Background. In high-risk areas, a reliable and secure internet connection is not always guaranteed. If the terrestrial internet infrastructure is damaged due to armed conflicts in the area, the internet is shut down or internet traffic is monitored by antagonistic parties, satellite internet technology could be a suitable alternative for people or organizations operating in these areas. However, satellite internet comes with its own advantages and shortcomings, and if satellite internet systems are going to be used in these areas, there is a need for secure utilization of the system and awareness of possible vulnerabilities, threats, and risks of using them. Objectives. There are four main objectives of this study: (1) To identify the general threats and vulnerabilities that accompany the use of satellite internet technology in a high-risk area. (2) To assess the risks to the user's safety that may come as a consequence of the vulnerabilities being exploited or threats being realized. (3) To identify possible mitigations to the risks, and device best practices for the secure use of satellite internet technology in high-risk areas. (4) Produce a document that provides information about satellite internet technology, clarifies what vulnerabilities, threats, and risks could be present when using satellite internet in a high-risk area and how the user may assess the risk according to their own situation, the document should also provide the user with mitigations and best practices for the secure use of the satellite internet technology in order to ensure the user's safety. Methods. A structured literature review, semi-structured interviews, and multiple threat analysis methods were used to gather and evaluate the threats to satellite internet. The literature review presented the previous research done, and the interviews gave some perspectives from the industry. The results were then compiled into a document which we evaluated in a workshop to determine its usability and get feedback we could use to improve it. Results. The results show that satellite internet systems are exposed to several attacks, and tracking was a discovered threat that was not mentioned in previous research. When making our example risk assessment tracking also received the highest score, due to it allowing an adversary to threaten the physical safety of a user. Conclusions. The interest in satellite internet security research seems to have recently increased. The most exposed part of the satellite internet infrastructure is the wireless communication link, especially in high-risk areas where attacks targeting the radio signal are more prevalent. User awareness was our most important mitigation against the threats found and is the core contribution of this work. / Bakgrund. Att pålitlig och säker internetuppkoppling är tillgänglig i högriskområden är inte alltid garanterat. Om den markbaserade internetinfrastrukturen skadas på grund av väpnade konflikter i området, internet stängs ned eller internettrafiken övervakas av antagoniska parter, så är satellitinternetteknologi ett lämpligt alternativ för personer eller organisationer som verkar i dessa områden. Satellitinternet har dock sina egna fördelar och nackdelar. Om dessa system ska användas i högriskområden är det av yttersta vikt att de används säkert och att användaren är medveten om vilka möjliga sårbarheter, hot och risker som ackompanjerar användningen av systemen Syfte. Det finns fyra mål med detta arbete: (1) Att identifiera de allmänna hot och sårbarheter som ackompanjerar användningen av satellitinternetteknologi i ett högriskområde. (2) Att bedöma de risker mot användarens säkerhet som kan uppstå till följd av att sårbarheterna utnyttjas eller hoten realiseras. (3) Att identifiera möjliga åtgärder för att mitigera riskerna och utveckla bästa praxis för den säkra användningen av satellitinternetteknologi i högriskområden. (4) Att producera ett dokument som tillhandahåller information om satellitinternetteknologi, klargör vilka sårbarheter, hot och risker som kan förekomma vid användning av satellitinternet i högriskområden samt hur användaren kan bedöma risken utefter sin egen situation. Dokumentet bör också ge användaren åtgärder mot risker och bästa praxis för säker användning av satellitinternetteknologi samt att säkerställa användarens säkerhet. Metoder. En strukturerad litteraturstudie, semi-strukturerade intervjuer och flera hotanalysmetoder användes för att samla in och utvärdera hoten mot satellitinternet. Litteraturstudien presenterade tidigare forskning och intervjuerna gav några perspektiv från branschen. Resultaten sammanställdes sedan i ett dokument som vi utvärderade i en workshop för att bestämma dess användbarhet och få feedback vi kunde använda för att förbättra det. Resultat. Resultaten visar att satellitinternetsystem kan utsättas för flera attacker, och spårning var ett hot vi upptäckte som inte nämnts i tidigare forskning. I vår exempelriskbedömning fick spårning också den högsta poängen, eftersom det möjliggör för en motståndare att påverka en användares fysiska säkerhet. Slutsatser. Resultaten visar att satellitinternetsystem kan utsättas för flera attacker, och spårning var ett hot vi upptäckte som inte nämnts i tidigare forskning. I vår exempelriskbedömning fick spårning också den högsta poängen, eftersom det möjliggör för en motståndare att påverka en användares fysiska säkerhet.

