MENVSC / Department of Geography and Geo-Information Sciences / Road transport safety is challenging globally, especially in developing countries, where it affects both road users and governments. The aim of road traffic safety is to ensure a reduction or total eradication of road fatalities and other injuries that are related to road accidents resulting from public road usage. In South Africa, one of the major problems faced by the Department of Roads and Transport is the issue of road traffic accidents. Between 2004 and 2010 the annual road traffic accidents increased to over 500,000 and 28,000 or more are fatal, which has led to serious injuries, as reported by the Department. This study analysed patterns and trends of road traffic injuries and fatalities in Vhembe District Municipality from January 2011 to August 2015. It also mapped road accident hotpots using Getis hotspot analysis and linear referencing in ArcGIS 10.2 spatial statistics extension. The research further established correlation between accidents spots and road design geometry. Factors that are responsible for road traffic accidents leading to fatalities, injuries, and loss of property were also examined. Pedestrian behavioural attitude towards adhering to road safety measures was studied using systematic random sampling, field observation and questionnaires. Finally, the study investigated if there has been any significant reduction in the road traffic injuries and fatalities occurrence rate within the last five years in Vhembe District since the commencement of World Health Organisation; Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011-2020. It was found out that most of the accidents occurred as a result of changes in human social behaviour, negligence and indulgence. The passenger road users category is the worst affected followed by drivers and pedestrians. It was found out that road crashes have decreased by 35% since the commencement of decade of action for road safety. The composition of road traffic injuries and fatalities since 2011 shows a reduction in the numbers of victims recorded. An average of 86 fatalities, 326 serious injuries and 701 minor injuries occurred per annum within the study period. There was high significant value (p  0.05) among all the categories of road users understudied. The differences observed were real and did not occurred by chance for the 5year period (2011 – 2015).

This research focused on adventure tourism in KZN. The adventurer traveller is interested in remote pristine hotspots. A concern is that irresponsible behaviour on the adventurer’s part could lead to the destruction of the fragile natural environment, as well as negatively interfere with the local traditional cultural values. Adventure hotspots were identified by using the functionalities of a GIS. These findings were validated by tourism practitioners in KZN. The researcher also proposed a practical solution that could improve or enhance the behaviour of adventurers. Existing media were collated into information prompts. These information prompts were categorised in tables that could be linked to a mobile GIS environment. The researcher then examined the framework requirements for a mobile GIS. This resulted in a set of seven criteria that brought together the core essentials required for the conceptual framework of a mobile GIS device dedicated to the adventurer in KZN. / Geography / M.A. (Geography)

Electric motors are one of the biggest consumers of electricity in the world with a consumption of almost 45 % and it is predicted to increase. Since electric motors play an important role today and in the future, it is important that businesses take their responsibility to make them as sustainable as they can possibly be. Today’s product development models are often based on the idea that the customer buys the product and is responsible for the products use phase. This results in the manufacturer focusing on getting a competitive price for the customer by reducing the cost for manufacturing and delivery, which often is negative for the customer. The latter phases, use and end-of-life, are often the greatest contributors of costs and environmental impact. One way for businesses to take their responsibility is to have an environmental focus throughout their products life cycles, i.e., to apply a circular business model. This primarily means to focus on the main principles of circular economy: to reduce, reuse and recycle. ABB is a company in the electric motor and drive industry with ambitious commitments for 2030 which includes to have at least 80 % of their products and solutions covered by a circularity approach and achieve carbon neutrality across their own operations. This Master thesis studies the environmental impact of an ABB synchronous medium voltage motor and drive during their life cycle. This thesis also studies how a