O presente trabalho é uma tentativa de validar uma metodologia para estimar a produção de sedimentos para todo território Brasileiro. Foram utilizadas ferramentas de sistemas de informação geográfi ca (GIS), estatística espacial, modelagem e gerenciamento de bancos de dados aplicados a conservação de solos, permitindo combinar a equação Universal de Perda do Solo (USLE) com diferentes modelos de taxa de transferência de sedimentos (SDR). A metodologia utilizou como base de teste dados da rede sedimentométrica brasileira composta de 201 bacias. As estimativas foram analisadas por regressão linear múltipla obtendo valores de R2 de até de 46% entre dados observados e modelados. Observou-se a pouca sensibilidade do modelo USLE em relação ao fator de erosividade (fator R) quando duas observações por métodos diferentes diferem espacialmente em seus valores máximos entre 18000 MJ.mm.ha-1.h-1.ano-1 e 28000 MJ.mm.ha-1.h-1.ano-1 . Por outro lado o modelo mostrou-se sensível ao fator de cobertura do solo (Fator C da USLE) afetando as taxas máximas estimadas de erosão entre 160 Mg.ha-1.ano-1 ate 460 Mg.ha-1.ano-1. Nesse sentido a metodologia sugerida pode ser utilizada para dar indicativos sobre mudanças de uso da terra em escalas regionais e subsidiar tomadas de decisões quanto ao planejamento e gestão territorial. / This work is an attempt to validate a methodology for estimating sediment production for the whole Brazilian territory. Tools were used geographic information systems (GIS), spatial statistics, modeling and database management applied to soil conservation, allowing combine the Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE) with different models of sediment transfer rate (SDR). The methodology used as test data of Brazilian sedimentometric network composed of 201 basins. The estimates were analysed by multiple linear regression getting values of R2 to 46% between observed and modelled data. Noted the low sensitivity of USLE model in relation to the erosivity factor (R factor) when two observations by different methods differ in their maximum values and spatial distribution of 18000 MJ.mm.ha-1.h-1.year-1 and 28000 MJ.mm.ha-1.h-1.year-1. the other aspects the model proved to be sensitive to soil coverage factor (factor C of USLE) affecting the estimated maximum rates of erosion between 160 Mg.ha-1.year-1 up to 460 Mg.ha-1.year-1.

Made available in DSpace on 2017-07-10T19:25:10Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 suzana.pdf: 5151914 bytes, checksum: c63559c69cd7a0d86cdf0775b7973895 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-02-01 / the interest of many researchers who have studied the characteristics and environmental realities of agriculture in order to improve its sustainable development. Thus, this trial aimed at characterizing the use and occupation of soil and water quality according to the GIS techniques. Physical parameters as turbidity, temperature were analyzed as well as chemical ones: pH, electrical conductivity, bicarbonate, chloride, phosphate and nitrate and biological parameters as thermotolerant coliform in two annual distinct raining periods (1 and 2). Based on field surveys, by georeferencing of sampling points, farms perimeters and survey data concerning soil use and occupation, some information was recorded on water quality for irrigation and the area management, especially the permanent preservation areas. Google Earth program provided the images used to map soil use and occupation. The determination of influence areas was obtained according to Thiessen polygons technique. The data obtained from the mapping of soil use as well as water quality for irrigation in periods 1 and 2 were statistically analyzed by techniques of Principal Component Analysis, Detrended Correspondence Analysis and Canonical Correspondence Analysis to record the relation of soil use and occupation on water quality. The interpretation of satellite imagery from Google Earth with ArcGIS 9.3 software allowed a map drawing regarding soil use and occupation in four categories: areas with temporary crops, permanent crops, urban areas and forests. Thiessen polygons technique allowed the recognition of influence areas on each point of irrigation water catchment and identification of soil use categories in representing polygons of the points where there were restrictions to use irrigation water according to phosphate and thermotolerant coliform parameters. The Principal Component Analysis of chemical, physical and biological parameters data