Drivgods utgör ett hot mot dammsäkerheten vid vattenkraftsverk eftersom det ökar risken för blockering av kraftverkens utskov vilket i sin tur kan resultera i överströmning av dammen och dammbrott. Fram till idag har drivgods inte ansetts vara ett problem i Sverige. Flera allvarliga drivgodsincidenter utomlands i kombination med en prognostiserad ökning av flödesintensiteter och översvämningstillfällen i Svenska vattendrag har dock lett till ett ökat intresset hos Svenska dammägare. Det saknas idag tillförlitliga metoder för prognostisering av potentiella drivgodsmängder vid extremflöden, vilket försvårar planering av preventiva åtgärder. Denna studie har som mål att utveckla specifika metoder för automatiserad kvantifiering och geografisk analys av drivgods. En modell har utvecklats i ArcGIS Modelbuilder för (i) avgränsning och klassificering av riskområden längs ett vattendrag baserat på identifierade riskfaktorer för drivgods-bildning, (ii) kvantitativ estimering av trädvolym utifrån höjdrasterdataset framtagna från LIDAR punktmoln, och (iii) identifiering av trädindivider baserat på lokalisering av lokala maxpunkter i en digital ytmodell skapad från laser-data. I syfte att utvärdera metodens tillämpbarhet samt undersöka förekomsten av eventuella geografiska mönster i utbredningen av potentiella drivgodskvantiteter appliceras modellen på utvalda dammanläggningar längs med älven Ljungan i Sverige. Modellens noggrannhet i uppskattningen av trädindivider valideras i en fältkontroll. Resultaten indikerar en mycket god överrensstämmelse mellan modellerade och fältkontrollerade värden på trädantal, dock med något underestimerade modellerade värden. Ett större antal träd som riskerar att falla i älven identifierades vid högre vattenflöden som ett resultat av en generellt större geografisk omfattning på översvämmade ytor. Stora vegetationsvolymer identifierades främst i riskområden med en stor andel höga träd men även i riskområden med ett stort antal träd. I vissa riskområden erhölls större relativa vegetationsvolymer trots ett betydligt mindre relativt antal träd vilket antyder att både trädhöjd och trädantal styr vegetationsvolymers storlek. Resultaten av utförda statistiska och geografiska analyser förbättrar överblicken över drivgodsets volym och geografiska fördelning längs vattendrag vilket i sin tur även leder till en bättre förståelse för drivgodsproblemets magnitud för specifika dammanläggningar. Den automatiserade metoden genererar reproducerbara resultat som är jämförbara mellan olika dammanläggningar och vattendrag över tid. Metoden har stor potential för framtida drivgodsanalyser då den erbjuder möjligheten att identifiera riskområden och estimera drivgodskvantiteter inom dessa. / Floating debris poses a threat to dam safety at hydropower dams as it increases the risk of spillways becoming blocked, which can in turn result in dam overflow and failure. Until now it has not been considered a problem in Sweden. However, the occurrence of several major international incidents, together with a projected future increase in streamflow intensities and flood events in Swedish rivers has raised the interest of Swedish dam owners. Presently there is a lack of robust methods for forecasting potential magnitudes of floating debris in extreme streamflow scenarios, which limits planning of preventive measures. This study aims to develop explicit methods for automated quantification and geographical analysis of floating debris. A model is developed in ArcGIS Modelbuilder for (i) identification and classification of risk areas along a river based on identified risk factors for floating debris formation, (ii) quantitative estimation of vegetation volume from elevation raster datasets derived from LIDAR point clouds, and (iii) identification of trees within risk areas based on locating local maxima in a digital surface raster derived from laser-data. In order to evaluate the applicability of the method as well as to investigate the existence of geographical patterns in potential floating debris quantities, the model is applied on selected dam facilities along the Ljungan River in Sweden. The accuracy of modeled tree amounts is validated in a field study. The results indicate high correlation between modeled number of trees and ground truth data, though modeled values are slightly underestimated. A greater number of trees at risk of falling into the river were identified during higher streamflow events as a result of larger areas being flooded. Large volumes of vegetation were identified in risk areas with a high proportion of tall trees