Public housing structures that are deemed “severely distressed” are being demolished and replaced with mixed-income developments. The current study examines the role that social service organizations play in the relocation of public housing residents. Service organizations tend to locate in areas anchored by public housing complexes where the need for their services is immense. Organizations that lose clients due to relocations run the risk of losing the funding they get for serving that population. GIS mapping and semi-structured interviews were used to answer questions about how redevelopment affects the communication infrastructures of public housing residents. GIS mapping was used to determine how services are spatially distributed in relation to public housing developments in Atlanta. Representatives from a sample of those organizations located near current and former public housing locations were interviewed to examine if a strategic communication plan is in place to retain connections with clients during the relocation process.

Cholera made an unforeseen appearance on the eastern coast of South Africa in the province of KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) in August 2000. Having started from the more urban centres of the coastal region of the province, cholera proceeded unabated to the interior of the province where no community was spared from the scourge. Despite prompt medical intervention, health education and media awareness campaigns, cholera continued to spread throughout KZN. By March 2004, the official statistics of cholera cases in KZN as per the Cholera Database records, stood at 158 895 cases (Dept-KZN Health, 2000). The death toll as reported in the Cholera Database was 575 persons that translated to a percentage case fatality rate of 0.36%; the lowest when compared to the previous epidemics recorded in South African (Kustner et al., 1981; Küstner and du Plessis, G. 1991). An interesting feature of the epidemic was that 99% of the cases recorded by the central and provincial Departments of Health during the height of the epidemic were all from KZN. The question then was, what factors played a role in the cholera epidemic of KZN? This study sought to understand the outbreak and the factors that possibly contributed to the spread of the 2000-2004 cholera epidemic in KZN. The drivers of disease associated with the communities affected by cholera were also explored by analysing the complex and dynamic interaction of their biological, socio economic, and environmental nature over time and space. The nature of the study was such that it called for a multi faceted design to involve not just understanding the societal aspect of the disease but its demographic, ecological and spatial characteristics as well. Thus GIS was used as a research tool to facilitate the comparison of the disease trends and risk factors on a spatial level in order to determine the possible role(s) played by the different environmental and socio-economic drivers. The objective of the study was to investigate the possible role of the natural environment i.e. temperature, rainfall and humidity as the primary factors that influence cholera outbreaks in KZN; on the basis of its uniqueness in climatic conditions as compared to other areas of the Republic of South Africa (RSA). The other socio-economical and demographic factors were considered as factors that enhance the spread of the disease. As such, the exploration of the Cholera Database by use of spreadsheet, statistical correlations and spatial mapping using GIS technology mutually investigated the relationships between the different variables that came up as important factors in the spread of cholera. Results indicated that 52% of the total cholera cases in KZN were reported from DC28 (Uthungulu), making it the focal point of the epidemic. In general, all the age groups were represented in the cholera database though the age groups 15-19 years and 0-4 years featured more prominently in the overall epidemic picture. On average the male to female case ratio was 1:1.5 respectively. The major cholera peak was experienced in 2001 and a minor peak in 2002. Both the peaks appeared during the summer months, which are also characterised by heavy rains. The issues that were statistically proven to be associated with the spread of the disease were related to issues highlighting the inefficiencies in the provision of water and sanitation, which go hand in hand with poverty. Thus poverty was indirectly reflected in the data as an issue that compounded the cholera epidemic. There was no statistical correlation between the incidence of cholera and the climatic variables of rainfall, humidity and temperature. Notwithstanding, there was an overall seasonality revealed by the data, as seen with the cases peaking and waning between the summers and the winters respectively. Furthermore, GIS mapping revealed a concurrence between the incidence of cholera and the climatic variables of rainfall, humidity and maximum temperature. At the spatial level, the characteristics of the epidemic as revealed by the GIS maps and spatial modelling highlighted possible relationships between the incidence of cholera and the various socio-economic and climatic variables (Chapter 6: 6.2.3; 6.2.3). The spatial disease picture displayed a link between climatic seasons and the incidence of cholera. Spatial modelling offered more insight that the statistically supported climatic and socio-economic aspects were indeed important factors in guiding cholera outbreak predictions in the future. The cholera model illustrated this as it selected for areas considered to be at high risk for cholera (Map 34). The results give an altogether holistic portrayal of the cholera epidemic from all perspectives and also supported to the hypothesis that cholera is a function of social and environmental factors. The results from this study further confirm the negative health effects of inadequacies in basic services delivery. The study made use of data resources to understand the relationships between the incidence of cholera and the different demographic, socio-economic and climatic variables implicated in the spread of cholera epidemics (Chapter 3: 3.3.3). It also emphasizes the importance of using reliable data as a management tool to model various scenarios in order to obtain information that could be used in the prediction and management of diseases like cholera at the community level in the future. / Thesis (PhD (Water Resource Management))--University of Pretoria, 2006. / Microbiology and Plant Pathology / unrestricted

