This research proposes an on-line Environmental Information System for Planners (EISP). The Environmental Information System for Planners has been developed in collaboration with five local authorities as a web-based system designed to support decision making within the UK planning framework. It has been built as a ‘proof-of-concept’ system to demonstrate the value to urban planning of making information on environmental issues more widely accessible. The EISP has been designed to support three principal planning functions carried out by Local Authorities: Pre-planning enquiries; Development control decisions; and Strategic planning. The system incorporates 12 environmental themes: Air quality (PM10); Shallow undermining; Landslide susceptibility; Groundwater protection; Flood risk; Drainage; Land contamination; Proximity to landfill; Biodiversity; Natural heritage designations; Man-made heritage; and Natural Ground Stability (Geohazards). The design framework is based upon a series of decision flow diagrams, each covering one of the above themes. These decision flows take account of current planning procedures in the UK. Industry-standard web technologies have been employed to integrate the flows and develop the functionality that will allow the planner access to the system through secure web pages. Underpinning the system is an environmental Geographical Information System (GIS) that contains the most up-to-date data, information and models relevant to each of the environmental themes listed. The planning regulations are subject to change and so the system has been designed in a modular way so that new legislation can be accommodated without the need for a complete system rewrite. This modular approach also means that the system can be readily adapted to reflect local priorities and to draw on local datasets. The EISP was successfully tested and the thesis concludes with a costed business case study for commercial implementation and rollout of a production EISP system populated with appropriate environmental data within UK local authorities.

No description available.

This research started with a realization that two organizations in Saudi Arabia were spending large amounts of money, millions of dollars in fact, in acquiring separate sets of geospatial data that had identical basemap components. Both the organizations would be using the data for similar engineering purposes, yet both would be independently outsourcing the data gathering. In all probability, resources are being wasted through two organizations each developing and operating stand-alone geographic information systems and then populating the databases with geospatial data obtained separately. Surely with some cooperation, a shared database could be established, with a diffusion of economic benefits to both organizations. Preliminary discussions with representatives from both the organizations revealed high levels of enthusiasm for the principle of sharing geospatial data, but the discussions also revealed even higher levels of scepticism that such a scheme could be implemented. This dichotomy of views prompted an investigation into the issues, benefits and the barriers involved in data sharing, the relative weight of these issues, and a quest for a workable model. Sharing geospatial data between levels of government, between governmental and private institutions, and within institutions themselves has been attempted on large and small scales in a variety of countries, with varying degrees of accomplishment. Lessons can be learned from these attempts at data sharing, confirming that success is not purely a function of financial and technical benefits, but is also influenced by institutional and cultural aspects. This research is aimed at defining why there is little geospatial data sharing between authorities in Saudi Arabia, and then presenting a workable model as a pilot arrangement. This should take into account issues raised in reference material; issues evidenced through experience in the implementation of systems that were configured as independent structures; issues of culture; and issues apparent in a range of existing data sharing arrangements. The doubts expressed by engineering managers towards using a geospatial database that is shared between institutions in Saudi Arabia have been borne out by the complexity of interrelationships which this research has revealed. Nevertheless, by concentrating on a two party entry level, a model has been presented which shows promise for the implementation of such a scheme. The model was derived empirically and checked against a case study of various other similar ventures, with a consideration of their applicability in the environment of Saudi Arabia. This model follows closely the generic structure of the Singapore Land Hub. The scalability of the model should allow it to be extended to other, multi-lateral data sharing arrangements. An alternative solution could be developed based on a Spatial Data Infrastructure model and this is suggested for ongoing investigation. Major unresolved questions relate to cultural issues, whose depth and intricacy have the potential to influence the realization of successful geospatial data sharing in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Please read the abstract in the section 00front of this document / Dissertation (MSc)--University of Pretoria, 2001. / Geography, Geoinformatics and Meteorology / MSc / Unrestricted

Robust decision support tools that aid water utilities to make informed, swift and precise decisions are becoming the need of the hour. Application of sophisticated models to aid the process of condition assessment and risk analysis on water pipelines have been limited owing to the lack of scalability, inability to incorporate external open source datasets and mathematically complicated output results. Interactive visualization of resultant model output is the key element in extracting valuable information to support decision making. This thesis presents a framework for visualization of data related to drinking water pipelines. Critical components of strategic, tactical and operational level decision making are explored in context with data presentation and information depiction. This thesis depicts various aspects of developing GIS web applications and their important functionalities for query and visualization of data. Multiple facets of data storage, standardization and application development are highlighted in this document. Publishing of application geo processing services in web environment is done through Virginia Tech enterprise geodatabase. Risk assessment and Performance models developed by a utility are projected in the application environment through help of widgets. Applications are coded into links on a Drupal website (www.pipeid.org) for model dissemination and utility engagement purposes. / Master of Science / Drinking water supply network primarily consists of pipelines, pumping stations, reservoir basins and treatment plants. Water pipelines are routinely inspected to check their condition and maintain appropriate water quality. Management of these subsurface assets should be given prime importance for maintaining high standards of services at acceptable cost to customers. An integral step in accomplishing this task is to view pipeline network in a geographic map. Different factors affecting pipeline condition are displayed on the map in the form of individual layers. Such real-world problems are analyzed with the help of Geographical Information System (GIS) tools that incorporate spatial features with tabular information. Moreover, interpretation of raw data into meaningful insights and distribution of allocated knowledge to all the concerned parties can be efficiently accomplished using rich internet applications. This thesis presents a framework to use GIS tools for developing web applications using raw data samples from contacted water utilities. Sample web applications are created and discussed in the form of case studies. Also, the challenges in water utility sector with respect to utilizing GIS tools for supporting daily decision-making processes is highlighted in this document. The recommendation to improve the suggested framework and adding more functionalities to developed applications are presented at the end with references.