as well as in risk areas with a large number of trees. In some risk areas, greater relative vegetation volumes were obtained despite a significantly smaller relative number of trees. This suggests that vegetation volume as a factor depends both upon the number of trees as well as tree height. The results of performed statistical and geographical analyses provide a better overview of floating debris distribution along rivers, leading to a better understanding of potential magnitudes of the problem for specific dam facilities. The automated method generates reproducible results that are comparable between different dam facilities and rivers over time. The method has significant potential for future floating debris analyses as it offers the possibility to identify risk areas and estimate floating debris quantities within them.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-12-17T14:13:35Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 JoseWQ_TESE.pdf: 1778874 bytes, checksum: 7ff2c9f470b5b3873803d39a321ee362 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2009-10-05 / This work demonstrates the importance of using tools used in geographic information systems (GIS) and spatial data analysis (SDA) for the study of infectious diseases. Analysis methods were used to describe more fully the spatial distribution of a particular disease by incorporating the geographical element in the analysis. In Chapter 1, we report the historical evolution of these techniques in the field of human health and use Hansen s disease (leprosy) in Rio Grande do Norte as an example. In Chapter 2, we introduced a few basic theoretical concepts on the methodology and classified the types of spatial data commonly treated. Chapters 3 and 4 defined and demonstrated the use of the two most important techniques for analysis of health data, which are data point processes and data area. We modelled the case distribution of Hansen s disease in the city of Mossor? - RN. In the analysis, we used R scripts and made available routines and analitical procedures developed by the author. This approach can be easily used by researchers in several areas. As practical results, major risk areas in Mossor? leprosy were detected, and its association with the socioeconomic profile of the population at risk was found. Moreover, it is clearly shown that his approach could be of great help to be used continuously in data analysis and processing, allowing the development of new strategies to work might increase the use of such techniques in data analysis in health care / O presente trabalho demonstra a import?ncia do uso de ferramentas relacionadas ? sistemas de informa??o geogr?fica (SIG) e an?lise espacial de dados (AED) em estudos de doen?as infecciosas. M?todos de an?lise foram usados para descrever de forma mais abrangente a distribui??o espacial de doen?as a partir da incorpora??o do elemento geogr?fico na an?lise. No Cap?tulo 1 relata-se a evolu??o hist?rica da aplica??o destas t?cnicas no campo da sa?de humana e elege-se a hansen?ase no estado do Rio Grande do Norte como exemplo de aplica??o. No Cap?tulo 2 introduzem-se alguns conceitos te?ricos b?sicos sobre a metodologia e classificam-se os tipos de dados espaciais comumente tratados. Os Cap?tulos 3 e 4 definem e demonstram a utiliza??o das mais importantes t?cnicas de an?lise para os dois principais tipos de dados encontrados na sa?de, quais sejam dados de processos pontuais e dados de ?rea, focalizando como estudo de caso a hansen?ase na cidade de Mossor? RN. Na an?lise, ? priorizada a utiliza??o do sistema R, disponibilizando-se scripts de rotinas e procedimentos de an?lise desenvolvidos pelo autor que podem ser facilmente utilizados por pesquisadores de diversas ?reas. Como resultados pr?ticos, importantes ?reas de risco da hansen?ase em Mossor? foram detectadas e sua forte associa??o com o perfil socioecon?mico da popula??o sob risco foi constatada. Al?m disso, estima-se que este trabalho possa vir a incrementar a utiliza??o de tais t?cnicas na an?lise de dados na ?rea de sa?de

