphasizing the importance of using multiple parameters for low and high yield crop comparisons. Next, the regional WF of each drainage basin in the study area was calculated, demonstrating the strong influence of the Gray WF, an indication of the amount of freshwater required for pollution assimilation. Finally, the benefits of integrating GIS and WF were demonstrated by computing the effect of adopting net-house cultivation throughout the area of study with a result a reduction of 1.3 MCM irrigation water per year. Integrating the WF methodology and local high-resolution data using GIS can therefore promote and help quantify the benefits of adopting site-appropriate crops and agricultural practices that lower the WF by increasing yield, reducing water consumption, and minimizing negative environmental impacts. PMID:28018408

Integrating High Resolution Water Footprint and GIS for Promoting Water Efficiency in the Agricultural Sector: A Case Study of Plantation Crops in the Jordan Valley.

PubMed

Shtull-Trauring, Eliav; Aviani, Ido; Avisar, Dror; Bernstein, Nirit

2016-01-01

Addressing the global challenges to water security requires a better understanding of humanity's use of water, especially the agricultural sector that accounts for 70% of global withdrawals. This study combined high resolution-data with a GIS system to analyze the impact of agricultural practices, crop type, and spatial factors such as drainage basins, climate, and soil type on the Water Footprint (WF) of agricultural crops. The area of the study, the northern Lower Jordan Valley, covers 1121 ha in which three main plantation crops are grown: banana (cultivated in open-fields or net-houses), avocado and palm-dates. High-resolution data sources included GIS layers of the cultivated crops and a drainage pipe-system installed in the study area; meteorological data (2000-2013); and crop parameters (yield and irrigation recommendations). First, the study compared the WF of the different crops on the basis of yield and energy produced as well as a comparison to global values and local irrigation recommendations. The results showed that net-house banana has the lowest WF based on all different criteria. However, while palm-dates showed the highest WF for the yield criteria, it had the second lowest WF for energy produced, emphasizing the importance of using multiple parameters for low and high yield crop comparisons. Next, the regional WF of each drainage basin in the study area was calculated, demonstrating the strong influence of the Gray WF, an indication of the amount of freshwater required for pollution assimilation. Finally, the benefits of integrating GIS and WF were demonstrated by computing the effect of adopting net-house cultivation throughout the area of study with a result a reduction of 1.3 MCM irrigation water per year. Integrating the WF methodology and local high-resolution data using GIS can therefore promote and help quantify the benefits of adopting site-appropriate crops and agricultural practices that lower the WF by increasing yield, reducing water consumption, and minimizing negative environmental impacts.

Design and Implementation of High-Performance GIS Dynamic Objects Rendering Engine

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhong, Y.; Wang, S.; Li, R.; Yun, W.; Song, G.

2017-12-01

Spatio-temporal dynamic visualization is more vivid than static visualization. It important to use dynamic visualization techniques to reveal the variation process and trend vividly and comprehensively for the geographical phenomenon. To deal with challenges caused by dynamic visualization of both 2D and 3D spatial dynamic targets, especially for different spatial data types require high-performance GIS dynamic objects rendering engine. The main approach for improving the rendering engine with vast dynamic targets relies on key technologies of high-performance GIS, including memory computing, parallel computing, GPU computing and high-performance algorisms. In this study, high-performance GIS dynamic objects rendering engine is designed and implemented for solving the problem based on hybrid accelerative techniques. The high-performance GIS rendering engine contains GPU computing, OpenGL technology, and high-performance algorism with the advantage of 64-bit memory computing. It processes 2D, 3D dynamic target data efficiently and runs smoothly with vast dynamic target data. The prototype system of high-performance GIS dynamic objects rendering engine is developed based SuperMap GIS iObjects. The experiments are designed for large-scale spatial data visualization, the results showed that the high-performance GIS dynamic objects rendering engine have the advantage of high performance. Rendering two-dimensional and three-dimensional dynamic objects achieve 20 times faster on GPU than on CPU.

Regional scale flood modeling using NEXRAD rainfall, GIS, and HEC-HMS/RAS: a case study for the San Antonio River Basin Summer 2002 storm event.

PubMed

Knebl, M R; Yang, Z-L; Hutchison, K; Maidment, D R

2005-06-01

This paper develops a framework for regional scale flood modeling that integrates NEXRAD Level III rainfall, GIS, and a hydrological model (HEC-HMS/RAS). The San Antonio River Basin (about 4000 square miles, 10,000 km2) in Central Texas, USA, is the domain of the study because it is a region subject to frequent occurrences of severe flash flooding. A major flood in the summer of 2002 is chosen as a case to examine the modeling framework. The model consists of a rainfall-runoff model (HEC-HMS) that converts precipitation excess to overland flow and channel runoff, as well as a hydraulic model (HEC-RAS) that models unsteady state flow through the river channel network based on the HEC-HMS-derived hydrographs. HEC-HMS is run on a 4 x 4 km grid in the domain, a resolution consistent with the resolution of NEXRAD rainfall taken from the local river authority. Watershed parameters are calibrated manually to produce a good simulation of discharge at 12 subbasins. With the calibrated discharge, HEC-RAS is capable of producing floodplain polygons that are comparable to the satellite imagery. The modeling framework presented in this study incorporates a portion of the recently developed GIS tool named Map to Map that has been created on a local scale and extends it to a regional scale. The results of this research will benefit future modeling efforts by providing a tool for hydrological forecasts of flooding on a regional scale. While designed for the San Antonio River Basin, this regional scale model may be used as a prototype for model applications in other areas of the country.

Development of Web GIS for complex processing and visualization of climate geospatial datasets as an integral part of dedicated Virtual Research Environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gordov, Evgeny; Okladnikov, Igor; Titov, Alexander

2017-04-01

For comprehensive usage of large geospatial meteorological and climate datasets it is necessary to create a distributed software infrastructure based on the spatial data infrastructure (SDI) approach. Currently, it is generally accepted that the development of client applications as integrated elements of such infrastructure should be based on the usage of modern web and GIS technologies. The paper describes the Web GIS for complex processing and visualization of geospatial (mainly in NetCDF and PostGIS formats) datasets as an integral part of the dedicated Virtual Research Environment for comprehensive study of ongoing and possible future climate change, and analysis of their implications, providing full information and computing support for the study of economic, political and social consequences of global climate change at the global and regional levels. The Web GIS consists of two basic software parts: 1. Server-side part representing PHP applications of the SDI geoportal and realizing the functionality of interaction with computational core backend, WMS/WFS/WPS cartographical services, as well as implementing an open API for browser-based client software. Being the secondary one, this part provides a limited set of procedures accessible via standard HTTP interface. 2. Front-end part representing Web GIS client developed according to a "single page application" technology based on JavaScript libraries OpenLayers (http://openlayers.org/), ExtJS (https://www.sencha.com/products/extjs), GeoExt (http://geoext.org/). It implements application business logic and provides intuitive user interface similar to the interface of such popular desktop GIS applications, as uDIG, QuantumGIS etc. Boundless/OpenGeo architecture was used as a basis for Web-GIS client development. According to general INSPIRE requirements to data visualization Web GIS provides such standard functionality as data overview, image navigation, scrolling, scaling and graphical overlay, displaying map legends and corresponding metadata information. The specialized Web GIS client contains three basic tires: • Tier of NetCDF metadata in JSON format • Middleware tier of JavaScript objects implementing methods to work with: o NetCDF metadata o XML file of selected calculations configuration (XML task) o WMS/WFS/WPS cartographical services • Graphical user interface tier representing JavaScript objects realizing general application business logic Web-GIS developed provides computational processing services launching to support solving tasks in the area of environmental monitoring, as well as presenting calculation results in the form of WMS/WFS cartographical layers in raster (PNG, JPG, GeoTIFF), vector (KML, GML, Shape), and binary (NetCDF) formats. It has shown its effectiveness in the process of solving real climate change research problems and disseminating investigation results in cartographical formats. The work is supported by the Russian Science Foundation grant No 16-19-10257.

Geographic epidemiology of gonorrhoea and chlamydia on a large military installation: application of a GIS system

PubMed Central

Zenilman, J; Glass, G; Shields, T; Jenkins, P; Gaydos, J; McKee, K

2002-01-01

Objectives: The geographic epidemiology of infectious diseases can help in identifying point source outbreaks, elucidating dispersion patterns, and giving direction to control strategies. We sought to establish a geographic information system (GIS) infectious disease surveillance system at a large US military post (Fort Bragg, North Carolina) using STDs as the initial outcome for the model. Methods: Addresses of incident cases were plotted onto digitised base maps of Fort Bragg (for on-post addresses) and surrounding Cumberland County, NC (for off-post addresses) using MAPINFO Version 5. We defined 26 geographic sectors on the installation. Active duty soldiers attending the post preventive medicine clinic were enrolled between July 1998 and June 1999. Results: Gonorrhoea (GC) was diagnosed in 210/2854 (7.4%) and chlamydia (CT) in 445/2860 (15.6%). African-American male soldiers were at higher risk for GC (OR = 4.6 (95% CL 3.0 to 7.2)) and chlamydia (OR = 2.0 (1.4 to 2.7)). For women, there were no ethnic differences in gonorrhoea prevalence, but chlamydia was higher in African-Americans (OR = 2.0 (1.4–2.7)). Rank and housing type were associated with gonorrhoea and chlamydia in men, but were not significant factors in women. For gonorrhoea, two geographic sectors had prevalences between 14.0%–16.5%, three between 10.3%–13.9%, three between 7.1%–10.2%, and five between 3.0%–7.1%.. The geographic distribution demonstrated a core-like pattern where the highest sectors were contiguous and were sectors containing barracks housing lower enlisted grade personnel. In contrast, chlamydia prevalence was narrowly distributed. Conclusion: GIS based disease surveillance was easily and rapidly implemented in this setting and should be useful in developing preventive interventions. PMID:11872858

Assessing the influence of field- and GIS-based inquiry on student attitude and conceptual knowledge in an undergraduate ecology lab.

PubMed

Simmons, M E; Wu, X B; Knight, S L; Lopez, R R

2008-01-01

Combining field experience with use of information technology has the potential to create a problem-based learning environment that engages learners in authentic scientific inquiry. This study, conducted over a 2-yr period, determined differences in attitudes and conceptual knowledge between students in a field lab and students with combined field and geographic information systems (GIS) experience. All students used radio-telemetry equipment to locate fox squirrels, while one group of students was provided an additional data set in a GIS to visualize and quantify squirrel locations. Pre/postsurveys and tests revealed that attitudes improved in year 1 for both groups of students, but differences were minimal between groups. Attitudes generally declined in year 2 due to a change in the authenticity of the field experience; however, attitudes for students that used GIS declined less than those with field experience only. Conceptual knowledge also increased for both groups in both years. The field-based nature of this lab likely had a greater influence on student attitude and conceptual knowledge than did the use of GIS. Although significant differences were limited, GIS did not negatively impact student attitude or conceptual knowledge but potentially provided other benefits to learners.

Small Core, Big Network: A Comprehensive Approach to GIS Teaching Practice Based on Digital Three-Dimensional Campus Reconstruction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cheng, Liang; Zhang, Wen; Wang, Jiechen; Li, Manchun; Zhong, Lishan

2014-01-01

Geographic information science (GIS) features a wide range of disciplines and has broad applicability. Challenges associated with rapidly developing GIS technology and the currently limited teaching and practice materials hinder universities from cultivating highly skilled GIS graduates. Based on the idea of "small core, big network," a…

GIS Mapping and Monitoring of Health Problems Among the Elderly.

PubMed

Dermatis, Zacharias; Tsaloukidis, Nikolaos; Zacharopoulou, Georgia; Lazakidou, Athina

2017-01-01

The electronic survey in conjunction with GIS in the current study aims at presenting the needs and health problems of the elderly in individual Open Elderly Care Centres in Greece. The online GIS survey enables the continuous monitoring and developing of the health problems of the elderly and helps them in their early care by the healthcare units. GIS survey123 is a customizable tool, which can be used to conduct research that is then published on an Android, iOS, and web platform. The ArcGIS software was used for the geographic mapping of data collected from a wide range of sources, so that health care professionals can investigate the factors associated with the onset of the diseases. Also, direct geographic mapping aims at identifying health problems of the elderly in Greece and transferring information to health care professionals in order to impose proper control measures in a very small period of time.

Arc4nix: A cross-platform geospatial analytical library for cluster and cloud computing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tang, Jingyin; Matyas, Corene J.

2018-02-01

Big Data in geospatial technology is a grand challenge for processing capacity. The ability to use a GIS for geospatial analysis on Cloud Computing and High Performance Computing (HPC) clusters has emerged as a new approach to provide feasible solutions. However, users lack the ability to migrate existing research tools to a Cloud Computing or HPC-based environment because of the incompatibility of the market-dominating ArcGIS software stack and Linux operating system. This manuscript details a cross-platform geospatial library "arc4nix" to bridge this gap. Arc4nix provides an application programming interface compatible with ArcGIS and its Python library "arcpy". Arc4nix uses a decoupled client-server architecture that permits geospatial analytical functions to run on the remote server and other functions to run on the native Python environment. It uses functional programming and meta-programming language to dynamically construct Python codes containing actual geospatial calculations, send them to a server and retrieve results. Arc4nix allows users to employ their arcpy-based script in a Cloud Computing and HPC environment with minimal or no modification. It also supports parallelizing tasks using multiple CPU cores and nodes for large-scale analyses. A case study of geospatial processing of a numerical weather model's output shows that arcpy scales linearly in a distributed environment. Arc4nix is open-source software.

Correlation Assessment of Climate and Geographic Distribution of Tuberculosis Using Geographical Information System (GIS).

PubMed

Beiranvand, Reza; Karimi, Asrin; Delpisheh, Ali; Sayehmiri, Kourosh; Soleimani, Samira; Ghalavandi, Shahnaz

2016-01-01

Tuberculosis (TB) spread pattern is influenced by geographic and social factors. Nowadays Geographic Information System (GIS) is one of the most important epidemiological instrumentation identifying high-risk population groups and geographic areas of TB. The aim of this study was to determine the correlation between climate and geographic distribution of TB in Khuzestan Province using GIS during 2005-2012. Through an ecological study, all 6363 patients with definite diagnosis of TB from 2005 until the end of September 2012 in Khuzestan Province, southern Iran were diagnosed. Data were recorded using TB- Register software. Tuberculosis incidence based on the climate and the average of annual rain was evaluated using GIS. Data were analyzed through SPSS software. Independent t-test, ANOVA, Linear regression, Pearson and Eta correlation coefficient with a significance level of less than 5% were used for the statistical analysis. The TB incidence was different in various geographic conditions. The highest mean of TB cumulative incidence rate was observed in extra dry areas (P= 0.017). There was a significant inverse correlation between annual rain rate and TB incidence rate (R= -0.45, P= 0.001). The lowest TB incidence rate (0-100 cases per 100,000) was in areas with the average of annual rain more than 1000 mm (P= 0.003). The risk of TB has a strong relationship with climate and the average of annual rain, so that the risk of TB in areas with low annual rainfall and extra dry climate is more than other regions. Services and special cares to high-risk regions of TB are recommended.

3D GIS spatial operation based on extended Euler operators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Hongbo; Lu, Guonian; Sheng, Yehua; Zhou, Liangchen; Guo, Fei; Shang, Zuoyan; Wang, Jing

2008-10-01

The implementation of 3 dimensions spatial operations, based on certain data structure, has a lack of universality and is not able to treat with non-manifold cases, at present. ISO/DIS 19107 standard just presents the definition of Boolean operators and set operators for topological relationship query, and OGC GeoXACML gives formal definitions for several set functions without implementation detail. Aiming at these problems, based mathematical foundation on cell complex theory, supported by non-manifold data structure and using relevant research in the field of non-manifold geometry modeling for reference, firstly, this paper according to non-manifold Euler-Poincaré formula constructs 6 extended Euler operators and inverse operators to carry out creating, updating and deleting 3D spatial elements, as well as several pairs of supplementary Euler operators to convenient for implementing advanced functions. Secondly, we change topological element operation sequence of Boolean operation and set operation as well as set functions defined in GeoXACML into combination of extended Euler operators, which separates the upper functions and lower data structure. Lastly, we develop underground 3D GIS prototype system, in which practicability and credibility of extended Euler operators faced to 3D GIS presented by this paper are validated.

From Excavations to Web: a GIS for Archaeology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

D'Urso, M. G.; Corsi, E.; Nemeti, S.; Germani, M.

2017-05-01

The study and the protection of Cultural Heritage in recent years have undergone a revolution about the search tools and the reference disciplines. The technological approach to the problem of the collection, organization and publication of archaeological data using GIS software has completely changed the essence of the traditional methods of investigation, paving the way to the development of several application areas, up to the Cultural Resource Management. A relatively recent specific sector of development for archaeological GIS development sector is dedicated to the intra - site analyses aimed to recording, processing and display information obtained during the excavations. The case - study of the archaeological site located in the south - east of San Pietro Vetere plateau in Aquino, in the Southern Lazio, is concerned with the illustration of a procedure describing the complete digital workflow relative to an intra-site analysis of an archaeological dig. The GIS project implementation and its publication on the web, thanks to several softwares, particularly the FOSS (Free Open Source Software) Quantum - GIS, are an opportunity to reflect on the strengths and the critical nature of this particular application of the GIS technology. For future developments in research it is of fundamental importance the identification of a digital protocol for processing of excavations (from the acquisition, cataloguing, up data insertion), also on account of a possible future Open Project on medieval Aquino.

Research on image evidence in land supervision and GIS management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Qiu; Wu, Lixin

2006-10-01

Land resource development and utilization brings many problems. The numbers, the scale and volume of illegal land use cases are on the increasing. Since the territory is vast, and the land violations are concealment, it is difficulty for an effective land supervision and management. In this paper, the concepts of evidence, and preservation of evidence were described first. The concepts of image evidence (IE), natural evidence (NE), natural preservation of evidence (NPE), general preservation of evidence (GPE) were proposed based on the characteristics of remote sensing image (RSI) which has a characteristic of objectiveness, truthfulness, high spatial resolution, more information included. Using MapObjects and Visual Basic 6.0, under the Access management to implement the conjunction of spatial vector database and attribute data table; taking RSI as the data sources and background layer; combining the powerful management of geographic information system (GIS) for spatial data, and visual analysis, a land supervision and GIS management system was design and implemented based on NPE. The practical use in Beijing shows that the system is running well, and solved some problems in land supervision and management.

Simulating Spatial Growth Patterns in Developing Countries: A Case of Shama in the Western Region of Ghana.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Inkoom, J. N.; Nyarko, B. K.

2014-12-01

The integration of geographic information systems (GIS) and agent-based modelling (ABM) can be an efficient tool to improve spatial planning practices. This paper utilizes GIS and ABM approaches to simulate spatial growth patterns of settlement structures in Shama. A preliminary household survey on residential location decision-making choice served as the behavioural rule for household agents in the model. Physical environment properties of the model were extracted from a 2005 image implemented in NetLogo. The resulting growth pattern model was compared with empirical growth patterns to ascertain the model's accuracy. The paper establishes that the development of unplanned structures and its evolving structural pattern are a function of land price, proximity to economic centres, household economic status and location decision-making patterns. The application of the proposed model underlines its potential for integration into urban planning policies and practices, and for understanding residential decision-making processes in emerging cities in developing countries. Key Words: GIS; Agent-based modelling; Growth patterns; NetLogo; Location decision making; Computational Intelligence.

Use of GIS to identify optimal settings for cancer prevention and control in African American communities

PubMed Central

Alcaraz, Kassandra I.; Kreuter, Matthew W.; Bryan, Rebecca P.

2009-01-01

Objective Rarely have Geographic Information Systems (GIS) been used to inform community-based outreach and intervention planning. This study sought to identify community settings most likely to reach individuals from geographically localized areas. Method An observational study conducted in an urban city in Missouri during 2003–2007 placed computerized breast cancer education kiosks in seven types of community settings: beauty salons, churches, health fairs, neighborhood health centers, Laundromats, public libraries and social service agencies. We used GIS to measure distance between kiosk users’ (n=7,297) home ZIP codes and the location where they used the kiosk. Mean distances were compared across settings. Results Mean distance between individuals’ home ZIP codes and the location where they used the kiosk varied significantly (p<0.001) across settings. The distance was shortest among kiosk users in Laundromats (2.3 miles) and public libraries (2.8 miles) and greatest among kiosk users at health fairs (7.6 miles). Conclusion Some community settings are more likely than others to reach highly localized populations. A better understanding of how and where to reach specific populations can complement the progress already being made in identifying populations at increased disease risk. PMID:19422844

Subsurface geological modeling using GIS and remote sensing data: a case study from Platanos landslide, Western Greece

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kavoura, K.; Kordouli, M.; Nikolakopoulos, K.; Elias, P.; Sykioti, O.; Tsagaris, V.; Drakatos, G.; Rondoyanni, Th.; Tsiambaos, G.; Sabatakakis, N.; Anastasopoulos, V.

2014-08-01

Landslide phenomena constitute a major geological hazard in Greece and especially in the western part of the country as a result of anthropogenic activities, growing urbanization and uncontrolled land - use. More frequent triggering events and increased susceptibility of the ground surface to instabilities as consequence of climate change impacts (continued deforestation mainly due to the devastating forest wildfires and extreme meteorological events) have also increased the landslide risk. The studied landslide occurrence named "Platanos" has been selected within the framework of "Landslide Vulnerability Model - LAVMO" project that aims at creating a persistently updated electronic platform assessing risks related with landslides. It is a coastal area situated between Korinthos and Patras at the northwestern part of the elongated graben of the Corinth Gulf. The paper presents the combined use of geological-geotechnical insitu data, remote sensing data and GIS techniques for the evaluation of a subsurface geological model. High accuracy Digital Surface Model (DSM), airphotos mosaic and satellite data, with a spatial resolution of 0.5m were used for an othophoto base map compilation of the study area. Geological - geotechnical data obtained from exploratory boreholes were digitized and implemented in a GIS platform with engineering geological maps for a three - dimensional subsurface model evaluation. This model is provided for being combined with inclinometer measurements for sliding surface location through the instability zone.

Open source GIS for HIV/AIDS management

PubMed Central

Vanmeulebrouk, Bas; Rivett, Ulrike; Ricketts, Adam; Loudon, Melissa

2008-01-01

Background Reliable access to basic services can improve a community's resilience to HIV/AIDS. Accordingly, work is being done to upgrade the physical infrastructure in affected areas, often employing a strategy of decentralised service provision. Spatial characteristics are one of the major determinants in implementing services, even in the smaller municipal areas, and good quality spatial information is needed to inform decision making processes. However, limited funds, technical infrastructure and human resource capacity result in little or no access to spatial information for crucial infrastructure development decisions at local level. This research investigated whether it would be possible to develop a GIS for basic infrastructure planning and management at local level. Given the resource constraints of the local government context, particularly in small municipalities, it was decided that open source software should be used for the prototype system. Results The design and development of a prototype system illustrated that it is possible to develop an open source GIS system that can be used within the context of local information management. Usability tests show a high degree of usability for the system, which is important considering the heavy workload and high staff turnover that characterises local government in South Africa. Local infrastructure management stakeholders interviewed in a case study of a South African municipality see the potential for the use of GIS as a communication tool and are generally positive about the use of GIS for these purposes. They note security issues that may arise through the sharing of information, lack of skills and resource constraints as the major barriers to adoption. Conclusion The case study shows that spatial information is an identified need at local level. Open source GIS software can be used to develop a system to provide local-level stakeholders with spatial information. However, the suitability of the technology is only a part of the system – there are wider information and management issues which need to be addressed before the implementation of a local-level GIS for infrastructure management can be successful. PMID:18945338

In Vitro Dissolution of Fluconazole and Dipyridamole in Gastrointestinal Simulator (GIS), Predicting in Vivo Dissolution and Drug-Drug Interaction Caused by Acid-Reducing Agents.

PubMed

Matsui, Kazuki; Tsume, Yasuhiro; Amidon, Gregory E; Amidon, Gordon L

2015-07-06

Weakly basic drugs typically exhibit pH-dependent solubility in the physiological pH range, displaying supersaturation or precipitation along the gastrointestinal tract. Additionally, their oral bioavailabilities may be affected by coadministration of acid-reducing agents that elevate gastric pH. The purpose of this study was to assess the feasibility of a multicompartmental in vitro dissolution apparatus, Gastrointestinal Simulator (GIS), in predicting in vivo dissolution of certain oral medications. In vitro dissolution studies of fluconazole, a BCS class I, and dipyridamole, a BCS class II weak bases (class IIb), were performed in the GIS as well as United States Pharmacopeia (USP) apparatus II and compared with the results of clinical drug-drug interaction (DDI) studies. In both USP apparatus II and GIS, fluconazole completely dissolved within 60 min regardless of pH, reflecting no DDI between fluconazole and acid-reducing agents in a clinical study. On the other hand, seven-fold and 15-fold higher concentrations of dipyridamole than saturation solubility were observed in the intestinal compartments in GIS with gastric pH 2.0. Precipitation of dipyridamole was also observed in the GIS, and the percentage of dipyridamole in solution was 45.2 ± 7.0%. In GIS with gastric pH 6.0, mimicking the coadministration of acid-reducing agents, the concentration of dipyridamole was equal to its saturation solubility, and the percentage of drug in solution was 9.3 ± 2.7%. These results are consistent with the clinical DDI study of dipyridamole with famotidine, which significantly reduced the Cmax and area under the curve. An In situ mouse infusion study combined with GIS revealed that high concentration of dipyridamole in the GIS enhanced oral drug absorption, which confirmed the supersaturation of dipyridamole. In conclusion, GIS was shown to be a useful apparatus to predict in vivo dissolution for BCS class IIb drugs.