circular business model can affect the environmental impact the motor contribute with today. Assessing the environmental impact was done with a life cycle perspective in accordance to ISO 14044, using the world’s most used tool for these kinds of analyses, SimaPro. The results of the assessment showed that the total climate impact during the whole life cycle of the motor and drive is 4.38•106 kg CO2 eq. The use phase of the motor and drive was the biggest contributor, with almost 99 % of total climate impact. The electricity used in this phase and the long lifetime of these machines, in this case 20 years, contributes to the great impact. Important environmental impact categories identified from studying the motor and drive during their lifecycles are ionizing radiation, human toxicity (both non-cancer effects and cancer effects) and freshwater ecotoxicity. The results also showed that by only looking at the contribution of the components of the motor, the climate impact is 7.35•104 kg CO2 eq. A total of 43 % of the emissions comes from the stator and 30 % from the rotor. For the drive the total impact is in total 6.83•104 kg CO2 eq. The biggest contributor is the semiconductor, with 50 % of the total impact of the machine followed by the housing with 21 %. Answering research question two, regarding the circular business model, was done by interviewing key players at ABB and people with knowledge in the area as well by studying literature. Potential measures for a circular business model were for example increasing the efficiency of the motor, designing for refurbishment and recycling, partnerships and changing the motor application after use. Increased efficiency of the motor was identified as a very impactful measure since it can affect the use phase, which is the biggest contributor of climate impact. The identified measures impact the material and energy flows in different ways, most of them prevent extraction of new raw material. This study can be used for an indication of where the environmental hotspots are for a MV electric motor and drive. It can be concluded that a circular business model could bring benefits on material and energy flows such as reduced energy use in the use phase, decreased use of raw material in production and reduced use of fuel for transportation.

L'un des challenges le plus important pour les opérateurs des réseaux mobiles est de dimensionner le réseau de la manière la plus efficace possible, c'est-à-dire, bien planifier les ressources pour fournir une bonne couverture et une meilleure capacité. Afin de mieux gérer le trafic généré dans le réseau, les opérateurs déploient des petites cellules pour aider les macro-cellules à délester les zones de la cellule où le trafic de données est significativement supérieur au trafic moyen dans la cellule. Cependant, le problème majeur de ces réseaux hétérogènes consiste à bien localiser ces hotspots et puis de mettre en place la meilleure solution pour les absorber. Dans cette thèse, on traite le sujet de localisation de hotspot et on étudie l'impact de son imperfection sur les performances des déploiements des réseaux hétérogènes. Dans une première étape, on propose une nouvelle méthode de localisation de hotspot. Puis, on propose d'évaluer l'impact d'une mauvaise localisation de trafic sur le déploiement des petites cellules à travers une analyse de performances au niveau statique et dynamique. Sachant qu'une grande quantité de trafic de données dans le réseau mobile est générée par des utilisateurs qui sont en mouvement, on propose d'évaluer les performances des petites cellules mobiles. Enfin, la quatrième étape consiste à améliorer encore la solution de déploiement de petites cellules en utilisant les drones. On propose un mécanisme de décongestion du réseau et on discute les avantages et les points à explorer. Une analyse de performance est aussi réalisée pour comparer cette solution avec les solutions classiques de macro cellules et de petites cellules / The continuous increasing traffic in cellular networks has forced the mobile operators to look for efficient and viable options to manage their networks so as to ensure more efficiency over the network life cycle while also evolving with the implementation of new technologies. Traffic hotspot localization can help operators to identify the areas where deploying small cells can reduce the congestion. We firstly propose and assess a new traffic hotspot localization method based on the projection of O&M KPIs on the coverage map. Compared to probing methods, the computational costs and the equipment expenditures are reduced. Moreover, the localization accuracy is improved. Next, in order to evaluate the impact of the limited accuracy of traffic localization tools on small cell deployment, we study the performances of three different scenarios. The first one considers a network of