Perceptual dialectology studies have shown that people have strong opinions about the number and placement of dialect regions. There has been relatively little research conducted in this area on Korean, however, with early studies using only short language attitude surveys. To address this gap in research, in the present study, I use the 'draw-­?a-­?map' task to examine perceptions of language variation in Korea. I ask respondents to draw a line around places in Korea where people speak differently and provide names, examples, and comments about the language spoken in those areas. With the resulting data, I use ArcGIS 10.0 software to quantitatively identify, aggregate, and map the most salient dialect areas and categories for subjects' perceptions. I also perform a content analysis of the qualitative data provided by respondents using 'keywords.' During this process, I categorize comments and labels given by respondents to find emerging themes. Finally, I stratify perceptions of respondents by demographic factors, e.g., age, sex, and urbanicity, that have often been found to be important in language variation and change. An analysis of these data suggests that Koreans' perceptions of dialect regions are not necessarily limited by administrative boundaries. In fact, the data reveal not only perceptions of dialect variation unassociated with geographic borders, but they also tap into the way people connect ideas about language and place. Results from this study have implications for language attitudes research, perceptual dialectology methodology, and the relationship between language and place in Korea.

A malária é a mais importante doença tropical do mundo. Em muitos países, especialmente no continente africano, causa grandes prejuízos com custos médicos e dias de trabalho perdidos. O risco de contrair malária está relacionado a alterações ambientais causadas por atividades como construções de estradas, projetos de mineração, agricultura e irrigação, particularmente em áreas da região amazônica e sudeste asiático. Entre outras causas da expansão desta endemia no mundo, pode-se incluir as mudanças climáticas, desintegração dos serviços de saúde e movimentos migratórios. Em áreas onde a malária é endêmica, o monitoramento das larvas e de populações de mosquitos adultos é de grande importância para o controle da doença. Novas ferramentas são necessárias para este processo, dentre os quais, as técnicas de sensoriamento remoto e os sistemas de informação geográfica (SIG). Essas técnicas têm reduzido custos e tempo nas pesquisas epidemiológicas, pois são usadas em escala regional para identificar tipos de vegetação, alterações ambientais que podem favorecer a proliferação de vetores da doença. Dada à gravidade da malária na região amazônica, este trabalho tem por objetivo entender como os padrões de distribuição espacial dos casos de malária na região da Usina Hidrelétrica de Tucuruí-PA se relacionam com os padrões de ocupação da terra, induzidos por sua implantação. Foi utilizado um conjunto de dados que incluem imagens TM-LANDSAT5 e SAR-RADARSAT para o levantamento de uso da terra os municípios de Tucuruí, Novo Repartimento e Jacundá e também para monitorar a variação sazonal do reservatório da UHE de Tucurui, além de uma série histórica de dados de malária do período compreendido entre 1992 a 2001. Esses dados foram integrados e analisados por meio do software SPRING 3.6. Foi constatado que os municípios de Novo Repartimento e Tucuruí, por possuírem grandes áreas de contato com o reservatório, apresentaram maiores problemas com a malária e que a variação temporal da doença, nesta região, está relacionada com o ciclo do reservatório, com a precipitação e com a dinâmica da população. / Malaria is the most important tropical disease in the world. In many countries, specially in the African continent, malaria is responsible for huge economical losses with medical bills and absenteeism. Malaria risk relates to environmental change derived from road construction, mining activities, agriculture and irrigation mainly in forested areas such as Amazon region and southern Asia. Among the causes explaining the spread of this endemic disease in the world, one can include climatic changes, healthy service breakdown and migration. At malaria endemic areas, larva and mosquito monitoring is highly important for disease control. New tools however are needed such as remote sensing and geographical information system in epidemic areas. These techniques have been responsible for reducing the time and cost of epidemiological researches, since they are used in a regional scale for assessing environmental disturbance apt to spreading of malaria vectors. Due to the threat of malaria in the Amazon region, this research aims to understand the relationship between land use changes induced by UHE-Tucuruí construction and the spatial distribution of malaria incidence in the region. LANDSAT5-TM and RADARSAT-SAR images were used respectively for land use mapping at Tucuruí, Novo Repartimento and Jacundá municipality and for monitoring the seasonal variation of UHE Tucuruí reservoir flooded area. A historic series of malaria data acquired for the National Health Foundation between 1992 and 2001 was also used. These data were integrated and analyzed with the aid of the SPRING 3.6 software. It was determined that Novo Repartimento and Tucuruí with large areas bounded by the reservoir are more prone to malaria incidence and that the time change in the disease in this region is related to the hydrology and reservoir operation, as well as with the precipitation and population dynamic.