Creating a spatial multi-criteria decision support system for energy related integrated environmental impact assessment

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wanderer, Thomas, E-mail: thomas.wanderer@dlr.de; Herle, Stefan, E-mail: stefan.herle@rwth-aachen.de

2015-04-15

By their spatially very distributed nature, profitability and impacts of renewable energy resources are highly correlated with the geographic locations of power plant deployments. A web-based Spatial Decision Support System (SDSS) based on a Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) approach has been implemented for identifying preferable locations for solar power plants based on user preferences. The designated areas found serve for the input scenario development for a subsequent integrated Environmental Impact Assessment. The capabilities of the SDSS service get showcased for Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) plants in the region of Andalusia, Spain. The resulting spatial patterns of possible power plant sitesmore » are an important input to the procedural chain of assessing impacts of renewable energies in an integrated effort. The applied methodology and the implemented SDSS are applicable for other renewable technologies as well. - Highlights: • The proposed tool facilitates well-founded CSP plant siting decisions. • Spatial MCDA methods are implemented in a WebGIS environment. • GIS-based SDSS can contribute to a modern integrated impact assessment workflow. • The conducted case study proves the suitability of the methodology.« less

[Hierarchical regionalization for spatial epidemiology: a case study of thyroid cancer incidence in Yiwu, Zhejiang].

PubMed

Teng, Shizhu; Jia, Qiaojuan; Huang, Yijian; Chen, Liangcao; Fei, Xufeng; Wu, Jiaping

2015-10-01

Sporadic cases occurring in mall geographic unit could lead to extreme value of incidence due to the small population bases, which would influence the analysis of actual incidence. This study introduced a method of hierarchy clustering and partitioning regionalization, which integrates areas with small population into larger areas with enough population by using Geographic Information System (GIS) based on the principles of spatial continuity and geographical similarity (homogeneity test). This method was applied in spatial epidemiology by using a data set of thyroid cancer incidence in Yiwu, Zhejiang province, between 2010 and 2013. Thyroid cancer incidence data were more reliable and stable in the new regionalized areas. Hotspot analysis (Getis-Ord) on the incidence in new areas indicated that there was obvious case clustering in the central area of Yiwu. This method can effectively solve the problem of small population base in small geographic units in spatial epidemiological analysis of thyroid cancer incidence and can be used for other diseases and in other areas.

Remote sensing and GIS for land use/cover mapping and integrated land management: case from the middle Ganga plain

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Singh, R. B.; Kumar, Dilip

2012-06-01

In India, land resources have reached a critical stage due to the rapidly growing population. This challenge requires an integrated approach toward harnessing land resources, while taking into account the vulnerable environmental conditions. Remote sensing and Geographical Information System (GIS) based technologies may be applied to an area in order to generate a sustainable development plan that is optimally suited to the terrain and to the productive potential of the local resources. The present study area is a part of the middle Ganga plain, known as Son-Karamnasa interfluve, in India. Alternative land use systems and the integration of livestock enterprises with the agricultural system have been suggested for land resources management. The objective of this paper is to prepare a land resource development plan in order to increase the productivity of land for sustainable development. The present study will contribute necessary input for policy makers to improve the socio-economic and environmental conditions of the region.

Using DRASTIC'' to improve the accuracy of a geographical information system used for solid waste disposal facility siting: A case study

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Padgett, D.A.

Beginning in 1989, the citizens and commissioners of Alachua County, Florida began to develop a siting plan for a new solid waste disposal facility (SWDF). Through a cooperative effort with a private consulting firm, several evaluative criteria were selected and then translated into parameters for a geographical information system (GIS). Despite efforts to avoid vulnerable hydrogeology, the preferred site selected was in close proximity to the well field supplying Gainesville, Florida, home to approximately 75 percent of the county's population. The results brought forth a wave of protests from local residents claiming that leachate from the proposed SWDF would contaminatemore » their drinking water. In this study, DRASTIC'' was applied in order to improve the accuracy and defensibility of the aquifer protection-based GIS parameters. DRASTIC'', a method for evaluating ground water contamination potential, is an acronym which stands for Depth to Water, Net Recharge, Aquifer Media, Soil Media, Topography, Impact of Vadose Zone Media, and Conductivity (Hydraulic)''.« less

Remote sensing and GIS-based prediction and assessment of copper-gold resources in Thailand

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Shasha; Wang, Gongwen; Du, Wenhui; Huang, Luxiong

2014-03-01

Quantitative integration of geological information is a frontier and hotspot of prospecting decision research in the world. The forming process of large scale Cu-Au deposits is influenced by complicated geological events and restricted by various geological factors (stratum, structure and alteration). In this paper, using Thailand's copper-gold deposit district as a case study, geological anomaly theory is used along with the typical copper and gold metallogenic model, ETM+ remote sensing images, geological maps and mineral geology database in study area are combined with GIS technique. These techniques create ore-forming information such as geological information (strata, line-ring faults, intrusion), remote sensing information (hydroxyl alteration, iron alteration, linear-ring structure) and the Cu-Au prospect targets. These targets were identified using weights of evidence model. The research results show that the remote sensing and geological data can be combined to quickly predict and assess for exploration of mineral resources in a regional metallogenic belt.

GIS based spatial pattern analysis: Children with Hepatitis A in Turkey.

PubMed

Dogru, Ahmet Ozgur; David, Ruusa Magano; Ulugtekin, Necla; Goksel, Cigdem; Seker, Dursun Zafer; Sözen, Seval

2017-07-01

This study aimed to provide an insight into the geographic distribution of Hepatitis A incidence considering their temporal distribution, spatial patterns, hot spots and clusters identification in three different age-group (0-4, 5-9 and 10-14) in Turkey. Province based tabular data, including monthly numbers of Hepatitis A cases in children, and the populations from 2001 to 2011 were used as the basic input of the study. Time series maps were created using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to introduce the temporal changes in the morbidity rates of Hepatitis A. The spatial variation of Hepatitis A was measured using Moran's I at the global level and the local indicators of spatial associations (LISAs) Moran's I and Getis-Ord G i *(d) in order to identify influential locations through clusters and hot spots detection of Hepatitis A cases. The morbidity rates in children under the age of 5 were found significantly lower than the other age-groups, whereas the age-group 5-9 revealed the highest morbidity rates in the study area. The morbidity of Hepatitis A was detected very high for the years 2001, and 2005-2007. The identification of the highly vulnerable provinces was conducted using local Moran's I and local Getis-Ord G i *(d). The majority of clusters and hot spots were detected to be agglomerated in the Eastern Mediterranean and South-Eastern Anatolian Regions and Ceyhan, Asi and Southeast part of Firat-Dicle river basins in Turkey. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Structure and data consistency of a GIS database for geological risk analysis in S. Miguel Island (Azores)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Queiroz, G.; Goulart, C.; Gaspar, J. L.; Gomes, A.; Resendes, J. P.; Marques, R.; Gonçalves, P.; Silveira, D.; Valadão, P.

2003-04-01

The Geographic Information Systems (GIS) are becoming a major tool in the domain of geological hazard assessment and risk mitigation. When available, hazard and vulnerability data can easily be represented in a GIS and a great diversity of risk maps can be produced following the implementation of specific predicting models. A major difficulty for those that deal with GIS is to obtain high quality, well geo-referenced and validated data. This situation is particularly evident in the scope of risk analysis due to the diversity of data that need to be considered. In order to develop a coherent database for the geological risk analysis of the Azores archipelago it was decided to use the digital maps edited in 2001 by the Instituto Geográfico do Exército de Portugal (scale 1:25000), comprising altimetry, urban areas, roads and streams network. For the particular case of S. Miguel Island the information contained in these layers was revised and rectifications were made whenever needed. Moreover basic additional layers were added to the system, including counties and parishes administrative limits, agriculture and forested areas. For detailed studies all the edifices (e.g. houses, public buildings, monuments) are being individualized and characterized taking in account several parameters that can become crucial to assess their direct vulnerability to geological hazards (e.g. type of construction, number of floors, roof stability). Geological data obtained (1) through the interpretation of historical documents, (2) during recent fieldwork campaigns (e.g. mapping of volcanic centres and associated deposits, faults, dikes, soil degassing anomalies, landslides) and (3) by the existent monitoring networks (e.g. seismic, geodetic, fluid geochemistry) are also being digitised. The acquisition, storage and maintenance of all this information following the same criteria of quality are critical to guarantee the accuracy and consistency of the GIS database through time. In this work we notice the GIS-based methodologies aimed to assure the development of a GIS database directed to the geological risk analysis in S. Miguel Island. In a long-term programme the same strategy is being extended to the other Azorean islands.

Evaluating agricultural nonpoint-source pollution using integrated geographic information systems and hydrologic/water quality model

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tim, U.S.; Jolly, R.

1994-01-01

Considerable progress has been made in developing physically based, distributed parameter, hydrologic/water quality (HIWQ) models for planning and control of nonpoint-source pollution. The widespread use of these models is often constrained by the excessive and time-consuming input data demands and the lack of computing efficiencies necessary for iterative simulation of alternative management strategies. Recent developments in geographic information systems (GIS) provide techniques for handling large amounts of spatial data for modeling nonpoint-source pollution problems. Because a GIS can be used to combine information from several sources to form an array of model input data and to examine any combinations ofmore » spatial input/output data, it represents a highly effective tool for HiWQ modeling. This paper describes the integration of a distributed-parameter model (AGNPS) with a GIS (ARC/INFO) to examine nonpoint sources of pollution in an agricultural watershed. The ARC/INFO GIS provided the tools to generate and spatially organize the disparate data to support modeling, while the AGNPS model was used to predict several water quality variables including soil erosion and sedimentation within a watershed. The integrated system was used to evaluate the effectiveness of several alternative management strategies in reducing sediment pollution in a 417-ha watershed located in southern Iowa. The implementation of vegetative filter strips and contour buffer (grass) strips resulted in a 41 and 47% reduction in sediment yield at the watershed outlet, respectively. In addition, when the integrated system was used, the combination of the above management strategies resulted in a 71% reduction in sediment yield. In general, the study demonstrated the utility of integrating a simulation model with GIS for nonpoini-source pollution control and planning. Such techniques can help characterize the diffuse sources of pollution at the landscape level. 52 refs., 6 figs., 1 tab.« less

A GIS-based method for household recruitment in a prospective pesticide exposure study.

PubMed

Allpress, Justine L E; Curry, Ross J; Hanchette, Carol L; Phillips, Michael J; Wilcosky, Timothy C

2008-04-30

Recent advances in GIS technology and remote sensing have provided new opportunities to collect ecologic data on agricultural pesticide exposure. Many pesticide studies have used historical or records-based data on crops and their associated pesticide applications to estimate exposure by measuring residential proximity to agricultural fields. Very few of these studies collected environmental and biological samples from study participants. One of the reasons for this is the cost of identifying participants who reside near study fields and analyzing samples obtained from them. In this paper, we present a cost-effective, GIS-based method for crop field selection and household recruitment in a prospective pesticide exposure study in a remote location. For the most part, our multi-phased approach was carried out in a research facility, but involved two brief episodes of fieldwork for ground truthing purposes. This method was developed for a larger study designed to examine the validity of indirect pesticide exposure estimates by comparing measured exposures in household dust, water and urine with records-based estimates that use crop location, residential proximity and pesticide application data. The study focused on the pesticide atrazine, a broadleaf herbicide used in corn production and one of the most widely-used pesticides in the U.S. We successfully used a combination of remotely-sensed data, GIS-based methods and fieldwork to select study fields and recruit participants in Illinois, a state with high corn production and heavy atrazine use. Our several-step process consisted of the identification of potential study fields and residential areas using aerial photography; verification of crop patterns and land use via site visits; development of a GIS-based algorithm to define recruitment areas around crop fields; acquisition of geocoded household-level data within each recruitment area from a commercial vendor; and confirmation of final participant household locations via ground truthing. The use of these procedures resulted in a sufficient sample of participants from 14 recruitment areas in seven Illinois counties. One of the challenges in pesticide research is the identification and recruitment of study participants, which is time consuming and costly, especially when the study site is in a remote location. We have demonstrated how GIS-based processes can be used to recruit participants, increase efficiency and enhance accuracy. The method that we used ultimately made it possible to collect biological samples from a specific demographic group within strictly defined exposure areas, with little advance knowledge of the location or population.

Comparison of a new GIS-based technique and a manual method for determining sinkhole density: An example from Illinois' sinkhole plain

USGS Publications Warehouse

Angel, J.C.; Nelson, D.O.; Panno, S.V.

2004-01-01

A new Geographic Information System (GIS) method was developed as an alternative to the hand-counting of sinkholes on topographic maps for density and distribution studies. Sinkhole counts were prepared by hand and compared to those generated from USGS DLG data using ArcView 3.2 and the ArcInfo Workstation component of ArcGIS 8.1 software. The study area for this investigation, chosen for its great density of sinkholes, included the 42 public land survey sections that reside entirely within the Renault Quadrangle in southwestern Illinois. Differences between the sinkhole counts derived from the two methods for the Renault Quadrangle study area were negligible. Although the initial development and refinement of the GIS method required considerably more time than counting sinkholes by hand, the flexibility of the GIS method is expected to provide significant long-term benefits and time savings when mapping larger areas and expanding research efforts. ?? 2004 by The National Speleological Society.

A GIS-based protocol for the simulation and evaluation of realistic 3-D thinning scenarios in recreational forest management.

PubMed

Lin, Chinsu; Thomson, Gavin; Hung, Shih-Hsiang; Lin, Yu-Dung

2012-12-30

This study introduces a GIS-based protocol for the simulation and evaluation of thinning treatments in recreational forest management. The protocol was implemented in a research study based on an area of recreational forest in Alishan National Scenic Area, Taiwan. Ground survey data were mapped to a GIS database, to create a precise, yet flexible, GIS-based digital forest. The digital forest model was used to generate 18 different thinning scenario images and one image of the existing unthinned forest. A questionnaire was completed by 456 participants while simultaneously viewing the scenario images. The questionnaire was used to determine the scenic beauty preferences of the respondents. Statistical analysis of the data revealed that the respondents preferred low density, upper-storey thinning treatments and a dispersed retention pattern of the remaining trees. High density upper-storey treatments evoked a strongly negative reaction in the observers. The experiment demonstrated that the proposed protocol is suitable for selecting an appropriate thinning strategy for recreational forest and that the protocol has practical value in recreational forest management. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

18O-labeled proteome reference as global internal standards for targeted quantification by selected reaction monitoring-mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Kim, Jong-Seo; Fillmore, Thomas L; Liu, Tao; Robinson, Errol; Hossain, Mahmud; Champion, Boyd L; Moore, Ronald J; Camp, David G; Smith, Richard D; Qian, Wei-Jun

2011-12-01

Selected reaction monitoring (SRM)-MS is an emerging technology for high throughput targeted protein quantification and verification in biomarker discovery studies; however, the cost associated with the application of stable isotope-labeled synthetic peptides as internal standards can be prohibitive for screening a large number of candidate proteins as often required in the preverification phase of discovery studies. Herein we present a proof of concept study using an (18)O-labeled proteome reference as global internal standards (GIS) for SRM-based relative quantification. The (18)O-labeled proteome reference (or GIS) can be readily prepared and contains a heavy isotope ((18)O)-labeled internal standard for every possible tryptic peptide. Our results showed that the percentage of heavy isotope ((18)O) incorporation applying an improved protocol was >99.5% for most peptides investigated. The accuracy, reproducibility, and linear dynamic range of quantification were further assessed based on known ratios of standard proteins spiked into the labeled mouse plasma reference. Reliable quantification was observed with high reproducibility (i.e. coefficient of variance <10%) for analyte concentrations that were set at 100-fold higher or lower than those of the GIS based on the light ((16)O)/heavy ((18)O) peak area ratios. The utility of (18)O-labeled GIS was further illustrated by accurate relative quantification of 45 major human plasma proteins. Moreover, quantification of the concentrations of C-reactive protein and prostate-specific antigen was illustrated by coupling the GIS with standard additions of purified protein standards. Collectively, our results demonstrated that the use of (18)O-labeled proteome reference as GIS provides a convenient, low cost, and effective strategy for relative quantification of a large number of candidate proteins in biological or clinical samples using SRM.

Collaborative GIS for flood susceptibility mapping: An example from Mekong river basin of Viet Nam

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thanh, B.

2016-12-01

Flooding is one of the most dangerous natural disasters in Vietnam. Floods have caused serious damages to people and made adverse impact on social economic development across the country, especially in lower river basin where there is high risk of flooding as consequences of the climate change and social activities. This paper presents a collaborative platform of a combination of an interactive web-GIS framework and a multi-criteria evaluation (MCE) tool. MCE is carried out in server side through web interface, in which parameters used for evaluation are groups into three major categories, including (1) climatic factor: precipitation, typhoon frequency, temperature, humidity (2) physiographic data: DEM, topographic wetness index, NDVI, stream power index, soil texture, distance to river (3) social factor: NDBI, land use pattern. Web-based GIS is based on open-source technology that includes an information page, a page for MCE tool that users can interactively alter parameters in flood susceptible mapping, and a discussion page. The system is designed for local participation in prediction of the flood risk magnitude under impacts of natural processes and human intervention. The proposed flood susceptibility assessment prototype was implemented in the Mekong river basin, Viet Nam. Index images were calculated using Landsat data, and other were collected from authorized agencies. This study shows the potential to combine web-GIS and spatial analysis tool to flood hazard risk assessment. The combination can be a supportive solution that potentially assists the interaction between stakeholders in information exchange and in disaster management, thus provides for better analysis, control and decision-making.

Developing a Web-Based Ppgis, as AN Environmental Reporting Service

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ranjbar Nooshery, N.; Taleai, M.; Kazemi, R.; Ebadi, K.

2017-09-01

Today municipalities are searching for new tools to empower locals for changing the future of their own areas by increasing their participation in different levels of urban planning. These tools should involve the community in planning process using participatory approaches instead of long traditional top-down planning models and help municipalities to obtain proper insight about major problems of urban neighborhoods from the residents' point of view. In this matter, public participation GIS (PPGIS) which enables citizens to record and following up their feeling and spatial knowledge regarding problems of the city in the form of maps have been introduced. In this research, a tool entitled CAER (Collecting & Analyzing of Environmental Reports) is developed. In the first step, a software framework based on Web-GIS tool, called EPGIS (Environmental Participatory GIS) has been designed to support public participation in reporting urban environmental problems and to facilitate data flow between citizens and municipality. A web-based cartography tool was employed for geo-visualization and dissemination of map-based reports. In the second step of CAER, a subsystem is developed based on SOLAP (Spatial On-Line Analytical Processing), as a data mining tools to elicit the local knowledge facilitating bottom-up urban planning practices and to help urban managers to find hidden relations among the recorded reports. This system is implemented in a case study area in Boston, Massachusetts and its usability was evaluated. The CAER should be considered as bottom-up planning tools to collect people's problems and views about their neighborhood and transmits them to the city officials. It also helps urban planners to find solutions for better management from citizen's viewpoint and gives them this chance to develop good plans to the neighborhoods that should be satisfied the citizens.

Holocene thinning of the Greenland ice sheet.

PubMed

Vinther, B M; Buchardt, S L; Clausen, H B; Dahl-Jensen, D; Johnsen, S J; Fisher, D A; Koerner, R M; Raynaud, D; Lipenkov, V; Andersen, K K; Blunier, T; Rasmussen, S O; Steffensen, J P; Svensson, A M

2009-09-17

On entering an era of global warming, the stability of the Greenland ice sheet (GIS) is an important concern, especially in the light of new evidence of rapidly changing flow and melt conditions at the GIS margins. Studying the response of the GIS to past climatic change may help to advance our understanding of GIS dynamics. The previous interpretation of evidence from stable isotopes (delta(18)O) in water from GIS ice cores was that Holocene climate variability on the GIS differed spatially and that a consistent Holocene climate optimum-the unusually warm period from about 9,000 to 6,000 years ago found in many northern-latitude palaeoclimate records-did not exist. Here we extract both the Greenland Holocene temperature history and the evolution of GIS surface elevation at four GIS locations. We achieve this by comparing delta(18)O from GIS ice cores with delta(18)O from ice cores from small marginal icecaps. Contrary to the earlier interpretation of delta(18)O evidence from ice cores, our new temperature history reveals a pronounced Holocene climatic optimum in Greenland coinciding with maximum thinning near the GIS margins. Our delta(18)O-based results are corroborated by the air content of ice cores, a proxy for surface elevation. State-of-the-art ice sheet models are generally found to be underestimating the extent and changes in GIS elevation and area; our findings may help to improve the ability of models to reproduce the GIS response to Holocene climate.

Modeling of natural risks in GIS, decision support in the Civil Protection and Emergency Planning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Santos, M.; Martins, L.; Moreira, S.; Costa, A.; Matos, F.; Teixeira, M.; Bateira, C.

2012-04-01

The assessment of natural hazards in Civil Protection is essential in the prevention and mitigation of emergency situations. This paper presents the results of the development of mapping susceptibility to landslides, floods, forest fires and soil erosion, using GIS (Geographic Information System) tools in two municipalities - Santo Tirso and Trofa - in the district of Oporto, in the northwest of Portugal. The mapping of natural hazards fits in the legislative plan of the Municipal Civil Protection (Law No. 65/2007 of 12 November) and it provides the key elements to planning and preparing an appropriate response in case some of the processes / phenomena occur, thus optimizing the procedures for protection and relief provided by the Municipal Civil Protection Service. Susceptibility mapping to landslides, floods, forest fires and soil erosion was performed with GIS tools resources. The methodology used to compile the mapping of landslides, forest fires and soil erosion was based on the modeling of different conditioning factors and validated with field work and event log. The mapping of susceptibility to floods and flooding was developed through mathematical parameters (statistical, hydrologic and hydraulic), supported by field work and the recognition of individual characteristics of each sector analysis and subsequently analyzed in a GIS environment The mapping proposal was made in 1:5000 scale which allows not only the identification of large sets affected by the spatial dynamics of the processes / phenomena, but also a more detailed analysis, especially when combined with geographic information systems (GIS) thus allowing to study more specific situations that require a quick response. The maps developed in this study are fundamental to the understanding, prediction and prevention of susceptibility and risks present in the municipalities, being a valuable tool in the process of Emergency Planning, since it identifies priority areas of intervention for farther detail analysis, promote and safeguard mechanisms to prevent injury and it anticipates the possibility of potential interventions that can minimize the risk.

GIS Based Distributed Runoff Predictions in Variable Source Area Watersheds Employing the SCS-Curve Number

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Steenhuis, T. S.; Mendoza, G.; Lyon, S. W.; Gerard Marchant, P.; Walter, M. T.; Schneiderman, E.

2003-04-01

Because the traditional Soil Conservation Service Curve Number (SCS-CN) approach continues to be ubiquitously used in GIS-BASED water quality models, new application methods are needed that are consistent with variable source area (VSA) hydrological processes in the landscape. We developed within an integrated GIS modeling environment a distributed approach for applying the traditional SCS-CN equation to watersheds where VSA hydrology is a dominant process. Spatial representation of hydrologic processes is important for watershed planning because restricting potentially polluting activities from runoff source areas is fundamental to controlling non-point source pollution. The methodology presented here uses the traditional SCS-CN method to predict runoff volume and spatial extent of saturated areas and uses a topographic index to distribute runoff source areas through watersheds. The resulting distributed CN-VSA method was incorporated in an existing GWLF water quality model and applied to sub-watersheds of the Delaware basin in the Catskill Mountains region of New York State. We found that the distributed CN-VSA approach provided a physically-based method that gives realistic results for watersheds with VSA hydrology.

Real-time ArcGIS and heterotrophic plate count based chloramine disinfectant control in water distribution system.

PubMed

Bai, Xiaohui; Zhi, Xinghua; Zhu, Huifeng; Meng, Mingqun; Zhang, Mingde

2015-01-01

This study investigates the effect of chloramine residual on bacteria growth and regrowth and the relationship between heterotrophic plate counts (HPCs) and the concentration of chloramine residual in the Shanghai drinking water distribution system (DWDS). In this study, models to control HPCs in the water distribution system and consumer taps are also developed. Real-time ArcGIS was applied to show the distribution and changed results of the chloramine residual concentration in the pipe system by using these models. Residual regression analysis was used to get a reasonable range of the threshold values that allows the chloramine residual to efficiently inhibit bacteria growth in the Shanghai DWDS; the threshold values should be between 0.45 and 0.5 mg/L in pipe water and 0.2 and 0.25 mg/L in tap water. The low residual chloramine value (0.05 mg/L) of the Chinese drinking water quality standard may pose a potential health risk for microorganisms that should be improved. Disinfection by-products (DBPs) were detected, but no health risk was identified.

GIS/RS-based Rapid Reassessment for Slope Land Capability Classification

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chang, T. Y.; Chompuchan, C.