Cette étude a été réalisée dans les Alpes-Maritimes, dans le SE de la France, avec le Bar-Sur-Loup comme zone d'étude, afin de tester une approche multidisciplinaire d’analyse de risque, de vulnérabilité et de résilience dans le domaine des risques naturels. L'objectif principal de cette étude est d’identifier et d’analyser l’évolution des glissements de terrain superficiels, en réponse aux différents scénarios d’évolution de la quantité d’eau souterraine en fonction de la variation du climat régional, et d’étudier la vulnérabilité territoriale de différents éléments de notre zone d’étude exposés à ces glissements de terrains de surface, combiné à une approche de résilience territoriale. Les modèles conceptuels de vulnérabilité territoriale et de la résilience ont été développés. Les résultats ont été présentés sous la forme de cartes de aléas, la vulnérabilité, la résilience et risque territorial / This study was conducted within Alps-Maritimes located SE of France, where Le Bar-Sur-Loup was pilot study area to test multidisciplinary approach to analyze hazard, vulnerability and resilience under risk domains. The principal aim of this study was to use an integrated approach and methodology to identify and analyze shallow landslides evolution in response to different ground water rise scenarios due to regional climate variability, and predicts territorial vulnerabilities of different territorial elements exposed to shallow landslides hazard with combine approach of territorial resilience. Conceptual model of territorial vulnerability and territorial resilience were developed based on identified territorial elements. Results were presented as maps of hazard, territorial vulnerability, and territorial resilience and risk

The purpose of this feasibility study has been to guide decision makers in the implementation of abiogas project for the region of Sønderborg, Denmark. The project has been part of Feasibility studies envisioned in the Master Plan for Sønderborg to go carbon neutral by 2029. The study tried to evolve abest alternative for the city and gives a ready document to refer all aspects of biogas. The intensive industrial farming in Sønderborg needs to evolve to compare favorably with the situationin other regions of Denmark. The interests of various stakeholders in the waste cycle should be alignedwith that of farming. Interesting developments in the Bioenergy space hold promise for farmers to usetheir capacities for additional or alternative livelihood in energy. The focus to promote biogas as part ofDanish energy strategy and multiply capacity over the next 3 years has attracted numerous biogas proposals all over Denmark. This study had started off with identifying and estimating very obvious substrate sources. At verymoderate assumptions the value of methane in these sources has been estimated at 9 million m3. Thispotential could easily be increased if economically feasible substrates like energy crops and algae areadded. The SWOT analysis of pig farming in the region brings out the perspectives of farming direction in the near future. The 5 scenarios developed help the decision maker understand the various aspects thatneed to be carefully considered when planning the plant. The best case scenario for the city would bethe energy mosaic scenario which would integrate the high tech focus of local industry, a renewable energy source and a showcase project to make the region stand out among the other regions focused inthe climate change debate. The technological system analysis should help decision makers understand the stakeholders and the various dimensions in biogas that although complicated are manageable. The business case approach to identify utilization of energy and its costs gives a clear picture on the need for using the energy in CHP.The present focus by potential investors on government subsidies to calculate profitability needs to be understood in the context of other similar plants accepting present subsidy levels and the societal benefits, which unfortunately cannot be valued in money terms. At the center of all this is the need for proper stakeholder management within a bound timeframe asidentified by the “Create acceptance process”. The various tools and data are all present in this study,that only need to be arranged and presented by the company eventually handling the strict Projectmanagement goals of this project. / <p>www.ima.kth.se</p>

Ticks are of global interest as the pathogens they spread can cause diseases that are of importance to both human health and economies. In Scotland, the most populous tick species is the sheep tick Ixodes ricinus, which is the vector of pathogens causing diseases such as Lyme borreliosis and Louping-ill. Recently, both the density and spread of I. ricinus ticks have grown across much of Europe, including Scotland, increasing disease risk. Due to the nature of the tick lifecycle they are particularly dependent on environmental factors, including temperature and habitat type. Because of this, the recent increase in tick-borne disease risk is believed to be linked to climate change. Many mathematical models have been used to explore the interactions between ticks and factors within their environments; this thesis begins by presenting a thorough review of previous modelling of tick and tick-borne pathogen dynamics, identifying current knowledge gaps. The main body of this thesis introduces an original mathematical modelling framework with the aim to further our understanding of the impact of climate change on tick-borne disease risk. This modelling framework takes into account how key environmental factors influence the I. ricinus lifecycle, and is used to create predictions of how I. ricinus density and disease risk will change across Scotland under future climate warming scenarios. These predictions are mapped using Geographical Information System software to give a clear spatial representation of the model predictions. It was found that as temperatures increase, so to do I. ricinus densities, as well as Louping-ill and Lyme borreliosis risk. These results give a strong indication of the disease risk implications of any changes to the Scottish environment, and so have the potential to inform policy-making. Additionally, the models identify areas of possible future research.