An expert-based approach to forest road network planning by combining Delphi and spatial multi-criteria evaluation

Changes in forest landscapes resulting from road construction have increased remarkably in the last few years. On the other hand, the sustainable management of forest resources can only be achieved through a well-organized road network. In order to minimize the environmental impacts of forest roads, forest road managers must design the road network efficiently and environmentally as well. Efficient planning methodologies can assist forest road managers in considering the technical, economic, and environmental factors that affect forest road planning. This paper describes a three-stage methodology using the Delphi method for selecting the important criteria, the Analytic Hierarchy Process for obtaining the relative importance of the criteria, and finally, a spatial multi-criteria evaluation in a geographic information system (GIS) environment for identifying the lowest-impact road network alternative. Results of the Delphi method revealed that ground slope, lithology, distance from stream network, distance from faults, landslide susceptibility, erosion susceptibility, geology, and soil texture are the most important criteria for forest road planning in the study area. The suitability map for road planning was then obtained by combining the fuzzy map layers of these criteria with respect to their weights. Nine road network alternatives were designed using PEGGER, an ArcView GIS extension, and finally, their values were extracted from the suitability map. Results showed that the methodology was useful for identifying road that met environmental and cost considerations. Based on this work, we suggest future work in forest road planning using multi-criteria evaluation and decision making be considered in other regions and that the road planning criteria identified in this study may be useful.     

Evolution of building façade road traffic noise levels in Flanders

The evolution of daytime fa?ade noise levels by road traffic at 250 dwellings in Flanders is assessed. Three identical man-operated measurement campaigns have been conducted in the years 1996, 2001 and 2009, during fall. A practical methodology has been developed, based on short time noise measurements and context observations at these locations. The uncertainty introduced by short-term sampling has been quantified as a function of the noise level. Furthermore, a correction is proposed for measuring at a random moment during daytime. Analysis of the data showed that road traffic noise levels hardly changed globally over this period of 13 years. The distribution of changes in noise level at corresponding measurement locations is nevertheless rather wide-all improvements are equally compensated by increases in noise levels at other locations. The percentage of the dwelling fa?ades exposed to daytime noise levels above 65 dBA has increased slightly between 1996 and 2001, but seems to stagnate in 2009. In spite of the increased interest and actions of policy makers during the past decades, noise exposure caused by road traffic at dwelling fa?ades is a persistent problem.     

Bridging the divide between theory and guidance in strategic environmental assessment: A path for Italian regions

Clear and effective legislation is a requisite to bring sustainable development from theory into practice. This paper develops a methodology to investigate how Italian regional legislation disciplines the use of Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA), the procedure used in the European Union (EU) to pursue sustainable development of policies, plans, and programs (PPPs). Our case study is the Italian regional level, examined to identify eventual flaws and areas for improvement for each regional legislative framework. For this purpose, this study refers to a selection of analytical criteria recurring in the international debate on sustainability assessments. Statistical multi-dimensional analysis is used to identify Italian regions with similar SEA legislation. We recognize four taxonomies, depending on the way regional legislation provides information about i) legislation and guidelines, ii) integration between SEA and PPPs, iii) sustainability goals, iv) technical organization, v) participatory organization, and vi) monitoring. The results suggest that Italian administrators should cooperate to improve legislation at the regional level. Acknowledging the institution-centred nature of SEA, this methodology could drive the EU to better support SEA development in countries with diversified traditions.     

Assessing the effects of noise abatement measures on health risks: A case study in Istanbul

In recent decades, noise pollution caused by industrialization and increased motorization has become a major concern around the world because of its adverse effects on human well-being. Therefore, transportation agencies have been implementing noise abatement measures in order to reduce road traffic noise. However, limited attention is given to noise in environmental assessment of road transportation systems. This paper presents a framework for a health impact assessment model for road transportation noise emissions. The model allows noise impacts to be addressed with the health effects of air pollutant and greenhouse gas emissions from road transportation. The health damages assessed in the model include annoyance, sleep disturbance, and cardiovascular disease in terms of acute myocardial infarction. The model was applied in a case study in Istanbul in order to evaluate the change in health risks from the implementation of noise abatement strategies. The noise abatement strategies evaluated include altering pavement surfaces in order to absorb noise and introducing speed limits. It was shown that significant improvements in health risks can be achieved using open graded pavement surfaces and introducing speed limits on highways.     