2014-12-01

Farmland resources in Taiwan are limited because about 73% is mountainous and slope land. Moreover, the rapid urbanization and dense population resulted in the highly developed flat area. Therefore, the utilization of slope land for agriculture is more needed. In 1976, "Slope Land Conservation and Utilization Act" was promulgated to regulate the slope land utilization. Consequently, slope land capability was categorized into Class I-IV according to 4 criteria, i.e., average land slope, effective soil depth, degree of soil erosion, and parent rock. The slope land capability Class I-VI are suitable for cultivation and pasture. Whereas, Class V should be used for forestry purpose and Class VI should be the conservation land which requires intensive conservation practices. The field survey was conducted to categorize each land unit as the classification scheme. The landowners may not allow to overuse land capability limitation. In the last decade, typhoons and landslides frequently devastated in Taiwan. The rapid post-disaster reassessment of the slope land capability classification is necessary. However, the large-scale disaster on slope land is the constraint of field investigation. This study focused on using satellite remote sensing and GIS as the rapid re-evaluation method. Chenyulan watershed in Nantou County, Taiwan was selected to be a case study area. Grid-based slope derivation, topographic wetness index (TWI) and USLE soil loss calculation were used to classify slope land capability. The results showed that GIS-based classification give an overall accuracy of 68.32%. In addition, the post-disaster areas of Typhoon Morakot in 2009, which interpreted by SPOT satellite imageries, were suggested to classify as the conservation lands. These tools perform better in the large coverage post-disaster update for slope land capability classification and reduce time-consuming, manpower and material resources to the field investigation.

Evaluation of appropriate system for reclaimed wastewater reuse in each area of Tokyo using GIS-based water balance model.

PubMed

Aramaki, T; Sugimoto, R; Hanaki, K; Matsuo, T

2001-01-01

The appropriate type of reclaimed wastewater reuse system in each area of Tokyo was evaluated from the aspect of economic efficiency, using a GIS-based water balances model. The following four reclaimed wastewater reuse systems and conventional waterworks and sewerage system were evaluated; "Rain water storage and use system", "Onsite wastewater treatment and reuse system", "Sewage treatment and reuse at an intermediate point on the sewer pipe" and "Treated water supply system in sewage treatment plant". In the case that we install them to office and residential buildings, the supplied volume by reclaimed wastewater reuse systems is 693 thousands m3/d, this corresponds to 15% of total water demand in the area. Furthermore, the effects of the following scenarios brought about by technological innovation in water treatment were investigated; the case that flush water in toilet and wastewater from kitchen are also available as source in a "onsite wastewater treatment and reuse system" and the case that reclaimed water is used for laundering in residential buildings. When reclaimed water is used for laundering in residential buildings, the supplied volume by these systems increases to 814 thousand m3/d in the case that these systems are installed to office and residential buildings.

Extending GIS Technology to Study Karst Features of Southeastern Minnesota

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gao, Y.; Tipping, R. G.; Alexander, E. C.; Alexander, S. C.

2001-12-01

This paper summarizes ongoing research on karst feature distribution of southeastern Minnesota. The main goals of this interdisciplinary research are: 1) to look for large-scale patterns in the rate and distribution of sinkhole development; 2) to conduct statistical tests of hypotheses about the formation of sinkholes; 3) to create management tools for land-use managers and planners; and 4) to deliver geomorphic and hydrogeologic criteria for making scientifically valid land-use policies and ethical decisions in karst areas of southeastern Minnesota. Existing county and sub-county karst feature datasets of southeastern Minnesota have been assembled into a large GIS-based database capable of analyzing the entire data set. The central database management system (DBMS) is a relational GIS-based system interacting with three modules: GIS, statistical and hydrogeologic modules. ArcInfo and ArcView were used to generate a series of 2D and 3D maps depicting karst feature distributions in southeastern Minnesota. IRIS ExplorerTM was used to produce satisfying 3D maps and animations using data exported from GIS-based database. Nearest-neighbor analysis has been used to test sinkhole distributions in different topographic and geologic settings. All current nearest-neighbor analyses testify that sinkholes in southeastern Minnesota are not evenly distributed in this area (i.e., they tend to be clustered). More detailed statistical methods such as cluster analysis, histograms, probability estimation, correlation and regression have been used to study the spatial distributions of some mapped karst features of southeastern Minnesota. A sinkhole probability map for Goodhue County has been constructed based on sinkhole distribution, bedrock geology, depth to bedrock, GIS buffer analysis and nearest-neighbor analysis. A series of karst features for Winona County including sinkholes, springs, seeps, stream sinks and outcrop has been mapped and entered into the Karst Feature Database of Southeastern Minnesota. The Karst Feature Database of Winona County is being expanded to include all the mapped karst features of southeastern Minnesota. Air photos from 1930s to 1990s of Spring Valley Cavern Area in Fillmore County were scanned and geo-referenced into our GIS system. This technology has been proved to be very useful to identify sinkholes and study the rate of sinkhole development.

Applying GIS to develop a model for forest fire risk: A case study in Espírito Santo, Brazil.

PubMed

Eugenio, Fernando Coelho; dos Santos, Alexandre Rosa; Fiedler, Nilton Cesar; Ribeiro, Guido Assunção; da Silva, Aderbal Gomes; dos Santos, Áureo Banhos; Paneto, Greiciane Gaburro; Schettino, Vitor Roberto

2016-05-15

A forest fire risk map is a basic element for planning and protecting forested areas. The main goal of this study was to develop a statistical model for preparing a forest fire risk map using GIS. Such model is based on assigning weights to nine variables divided into two classes: physical factors of the site (terrain slope, land-use/occupation, proximity to roads, terrain orientation, and altitude) and climatic factors (precipitation, temperature, water deficit, and evapotranspiration). In regions where the climate is different from the conditions of this study, the model will require an adjustment of the variables weights according to the local climate. The study area, Espírito Santo State, exhibited approximately 3.81% low risk, 21.18% moderate risk, 30.10% high risk, 41.50% very high risk, and 3.40% extreme risk of forest fire. The areas classified as high risk, very high and extreme, contemplated a total of 78.92% of heat spots. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Quantitative assessment of desertification in south of Iran using MEDALUS method.

PubMed

Sepehr, A; Hassanli, A M; Ekhtesasi, M R; Jamali, J B

2007-11-01

The main aim of this study was the quantitative assessment of desertification process in the case study area of the Fidoye-Garmosht plain (Southern Iran). Based on the MEDALUS approach and the characteristics of study area a regional model developed using GIS. Six main factors or indicators of desertification including: soil, climate, erosion, plant cover, groundwater and management were considered for evaluation. Then several sub-indicators affecting the quality of each main indicator were identified. Based on the MEDALUS approach, each sub-indicator was quantified according to its quality and given a weighting of between 1.0 and 2.0. ArcGIS 9 was used to analyze and prepare the layers of quality maps using the geometric mean to integrate the individual sub-indicator maps. In turn the geometric mean of all six quality maps was used to generate a single desertification status map. Results showed that 12% of the area is classified as very severe, 81% as severe and 7% as moderately affected by desertification. In addition the plant cover and groundwater indicators were the most important factors affecting desertification process in the study area. The model developed may be used to assess desertification process and distinguish the areas sensitive to desertification in the study region and in regions with the similar characteristics.

Utilizing GIS to evaluate base schedules in paratransit operations

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1999-02-02

With ready access to street file names and inexpensive GIS software, paratransit systems can take advantage of GIS technology to evaluate base schedules on a regular basis in order to maintain system efficiency at consistently high levels. This proje...

GIS-based suitability modeling and multi-criteria decision analysis for utility scale solar plants in four states in the Southeast U.S

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tisza, Kata

Photovoltaic (PV) development shows significantly smaller growth in the Southeast U.S., than in the Southwest; which is mainly due to the low cost of fossil-fuel based energy production in the region and the lack of solar incentives. However, the Southeast has appropriate insolation conditions (4.0-6.0 KWh/m2/day) for photovoltaic deployment and in the past decade the region has experienced the highest population growth for the entire country. These factors, combined with new renewable energy portfolio policies, could create an opportunity for PV to provide some of the energy that will be required to sustain this growth. The goal of the study was to investigate the potential for PV generation in the Southeast region by identifying suitable areas for a utility-scale solar power plant deployment. Four states with currently low solar penetration were studied: Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. Feasible areas were assessed with Geographic Information Systems (GIS) software using solar, land use and population growth criteria combined with proximity to transmission lines and roads. After the GIS-based assessment of the areas, technological potential was calculated for each state. Multi-decision analysis model (MCDA) was used to simulate the decision making method for a strategic PV installation. The model accounted for all criteria necessary to consider in case of a PV development and also included economic and policy criteria, which is thought to be a strong influence on the PV market. Three different scenarios were established, representing decision makers' theoretical preferences. Map layers created in the first part were used as basis for the MCDA and additional technical, economic and political/market criteria were added. A sensitivity analysis was conducted to test the model's robustness. Finally, weighted criteria were assigned to the GIS map layers, so that the different preference systems could be visualized. As a result, lands suitable for a potential industrial-scale PV deployment were assessed. Moreover, a precise calculation for technical potential was conducted, with a capacity factor determined by the actual insolation of the sum of each specific feasible area. The results of the study showed that, for a utility-scale PV utility deployment, significant amount of feasible areas are available, with good electricity generation potential Moreover, a stable MCDA model was established for supporting strategic decision making in a PV deployment. Also, changes of suitable lands for utility-scale PV installations were visualized in GIS for the state of Tennessee.

Early malaria resurgence in pre-elimination areas in Kokap Subdistrict, Kulon Progo, Indonesia

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background Indonesia is among those countries committed to malaria eradication, with a continuously decreasing incidence of malaria. However, at district level the situation is different. This study presents a case of malaria resurgence Kokap Subdistrict of the Kulon Progo District in Yogyakarta Province, Java after five years of low endemicity. This study also aims to describe the community perceptions and health services delivery situation that contribute to this case. Methods All malaria cases (2007–2011) in Kulon Progo District were stratified to annual parasite incidence (API). Two-hundred and twenty-six cases during an outbreak (May 2011 to April 2012) were geocoded by household addresses using a geographic information system (GIS) technique and clusters were identified by SaTScan software analysis (Arc GIS 10.1). Purposive random sampling was conducted on respondents living inside the clusters to identify community perceptions and behaviour related to malaria. Interviews were conducted with malaria health officers to understand the challenges of malaria surveillance and control. Results After experiencing three consecutive years with API less than 1 per thousand, malaria in Kokap subdistrict increased almost ten times higher than API in the district level and five times higher than national API. Malaria cases were found in all five villages in 2012. One primary and two secondary malaria clusters in Hargotirto and Kalirejo villages were identified during the 2011–2012 outbreak. Most of the respondents were positively aware with malaria signs and activities of health workers to prevent malaria, although some social economic activities could not be hindered. Return transmigrants or migrant workers entering to their villages, reduced numbers of village malaria workers and a surge in malaria cases in the neighbouring district contributed to the resurgence. Conclusion Community perception, awareness and participation could constitute a solid foundation for malaria elimination in Kokap. However, decreasing number of village malaria workers and ineffective communication between primary health centres (PHCs) within boundary areas with similar malaria problems needs attention. Decentralization policy was allegedly the reason for the less integrated malaria control between districts, especially in the cross border areas. Malaria resurgence needs attention particularly when it occurs in an area that is entering the elimination phase. PMID:24684702

A GIS and statistical approach to identify variables that control water quality in hydrothermally altered and mineralized watersheds, Silverton, Colorado, USA

USGS Publications Warehouse

Yager, Douglas B.; Johnson, Raymond H.; Rockwell, Barnaby W.; Caine, Jonathan S.; Smith, Kathleen S.

2013-01-01

Hydrothermally altered bedrock in the Silverton mining area, southwest Colorado, USA, contains sulfide minerals that weather to produce acidic and metal-rich leachate that is toxic to aquatic life. This study utilized a geographic information system (GIS) and statistical approach to identify watershed-scale geologic variables in the Silverton area that influence water quality. GIS analysis of mineral maps produced using remote sensing datasets including Landsat Thematic Mapper, advanced spaceborne thermal emission and reflection radiometer, and a hybrid airborne visible infrared imaging spectrometer and field-based product enabled areas of alteration to be quantified. Correlations between water quality signatures determined at watershed outlets, and alteration types intersecting both total watershed areas and GIS-buffered areas along streams were tested using linear regression analysis. Despite remote sensing datasets having varying watershed area coverage due to vegetation cover and differing mineral mapping capabilities, each dataset was useful for delineating acid-generating bedrock. Areas of quartz–sericite–pyrite mapped by AVIRIS have the highest correlations with acidic surface water and elevated iron and aluminum concentrations. Alkalinity was only correlated with area of acid neutralizing, propylitically altered bedrock containing calcite and chlorite mapped by AVIRIS. Total watershed area of acid-generating bedrock is more significantly correlated with acidic and metal-rich surface water when compared with acid-generating bedrock intersected by GIS-buffered areas along streams. This methodology could be useful in assessing the possible effects that alteration type area has in either generating or neutralizing acidity in unmined watersheds and in areas where new mining is planned.

Evaluation of Impacts of Landuse Changes on Air Quality in Hyderabad Metropolis Using Remote Sensing and GIS - A Case Study from Indian Sub-Continent

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vuppala, P.; S. S, A.; Mareddy, A.

2004-12-01

Around the world cities in developing countries are rapidly growing as more and more people become urban dwellers resulting in increased level of air pollution caused by changes in transportation, energy production and industrial activities. Air quality is an issue of critical importance in view of the accumulating evidence showing the adverse effects of pollution on human health, agricultural crops, manmade environments and ecosystems. An integrated study for identification of appropriate sites for representative evaluation of air pollution, novel means of monitoring air quality, identifying the predominant sources of pollution, effective assessment of air quality and evaluation of different management strategies essential for the development of a healthy and livable region is carried out for Hyderabad metropolis in India using Remote sensing and Geographical Information System (GIS) based assessment tools. Correlation studies between the concentration level of pollutants in urban air and urban land use are also dealt with. Municipal Corporation of Hyderabad (MCH) is divided into eleven planning zones out of which the present study area i.e. Zone I & IIA comprises of industrial, highly commercial and densely populated areas, apart from medium and sparse residential areas making it environmentally sensitive. Sampling locations were identified based on the land use/ land cover of the region and air samples were collected from areas having varying land use patterns using a high volume air sampler. The samples were then analyzed for the presence of Sulphur oxides(SO--x), Oxides of Nitrogen(NO--x), Total Suspended Particulate Matter(TSPM) and Respirable Suspended Particulate Matter(RSPM) using standard protocols and maps showing spatial distribution of SOx, NO--x, TSPM & RSPM were prepared using curve fitting technique of Arc/Info & ArcView GIS software. Air Quality Index (AQI), indicating the overall quality of air and extent of pollution is also calculated, based on which the entire study area is classified into severely, highly, moderately and lightly polluted areas. Concentration of SOx and NOx were observed to be within limits, while particulate pollutants exceeded the standards prescribed by Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). The major cause of pollution in the study area is attributed to the increasing vehicular movements and presence of commercial and public related activities such as shopping malls. It is observed for the category of severe air pollution that 42% of pollution is from dense residential areas, 19% from medium residential and 1% load of pollution from other public related activities. Based on the results obtained suitable remedial measures to combat the increasing urban air pollution are suggested in the study area. Key words: Air pollution, Remote sensing, Geographical Information System, Spatial distribution, Air quality index.

3D Visualization Development of SIUE Campus

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nellutla, Shravya

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) has progressed from the traditional map-making to the modern technology where the information can be created, edited, managed and analyzed. Like any other models, maps are simplified representations of real world. Hence visualization plays an essential role in the applications of GIS. The use of sophisticated visualization tools and methods, especially three dimensional (3D) modeling, has been rising considerably due to the advancement of technology. There are currently many off-the-shelf technologies available in the market to build 3D GIS models. One of the objectives of this research was to examine the available ArcGIS and its extensions for 3D modeling and visualization and use them to depict a real world scenario. Furthermore, with the advent of the web, a platform for accessing and sharing spatial information on the Internet, it is possible to generate interactive online maps. Integrating Internet capacity with GIS functionality redefines the process of sharing and processing the spatial information. Enabling a 3D map online requires off-the-shelf GIS software, 3D model builders, web server, web applications and client server technologies. Such environments are either complicated or expensive because of the amount of hardware and software involved. Therefore, the second objective of this research was to investigate and develop simpler yet cost-effective 3D modeling approach that uses available ArcGIS suite products and the free 3D computer graphics software for designing 3D world scenes. Both ArcGIS Explorer and ArcGIS Online will be used to demonstrate the way of sharing and distributing 3D geographic information on the Internet. A case study of the development of 3D campus for the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is demonstrated.

Bim-Gis Integrated Geospatial Information Model Using Semantic Web and Rdf Graphs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hor, A.-H.; Jadidi, A.; Sohn, G.

2016-06-01

In recent years, 3D virtual indoor/outdoor urban modelling becomes a key spatial information framework for many civil and engineering applications such as evacuation planning, emergency and facility management. For accomplishing such sophisticate decision tasks, there is a large demands for building multi-scale and multi-sourced 3D urban models. Currently, Building Information Model (BIM) and Geographical Information Systems (GIS) are broadly used as the modelling sources. However, data sharing and exchanging information between two modelling domains is still a huge challenge; while the syntactic or semantic approaches do not fully provide exchanging of rich semantic and geometric information of BIM into GIS or vice-versa. This paper proposes a novel approach for integrating BIM and GIS using semantic web technologies and Resources Description Framework (RDF) graphs. The novelty of the proposed solution comes from the benefits of integrating BIM and GIS technologies into one unified model, so-called Integrated Geospatial Information Model (IGIM). The proposed approach consists of three main modules: BIM-RDF and GIS-RDF graphs construction, integrating of two RDF graphs, and query of information through IGIM-RDF graph using SPARQL. The IGIM generates queries from both the BIM and GIS RDF graphs resulting a semantically integrated model with entities representing both BIM classes and GIS feature objects with respect to the target-client application. The linkage between BIM-RDF and GIS-RDF is achieved through SPARQL endpoints and defined by a query using set of datasets and entity classes with complementary properties, relationships and geometries. To validate the proposed approach and its performance, a case study was also tested using IGIM system design.

Real time hydro-metereological hazards monitoring system for the Ravenna municipality

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bertoni, W.; Cattarossi, A.; Gonella, M.

2003-04-01

The Ravenna municipality (Italy, Emilia Romagna region), through a cooperative agreement with ENI S.p.A’s., AGIP division, is carrying out a research study for the development of a real time monitoring system of hydro-meteorological conditions. The system aims to support the city Crisis Response Unit to provide more efficient support all over the municipal territory that is the largest in Italy with more than 700 km2. The support unit, a GIS computer based application, directly links to a broad range of sources, gathering real time information from a Local Area Model (meteorological data), a Wave Model (sea hydrodynamic circulation), monitoring stations, located partially on the Adriatic sea (AGIP offshore platform, SIMN) and partially over the Ravenna inland (SPDS, SIN). In the first phase, now completed and undergoing testing, this vast and diversified collection of data feeds a number of statistical models with up to 72 hours of forecast capabilities. The GIS application displays actual and forecast sea conditions offshore of Ravenna littorals in addition to actual and forecast flood conditions along the Ravenna Province inland. Model generated data are used for the forecast, which is then calibrated using the measured data. When the predefined warning limits are exceeded, end users are alerted via prerecorded phone messages, SMS, or visually through the direct or remote interaction with the GIS system (remotely accessible via portable computers). In the second stage, the statistical approach will be substituted by a more deterministic approach. A coupled hydrologic-hydraulic model will be used to forecast water stages along rivers and runoff volume along major watersheds. Moreover, already functioning capabilities allows direct control of remote monitoring points (stream and rain gages, etc.) The entire Real Time Monitoring System was developed on a GIS platform. The GEOdatabase, a relational database based on MSDE technology, is the core of the application which revolves around the conceptualization of a Hydro Data Model, a standardized way to store hydraulic based data such as watershed delineation, hydrologic network, monitoring points and time series data. Recent advancement in GIS software technologies and ready to use hydro-meteorological data offer an unprecedented opportunity to customize the GIS application and provide a powerful application to prevent and defeat flood hazards.

Geographical information software and shopper card data, aided in the discovery of a Salmonella Enteritidis outbreak associated with Turkish pine nuts.

PubMed

Bedard, B; Kennedy, B S; Weimer, A C

2014-12-01

In 2011, from August to November, the Monroe County Department of Public Health (MCDPH) investigated 47 salmonellosis cases. Geographical information software (GIS) was used to map the address locations of these cases. The resulting GIS analysis and culture information indicated that there were two distinct clusters of Salmonella that were geographically different. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) testing was run at the New York State Department of Health Wadsworth Laboratory and identified S. Enteritidis (23 cases) and S. Typhimurium (10 cases). The epidemiological investigation identified Turkish pine nuts as the link between ill S. Enteritidis cases. Pine nut samples sent for laboratory testing were a PFGE match to human isolates with S. Enteritidis. A national recall of Turkish pine nuts ensued. A multistate outbreak was identified as a result of the initial investigation of MCDPH, in which 43 people were infected with the outbreak strain from five states. GIS software and shopper card data provided important tools in the epidemiological investigation.

Model of Coastal Transit Oriented Development (TOD) Based on the Potential of Local Port and marine Tourism Port, Case Study: Fort Rotterdam Makassar and the Surrounding Areas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arief, A. B.; Yudono, A.; Akil, A.; Ramli, I.

2017-08-01

The lack of social and public facilties of seven small islands around Makassar, causing the commuters to experience inefficiency in fulfilling their basic needs in the mainland of Makassar city. The purpose of this study is finding the location of coastal TOD in accordance with the principles of development model of coastal TOD. The result showed that inefficiency of time, cost and distance could be eliminated by applying vertical, united and integrated development model of coastal TOD. Using survey, interview and literature study through expert system analysis based on GIS deliniates coastal TOD.

Demonstration of Hadoop-GIS: A Spatial Data Warehousing System Over MapReduce.

PubMed

Aji, Ablimit; Sun, Xiling; Vo, Hoang; Liu, Qioaling; Lee, Rubao; Zhang, Xiaodong; Saltz, Joel; Wang, Fusheng

2013-11-01

The proliferation of GPS-enabled devices, and the rapid improvement of scientific instruments have resulted in massive amounts of spatial data in the last decade. Support of high performance spatial queries on large volumes data has become increasingly important in numerous fields, which requires a scalable and efficient spatial data warehousing solution as existing approaches exhibit scalability limitations and efficiency bottlenecks for large scale spatial applications. In this demonstration, we present Hadoop-GIS - a scalable and high performance spatial query system over MapReduce. Hadoop-GIS provides an efficient spatial query engine to process spatial queries, data and space based partitioning, and query pipelines that parallelize queries implicitly on MapReduce. Hadoop-GIS also provides an expressive, SQL-like spatial query language for workload specification. We will demonstrate how spatial queries are expressed in spatially extended SQL queries, and submitted through a command line/web interface for execution. Parallel to our system demonstration, we explain the system architecture and details on how queries are translated to MapReduce operators, optimized, and executed on Hadoop. In addition, we will showcase how the system can be used to support two representative real world use cases: large scale pathology analytical imaging, and geo-spatial data warehousing.

Topography and vegetation as predictors of snow water equivalent across the alpine treeline ecotone at Lee Ridge, Glacier National Park, Montana, U.S.A.

USGS Publications Warehouse

Geddes, C.A.; Brown, D.G.; Fagre, D.B.

2005-01-01

We derived and implemented two spatial models of May snow water equivalent (SWE) at Lee Ridge in Glacier National Park, Montana. We used the models to test the hypothesis that vegetation structure is a control on snow redistribution at the alpine treeline ecotone (ATE). The statistical models were derived using stepwise and "best" subsets regression techniques. The first model was derived from field measurements of SWE, topography, and vegetation taken at 27 sample points. The second model was derived using GIS-based measures of topography and vegetation. Both the field- (R² = 0.93) and GIS-based models (R² = 0.69) of May SWE included the following variables: site type (based on vegetation), elevation, maximum slope, and general slope aspect. Site type was identified as the most important predictor of SWE in both models, accounting for 74.0% and 29.5% of the variation, respectively. The GIS-based model was applied to create a predictive map of SWE across Lee Ridge, predicting little snow accumulation on the top of the ridge where vegetation is scarce. The GIS model failed in large depressions, including ephemeral stream channels. The models supported the hypothesis that upright vegetation has a positive effect on accumulation of SWE above and beyond the effects of topography. Vegetation, therefore, creates a positive feedback in which it modifies its, environment and could affect the ability of additional vegetation to become established.

PROMAB-GIS: A GIS based Tool for Estimating Runoff and Sediment Yield in running Waters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jenewein, S.; Rinderer, M.; Ploner, A.; Sönser, T.

2003-04-01

In recent times settlements have expanded, traffic and tourist activities have increased in most alpine regions. As a consequence, on the one hand humans and goods are affected by natural hazard processes more often, while on the other hand the demand for protection by both technical constructions and planning measures carried out by public authorities is growing. This situation results in an ever stronger need of reproducibility, comparability, transparency of all methods applied in modern natural hazard management. As a contribution to a new way of coping this situation Promab-GIS Version 1.0 has been developed. Promab-Gis has been designed as a model for time- and space-dependent determination of both runoff and bedload transport in rivers of small alpine catchment areas. The estimation of the unit hydrograph relies upon the "rational formula" and the time-area curves of the watershed. The time area diagram is a graph of cumulative drainage area contributing to discharge at the watershed outlet within a specified time of travel. The sediment yield is estimated for each cell of the channel network by determining the actual process type (erosion, transport or accumulation). Two types of transport processes are considered, sediment transport and debris flows. All functions of Promab-GIS are integrated in the graphical user interface of ArcView as pull-up menus and tool buttons. Hence the application of Promab-GIS does not rely on a sophisticated knowledge of GIS in general, respectively the ArcView software. However, despite the use of computer assistance, Promab-GIS still is an expert support system. In order to obtain plausible results, the users must be familiar with all the relevant processes controlling runoff and sediment yield in torrent catchments.