macrocells only and represents a benchmark to decide about the usefulness of small cells. The second one is based on a network of macrocells with a perfectly deployed small cell allowing to identify the limitations of small cell deployment and the last one is with an imperfectly deployed small cell. Realizing that a significant amount of cellular demand is generated on the go and suffers deteriorating quality, we investigate the potential performance gains of using moving small cells. The major outcome is to understand if moving cells leverage the relative operators' investments. Finally, we propose a new mobile data offloading mechanism which capitalizes on drone small cells to alleviate the data traffic load. We realize a performance evaluation and comparison with classic small cell deployment

Made available in DSpace on 2014-07-29T16:23:34Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Tese Ricardo Dobrovolski.pdf: 1981880 bytes, checksum: 8c60352c3d999171ab957f065b32a9db (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-04-10 / Agriculture is the human activity with the greatest impact on the environment. Specifically, it represents the greatest threat to biodiversity. In the future, this activity should expand due to population growth, increased consumption and production of biofuels from food. To understand the possible impacts of this expansion on biodiversity, we used scenarios of land use change between 1970 and 2100 from IMAGE (Integrated Model to Access Global Environment) to test the following hypotheses: (i) areas considered as global priorities for conservation by international NGOs will be preferentially impacted by agricultural expansion in the XXI century, (ii) there is a conflict between the priority areas for carnivores conservation and agricultural expansion, and this conflict can be reduced by incorporating information on agricultural expansion in the prioritization process, (iii) the integration among countries for conservation planning may benefit both biodiversity and agricultural productivity, (iv) Brazilian protected areas will be impacted by agricultural expansion in the future and this impact will differ between protected areas of integral protection and those of sustainable use. We found that: (i) the impact on priority areas for conservation depends on the criteria by which they were set, so that areas defined by its high vulnerability are currently most affected than those of low vulnerability. Throughout the XXI century this impact is expected to increase, although the difference between the two types of priorities remains, except for High Biodiversity Wilderness Areas, defined by their low vulnerability in current time, but for which most pessimistic scenarios forecast an impact similar to priority areas of high vulnerability, (ii) there is a high spatial congruence between areas with high agricultural use in the future and priority areas for conservation of carnivores. This conflict can be reduced if the prioritization process include information on agricultural expansion; this incorporation, however, causes a profound change in the distribution of priority areas and reduces the number of protected carnivore populations, (iii) the integration of countries to create a set of priority areas for conservation that represents 17% of the land surface can protect 19% more mammal populations without reducing food production, compared to a strategy in which each country seeks to protect its territory independently, and (iv) the impact of agriculture in Brazil is expected to increase until the end of the century, threatening even the protected areas and their surroundings. This impact, however, should not be different between areas of sustainable use and those of integral protection. We conclude that agricultural expansion should remain a major threat to biodiversity in the future, even in areas of special interest for conservation. Conservation actions should be planned taking into account this threat in order to reduce their potential impacts. For this, countries like Brazil should strengthen its surveillance on agricultural expansion and on how this activity is developed. Furthermore, the integration of international conservation efforts should be pursued, given its benefits for biodiversity and food production. Finally, humanity must choose methods of agricultural production that reduce its impacts, including avoiding its future expansion, so as to meet the increasing needs of a human population globally. / A agricultura é a atividade humana com maior impacto sobre o ambiente. Particularmente, ela representa a maior ameaça à biodiversidade. No futuro, essa atividade deve expandir-se com o aumento populacional humano, o aumento do consumo e a produção de biocombustíveis a partir dos alimentos. Para entender os possíveis impactos dessa expansão sobre a biodiversidade, nós