Standardising and mapping open-source information for crisis regions: the case of post-conflict Iraq

Painting an accurate picture of the situation on the ground in countries in crisis is vital for the efficiency of humanitarian aid and reconstruction agencies. This study describes a method for standardising and mapping the plethora of open-source information. The test site for the study is post-conflict Iraq. Important information on aid distribution, reconstruction and security in Iraq can be derived from the reports of humanitarian aid agencies and the media, before being formatted, inserted into a database and mapped. The product is a visual, cartographic structure of otherwise random information, showing which organisations are working in the country, which thematic and geographic areas are being prioritized in the field, and which areas most frequently experience security events. This type of mapping not only highlights the overall working environment within different parts of the country, but it may also serve as a decision-making tool for donors and humanitarian aid agencies planning to deploy personnel.     

NEAR REAL-TIME MAPPING OF THE 1975 MISSISSIPPI RIVER FLOOD IN LOUISIANA USING LANDSAT IMAGERY1

ABSTRACT: The project described in this report was undertaken by the Louisiana State Planning Office to establish the extent of backwater flooding in Louisiana in April 1975. Band 7 Landsat imagery, enlarged to a scale of 1:250,000 was used to visually identify flooded areas. Inundated areas were delineated on overlays keyed to 1:250,000 U.S. Geological Survey topographic quadrangles. Tabular data identifying acres flooded, according to land use type, were derived by merging the flood map overlays with computerized 1972 land use data. Approximately 1.12 million acres of the state were inundated by flood waters. The total acreage and land use types affected by flooding were determined within 72 hours from the time the flood areas were imaged. Flooded maps were prepared for 26 parishes. Field observations were made by Louisiana Cooperative Extension Service county agents in order to determine the accuracy of parish flood maps and flood acreage figures by land use type. Results indicated that this was a fast, accurate, and relatively inexpensive method of compiling flood data for disaster planning and postflood analysis.     

Foraging areas of king penguins from Macquarie Island in relation to a marine protected area

Twenty-three king penguins (Aptenodytes patagonicus) from Macquarie Island were tracked by satellite during the late incubation period in 1998–1999 to determine the overlap of the foraging zone of king penguins with an area to be declared a marine protected area (MPA) near the island. While all penguins left the colony in an easterly direction and traveled clockwise back to the island, three penguins foraged in the northern parts of the general foraging area and stayed north of 56°S. The remaining 20 penguins ventured south and most crossed 59°S before returning to the island. The total foraging area was estimated to be 156,000 km² with 36,500 km² being most important (where penguins spent >150 hr in total). North-foraging penguins reached on average 331 ± 24 km from the colony compared to 530 ± 76 km for the south-foraging penguins. The latter traveled an average total distance of 1313 ± 176 km, while the northern foragers averaged 963 ± 166 km. Not only did the penguins spend the majority of their foraging time within the boundaries of the proposed MPA, they also foraged chiefly within the boundaries of a highly protected zone. Thus, the MPA is likely to encompass the foraging zone of king penguins, at least during incubation.     

Vegetation of the Northern Russian Far East in geographic information systems

The cartographic method, in combination with computer technologies and special software, was used to develop a series of projects of geographic information systems (GISs), including regional GISs (RGISs) for three administrative regions (Magadan oblast, Chukchi Autonomous Area, and Koryak Autonomous Area) and the territorial GIS Vegetation of the Northern Russian Far East.     

基于文献分析工具的国内水资源管理研究论文的可视化综述

以1991~2013年CNKI数据库收录的2 263篇国内水资源管理研究核心期刊论文为数据来源,利用文献计量学引文网络分析工具CiteSpace,绘制国内水资源管理研究的知识图谱。分析了我国水资源管理研究的时间分布、机构力量分布、作者分布、期刊分布、学科和基金分布以及研究热点和趋势。〖JP2〗结果显示：中国科学院和中国水利水电等科研系统实力较强,水利水电工程学、资源科学、环境科学与资源利用是文献分布的主要学科,国家自然科学基金、国家重点基础研究发展计划（973）等是主要基金来源,宏观层面的水资源管理制度和政策研究、流域综合管理和水资源的经济属性等是目前的研究热点,最严格水资源管理制度和水生态文明建设等内容将是未来一段时间的主题     

Use of a geographic information system for storm runoff prediction from small urban watersheds

The use of computer-assisted map analysis techniques for prediction of storm runoff from a small urban watershed in the United States is investigated. An automated procedure for calculating input parameters for the US Soil Conservation Service (SCS) method of predicting storm runoff volume and peak timing is presented. Advanced techniques of spatial analysis are used to characterize spatial coincidence, surface configuration and effective hydrologic distance. A limited verification of the automated procedure indicates that the model reasonably characterizes water flow. A sensitivity analysis of basin disaggregation suggests that the SCS method yields increased volume and peak discharge predictions as the watershed is divided into smaller and smaller subunits. As a means to demonstrate the practical application of the automated procedure, a simulation of the effects on surface runoff for a potential residential development is presented.     