Submitted by Renata Lopes (renatasil82@gmail.com) on 2016-12-15T14:45:13Z No. of bitstreams: 1 anaclaudiadejesusbarreto.pdf: 14182036 bytes, checksum: f725a1d5f5577820527cd35a854d2449 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Adriana Oliveira (adriana.oliveira@ufjf.edu.br) on 2016-12-15T15:03:07Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 anaclaudiadejesusbarreto.pdf: 14182036 bytes, checksum: f725a1d5f5577820527cd35a854d2449 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-12-15T15:03:07Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 anaclaudiadejesusbarreto.pdf: 14182036 bytes, checksum: f725a1d5f5577820527cd35a854d2449 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2010-09-30 / Para entender o processo de inserção da população pobre e negra no espaço urbano é necessário ir às origens da nossa formação socioeconômica. O sistema escravocrata, que fez parte desse processo, utilizou a mão-de-obra negra africana para produzir riqueza, deixando suas marcas profundas na nossa sociedade. Ao serem libertados os ex-escravos, não tinham muitas opções de trabalho e nem terra para produzir e morar. A não ser permanecer nas fazendas ou se aventurar nas cidades em busca de melhores condições de vida. Contudo, o estigma da cor e da escravidão deixou raízes profundas que perduram até o momento. A raça negra, ainda ocupa as funções menos qualificadas, o nível de escolaridade ainda é baixo, recebem os menores salários e o local que resta para morar são precários, seja nas favelas, nos cortiços e, hoje, nas denominadas áreas de risco ambiental. O presente trabalho propôs estudar a população moradora de área sujeita a escorregamento de terra na cidade de Juiz de Fora - MG e para tanto foi escolhido o bairro Dom Bosco, a fim de analisar a trajetória de vida, a luta por um lugar para morar, a vulnerabilidade socioeconômica e ambiental em que os descendentes de escravos, moradores daquele bairro estão expostos. / To understand the process of inserting the black poor population in urban areas is necessary to go to the origins of our socioeconomic formation. The slave system, which was part of that process, we used the manpower black African to produce wealth, leaving its mark deep in our society. Upon being freed former slaves, did not have many job options and no land to grow and live. Unless staying on farms or to venture into the cities in search of better living conditions. However, the stigma of color and slavery left deep roots that persist to date. The blacks, still occupies the less skilled tasks, the educational level is still low, receive the lowest wages and the place is left to live are poor, whether in the slums, tenements, and today in areas of known environmental risk. This study proposed to examine the resident population of area subject to land slip in the city of Juiz de Fora - MG and was chosen for both the neighborhood Don Bosco, in order to analyze the trajectory of life, the struggle for a place to live, the socioeconomic and environmental vulnerability in which the descendants of slaves, that neighborhood residents are exposed.

Syftet med detta arbete är att undersöka omgivningsmedvetenhet hos besättningsmedlemmar som arbetar vid förtöjningsplatser. Olyckor vid förtöjning sker varje år. De som arbetar på förtöjningsplaten arbetar med stora krafter under en tidspress, därför är det intressant att undersöka en besättning som avgår och lägger till kaj mer än två gånger på ett dygn. Verktyget Omgivningsmedvetenhet (engelska: situational awareness) kommer ifrån sjöfartens bryggtjänstgörning (engelska: Bridge resource Management) och är ett verktyg för att förbättra säkerheten. Undersökningen gjordes på ett kvalitativt sätt med semistrukturerade intervjuer för att lättare kunna fånga upp respondenternas egna synpunkter och erfarenheter. Resultatet visar att omgivningsmedvetenheten manifesteras genom att besättningsmedlemmarna är uppmärksamma och vaksamma på till exempel om någon kollega står i en riskzon eller om en tross är för sliten. Riskområden ansågs vara där det är störst risk för snapback. Till exempel vid klys, pollare och bakom trumman vid förtöjningsspelet. / The purpose of this paper is to investigate situational awareness within the crew, working on the mooring station. Accidents at the mooring station occur regularly. Those who are working at the mooring station handle large forces under a time pressure, therefore it is of interest to investigate the crew onboard vessels that moor and unmoor more than four times a day. The tool situational awareness comes from the maritime Bridge Resource Management, it is used to improve safety. This was a qualitative study and semi-structured interviews were carried out to make it easier to capture the respondents’ thoughts and experiences. The results showed that situational awareness is manifested through the crew in the form of attention and vigilance. High areas were regarded as as those with a high potential for snapback. These areas were highlighted as those in the immediate proximity of fairleads fairleads, bollards and behind the drum where the mooring line is stored.

