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.

[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.

<p>Effects of functioning transportation infrastructure are receiving more and more environmental and social concern nowadays. Nevertheless, preliminary corridor plans are usually developed on the basis of technical and economic criteria exclusively. By the time of environmental impact assessment (EIA), which succeeds, relocation is practically impossible and only preventative measures can be applied.</p><p>This paper proposes a GIS-based method of delimiting motorway corridor and integrating social, environmental and economic factors into the early stages of planning. Multiple criteria decision making (MCDM) techniques are used to assess all possible alternatives. GIS-held weighted shortest path algorithm enables to locate the corridor. The evaluation criteria are exemplary. They include nature conservation, buildings, forests and agricultural resources, and soils. Resulting evaluation surface is divided into a grid of cells, which are assigned suitability scores derived from all evaluation criteria. Subsequently, a set of adjacent cells connecting two pre-specified points is traced by the least-cost path algorithm. The best alternative has a lowest total value of suitability scores.</p><p>As a result, the proposed motorway corridor is routed from origin to destination. It is afterwards compared with an alternative derived by traditional planning procedures. Concluding remarks are that the location criteria need to be adjusted to meet construction</p><p>requirements as well as analysis process to be automated. Nevertheless, the geographic information system and the embedded shortest path algorithm proved to be well suited for preliminary corridor location analysis. Future research directions are sketched.</p>

<p>Waste management is a global environmental issue which concerns about a very significant problem in today’s world. There is a considerable amount of disposal of waste without proper segregation which has lead to both economic and environment sufferings. It is still practiced in many cities. There is a tremendous amount of loss in terms of environmental degradation, health hazards and economic descend due to direct disposal of waste. It is better to segregate the waste at the initial stages where it is generated, rather than going for a later option which is inconvenient and expensive. There has to be appropriate planning for proper waste management by means of analysis of the waste situation of the area.</p><p>This paper would deal with, how Geographical Information System can be used as a decision support tool for planning waste management. A model is designed for the case study area in an Indian city for the purpose of planning waste management. The suggestions for amendments in the system through GIS based model would reduce the waste management workload to some extent and exhibit remedies for some of the SWM problems in the case study area. The waste management issues are considered to solve some of the present situation problems like proper allocation and relocation of waste bins, check for unsuitability and proximity convenience due to waste bin to the users, proposal of recyclable waste bins for the required areas and future suggestions. The model will be implemented on the Aurangabad city’s case study area data for the analysis and the results will suggest some modification in the existing system which is expected to reduce the waste management workload to a certain extent.</p>

<p>Products are displayed in a shelf to market and sell to the public. It creates an interest and attracts people towards it. Likewise, any country or city can showcase itself by using Web over the internet which will attract the tourists from around the world. This example can be used for the city of Hyderabad. Hyderabad has truly become an international city and there are many multinational companies establishing themselves. It is rapidly becoming a hot spot for tourists from around the world because of its exotic locations and facilities provided by the government. The city has been famous for historical monuments and culture, but in the recent years it has developed into a world class IT destination for many multinational IT companies and due to this it has attained world recognition on the global scenario. The time is to reap the benefits of this image and promote the city’s tourist sector by globally marketing the tourist attractions, facilities and services in an innovative and better way so that tourists from around the world visit the city and thereby contribute to the country’s economy with the foreign currency.</p><p>This research deals with developing a Web-based GIS application that can promote the city’s tourist activities and also provide the users with an innovative way to access the spatial content of the city. GIS content forms the core component of this application as it provides the users with the spatial information about the place that is very close to reality. It supports the human tendency of “What you see is what you believe” by displaying the spatial information on the map. The application has been developed with the latest mapping server technology provided by Environmental Science Research Institute’s ArcIMS 9.1. This server software provides simple and easy methods to launch a Web-based GIS application over the Internet.</p>