utilizamos cenários de mudança de uso do solo entre 2000 e 2100 do IMAGE (Integrated Model to Access Global Environment) para testar as seguintes hipóteses: (i) as áreas consideradas como prioridades globais de conservação pelas ONGs internacionais serão preferencialmente impactadas pela expansão agrícola no século XXI; (ii) há um conflito entre áreas prioritárias para a conservação de carnívoros e a expansão agrícola e esse conflito pode ser reduzido com a incorporação da informação sobre expansão agrícola no processo de priorização; (iii) a integração entre os países para o planejamento da conservação pode ser favorável à proteção da biodiversidade e à produção agrícola; (iv) no Brasil, as áreas protegidas serão impactadas pela expansão agrícola no futuro e esse impacto será diferente entre áreas de proteção integral e áreas de uso sustentável. Nós encontramos os seguintes resultados: (i) o impacto sobre as áreas prioritárias para a conservação depende dos critérios pelos quais elas foram definidas, assim, as áreas definidas por sua alta vulnerabilidade estão atualmente mais impactadas do que áreas de baixa vulnerabilidade. Ao longo do século XXI, o impacto geral da agricultura deve aumentar, mas a diferença entre os dois tipos de prioridades se mantém, exceto para as High Biodiversity Wilderness Areas, definidas por sua baixa vulnerabilidade, mas que nos cenários mais pessimistas podem ter um impacto agrícola semelhante ao das áreas de alta vulnerabilidade; (ii) há uma alta congruência espacial entre áreas com elevado uso agrícola no futuro e áreas prioritárias para a conservação de carnívoros; esse conflito pode ser reduzido se o processo de priorização incluir as informações sobre a expansão agrícola; a incorporação dessa informação, entretanto, provoca uma profunda alteração na distribuição das áreas prioritárias e reduz o número de populações de carnívoros protegidas; (iii) a integração entre os países para a criação de um conjunto de áreas prioritárias para conservação que represente 17% da superfície terrestre pode proteger 19% mais populações de mamíferos sem reduzir a produção de alimentos, se comparada a uma estratégia em que cada país busque proteger seu território independentemente; (iv) o impacto da agricultura no Brasil deve aumentar até o fim do século XXI, ameaçando inclusive as áreas protegidas e o seu entorno. Esse impacto, porém, não deve ser diferente entre as áreas de uso sustentável e aquelas de proteção integral. Assim, a expansão agrícola deve continuar a ser uma importante ameaça à biodiversidade no futuro, atingindo inclusive áreas de especial interesse para a conservação. As ações de conservação devem ser planejadas levando em consideração essa ameaça, a fim de reduzir seus impactos potenciais. Para isso, países como o Brasil devem reforçar sua vigilância sobre a expansão agrícola e a maneira como essa atividade é desenvolvida. Além disso, a integração internacional dos esforços de conservação deve ser buscada, dados seus benefícios para a biodiversidade e para a produção de alimentos. E por fim, a humanidade deve optar por formas de produção agrícola que reduzam seus impactos, inclusive evitando sua expansão futura, mas que possam satisfazer as necessidades da população humana globalmente.

Detta examensarbete har sin utgångspunkt ihållbar stadsutveckling och inriktar sigsärskilt på social hållbarhet men även påekonomisk hållbarhet. Arbetet behandlarhuruvida den fysiska strukturen (gator,byggnader, parker, vägar) och markanvändningen(mötesplatser, funktionsblandning,aktivitetsytor) kan verka brottsförebyggandeoch trygghetsskapande och som kontextundersöks delområdet Herrgården iRosengård, Malmö. Med utgångspunkt i deteoretiska principerna; människans skala,befolkade stadsrum, naturlig övervakningoch förvaltning härleds en förståelse försambandet mellan fysisk miljö, brott ochotrygghet. En nulägesbeskrivning och enhållbarhetsanalys av situationen i Herrgårdengörs. Området Herrgården kartläggsoch analyseras utifrån ett observationsschemabaserat på de teoretiska principerna.Analysen av den fysiska strukturenkompletteras med brottsstatistisk, analysav brottskoncentrationers geografiskaplacering tillsammans med input från denfördjupade trygghetsundersökningen. Intevjuermed verksamma i området kompletterarstudien.Hållbarhetsanalysen visar att Herrgårdenär ett utsatt och resurssvagt område samtatt Herrgårdenborna saknar förankring tillsamhället genom sin låga delaktighet. Invånarnai Herrgården känner en låg gradav trivsel, tillit och kollektiv styrka,lägst för stadsdelen.Vidare uppger invånarna i Herrgården attde känner en hög otrygghet och en storandel av invånarna avstår aktiviteter pågrund av otrygghet fastän utsattheten förbrott inte är anmärkningsvärd hög.Analys av den fysiska strukturen och markanvändningenutifrån principerna ur teorigenomgången;människans skala, befolkadestadsrum, naturlig