Assessment of training needs and preferences for geographic information systems (GIS) mapping in state comprehensive cancer-control programs.

PubMed

Hopfer, Suellen; Chadwick, Amy E; Parrott, Roxanne L; Ghetian, Christie B; Lengerich, Eugene J

2009-10-01

Geographic information systems (GIS) mapping technologies have potential to advance public health promotion by mapping regional differences in attributes (e.g., disease burden, environmental exposures, access to health care services) to suggest priorities for public health interventions. Training in GIS for comprehensive cancer control (CCC) has been overlooked. State CCC programs' GIS training needs were assessed by interviewing 49 state CCC directors. A majority perceived a need for GIS training, slightly more than half of state CCC programs had access to geocoded data, and the majority of programs did not require continuing education credits of their staff. CCC directors perceived judging maps and realizing their limitations as important skills and identified epidemiologists, CCC staff, public health officials, policy makers, and cancer coalition members as training audiences. They preferred in-class training sessions that last a few hours to a day. Lessons learned are shared to develop training programs with translatable GIS skills for CCC.

Using GIS and Ahp for Planning Primer Transportation of Forest Products

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Akay, A. E.; Yılmaz, B.

2017-11-01

Primer transportation is one of the most costly and time consuming forestry activities in extraction of timber from forest lands. Transportation methods are essentially determined based on terrain characteristics, especially ground slope. Besides, unsuitable machine selection and unplanned operations may cause ecological damages such as soil disturbance. Soil damage can lead to long term impacts on forest ecosystem. Thus, the optimum transportation methods should be determined by considering not only economic factors but also topographical factors and soil conditions. In recent decades, some of the advanced features of Geographical Information System (GIS) assist decision makers to solve such complex transportation problems with various constraints. In this study, it was aimed to plan forest transportation operation by using GIS integrated Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) method, considering ground slope, soil type, and available transportation equipment in the region. This method was implemented within the border of İnegöl Forest Enterprise Chief in the city of Bursa in Turkey. Alternative transportation method included cable system, chute system, skidder, and farm tractor. GIS-based method integrated with AHP found that skidder was the optimal transportation method for about 60% of the study area, while farm tractor was the second most suitable method with 25% ground cover. The results indicated that GIS-based decision support systems can be effectively used as rational, quick, and economic tool for forest transportation planning.

Environmental Harmony and Evaluation of Advertisement Billboards with Digital Photogrammetry Technique and GIS Capabilities: A Case Study in the City of Ankara

PubMed Central

Aydın, Cevdet C.; Nişancı, Recep

2008-01-01

Geographical Information Systems (GIS) have been gaining a growing interest in Turkey. Many local governments and public agencies have been struggling to set up such systems to serve the needs and meet public requirements. Urban life shelters the advertisement reality which is presented at various places, on vehicles, shops etc. in daily life. It can be said that advertisement is a part of daily life in urban area, especially in city centers. In addition, one of the main sources of revenue for municipalities comes from advertising and notices. The advertising sector provides a great level of income today. Therefore advertising is individually very important for local governments and urban management. Although it is valuable for local governments, it is also very important for urban management to place these advertisement signs and billboards in an orderly fashion which is pleasing to the eye. Another point related to this subject is the systematic control mechanism which is necessary for collecting taxes regularly and updating. In this paper, first practical meaning of notice and advertisement subject, problem definition and objectives are described and then legal support and daily practice are revised. Current practice and problems are mentioned. Possibilities of measuring and obtaining necessary information by using digital images and transferring them to spatial databases are studied. By this study, a modern approach was developed for urban management and municipalities by using information technology which is an alternative to current application. Criteria which provide environmental harmony such as urban beauty, colour, compatibility and safety were also evaluated. It was finally concluded that measuring commercial signs and keeping environmental harmony under control for urban beauty can be provided by Digital Photogrammetry (DP) technique and GIS capabilities which were studied with pilot applications in the city center of Ankara. PMID:27879877

Environmental Harmony and Evaluation of Advertisement Billboards with Digital Photogrammetry Technique and GIS Capabilities: A Case Study in the City of Ankara.

PubMed

Aydın, Cevdetx C; Nisancı, Recep

2008-05-19

Geographical Information Systems (GIS) have been gaining a growing interest in Turkey. Many local governments and public agencies have been struggling to set up such systems to serve the needs and meet public requirements. Urban life shelters the advertisement reality which is presented at various places, on vehicles, shops etc. in daily life. It can be said that advertisement is a part of daily life in urban area, especially in city centers. In addition, one of the main sources of revenue for municipalities comes from advertising and notices. The advertising sector provides a great level of income today. Therefore advertising is individually very important for local governments and urban management. Although it is valuable for local governments, it is also very important for urban management to place these advertisement signs and billboards in an orderly fashion which is pleasing to the eye. Another point related to this subject is the systematic control mechanism which is necessary for collecting taxes regularly and updating. In this paper, first practical meaning of notice and advertisement subject, problem definition and objectives are described and then legal support and daily practice are revised. Current practice and problems are mentioned. Possibilities of measuring and obtaining necessary information by using digital images and transferring them to spatial databases are studied. By this study, a modern approach was developed for urban management and municipalities by using information technology which is an alternative to current application. Criteria which provide environmental harmony such as urban beauty, colour, compatibility and safety were also evaluated. It was finally concluded that measuring commercial signs and keeping environmental harmony under control for urban beauty can be provided by Digital Photogrammetry (DP) technique and GIS capabilities which were studied with pilot applications in the city center of Ankara.

Assessment of groundwater quality using geographical information system (GIS), at north-east Cairo, Egypt.

PubMed

El-Shahat, M F; Sadek, M A; Mostafa, W M; Hagagg, K H

2016-04-01

The present investigation has been conducted to delineate the hydrogeochemical and environmental factors that control the water quality of the groundwater resources in the north-east of Cairo. A complementary approach based on hydrogeochemistry and a geographical information system (GIS) based protectability index has been employed for conducting this work. The results from the chemical analysis revealed that the groundwater of the Quaternary aquifer is less saline than that of the Miocene aquifer and the main factors that control the groundwater salinity in the studied area are primarily related to the genesis of the original recharging water modified after by leaching, dissolution, cation exchange, and fertilizer leachate. The computed groundwater quality index (WQI) falls into two categories: fair for almost all the Miocene groundwater samples, while the Quaternary groundwater samples are all have a good quality. The retarded flow and non-replenishment of the Miocene aquifer compared to the renewable active recharge of the Quaternary aquifer can explain this variation of WQI. The index and overlay approach exemplified by the DUPIT index has been used to investigate the protectability of the study aquifers against diffuse pollutants. Three categories (highly protectable less vulnerable, moderately protectable moderately vulnerable and less protectable highly vulnerable) have been determined and areally mapped.

AN INTERDISCIPLINARY APPROACH TO ADDRESSING NEIGHBORHOOD SCALE AIR QUALITY CONCERNS: THE INTEGRATION OF GIS, URBAN MORPHOLOGY, PREDICTIVE METEOROLOGY, AND AIR QUALITY MONITORING TOOLS

EPA Science Inventory

The paper describes a project that combines the capabilities of urban geography, raster-based GIS, predictive meteorological and air pollutant diffusion modeling, to support a neighborhood-scale air quality monitoring pilot study under the U.S. EPA EMPACT Program. The study ha...

The Pilot Study of Integrating Spatial Educational Experiences (Isee) in an Undergraduate Crop Production Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mitzman, Stephanie; Snyder, Lori Unruh; Schulze, Darrell G.; Owens, Phillip R.; Bracke, Marianne Stowell

2011-01-01

Recent National Research Council reports make compelling arguments for the need to incorporate spatial abilities and use spatial technologies throughout our educational system. We conducted a pilot study to determine the pedagogical effectiveness of teaching with geographic information systems (GIS) by using a web-based GIS tool of Indiana soils.…

Selection of Atmospheric Environmental Monitoring Sites based on Geographic Parameters Extraction of GIS and Fuzzy Matter-Element Analysis.

PubMed

Wu, Jianfa; Peng, Dahao; Ma, Jianhao; Zhao, Li; Sun, Ce; Ling, Huanzhang

2015-01-01

To effectively monitor the atmospheric quality of small-scale areas, it is necessary to optimize the locations of the monitoring sites. This study combined geographic parameters extraction by GIS with fuzzy matter-element analysis. Geographic coordinates were extracted by GIS and transformed into rectangular coordinates. These coordinates were input into the Gaussian plume model to calculate the pollutant concentration at each site. Fuzzy matter-element analysis, which is used to solve incompatible problems, was used to select the locations of sites. The matter element matrices were established according to the concentration parameters. The comprehensive correlation functions KA (xj) and KB (xj), which reflect the degree of correlation among monitoring indices, were solved for each site, and a scatter diagram of the sites was drawn to determine the final positions of the sites based on the functions. The sites could be classified and ultimately selected by the scatter diagram. An actual case was tested, and the results showed that 5 positions can be used for monitoring, and the locations conformed to the technical standard. In the results of this paper, the hierarchical clustering method was used to improve the methods. The sites were classified into 5 types, and 7 locations were selected. Five of the 7 locations were completely identical to the sites determined by fuzzy matter-element analysis. The selections according to these two methods are similar, and these methods can be used in combination. In contrast to traditional methods, this study monitors the isolated point pollutant source within a small range, which can reduce the cost of monitoring.

Validation techniques of agent based modelling for geospatial simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Darvishi, M.; Ahmadi, G.

2014-10-01

One of the most interesting aspects of modelling and simulation study is to describe the real world phenomena that have specific properties; especially those that are in large scales and have dynamic and complex behaviours. Studying these phenomena in the laboratory is costly and in most cases it is impossible. Therefore, Miniaturization of world phenomena in the framework of a model in order to simulate the real phenomena is a reasonable and scientific approach to understand the world. Agent-based modelling and simulation (ABMS) is a new modelling method comprising of multiple interacting agent. They have been used in the different areas; for instance, geographic information system (GIS), biology, economics, social science and computer science. The emergence of ABM toolkits in GIS software libraries (e.g. ESRI's ArcGIS, OpenMap, GeoTools, etc) for geospatial modelling is an indication of the growing interest of users to use of special capabilities of ABMS. Since ABMS is inherently similar to human cognition, therefore it could be built easily and applicable to wide range applications than a traditional simulation. But a key challenge about ABMS is difficulty in their validation and verification. Because of frequent emergence patterns, strong dynamics in the system and the complex nature of ABMS, it is hard to validate and verify ABMS by conventional validation methods. Therefore, attempt to find appropriate validation techniques for ABM seems to be necessary. In this paper, after reviewing on Principles and Concepts of ABM for and its applications, the validation techniques and challenges of ABM validation are discussed.

Towards generalised reference condition models for environmental assessment: a case study on rivers in Atlantic Canada.

PubMed

Armanini, D G; Monk, W A; Carter, L; Cote, D; Baird, D J

2013-08-01

Evaluation of the ecological status of river sites in Canada is supported by building models using the reference condition approach. However, geography, data scarcity and inter-operability constraints have frustrated attempts to monitor national-scale status and trends. This issue is particularly true in Atlantic Canada, where no ecological assessment system is currently available. Here, we present a reference condition model based on the River Invertebrate Prediction and Classification System approach with regional-scale applicability. To achieve this, we used biological monitoring data collected from wadeable streams across Atlantic Canada together with freely available, nationally consistent geographic information system (GIS) environmental data layers. For the first time, we demonstrated that it is possible to use data generated from different studies, even when collected using different sampling methods, to generate a robust predictive model. This model was successfully generated and tested using GIS-based rather than local habitat variables and showed improved performance when compared to a null model. In addition, ecological quality ratio data derived from the model responded to observed stressors in a test dataset. Implications for future large-scale implementation of river biomonitoring using a standardised approach with global application are presented.

GIS based procedure of cumulative environmental impact assessment.

PubMed

Balakrishna Reddy, M; Blah, Baiantimon

2009-07-01

Scale and spatial limits of impact assessment study in a GIS platform are two very important factors that could have a bearing on the genuineness and quality of impact assessment. While effect of scale has been documented and well understood, no significant study has been carried out on spatial considerations in an impact assessment study employing GIS technique. A novel technique of impact assessment demonstrable through GIS approach termed hereby as 'spatial data integrated GIS impact assessment method (SGIAM)' is narrated in this paper. The technique makes a fundamental presumption that the importance of environmental impacts is dependent, among other things, on spatial distribution of the effects of the proposed action and of the affected receptors in a study area. For each environmental component considered (e.g., air quality), impact indices are calculated through aggregation of impact indicators which are measures of the severity of the impact. The presence and spread of environmental descriptors are suitably quantified through modeling techniques and depicted. The environmental impact index is calculated from data exported from ArcINFO, thus giving significant importance to spatial data in the impact assessment exercise.

A WebGIS-based command control system for forest fire fighting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Jianyu; Ming, Dongping; Zhang, Xiaodong; Huang, Haitao

2006-10-01

Forest is a finite resource and fire prevention is crucial work. However, once a forest fire or accident occurs, timely and effective fire-fighting is the only necessary measure. The aim of this research is to build a computerized command control system based on WEBGIS to direct fire-fighting. Firstly, this paper introduces the total technique flow and functional modules of the system. Secondly, this paper analyses the key techniques for building the system, and they are data obtaining, data organizing & management, architecture of WebGIS and sharing & interoperation technique. In the end, this paper demonstrates the on line martial symbol editing function to show the running result of system. The practical application of this system showed that it played very important role in the forest fire fighting work. In addition, this paper proposes some strategic recommendations for the further development of the system.

Remote sensing and GIS techniques for assessment of the soil water content in order to improve agricultural practice and reduce the negative impact on groundwater: case study, agricultural area Ştefan cel Mare, Călăraşi County.

PubMed

Tevi, Giuliano; Tevi, Anca

2012-01-01

Traditional agricultural practices based on non-customized irrigation and soil fertilization are harmful for the environment, and may pose a risk for human health. By continuing the use of these practices, it is not possible to ensure effective land management, which might be acquired by using advanced satellite technology configured for modern agricultural development. The paper presents a methodology based on the correlation between remote sensing data and field observations, aiming to identify the key features and to establish an interpretation pattern for the inhomogeneity highlighted by the remote sensing data. Instead of using classical methods for the evaluation of land features (field analysis, measurements and mapping), the approach is to use high resolution multispectral and hyperspectral methods, in correlation with data processing and geographic information systems (GIS), in order to improve the agricultural practices and mitigate their environmental impact (soil and shallow aquifer).

Modeling vulnerability of groundwater to pollution under future scenarios of climate change and biofuels-related land use change: a case study in North Dakota, USA.

PubMed

Li, Ruopu; Merchant, James W

2013-03-01

Modeling groundwater vulnerability to pollution is critical for implementing programs to protect groundwater quality. Most groundwater vulnerability modeling has been based on current hydrogeology and land use conditions. However, groundwater vulnerability is strongly dependent on factors such as depth-to-water, recharge and land use conditions that may change in response to future changes in climate and/or socio-economic conditions. In this research, a modeling framework, which employs three sets of models linked within a geographic information system (GIS) environment, was used to evaluate groundwater pollution risks under future climate and land use changes in North Dakota. The results showed that areas with high vulnerability will expand northward and/or northwestward in Eastern North Dakota under different scenarios. GIS-based models that account for future changes in climate and land use can help decision-makers identify potential future threats to groundwater quality and take early steps to protect this critical resource. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Geospatial Data Availability for Haiti: An Aid in the Development of GIS-Based Natural Resource Assessments for Conservation Planning.

Treesearch

Maya Quinones; William Gould; Carlos D. Rodriguez-Pedraza

2007-01-01

This report documents the type and source of geospatial data available for Haiti. It was compiled to serve as a resource for geographic information system (GIS)-based land management and planning. It will be useful for conservation planning, reforestation efforts, and agricultural extension projects. Our study indicates that there is a great deal of geospatial...

Landsat sattelite multi-spectral image classification of land cover and land use changes for GIS-based urbanization analysis in irrigation districts of lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The Lower Rio Grande Valley in the south of Texas is experiencing rapid increase of population to bring up urban growth that continues influencing on the irrigation districts in the region. This study evaluated the Landsat satellite multi-spectral imagery to provide information for GIS-based urbaniz...

Using unmanned aerial vehicles and structure-from-motion photogrammetry to characterize sedimentary outcrops: An example from the Morrison Formation, Utah, USA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chesley, J. T.; Leier, A. L.; White, S.; Torres, R.

2017-06-01

Recently developed data collection techniques allow for improved characterization of sedimentary outcrops. Here, we outline a workflow that utilizes unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) and structure-from-motion (SfM) photogrammetry to produce sub-meter-scale outcrop reconstructions in 3-D. SfM photogrammetry uses multiple overlapping images and an image-based terrain extraction algorithm to reconstruct the location of individual points from the photographs in 3-D space. The results of this technique can be used to construct point clouds, orthomosaics, and digital surface models that can be imported into GIS and related software for further study. The accuracy of the reconstructed outcrops, with respect to an absolute framework, is improved with geotagged images or independently gathered ground control points, and the internal accuracy of 3-D reconstructions is sufficient for sub-meter scale measurements. We demonstrate this approach with a case study from central Utah, USA, where UAV-SfM data can help delineate complex features within Jurassic fluvial sandstones.

Saccharomyces cerevisiae Ras/cAMP pathway controls post-diauxic shift element-dependent transcription through the zinc finger protein Gis1

PubMed Central

Pedruzzi, Ivo; Bürckert, Niels; Egger, Pascal; De Virgilio, Claudio

2000-01-01

The Saccharomyces cerevisiae protein kinase Rim15 was identified previously as a component of the Ras/cAMP pathway acting immediately downstream of cAMP-dependent protein kinase (cAPK) to control a broad range of adaptations in response to nutrient limitation. Here, we show that the zinc finger protein Gis1 acts as a dosage-dependent suppressor of the rim15Δ defect in nutrient limitation-induced transcriptional derepression of SSA3. Loss of Gis1 results in a defect in transcriptional derepression upon nutrient limitation of various genes that are negatively regulated by the Ras/cAMP pathway (e.g. SSA3, HSP12 and HSP26). Tests of epistasis as well as transcriptional analyses of Gis1-dependent expression indicate that Gis1 acts in this pathway downstream of Rim15 to mediate transcription from the previously identified post-diauxic shift (PDS) element. Accordingly, deletion of GIS1 partially suppresses, and overexpression of GIS1 exacerbates the growth defect of mutant cells that are compromised for cAPK activity. Moreover, PDS element-driven expression, which is negatively regulated by the Ras/cAMP pathway and which is induced upon nutrient limitation, is almost entirely dependent on the presence of Gis1. PMID:10835355

GIS coupled Multiple Criteria based Decision Support for Classification of Urban Coastal Areas in India

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dhiman, R.; Kalbar, P.; Inamdar, A. B.

2017-12-01

Coastal area classification in India is a challenge for federal and state government agencies due to fragile institutional framework, unclear directions in implementation of costal regulations and violations happening at private and government level. This work is an attempt to improvise the objectivity of existing classification methods to synergies the ecological systems and socioeconomic development in coastal cities. We developed a Geographic information system coupled Multi-criteria Decision Making (GIS-MCDM) approach to classify urban coastal areas where utility functions are used to transform the costal features into quantitative membership values after assessing the sensitivity of urban coastal ecosystem. Furthermore, these membership values for costal features are applied in different weighting schemes to derive Coastal Area Index (CAI) which classifies the coastal areas in four distinct categories viz. 1) No Development Zone, 2) Highly Sensitive Zone, 3) Moderately Sensitive Zone and 4) Low Sensitive Zone based on the sensitivity of urban coastal ecosystem. Mumbai, a coastal megacity in India is used as case study for demonstration of proposed method. Finally, uncertainty analysis using Monte Carlo approach to validate the sensitivity of CAI under specific multiple scenarios is carried out. Results of CAI method shows the clear demarcation of coastal areas in GIS environment based on the ecological sensitivity. CAI provides better decision support for federal and state level agencies to classify urban coastal areas according to the regional requirement of coastal resources considering resilience and sustainable development. CAI method will strengthen the existing institutional framework for decision making in classification of urban coastal areas where most effective coastal management options can be proposed.

Use of USLE/GIS methodology for predicting soil loss in a semiarid agricultural watershed.

PubMed

Erdogan, Emrah H; Erpul, Günay; Bayramin, Ilhami

2007-08-01

The Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE) is an erosion model to estimate average soil loss that would generally result from splash, sheet, and rill erosion from agricultural plots. Recently, use of USLE has been extended as a useful tool predicting soil losses and planning control practices in agricultural watersheds by the effective integration of the GIS-based procedures to estimate the factor values in a grid cell basis. This study was performed in the Kazan Watershed located in the central Anatolia, Turkey, to predict soil erosion risk by the USLE/GIS methodology for planning conservation measures in the site. Rain erosivity (R), soil erodibility (K), and cover management factor (C) values of the model were calculated from erosivity map, soil map, and land use map of Turkey, respectively. R values were site-specifically corrected using DEM and climatic data. The topographical and hydrological effects on the soil loss were characterized by LS factor evaluated by the flow accumulation tool using DEM and watershed delineation techniques. From resulting soil loss map of the watershed, the magnitude of the soil erosion was estimated in terms of the different soil units and land uses and the most erosion-prone areas where irreversible soil losses occurred were reasonably located in the Kazan watershed. This could be very useful for deciding restoration practices to control the soil erosion of the sites to be severely influenced.

The architecture of a virtual grid GIS server

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Pengfei; Fang, Yu; Chen, Bin; Wu, Xi; Tian, Xiaoting

2008-10-01

The grid computing technology provides the service oriented architecture for distributed applications. The virtual Grid GIS server is the distributed and interoperable enterprise application GIS architecture running in the grid environment, which integrates heterogeneous GIS platforms. All sorts of legacy GIS platforms join the grid as members of GIS virtual organization. Based on Microkernel we design the ESB and portal GIS service layer, which compose Microkernel GIS. Through web portals, portal GIS services and mediation of service bus, following the principle of SoC, we separate business logic from implementing logic. Microkernel GIS greatly reduces the coupling degree between applications and GIS platforms. The enterprise applications are independent of certain GIS platforms, and making the application developers to pay attention to the business logic. Via configuration and orchestration of a set of fine-grained services, the system creates GIS Business, which acts as a whole WebGIS request when activated. In this way, the system satisfies a business workflow directly and simply, with little or no new code.

An agent-based approach for modeling dynamics of contagious disease spread

PubMed Central

Perez, Liliana; Dragicevic, Suzana

2009-01-01

Background The propagation of communicable diseases through a population is an inherent spatial and temporal process of great importance for modern society. For this reason a spatially explicit epidemiologic model of infectious disease is proposed for a greater understanding of the disease's spatial diffusion through a network of human contacts. Objective The objective of this study is to develop an agent-based modelling approach the integrates geographic information systems (GIS) to simulate the spread of a communicable disease in an urban environment, as a result of individuals' interactions in a geospatial context. Methods The methodology for simulating spatiotemporal dynamics of communicable disease propagation is presented and the model is implemented using measles outbreak in an urban environment as a case study. Individuals in a closed population are explicitly represented by agents associated to places where they interact with other agents. They are endowed with mobility, through a transportation network allowing them to move between places within the urban environment, in order to represent the spatial heterogeneity and the complexity involved in infectious diseases diffusion. The model is implemented on georeferenced land use dataset from Metro Vancouver and makes use of census data sets from Statistics Canada for the municipality of Burnaby, BC, Canada study site. Results The results provide insights into the application of the model to calculate ratios of susceptible/infected in specific time frames and urban environments, due to its ability to depict the disease progression based on individuals' interactions. It is demonstrated that the dynamic spatial interactions within the population lead to high numbers of exposed individuals who perform stationary activities in areas after they have finished commuting. As a result, the sick individuals are concentrated in geographical locations like schools and universities. Conclusion The GIS-agent based model designed for this study can be easily customized to study the disease spread dynamics of any other communicable disease by simply adjusting the modeled disease timeline and/or the infection model and modifying the transmission process. This type of simulations can help to improve comprehension of disease spread dynamics and to take better steps towards the prevention and control of an epidemic outbreak. PMID:19656403

Design and implementation of a distributed large-scale spatial database system based on J2EE

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gong, Jianya; Chen, Nengcheng; Zhu, Xinyan; Zhang, Xia

2003-03-01

With the increasing maturity of distributed object technology, CORBA, .NET and EJB are universally used in traditional IT field. However, theories and practices of distributed spatial database need farther improvement in virtue of contradictions between large scale spatial data and limited network bandwidth or between transitory session and long transaction processing. Differences and trends among of CORBA, .NET and EJB are discussed in details, afterwards the concept, architecture and characteristic of distributed large-scale seamless spatial database system based on J2EE is provided, which contains GIS client application, web server, GIS application server and spatial data server. Moreover the design and implementation of components of GIS client application based on JavaBeans, the GIS engine based on servlet, the GIS Application server based on GIS enterprise JavaBeans(contains session bean and entity bean) are explained.Besides, the experiments of relation of spatial data and response time under different conditions are conducted, which proves that distributed spatial database system based on J2EE can be used to manage, distribute and share large scale spatial data on Internet. Lastly, a distributed large-scale seamless image database based on Internet is presented.