of water explained 53.27% variation of water quality among the sampled properties. Among the analyzed parameters, it was observed that nitrate, thermotolerant coliform, temperature, electrical conductivity and bicarbonate were the ones that best explained the spatial variation of water quality, with the highest correlations with the major axis. The relation among soil use and occupation and water quality parameters by canonical correspondence analysis identified two significant axes of variation in order to explain variation in water quality. In the first axis, the highest values of electrical conductivity, nitrate, bicarbonate and phosphate were identified in period 2 and period 1 as well as variables as temperature and thermotolerant coliform. The second axis was positively related to the permanent preservation areas and reforestation, with some positive influence on turbidity and electrical conductivity. The restriction on irrigation water use based on parameters as phosphate and thermotolerant coliform was associated to the development of agricultural activities. / A necessidade de conservação dos recursos hídricos, aliada à demanda crescente por alimentos, tem despertado o interesse de muitos pesquisadores que contribuem com a agricultura, devido ao conhecimento das características e realidades ambientais, em busca do desenvolvimento sustentável. Assim, o objetivo do presente trabalho consiste na caracterização do uso e ocupação do solo e da qualidade da água com a utilização de técnicas ligadas ao Geoprocessamento. Foram analisados parâmetros físicos como turbidez e temperatura; os químicos: pH, condutividade elétrica, bicarbonato, cloro, fosfato e nitrato e o parâmetro biológico referiu-se aos coliformes termotolerantes, em dois períodos anuais distintos de precipitação (1 e 2). Com base nos levantamentos de campo, por meio do georreferenciamento dos pontos de amostragem e dos perímetros das propriedades rurais e levantamentos dos dados de uso e ocupação do solo, obtiveram-se informações sobre a qualidade da água utilizada para irrigação e o atual uso do solo, com destaque para as áreas de preservação permanente. Foram utilizadas imagens disponibilizadas no site Google Earth para o mapeamento do uso e ocupação do solo. A determinação das áreas de influência foi obtida a partir da aplicação da técnica de polígonos de Thiessen. Os dados resultantes do mapeamento do uso e ocupação do solo e a qualidade da água de irrigação nos dois períodos de precipitação foram submetidos às análises estatísticas pelas técnicas de Análise de Componentes Principais, Análise de Correspondência Destendenciada e Análise de Correspondência Canônica para verificar a relação do uso e ocupação do solo sobre a qualidade da água. A interpretação da imagem do Google Earth com o software ArcGIS 9.3 possibilitou a elaboração do mapa de uso e ocupação do solo em quatro classes: áreas com culturas temporárias; culturas permanentes; área urbana e mata. A técnica dos polígonos de Thiessen permitiu o reconhecimento das áreas de influência sobre cada ponto de captação da água de irrigação e a identificação das classes de uso do solo nos polígonos representativos dos pontos em que houve restrição ao uso da água de irrigação nos parâmetros fosfato e coliformes termotolerantes. A técnica de Análise dos Componentes Principais dos dados químicos, físicos e biológicos da água explicou 53,27% da variação na qualidade da água entre as propriedades amostradas. Dentre os parâmetros analisados, verificou-se que o Nitrato, os Coliformes Termotolerantes, a temperatura, a condutividade elétrica e o bicarbonato foram os parâmetros que melhor explicaram a variação espacial da qualidade da água e apresentaram as maiores correlações com o eixo principal. A relação do uso e ocupação do solo e dos parâmetros de qualidade da água pela Análise de Correspondência Canônica permitiu identificar dois eixos de variação significativos para explicar a variação na qualidade da água. No primeiro eixo, foram identificados os maiores valores de condutividade elétrica, nitrato, bicarbonato e fosfato no período 2 e no período 1, bem como as variáveis temperatura e coliformes termotolerantes. O segundo eixo esteve positivamente relacionado com as áreas de preservação permanente e de reflorestamento, com influência positiva sobre a turbidez e a condutividade elétrica. A restrição ao uso da água de irrigação nos parâmetros fosfato e coliformes termotolerantes esteve relacionada ao desenvolvimento das atividades agropecuárias.