Mälaren är Stockholms största dricksvattentäkt och den förser årligen 1,7 miljoner människor med rent dricks-, tvätt- och badvatten genom Stockholm Vattens vattenverk Norsborg och Lovö och Norrvattens vattenverk Görväln. Även om det finns reservvattentäkter som Bornsjön så räcker inte de till om något skulle hända med Mälaren som t.ex. oljeutsläpp från något fartyg som befinner sig i närheten av vattenintagen. Idag förekommer det ständigt föroreningar från alla möjliga utsläppskällor som enskilda avlopp, industrier, avloppsreningsverk, fritidsbåtar, jordbruk m.m. och alla dessa bidrar till en sämre vattenkvalitet. Syftet med den här rapporten är att identifiera och lokalisera möjliga utsläppspunkter för patogena mikroorganismer inom ett område som kan orsaka problem för Stockholm Vattens vattenverk Norsborg och Lovö. Rapporten ska senare användas för att undersöka vilka riskpunkter som utgör de största hoten mot vattenverken. Området innefattar till största del Ekerö kommun och Botkyrka kommun men även Salems kommun finns inom riskområdet. Ekerö släpper ständigt ut renat och orenat avloppsvatten från olika reningsverk och anläggningar som kan innehålla stora mängder patogena mikroorganismer. De enskilda avloppen står även för en del utsläpp eftersom det fortfarande finns hus och anläggningar med avloppslösningar som inte är godkända enligt dagens krav på utsläpp från enskilda avlopp. Kraven på avloppslösningar innefattar inte patogena mikroorganismer utan inriktas på eutrofierande ämnen som kväve och fosfor. Även jordbruket är en potentiell källa för utsläpp av patogena mikroorganismer då antingen gödsel eller slam kan användas som näringsämnen för åkrar. Även avföring från betesmarker kan spolas ut i vattentäkter med dagvattnet. En av fördelarna med Mälaren som vattentäkt är att dess vattenflöde är så pass stort att föroreningar som släpps ut späds ut över så stora vattenmängder. För att försäkra sig om att patogena mikroorganismer inte kan ta sig igenom vattenverken så finns det två modeller som är framtagna för att beräkna vilken motståndskraft verket har mot olika patogena mikroorganismer. De modellerna heter ODP (Optimal disinfektionspraxis) och MRA (Mikrobiologisk riskanalys). Informationen som uppsamlas i rapporten ska i ett senare skede användas i dels SeaTrack som SMHI skapat för att se hur mikroorganismer sprids i vatten och MRA för att utvärdera hur stora risker dessa utsläppspunkter medför till vattenverken. / Mälaren is Stockholms largest source of drinking water and is supplying 1,7 million people with drinking-, washing- and bathing water. The water is distributed through the companies Stockholm Vatten and Norrvatten from their water purification plants Norsborg, Lovö and Görväln. There is also a reserve fresh water source called Bornsjön but it’s not big enough to supply 1,7 million people which mean it can only replace Mälaren for a short time  if something would happen. Today it is always occurring pollutions from a set of different sources for example private sewage, factories, sewage treatment works, boats and agriculture. All those contribute with a lower water quality. The purpose with this report was to identify and find possible emission points for pathogenic micro-organisms inside a certain area that can cause problems for Stockholm Vattens water purification plants Norsborg and Lovö. The report will later be used to evaluate which risk points can be a threat to the water purification plants.  The risk area holds the biggest part of Ekerö, Botkyrka and also Salems. Ekerö is constantly emitting processed sewage water from all the different kind of sewage treatment works and that water can contain high amounts of pathogenic micro-organisms.  The private sewage is also contributing with emissions because some of them are not good enough to be approved by the standards today.  The demands for private sewage is not including pathogenic micro-organisms but is more directed to limit the emission of nutrients like phosphorus and nitrogen. Agriculture is also a possible source of emission of pathogenic micro-organisms when both manure and sludge can be used as nutrients for fields. Even the excrements from pasture lands can reach Mälaren with the surface water.A large advantage with Mälaren as a source of drinking water is the large water flow is diluting the pollutions that is emitted in to it. To ensure no pathogenic micro-organisms can pass through the water purification plants two different models exist to calculate a water purification plants resistance to different kinds of pathogenic micro-organisms. The models are called ODP (Optimal disinfection Praxis) and MRA (Microbiologic Risk Assessment). The information gathered in the report is later on going to be used in another computer model SeaTrack created by SMHI to predict particles movement in the eastern Mälaren and later on MRA to evaluate what kind of risks the different emission points have.

