Remote Sensing and GIS Technologies as Tools to Support Sustainable Management of Areas Devastated by Landslides

IKONOS panchromatic images from a single year were used to characterise the effects of an extreme rainstorm event on six mountain catchment areas in Venezuela. Image registrations were accomplished using topographic base maps at 1 : 5000 scale giving a mapping accuracy between 37 and 40 m. It was used an 8-bit channel for correction, rectification, filteration and tone enhancements.Landsliding was discerned in the affected watersheds using morphometric criteria, including the shape of the slope failure and its position, exposure bedrock in the scar and deposition of debris down-slope. This study is restricted to the impact analysis of the distribution of landslide erosion scars and the depositional processes on the valley floor. Remote sensing data were combined into a geographic information system (GIS) with planimetric data, contour lines, hydrology and vegetation types to evaluate the distribution of the scars and their effects on the highly populated areas located on the alluvial fans. Hillslope mass wasting induced mass movements, logging and increased the mud and silt in floodwaters affecting settlement down-slope.     

Assessing the impact of urbanization on regional net primary productivity in Jiangyin County, China

Urbanization is one of the most important aspects of global change. The process of urbanization has a significant impact on the terrestrial ecosystem carbon cycle. The Yangtze Delta region has one of the highest rates of urbanization in China. In this study, carried out in Jiangyin County as a representative region within the Yangtze Delta, land use and land cover changes were estimated using Landsat TM and ETM+ imagery. With these satellite data and the BEPS process model (Boreal Ecosystem Productivity Simulator), the impacts of urbanization on regional net primary productivity (NPP) and annual net primary production were assessed for 1991 and 2002. Landsat-based land cover maps in 1991 and 2002 showed that urban development encroached large areas of cropland and forest. Expansion of residential areas and reduction of vegetated areas were the major forms of land transformation in Jiangyin County during this period. Mean NPP of the total area decreased from 818 to 699 gCm(-2)yr(-1) during the period of 1991 to 2002. NPP of cropland was only reduced by 2.7% while forest NPP was reduced by 9.3%. Regional annual primary production decreased from 808 GgC in 1991 to 691 GgC in 2002, a reduction of 14.5%. Land cover changes reduced regional NPP directly, and the increasing intensity and frequency of human-induced disturbance in the urbanized areas could be the main reason for the decrease in forest NPP.     

GIS支持的卫星图像土地利用现状分类和制图

应用卫星图像提取专题要素，综合利用多元地理信息，是克服多光谱数据在解像力和分辨率上所存在的局限性的有效途径。ＧＩＳ技术则提供多种处理功能将图像与地理信息复合，提高分类精度。分类图像数据与地形基础要素数据复合，通过彩色扫描绘图机直接绘制高质量的土地利用现状专题地图。     

高锰酸钾氧化水中沙拉沙星的动力学研究

选用高锰酸钾为氧化剂从动力学的角度研究高锰酸钾初始浓度,pH值和温度对沙拉沙星氧化反应速率的影响,并比较高锰酸钾氧化其他氟喹诺酮类药物（恩诺沙星,氧氟沙星,环丙沙星,诺氟沙星）的动力学参数,旨在为沙拉沙星污染治理提供科学依据和建议.研究得出：氧化过程符合二级反应动力学规律,随着高锰酸钾浓度和环境温度的升高,反应速率增加;相对于中性条件和碱性条件[K=30~47L/（mol·min）],酸性条件（pH=4~5）下其反应速率[K=66~91.28L/（mol·min）]要明显更快.高锰酸钾氧化沙拉沙星的动力学参数与环丙沙星的类似,在相关研究中可以适当参考环丙沙星的处理参数.     

OPERATIONAL APPLICATIONS OF SATELLITE SNOW COVER OBSERVATIONS1

ABSTRACT: Several federal and state water resources agencies and NASA have recently completed an Applications Systems Verification and Transfer (ASVT) project on the operational applications of satellite snow cover observations. When satellite snow cover data were tested in both empirical seasonal runoff estimation and short term modeling approaches, a definite potential for reducing forecast error was evident. Three years of testing in California resulted in reduction of seasonal stream flow forecast error was evident. Three years of testing in California resulted in reduction of seasonal stream flow forecast error from 15 percent to 10 percent on three study basins; and modeling studies on the Boise River basin in Idaho indicated that satellite snow cover could be used to reduce short term forecast error by up to 9.6 percent (5 day forecast). Potential benefits from improved satellite snow cover based predictions across the 11 western states total 10 million dollars for hydropower and 28 million dollars for irrigation annually. The truly operational application of the new technology in the West, however, will only be possible when the turnaround time for all data is reduced to 72 hours, and the water management agencies can be assured of a continuing supply of operational snow cover data from space.     