Structural and Functional Characterization of a Caenorhabditis elegans Genetic Interaction Network within Pathways

PubMed Central

Boucher, Benjamin; Lee, Anna Y.; Hallett, Michael; Jenna, Sarah

2016-01-01

A genetic interaction (GI) is defined when the mutation of one gene modifies the phenotypic expression associated with the mutation of a second gene. Genome-wide efforts to map GIs in yeast revealed structural and functional properties of a GI network. This provided insights into the mechanisms underlying the robustness of yeast to genetic and environmental insults, and also into the link existing between genotype and phenotype. While a significant conservation of GIs and GI network structure has been reported between distant yeast species, such a conservation is not clear between unicellular and multicellular organisms. Structural and functional characterization of a GI network in these latter organisms is consequently of high interest. In this study, we present an in-depth characterization of ~1.5K GIs in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. We identify and characterize six distinct classes of GIs by examining a wide-range of structural and functional properties of genes and network, including co-expression, phenotypical manifestations, relationship with protein-protein interaction dense subnetworks (PDS) and pathways, molecular and biological functions, gene essentiality and pleiotropy. Our study shows that GI classes link genes within pathways and display distinctive properties, specifically towards PDS. It suggests a model in which pathways are composed of PDS-centric and PDS-independent GIs coordinating molecular machines through two specific classes of GIs involving pleiotropic and non-pleiotropic connectors. Our study provides the first in-depth characterization of a GI network within pathways of a multicellular organism. It also suggests a model to understand better how GIs control system robustness and evolution. PMID:26871911

Using Participatory Methods and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to Prepare for an HIV Community-Based Trial in Vulindlela, South Africa (Project Accept-HPTN 043)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chirowodza, Admire; van Rooyen, Heidi; Joseph, Philip; Sikotoyi, Sindisiwe; Richter, Linda; Coates, Thomas

2009-01-01

Recent attempts to integrate geographic information systems (GIS) and participatory techniques, have given rise to terminologies such as "participatory GIS" and "community-integrated GIS". Although GIS was initially developed for physical geographic application, it can be used for the management and analysis of health and…

A GIS-based spatial correlation analysis for ambient air pollution and AECOPD hospitalizations in Jinan, China.

PubMed

Wang, Wenqiao; Ying, Yangyang; Wu, Quanyuan; Zhang, Haiping; Ma, Dedong; Xiao, Wei

2015-03-01

Acute exacerbations of COPD (AECOPD) are important events during disease procedure. AECOPD have negative effect on patients' quality of life, symptoms and lung function, and result in high socioeconomic costs. Though previous studies have demonstrated the significant association between outdoor air pollution and AECOPD hospitalizations, little is known about the spatial relationship utilized a spatial analyzing technique- Geographical Information System (GIS). Using GIS to investigate the spatial association between ambient air pollution and AECOPD hospitalizations in Jinan City, 2009. 414 AECOPD hospitalization cases in Jinan, 2009 were enrolled in our analysis. Monthly concentrations of five monitored air pollutants (NO2, SO2, PM10, O3, CO) during January 2009-December 2009 were provided by Environmental Protection Agency of Shandong Province. Each individual was geocoded in ArcGIS10.0 software. The spatial distribution of five pollutants and the temporal-spatial specific air pollutants exposure level for each individual was estimated by ordinary Kriging model. Spatial autocorrelation (Global Moran's I) was employed to explore the spatial association between ambient air pollutants and AECOPD hospitalizations. A generalized linear model (GLM) using a Poisson distribution with log-link function was used to construct a core model. At residence, concentrations of SO2, PM10, NO2, CO, O3 and AECOPD hospitalization cases showed statistical significant spatially clustered. The Z-score of SO2, PM10, CO, O3, NO2 at residence is 15.88, 13.93, 12.60, 4.02, 2.44 respectively, while at workplace, concentrations of PM10, SO2, O3, CO and AECOPD hospitalization cases showed statistical significant spatially clustered. The Z-score of PM10, SO2, O3, CO at workplace is 11.39, 8.07, 6.10, and 5.08 respectively. After adjusting for potential confounders in the model, only the PM10 concentrations at workplace showed statistical significance, with a 10 μg/m(3) increase of PM10 at workplace associated with a 7% (95%CI: [3.3%, 10%]) increase of hospitalizations due to AECOPD. Ambient air pollution is correlated with AECOPD hospitalizations spatially. A 10 μg/m(3) increase of PM10 at workplace was associated with a 7% (95%CI: [3.3%, 10%]) increase of hospitalizations due to AECOPD in Jinan, 2009. As a spatial data processing tool, GIS has novel and great potential on air pollutants exposure assessment and spatial analysis in AECOPD research. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Epidemiological trends and the effect of airport fever screening on prevention of domestic dengue fever outbreaks in Taiwan, 1998-2007.

PubMed

Kuan, Mei-Mei; Lin, Ting; Chuang, Jen-Hsiang; Wu, Ho-Sheng

2010-08-01

This study aimed to examine the epidemiological trends in dengue infection and the impact of imported cases and airport fever screening on community transmission in Taiwan, a dengue non-endemic island. All of the dengue case data were obtained from the surveillance system of the Taiwan Center for Disease Control and were analyzed by Pearson correlations, linear regression, and geographical information system (GIS)-based mapping. The impact of implementing airport fever screening was evaluated using the Student's t-test and two-way analysis of variance. A total of 10 351 dengue cases, including 7.1% of imported cases were investigated between 1998 and 2007. The majority of indigenous dengue cases (98.5%) were significantly clustered in southern Taiwan; 62.9% occurred in the metropolitan areas. The seasonality of dengue cases showed a peak from September to November. Airport fever screening was successful in identifying 45% (244/542 ; 95% confidence interval 33.1-57.8%) of imported dengue cases with fever. However, no statistical difference was found regarding the impact on community transmission when comparing the presence and absence of airport fever screening. Our results show that airport fever screening had a positive effect on partially blocking the local transmission of imported dengue cases, while those undetected cases due to latent or asymptomatic infection would be the source of new dengue outbreaks each year. Copyright © 2010 International Society for Infectious Diseases. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The role of international research projects in the dissemination of innovative technologies in Russia: AgroAtlas case study

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

This paper uses the AgroAtlas project (www.agroatlas.ru) as a case study to illustrate how international projects can be an important resource to help train teachers and scientists in emerging technology including geographic information systems (GIS) software. The paper discusses a series of 10- day...

GIS-based automated management of highway surface crack inspection system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chung, Hung-Chi; Shinozuka, Masanobu; Soeller, Tony; Girardello, Roberto

2004-07-01

An automated in-situ road surface distress surveying and management system, AMPIS, has been developed on the basis of video images within the framework of GIS software. Video image processing techniques are introduced to acquire, process and analyze the road surface images obtained from a moving vehicle. ArcGIS platform is used to integrate the routines of image processing and spatial analysis in handling the full-scale metropolitan highway surface distress detection and data fusion/management. This makes it possible to present user-friendly interfaces in GIS and to provide efficient visualizations of surveyed results not only for the use of transportation engineers to manage road surveying documentations, data acquisition, analysis and management, but also for financial officials to plan maintenance and repair programs and further evaluate the socio-economic impacts of highway degradation and deterioration. A review performed in this study on fundamental principle of Pavement Management System (PMS) and its implementation indicates that the proposed approach of using GIS concept and its tools for PMS application will reshape PMS into a new information technology-based system that can provide convenient and efficient pavement inspection and management.

Integrating Multiple Criteria Evaluation and GIS in Ecotourism: a Review

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mohd, Z. H.; Ujang, U.

2016-09-01

The concept of 'Eco-tourism' is increasingly heard in recent decades. Ecotourism is one adventure that environmentally responsible intended to appreciate the nature experiences and cultures. Ecotourism should have low impact on environment and must contribute to the prosperity of local residents. This article reviews the use of Multiple Criteria Evaluation (MCE) and Geographic Information System (GIS) in ecotourism. Multiple criteria evaluation mostly used to land suitability analysis or fulfill specific objectives based on various attributes that exist in the selected area. To support the process of environmental decision making, the application of GIS is used to display and analysis the data through Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). Integration between MCE and GIS tool is important to determine the relative weight for the criteria used objectively. With the MCE method, it can resolve the conflict between recreation and conservation which is to minimize the environmental and human impact. Most studies evidences that the GIS-based AHP as a multi criteria evaluation is a strong and effective in tourism planning which can aid in the development of ecotourism industry effectively.

Development of Critical Spatial Thinking through GIS Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kim, Minsung; Bednarz, Robert

2013-01-01

This study developed an interview-based critical spatial thinking oral test and used the test to investigate the effects of Geographic Information System (GIS) learning on three components of critical spatial thinking: evaluating data reliability, exercising spatial reasoning, and assessing problem-solving validity. Thirty-two students at a large…

Application of GIS technology in public health: successes and challenges.

PubMed

Fletcher-Lartey, Stephanie M; Caprarelli, Graziella

2016-04-01

The uptake and acceptance of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technology has increased since the early 1990s and public health applications are rapidly expanding. In this paper, we summarize the common uses of GIS technology in the public health sector, emphasizing applications related to mapping and understanding of parasitic diseases. We also present some of the success stories, and discuss the challenges that still prevent a full scope application of GIS technology in the public health context. Geographical analysis has allowed researchers to interlink health, population and environmental data, thus enabling them to evaluate and quantify relationships between health-related variables and environmental risk factors at different geographical scales. The ability to access, share and utilize satellite and remote-sensing data has made possible even wider understanding of disease processes and of their links to the environment, an important consideration in the study of parasitic diseases. For example, disease prevention and control strategies resulting from investigations conducted in a GIS environment have been applied in many areas, particularly in Africa. However, there remain several challenges to a more widespread use of GIS technology, such as: limited access to GIS infrastructure, inadequate technical and analytical skills, and uneven data availability. Opportunities exist for international collaboration to address these limitations through knowledge sharing and governance.

Dioxin emissions from a municipal solid waste incinerator and risk of invasive breast cancer: a population-based case-control study with GIS-derived exposure.

PubMed

Viel, Jean-François; Clément, Marie-Caroline; Hägi, Mathieu; Grandjean, Sébastien; Challier, Bruno; Danzon, Arlette

2008-01-28

To date, few epidemiologic studies have examined the relationship between environmental PCDD/F exposure and breast cancer in human populations. Dioxin emissions from municipal solid waste incinerators (MSWIs) are one of the major sources of environmental dioxins and are therefore an exposure source of public concern. The purpose of this study was to examine the association between dioxins emitted from a polluting MSWI and invasive breast cancer risk among women residing in the area under direct influence of the facility. We compared 434 incident cases of invasive breast cancer diagnosed between 1996 and 2002, and 2170 controls randomly selected from the 1999 population census. A validated dispersion model was used as a proxy for dioxin exposure, yielding four exposure categories. The latter were linked to individual places of residence, using Geographic Information System technology. The age distribution at diagnosis for all cases combined showed a bimodal pattern with incidence peaks near 50 and 70 years old. This prompted us to run models separately for women aged 20-59 years, and women aged 60 years or older. Among women younger than 60 years old, no increased or decreased risk was found for any dioxin exposure category. Conversely, women over 60 years old living in the highest exposed zone were 0.31 time less likely (95% confidence interval, 0.08-0.89) to develop invasive breast cancer. Before speculating that this decreased risk reflects a dioxin anti-estrogenic activity with greater effect on late-onset acquired breast cancer, some residual confounding must be envisaged.

Mapping and Analysis of Forest and Land Fire Potential Using Geospatial Technology and Mathematical Modeling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suliman, M. D. H.; Mahmud, M.; Reba, M. N. M.; S, L. W.

2014-02-01

Forest and land fire can cause negative implications for forest ecosystems, biodiversity, air quality and soil structure. However, the implications involved can be minimized through effective disaster management system. Effective disaster management mechanisms can be developed through appropriate early warning system as well as an efficient delivery system. This study tried to focus on two aspects, namely by mapping the potential of forest fire and land as well as the delivery of information to users through WebGIS application. Geospatial technology and mathematical modeling used in this study for identifying, classifying and mapping the potential area for burning. Mathematical models used is the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP), while Geospatial technologies involved include remote sensing, Geographic Information System (GIS) and digital field data collection. The entire Selangor state was chosen as our study area based on a number of cases have been reported over the last two decades. AHP modeling to assess the comparison between the three main criteria of fuel, topography and human factors design. Contributions of experts directly involved in forest fire fighting operations and land comprising officials from the Fire and Rescue Department Malaysia also evaluated in this model. The study found that about 32.83 square kilometers of the total area of Selangor state are the extreme potential for fire. Extreme potential areas identified are in Bestari Jaya and Kuala Langat High Ulu. Continuity of information and terrestrial forest fire potential was displayed in WebGIS applications on the internet. Display information through WebGIS applications is a better approach to help the decision-making process at a high level of confidence and approximate real conditions. Agencies involved in disaster management such as Jawatankuasa Pengurusan Dan Bantuan Bencana (JPBB) of District, State and the National under the National Security Division and the Fire and Rescue Department Malaysia can use the end result of this study in preparation for the land and forest fires in the future.

Geographic Information System (GIS) capabilities in traffic accident information management: a qualitative approach.

PubMed

Ahmadi, Maryam; Valinejadi, Ali; Goodarzi, Afshin; Safari, Ameneh; Hemmat, Morteza; Majdabadi, Hesamedin Askari; Mohammadi, Ali

2017-06-01

Traffic accidents are one of the more important national and international issues, and their consequences are important for the political, economical, and social level in a country. Management of traffic accident information requires information systems with analytical and accessibility capabilities to spatial and descriptive data. The aim of this study was to determine the capabilities of a Geographic Information System (GIS) in management of traffic accident information. This qualitative cross-sectional study was performed in 2016. In the first step, GIS capabilities were identified via literature retrieved from the Internet and based on the included criteria. Review of the literature was performed until data saturation was reached; a form was used to extract the capabilities. In the second step, study population were hospital managers, police, emergency, statisticians, and IT experts in trauma, emergency and police centers. Sampling was purposive. Data was collected using a questionnaire based on the first step data; validity and reliability were determined by content validity and Cronbach's alpha of 75%. Data was analyzed using the decision Delphi technique. GIS capabilities were identified in ten categories and 64 sub-categories. Import and process of spatial and descriptive data and so, analysis of this data were the most important capabilities of GIS in traffic accident information management. Storing and retrieving of descriptive and spatial data, providing statistical analysis in table, chart and zoning format, management of bad structure issues, determining the cost effectiveness of the decisions and prioritizing their implementation were the most important capabilities of GIS which can be efficient in the management of traffic accident information.

[Application of remote sensing and GIS in study of suitability distribution of Swertia mussotii, a Tibetan medicine in Sichuan province].

PubMed

Dong, Yong-Bo; Luo, Yao; Zhu, Cong; Peng, Wen-Fu; Xu, Xin-Liang; Fang, Qing-Mao

2017-11-01

Swertia mussotii is a kind of rare medicinal materials, the relevant researches are mainly concentrated on its medicinal efficacy and medicinal value till now, researches of adaptive distribution by applying remote sensing and GIS are relatively less. This study is to analyze the adaptive distribution of S.mussotii in Sichuan province by applying remote sensing and GIS technology, and provide scientific basis for the protection and development of wild resources, artificial cultivation and adjustment of Chinese medicine industrial distribution in Sichuan province. Based on literature review and ecological factors such as altitude, annual precipitation and annual average temperature, this study extracted ecological factors, overlay analysis in GIS, as well as combining GPS field validation data by means of remote sensing and GIS, discusses the adaptive distribution of SMF sin Sichuan province. ①The area of adaptive distribution of S. mussotii in Sichuan province is 1 543.749 km², mainly in Dege county, Ganzi county, Daofu county, Kangding county, Barkam, Jinchuan county, Xiaojin county, Danba county, Daocheng county, Xiangcheng county, Xinlong county, Aba county, Muli county and other counties and cities, accounts for about 7.25% in total area. ② Combining statistical information and field validation, this study found that S. mussotii adaptive distribution gained by remote sensing and GIS is in conformity with its actual distribution. The study shows that remote sensing and GIS technology are feasible to obtain the S. mussotii adaptive distribution, they can further be applied to studies on adaptive distributions of other rare Chinese medicinal herb. Copyright© by the Chinese Pharmaceutical Association.

Visualizing petroleum systems with a combination of GIS and multimedia technologies: An example from the West Siberia Basin

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Walsh, D.B.; Grace, J.D.

1996-12-31

Petroleum system studies provide an ideal application for the combination of Geographic Information System (GIS) and multimedia technologies. GIS technology is used to build and maintain the spatial and tabular data within the study region. Spatial data may comprise the zones of active source rocks and potential reservoir facies. Similarly, tabular data include the attendant source rock parameters (e.g. pyroloysis results, organic carbon content) and field-level exploration and production histories for the basin. Once the spatial and tabular data base has been constructed, GIS technology is useful in finding favorable exploration trends, such as zones of high organic content, maturemore » source rocks in positions adjacent to sealed, high porosity reservoir facies. Multimedia technology provides powerful visualization tools for petroleum system studies. The components of petroleum system development, most importantly generation, migration and trap development typically span periods of tens to hundreds of millions of years. The ability to animate spatial data over time provides an insightful alternative for studying the development of processes which are only captured in {open_quotes}snapshots{close_quotes} by static maps. New multimedia-authoring software provides this temporal dimension. The ability to record this data on CD-ROMs and allow user- interactivity further leverages the combination of spatial data bases, tabular data bases and time-based animations. The example used for this study was the Bazhenov-Neocomian petroleum system of West Siberia.« less

Visualizing petroleum systems with a combination of GIS and multimedia technologies: An example from the West Siberia Basin

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Walsh, D.B.; Grace, J.D.

1996-01-01

Petroleum system studies provide an ideal application for the combination of Geographic Information System (GIS) and multimedia technologies. GIS technology is used to build and maintain the spatial and tabular data within the study region. Spatial data may comprise the zones of active source rocks and potential reservoir facies. Similarly, tabular data include the attendant source rock parameters (e.g. pyroloysis results, organic carbon content) and field-level exploration and production histories for the basin. Once the spatial and tabular data base has been constructed, GIS technology is useful in finding favorable exploration trends, such as zones of high organic content, maturemore » source rocks in positions adjacent to sealed, high porosity reservoir facies. Multimedia technology provides powerful visualization tools for petroleum system studies. The components of petroleum system development, most importantly generation, migration and trap development typically span periods of tens to hundreds of millions of years. The ability to animate spatial data over time provides an insightful alternative for studying the development of processes which are only captured in [open quotes]snapshots[close quotes] by static maps. New multimedia-authoring software provides this temporal dimension. The ability to record this data on CD-ROMs and allow user- interactivity further leverages the combination of spatial data bases, tabular data bases and time-based animations. The example used for this study was the Bazhenov-Neocomian petroleum system of West Siberia.« less

Integration of Jeddah Historical BIM and 3D GIS for Documentation and Restoration of Historical Monument

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baik, A.; Yaagoubi, R.; Boehm, J.

2015-08-01

This work outlines a new approach for the integration of 3D Building Information Modelling and the 3D Geographic Information System (GIS) to provide semantically rich models, and to get the benefits from both systems to help document and analyse cultural heritage sites. Our proposed framework is based on the Jeddah Historical Building Information Modelling process (JHBIM). This JHBIM consists of a Hijazi Architectural Objects Library (HAOL) that supports higher level of details (LoD) while decreasing the time of modelling. The Hijazi Architectural Objects Library has been modelled based on the Islamic historical manuscripts and Hijazi architectural pattern books. Moreover, the HAOL is implemented using BIM software called Autodesk Revit. However, it is known that this BIM environment still has some limitations with the non-standard architectural objects. Hence, we propose to integrate the developed 3D JHBIM with 3D GIS for more advanced analysis. To do so, the JHBIM database is exported and semantically enriched with non-architectural information that is necessary for restoration and preservation of historical monuments. After that, this database is integrated with the 3D Model in the 3D GIS solution. At the end of this paper, we'll illustrate our proposed framework by applying it to a Historical Building called Nasif Historical House in Jeddah. First of all, this building is scanned by the use of a Terrestrial Laser Scanner (TLS) and Close Range Photogrammetry. Then, the 3D JHBIM based on the HOAL is designed on Revit Platform. Finally, this model is integrated to a 3D GIS solution through Autodesk InfraWorks. The shown analysis presented in this research highlights the importance of such integration especially for operational decisions and sharing the historical knowledge about Jeddah Historical City. Furthermore, one of the historical buildings in Old Jeddah, Nasif Historical House, was chosen as a test case for the project.

Depth data research of GIS based on clustering analysis algorithm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xiong, Yan; Xu, Wenli

2018-03-01

The data of GIS have spatial distribution. Geographic data has both spatial characteristics and attribute characteristics, and also changes with time. Therefore, the amount of data is very large. Nowadays, many industries and departments in the society are using GIS. However, without proper data analysis and mining scheme, GIS will not exert its maximum effectiveness and will waste a lot of data. In this paper, we use the geographic information demand of a national security department as the experimental object, combining the characteristics of GIS data, taking into account the characteristics of time, space, attributes and so on, and using cluster analysis algorithm. We further study the mining scheme for depth data, and get the algorithm model. This algorithm can automatically classify sample data, and then carry out exploratory analysis. The research shows that the algorithm model and the information mining scheme can quickly find hidden depth information from the surface data of GIS, thus improving the efficiency of the security department. This algorithm can also be extended to other fields.

A GIS-based approach for identifying potential runoff harvesting sites in the Thukela River basin, South Africa

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

de Winnaar, G.; Jewitt, G. P. W.; Horan, M.

Water scarce countries such as South Africa are subject to various hydrological constraints which can often be attributed to poor rainfall partitioning, particularly within resource poor farming communities that are reliant on rainfed agriculture. Recent initiatives to address this have shifted focus to explore more efficient alternatives to water supply and the recognition of numerous opportunities to implement runoff harvesting as a means to supplement water availability. However, increasing the implementation of runoff harvesting, without encountering unintended impacts on downstream hydrological and ecological systems, requires better understanding of the hydrologic and environmental impacts at catchment scale. In this paper the representation of spatial variations in landscape characteristics such as soil, land use, rainfall and slope information is shown to be an important step in identifying potential runoff harvesting sites, after which modelling the hydrological response in catchments where extensive runoff harvesting is being considered can be performed and likely impacts assessed. Geographic information systems (GIS) was utilised as an integrating tool to store, analyse and manage spatial information and when linked to hydrological response models, provided a rational means to facilitate decision making by providing catchment level identification, planning and assessment of runoff harvesting sites as illustrated by a case study at the Potshini catchment, a small sub-catchment in the Thukela River basin, South Africa. Through the linked GIS, potential runoff harvesting sites are identified relative to areas that concentrate runoff and where the stored water will be appropriately distributed. Based on GIS analysis it was found that 17% percent of the Potshini catchment area has a high potential for generating surface runoff, whereas an analysis of all factors which influence the location of such systems, shows that 18% is highly suitable for runoff harvesting. Details of the spatially explicit method that was adopted in this paper are provided and output from the integrated GIS modelling system is presented using suitability maps. It is concluded that providing an accurate spatial representation of the runoff generation potential within a catchment is an important step in developing a strategic runoff harvesting plan for any catchment.

[Establishment of comprehensive prediction model of acute gastrointestinal injury classification of critically ill patients].

PubMed

Wang, Yan; Wang, Jianrong; Liu, Weiwei; Zhang, Guangliang

2018-03-25

To develop the comprehensive prediction model of acute gastrointestinal injury (AGI) grades of critically ill patients. From April 2015 to November 2015, the binary channel gastrointestinal sounds (GIS) monitor system which has been developed and verified by the research group was used to gather and analyze the GIS of 60 consecutive critically ill patients who were admitted in Critical Care Medicine of Chinese PLA General Hospital. Also, the AGI grades (Grande I(-IIII(, the higher the level, the heavier the gastrointestinal dysfunction) were evaluated. Meanwhile, the clinical data and physiological and biochemical indexes of included patients were collected and recorded daily, including illness severity score (APACHE II( score, consisting of the acute physiology score, age grade and chronic health evaluation), sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA score, including respiration, coagulation, liver, cardioascular, central nervous system and kidney) and Glasgow coma scale (GCS); body mass index, blood lactate and glucose, and treatment details (including mechanical ventilation, sedatives, vasoactive drugs, enteral nutrition, etc.) Then principal component analysis was performed on the significantly correlated GIS (five indexes of gastrointestinal sounds were found to be negatively correlated with AGI grades, which included the number, percentage of time, mean power, maximum power and maximum time of GIS wave from the channel located at the stomach) and clinical factors after standardization. The top 5 post-normalized main components were selected for back-propagation (BP) neural network training, to establish comprehensive AGI grades models of critically ill patients based on the neural network model. The 60 patients aged 19 to 98 (mean 54.6) years and included 42 males (70.0%). There were 22 cases of multiple fractures, 15 cases of severe infection, 7 cases of cervical vertebral fracture, 7 cases of aortic repair, 5 cases of post-toxicosis and 4 cases of cerebral trauma. There were 33 emergency operation, 10 cases of elecoperectomy and 17 cases of drug treatment. There were 56 cases of diabetes(93.3%). Forty-five cases (75.0%) used vasoactive drugs, 37 cases (61.7%) used mechanical ventilation and 44 cases (73.3%) used enteral nutrition. APACHE II( score were 4.0 to 28.0(average 16.8) points. Four clinical factors were significantly positively related with AGI grades, including lactic acid level (r=0.215, P=0.000), SOFA score (r=0.383, P=0.000), the use of vascular active drugs (r=0.611, P=0.000) and mechanical ventilation (r=0.142, P=0.014). In addition to the five indexes of gastric bowel sounds which were found to be negatively correlated with AGI grades, the characteristics of 333 by 9 were composed of these nine indexes with high correlation of AGI grades. Five main components were selected after principal component analysis of these nine correlated indexes. A comprehensive AGI grades model of critically ill patients with a fitting degree of 0.967 3 and an accuracy rate of 82.61% was built by BP artificial neural network. The comprehensive model to classify AGI grades with the GIS is developed, which can help further predicting the classification of AGI grades of critically ill patients.