Submitted by Renata Lopes (renatasil82@gmail.com) on 2016-07-22T14:46:58Z No. of bitstreams: 1 waltencirmenonjunior.pdf: 15750018 bytes, checksum: 6607618d5b482f15d684fb5c319cb40c (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Adriana Oliveira (adriana.oliveira@ufjf.edu.br) on 2016-07-22T15:43:33Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 waltencirmenonjunior.pdf: 15750018 bytes, checksum: 6607618d5b482f15d684fb5c319cb40c (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-07-22T15:43:34Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 waltencirmenonjunior.pdf: 15750018 bytes, checksum: 6607618d5b482f15d684fb5c319cb40c (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-04-29 / CAPES - Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / Nas últimas décadas ocorreu no Brasil um forte processo de expansão urbana, que em grande parte, aconteceu de forma desordenada. Portanto, o mapeamento de uso e ocupação da terra, a aplicação de legislações de parcelamento do solo urbano e a identificação de áreas de risco constituem componentes importantes na gestão de desastres e funciona como base para promover a ocupação humana de forma segura. No município de Juiz de Fora está a Bacia Hidrográfica do Córrego do Yung (BHCY) é um local com potencial de risco ambiental, devido ao seu intenso histórico de uso e ocupação da terra. Portanto o objetivo desse trabalho foi analisar a evolução das áreas de risco na BHCY, associado aos processos de escorregamentos em encostas, e Interpretar a evolução da ocupação urbana na BHCY, além da sua inter-relação com a legislação de parcelamento e uso do solo para os anos de 1968, 1983 e 2010. Para o presente trabalho foram utilizados diversos materiais cartográficos: Imagens Aerofotogramétricas dos anos supracitados; Modelo Digital de Elevação (MDE) e Declividade com base no modelo LiDAR; Legislação de parcelamento e ocupação do solo urbano; e Parâmetros de calibração do Modelo SINMAP. Para aplicar as metodologias foram utilizados: ArcGIS, Módulo SINMAP e Metodologia de Análise de Riscos. Os resultados mostram que o processo acelerado de mudança na paisagem de provocou mudanças nas inúmeras classes de uso (vegetação, pastagem, mineração e etc) e que a urbanização se direcionou, em maior parte, a áreas não favoráveis a ocupação na BHCY. Além disso, o grau de risco mais comum, para as áreas edificadas, identificada nos três períodos (1968, 1983 e 2010) é das classes de Alto risco, isso significa que os riscos individuais são aqueles com o maior potencial de ocorrência na BHCY. E no caso das áreas com risco Muito Alto apresentaram abrangência associadas ao risco Alto. Portanto, as legislações colocam pontos importantes no que tangem a essa ocupação, porém a ocupação se dá de uma maneira muito mais veloz, ou seja, a produção do espaço urbano muda a dinâmica e o equilíbrio das planícies e vertentes, potencializando e acelerando processos naturais que pode causar prejuízos e danos às pessoas que ali estão inseridas. / In recent decades occurred in Brazil a strong process of urban sprawl, which largely took place in a disorderly fashion. Therefore, the mapping of use and occupation of land, the application of laws installment of urban land and the areas of risk identification are important components in disaster management and serves as a basis for promoting human occupation safely. In Juiz de Fora city, Yung’s Watershed (BHCY) is a place with potential environmental risk because of its intense history of use and occupation of land. Therefore the aim of this study was to analyze the evolution of risk areas in BHCY, associated with landslides processes on slopes, and interpret the evolution of urban settlement in BHCY, as well as their relationship with the installment of legislation and land use to the years 1968, 1983 and 2010. For this work was used various cartographic materials: Aerophotogrametric Images of the above years; Digital Elevation Model (DEM) and Slope based on LiDAR model (Light Detection and Ranging); Installment legislation and occupation of urban land; and SINMAP Model calibration parameters. To apply the methodologies were used: ArcGIS, SINMAP Module and Risk Analysis Methodology. The results show that the accelerated process of change in the landscape caused changes in numerous classes of use (vegetation, grazing, mining, etc.) and the urbanization