An Approach to Multi-criteria Environmental Evaluation with Multiple Weight Assignment

In the domain of environmental protection, multi-criteria evaluation is used in cases where multiple alternatives, on the bases of multiple parameters, need to be evaluated. Depending on the particular goal of investigation, various approaches have been developed and applied. This various multi-criteria approaches differ in parameter weighting method, in data normalization method as well as in the method for assessment of alternatives. According to the applied multi-criteria methodology, the result, i.e., the rank of alternatives may differ to some extent. In this context, parameter weighting bears special significance in multi-criteria evaluation, while the choice of method is crucial for final result. The specificity of parameter weighting process in environment protection is directly related to pronounced interdisciplinary character of this area, as well as the large number of influential parameters. With this in mind, this paper presents an approach to multi-criteria evaluation which—through integration of three specific methods for parameter weighting—allows more flexible and multi-purpose application. Based on the established concept, a software application was developed. Besides automated parameter weighting, it also provides graphical interpretation of results. The developed approach and software have been verified on the case study related to evaluation of environmental loadings at six locations in the city of Novi Sad.     

日本道路交通噪声监测体系与借鉴

系统介绍了日本环保部门每年在全国范围内开展的道路交通噪声普查性监测工作及评价体系,分析了中日两国监测与评价方法的异同和优缺点,提出在点位布设、评价方法、信息公开等方面的改进建议,以推进中国道路交通噪声监测工作向科学化、精细化、定量化转变。     

Development of an Expert System for the Remediation of Petroleum-Contaminated Sites

Groundwater and soil contamination caused by light nonaqueous phase liquids (LNAPLs) spills and leakage in petroleum industry is currently one of the major environmental concerns in North America. Numerous site remediation technologies, generally classified as ex situ and in situ remediation techniques, have been developed and implemented to clean up the contaminated sites in the last two decades. One of the problems associated with ex situ remediation is the cost of operation. In recent years, in situ techniques have acquired popularity. However, the selection process of the desired techniques needs a large amount of knowledge. Insufficient expertise in the process may result in unnecessary inflation of expenses. In this study, petroleum waste management experts and Artificial Intelligence (AI) researchers worked together to develop an expert system (ES) for the management of petroleum contaminated sites. Various AI techniques were used to construct a useful tool for site remediation decision-making. This paper presents the knowledge engineering processes of knowledge acquisition, conceptual design, and system implementation in the project. The expert system was applied to a real-world case study and the results show that the expert system can generate desired remediation alternatives to assist decision-makers. The application case study constitutes partial validation of the prototype expert system.     

城市道路交通噪声分布模拟研究

通过对梅州市中心城区7条道路的噪声监测,分析了中心城区道路的噪声污染水平。采用道路交通噪声预测模型,以实测交通流数据对中心城区的噪声污染进行模拟和减噪措施评估。结果表明,采用限速措施和安装声屏障措施均有降低噪声污染的效果,为管理部门防治噪声污染提供了参考。     

Development of a multi-criteria index ranking system for urban runoff best management practices (BMPs) selection

Low impact development best management practices (LID-BMPs) are considered to be cost-effective measures for mitigating the water quantity and quality impact of urban runoff. Currently, there are many types of LID-BMPs, and each type has its own intrinsic technical and/or economical characteristics and limitations for implementation. The selection of the most appropriate BMP type(s) for a specific installation site is therefore a very important planning step. In the present study, a multi-criteria selection index system (MCIS) for LID-BMP planning was developed. The selection indexes include 12 first-level indices and 26 second-level indices which reflect the specific installation site characteristics pertaining to site suitability, runoff control performance, and economics of implementation. A mechanism for ranking the BMPs was devised. First, each individual second-level index was assigned a numeric value that was based on site characteristics and information on LID-BMPs. The quantified indices were normalized and then integrated to obtain the score for each of the first-level index. The final evaluation scores of each LID-BMP were then calculated based on the scores for the first-level indices. Finally, the appropriate BMP types for a specific installation site were determined according to the rank of the final evaluation scores. In order to facilitate the application of the MCIS BMP ranking system, the computational process has been coded into a software program, BMPSELEC. A case study demonstrating the MCIS methodology, using an LID-BMP implementation planning at a college campus in Foshan, Guangdong Province, is presented.     