O presente trabalho propõe a implantação de um sistema de consulta por telefone para usuários de transporte coletivo, baseado num Sistema de Informações Geográficas (SIG), oferecendo dentre outras informações referentes ao sistema de transporte público, as rotas ótimas entre origens e destinos informados pelos passageiros. Este sistema se fundamenta em uma base de dados ampla e atualizada, com uma grande gama de informações sobre a rede de transporte público, incluindo: cadastro de logradouros, malha de circulação viária, pontos de parada e itinerários de linhas de ônibus. Escolheu-se como estudo de caso o sistema de transporte coletivo da cidade de São Carlos - SP, cujas principais informações foram obtidas na forma cartográfica e transferidas para o formato digital, via mesa digitalizadora e através de rotinas específicas do software. Os dados espaciais e atributos, necessários a aplicação do sistema proposto, foram processados em um software para SIG, denominado TransCAD, que constitui uma poderosa ferramenta de planejamento, gerência, operação e análise de sistemas de transporte. Os resultados aqui obtidos indicam que é viável implementar um sistema de consulta dessa natureza em cidades de porte médio, sem grandes investimentos, desde que haja interesse, mão-de-obra qualificada e um treinamento prévio dos técnicos que irão operá-lo, como condições essenciais para o sucesso do projeto. / The purpose of this study is to proposes the implementation of a transit information system based on a Geographic Information System (GIS). The new system is designed to offer information by telephone about the public transportation system, such as the optimal paths between the origins and destinations provided by the system\'s users. This query system is based on a broad and updated database, which contains a large amount of information on the city\'s transit network, including the names of all the city\'s street, the network of streets accessible by bus, bus stops and routes. The public transportation system of the city of São Carlos, located in the state of São Paulo, was selected for a case study. Both spatial and nonspatial data needed for the application of the proposed system were processed in the same GIS software, called TransCAD, which is a powerful tool for planning, management, operation, and analysis of transportation systems. The basic geographic information has been transferred from printed maps - the main sources of this type of data - to digital format with the help of software routines and a small digitizing tablet. The results obtained in this study suggest that the system can be easily implemented in medium-sized brazilian cities, without the need for significant investments. The basic requirements for the success of this kind of project are as follow: a qualified staff to implement the system, and some prior training for the technician who is going to operate the system.

Made available in DSpace on 2017-05-12T14:48:33Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 suzana.pdf: 5151914 bytes, checksum: c63559c69cd7a0d86cdf0775b7973895 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-02-01 / the interest of many researchers who have studied the characteristics and environmental realities of agriculture in order to improve its sustainable development. Thus, this trial aimed at characterizing the use and occupation of soil and water quality according to the GIS techniques. Physical parameters as turbidity, temperature were analyzed as well as chemical ones: pH, electrical conductivity, bicarbonate, chloride, phosphate and nitrate and biological parameters as thermotolerant coliform in two annual distinct raining periods (1 and 2). Based on field surveys, by georeferencing of sampling points, farms perimeters and survey data concerning soil use and occupation, some information was recorded on water quality for irrigation and the area management, especially the permanent preservation areas. Google Earth program provided the images used to map soil use and occupation. The determination of influence areas was obtained according to Thiessen polygons technique. The data obtained from the mapping of soil use as well as water quality for irrigation in periods 1 and 2 were statistically analyzed by techniques of Principal Component Analysis, Detrended Correspondence Analysis and Canonical Correspondence Analysis to record the relation of soil use and occupation on water quality. The interpretation of satellite imagery from Google Earth with ArcGIS 9.3 software allowed a map drawing regarding soil use and occupation in four categories: areas with temporary crops, permanent crops, urban areas and forests. Thiessen polygons technique allowed the recognition of influence areas on each point of irrigation water catchment and identification of soil use categories in representing polygons of the points where there were restrictions to use irrigation water according to phosphate and thermotolerant coliform parameters. The Principal Component Analysis of chemical, physical and biological parameters data of water explained 53.27% variation of water quality among the sampled properties. Among the analyzed parameters, it was observed that nitrate, thermotolerant coliform, temperature, electrical conductivity and bicarbonate were the ones that best explained