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A core aspect of diagrammatic process modeling is the visualization of the logical and temporal order in which tasks are to be performed in a process. While conventions and guidelines exist that promote modeling processes from left-to-right or from top-to-bottom, no empirically validated design rationale can be provided for this choice so far. Therefore, this paper seeks to determine whether some flow directions are better than others from a cognitive point of view. We present the results of a controlled pilot experiment comparing the effects of four flow directions (left-to-right, right-to-left, top-to-bottom, bottom-to-top) on process model comprehension with a small sample size of 44 participants. Although there is a variety of theoretical arguments which support the use of a left-to-right flow direction as convention for process models, the preliminary empirical results of the pilot experiment were less clear-cut and showed that model readers also adapted well to uncommon reading directions.

Made available in DSpace on 2015-05-14T12:09:19Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 arquivototal.pdf: 8337458 bytes, checksum: 6418a75dca756790257aecdb25414305 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013-05-10 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - CAPES / The SRTM-DEM has been widely used for deriving drainage networks and for several different environmental studies. However, sometimes it is not possible to work with the original spatial resolution of the available DEM, mainly when the study area is large owing to the increase in computational cost, requiring the DEM to be resampled to a coarse resolution. According to the method used for deriving coarse-resolution drainage networks, the quality of the result can be quite different. The wrong choice of the method together with the inherent loss of information within this process may result in a river drainage network incoherent relative to an available network considered as correct. For this reason, this research aimed at identifying the errors present in flow paths and in the physical characteristics of four large-scale watersheds (Paraíba (20.000 km2), São Francisco (640.000 km2), Tapajós (500.000 km2) and Uruguai (207.000 km2)) and its major tributaries in both qualitative and quantitative ways. The comparisons between the drainage networks extracted from DEMs with different spatial resolutions and using different methods (DEM resampling, direct upscaling, multi-step upscaling) were carried out relatively to a high-resolution drainage network obtained from processing the original SRTM-DEM for the qualitative analysis, while for the quantitative analysis the drainage network manually digitized over ETM+/ LANDSAT 7 satellite images was used. The flow paths obtained through the methods of DEM resampling showed strong incoherencies mostly when the change in scale was large, and these errors influenced the area and shape of watersheds and also the quality of the derived drainage network, being stronger for the larger watersheds. The drainage networks obtained through the flow directions upscaling were of better quality because they reproduced more closely the high-resolution network. The multi-step upscaling method showed the better performance for three of the four study areas. The quantitative analysis relative to area and mean distance measured between the DEM-derived drainage network and that one obtained from LANDSAT images showed to be coherent to the qualitative analysis, indicating the multi-step upscaling method as the one of better performance, and the resampling procedure as the worst one. The results in terms of watershed areas comparison were coherent to the visual inspection, showing that the upscaling process reproduced quite well the values obtained in the high resolution, both quantitatively and qualitatively. The direct upscaling procedure obtained the best performance while the resampling method resulted in the largest inconsistencies regarding these two aspects, resulting in watershed delimitation totally different from the actual, mostly for Sao Francisco and Tapajos watersheds, in which the change in scale was larger. The influence of the methods used and of the change in scale over the length and sinuosity of river reaches was detected, sometimes resulting that the result was not very well presented. This can be highlighted when the numerical analysis is compared to the qualitative analysis for results obtained with the resampling procedure. However, although inconsistencies were presented for some river reaches, the upscaling procedure was able to have the largest number of river reaches with the best results. It can be concluded that independent on the characteristics of the watershed to be studied, the resampling procedure is not an adequate method for obtaining coarse-resolution drainage networks. The flow directions upscaling procedure is the most recommend method to be used in this situation, and the multi-step version of this method is the one with best performance when evaluating the flow paths for the study cases of this research. / O MDE do SRTM tem sido largamente utilizado na derivação da rede drenagem e aplicado a diversos tipos de estudos ambientais. No entanto, muitas vezes não é possível trabalhar com a sua resolução original. Isso ocorre quando o estudo é aplicado a grandes áreas e devido ao elevado processamento computacional é necessário a mudança de escala para baixa resolução. Dependendo do método utilizado para a derivação da rede de drenagem obtida de baixa resolução, pode-se adquirir um produto de melhor ou de pior qualidade. A escolha incorreta do método aliada a perda de informação existente nesse processo pode resultar em uma rede incoerente quando comparada a uma rede de drenagem considerada como referência. Esta pesquisa identificou erros nos traçados e nas características físicas de quatro bacias hidrográficas (Paraíba (20.000 km2), São Francisco (640.000 km2), Tapajós (500.000 km2) e Uruguai (207.000 km2)) e nos seus principais afluentes de forma qualitativa e quantitativa. As comparações das redes extraídas das imagens do SRTM em diferentes escalas e métodos (reamostragem, upscaling direto, upscaling gradual) foram realizadas em relação à rede de drenagem de alta resolução obtida do MDE para as análises qualitativas e para as comparações quantitativas com a rede vetorizada das imagens do ETM+/ LANDSAT 7. Verificou-se que os traçados da drenagem obtidos por reamostragem apresentaram várias incoerências principalmente quando a mudança de escala foi maior, esses erros refletiram sobre área, formato de bacias e traçados da rede de drenagem. Os erros foram mais graves nas bacias de maior área de drenagem. Já as redes de drenagem obtidas por upscaling de direções de fluxo foram de melhor qualidade para mudança de escala por essas se apresentarem mais coerentes com a drenagem de alta resolução. O método de upscaling gradual foi o que apresentou melhor desempenho em três bacias das quatro analisadas. As análises quantitativas referentes a área e distância média entre as redes de drenagem, extraída do MDE, e a vetorizada da imagem LANDSAT, apresentaram-se coerentes com as análises qualitativas, apontando o método de upscaling de direções de fluxo na modalidade gradual com melhor desempenho e o método de reamostragem com os piores resultados. Observou-se que as áreas das bacias mostraram-se coerentes com a análise visual, indicando que os métodos de upscaling nas modalidades direta e gradual se aproximaram mais das bacias de alta resolução e apresentaram valores muito próximos entre si, tanto qualitativamente quanto quantitativamente. A modalidade direta de upscaling foi a que apresentou melhor desempenho e o procedimento de reamostragem foi o que apresentou mais incoerências. Por se descaracterizar das bacias de referência, principalmente para o São Francisco e Tapajós para as quais se trabalhou com mudança de escala maior. Percebeu-se que a influência dos métodos e da mudança de escala sobre os valores dos comprimentos e sinuosidade dos rios, algumas vezes repercutiram sobre a métrica gerada não conseguindo expressar a real qualidade da rede de drenagem analisada, mascarando o resultado. Isso pode ser evidenciado quando confrontado a análise estatística e a qualitativa para o método de reamostragem. No entanto, apesar de encontrar alguns rios com essas incoerências, os upscaling direto e gradual conseguiram apresentar um maior número de rios com melhor desempenho. Conclui-se que independente das características das bacias estudadas, o método de reamostragem do MDE não é o procedimento mais adequado na obtenção de redes de drenagem de baixa resolução espacial. O método de upscaling de direções de fluxo nas modalidades direta e gradual são mais indicados para essa finalidade, sendo o gradual o que apresentou melhor desempenho na avaliação dos traçados para as bacias estudadas nesta pesquisa.