[Regulation framework of watershed landscape pattern for non-point source pollution control based on 'source-sink' theory: A case study in the watershed of Maluan Bay, Xiamen City, China].

PubMed

Huang, Ning; Wang, Hong Ying; Lin, Tao; Liu, Qi Ming; Huang, Yun Feng; Li, Jian Xiong

2016-10-01

Watershed landscape pattern regulation and optimization based on 'source-sink' theory for non-point source pollution control is a cost-effective measure and still in the exploratory stage. Taking whole watershed as the research object, on the basis of landscape ecology, related theories and existing research results, a regulation framework of watershed landscape pattern for non-point source pollution control was developed at two levels based on 'source-sink' theory in this study: 1) at watershed level: reasonable basic combination and spatial pattern of 'source-sink' landscape was analyzed, and then holistic regulation and optimization method of landscape pattern was constructed; 2) at landscape patch level: key 'source' landscape was taken as the focus of regulation and optimization. Firstly, four identification criteria of key 'source' landscape including landscape pollutant loading per unit area, landscape slope, long and narrow transfer 'source' landscape, pollutant loading per unit length of 'source' landscape along the riverbank were developed. Secondly, nine types of regulation and optimization methods for different key 'source' landscape in rural and urban areas were established, according to three regulation and optimization rules including 'sink' landscape inlay, banding 'sink' landscape supplement, pollutants capacity of original 'sink' landscape enhancement. Finally, the regulation framework was applied for the watershed of Maluan Bay in Xiamen City. Holistic regulation and optimization mode of watershed landscape pattern of Maluan Bay and key 'source' landscape regulation and optimization measures for the three zones were made, based on GIS technology, remote sensing images and DEM model.

Community-based Early Warning and Adaptive Response System (EWARS) for mosquito borne diseases: An open source/open community approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Babu, A. N.; Soman, B.; Niehaus, E.; Shah, J.; Sarda, N. L.; Ramkumar, P. S.; Unnithan, C.

2014-11-01

A variety of studies around the world have evaluated the use of remote sensing with and without GIS in communicable diseases. The ongoing Ebola epidemic has highlighted the risks that can arise for the global community from rapidly spreading diseases which may outpace attempts at control and eradication. This paper presents an approach to the development, deployment, validation and wide-spread adoption of a GIS-based temporo-spatial decision support system which is being collaboratively developed in open source/open community mode by an international group that came together under UN auspices. The group believes in an open source/open community approach to make the fruits of knowledge as widely accessible as possible. A core initiative of the groups is the EWARS project. It proposes to strengthen existing public health systems by the development and validation a model for a community based surveillance and response system which will initially address mosquito borne diseases in the developing world. At present mathematical modeling to support EWARS is at an advanced state, and it planned to embark on a pilot project

WebGIS based on semantic grid model and web services

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, WangFei; Yue, CaiRong; Gao, JianGuo

2009-10-01

As the combination point of the network technology and GIS technology, WebGIS has got the fast development in recent years. With the restriction of Web and the characteristics of GIS, traditional WebGIS has some prominent problems existing in development. For example, it can't accomplish the interoperability of heterogeneous spatial databases; it can't accomplish the data access of cross-platform. With the appearance of Web Service and Grid technology, there appeared great change in field of WebGIS. Web Service provided an interface which can give information of different site the ability of data sharing and inter communication. The goal of Grid technology was to make the internet to a large and super computer, with this computer we can efficiently implement the overall sharing of computing resources, storage resource, data resource, information resource, knowledge resources and experts resources. But to WebGIS, we only implement the physically connection of data and information and these is far from the enough. Because of the different understanding of the world, following different professional regulations, different policies and different habits, the experts in different field will get different end when they observed the same geographic phenomenon and the semantic heterogeneity produced. Since these there are large differences to the same concept in different field. If we use the WebGIS without considering of the semantic heterogeneity, we will answer the questions users proposed wrongly or we can't answer the questions users proposed. To solve this problem, this paper put forward and experienced an effective method of combing semantic grid and Web Services technology to develop WebGIS. In this paper, we studied the method to construct ontology and the method to combine Grid technology and Web Services and with the detailed analysis of computing characteristics and application model in the distribution of data, we designed the WebGIS query system driven by ontology based on Grid technology and Web Services.

Albany case study : indirect land use and growth impacts

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1999-02-01

To improve environmental analysis of indirect land use impacts of highway capacity improvements, this study analyzed the land use and growth patterns of 20 Oregon communities over 20 years. Using a Geographic Information System (GIS) and aerial photo...

Review of Spatial-Database System Usability: Recommendations for the ADDNS Project

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-12-01

basic GIS background information , with a closer look at spatial databases. A GIS is also a computer- based system designed to capture, manage...foundation for deploying enterprise-wide spatial information systems . According to Oracle® [18], it enables accurate delivery of location- based services...Toronto TR 2007-141 Lanter, D.P. (1991). Design of a lineage- based meta-data base for GIS. Cartography and Geographic Information Systems , 18

GIS embedded hydrological modeling: the SID&GRID project

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Borsi, I.; Rossetto, R.; Schifani, C.

2012-04-01

The SID&GRID research project, started April 2010 and funded by Regione Toscana (Italy) under the POR FSE 2007-2013, aims to develop a Decision Support System (DSS) for water resource management and planning based on open source and public domain solutions. In order to quantitatively assess water availability in space and time and to support the planning decision processes, the SID&GRID solution consists of hydrological models (coupling 3D existing and newly developed surface- and ground-water and unsaturated zone modeling codes) embedded in a GIS interface, applications and library, where all the input and output data are managed by means of DataBase Management System (DBMS). A graphical user interface (GUI) to manage, analyze and run the SID&GRID hydrological models based on open source gvSIG GIS framework (Asociación gvSIG, 2011) and a Spatial Data Infrastructure to share and interoperate with distributed geographical data is being developed. Such a GUI is thought as a "master control panel" able to guide the user from pre-processing spatial and temporal data, running the hydrological models, and analyzing the outputs. To achieve the above-mentioned goals, the following codes have been selected and are being integrated: 1. Postgresql/PostGIS (PostGIS, 2011) for the Geo Data base Management System; 2. gvSIG with Sextante (Olaya, 2011) geo-algorithm library capabilities and Grass tools (GRASS Development Team, 2011) for the desktop GIS; 3. Geoserver and Geonetwork to share and discover spatial data on the web according to Open Geospatial Consortium; 4. new tools based on the Sextante GeoAlgorithm framework; 5. MODFLOW-2005 (Harbaugh, 2005) groundwater modeling code; 6. MODFLOW-LGR (Mehl and Hill 2005) for local grid refinement; 7. VSF (Thoms et al., 2006) for the variable saturated flow component; 8. new developed routines for overland flow; 9. new algorithms in Jython integrated in gvSIG to compute the net rainfall rate reaching the soil surface, as input for the unsaturated/saturated flow model. At this stage of the research (which will end April 2013), two primary components of the master control panel are being developed: i. a SID&GRID toolbar integrated into gvSIG map context; ii. a new Sextante set of geo-algorithm to pre- and post-process the spatial data to run the hydrological models. The groundwater part of the code has been fully integrated and tested and 3D visualization tools are being developed. The LGR capability has been extended to the 3D solution of the Richards' equation in order to solve in detail the unsaturated zone where required. To be updated about the project, please follow us at the website: http://ut11.isti.cnr.it/SIDGRID/

Simultaneous observation of auroral substorm onset in Polar satellite global images and ground-based all-sky images

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ieda, Akimasa; Kauristie, Kirsti; Nishimura, Yukitoshi; Miyashita, Yukinaga; Frey, Harald U.; Juusola, Liisa; Whiter, Daniel; Nosé, Masahito; Fillingim, Matthew O.; Honary, Farideh; Rogers, Neil C.; Miyoshi, Yoshizumi; Miura, Tsubasa; Kawashima, Takahiro; Machida, Shinobu

2018-05-01

Substorm onset has originally been defined as a longitudinally extended sudden auroral brightening (Akasofu initial brightening: AIB) followed a few minutes later by an auroral poleward expansion in ground-based all-sky images (ASIs). In contrast, such clearly marked two-stage development has not been evident in satellite-based global images (GIs). Instead, substorm onsets have been identified as localized sudden brightenings that expand immediately poleward. To resolve these differences, optical substorm onset signatures in GIs and ASIs are compared in this study for a substorm that occurred on December 7, 1999. For this substorm, the Polar satellite ultraviolet global imager was operated with a fixed-filter (170 nm) mode, enabling a higher time resolution (37 s) than usual to resolve the possible two-stage development. These data were compared with 20-s resolution green-line (557.7 nm) ASIs at Muonio in Finland. The ASIs revealed the AIB at 2124:50 UT and the subsequent poleward expansion at 2127:50 UT, whereas the GIs revealed only an onset brightening that started at 2127:49 UT. Thus, the onset in the GIs was delayed relative to the AIB and in fact agreed with the poleward expansion in the ASIs. The fact that the AIB was not evident in the GIs may be attributed to the limited spatial resolution of GIs for thin auroral arc brightenings. The implications of these results for the definition of substorm onset are discussed herein.[Figure not available: see fulltext.

Linking the Local Climate Zones and Land Surface Temperature to Investigate the Surface Urban Heat Island, a Case Study of San Antonio, Texas, U.S.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Chunhong

2018-04-01

The Local Climate Zones (LCZs) concept was initiated in 2012 to improve the documentation of Urban Heat Island (UHI) observations. Despite the indispensable role and initial aim of LCZs concept in metadata reporting for atmospheric UHI research, its role in surface UHI investigation also needs to be emphasized. This study incorporated LCZs concept to study surface UHI effect for San Antonio, Texas. LCZ map was developed by a GIS-based LCZs classification scheme with the aid of airborne Lidar dataset and other freely available GIS data. Then, the summer LST was calculated based Landsat imagery, which was used to analyse the relations between LST and LCZs and the statistical significance of the differences of LST among the typical LCZs, in order to test if LCZs are able to efficiently facilitate SUHI investigation. The linkage of LCZs and land surface temperature (LST) indicated that the LCZs mapping can be used to compare and investigate the SUHI. Most of the pairs of LCZs illustrated significant differences in average LSTs with considerable significance. The intra-urban temperature comparison among different urban classes contributes to investigate the influence of heterogeneous urban morphology on local climate formation.

A GIS-based human health risk assessment for urban green space planning--an example from Grugliasco (Italy).

PubMed

Poggio, Laura; Vrscaj, Borut

2009-11-15

The need to develop approaches for risk-based management of soil contamination, as well as the integration of the assessment of the human health risk (HHR) due to the soil contamination in the urban planning procedures has been the subject of recent attention of scientific literature and policy makers. The spatial analysis of environmental data offers multiple advantages for studying soil contamination and HHR assessment, facilitating the decision making process. The aim of this study was to explore the possibilities and benefits of spatial implementation of a quantitative HHR assessment methodology for a planning case in a typical urban environment where the soil is contaminated. The study area is located in the city of Grugliasco a part of the Turin (Italy) metropolitan area. The soils data were derived from a site specific soil survey and the land-use data from secondary sources. In the first step the soil contamination data were geo-statistically analysed and a spatial soil contamination data risk modelling procedure designed. In order to spatially assess the HHR computer routines were developed using GIS raster tools. The risk was evaluated for several different land uses for the planned naturalistic park area. The HHR assessment indicated that the contamination of soils with heavy metals in the area is not sufficient to induce considerable health problems due to typical human behaviour within the variety of urban land uses. An exception is the possibility of direct ingestion of contaminated soil which commonly occurs in playgrounds. The HHR evaluation in a planning case in the Grugliasco Municipality confirms the suitability of the selected planning option. The construction of the naturalistic park presents one solution for reducing the impacts of soil contamination on the health of citizens. The spatial HHR evaluation using GIS techniques is a diagnostic procedure for assessing the impacts of urban soil contamination, with which one can verify planning options, and provides an important step in the integration of human health protection within urban planning procedures.

Developing a middleware to support HDF data access in ArcGIS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, M.; Jiang, Y.; Yang, C. P.

2014-12-01

Hierarchical Data Format (HDF) is the standard data format for the NASA Earth Observing System (EOS) data products, like the MODIS level-3 data. These data have been widely used in long-term study of the land surface, biosphere, atmosphere, and oceans of the Earth. Several toolkits have been developed to access HDF data, such as the HDF viewer and Geospatial Data Abstraction Library (GDAL), etc. ArcGIS integrated the GDAL providing data user a Graphical User Interface (GUI) to read HDF data. However, there are still some problems when using the toolkits:for example, 1) the projection information is not recognized correctly, 2) the image is dispalyed inverted, and 3) the tool lacks of capability to read the third dimension information stored in the data subsets, etc. Accordingly, in this study we attempt to improve the current HDF toolkits to address the aformentioned issues. Considering the wide-usage of ArcGIS, we develop a middleware for ArcGIS based on GDAL to solve the particular data access problems happening in ArcGIS, so that data users can access HDF data successfully and perform further data analysis with the ArcGIS geoprocessing tools.

Quantitative risk assessment of listeriosis-associated deaths due to Listeria monocytogenes contamination of deli meats originating from manufacture and retail.

PubMed

Pradhan, Abani K; Ivanek, Renata; Gröhn, Yrjö T; Bukowski, Robert; Geornaras, Ifigenia; Sofos, John N; Wiedmann, Martin

2010-04-01

The objective of this study was to estimate the relative risk of listeriosis-associated deaths attributable to Listeria monocytogenes contamination in ham and turkey formulated without and with growth inhibitors (GIs). Two contamination scenarios were investigated: (i) prepackaged deli meats with contamination originating solely from manufacture at a frequency of 0.4% (based on reported data) and (ii) retail-sliced deli meats with contamination originating solely from retail at a frequency of 2.3% (based on reported data). Using a manufacture-to-consumption risk assessment with product-specific growth kinetic parameters (i.e., lag phase and exponential growth rate), reformulation with GIs was estimated to reduce human listeriosis deaths linked to ham and turkey by 2.8- and 9-fold, respectively, when contamination originated at manufacture and by 1.9- and 2.8-fold, respectively, for products contaminated at retail. Contamination originating at retail was estimated to account for 76 and 63% of listeriosis deaths caused by ham and turkey, respectively, when all products were formulated without GIs and for 83 and 84% of listeriosis deaths caused by ham and turkey, respectively, when all products were formulated with GIs. Sensitivity analyses indicated that storage temperature was the most important factor affecting the estimation of per annum relative risk. Scenario analyses suggested that reducing storage temperature in home refrigerators to consistently below 7 degrees C would greatly reduce the risk of human listeriosis deaths, whereas reducing storage time appeared to be less effective. Overall, our data indicate a critical need for further development and implementation of effective control strategies to reduce L. monocytogenes contamination at the retail level.

Evaluating terrain based criteria for snow avalanche exposure ratings using GIS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Delparte, Donna; Jamieson, Bruce; Waters, Nigel

2010-05-01

Snow avalanche terrain in backcountry regions of Canada is increasingly being assessed based upon the Avalanche Terrain Exposure Scale (ATES). ATES is a terrain based classification introduced in 2004 by Parks Canada to identify "simple", "challenging" and "complex" backcountry areas. The ATES rating system has been applied to well over 200 backcountry routes, has been used in guidebooks, trailhead signs and maps and is part of the trip planning component of the AVALUATOR™, a simple decision-support tool for backcountry users. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) offers a means to model and visualize terrain based criteria through the use of digital elevation model (DEM) and land cover data. Primary topographic variables such as slope, aspect and curvature are easily derived from a DEM and are compatible with the equivalent evaluation criteria in ATES. Other components of the ATES classification are difficult to extract from a DEM as they are not strictly terrain based. An overview is provided of the terrain variables that can be generated from DEM and land cover data; criteria from ATES which are not clearly terrain based are identified for further study or revision. The second component of this investigation was the development of an algorithm for inputting suitable ATES criteria into a GIS, thereby mimicking the process avalanche experts use when applying the ATES classification to snow avalanche terrain. GIS based classifications were compared to existing expert assessments for validity. The advantage of automating the ATES classification process through GIS is to assist avalanche experts with categorizing and mapping remote backcountry terrain.

Spatial problem-solving strategies of middle school students: Wayfinding with geographic information systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wigglesworth, John C.

2000-06-01

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) is a powerful computer software package that emphasizes the use of maps and the management of spatially referenced environmental data archived in a systems data base. Professional applications of GIS have been in place since the 1980's, but only recently has GIS gained significant attention in the K--12 classroom. Students using GIS are able to manipulate and query data in order to solve all manners of spatial problems. Very few studies have examined how this technological innovation can support classroom learning. In particular, there has been little research on how experience in using the software correlates with a child's spatial cognition and his/her ability to understand spatial relationships. This study investigates the strategies used by middle school students to solve a wayfinding (route-finding) problem using the ArcView GIS software. The research design combined an individual background questionnaire, results from the Group Assessment of Logical Thinking (GALT) test, and analysis of reflective think-aloud sessions to define the characteristics of the strategies students' used to solve this particular class of spatial problem. Three uniquely different spatial problem solving strategies were identified. Visual/Concrete Wayfinders used a highly visual strategy; Logical/Abstract Wayfinders used GIS software tools to apply a more analytical and systematic approach; Transitional Wayfinders used an approach that showed evidence of one that was shifting from a visual strategy to one that was more analytical. The triangulation of data sources indicates that this progression of wayfinding strategy can be correlated both to Piagetian stages of logical thought and to experience with the use of maps. These findings suggest that GIS teachers must be aware that their students' performance will lie on a continuum that is based on cognitive development, spatial ability, and prior experience with maps. To be most effective, GIS teaching strategies and curriculum development should also represent a progression that correlates to the learners' current skills and experience.

Factors controlling groundwater quality in the Yeonjegu District of Busan City, Korea, using the hydrogeochemical processes and fuzzy GIS.

PubMed

Venkatramanan, Senapathi; Chung, Sang Yong; Selvam, Sekar; Lee, Seung Yeop; Elzain, Hussam Eldin

2017-10-01

The hydrogeochemical processes and fuzzy GIS techniques were used to evaluate the groundwater quality in the Yeonjegu district of Busan Metropolitan City, Korea. The highest concentrations of major ions were mainly related to the local geology. The seawater intrusion into the river water and municipal contaminants were secondary contamination sources of groundwater in the study area. Factor analysis represented the contamination sources of the mineral dissolution of the host rocks and domestic influences. The Gibbs plot exhibited that the major ions were derived from the rock weathering condition. Piper's trilinear diagram showed that the groundwater quality was classified into five types of CaHCO 3 , NaHCO 3 , NaCl, CaCl 2 , and CaSO 4 types in that order. The ionic relationship and the saturation mineral index of the ions indicated that the evaporation, dissolution, and precipitation processes controlled the groundwater chemistry. The fuzzy GIS map showed that highly contaminated groundwater occurred in the northeastern and the central parts and that the groundwater of medium quality appeared in most parts of the study area. It suggested that the groundwater quality of the study area was influenced by local geology, seawater intrusion, and municipal contaminants. This research clearly demonstrated that the geochemical analyses and fuzzy GIS method were very useful to identify the contaminant sources and the location of good groundwater quality.

Utilizing Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to analyze geographic and demographic patterns related to forensic case recovery locations in Florida.

PubMed

Kolpan, Katharine E; Warren, Michael

2017-12-01

This paper highlights how Geographic Information Systems (GIS) can be utilized to analyze biases and patterns related to physical and cultural geography in Florida. Using case recovery locations from the C. Addison Pound Human Identification Laboratory (CAPHIL), results indicate that the majority of CAPHIL cases are recovered from urban areas with medium to low population density and low rates of crime. The results also suggest that more accurate record keeping methods would enhance the data. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Geographic Model and Biomarker-Derived Measures of Pesticide Exposure and Parkinson’s Disease

PubMed Central

RITZ, BEATE; COSTELLO, SADIE

2013-01-01

For more than two decades, reports have suggested that pesticides and herbicides may be an etiologic factor in idiopathic Parkinson’s disease (PD). To date, no clear associations with any specific pesticide have been demonstrated from epidemiological studies perhaps, in part, because methods of reliably estimating exposures are lacking. We tested the validity of a Geographic Information Systems (GIS)-based exposure assessment model that estimates potential environmental exposures at residences from pesticide applications to agricultural crops based on California Pesticide Use Reports (PUR). Using lipid-adjusted dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (DDE) serum levels as the “gold standard” for pesticide exposure, we conducted a validation study in a sample taken from an ongoing, population-based case–control study of PD in Central California. Residential, occupational, and other risk factor data were collected for 22 cases and 24 controls from Kern county, California. Environmental GIS–PUR-based organochlorine (OC) estimates were derived for each subject and compared to lipid-adjusted DDE serum levels. Relying on a linear regression model, we predicted log-transformed lipid-adjusted DDE serum levels. GIS–PUR-derived OC measure, body mass index, age, gender, mixing and loading pesticides by hand, and using pesticides in the home, together explained 47% of the DDE serum level variance (adjusted r2 = 0.47). The specificity of using our environmental GIS–PUR-derived OC measures to identify those with high-serum DDE levels was reasonably good (87%). Our environmental GIS–PUR-based approach appears to provide a valid model for assessing residential exposures to agricultural pesticides. PMID:17119217

Integrating knowledge-based multi-criteria evaluation techniques with GIS for landfill site selection: A case study using AHP

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fagbohun, B. J.; Aladejana, O. O.

2016-09-01

A major challenge in most growing urban areas of developing countries, without a pre-existing land use plan is the sustainable and efficient management of solid wastes. Siting a landfill is a complicated task because of several environmental regulations. This challenge gives birth to the need to develop efficient strategies for the selection of proper waste disposal sites in accordance with all existing environmental regulations. This paper presents a knowledge-based multi-criteria decision analysis using GIS for the selection of suitable landfill site in Ado-Ekiti, Nigeria. In order to identify suitable sites for landfill, seven factors - land use/cover, geology, river, soil, slope, lineament and roads - were taken into consideration. Each factor was classified and ranked based on prior knowledge about the area and existing guidelines. Weights for each factor were determined through pair-wise comparison using Saaty's 9 point scale and AHP. The integration of factors according to their weights using weighted index overlay analysis revealed that 39.23 km2 within the area was suitable to site a landfill. The resulting suitable area was classified as high suitability covering 6.47 km2 (16.49%), moderate suitability 25.48 km2 (64.95%) and low suitability 7.28 km2 (18.56%) based on their overall weights.

Integrating Online GIS into the K-12 Curricula: Lessons from the Development of a Collaborative GIS in Michigan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Henry, Paul; Semple, Hugh

2012-01-01

GIS has shown promise in Project Based Learning (PBL) environments, but many obstacles exist in its integration into school curriculums. This article discusses the development and utilization of an online GIS tool that was created to illustrate that the perceptual gap between relevance and ease of use of GIS software can be bridged at the K-12…

Paraoxonase 1 (PON1), agricultural organophosphate exposure, and Parkinson disease

PubMed Central

Manthripragada, Angelika D.; Costello, Sadie; Cockburn, Myles G.; Bronstein, Jeff M.; Ritz, Beate

2011-01-01

Background Human, animal and cell models support a role for pesticides in the etiology of Parkinson disease. Susceptibility to pesticides may be modified by genetic variants of xenobiotic enzymes, such as paraoxonase, that play a role in metabolizing some organophosphates. Methods We examined associations between Parkinson disease and the organophosphates diazinon, chlorpyrifos, and parathion, and the influence of a functional polymorphism at position 55 in the coding region of the PON1 gene (PON1-55). From 1 January 2001 through 1 January 2008, we recruited 351 incident cases and 363 controls from three rural California counties in a population-based case-control study. Participants provided a DNA sample, and residential exposure to organophosphates was determined from pesticide usage reports and a geographic information system (GIS) approach. We assessed the main effects of both genes and pesticides in unconditional logistic regression analyses, and evaluated the effect of carrying a PON1-55 MM variant on estimates of effects for diazinon, chlorpyrifos, and parathion exposures. Results Carriers of the variant MM PON1-55 genotype exposed to organophosphates exhibited a greater than 2-fold increase in Parkinson disease risk compared with persons who had the wildtype or heterozygous genotype and no exposure (for diazinon, odds ratio = 2.2 [95% confidence interval = 1.1–4.5]; for chlorpyrifos, 2.6 [1.3–5.4]). The effect estimate for chlorpyrifos, was more pronounced in younger-onset cases and controls (≤60 years) (5.3 [1.7–16]). No increase in risk was noted for parathion. Conclusion The increase in risk we observed among PON1-55 variant carriers for specific organophosphates metabolized by PON1 underscores the importance of considering susceptibility factors when studying environmental exposures in Parkinson disease. PMID:19907334

Influence of Topographic and Hydrographic Factors on the Spatial Distribution of Leptospirosis Disease in São Paulo County, Brazil: An Approach Using Geospatial Techniques and GIS Analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ferreira, M. C.; Ferreira, M. F. M.

