Many of the world’s forests and woodlands,
particularly in the tropics and subtropics are still managed in
agreement with the Forest Principles accepted at the United Nations
Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in 1992 in Rio
de Janeiro. Inadequate funding and insufficient human resources
to prepare, implement and monitor the forest management plans
is the reality in many forest endeavours.
In order to assess fine scale dynamics in forestry,
ways to determine these conditions and local changes have to be
established. Commonly, forest inventories are indispensable for
any forest assessment.
In the past, forest inventories in the tropics
for determining growing stock, forest type, stand volumes etc.
are largely based on various methods of terrestrial sampling,
whereas using geostatistical methods, e.g. Kriging, to extrapolate
these data result in uncertain assumptions on the studied area.
Recent interpretation methods of high-resolution
satellite images are tested to develop low-scale forest type maps
for forest management plans leading to the sustainable use of
forest resources. This study on a natural forest is realised in
a forestry project in northern Brazil.
The object-oriented classification method performed
well on coarse land use classes and on stratified forest formations
that could be described through knowledge based on terrestrial
samples. Difficulties in classifying were caused by the variability
of the spectral signatures of few classes. These could be partly
diminished using stable topological parameters.
On the whole, the use of object-oriented classification
methods can largely contribute to and enhance the information
based on terrestrial sampling, but can’t replace it.
Asset Management Planning was introduced as
part of the Local Government Act 2000. The Education Asset Management
Plan recognises the long-term holistic approach needed in managing
the built environment. Government policy sees Asset Management
Planning as key to raising standards.
Based upon previous research by PricewaterhouseCoopers
(2001) the purpose of this retrospective short-term study was
to demonstrate the relationship between capital funding and pupil
performance, and whether this was affected by other external factors
such as socio-economic status of the locality. The test data was
provided by Peterborough City Council. Geographical Information
Systems and statistical analysis were used to evaluate the research
hypothesis.
The limited UK research has seen considerable
funding from Government. Apparently none of these studies was
conducted with the assistance of GIS. The majority of the research
in the UK and US has found inconsistent and ambiguous results.
The results found no reliable or statistically
significant relationship between capital funding and attainment
but demonstrated that new schools achieve marginally better performance
than older, adapted schools. The socio-economic status of the
schools locality had a significant effect on the schools results.
Qualitative research findings contradict quantitative
results identifying the importance of peoples’ perception
of their status and value within the system. The change in curriculum
since the majority of schools were built means that schools are
not designed to accommodate current teaching methods or the modern
curriculum, and that radical approaches are needed to alleviate
these problems. It was recognised that education is affected by
many variables and is not simply about the teacher and the classroom.
The need for a long-term study was identified
along with a more appropriate method of evaluating schools other
than exam results.
Locusts compete with humans for plant resources
all over the world. Therefore locusts in Africa, Asia, Australia,
and North America are the subject of a long history of intensive
research and control programs. Locusts as natural hazards and
most human-generated hazards do not recognize political boundaries,
yet policy must be generated in order to mitigate effectively
against locust disaster, manage rescue and response operations,
or organize and deliver relief, and this policy is usually administered
within politically defined boundaries. Geographic information
and the systems within which it is collected and managed have
particular utility in modeling and analysis, which transcend political
boundaries while providing the necessary structure for assisting
the implementation of policy within administrative areas and mapping
potential desert locust breeding areas using remote sensing techniques,
so that appropriate ground control measures can be undertaken
at the right time before swarming begins, and at the right locations
to maximize effectiveness and minimize environmental effects on
other areas, by using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) methods
including mapping the distribution of vegetation and soil types
which are characteristic for desert locust biotopes, and correlate
this information with field reports to produce a base map and
including the development of a mobile communications system linked
to satellites in order to relay the most recent satellite earth
observation and meteorological data to field staff which meteorological
data are used for determining the biotopes for the immediate season.