Orientador: Maria Rita Caetano Chang / Banca: André Celligoi / Banca: Carlos de Almeida Nóbrega / Resumo: Utilizando-se de dados hidrogeológicos em área selecionada na cidade de Londrina (PR), foi realizada avaliação da vulnerabilidade natural do aqüífero constituído pelo manto de alteração das rochas basálticas da Formação Serra Geral, através da aplicação do índice DRASTIC. Este método possui características de simplicidade, de baixo custo, de fácil aplicação e é amplamente utilizado em estudos de vulnerabilidade natural. A caracterização da susceptibilidade do meio à poluição fornece subsídios para tomada de decisões quanto ao uso e ocupação do solo e conseqüentemente ao planejamento sócio-econômico. Na zona não-saturada, através dos ensaios de infiltração, obteve-se baixa permeabilidade dos solos, com variações entre 10-3 cm/s e 10-5 cm/s. Os ensaios de slug, na zona saturada, por sua vez, indicaram condutividade hidráulica de 10-1 a 10-4 cm/s, apresentando média ao redor de 10-2 cm/s. Dessa forma, o poluente ao atingir a zona dos saprolitos, tende a se espalhar rapidamente através das linhas de fluxo subterrâneo. O fluxo preferencial subterrâneo apresenta-se orientado de sul para norte, seguindo grosso modo o declive do terreno. Em geral, na área de estudo predomina a vulnerabilidade moderada, enquanto que nas proximidades do ribeirão Lindóia e nos divisores d'água, as vulnerabilidades foram classificadas como alta e baixa, respectivamente. / Abstract: The DRASTIC index was used for the evaluation of the natural vulnerability of groundwater constituted by the mantle of weathering of the basaltic rocks of the Serra Geral Formation. DRASTIC method was used in this evaluation, for its simplicity, low cost, easy application and it has been widely used for analysis of the natural vulnerability. The characterization of the enviromental to the pollution supports the decisions about ground use and occupation for partner-economic planning. Hydraulic conductivities in the unsaturated and saturated zones, as well as the groundwater flow direction were determined. In the unsaturated zone, permeability of the soils is low, as reveled by infiltrations tests with ranging 10-3 cm/s to 10-5 cm/s. Hydraulic conductivity obtained from slug tests range from 10-1 to 10-4 cm/s, with average around 10-2 cm/s. The flow direction occurs from south to north, accompanying the general slope of the landscape. The pollutant when reaches the zone of the saprolite, tends to spread quickly through the groundwater flow lines. In general, the vulnerability of the studied area can be classified as moderate, while that in the water divide region and in the vicinity of ribeirão Lindóia, are ranked low and high, respectively. / Mestre