is directed, in most part, to unfavorable areas occupation in BHCY. Moreover, the degree of most common risk to the built environment, identified the three periods (1968, 1983 and 2010) is of high risk classes, it means that the individual risks are those with the highest occurrence of potential in BHCY. And in the case of areas with a risk Very High presented scope associated with higher risk. Therefore, s laws put important points in that concern this placement, however occupancy occurs at a much faster manner, that is, the production of space urban changes the dynamics and the balance of the plains and slopes, increasing and accelerating natural processes that could result in injury and damage to people that there are inserted.

The aetiological diagnosis of recessive non-syndromic hearing loss poses a challenge owing to marked heterogeneity and the lack of identifying clinical features. The finding that up to 50% of recessive non-syndromal genetic hearing loss among Caucasians was due to mutations in GJB2, the gene encoding Connexin 26 (Cx26) was a breakthrough, whose value as a diagnostic tool has been limited by the significant variation in the prevalence of deafness genes and loci among population groups. The significant association of the GJB6-D13S1830 deletion among individuals with one mutant GJB2 allele highlighted the need to explore population specific genetic mutations for NSHL. Although data from Sub-Saharan Africa is limited, reported studies found a high prevalence of R143W GJB2 mutation among Ghanaian, the 35delG mutation in 5 out of 139 Sudanese and a low prevalence of GJB2 variations among 385 Kenyan deaf children. The mutation spectrum of Waardenburg Syndrome (WS) in Africans has not been documented. During a visit to a School for the Deaf in the Limpopo Province of South Africa in 1997, it was noted that a high number of students came from Nzhelele sub-district. All had childhood onset hearing loss with no associated anomalies or disorders. The question arose as to whether there was a high-risk area for deafness in the Limpopo Province and what the aetiology of this hearing loss was.The main aim of this study was to investigate the role of GJB2, the GJB6-D13S1830 deletion, and the four common mitochondrial mutations, A1555G, A3243G, A7511C and A7445G, in the African hearing-impaired population of Limpopo province in South Africa, and to identify the mutation spectrum of the deafness genes found. The type and degree of hearing loss in this hearing impaired population would also be assessed. Secondly, this study sought to identify the mutations in a sibling pair with 2 clinical WS and to use the findings in a future study to establish the mutation spectrum of WS in the African population of the Limpopo province and of South Africa in general. The study was designed as a two phase study, in which phase 1 was used for hypothesis formulation and phase 2 was for hypothesis testing. While phase 1 was a descriptive retrospective case study, phase 2 was a combination of sample survey and prospective descriptive case study. In phase 1, demographic data of 361 students in two schools of the deaf in the Limpopo province was analyzed for evidence of areas of high risk populations for deafness in the province. In phase 2, a group of 182 individuals with genetic non-syndromic hearing loss (NSHL) and two siblings with clinical WS from two schools for the Deaf in the Limpopo Province of South Africa were investigated. A thorough clinical examination, audiological evaluation and urinalysis were done. Mutational screening was carried out in all 184 subjects using genomic DNA using single-strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP), multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and direct sequencing for GJB2, and Restriction Fragment-Length Polymorphism (PCR–RFLP) analysis for GJB6, and SSCP, hetero-duplex analysis, and direct sequencing of the first 8 exons of PAX3 and all of MITF for Waarenburg syndrome. Data analysis was by geographical mapping, frequency tables, tests of association with calculation of odds ratios, and binary logistic regression analysis using STATA and GIS mapping systems. The results indicate that there seem to be areas of genuine populations at risk for hearing loss in the Limpopo province of South Africa, namely Mutale and parts of Makhado and Thulamela