An integrated assessment model for cross-country pipelines

The cross-country petroleum pipelines are environmentally sensitive because they traverse through varied terrain covering crop fields, forests, rivers, populated areas, desert, hills and offshore. Any malfunction of these pipelines may cause devastating effect on the environment. Hence, the pipeline operators plan and design pipelines projects with sufficient consideration of environment and social aspects along with the technological alternatives. Traditionally, in project appraisal, optimum technical alternative is selected using financial analysis. Impact assessments (IA) are then carried out to justify the selection and subsequent statutory approval. However, the IAs often suggest alternative sites and/or alternate technology and implementation methodology, resulting in revision of entire technical and financial analysis. This study addresses the above issues by developing an integrated framework for project feasibility analysis with the application of analytic hierarchy process (AHP), a multiple attribute decision-making technique. The model considers technical analysis (TA), socioeconomic IA (SEIA) and environmental IA (EIA) in an integrated framework to select the best project from a few alternative feasible projects. Subsequent financial analysis then justifies the selection. The entire methodology has been explained here through a case application on cross-country petroleum pipeline project in India.     

北京市典型道路交通噪声排放特征

采用北京市道路交通噪声自动监测系统2013—2017年采集的等效连续A声级数据,对城市快速路、城市主干线、城市次干线、城市支路的代表性站点噪声排放情况进行了统计分析,结果显示,北京市不同等级的道路噪声排放具备一定的特征,排放水平从大到小依次为城市快速路城市主干线城市支路和城市次干线,道路噪声随时间变化存在较为一致的周期性排放特征,24 h变化特征比较明显。个别道路排放特征存在特异性,如城市主干线道路的一个代表监测站点噪声监测值出现了逐年下降趋势,分析发现,北京市非首都功能疏解对其噪声值的下降有一定贡献。采取一定的规划和管理措施有助于减少道路交通噪声的排放。     

Research on the alternatives in a strategic environmental assessment based on the extension theory

The main purpose of a strategic environmental assessment (SEA) is to facilitate the early consideration of potential environmental impacts in decision-making processes. SEA alternative identification is a core issue within the SEA framework. However, the current methods of SEA alternative formulation and selection are constrained by the limited setting range and lack of scientific evaluation. Thus, the current paper attempts to provide a new methodology based on the extension theory to identify a range of alternatives and screen the best one. Extension planning is applied to formulate a set of alternatives that satisfy the reasonable interests of the stakeholders. Extension priority evaluation is used to assess and optimize the alternatives and present a scientific methodology for the SEA alternative study. Thereafter, the urban traffic plan of Dalian City is used as an example to demonstrate the feasibility of the new method. The traffic planning scheme and the environmental protection scheme are organically combined based on the extension theory, and the reliability and practicality of this approach are examined.     

Mangrove vulnerability modelling in parts of Western Niger Delta, Nigeria using satellite images, GIS techniques and Spatial Multi-Criteria Analysis (SMCA)

Mangroves are known for their global environmental and socioeconomic value. Despite their importance, mangrove like other ecosystems is now being threatened by natural and human-induced processes that damage them at alarming rates, thereby diminishing the limited number of existing mangrove vegetation. The development of a spatial vulnerability assessment model that takes into consideration environmental and socioeconomic criteria, in spatial and non-spatial formats has been attempted in this study. According to the model, 11 different input parameters are required in modelling mangrove vulnerability. These parameters and their effects on mangrove vulnerability were selected and weighted by experts in the related fields. Criteria identification and selection were mainly based on effects of environmental and socioeconomic changes associated with mangrove survival. The results obtained revealed the dominance of socioeconomic criteria such as population pressure and deforestation, with high vulnerability index of 0.75. The environmental criteria was broadly dispersed in the study area and represents vulnerability indices ranging from 0.00?C0.75. This category reflects the greater influence of pollutant input from oil wells and pipelines and minimal contribution from climatic factors. This project has integrated spatial management framework for mangrove vulnerability assessment that utilises information technology in conjunction with expert knowledge and multi-criteria analysis to aid planners and policy/ decision makers in the protection of this very fragile ecosystem.     

Determination of Path Coefficients and Its Application in Road Traffic Noise Annoyance – a Theoretical Approach

This paper elucidates the basic approach of determining the path coefficients and its significance in the road traffic noise annoyance. Path model not only outline the direct effect of the traffic noise on the nearby residents but also indicate the indirect effect via other variables. In this study seven variables were considered for determining road traffic noise annoyance. However the same would be equally applicable for other situations like aircraft noise, rail noise, and industry noise with the different variables. At the outset a priori path model was designed and then on the basis of the partial regression coefficient values for the different paths, the revised path model was developed. The standardized partial regression coefficients known as path coefficients, determine the strength of the linkage among variables. Some of the paths in the model were not statistically significant. Revised path models were developed by deleting the insignificant paths whose values were found above 5% level. In the revised path model, thus the direct and indirect effect due to a particular variable causing the road traffic noise annoyance could be observed.     