the spatial variation of water quality, with the highest correlations with the major axis. The relation among soil use and occupation and water quality parameters by canonical correspondence analysis identified two significant axes of variation in order to explain variation in water quality. In the first axis, the highest values of electrical conductivity, nitrate, bicarbonate and phosphate were identified in period 2 and period 1 as well as variables as temperature and thermotolerant coliform. The second axis was positively related to the permanent preservation areas and reforestation, with some positive influence on turbidity and electrical conductivity. The restriction on irrigation water use based on parameters as phosphate and thermotolerant coliform was associated to the development of agricultural activities. / A necessidade de conservação dos recursos hídricos, aliada à demanda crescente por alimentos, tem despertado o interesse de muitos pesquisadores que contribuem com a agricultura, devido ao conhecimento das características e realidades ambientais, em busca do desenvolvimento sustentável. Assim, o objetivo do presente trabalho consiste na caracterização do uso e ocupação do solo e da qualidade da água com a utilização de técnicas ligadas ao Geoprocessamento. Foram analisados parâmetros físicos como turbidez e temperatura; os químicos: pH, condutividade elétrica, bicarbonato, cloro, fosfato e nitrato e o parâmetro biológico referiu-se aos coliformes termotolerantes, em dois períodos anuais distintos de precipitação (1 e 2). Com base nos levantamentos de campo, por meio do georreferenciamento dos pontos de amostragem e dos perímetros das propriedades rurais e levantamentos dos dados de uso e ocupação do solo, obtiveram-se informações sobre a qualidade da água utilizada para irrigação e o atual uso do solo, com destaque para as áreas de preservação permanente. Foram utilizadas imagens disponibilizadas no site Google Earth para o mapeamento do uso e ocupação do solo. A determinação das áreas de influência foi obtida a partir da aplicação da técnica de polígonos de Thiessen. Os dados resultantes do mapeamento do uso e ocupação do solo e a qualidade da água de irrigação nos dois períodos de precipitação foram submetidos às análises estatísticas pelas técnicas de Análise de Componentes Principais, Análise de Correspondência Destendenciada e Análise de Correspondência Canônica para verificar a relação do uso e ocupação do solo sobre a qualidade da água. A interpretação da imagem do Google Earth com o software ArcGIS 9.3 possibilitou a elaboração do mapa de uso e ocupação do solo em quatro classes: áreas com culturas temporárias; culturas permanentes; área urbana e mata. A técnica dos polígonos de Thiessen permitiu o reconhecimento das áreas de influência sobre cada ponto de captação da água de irrigação e a identificação das classes de uso do solo nos polígonos representativos dos pontos em que houve restrição ao uso da água de irrigação nos parâmetros fosfato e coliformes termotolerantes. A técnica de Análise dos Componentes Principais dos dados químicos, físicos e biológicos da água explicou 53,27% da variação na qualidade da água entre as propriedades amostradas. Dentre os parâmetros analisados, verificou-se que o Nitrato, os Coliformes Termotolerantes, a temperatura, a condutividade elétrica e o bicarbonato foram os parâmetros que melhor explicaram a variação espacial da qualidade da água e apresentaram as maiores correlações com o eixo principal. A relação do uso e ocupação do solo e dos parâmetros de qualidade da água pela Análise de Correspondência Canônica permitiu identificar dois eixos de variação significativos para explicar a variação na qualidade da água. No primeiro eixo, foram identificados os maiores valores de condutividade elétrica, nitrato, bicarbonato e fosfato no período 2 e no período 1, bem como as variáveis temperatura e coliformes termotolerantes. O segundo eixo esteve positivamente relacionado com as áreas de preservação permanente e de reflorestamento, com influência positiva sobre a turbidez e a condutividade elétrica. A restrição ao uso da água de irrigação nos parâmetros fosfato e coliformes termotolerantes esteve relacionada ao desenvolvimento das atividades agropecuárias.

This study links traffic sign visibility and legibility to quantify the effects of damage or deterioration on sign retroreflective performance. In addition, this study proposes GIS-based data integration strategies to obtain and extract climate, location, and emission data for in-service traffic signs. The proposed data integration strategy can also be used to assess all transportation infrastructures’ physical condition. Additionally, non-parametric machine learning methods are applied to analyze the combined GIS, Mobile LiDAR imaging, and digital photolog big data. The results are presented to identify the most important factors affecting sign visual condition, to predict traffic sign vandalism that obstructs critical messages to drivers, and to determine factors contributing to the temporary obstruction of the sign messages. The results of data analysis provide insight to inform transportation agencies in the development of sign management plans, to identify traffic signs with a higher likelihood of failure, and to schedule sign replacement.