Several studies in high-latitude catchments have demonstrated the importance of near-stream riparian zones as hydrogeochemical hotspots with a substantial influence on stream chemistry. An adequate representation of the spatial variability of riparian-zone processes and characteristics is the key for modeling spatio-temporal variations of stream-water quality. This thesis contributes to current knowledge by refining landscape-analysis techniques to describe riparian zones and by introducing a conceptual framework to quantify solute exports from riparian zones. The utility of the suggested concepts is evaluated based on an extensive set of hydrometric and chemical data comprising measurements of streamflow, groundwater levels, soil-water chemistry and stream chemistry. Standard routines to analyze digital elevation models that are offered by current geographical information systems have been of very limited use for deriving hydrologically meaningful terrain indices for riparian zones. A model-based approach for hydrological landscape analysis is outlined, which, by explicitly simulating groundwater levels, allows better predictions of saturated areas compared to standard routines. Moreover, a novel algorithm is presented for distinguishing between left and right stream sides, which is a fundamental prerequisite for characterizing riparian zones through landscape analysis. The new algorithm was used to derive terrain indices from a high-resolution LiDAR digital elevation model. By combining these terrain indices with detailed hydrogeochemical measurements from a riparian observatory, it was possible to upscale the measured attributes and to subsequently characterize the variation of total organic-carbon exports from riparian zones in a boreal catchment in Northern Sweden. Riparian zones were recognized as highly heterogeneous landscape elements. Organic-rich riparian zones were found to be hotspots influencing temporal trends in stream-water organic carbon while spatial variations of organic carbon in streams were attributed to the arrangement of organic-poor and organic-rich riparian zones along the streams. These insights were integrated into a parsimonious modeling approach. An analytical solution of the model equations is presented, which provides a physical basis for commonly used power-law streamflow-load relations. / At the time of doctoral defense, the following papers were unpublished and had a status as follows: Paper 2: In press; Paper 4: Manuscript. / Swedish Research Council (VR, grant no. 2005-4289)

Waste management is a global environmental issue which concerns about a very significant problem in today’s world. There is a considerable amount of disposal of waste without proper segregation which has lead to both economic and environment sufferings. It is still practiced in many cities. There is a tremendous amount of loss in terms of environmental degradation, health hazards and economic descend due to direct disposal of waste. It is better to segregate the waste at the initial stages where it is generated, rather than going for a later option which is inconvenient and expensive. There has to be appropriate planning for proper waste management by means of analysis of the waste situation of the area. This paper would deal with, how Geographical Information System can be used as a decision support tool for planning waste management. A model is designed for the case study area in an Indian city for the purpose of planning waste management. The suggestions for amendments in the system through GIS based model would reduce the waste management workload to some extent and exhibit remedies for some of the SWM problems in the case study area. The waste management issues are considered to solve some of the present situation problems like proper allocation and relocation of waste bins, check for unsuitability and proximity convenience due to waste bin to the users, proposal of recyclable waste bins for the required areas and future suggestions. The model will be implemented on the Aurangabad city’s case study area data for the analysis and the results will suggest some modification in the existing system which is expected to reduce the waste management workload to a certain extent.

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.

This dissertation addresses the impact of urbanization and land use change on the availability and accessibility of two urban amenities that are often inequitably distributed: green space and water features. Diverse methodologies were utilized in order to gain a better understanding of the role of these amenities in improving urban quality of life and integrated water management. Using an interdisciplinary approach, this research provides a unique perspective within both a developed and developing world context by evaluating aspects of urbanization to emphasize more sustainable and integrated approaches to development. A preliminary analysis highlights potential drivers of green space revitalization in Santa Cruz, Bolivia by identifying perceived benefits of brownfields redevelopment projects between developed and developing countries. These include environmental benefits (creation of green space, reduced health risks), economic benefits (job creation, retention of residents and businesses), and social benefits (community enhancement, improved city services). Building on this analysis, an in-depth anthropological study then examines the preferences, perceptions, and barriers to accessing green spaces in Santa Cruz. Utilizing qualitative and quantifiable research methods, it was determined that although green spaces can help ensure greater equality in urban areas by providing access to public spaces, significant gender discrepancies were noted in Santa Cruz. Disparities in the distribution and accessibility of green space and water features were further assessed in Tampa, Florida. Using a Geographic Information System (GIS) and census data, access to these urban amenities was examined. The inner-city community of East Tampa was found to have greater inequalities, relative to other areas in Tampa, in terms of the quality, diversity, and size of green spaces within their community. The revitalization of urban water infrastructures, such as stormwater ponds, was evaluated as a way to address these environmental justice issues. Lastly, impacts of urbanization, land use change, and population growth on water resources were analyzed using a regional water balance model for the city of Santa Cruz. Development scenarios were examined based on historical and future spatial and temporal changes. Between 1970 and 2010, a decreasing trend was observed for the aridity index (potential evapotranspiration over precipitation) while future climate projections (2011-2050) indicate a trend reversal, with the IPCC's emission scenario A1B having the strongest increasing trend. The increasing trend in the aridity index suggests a long-term shift in the regional hydroclimatology towards less humid conditions. Each chapter of this research builds on the idea of green space as an indicator of urban quality of life (particularly for urban poor who rely more heavily on public spaces for leisure and recreation activities) as well as an important facilitator of urban hydrology due to their predominately permeable surfaces (including water features). Yet rapid change occurring in cities around the world has resulted in the under-valuation of both green space and water resources and thus these amenities have been degraded or destroyed through the urbanization process.