国家油气管道地图系统架构探讨

针对我国油气管道管理存在的规划统筹不足、工作衔接不畅、职责履行不力等问题,探讨建设国家油气管道地图系统并分析其架构,以期实现对油气管道的全过程管理。通过问题分析和典型事故案例剖析,明确国家油气管道地图系统的功能定位,确定油气管道全过程管理的5个关键环节;通过统筹分析信息来源和系统预期功能,分析确定系统的部署模式和未来的技术支持方式,提出系统建设标准,明确数据采集信息内容、信息报送方式以及数据变更与更新等核心要素。建立有效联系企业、政府部门和第三方的国家油气管道地图系统,实现对油气管道的全过程管理,对于保障油气管道安全运行具有重要作用。     

High-Resolution Vegetation Data for Mangrove Research as Obtained From Aerial Photography

In this methodological study, the applicability of aerial photographs for monitoring mangrove vegetation dynamics at high resolution was investigated. Vegetation maps of three mangrove forests in Sri Lanka (Galle, Rekawa and Pambala) were produced based on visual analysis of aerial photographs. The visual analysis was aided by applying an interpretation key constructed during a first fieldwork mission. Image attributes used for the identification of individual trees included: gray values, texture, form and size of the crowns and the presence or absence of a shaded side. For the identification of species assemblages, the vegetation structure (i.e. the distribution of individual trees) appeared to be an important attribute. The accuracy and reliability of the vegetation maps were investigated during a second fieldwork mission. The aerial photographs proved to be very useful for the production of genus-based vegetation maps. The error analysis showed that density estimations (quantitative identification) based on aerial photography was not sufficiently accurate for the objectives of the study, but that the overall identification of vegetation assemblages (qualitative identification) coincided most satisfactory with the ground-truth data. In addition to the applicability of aerial photography in monitoring mangroves, the importance of aerial photography in the management of the mangrove ecosystem is clearly highlighted.     

The extraction and utilization of local and scientific geospatial knowledge within the Bluff oyster fishery, New Zealand

This paper assesses the Bluff oyster fishery in New Zealand as a case study in common pool resource management. It discusses ways in which modern information technology, augmented by low-tech data gathering strategies and community ethnography, can be used to produce an integrated scientific and local knowledge-inspired fishery database that lends itself to fostering collaboration in resource management and planning. The specific context and state of the oyster fishery in Bluff are described. Issues regarding undocumented and ephemeral intergenerational knowledge, much of which is geospatial in nature, on the fishery, the current crisis that many see in the future of the fishery, and a lack of cohesion or common sense of purpose between the stakeholder groups are discussed. It is argued that the digital resource that results from the integration of local and scientific knowledge and the potential community building processes that can ensue from collaboration and dialogue around this centrepiece are of central importance in developing an oyster fishery management plan that is holistic in concept and sustainable in purpose.     

Assessing human-induced pressures on coastal areas with publicly available data

The assessment of human-induced pressures on the coastal area is essential to target management plans effectively, and moreover is required by the EU Water Framework Directive. A simple and cost-effective assessment of human-induced pressures on the coastal zone is applied using two methodologies: a qualitative visual assessment which uses satellite images; and a quantitative assessment based on governmental census data. These methods are applied to defined areas (23 areas) of four Italian regions: Liguria, Tuscany, Latium and Sardinia. The results show a high agreement (83%) between these two methods, in which only four of the 23 areas are classified differently. These differences may mainly be ascribed to the qualitative or quantitative properties of the methods, and to the different geographical units adopted. These characteristics however provide complementary information, which suggests that the application of both proposed methods confirms reliability and allows fine-tuning of the assessment. The pressure assessment proposed is simple, time and cost-effective, and repeatable over time and space. It therefore can be applied in different contexts to respond to legislative requirements or to target management plans and remedial actions effectively.