The general aim of this research is to investigate approaches to: •improve small area market demand (i.e. SAMD) prediction accuracy for the purchase of automobiles at the level of each Census Collection District (i.e. CCD); and •enhance understanding of meso-level marketing phenomena (i.e. geographically aggregated phenomena) relating to SAMD. Given the importance of SAMD prediction, and the limitations posed by current methods, four research questions are addressed: •What are the key challenges in meso-level SAMD prediction? •What variables affect SAMD prediction? •What techniques can be used to improve SAMD prediction? •What is the value of integrating these techniques to improve SAMD prediction? To answer these questions, possible solutions from two broad areas are examined: spatial analysis and data mining. The research is divided into two main studies. In the first study, a seven-step modelling process is developed for SAMD prediction. Several sets of models are analysed to examine the modelling techniques’ effectiveness in improving the accuracy of SAMD prediction. The second study involves two cases to: 1) explore the integration of these techniques and their advantages in SAMD prediction; and 2) gain insights into spatial marketing issues. The case study of Peugeot in the Sydney metropolitan area shows that urbanisation and geo-marketing factors can have a more important role in SAMD prediction than socio-demographic factors. Furthermore, results show that modelling spatial effects is the most important aspect of this prediction exercise. The value of the integration of techniques is in compensating for the weaknesses of conventional techniques, and in providing complementary and supplementary information for meso-level marketing analyses. Substantively, significant spatial variation and continuous patterns are found with the influence of key studied variables. The substantive implications of these findings have a bearing on both academic and managerial understanding. Also, the innovative methods (e.g. the SAMD modelling process and the model cube based technique comparison) developed from this research make significant contributions to marketing research methodology.

[Abstract]: The disposal of animal waste has become a problem in many parts of the world due to the rapid growth in the number and the size of intensive animal industries. Safe waste disposal sites are rarely available and the relocation and/or treatment of animal waste is seldom economically viable. The reuse of animal waste for energy recovery and re-feeding is also not popular. Animal waste is a valuable source of plant nutrients and a very good soil conditioner, and has been commonly applied as fertiliser to agricultural fields. However, due to the increasing oversupply of animal waste in recent years, it has often been applied in excess to the agricultural fields. Excessive application of animal waste, without due consideration of its implications, is a serious concern. The run-off and leaching losses of nutrients from the fields fertilised with animal waste have contributed significantly to the eutrophication and toxic blue-green algae blooms in surface water systems and nitrification of ground water systems. It has also led to nutrient imbalances in the soils and odour pollution to the surrounding communities. The animal waste, which is a valuable source of plant nutrients, has thus become both an economic and environmental burden, and there is a need to develop a strategy for its sensible use as a fertiliser in agricultural fields. Sensible use of animal waste involves the consideration of all the agricultural, environmental, social, and economical limitations. A rational method of achieving this is to restrict the use of animal waste to sites suitable for such uses, identify areas where it can be relocated and applied economically, limit the application rates to a safe level, and observe appropriate manure management practices. This study addressed each of these components by developing a comprehensive manure application plan (MAP) for the site-specific use of animal waste as fertiliser in agricultural fields. Various geographic information systems (GIS) based techniques, including a weighted linear combination model and map algebra based cartographic modelling, were employed to achieve the goal. The appropriateness of the existing techniques and procedures were evaluated and modified to meet the current input requirements. New methods of analysis were devised as necessary. The Westbrook sub-catchment of the Condamine River catchment in south-east Queensland was selected as the study area. The sub-catchment covers 24,903 hectares and contains 39 intensive animal industries. The catchment is also a part of the Murray-Darling Basin, which has been suffering from toxic blue green algae blooms recurrently since 1991. This study identified that only about one-fifth of the sub-catchment area is suitable for animal waste application. Depending on the method of site suitability analysis and the number of input factors used the suitable area ranged between 16 and 22 percent. This comparatively small area is mainly due to the presence of a large proportion of non-agricultural areas in the sub-catchment. The suitable areas were also found to have various degrees of suitability for waste application. However, the degree of site suitability was affected by the number of input factors used in the analysis, the weighting of the factors, and the method of factor attribute standardisation. Conventional methods of weighting input factors were found to be cumbersome and not particularly suitable. Hence, this study developed a new ‘objective oriented comparison’ method of factor weighting. Standardisation of input factors using a continuous, rather than discrete, classification (ie fuzzy set) method was found to be more consistent in degree of suitability determination. The discrete classification of factor attributes into classes of different numbers and sizes, and the weighting of classes to a sum of one, were identified as a limitation in using this standardisation method. A new ‘weight adjustment’ method was devised and demonstrated to reduce factor-weighting biases. The suitable sites, degree of site suitability, and other relevant spatial and non-spatial information were processed within a GIS framework to develop a comprehensive manure application plan. The inherently high presence of available phosphorus in the soils of the study area was recognised and the P2O5 content in the manure was used as the basis for determining manure application rates. A complimentary nitrogen supply map was also generated. Manure management practices applicable to the areas with a lower degree of suitability were also suggested.