A GIS-based proposed decision support system
will be used to co-ordinate the collection, processing and display
of a range of spatial data to forecast locust population development
and to assist operations. The forecasts are used to help locate
population aggregations early in a breeding sequence to enable
effective preventive control. The data collection components of
the proposed decision support system include wireless direct transfer
of locust survey data from the field, and daily internet collections
of weather data. Locust distribution and age information will
be collected by locust commission officers on regular vehicle
surveys using GPS-connected palmtop computers and sent directly
to a GIS server via high frequency (HF) radio modems. Locust reports
from landholders and state extension staff will be also incorporated
into the system. The current survey data will be used to estimate
broad distributions and, together with location-specific weather
data, to seed locust development models to identify the timing
of life stages where management is possible. Information on the
distribution of rainfall, temperature and wind-fields will be
collected automatically from the internet and integrated with
habitat information and locust distributions. Online weather data
products from the bureaus of meteorology will be also accessed
regularly to assist in operational decision making.
Efficiencies, mainly monetary costs or savings,
can be realized through the comparison of property assessment
and taxation information with pipeline spatial data, through the
use of a Geographic Information System; in the context of the
Province of British Columbia, Canada. The problem reaching a definitive
answer on costs or savings lies in the accuracy of the spatial
data. Having a suitable case study with a GIS devoid of taxation
data highlighted the uncertainty involved in intersecting non-spatial
taxation data with inaccurate pipe centreline data. Data inaccuracies
were seen as having the potential to significantly impact the
tax payable by the case. The shortening or lengthening of pipeline
distance will result in notable monetary values, due to taxation
costs averaging around $58,000 per kilometre. Starting with the
case study’s GIS system, tools were used to correct inaccuracies
in the pipe centreline, followed by changes to the GIS data model
to facilitate the recording of taxation data, which was linearly
referenced to the pipeline. Having less than 5 metre accuracy
in pipeline spatial data, orthophotography, and some jurisdictional
boundaries allowed for distance versus dollars queries to be performed.
The results lead to the conclusion that better jurisdictional
and assessment data are needed to firm up the calculated costs
and savings, but in light of that there are notable reasons for
the case study to migrate taxation information to a GIS before
this happens.
This study deals with the spatial and statistical
analysis of a number of selected variables taken from 1996 and
2002 census data using a Geographical Information System (GIS).
The census is a detailed record of the population size and population
attributes such as; age, sex, household structure, employment,
etc., on census night. The areas of interest are; Dublin City
characterised by a highly urbanised population and located in
the east of Ireland and County Mayo dominated by a rural dispersed
population located in the west of Ireland.
Methodologies used in this study use a set of
variables from the census data to create three deprivation indices;
An Affluence Index, A Breadline Index and a School Deprivation
Index which can determine areas of social deprivation at the District
Electoral Division (DED) level. This research also considers the
use of interpolated raster surfaces derived from a number of spatial
and attribute variables to create an accessibility cost surface
for County Mayo independent of DED constraints. This cost surface
can then be used to estimate the unit cost to travel to school
from individual DEDs.
Demographic changes between the two census years
are considered and discussed in relation to future trends for
education purposes. The spatial outcomes of the research and methodologies
used in this study are investigated for statistical robustness
and critically evaluated in terms of national and regional policies
in an educational context.
Qualitative data in GIS is controversial and
currently is not looked at as a viable source of information for
mapping object locations. The lack of crisp boundaries and the
inherent uncertainty of verbal statements from historical documents,
journals, oral histories, and structured and unstructured interviews
have not been utilized in GIS to their level of contribution.
Understanding the manual steps, procedures or methods for mapping
object locations in GIS from qualitative statements must be better
understood in order to develop a level of human interaction within
the GIS interface environment. Uncertainties exist at every level
in GIS, yet with qualitatively derived data the uncertainty and
reliability are not necessarily related. The fuzzy nature of uncertainty
and reliability must be addressed through manually stepping through
the methods of integration in order to come to a level of quantification.
The approach in this case study includes data taken from 18 semi-structured
in depth interviews from the Southern Utah University campus facilities
management group where they were asked to describe in detail the
location of the buried steam lines in the historical east site
of the campus. The converting of these data and mapping the steam
line locations was accomplished through the manual integration
of qualitative data analysis (QDA) and GIS software environments.