2016-06-01

Leptospirosis is a zoonosis caused by Leptospira genus bacteria. Rodents, especially Rattus norvegicus, are the most frequent hosts of this microorganism in the cities. The human transmission occurs by contact with urine, blood or tissues of the rodent and contacting water or mud contaminated by rodent urine. Spatial patterns of concentration of leptospirosis are related to the multiple environmental and socioeconomic factors, like housing near flooding areas, domestic garbage disposal sites and high-density of peoples living in slums located near river channels. We used geospatial techniques and geographical information system (GIS) to analysing spatial relationship between the distribution of leptospirosis cases and distance from rivers, river density in the census sector and terrain slope factors, in Sao Paulo County, Brazil. To test this methodology we used a sample of 183 geocoded leptospirosis cases confirmed in 2007, ASTER GDEM2 data, hydrography and census sectors shapefiles. Our results showed that GIS and geospatial analysis techniques improved the mapping of the disease and permitted identify the spatial pattern of association between location of cases and spatial distribution of the environmental variables analyzed. This study showed also that leptospirosis cases might be more related to the census sectors located on higher river density areas and households situated at shorter distances from rivers. In the other hand, it was not possible to assert that slope terrain contributes significantly to the location of leptospirosis cases.

USE OF GIS AND ANCILLARY VARIABLES TO PREDICT VOLATILE ORGANIC COMPOUND AND NITROGEN DIOXIDE LEVELS AT UNMONITORED LOCATIONS

EPA Science Inventory

This paper presents a GIS-based regression spatial method, known as land-use regression (LUR) modeling, to estimate ambient air pollution exposures used in the EPA El Paso Children's Health Study. Passive measurements of select volatile organic compounds (VOC) and nitrogen dioxi...

Use of Satellite Remote Sensing Data in the Mapping of Global Landslide Susceptibility

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hong, Yang; Adler, Robert F.; Huffman, George J.

2007-01-01

Satellite remote sensing data has significant potential use in analysis of natural hazards such as landslides. Relying on the recent advances in satellite remote sensing and geographic information system (GIS) techniques, this paper aims to map landslide susceptibility over most of the globe using a GIs-based weighted linear combination method. First , six relevant landslide-controlling factors are derived from geospatial remote sensing data and coded into a GIS system. Next, continuous susceptibility values from low to high are assigned to each of the six factors. Second, a continuous scale of a global landslide susceptibility index is derived using GIS weighted linear combination based on each factor's relative significance to the process of landslide occurrence (e.g., slope is the most important factor, soil types and soil texture are also primary-level parameters, while elevation, land cover types, and drainage density are secondary in importance). Finally, the continuous index map is further classified into six susceptibility categories. Results show the hot spots of landslide-prone regions include the Pacific Rim, the Himalayas and South Asia, Rocky Mountains, Appalachian Mountains, Alps, and parts of the Middle East and Africa. India, China, Nepal, Japan, the USA, and Peru are shown to have landslide-prone areas. This first-cut global landslide susceptibility map forms a starting point to provide a global view of landslide risks and may be used in conjunction with satellite-based precipitation information to potentially detect areas with significant landslide potential due to heavy rainfall. 1

Paleo-environment Simulation using GIS based on Shell Mounds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Uchiyama, T.; Asanuma, I.; Harada, E.

2016-02-01

Paleo-coastlines are simulated using the geographic information system (GIS) based on the shell mounds as the paleo-environment in the Tsubaki-no-umi, Ocean of Camellia in Japanese, the paleo-ocean, in Japan. The shell mounds, which are introduced in the paleo-study in the class history in junior and senior high, are used to estimate the paleo-coastlines. The paleo-coastlines are simulated as the function of sea levels relative to the current sea level for 6000 to 3000 BP on the digital elevation map of the GIS. The polygon of the simulated sea level height of 10 m extracted the shell mounds during 6000 to 5500 BP as the result of the spatial operation, and exhibited the consistency with the previous studies. The simulated sea level height of 5.5 m showed the paleo-coastline during 3600 to 3220 BP, while the Tsubaki-no-Umiturned into the brackish water lake, partly isolated from the ocean. The simulation of sea levels with GIS could be implemented to the class in the junior and senior high school with minimum efforts of teachers with the available computer and software environments.

GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEMS IN ENVIRONMENTAL ENFORCEMENT

EPA Science Inventory

GIS has become a common tool in environmental management and enforcement. Only in the last few years, however, has the technology come into use directly by litigators working on environmental cases. This presentation explores how GIS is being used in law firms to manage and sup...

3D subsurface geological modeling using GIS, remote sensing, and boreholes data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kavoura, Katerina; Konstantopoulou, Maria; Kyriou, Aggeliki; Nikolakopoulos, Konstantinos G.; Sabatakakis, Nikolaos; Depountis, Nikolaos

2016-08-01

The current paper presents the combined use of geological-geotechnical insitu data, remote sensing data and GIS techniques for the evaluation of a subsurface geological model. High accuracy Digital Surface Model (DSM), airphotos mosaic and satellite data, with a spatial resolution of 0.5m were used for an othophoto base map compilation of the study area. Geological - geotechnical data obtained from exploratory boreholes and the 1:5000 engineering geological maps were digitized and implemented in a GIS platform for a three - dimensional subsurface model evaluation. The study is located at the North part of Peloponnese along the new national road.

Using a Web-based GIS to Teach Problem-based Science in High School and College

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Metzger, E.; Lenkeit Meezan, , K. A.; Schmidt, C.; Taketa, R.; Carter, J.; Iverson, R.

2008-12-01

Foothill College has partnered with San Jose State University to bring GIS web mapping technology to the high school and college classroom. The project consists of two parts. In the first part, Foothill and San Jose State University have teamed up to offer classes on building and maintaining Web based Geographic Information Systems (GIS). Web-based GIS such as Google Maps, MapQuest and Yahoo Maps have become ubiquitous, and the skills to build and maintain these systems are in high demand from many employers. In the second part of the project, high school students will be able to learn about Web GIS as a real world tool used by scientists. The students in the Foothill College/San Jose State class will build their Web GIS using scientific data related to the San Francisco/San Joaquin Delta region, with a focus on watersheds, biodiversity and earthquake hazards. This project includes high school level curriculum development that will tie in to No Child Left Behind and National Curriculum Standards in both Science and Geography, and provide workshops for both pre-and in- service teachers in the use of Web GIS-driven course material in the high school classroom. The project will bring the work of professional scientists into any high school classroom with an internet connection; while simultaneously providing workforce training in high demand technology based jobs.

The relationship between second-to-fourth digit ratio and female gender identity.

PubMed

Hisasue, Shin-Ichi; Sasaki, Shoko; Tsukamoto, Taiji; Horie, Shigeo

2012-11-01

Gender identity and the second-to-fourth finger length ratio (2D : 4D) are discriminative between the sexes. However, the relationship between 2D : 4D and gender identity disorder (GID) is still controversial. The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between 2D : 4D and score on the Gender Identity Scale (GIS) in female-to-male (FtM) GID subjects. Thirty-seven GID-FtM with testosterone replacement therapy from our clinic were included in this study. As controls, 20 male and 20 female volunteers participated from our institution (medical doctors and nurses). We photocopied left and right hands of the participants and measured the second and fourth finger lengths. Gender identity was measured with the GIS. 2D : 4D digit ratio and GIS in male, female, and GID-FtM subjects. The 2D : 4D (mean ± standard deviation) in male, female, and GID-FtM were 0.945 ± 0.029, 0.999 ± 0.035, and 0.955 ± 0.029 in right hand and 0.941 ± 0.024, 0.979 ± 0.040, and 0.954 ± 0.036 in left hand, respectively. The 2D : 4D was significantly lower in male controls in both hands and GID-FtM in the right hand than in female controls (P < 0.05, analysis of variance). Multiple linear regression analysis revealed that "consistent gender identity" score in the higher domain in GIS and "persistent gender identity" score in the lower domain are statistically significant variables correlating with 2D : 4D in the right hands among biological females. The finger length ratio 2D : 4D in GID-FtM was significantly lower than in female controls in the right hand in this study. 2D : 4D showed a positive correlation with GIS score. Because 2D : 4D influences are assumed to be established in early life and to reflect testosterone exposure, our results suggest a relationship between GID-FtM and perinatal testosterone. © 2012 International Society for Sexual Medicine.

Greenland Ice Sheet Melt from MODIS and Associated Atmospheric Variability

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hakkinen, Sirpa; Hall, Dorothy K.; Shuman, Christopher A.; Worthen, Denise L.; DiGirolamo, Nicolo E.

2014-01-01

Daily June-July melt fraction variations over the Greenland Ice Sheet (GIS) derived from the MODerate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) (2000-2013) are associated with atmospheric blocking forming an omega-shape ridge over the GIS at 500hPa height (from NCEPNCAR). Blocking activity with a range of time scales, from synoptic waves breaking poleward ( 5 days) to full-fledged blocks (5 days), brings warm subtropical air masses over the GIS controlling daily surface temperatures and melt. The temperature anomaly of these subtropical air mass intrusions is also important for melting. Based on the largest MODIS melt years (2002 and 2012), the area-average temperature anomaly of 2 standard deviations above the 14-year June-July mean, results in a melt fraction of 40 or more. Summer 2007 had the most blocking days, however atmospheric temperature anomalies were too small to instigate extreme melting.

Geothermal Potential Based on Physical Characteristics of the Region (Case Study: Mount Karang, Pandeglang Regency and Banten Province)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Russel, Fhillipo; Damayanti, Astrid; Pin, Tjiong Giok

2018-02-01

This research is about geothermal potential of Mount Karang, Banten Province which is based on the characteristics of the region. This research method used is geochemistry sample of hot springs and integrated with GIS method for spatial of geothermal potential. Based on the geothermal potential, Mount Karang is divided into three regions, ie high potential, normal potential, and low potential. The high geothermal potential region covers an area of 24.16 Km2 and which there are Cisolong and Banjar 2 hot springs. The normal potential covers Kawah hot spring. Index of the fault of Mount Karang region is one of the significant physical characteristics to determine geothermal potential.

Analysis of Ground Water Fluoride Content and its Association with Prevalence of Fluorosis in Zarand/Kerman: (Using GIS).

PubMed

T, Malek Mohammadi; R, Derakhshani; M, Tavallaie; M, Raoof; N, Hasheminejad; Aa, Haghdoost

2017-06-01

The concentration of fluoride in water is usually higher in areas around the coal mines. Zarand region in the south-east of Iran is known for its coal mines. Some studies have shown the high prevalence of fluorosis and some studies reported high levels of fluoride in the region. This study aimed to use Geographic Information System (GIS) to assess the relationship between water fluoride content and the prevalence of fluorosis and its spatial distribution in Zarand region. This cross-sectional study aimed to recruit 550 people aged 7-40 years in Zarand. Dental examination for fluorosis was conducted based on the Dean's Index. The level of fluoride in the water was determined in samples of water taken from 35 areas. Information on fluorosis and fluoride content was mapped on GIS. Most participants lived in rural areas (87.25%) and had an educational status of high school level (66%). About 23% of the examined people had normal teeth, 10% had severe and 67% had mild to moderate fluorosis. Distribution of severe fluorosis was higher in areas with higher levels of fluoride in the water according to GIS map. GIS map clearly showed a positive relationship between the prevalence and severity of fluorosis with the level of fluoride in water in Zarand. The GIS analysis may be useful in the analysis of other oral conditions.

GIS-based rare events logistic regression for mineral prospectivity mapping

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xiong, Yihui; Zuo, Renguang

2018-02-01

Mineralization is a special type of singularity event, and can be considered as a rare event, because within a specific study area the number of prospective locations (1s) are considerably fewer than the number of non-prospective locations (0s). In this study, GIS-based rare events logistic regression (RELR) was used to map the mineral prospectivity in the southwestern Fujian Province, China. An odds ratio was used to measure the relative importance of the evidence variables with respect to mineralization. The results suggest that formations, granites, and skarn alterations, followed by faults and aeromagnetic anomaly are the most important indicators for the formation of Fe-related mineralization in the study area. The prediction rate and the area under the curve (AUC) values show that areas with higher probability have a strong spatial relationship with the known mineral deposits. Comparing the results with original logistic regression (OLR) demonstrates that the GIS-based RELR performs better than OLR. The prospectivity map obtained in this study benefits the search for skarn Fe-related mineralization in the study area.

Rainfall-runoff modeling of the Chapel Branch Creek Watershed using GIS-based rational and SCS-CN methods

Treesearch

Elizabeth N. Mihalik; Norm S. Levine; Devendra M. Amatya

2008-01-01

Chapel Branch Creek (CBC), located within the Town of Santee adjacent to Lake Marion in Orangeburg County, SC, is listed on the SC 2004 303(d) list of impaired waterbodies due to elevated levels of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), chlorophyll-a, and pH. In this study, using a GIS-based approach, two runoff modeling methods, the Rational and SCS-CN methods, have been...

Gis-Based Accessibility Analysis of Urban Emergency Shelters: the Case of Adana City

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Unal, M.; Uslu, C.

2016-10-01

Accessibility analysis of urban emergency shelters can help support urban disaster prevention planning. Pre-disaster emergency evacuation zoning has become a significant topic on disaster prevention and mitigation research. In this study, we assessed the level of serviceability of urban emergency shelters within maximum capacity, usability, sufficiency and a certain walking time limit by employing spatial analysis techniques of GIS-Network Analyst. The methodology included the following aspects: the distribution analysis of emergency evacuation demands, the calculation of shelter space accessibility and the optimization of evacuation destinations. This methodology was applied to Adana, a city in Turkey, which is located within the Alpine-Himalayan orogenic system, the second major earthquake belt after the Pacific-Belt. It was found that the proposed methodology could be useful in aiding to understand the spatial distribution of urban emergency shelters more accurately and establish effective future urban disaster prevention planning. Additionally, this research provided a feasible way for supporting emergency management in terms of shelter construction, pre-disaster evacuation drills and rescue operations.

Development of a web application for water resources based on open source software

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Delipetrev, Blagoj; Jonoski, Andreja; Solomatine, Dimitri P.

2014-01-01

This article presents research and development of a prototype web application for water resources using latest advancements in Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), open source software and web GIS. The web application has three web services for: (1) managing, presenting and storing of geospatial data, (2) support of water resources modeling and (3) water resources optimization. The web application is developed using several programming languages (PhP, Ajax, JavaScript, Java), libraries (OpenLayers, JQuery) and open source software components (GeoServer, PostgreSQL, PostGIS). The presented web application has several main advantages: it is available all the time, it is accessible from everywhere, it creates a real time multi-user collaboration platform, the programing languages code and components are interoperable and designed to work in a distributed computer environment, it is flexible for adding additional components and services and, it is scalable depending on the workload. The application was successfully tested on a case study with concurrent multi-users access.

Spatial predictive mapping using artificial neural networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Noack, S.; Knobloch, A.; Etzold, S. H.; Barth, A.; Kallmeier, E.

2014-11-01

The modelling or prediction of complex geospatial phenomena (like formation of geo-hazards) is one of the most important tasks for geoscientists. But in practice it faces various difficulties, caused mainly by the complexity of relationships between the phenomena itself and the controlling parameters, as well by limitations of our knowledge about the nature of physical/ mathematical relationships and by restrictions regarding accuracy and availability of data. In this situation methods of artificial intelligence, like artificial neural networks (ANN) offer a meaningful alternative modelling approach compared to the exact mathematical modelling. In the past, the application of ANN technologies in geosciences was primarily limited due to difficulties to integrate it into geo-data processing algorithms. In consideration of this background, the software advangeo® was developed to provide a normal GIS user with a powerful tool to use ANNs for prediction mapping and data preparation within his standard ESRI ArcGIS environment. In many case studies, such as land use planning, geo-hazards analysis and prevention, mineral potential mapping, agriculture & forestry advangeo® has shown its capabilities and strengths. The approach is able to add considerable value to existing data.

Access to dialysis services: A systematic mapping review based on geographical information systems.

PubMed

Hoseini, Benyamin; Bagheri, Nasser; Kiani, Behzad; Azizi, Amirabbas; Tabesh, Hamed; Tara, Mahmood

2018-05-07

Equitable access to healthcare services constitutes one of the leading priorities of healthcare provision and access to dialysis services (ADS) has an essential impact on patients depending on renal dialysis. The many existing GIS-based ADS evaluations include various spatial and non-spatial factors affecting ADS. We systematically mapped and reviewed the available literature with reference to this area identifying gaps in current GIS-based ADS measurements and developing recommendations for future studies. A threestep, systematic mapping review of the available GIS-related evidence in PubMed, Embase, Web of science, Scopus, Science Direct and IEEE Xplore was performed in May 2016 and the information collected updated October 2017 by two independent selection processes. The quality of the studies was assessed using an informal, mixed-approach scoring system. Out of 1119 literature references identified, 36 were identified and used for final review after removal of duplicates, study screenings and applying inclusion/exclusion criteria. Given the contents of the selected studies, three study groups were identified and 41 factors with potential effects on ADS determined. These studies mainly addressed the potential and/or spatial aspects of ADS. Our systematic mapping review of the evidence revealed that current GIS-based measures of ADS tend to calculate potential ADS instead of a realized one. It was also noted that listed factors affecting ADS were mainly nonspatial bringing forth the hypothesis that designing an integrated ADS index could possibly produce better ADS score than those currently advocated. Some primary and secondary research suggestions are made and a list of recommendations offered.

Using a Web GIS Plate Tectonics Simulation to Promote Geospatial Thinking

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bodzin, Alec M.; Anastasio, David; Sharif, Rajhida; Rutzmoser, Scott

2016-01-01

Learning with Web-based geographic information system (Web GIS) can promote geospatial thinking and analysis of georeferenced data. Web GIS can enable learners to analyze rich data sets to understand spatial relationships that are managed in georeferenced data visualizations. We developed a Web GIS plate tectonics simulation as a capstone learning…

Format conversion between CAD data and GIS data based on ArcGIS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xie, Qingqing; Wei, Bo; Zhang, Kailin; Wang, Zhichao

2015-12-01

To make full use of the data resources and realize a sharing for the different types of data in different industries, a method of format conversion between CAD data and GIS data based on ArcGIS was proposed. To keep the integrity of the converted data, some key steps to process CAD data before conversion were made in AutoCAD. For examples, deleting unnecessary elements such as title, border and legend avoided the appearance of unnecessary elements after conversion, as layering data again by a national standard avoided the different types of elements to appear in a same layer after conversion. In ArcGIS, converting CAD data to GIS data was executed by the correspondence of graphic element classification between AutoCAD and ArcGIS. In addition, an empty geographic database and feature set was required to create in ArcGIS for storing the text data of CAD data. The experimental results show that the proposed method avoids a large amount of editing work in data conversion and maintains the integrity of spatial data and attribute data between before and after conversion.

Internet-based monitoring of influenza-like illness (ILI) in the general population of the Netherlands during the 2003-2004 influenza season.

PubMed

Marquet, Richard L; Bartelds, Aad I M; van Noort, Sander P; Koppeschaar, Carl E; Paget, John; Schellevis, François G; van der Zee, Jouke

2006-10-04

An internet-based survey of influenza-like illness (ILI)--the Great Influenza Survey or GIS--was launched in the Netherlands in the 2003-2004 influenza season. The aim of the present study was to validate the representativeness of the GIS population and to compare the GIS data with the official ILI data obtained by Dutch GPs participating in the Dutch Sentinel Practice Network. Direct mailings to schools and universities, and repeated interviews on television and radio, and in newspapers were used to kindle the enthusiasm of a broad section of the public for GIS. Strict symptomatic criteria for ILI were formulated with the assistance of expert institutes and only participants who responded at least five times to weekly e-mails asking them about possible ILI symptoms were included in the survey. Validation of GIS was done at different levels: 1) some key demographic (age distribution) and public health statistics (prevalence of asthma and diabetes, and influenza vaccination rates) for the Dutch population were compared with corresponding figures calculated from GIS; 2) the ILI rates in GIS were compared with the ILI consultation rates reported by GPs participating in the Dutch Sentinel Practice Network. 13,300 persons (53% of total responders), replied at least five times to weekly e-mails and were included in the survey. As expected, there was a marked under-representation of the age groups 0-10 years and 81->90 years in the GIS population, although the similarities were remarkable for most other age groups, albeit that the age groups between 21 and 70 years were slightly overrepresented. There were striking similarities between GIS and the Dutch population with regard to the prevalence of asthma (6.4% vs. 6.9%) and the influenza vaccination rates, and to a lesser degree for diabetes (2.4% vs. 3.5%). The vaccination rates in patients with asthma or diabetes, and persons older than 65 years were 68%, 85%, and 85% respectively in GIS, while the corresponding percentages in the Dutch population were 73%, 85% and 87%. There was also a marked similarity between the seasonal course of ILI measured by GIS and the GPs. Although the ILI rate in GIS was about 10 times higher, the curves followed an almost similar pattern, with peak incidences occurring in the same week. The current study demonstrates that recruitment of a high number of persons willing to participate in on-line health surveillance is feasible. The information gathered proved to be reliable, as it paralleled the information obtained via an undisputed route. We believe that the interactive nature of GIS and the appealing subject were keys to its success.

Spatial Analysis of Geohazards using ArcGIS--A web-based Course.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Harbert, W.; Davis, D.

2003-12-01

As part of the Environmental Systems Research Incorporated (ESRI) Virtual Campus program, a course was designed to present the benefits of Geographical Information Systems (GIS) based spatial analysis as applied towards a variety of geohazards. We created this on-line ArcGIS 8.x-based course to aid the motivated student or professional in his or her efforts to use GIS in determining where geohazards are likely to occur and for assessing their potential impact on the human community. Our course is broadly designed for earth scientists, public sector professionals, students, and others who want to apply GIS to the study of geohazards. Participants work with ArcGIS software and diverse datasets to display, visualize and analyze a wide variety of data sets and map a variety of geohazards including earthquakes, volcanoes, landslides, tsunamis, and floods. Following the GIS-based methodology of posing a question, decomposing the question into specific criteria, applying the criteria to spatial or tabular geodatasets and then analyzing feature relationships, from the beginning the course content was designed in order to enable the motivated student to answer questions. For example, to explain the relationship between earth quake location, earthquake depth, and plate boundaries; use a seismic hazard map to identify population and features at risk from an earthquake; import data from an earthquake catalog and visualize these data in 3D; explain the relationship between earthquake damage and local geology; use a flood scenario map to identify features at risk for forecast river discharges; use a tsunami inundation map to identify population and features at risk from tsunami; use a hurricane inundation map to identify the population at risk for any given category hurricane; estimate accumulated precipitation by integrating time-series Doppler radar data; and model a real-life landslide event. The six on-line modules for our course are Earthquakes I, Earthquakes II, Volcanoes, Floods, Coastal Geohazards and Landslides. Earthquake I can be viewed and accessed for no cost at http://campus.esri.com.

The use of a GIS-based malaria information system for malaria research and control in South Africa.

PubMed

Martin, Carrin; Curtis, Bronwyn; Fraser, Colleen; Sharp, Brian

2002-12-01

The paper aims to outline the innovative development and application of a Geographical Information System based Malaria Information System for malaria research and control in South Africa. This system is a product of collaboration between the Malaria Control Programmes and the Malaria Research Programme of the Medical Research Council of South Africa. The ability of such a system to process data timeously into a usable format is discussed, as well as its relevance to malaria research, appropriate malaria control measures, tourism, and social and economic development.

Case studies in geographic information systems for environmental streamlining

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2012-05-31

This 2012 summary report addresses the current use of geographic information systems (GIS) and related technologies by State Departments of Transportation (DOTs) for environmental streamlining and stewardship, particularly in relation to the National...

Demonstration of Hadoop-GIS: A Spatial Data Warehousing System Over MapReduce

PubMed Central

Aji, Ablimit; Sun, Xiling; Vo, Hoang; Liu, Qioaling; Lee, Rubao; Zhang, Xiaodong; Saltz, Joel; Wang, Fusheng

2016-01-01

The proliferation of GPS-enabled devices, and the rapid improvement of scientific instruments have resulted in massive amounts of spatial data in the last decade. Support of high performance spatial queries on large volumes data has become increasingly important in numerous fields, which requires a scalable and efficient spatial data warehousing solution as existing approaches exhibit scalability limitations and efficiency bottlenecks for large scale spatial applications. In this demonstration, we present Hadoop-GIS – a scalable and high performance spatial query system over MapReduce. Hadoop-GIS provides an efficient spatial query engine to process spatial queries, data and space based partitioning, and query pipelines that parallelize queries implicitly on MapReduce. Hadoop-GIS also provides an expressive, SQL-like spatial query language for workload specification. We will demonstrate how spatial queries are expressed in spatially extended SQL queries, and submitted through a command line/web interface for execution. Parallel to our system demonstration, we explain the system architecture and details on how queries are translated to MapReduce operators, optimized, and executed on Hadoop. In addition, we will showcase how the system can be used to support two representative real world use cases: large scale pathology analytical imaging, and geo-spatial data warehousing. PMID:27617325

The recent outbreaks and reemergence of poliovirus in war and conflict-affected areas.