The west coast of Taiwan is densely populated with frequently activities for industrial and economic developments. The area is also the site with the existence of Chinese White Dolphin (CWD). Because the arising of ecosystem conservation, the government has attempted to promote the west coast as the marine protected areas (MPAs) for the CWD. Nevertheless, it is required to assess changes of environmental condition and marine environmental quality around the area before the establishment of marine protected areas to the site. If ineffective monitoring is implemented, then the establishment of marine protected areas will be no use. This study was initiated to assess the marine environmental condition by collecting and surveying the long term monitoring data that were published under the government reports and documents to assess the temporal and spatial trends of environmental factors. The data consists of rivers, trench, and marine water or sediments. The study areas covered Taichung County to Yunlin County. The methods for assessing the environmental quality included the use of geographic information system (GIS) for the biological distribution, regression analysis for the trend monitoring of chemical contaminants and physical environmental factors between 2001 ¡V 2010 year surveys. The overall environmental quality within the studied sites were further evaluated for the river pollution index (RPI) and the habitat suitability index (HSI). The survey results of 10 years river monitoring from Taichung to Yunlin showed that Hsin-Huu-Wei River belong to serious pollution with RPI 6.67 value. Yuanlin drainage, one of the six drainages of Chang Hua Coast Industrial Park, belongs to serious pollution with RPI 6.08 value. The RPI results of Six trenches around the Chang-Hua Coast Industrial Park showed that Tien-Wei trench 2, Lun-Wei trench 1, and Ji-An trench belong to mid level of pollution (RPI 3.7~3.975). In the marine water survey, the results showed that the pH values were found lower at southern-ward monitoring station nearby the Formosa Petrochemical Corporation No. 6 Naphtha Cracking Industry site. The nitrogen-NH3 concentrations were found high in Jhuo-Shuei River and No. 6 Naphtha Cracking industry. The concentration of Chlorophyll-a was high in Chang-Hua Coast Industrial Park. In the survey of sediment, Hsin-Huu-Wei River arsenic concentration (As) was over the EPA guidelines, but the concentrations of Cr, Cu, Pb, Zn were within the level of required limits. In the biological survey, the results showed that abundance and species were not evenly distributed with non-comprehensive trends related to the environmental condition or changes. These indicated that biological monitoring survey displayed less important than physical and chemical monitoring for the assessment of man-made pollution or environmental impact from the industrial activities. Overall the monitor sites of river, drainage and trench were differed without a consistent sampling scheme. The offshore sites were sampled greatly in distance, i.e. the farthermost point at four sea miles that had caused difficulties for the comparison of data results collected in different time. It is very uneasy to evaluate the pollution monitoring results. Thus, it is required to develop a long-term environmental quality monitoring plan for the assessment of water quality and sediment of river and marine water with appropriate / consistency sampling method, monitor time and site scheme. Finally, the relevant authorities should implement river remediation to improve the pollution and thereby to maintain the sustainability of marine environment. It is required to establish an integral monitoring program consisting of water and sediment and bio-monitoring in rivers, estuary, and marine to better predict the marine environmental quality. Also the integral and long-term monitoring program should ensure to predict the changes of west coastal and to achieve the effectiveness of marine environment.