Implementing and testing theories on cardinal direction, object
constraints, and matrix-directional theory when mapping locations
was undertaken. This study has found that it is possible to map
object locations from qualitative interview statements. The combining
of QDA and GIS technology is a viable method for mapping object
locations from qualitative data resources. Further research is
required in implementing existing GIS analysis tools such as multi-criteria
evaluation, cost weighted distance, and fuzzy weighted overlay
to fully realize the potential of qualitative data and GIS.
The main purpose of any hydrographic survey
as described by Ingham and Abbott (1992) is to provide a profile
of the river, lake or sea bed and show all its features, natural
and man-made, and to indicate the nature of the seabed in a manner
similar to a topographic map of land areas.
Hydrographic surveying consists of a two
legged approach to developing a Digital Terrain Models of river
and lake beds on inland waters and sea beds on coastal waters.
The first leg consists of X-Y location determined from known base
line points or positioning fixing by Differential Global Positioning
Systems (DGPS). The second leg consists of the Z height determined
by accurate water level measurement and converted to local Datum
plus the sounding taken at that location. Nowadays soundings are
measured by sonar and the positioning fixing is carried out in
many instances by DGPS. The integration of all three measurements
provides a three dimensional model for its many uses.
Accuracy is an important requirement for
any survey and many factors like obstructions, multipath and satellite
availability can impact on the accuracy of a GPS receiver.
This paper has looked at the various types
of obstructions on the River Shannon and the impact of various
types of obstructions on accuracy of a Real Time Kinematic (RTK)
GPS receiver for hydrographic surveying.
The findings from this research have shown
that obstructions will reduce satellite availability and therefore
degrade Horizontal Dilution of Precision (HDOP) and Positional
Dilution of Precision (PDOP). This paper has shown also that different
material types of obstructions can have a different impact on
satellite signals and also degrade the performance of DGPS receivers.
Also the mission Planning software used to predict DOP values
and satellite availability can only be used as a rough guide for
hydrographic survey work in obstructed areas.
Traditional web-mapping applications are mainly
based on vendors’ existing desktop GIS products. User experience
is compromised in this approach by the over-reliance on a strict
client/server model and lower cartographic quality through the
rendering of static raster images. Such approaches do not provide
the rapid interactivity which is now expected in a web browser
environment. SVG potentially addresses all of these areas and
does so within the framework of an interoperable language based
on open standards.
A prototype developed to demonstrate dynamic
SVG mapping of the Office for National Statistics (UK)’s
Index of Multiple Deprivation suggests that SVG, when implemented
using Adobe SVG Viewer, is capable of small area statistical mapping
without a web map server. The ‘blank canvas’ offered
by the SVG approach allows for the development of content using
established data visualisation and user interface principles.
The end result is high quality (carto)graphic content with a highly
responsive, intuitive user interface.
To fully exploit the benefits of SVG, further
research is required in the area of dynamic vector generalisation
– and integration with other GIS datasets (e.g. raster imagery).
Similarly, the ability of web browsers to natively support SVG
content will also influence how quickly the format is adopted
by map authors.
However, even at this relatively early stage,
the flexibility of SVG is such that its adoption as a key format
for the delivery of data-driven web maps is highly recommended.
The Further Education (FE) sector in England
is directly funded by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) to
the tune of £8 billion. It generates significant employment
and stimulates local business activity. Despite this very little
scholarly research exists on the use of Geographic Information
Systems (GIS) within the sector at college level.
This research conducts the first large scale
survey of the FE college sector in England and identifies the
extent to which GIS is being applied, its uses and several other
aspects of the end user experience.
It concludes with a discussion of the dynamic
between individual colleges’ use of GIS and its use by the
central funding body, the Learning and Skills Council and the
options that are available to an institution contemplating the
use of GIS for the first time.
• About a third (35%) of all institutions
use some form of GIS
• 25% of institutions had no full-time post attached to
the use of GIS
• Levels of professional training were worryingly low
– 50% of in-house users being self taught
• 63% of external agency users rated their satisfaction
with the service they received as very good to good
• The most common use for GIS was in student profiling
/ monitoring
• The majority of users thought that demand for GIS in
the sector was likely to increase.
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