PubMed

Akil, Luma; Ahmad, H Anwar

2016-08-01

Poliomyelitis is a highly infectious disease caused by poliovirus, which becomes difficult to manage/eradicate in politically unstable areas. The objectives of this study were to determine the movement and management of such polio outbreaks in endemic countries and countries with reoccurring cases of polio and to determine the effect of political instability on polio eradication. In this study, the extent of polio outbreaks was examined and modeled using statistical methodologies and mapped with GIS software. Data on polio cases and immunization were collected for countries with polio cases for the period 2011 to 2014. Weekly data from the Global Polio Eradication Initiative were collected for selected countries. The recent virus origin and current movement was mapped using GIS. Correlations between immunization rates, the Global Peace Index (GPI), and other indicators of a country's political stability with polio outbreaks were determined. Data were analyzed using SAS 9.4 and ArcGIS 10. For several reasons, Pakistan remains highly vulnerable to new incidences of polio (306 cases in 2014). Overall immunization rates showed a steady decline over time in selected countries. Countries with polio cases were shown to have high rates of infant mortality, and their GPI ranked between 2.0 and 3.3; displaced populations, level of violent crime rating, and political instability also were ranked high for several countries. Polio was shown to be high in areas with increased conflict and instability. Displaced populations living in hard-to-reach areas may lack access to proper vaccination and health care. Wars and conflict have also resulted in the reemergence of polio in otherwise polio-free countries. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

The recent outbreaks and reemergence of poliovirus in war and conflict-affected areas

PubMed Central

Akil, Luma; Ahmad, H. Anwar

2016-01-01

SUMMARY Background Poliomyelitis is a highly infectious disease caused by poliovirus, which becomes difficult to manage/eradicate in politically unstable areas. The objectives of this study were to determine the movement and management of such polio outbreaks in endemic countries and countries with reoccurring cases of polio and to determine the effect of political instability on polio eradication. Methods In this study, the extent of polio outbreaks was examined and modeled using statistical methodologies and mapped with GIS software. Data on polio cases and immunization were collected for countries with polio cases for the period 2011 to 2014. Weekly data from the Global Polio Eradication Initiative were collected for selected countries. The recent virus origin and current movement was mapped using GIS. Correlations between immunization rates, the Global Peace Index (GPI), and other indicators of a country’s political stability with polio outbreaks were determined. Data were analyzed using SAS 9.4 and ArcGIS 10. Results For several reasons, Pakistan remains highly vulnerable to new incidences of polio (306 cases in 2014). Overall immunization rates showed a steady decline over time in selected countries. Countries with polio cases were shown to have high rates of infant mortality, and their GPI ranked between 2.0 and 3.3; displaced populations, level of violent crime rating, and political instability also were ranked high for several countries. Conclusion Polio was shown to be high in areas with increased conflict and instability. Displaced populations living in hard-to-reach areas may lack access to proper vaccination and health care. Wars and conflict have also resulted in the reemergence of polio in otherwise polio-free countries. PMID:27237735

Geographic Information System (GIS) capabilities in traffic accident information management: a qualitative approach

PubMed Central

Ahmadi, Maryam; Valinejadi, Ali; Goodarzi, Afshin; Safari, Ameneh; Hemmat, Morteza; Majdabadi, Hesamedin Askari; Mohammadi, Ali

2017-01-01

Background Traffic accidents are one of the more important national and international issues, and their consequences are important for the political, economical, and social level in a country. Management of traffic accident information requires information systems with analytical and accessibility capabilities to spatial and descriptive data. Objective The aim of this study was to determine the capabilities of a Geographic Information System (GIS) in management of traffic accident information. Methods This qualitative cross-sectional study was performed in 2016. In the first step, GIS capabilities were identified via literature retrieved from the Internet and based on the included criteria. Review of the literature was performed until data saturation was reached; a form was used to extract the capabilities. In the second step, study population were hospital managers, police, emergency, statisticians, and IT experts in trauma, emergency and police centers. Sampling was purposive. Data was collected using a questionnaire based on the first step data; validity and reliability were determined by content validity and Cronbach’s alpha of 75%. Data was analyzed using the decision Delphi technique. Results GIS capabilities were identified in ten categories and 64 sub-categories. Import and process of spatial and descriptive data and so, analysis of this data were the most important capabilities of GIS in traffic accident information management. Conclusion Storing and retrieving of descriptive and spatial data, providing statistical analysis in table, chart and zoning format, management of bad structure issues, determining the cost effectiveness of the decisions and prioritizing their implementation were the most important capabilities of GIS which can be efficient in the management of traffic accident information. PMID:28848627

Estimating hantavirus risk in southern Argentina: a GIS-based approach combining human cases and host distribution.

PubMed

Andreo, Veronica; Neteler, Markus; Rocchini, Duccio; Provensal, Cecilia; Levis, Silvana; Porcasi, Ximena; Rizzoli, Annapaola; Lanfri, Mario; Scavuzzo, Marcelo; Pini, Noemi; Enria, Delia; Polop, Jaime

2014-01-14

We use a Species Distribution Modeling (SDM) approach along with Geographic Information Systems (GIS) techniques to examine the potential distribution of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) caused by Andes virus (ANDV) in southern Argentina and, more precisely, define and estimate the area with the highest infection probability for humans, through the combination with the distribution map for the competent rodent host (Oligoryzomys longicaudatus). Sites with confirmed cases of HPS in the period 1995-2009 were mostly concentrated in a narrow strip (~90 km × 900 km) along the Andes range from northern Neuquén to central Chubut province. This area is characterized by high mean annual precipitation (~1,000 mm on average), but dry summers (less than 100 mm), very low percentages of bare soil (~10% on average) and low temperatures in the coldest month (minimum average temperature -1.5 °C), as compared to the HPS-free areas, features that coincide with sub-Antarctic forests and shrublands (especially those dominated by the invasive plant Rosa rubiginosa), where rodent host abundances and ANDV prevalences are known to be the highest. Through the combination of predictive distribution maps of the reservoir host and disease cases, we found that the area with the highest probability for HPS to occur overlaps only 28% with the most suitable habitat for O. longicaudatus. With this approach, we made a step forward in the understanding of the risk factors that need to be considered in the forecasting and mapping of risk at the regional/national scale. We propose the implementation and use of thematic maps, such as the one built here, as a basic tool allowing public health authorities to focus surveillance efforts and normally scarce resources for prevention and control actions in vast areas like southern Argentina.

System of GIS-Based Hydrologic and Hydraulic Applications for Highway Engineering: Summary Report

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1999-10-01

A significant part of the cost of most highway projects is attributable to drainage facilities, such as bridges, highway culverts, storm drains, and water quality and quantity control structures. Design of these facilities involves a hydrologic analy...

Methodology for a GIS-based damage assessment for researchers following large scale disasters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Crawford, Patrick Shane

The 1990s were designated the International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction by the United Nations General Assembly. This push for decrease of loss of life, property destruction, and social and economic disruption brought advancements in disaster management, including damage assessment. Damage assessment in the wake of natural and manmade disasters is a useful tool for government agencies, insurance companies, and researchers. As technologies evolve damage assessment processes constantly evolve as well. Alongside the advances in Geographic Information Systems (GIS), remote sensing, and Global Positioning System (GPS) technology, as well as the growing awareness of the needs of a standard operating procedure for GIS-based damage assessment and a need to make the damage assessment process as quick and accurate as possible, damage assessment procedures are becoming easier to execute and the results are becoming more accurate and robust. With these technological breakthroughs, multi-disciplinary damage assessment reconnaissance teams have become more efficient in their assessment methods through better organization and more robust through addition of new datasets. Damage assessment personnel are aided by software tools that offer high-level analysis and increasingly rapid damage assessment methods. GIS software has advanced the damage assessment methods of these teams by combining remotely sensed aerial imagery, GPS, and other technologies to expand the uses of the data. GIS allows researchers to use aerial imagery to show field collected data in the geographic location that it was collected so that information can be revisited, measurements can be taken, and data can be disseminated to other researchers and the public. The GIS-based data available to the reconnaissance team includes photographs of damage, worksheets, calculations, voice messages collected while studying the affected area, and many other datasets which are based on the type of disaster and the research field. Along with visually mapping the data, geometric calculations can be conducted on the data to give the viewer more information about the damage. In Chapter 4, a tornado damage contour for Moore, Oklahoma following the May 20, 2013 tornado is shown. This damage contour was created in GIS based on the Enhanced Fujita (EF) damage scale, and gives the viewer an easily understood picture of the extent and distribution of the tornado. This thesis aims to describe a foundational groundwork for activities that are performed in the GIS-based damage assessment procedure and provide uses for the damage assessment as well as research being conducted on how to use the data collected from these assessments. This will allow researchers to conduct a highly adaptable, rapid GIS-based damage assessment of their own.

Focused sunlight factor of forest fire danger assessment using Web-GIS and RS technologies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baranovskiy, Nikolay V.; Sherstnyov, Vladislav S.; Yankovich, Elena P.; Engel, Marina V.; Belov, Vladimir V.

2016-08-01

Timiryazevskiy forestry of Tomsk region (Siberia, Russia) is a study area elaborated in current research. Forest fire danger assessment is based on unique technology using probabilistic criterion, statistical data on forest fires, meteorological conditions, forest sites classification and remote sensing data. MODIS products are used for estimating some meteorological conditions and current forest fire situation. Geonformation technologies are used for geospatial analysis of forest fire danger situation on controlled forested territories. GIS-engine provides opportunities to construct electronic maps with different levels of forest fire probability and support raster layer for satellite remote sensing data on current forest fires. Web-interface is used for data loading on specific web-site and for forest fire danger data representation via World Wide Web. Special web-forms provide interface for choosing of relevant input data in order to process the forest fire danger data and assess the forest fire probability.

A Rapid Monitoring and Evaluation Method of Schistosomiasis Based on Spatial Information Technology.

PubMed

Wang, Yong; Zhuang, Dafang

2015-12-12

Thanks to Spatial Information Technologies (SITs) such as Remote Sensing (RS) and Geographical Information System (GIS) that are being quickly developed and updated, SITs are being used more widely in the public health field. The use of SITs to study the characteristics of the temporal and spatial distribution of Schistosoma japonicum and to assess the risk of infection provides methods for the control and prevention of schistosomiasis japonica has gradually become a hot topic in the field. The purpose of the present paper was to use RS and GIS technology to develop an efficient method of prediction and assessment of the risk of schistosomiasis japonica. We choose the Yueyang region, close to the east DongTing Lake (Hunan Province, China), as the study area, where a recent serious outbreak of schistosomiasis japonica took place. We monitored and evaluated the transmission risk of schistosomiasis japonica in the region using SITs. Water distribution data were extracted from RS images. The ground temperature, ground humidity and vegetation index were calculated based on RS images. Additionally, the density of oncomelania snails, which are the Schistosoma japonicum intermediate host, was calculated on the base of RS data and field measurements. The spatial distribution of oncomelania snails was explored using SITs in order to estimate the area surrounding the residents with transmission risk of schistosomiasis japonica. Our research result demonstrated: (1) the risk factors for the transmission of schistosomiasis japonica were closely related to the living environment of oncomelania snails. Key factors such as water distribution, ground temperature, ground humidity and vegetation index can be quickly obtained and calculated from RS images; (2) using GIS technology and a RS deduction technique along with statistical regression models, the density distribution model of oncomelania snails could be quickly built; (3) using SITs and analysis with overlaying population distribution data, the range of transmission risk of schistosomiasis japonica of the study area can be quickly monitored and evaluated. This method will help support the decision making for the control and prevention of schistosomiasis and form a valuable application using SITs for the schistosomiasis research.

Pedagogical Potential of a Web-Based GIS Application for Migration Data: A Preliminary Investigation in the Context of South Korea

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kim, Minsung; Kim, Kamyoung; Lee, Sang-Il

2013-01-01

This article examines the pedagogical potential of a Web-based GIS application, Population Migration Web Service (PMWS), in which students can examine population geography in an interactive and exploratory manner. This article introduces PMWS, a tailored, unique Internet GIS application that provides functions for visualizing spatial interaction…

Using MCDA and GIS for hazardous waste landfill siting considering land scarcity for waste disposal

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Feo, Giovanni De, E-mail: g.defeo@unisa.it; Gisi, Sabino De

Highlights: • Wasting land for the siting of hazardous waste landfills must be avoided. • The siting procedure is based on a land use map of potentially suitable areas. • All the waste facilities of the management system are simultaneously considered. • A case study is developed considering two multi-criteria techniques. • An innovative criteria weighting tool (PSW) is used in combination with the AHP. - Abstract: The main aim of this study was to develop a procedure that minimizes the wasting of space for the siting of hazardous waste landfills as part of a solid waste management system. Wemore » wanted to tackle the shortage of land for waste disposal that is a serious and growing problem in most large urban regions. The procedure combines a multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) approach with a geographical information system (GIS). The GIS was utilised to obtain an initial screening in order to eliminate unsuitable areas, whereas the MCDA was developed to select the most suitable sites. The novelty of the proposed siting procedure is the introduction of a new screening phase before the macro-siting step aimed at producing a “land use map of potentially suitable areas” for the siting of solid waste facilities which simultaneously takes into consideration all plant types. The issue of obtaining sites evaluations of a specific facility was coupled with the issue of not wasting land appropriate to facilitate other types of waste management options. In the developed case study, the use of an innovative criteria weighting tool (the “Priority Scale”) in combination with the Analytic Hierarchy Process was useful to easier define the priorities of the evaluation criteria in comparison with other classic methods such as the Paired Comparison Technique in combination with the Simple Additive Weighting method.« less

Sensitivity of geographic information system outputs to errors in remotely sensed data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ramapriyan, H. K.; Boyd, R. K.; Gunther, F. J.; Lu, Y. C.

1981-01-01

The sensitivity of the outputs of a geographic information system (GIS) to errors in inputs derived from remotely sensed data (RSD) is investigated using a suitability model with per-cell decisions and a gridded geographic data base whose cells are larger than the RSD pixels. The process of preparing RSD as input to a GIS is analyzed, and the errors associated with classification and registration are examined. In the case of the model considered, it is found that the errors caused during classification and registration are partially compensated by the aggregation of pixels. The compensation is quantified by means of an analytical model, a Monte Carlo simulation, and experiments with Landsat data. The results show that error reductions of the order of 50% occur because of aggregation when 25 pixels of RSD are used per cell in the geographic data base.

Research of Ancient Architectures in Jin-Fen Area Based on GIS&BIM Technology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jia, Jing; Zheng, Qiuhong; Gao, Huiying; Sun, Hai

2017-05-01

The number of well-preserved ancient buildings located in Shanxi Province, enjoying the absolute maximum proportion of ancient architectures in China, is about 18418, among which, 9053 buildings have the structural style of wood frame. The value of the application of BIM (Building Information Modeling) and GIS (Geographic Information System) is gradually probed and testified in the corresponding fields of ancient architecture’s spatial distribution information management, routine maintenance and special conservation & restoration, the evaluation and simulation of related disasters, such as earthquake. The research objects are ancient architectures in JIN-FEN area, which were first investigated by Sicheng LIANG and recorded in his work of “Chinese ancient architectures survey report”. The research objects, i.e. the ancient architectures in Jin-Fen area include those in Sicheng LIANG’s investigation, and further adjustments were made through authors’ on-site investigation and literature searching & collection. During this research process, the spatial distributing Geodatabase of research objects is established utilizing GIS. The BIM components library for ancient buildings is formed combining on-site investigation data and precedent classic works, such as “Yingzao Fashi”, a treatise on architectural methods in Song Dynasty, “Yongle Encyclopedia” and “Gongcheng Zuofa Zeli”, case collections of engineering practice, by the Ministry of Construction of Qing Dynasty. A building of Guangsheng temple in Hongtong county is selected as an example to elaborate the BIM model construction process based on the BIM components library for ancient buildings. Based on the foregoing work results of spatial distribution data, attribute data of features, 3D graphic information and parametric building information model, the information management system for ancient architectures in Jin-Fen Area, utilizing GIS&BIM technology, could be constructed to support the further research of seismic disaster analysis and seismic performance simulation.

The local food environment and diet: A systematic review

PubMed Central

Caspi, Caitlin E.; Sorensen, Glorian; Subramanian, S.V.; Kawachi, Ichiro

2013-01-01

Despite growing attention to the problem of obesogenic environments, there has not been a comprehensive review evaluating the food environment-diet relationship. This study aims to evaluate this relationship in the current literature, focusing specifically on the method of exposure assessment (GIS, survey, or store audit). This study also explores 5 dimensions of “food access” (availability, accessibility, affordability, accommodation, acceptability) using a conceptual definition proposed by Penchansky and Thomas (1981). Articles were retrieved through a systematic keyword search in Web of Science and supplemented by the reference lists of included studies. Thirty-eight studies were reviewed and categorized by the exposure assessment method and the conceptual dimensions of access it captured. GIS-based measures were the most common measures, but were less consistently associated with diet than other measures. Few studies examined dimensions of affordability, accommodation, and acceptability. Because GIS-based measures on their own may not capture important non-geographic dimensions of access, a set of recommendations for future researchers is outlined. PMID:22717379

The local food environment and diet: a systematic review.

PubMed

Caspi, Caitlin E; Sorensen, Glorian; Subramanian, S V; Kawachi, Ichiro

2012-09-01

Despite growing attention to the problem of obesogenic environments, there has not been a comprehensive review evaluating the food environment-diet relationship. This study aims to evaluate this relationship in the current literature, focusing specifically on the method of exposure assessment (GIS, survey, or store audit). This study also explores 5 dimensions of "food access" (availability, accessibility, affordability, accommodation, acceptability) using a conceptual definition proposed by Penchansky and Thomas (1981). Articles were retrieved through a systematic keyword search in Web of Science and supplemented by the reference lists of included studies. Thirty-eight studies were reviewed and categorized by the exposure assessment method and the conceptual dimensions of access it captured. GIS-based measures were the most common measures, but were less consistently associated with diet than other measures. Few studies examined dimensions of affordability, accommodation, and acceptability. Because GIS-based measures on their own may not capture important non-geographic dimensions of access, a set of recommendations for future researchers is outlined. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Implementing GIS in real estate price prediction and mass valuation: the case study of Nicosia District

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yiorkas, Charalambos; Dimopoulos, Thomas

2017-09-01

When the European Commission, International Monetary Fund and European Central Bank arrived in Cyprus to assist for a sustainable solution on the crisis on the banking sector, one of the first things they ordered was a New General Valuation (a mass appraisal that would revalue all properties in Cyprus as on 1st of January 2013), that it would be used for taxation purposes. The above indicates the importance of property mass appraising tools. This task was successfully conducted by the Department of Lands and Surveys. Authors aim to move a step further and implement the use of GIS and GWR techniques to improve the results of the New General Valuation. On a sample of comparative evidences for flats in Nicosia District, GIS was used to measure the impact of spatial attributes on real estate prices and to construct a prediction model in terms of spatially estimating apartment values. In addition to the structural property characteristics, some spatial attributes (landmarks) were also analysed to assess their contribution on the prices of the apartments, including the Central Business District (CBD), schools and universities, as well as the major city roads and the restricted zone that divides the country into two parts; the occupied by Turkish area and the Greek area. The values of the spatial attributes, or locational characteristics, were determined by employing GIS, considering an established model of multicriteria analysis. The price prediction model was analysed using the OLS method and calibrated based on the GWR method. The results of the statistic process indicate an accuracy of 81.34%, showing better performance than the mass valuation system applied by the Department of Land and Surveys in Cyprus with accuracy of 66.76%. This approach suggests that GIS systems are fundamentally important in mass valuation procedures in order to identify the spatial pattern of the attributes, provided that the database is comprised by a sufficient number of comparable information and it is continuously updated.

Integration of GIS and Bim for Indoor Geovisual Analytics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, B.; Zhang, S.

2016-06-01

This paper presents an endeavour of integration of GIS (Geographical Information System) and BIM (Building Information Modelling) for indoor geovisual analytics. The merits of two types of technologies, GIS and BIM are firstly analysed in the context of indoor environment. GIS has well-developed capabilities of spatial analysis such as network analysis, while BIM has the advantages for indoor 3D modelling and dynamic simulation. This paper firstly investigates the important aspects for integrating GIS and BIM. Different data standards and formats such as the IFC (Industry Foundation Classes) and GML (Geography Markup Language) are discussed. Their merits and limitations in data transformation between GIS and BIM are analysed in terms of semantic and geometric information. An optimized approach for data exchange between GIS and BIM datasets is then proposed. After that, a strategy of using BIM for 3D indoor modelling, GIS for spatial analysis, and BIM again for visualization and dynamic simulation of the analysis results is presented. Based on the developments, this paper selects a typical problem, optimized indoor emergency evacuation, to demonstrate the integration of GIS and BIM for indoor geovisual analytics. The block Z of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University is selected as a test site. Detailed indoor and outdoor 3D models of the block Z are created using a BIM software Revit. The 3D models are transferred to a GIS software ArcGIS to carry out spatial analysis. Optimized evacuation plans considering dynamic constraints are generated based on network analysis in ArcGIS assuming there is a fire accident inside the building. The analysis results are then transferred back to BIM software for visualization and dynamic simulation. The developed methods and results are of significance to facilitate future development of GIS and BIM integrated solutions in various applications.

[Ecological environmental quality assessment of Hangzhou urban area based on RS and GIS].

PubMed

Xu, Pengwei; Zhao, Duo

2006-06-01

In allusion to the shortage of traditional ecological environmental quality assessment, this paper studied the spatial distribution of assessing factors at a mid-small scale, and the conversion of integer character to girding assessing cells. The main assessing factors including natural environmental condition, environmental quality, natural landscape and urbanization pressure, which were classified into four types with about eleven assessing factors, were selected from RS images and GIS-spatial analyzing environmental quality vector graph. Based on GIS, a comprehensive assessment model for the ecological environmental quality in Hangzhou urban area was established. In comparison with observed urban heat island effects, the assessment results were in good agreement with the ecological environmental quality in the urban area of Hangzhou.

A review of geographic information system and remote sensing with applications to the epidemiology and control of schistosomiasis in China.

PubMed

Yang, Guo-Jing; Vounatsou, Penelope; Zhou, Xiao-Nong; Utzinger, Jürg; Tanner, Marcel

2005-01-01

Geographic information system (GIS) and remote sensing (RS) technologies offer new opportunities for rapid assessment of endemic areas, provision of reliable estimates of populations at risk, prediction of disease distributions in areas that lack baseline data and are difficult to access, and guidance of intervention strategies, so that scarce resources can be allocated in a cost-effective manner. Here, we focus on the epidemiology and control of schistosomiasis in China and review GIS and RS applications to date. These include mapping prevalence and intensity data of Schistosoma japonicum at a large scale, and identifying and predicting suitable habitats for Oncomelania hupensis, the intermediate host snail of S. japonicum, at a small scale. Other prominent applications have been the prediction of infection risk due to ecological transformations, particularly those induced by floods and water resource developments, and the potential impact of climate change. We also discuss the limitations of the previous work, and outline potential new applications of GIS and RS techniques, namely quantitative GIS, WebGIS, and utilization of emerging satellite information, as they hold promise to further enhance infection risk mapping and disease prediction. Finally, we stress current research needs to overcome some of the remaining challenges of GIS and RS applications for schistosomiasis, so that further and sustained progress can be made to control this disease in China and elsewhere.

GeoGIS : phase III.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2011-08-01

GeoGIS is a web-based geotechnical database management system that is being developed for the Alabama : Department of Transportation (ALDOT). The purpose of GeoGIS is to facilitate the efficient storage and retrieval of : geotechnical documents for A...

GIS Tools For Improving Pedestrian & Bicycle Safety

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2000-07-01

Geographic Information System (GIS) software turns statistical data, such as accidents, and geographic data, such as roads and crash locations, into meaningful information for spatial analysis and mapping. In this project, GIS-based analytical techni...

Community based open space planning: applications of a GIS

Treesearch

Christian Mettey; Brian Demers; Nicole Halper; Robert Bristow; Stephanie Kelly

2001-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to illustrate the usefulness of a GIS in community open space planning of undeveloped recreational opportunities. The study area is a small New England village in the western region of Massachusetts. Like most of the Northeast, Northampton is a rural community with a growing population. Proposals for public recreation lands compete for...

A spatial analysis of Phytophthora ramorum symptom spread using second-order point pattern and GIS-based analyses

Treesearch

Mark Spencer; Kevin O' Hara

2006-01-01

Phytophthora ramorum is a major source of tanoak (Lithocarpus densiflorus) mortality in the tanoak/redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) forests of central California. This study presents a spatial analysis of the spread of the disease using second-order point pattern and GIS analyses. Our data set includes four plots...