The west coast of Taiwan is enriched with biological resources. The areas are the economic development sites with highly industrialized activities and densely population. The government attempts to promote the sites for the establishment of marine protected areas (MPA) because of the existence of Chinese White Dolphin (Sousa Chinensis) which is the most important issues against the sustainable development of economy. Thus, the present study was initiated to assess the marine environmental quality (MEQ) in the west coast of Taiwan. The research consists of the integral monitoring assessments of rivers, estuaries and the marine areas. This work collected, reviewed and analyzed the environmental monitoring data from industrial environmental impact assessment reports and governmental documents for the evaluation of spatial and temporal trends of the west coast areas over the last ten year. The assessment is required to understand the possible interactive problems between the marine protected areas and the marine environmental quality prior to the establishment of MPA acts. The present work consists of the subsection of coastal areas ranging from Hsinchu Country to Taichung Harbour. Ten annual monitoring data including the water quality or sediments of rivers, estuaries, and marine were assessed for the spatial and temporal trends of physical, chemical and biological changes over the years. The approaches for assessing the sites included the geographic information system (GIS) spatial analysis method and linear regression of monitoring data. The levels of pollution were also evaluated by using the river pollution index (RPI). The effect of habitat suitability index (HSI) was also calculated. The results of river water quality assessment showed that the Ke-ya-si, Jhong-gang river, and Nan-gan river were seriously polluted with RPI¡Ö6. The river seiment contaminants (Cu¡BNi) were significantly increased in the Ke-ya-si and Jhong-gang river. The water quality of Taichung Port drainage showed serious pollution with low dissolved oxygen (DO), high concentrations of ammonia nitrogen, and high counts of coli-forms. The Taichung Port drainage sediment contaminants (As¡BCu¡BHg¡BZn) had higher than the average of EPA guidelines. This could be resulting from the significant point source of industries pollutants discharged into the river. The significant amounts of waste water discharged into ocean could cause the impacts to the marine environment. The present study demonstrated the impacts to the river monitoring site although the ocean water quality monitoring contaminants were found without signicant changes in all time. This suggests that the ocean water quality monitoring sites were inconsistently sampled at 4 nm away from the coast which caused the dilution of contaminant concentrations and affecting the monitoring effectiveness. The sediment contaminants in Taichung Port monitoring site showed with the exception of appearing unusual change. The results also showed that there is lack of bio-monitoring program carried out in rivers, estuary, and marine that are imperatively needed to resolve the ineffective sampling protocol implemented in the current coastal environmental monitoring. This is owing to the non unified for authorization between the municipality and environmental bureau. The Canada Ocean Acts on assessing the water and sediment and bio-monitoring in rivers, estuary, and marine as a whole concept were compared with the present study. Finally, the relevant authorities should implement river remediation to improve the pollution and thereby to maintain the sustainability of marine environment. It is needed to establish an integral monitoring program consisting of water and sediment and bio-monitoring in rivers, estuary, and marine to better predict the marine environmental quality. Also the integral and long-term monitoring program should ensure to predict the changes of west coastal and to achieve the effectiveness of marine management.

In Taiwan, non-point source (NPS) pollution is one of the major causes of the impairment of surface waters. NPS pollutants, which are associated with stormwater runoff from agricultural land uses can be quite diffuse and difficult to treat. The I-Liao Creek Basin, located in southern Taiwan, flows through approximately 90-km and drains towards the Kaoping River. It is one of the major sub-basin in the Kaoping River watershed, which is the largest and the most intensively used watershed in Taiwan. Field investigation results indicate that the main water pollution sources in the I-Liao Creek Basin are domestic wastewater and NPS pollutants from agricultural activities. In this study, an Integrated Watershed Management Model (IWMM) was applied for simulating the water quality in the I-Liao Creek watershed. The model includes a global atmosphere module, a land module, a human impact module, a canopy module, and a global ocean module. Those modules can be linked and managed by a graphic user-interface. The model was calibrated and verified with field data, and was used to investigate potential NPS pollution management plans. Moreover, the Storm Water Management Model (SWMM) was used to verify the accuracy of the simulated results of flow and water qualities. Results from this study show that geographical information system (GIS) is an important mean for land-use identification and waste load estimation in the catchment. Linking the information of land utilization with the NPS pollution simulation model may further provide essential information of pollution potential of NPS pollution for all sub-regions in the river basin. Results and experience obtained from this study will be helpful in designing the watershed management and NPS pollution control strategies for other similar river basins.