municipalities. In Thulamela (NP343) wards 11-15, 26-30 and 31-35, and in Mutale (NP 344) wards 6-10, together accounted for 67 (18%) of participants in phase 1, and 33 (18%) of the participants in phase 2 of the study. Mutale municipality in the Vhembe 3 district gave with a projected prevalence of at least 13.14 deaf children per 100,000 African population attending the local school for the deaf. The observed hearing loss is a genetic, non-syndromic form, which is mainly severe and severe to profound, although without any clear defining configuration or shape. It is a stable, non-progressive and prelingual form of hearing loss, implying that this may be a recessive form of deafness. No identifiable environmental confounding factors or associations were identified. The deafness is not linked the common known auditory gene mutations in GJB2, the GJB6-D13S1830 deletion, or the common mitochondrial mutations A1555G, A3243G, A7511C and A7445G. Severe and profound levels of hearing loss were found in 22.8% and 75% of the cohort respectively, with the majority exhibiting flat (70.1%) or sloping (23.4%) audiograms that were commonly symmetrical (81.5%). However, as indicated, there was no clear pattern in the audiological findings overall. None of the 184 hearing impaired individuals exhibited any of the reported disease causing mutations of GJB2, including 35delG. There was, however, a high prevalence of two variants, the C>T variant at position g.3318-15 and the C>T variant at position g.3318-34, occurring in 21.4% and 46.2% of the deaf cohort respectively. The same variants were found to occur in 35% and 42.6% of a normal hearing control group (n = 63) respectively, indicating that these variations are polymorphisms. In three subjects (1.63% of the cohort), a T>A homozygous variation at position g.3318-6 was detected. Its significance in the causation of NSSNHL is yet to be determined. The GJB6-D13S1830 deletion was not detected in any of the participants. None of the four mitochondrial mutations screened for were found. 4 These results indicate that GJB2 is not a significant deafness gene in the African population of the Limpopo Province of South Africa and that significant genes for non-syndromic recessive hearing loss in this population are yet to be found. The geographical clustering of deafness found in this study, combined with the lack of identifiable common associated clinical features among the subjects of this study (excluding the WS sibling pair), suggests that these subjects have a genetic recessive non-syndromal type of hearing loss. In the context of historical and cultural evidence of consanguinity in this population, a founder effect cannot be ruled out. A rare mutation, R223X, previously identified only once out of 470 WS patients, was identified in the PAX3 gene among the WS sibling pair. A novel silent change GGG>GGT at amino acid 293, was also identified. These identical findings document, for the first time, a molecular defect in WS in an African sibling pair, and confirm WS Type I in this family, which could be found in other WS type I South Africans in the Limpopo Province of South Africa. The current study demonstrated that parents of genetically hearing impaired children in these areas are able to detect hearing loss at an early age, with over 60% suspecting their children’s hearing loss below 6 months of age. A child-centered management model encompassing all the areas relevant to childhood deafness/hearing impairment, which takes into consideration the prevailing logistical and financial constraints of the available healthcare system, is proposed. The implementation of this model requires a paradigm shift from the current fragmented model of service delivery to a cohesive patient-centered approach, based on concrete data from appropriate community based research, in which all the relevant parties communicate and share resources. 5 It would achieve the goals of early detection and intervention, as well as inclusive education for all. The relevant health and education policies are already in place and the posts funded. Equitable implementation of these policies would require appropriate community based research, as well as improved communication and consultation between the various stakeholders to ensure an efficient and affordable quality healthcare service for all hearing impaired South Africans.