Yes / For overbank flows in meandering channels, the flow direction along a meander varies and is affected by floodplain vegetation. This study proposes a model for predicting the depth-averaged two-dimensional flow direction (depth-averaged flow angle) along a meander in smooth and vegetated meandering compound channels. Laboratory experiments were performed in smooth and vegetated channels. Measurements show that the height of the secondary current cell in the main channel is increased by dense floodplain vegetation comparing with that in a non-vegetated channel. A method of determining the height of the cell is proposed. At the middle section between the apex and exit sections, where the secondary current cell is absent, the depth-averaged flow angle is independent of the height of the cell. Beyond the middle section, a new secondary current cell is formed, and the flow angle is highly dependent on the height of the cell. The proposed model is thoroughly verified using the flume experimental and field observed data. Good agreement is obtained between predictions and measurements, indicating that the proposed model is capable of accurately predicting the depth-averaged flow angle along a meander in smooth and vegetated meandering compound channels. / National Key Research and Development Program of China (No. 2016YFC0402302), and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 51709022, 51609160 and 51539007)

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:26:12Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2005-04-11Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T19:13:11Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 santos_mm_me_rcla.pdf: 3370944 bytes, checksum: 430e0a04e4974c12aeac911e17927ebb (MD5) / Utilizando-se de dados hidrogeológicos em área selecionada na cidade de Londrina (PR), foi realizada avaliação da vulnerabilidade natural do aqüífero constituído pelo manto de alteração das rochas basálticas da Formação Serra Geral, através da aplicação do índice DRASTIC. Este método possui características de simplicidade, de baixo custo, de fácil aplicação e é amplamente utilizado em estudos de vulnerabilidade natural. A caracterização da susceptibilidade do meio à poluição fornece subsídios para tomada de decisões quanto ao uso e ocupação do solo e conseqüentemente ao planejamento sócio-econômico. Na zona não-saturada, através dos ensaios de infiltração, obteve-se baixa permeabilidade dos solos, com variações entre 10-3 cm/s e 10-5 cm/s. Os ensaios de slug, na zona saturada, por sua vez, indicaram condutividade hidráulica de 10-1 a 10-4 cm/s, apresentando média ao redor de 10-2 cm/s. Dessa forma, o poluente ao atingir a zona dos saprolitos, tende a se espalhar rapidamente através das linhas de fluxo subterrâneo. O fluxo preferencial subterrâneo apresenta-se orientado de sul para norte, seguindo grosso modo o declive do terreno. Em geral, na área de estudo predomina a vulnerabilidade moderada, enquanto que nas proximidades do ribeirão Lindóia e nos divisores d'água, as vulnerabilidades foram classificadas como alta e baixa, respectivamente. / The DRASTIC index was used for the evaluation of the natural vulnerability of groundwater constituted by the mantle of weathering of the basaltic rocks of the Serra Geral Formation. DRASTIC method was used in this evaluation, for its simplicity, low cost, easy application and it has been widely used for analysis of the natural vulnerability. The characterization of the enviromental to the pollution supports the decisions about ground use and occupation for partner-economic planning. Hydraulic conductivities in the unsaturated and saturated zones, as well as the groundwater flow direction were determined. In the unsaturated zone, permeability of the soils is low, as reveled by infiltrations tests with ranging 10-3 cm/s to 10-5 cm/s. Hydraulic conductivity obtained from slug tests range from 10-1 to 10-4 cm/s, with average around 10-2 cm/s. The flow direction occurs from south to north, accompanying the general slope of the landscape. The pollutant when reaches the zone of the saprolite, tends to spread quickly through the groundwater flow lines. In general, the vulnerability of the studied area can be classified as moderate, while that in the water divide region and in the vicinity of ribeirão Lindóia, are ranked low and high, respectively.