Este trabalho trata da organização de um algoritmo, sem preocupação com a linguagem de programação que possa ser utilizada, para desenvolver um método para o traçado da linha divisória de uma bacia hidrográfica, para aplicações em SIG. O método escolhido foi o de análise dos oitos pixels à volta de um pixel já pertencente ao divisor, constituindo uma variação do processo conhecido como D8 (determinístico dos oito vizinhos), que só é possível ser aplicado em sistemas do tipo raster. A partir dessa análise desenvolveu-se uma metodologia para a definição do próximo pixel que pertencerá ao divisor de águas da bacia. A avaliação do algoritmo foi feita utilizando-se um mapa fictício, criado para incluir as mais prováveis dificuldades encontradas na definição do divisor de uma bacia através de programa computacional. O traçado obtido, acompanhando as etapas lógicas do algoritmo, mostrou-se adequado quando comparado com a linha divisória da bacia traçada manualmente. Um mapa digitalizado a partir de rede local real é utilizado como exemplo de aplicação do algoritmo desenvolvido. / This work is about the organizing of an algorithm, without any regard with the programming language that may be used, in order to develop a method for delineation of watershed boundaries, for GIS applications. The method chosen was the analysis of eight pixels that surround another pixel belonging to the watershed, being a variation of the process known as D8 (deterministic of the eight neighbors), which can only be applied in raster systems. Considering this analysis, a methodology was developed for establishing the next pixel that will belong to the watershed. The algorithm evaluation was done with a fictitious map, created to include the most probable difficulties in establishing the divisor of a watershed through a computer program. The obtained line, following the logical steps of the algorithm, was suitable when compared with the dividing line of the watershed done manually. A digital map of a real place is used as an example of application of the developed algorithm.

<p>There are a number of decision making problems in which Geographical Information System (GIS) has employed to organize and facilitate the procedure of analyzing the problem. These GIS-based decision problems which typically include a number of different criteria and alternatives are generally analyzed by Multicriteria Decision Analysis (MCDA).Different locations within a geographical area represent the alternatives by which the overall goal of the project is achieved. The quality of achieving the goal is evaluated by a set of criteria which should be considered in the work. Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) which is a powerful method of MCDA generally can organize spatial problems and decides which alternatives are most suitable for the defined problems. However due to some intrinsic uncertainty in the method, a number of authors suggest fuzzifying the method while others are against fuzzification of the AHP.</p><p>The debate over fuzzifying AHP is going on and attempt for finding that was mostly in theory, and little, if any; practical comparison between the AHP and fuzzified AHP has done. This work presents a practical comparison of AHP and fuzzy AHP in a GIS-based problem, case study, for locating a dam in Costa Rica, considering different criteria. In order to perform the AHP and fuzzy AHP in the GIS-based problem and calculating weights of the criteria by the methods, some computer codes have written and developed in MATLAB.</p><p>The comparisons between the AHP and fuzzy AHP methods are done on result weights and on the result final maps. The comparison between the weights is repeated on different levels of uncertainty in fuzzy AHP then all the results are compared with the result of AHP method. Also this study for checking the effect of fuzzification on results is suggested Chi-Square test as a suitable tool.</p><p>Comparisons between the resulting weights of the AHP and fuzzy AHP methods show some differences between the methods. Furthermore, the Chi-Square test shows that the higher level of uncertainty in the fuzzy AHP, the greater the difference in results between the AHP and fuzzy AHP methods.</p>

With the rapid development of the coastal environment and advances in fishing technology, marine biodiversity and fishery resources are decreasing dramatically. Therefore, each state is now focusing on conserving the marine environment. Planning Marine Protected Areas is one of the simplest and most efficient ways to do this. In recent years, researches have been conducted on Marine Protected Areas around the world. The government and academic fields in Taiwan also has started to value its surrounding marine environment. However, literature on the Marine Protected Areas in Taiwan has focused on policy and management, not so much on planning and zoning strategies. Therefore, this study uses the Geographic Information System (GIS) to simulate the planning and zoning process. This research set principles and zoning framework for Marine Protected Areas in Taiwan based on case studies and spatial analysis techniques. This study uses Gueishan Island in Yilan County as case study since the unique geographical environment of Gueishan Island provides potentiality to set Marine Protected Areas. In this study, it is suggested that "hot spring resources", "cetacean resources", and "fisheries resources" are the main protected objectives. The zoning strategies, management guidelines and recommendations are provided in this study based on these three protected objectives. According to the GIS simulation process, using the spatial analysis techniques is one of the possible efficient methodologies to plan and zone the Marine Protected Areas. With supplementary data and information, the results can be discussed more specifically in the further study. In addition, techniques of visualization during the MPAs zoning process can be a easier way for various stakeholders to understand, and to strengthen mutual communication, thereby reducing disputes to create successful Marine Protected Areas.