övervakning ochförvaltning visar att det finns mycket attgöra.Analysen av brottsstatistik visar på treutmärkande mikroplatser i delområdet; Rosengårdsskolan,koloniområdet och Rosengårdsherrgård (inrymmer Drömmarnas hus).Hållbarhetsanalysen visar att jämlikhetenoch delaktigheten i Herrgården behöverstärkas. För att öka den upplevda trygghetenoch minska brottsligheten i Herrgårdenkrävs insatser som inbegriper mångaaktörer och en bred samverkan, inte minstpå lokal nivå. Vidare är det nödvändigtmed en lokal förankring till de boende iområdet inte minst barn och unga som utgören stor andel av invånarna. För attförändringar i den fysiska strukturen skaförbli långsiktiga investeringar och intedrabbas av vandalisering och nedskräpningså är det viktigt att befolkningen i områdetkommer till tals och får möjlighetatt lämna synpunkter och förslag tidigt iprocessen.Som en del av examensarbetet upprättas enprojektplan med syfte att stärka främstden sociala men även ekonomiska hållbarhetensom omfattar att ta fram en generiskmodell för ett lokalt brottsförebyggandeoch trygghetsskapande program med inriktningpå fysisk struktur och markanvändning,TRYGG & SÄKER. Projektet syftartill att öka tryggheten och minska tillfällenaför brott men även till att ökajämlikheten och delaktigheten bland de boendeoch verksamma.Sökord/nyckelord: hållbar stadsutveckling,social hållbarhet, brottsförebyggande ochtrygghetsskapande stadsplanering, brott,säkerhet, trygghet, GIS, fysisk planering,geografisk analys, markanvändning, befolkadestadsrum, stadsliv, ögon på gatan,delaktighet, hotspots, mikroplats / This thesis is based on sustainable urbandevelopment and focuses particularlyon social sustainability, but also economicsustainability. The thesis addresseswhether the physical structure (streets,buildings, parks, roads) and land use (venues,function mixing, activity areas) cansupport crime prevention and reduce thefear of crime and the context for thissurvey is Herrgården in Malmö, Sweden. Basedon the theoretical principles; humanscale, populated urban space, natural surveillanceand management an understandingof the relationship between physical environment,crime and fear of crime is derived.A status report and a sustainabilityanalysis of the situation in the Herrgårdenis made. The area Herrgården is mappedand analyzed through an observationschedule based on the theoretical principles.The analysis of the physical structureis complemented by crime statistics,analysis of hotspots` geographic positiontogether with input from the security survey.Interviews with people working in thearea complements the study.The sustainability analysis shows thatHerrgården is a vulnerable and weak resourcearea and the residents lacks anchoringto the community by their low participation.The inhabitants of Herrgårdenfeel a low degree of satisfaction, trust,and collective strength, lowest for thedistrict.Furthermore, residents in Herrgården statethat they feel a high level of fear ofcrime and a high proportion of residentsrefrain activities due to fear of crime,although victimization is not remarkablyhigh.Analysis of the physical structure andland use based on the principles of thetheory; human scale, populated urban spaces,natural surveillance and managementshows that there still is much to do.The analysis of crime statistics shows threedistinctive hot spots in the area;Rosengårdsskolan, area with the allotmentsand the old mansion of Rosengård(today Drömmarnas hus, multiactivities forchildren and young).The sustainability analysis shows thatequality and participation in Herrgårdenneeds to be strengthened. In order to reducethe crime and the fear of crime in Herrgården efforts involving many stakeholdersand a broad collaboration, especiallyat the local level, is needed.Furthermore, it is necessary to have alocal connection to the residents especiallychildren and young people who make upa large proportion of the inhabitants. Tochange the physical structure to remainlong-term investment and not suffer fromvandalism and littering, it is importantthat people in the area have a voice andthe opportunity to make comments and suggestionsearly in the process.As part of the thesis a projectplan is established,aimed at strengthening primarilysocial but also economic sustainability,which includes developing a genericmodel for a local crime prevention andsecurity-building program that focus onphysical structure and land use, SAFE &SECURE. The project aims to reduce fear ofcrime and reduce opportunities for crimebut also to increase the equality and fullparticipation of people living and working.Keywords/tags: sustainable urban development,social sustainability, crime preventionand reduced fear of crime, urbanplanning, crime, safety, security, GIS,spatial planning, spatial analysis, landuse, populated urban space, city life, eyeson the street, participation, hot spots