The goal of harvest scheduling is to produce a practical operations schedule that can be implemented in the field by operational foresters and maximizes all values. The resulting harvest units need to represent a close approximation to what will be done operationally and while emulating natural disturbance regimes and topographic boundaries. using flow direction surfaces. Two methods of meeting spatially acceptable harvest units through a heuristic algorithm and a mixed integer programming method. A factor analysis was conducted on both to determine the statistical significance between 3 forest characterizations and mean financial and shape index indicators. Mixed integer programming had higher cash flows and net present values per hectare and the heuristic method had higher net present value per cubic meter at the 95% level of significance.

Yes / The flow in the main channel of a meandering compound channel does not occur in the ridge direction because of the effect of the upstream floodplain flows. This study proposes a model for estimating the flow direction in the depth-averaged two-dimensional domain (depth-averaged flow angles) between the entrance and the apex sections. Detailed velocity measurements were performed in the region between the meander entrance section and apex section in a large-scale meandering compound channel. The vertical size of the secondary current cell is highly related to the depth-averaged flow angle; thus, the means of the local flow angles above the secondary current cell and within the cell are separately discussed. The experimental measurements indicate that the mean local flow angle above the cell is equal to the section angle, whereas the mean local flow angle within the cell is equal to zero. The proposed model is validated using published data from five sources. Good agreement is obtained between the predictions and measurements, indicating that the proposed model can accurately estimate the depth-averaged flow direction in the meandering compound channels. Finally, the limitations and application ranges of the model are discussed. / National Key Research and Development Program of China (No. 2016YFC0402302), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 51539007 and 51609160)

The Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary (FKNMS) encompasses North America's only living coral barrier reef and the third longest barrier reef in the world, making it a unique national treasure of international notoriety (FKNMS, 2005). Recent evidence of environmental decline within the sanctuary has created a sense of urgency to understand and protect the valuable resources within. This thesis contributed to the understanding of habitat connectivity to aid managers and decision makers in the creation of additional Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in the FKNMS to help prevent further environmental decline. This research specifically focused on modeling larval transport and larval connectivity among Acropora palmata (Lamarck, 1816) populations, coral habitats and MPAs in the upper and middle FKNMS. The transport of larvae in relation to ocean currents is a very limited area of research, and the analytic modeling results may serve as powerful guides to decisions about the relative importance of individual coral habitats and MPAs in the study area.Larval transport was modeled with ArcGIS and TauDEM using SoFLA-HYCOM simulated ocean currents during the A. palmata spawning season. This model allowed for the assessment of coral habitat and A. palmata population larval connectivity. The dependence of three distant A. palmata test populations on other upstream coral habitats and A. palmata populations significantly differed (Kruskal-Wallis test, P less than 0.0001). The clonally diverse Sand Island Reef A. palmata population's larval connectivity was significantly higher compared to other distant monoclonal populations (Mann-Whitney test, P less than 0.0001). Compared to the clonal structure of each test population determined by Baums, Miller, and Hellberg (2006), results indicated simulated larval connectivity may be a determinant of A. palmata population clonal diversity.By modeling MPA and coral habitat connectivity, this study also identified unprotected and distant coral habitat areas with the greatest downstream influence on MPAs; these may serve as potential coral larvae sources. It is recommended that establishing these areas as no-take MPAs would improve overall coral habitat and MPA network connectivity.

Masters thesis deals with design and practical implementation of wireless sensor module. The primary requirement for this module is its energy self-sufficiency. In this context, the work gets to the subject of "energy harvesting". Then, in terms of energy requirements, several wireless communication platforms which are favorable for the selected application, are compared. From mentioned technologies was chosen communication platform IQRF. The next parts deals with initial prototype of sensor module, which will be demonstrated as the application of measuring wind direction. This paper describes the hardware and software solution. Followed by a detailed analysis of its properties in terms of energy requirements. Based on the obtained measurements resource parameters are set.