The Potential of Public Participation Geographic Information Systems in UK Environmental Planning: Appraisals by Active Publics

The paper draws on an empirical study of two workshops in which the issues that arise from the use of geographic information systems (GIS) as a planning tool in public participation settings were explored by local residents who take an active interest in local planning matters in their London borough. The paper demonstrates how issues concerned with the democratization of GIS and public participation GIS (PPGIS) informed the structure and conduct of the workshops and the qualitative analysis of the workshop discussions. Key themes raised by participants included: the potential of PPGIS as a means of extending knowledge networks; issues of data ownership and the responsiveness of data providers to public concerns; and the role that institutional norms and practices play in democratizing information availability and the transparency of the decision-making process. The paper concludes that the potential of PPGIS as a planning tool cannot be separated from public concerns about the legitimacy of the planning process or local government.     

Civilians under fire: evacuation behaviour in north Israel during the Second Lebanon War

This paper seeks to understand evacuation behaviour in a case of spontaneous evacuation. During the Second Lebanon War of 2006, more than one‐third of residents in north Israel spontaneously evacuated—the remainder stayed in situ. Using a telephone survey of 665 respondents residing in north Israel, we were able to characterise the behaviour of evacuees and non‐evacuees. The main reasons cited for evacuating were fear of injury to self or family, the effect on children, inability to remain in a protective space, and family pressure. The main reasons cited for remaining at home were no suitable alternative, did not perceive a high level of danger, had to go to work, and there is no place like home. There were no significant differences with regard to most socio‐demographic characteristics of the population. These findings should aid emergency managers in preparing the population for a future emergency and in engaging in effective dialogue with the population during an emergency on the evacuation option.     

Quantification and reduction of erroneous differences between images in remote sensing

The reliability of image data, along with the difficulty of accurately comparing images acquired at different times or from different sensors, is a generic problem in remote sensing. Measurement repeatability errors occur frequently and can substantially reduce the system’s ability to reliably quantify real spectral and spatial change in a target. This paper outlines methodologies for quantifying and reducing erroneous differences between monochrome and multispectral or hyperspectral images. [Each of these image types is acquired by an instrument that collects light photons across a variable range of the electromagnetic spectrum (often referred to as an image band). The hyperspectral image is often referred to as a hyperspectral cube with XY spatial dimensions and many Z bands (spectral demotions)]. In this paper, we specifically discuss the Pixel Block Transform (PBT), the Spectral Averaging Transform (SAT), and the Wavelet Transform (WAVEL). We briefly address sensor fusion. Results indicate that the PBT is a powerful cross-noise and repeatability error reducing tool, applicable to monochrome, multispectral, and hyperspectral images. The SAT is as powerful as the PBT in reducing error but is suitable only for hyperspectral imagery. WAVEL can reduce some of the finer scale noise, but it is not as powerful in reducing cross-noise as PBT or SAT and it requires some trial and error for selecting the appropriate wavelet function. It is important that those involved in developing statistically sound relationships between remotely sensed imagery and other data sources understand the problems and their solutions to prevent wasting time or developing relationships that are statistically insignificant or unstable, or that lead to faulty conclusions.     

Pediatric electric bicycle injuries and comparison to other pediatric traffic injuries

Objective: The objective of this study was to conduct a comprehensive analysis of demographics, injury characteristics and hospital resource utilization of significant pediatric electric bicycle (e-bike) injuries leading to hospitalization following an emergency department visit in comparison to pediatric injuries caused by other traffic related mechanisms.

Methods: A retrospective review of all pediatric traffic injury hospitalizations following an emergency department visit to a level I trauma center between October 2014 and September 2016 was conducted. Data regarding age, sex, number of computed tomography (CT) scans obtained, number of major procedures, length of hospital stay (LOS), Injury Severity Score (ISS), and number of injuries per patient were collected and compared between e-bike injuries and other traffic injuries.

Results: Three hundred thirty-seven admissions were analyzed: 46 (14%) were due to e-bike injuries (29% of patients >12 years). Age, proportion of brain injuries, and use of CT were significantly increased compared to mechanical bicycle injuries (13.1?±?3.4 vs. 10.6?±?3.6, 13% vs. 3%, 1 [0–3] vs. 1 [0–1], P < .01, P = .03, P = .05). Age, LOS, and use of CT were significantly increased compared to injuries caused to automobile passengers (13.1?±?3.4 vs. 7.4?±?5.3, 1 [1–3] vs. 1 [1–2], 1 [0–3] vs. 0 [0–1], P < .01, P = .03, P = .01), as well as ISS and number of injuries per patient (P = .04, P < .01). Injuries caused by e-bikes were similar to injuries caused to pedestrians, except for age (13.1?±?3.4 vs. 8.5?±?3.7, P < .01). Multivariable analysis revealed a significant association between mechanism of injury and ISS, with increased ISS among e-bike injuries compared to mecahnical bike injuries (OR 2.56, CI 1.1–5.88, P = 0.03) and automobile injuries (OR 4.16, CI 1.49–12.5, (P < .01).

Conclusion: E-bikes are a significant cause of severe injury in children compared to most other traffic injuries, particularly in older children.     

The casualties from electric bike and motorized scooter road accidents

Objective: The objective of this study was to describe demographic and injury characteristics of hospitalized injured patients involved in e-bike and motorized scooter accidents at a national level in Israel divided by different road user groups: riders and pedestrians.

Methods: This was a retrospective study based on data from the National Trauma Registry, between January 1, 2013, and December 31, 2015. All hospitalized casualties due to the involvement of an e-bike or motorized scooter were included. The type of hospitalized road user was further categorized and described by different variables.

Results: During the study period, the Israel Trauma Registry identified 795 hospitalized patients due to an e-bike or motorized scooter accident, with a dramatic 6-fold increase from 2013 to 2015. Although the majority of the injured patients were riders, 8% were pedestrians. Among the total casualties, 33% were children aged 0–14 years and among pedestrians 42% were children and 33% were seniors (ages 60+). Five persons died in hospital, 3 riders and 2 pedestrians.

Conclusions: E-bike and motorized scooter riders represent the majority of patients hospitalized due to related traffic incident. This finding questions the social and economic advantages of electric-powered 2-wheeled vehicles.     

The normalisation of terror: the response of Israel's stock market to long periods of terrorism

Man‐made disasters such as acts of terrorism may affect a society's resiliency and sensitivity to prolonged physical and psychological stress. The Israeli Tel Aviv stock market TA‐100 Index was used as an indicator of reactivity to suicide terror bombings. After accounting for factors such as world market changes and attack severity and intensity, the analysis reveals that although Israel's financial base remained sensitive to each act of terror across the entire period of the Second Intifada (2000–06), sustained psychological resilience was indicated with no apparent overall market shift. In other words, we saw a ‘normalisation of terror’ following an extended period of continued suicide bombings. The results suggest that investors responded to less transitory global market forces, indicating sustained resilience and long‐term market confidence. Future studies directly measuring investor expectations and reactions to man‐made disasters, such as terrorism, are warranted.     

An anatomy of a groundwater contamination episode

Using the contamination episode at Price Landfill, New Jersey, as a case study, major analytical and informational issues characterizing groundwater pollution, with special emphasis on uncertainty associated with the environmental medium, especially solute-transport processes, and the valuation of health risks, principally dose-response relationships, are addressed. Alternative approaches to modeling the physical-chemical processes are described and subsequently coupled with mortality risk predictions to derive estimates of expected pollution costs: reduced longevity (pollution damage costs) and cost of control and remedial measures (damage reduction costs).