中国国内救援队和国际地震灾害救援行动的简介与展望

本文介绍了国内地震灾害紧急救援队、国内其他救援队伍和国际地震灾害救援行动简要情况，并对国内、外救援的发展趋势作了展望。     

Habitat mapping using machine learning-extended kernel-based reclassification of an Ikonos satellite image

The spatial resolution of satellite imagery suitable for earth resources studies has improved from 80 m (Landsat-MSS, launched in 1972) to 0.6 m (QuickBird, launched in 2001). The conventional pixel-based methods developed for medium resolution satellite images are not suitable for classification of very high spatial resolution images, because the spectral responses of particular habitat classes are much more variable. On the other hand, in the original Barnsley–Barr kernel-based reclassification algorithm not only the spectral information of a pixel but also the textural information in the vicinity of the pixel is used when the pixel labeling decision is made. The first step of the kernel reclassification algorithm is to perform an initial classification of the original image. In the second step, the adjacency-event matrices are computed for each pixel according to co-occurrence frequencies of the initial classes in the kernel window. The degree of matching between an adjacency-event matrix corresponding to specific pixel and the set of class-specific template matrices produced during training is the criterion for pixel re-labeling. We extend the original kernel-based reclassification algorithm with a decision tree-based reclassification, simultaneously taking into account the class-specific similarity images, which are a side-product of the original algorithm. The advantage of decision tree-extended approach over the original approach seems to be the ability of the former to consider more input information, thus increasing the Kappa classification accuracy for an Ikonos image of our study area from 0.56 to 0.60, using a nomenclature containing 10 habitat classes.     

An erosion-based land classification system for military installations

The universal soil loss equation (USLE) has been integrated with a geographic information system known as the geographical resources analysis support system (GRASS) to create a land classification system for use by military trainers and land managers to minimize the environmental impacts of military training activities. The USLE provides an estimate of current average annual sheet and rill erosion based upon factors representing climate, soil erodibility, topography, cover, and conservation support practices. The erosion estimate is compared to erosion tolerance values to produce an expression of the current erosion status. An index of inherent site erodibility is also achieved through manipulation of the USLE. Based on published soil surveys, satellite imagery, and ground-truth vegetation transects, data layers are created within GRASS for each of the component factors of the USLE. Appropriate mathematical operations are performed with the data layers, and color-coded maps are produced that represent the erosion status and erodibility index for each 50-m × 50-m area of soil surface. These maps aid military trainers and land managers in scheduling appropriate kinds and intensities of military training activities.     

Electromagnetic field levels in the working environment in radio and TV stations

Electromagnetic field sources used for communication always have been subject of serious interest. There are many publications concerning exposure and risk assessment of the working in such environment. Results of epidemiological study performed in Bulgaria in the 1990's show exceeding of the maximal permissible values especially in radio stations for the personnel in 24 h working shift [Israel et al. (1992). Study of the electromagnetic in its influence on personnel working in radio and TV stations, Report, National Centre of Hygiene, Medical Ecology and Nutrition; Israel and Tomov (2001). Epidemiological study of the effects of radiofrequency radiation on operators in radio, TV and relay stations, Proceeding of the Eastern European Regional Meeting and Workshop “Measurements and Criteria for Standard Harmonization in the field of EMF Exposure” and WHO EMF Standards Harmonization Meeting, Varna, Bulgaria, 28 April—3 May, 2001, pp.145–153]. In the last years the situation is strongly influenced by the development of the technology which leads to changes in equipment in radio and TV stations, using lower power, facilitate the working regime. The paper presents data of exposure assessment of different professional groups in selected radio and TV stations. Assessment is being performed on basis of EMF parameters values and energetic load calculations according to the national legislation. Data are compared with the results of previous investigation to evaluate the new situation in this branch. Exposure levels are much lower than those in the previous study, and lower compared to the exposure limits, as well [Israel et al. (1992). Study of the electromagnetic in its influence on personnel working in radio and TV stations, Report, National Centre of Hygiene, Medical Ecology and Nutrition; Israel and Tomov (2001). Epidemiological study of the effects of radiofrequency radiation on operators in radio, TV and relay stations, Proceeding of the Eastern European Regional Meeting and␣Workshop “Measurements and Criteria for Standard Harmonization in the field of EMF Exposure” and WHO EMF Standards Harmonization Meeting, Varna, Bulgaria, 28 April—3 May, 2001, pp.145–153].     

Application of Remote Sensing in Detection of Ocean Oil Pollution

It is well known that the increase of surface tension due to the presence of oil slicks causes the surface wave motion is depressed or even disappeared, thus making the surface electromagnetically smoother. Therefore, the radar backscattered energy is correspondingly decreased. These damping effects is now well understood and such effects enables the oil slicks to be discernible from the radar image. in this paper, we are concerned with the digital technique that effectively delineates the oil slicks pattern from the SAR image. the detected pattern allows us to estimate the coverage of oil spillage. the technique is based on the fact that the oil slicks make a gray value surface in the image which is a concave area with a certain size. in order to identify correctly these oil slicks and suppress the speckle noise and other natural phenomena, an image pyramid with multi-resolution layers is generated sequentially from the original image. Then a top-down approach, which applies both first and second order derivative operators, the Difference of Gaussian (DoG) and the Laplace of Gaussian (LoG), to the image pyramid, is used to detect oil patches. Two ERS-1 SAR images acquired on August 5, 1994 and September 5, 1994, around Taiwan, were used for testing. Results indicate that the proposed method depresses the speckle noise and other sea noise signals, and enhances the oil slicks pattern clearly. the robustness to the empirical parameters introduced in this scheme was also demonstrated.