匀速行驶小型载客汽车噪声频谱研究

系统测量了5辆小型载客汽车分别以20~100 km/h匀速行驶时的车外噪声频谱,得到了低、中、高各频段声压级随车速的变化关系,进一步与城市道路交通噪声频谱相比较,为从声源上控制城市道路交通噪声提供有力的参考依据。     

Logistic sequencing for improving environmental performance using ant colony optimization

A significant portion of air pollutions in a city comes from road transport. Shorter travelling distance and less fuel consumption would logically lead to lower emissions of greenhouse gases or particulate matters, thus relieve environmental burdens. In this regard, an appropriate selection of the logistic sequence may contribute significantly to the environment. The logistic sequence for pickup and delivery services are often determined based on decision makers' experience and intuitive judgements. While life cycle assessment (LCA), a well-versed approach, can be used for quantifying the environmental loads, it is often regarded as not suitable for making routine decisions because it takes significant time and resources for data collection as well as expert knowledge for result interpretation. Additionally, the results of LCA studies focus mainly on the environmental perspective and that other decision criteria cannot be taken into account in a single evaluation process. This paper attempts to develop a practical and objective tool, by combining a simplified LCA with the ant colony optimization algorithm, that supports evaluating several decision criteria simultaneously and determining the optimal or near optimal sequence for vehicle routing on pickup and delivery activities. This fit-for-purpose approach enables decision makers to pay attention to environmental impacts during the determination of the travelling sequences. The proposed approach has been successfully performed to identify the optimal solution through benchmarking against other possible sequences, with the aim to reducing environmental impact while balancing other decision criteria.     

A comparative study of noise pollution levels in some selected areas in Ilorin Metropolis, Nigeria

The noise pollution is a major problem for the quality of life in urban areas. This study was conducted to compare the noise pollution levels at busy roads/road junctions, passengers loading parks, commercial, industrial and residential areas in Ilorin metropolis. A total number of 47-locations were selected within the metropolis. Statistical analysis shows significant difference (P < 0.05) in noise pollution levels between industrial areas and low density residential areas, industrial areas and high density areas, industrial areas and passengers loading parks, industrial areas and commercial areas, busy roads/road junctions and low density areas, passengers loading parks and commercial areas and commercial areas and low density areas. There is no significant difference (P > 0.05) in noise pollution levels between industrial areas and busy roads/road junctions, busy roads/road junctions and high density areas, busy roads/road junctions and passengers loading parks, busy roads/road junctions and commercial areas, passengers loading parks and high density areas, passengers loading parks and commercial areas and commercial areas and high density areas. The results show that Industrial areas have the highest noise pollution levels (110.2 dB(A)) followed by busy roads/Road junctions (91.5 dB(A)), Passengers loading parks (87.8 dB(A)) and Commercial areas (84.4 dB(A)). The noise pollution levels in Ilorin metropolis exceeded the recommended level by WHO at 34 of 47 measuring points. It can be concluded that the city is environmentally noise polluted and road traffic and industrial machineries are the major sources of it. Noting the noise emission standards, technical control measures, planning and promoting the citizens awareness about the high noise risk may help to relieve the noise problem in the metropolis.     

城市环境噪声抽测结果分析

对北京、天津、重庆等20个城市的道路交通及城市区域噪声进行了对比抽测,结果表明地方监测站能够按照相关的技术规范、标准方法开展噪声监测工作,地方站与总(省)站监测结果有非常好的可比性,监测数据97.5%在可接受范围内。并针对抽测中发现的问题,提出了相应的对策与建议。     

低噪声路面降噪效果研究

通过对公路交通噪声特征,低噪声路面的特点、结构、降噪机理及国内外研究现状的分析,对宁杭高速二期工程低噪声路面与普通路面噪声监测结果进行对比分析,确认低噪声沥青路面具有比较明显的降噪效果,路肩处噪声可降低3～4 dB(A),路外15 m处可降低1.1～3.5 dB(A).     

北京市公交车噪声测试与分析

公交车已成为当前北京市道路交通噪声的主要束源之一,针对公交车声源模型缺乏而沿用大型车声源模型所致的噪声预测误差问题,在北京市选取了两类常见公交车进行了537辆车的单车通过噪声测试,在无效数据剔除和背景噪声修正后,利用回归分析法获得了北京市公交车声源模型,通过与现有《公路建设项目环境影响评价规范》中大型车声源模型的比较,显示出建立北京市公交车噪声声源模型的必要性。基于《公路建设项目环境影响评价规范》中的道路交通噪声预测方法,提出了符合北京市实际情况的道路交通噪声预测模型。