APPROACHES FOR DEVELOPING ALTERNATIVES IN PLANNING1

ABSTRACT. In the past planners have used various approaches to develop alternative plans for planning studies. These include: rational thought which draws upon the planners' knowledge, experience and judgement; objectives which emphasize specific values such as economic and environmental; technologies which achieve the same objective; public preferences which reflect public values and interests; alternative futures which array a diverse range of possible futures; mathematical models which rapidly evaluate possible alternatives; cost sharing policies which consider a participant's financial interest; Delphi technique utilizing a diversity of professional expertise; the IDEA method which stimulates and evaluates large numbers of alternatives. Most of these approaches have found application on various planning studies.     

Prioritizing species conservation programs based on IUCN Green Status and estimates of cost-sharing potential

Over 1 million species around the world are at risk of extinction, and conservation organizations have to decide where to invest their limited resources. Cost-effectiveness can be increased by leveraging funding opportunities and increasing collaborative partnerships to achieve shared conservation goals. We devised a structured decision-making framework to prioritize species’ conservation programs based on a cost–benefit analysis that takes collaborative opportunities into account in an examination of national and global conservation return on investment. Conservation benefit is determined by modifying the novel International Union for the Conservation of Nature Green Status for Species to provide an efficient, high-level measure that is comparable among species, even with limited information and time constraints. We applied this prioritization approach to the Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo, Canada, a nonprofit organization seeking to increase the number of species it assists with conservation translocations. We sought to identify and prioritize additional species’ programs for which conservation translocation expertise and actions could make the most impact. Estimating the likelihood of cost-sharing potential enabled total program cost to be distinguished from costs specific to the organization. Comparing a benefit-to-cost ratio on different geographic scales allowed decision makers to weigh alternative options for investing in new species’ programs in a transparent and effective manner. Our innovative analysis aligns with general conservation planning frameworks and can be adapted for any organization.     

Web中文文本分类在防震减灾辅助决策中的应用

在信息技术飞速发展的今天,地震预报智能决策系统和地震信息系统迫切需要新技术的融入。Web挖掘是目前信息技术中的研究热点,它是现代科学技术相互渗透融合的必然结果。文章首先介绍了Web挖掘的含义,重点讨论了Web文本分类技术,并提出了其在防震减灾辅助决策中的应用模型。     

Reducing non-contact electric arc injuries: an investigation of behavioral and organizational issues

PROBLEM: It is estimated that 5 to 10 arc flash explosions occur in electric equipment every day in the United States. In the mining industry the largest single injury category of electrical injuries are caused by non-contact electrical arcs. METHOD: This investigation progressed in two phases: (a) 836 Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) reports of electric arcing incidents that occurred over a period of 11 years were reviewed, and (b) personal interviews were conducted with 32 individuals. A theoretical Safe Job Performance Model guided the study. RESULTS: Behavioral dimensions were identified and included the effect of worker experience, judgment and decision-making ability, behavioral and organizational controls, and safety culture. SUMMARY: The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) conducted an investigation of behavioral components associated with arc flash incidents and developed recommendations for interventions based on findings. IMPACT ON INDUSTRY: This study fills a vacuum in electrical training with a focus on the organizational and behavioral aspects of arc flash incidents. The research is cross-cutting in its scope, in that the results apply not only to mining and construction, but many other industries employing electricians. Although the majority of mine electrical injuries are the results of burns from electrical arcs, few miners are aware that such a hazard exists. A safety training program, which includes a video and an instructor's discussion guide, was developed for electricians based on this study's findings. "Arc Flash Awareness" was released in 2007 (DHHS NIOSH Publication No.2007-116D) and is available through 1-800 CDC INFO. Phone: 1-800 232-4636 or email cdcinfo@cdc.gov. It is also available from MSHA at MSHADistribution@dol.gov or 304-256-3257 (DVD-576). Private industry is producing Portuguese and Spanish language translations.     

高风险系统组织因素分类与绩效评价

在收集以组织绩效评价、人的可靠性和人误分析为目的的两类组织因素分类的基础上,结合问卷调查,并依据建立的概念上的组织因素分类框架,从组织的目标和战略、组织结构、资源、规程、管理功能、培训、交流、组织文化等方面确立组织因素分类指标,基本克服了传统的组织因素分类缺陷。同时,依据组织因素的分类,考虑到组织绩效评价的复杂性和不确定性,采用模糊决策方法对某组织的绩效进行评价,识别出该组织现存的主要缺陷:组织管理方面的问题以及组织的结构设计不太合理等问题。     

可持续发展目标下的清洁发展机制项目评价

清洁发展机制（CDM）是《京都议定书》规定的发达国家和发展中国家之间项目级的合作机制，CDM项目的目标之一是促进发展中国家的可持续发展。在京都议定书最终生效的背景下．CDM项目的开发与能力建设成为热点。本文基于多目标决革理论。讨论CDM促进可持续发展与否的评价方法。以国际最新的研究为基础。作者构建了CDM项目可持续评价的指标化体系。建立了评价过程。并将其应用刭具体的案例——内蒙古辉腾锡勒风电CDM项目的评价中。研究可以为中国的CDM潜在项目的选择、比较和批准等实践活动提供定量的方法和思路。这对于中国成为CDM国际合作中的重要参与者以及促进中国的可持续发展都具有重要的意义。     

基于地表沉陷控制的膏体充填材料的性能优化研究

充填材料性能是充填开采控制地表沉陷的一个重要因素,为克服传统充填材料性能优化试验耗时长、成本高、人为误差较大的缺点,探索将传统正交试验与模糊决策相结合进行充填材料性能优化。基于L9(33)正交试验,确定了S1~S55组充填材料性能优选方案。在综合分析充填材料性能影响因素的基础上,建立充填材料性能优化指标体系,构建AHP-FUZZY模糊综合优选模型对方案进行比选,并分析了正交试验中各因素水平变化对最优方案的敏感性。结果表明:膏体充填材料性能最优方案为“S4”即水泥含量15%,灰矸比1∶2,质量浓度75%,决策结果与试验结果相符,且“灰矸比”对充填材料性能优化的敏感性程度最高,在实际膏体充填开采中要严格控制粉煤灰和煤矸石掺量。     

Making Collaborative Watershed Management Work: The Confluence of State and Regional Initiatives

Initiatives in the Neponset, Ipswich, and Sudbury-Assabet-Concord watersheds highlight how watershed-scale innovation in engaging nongovernment participants is influenced, but not dominated, by the statewide program, the Massachusetts Watershed Initiative. The presence or absence of three elements—external support, process, and issue—and the order in which they occur, shape the viability of collaborative watershed-scale management initiatives. External support includes providing personnel or funding from outside an initiative. Process is the interaction among individuals undertaking watershed-wide policy development and/or implementation. An issue is an attention-requiring concern, vital to a watershed, that can most effectively be addressed by a coordinated strategy among different parties. A process generated by an issue is sustainable and amenable to enhancement through external support. The contribution of external support is most apparent when outside assistance is provided after an issue has crystallized into clear problem needs that can be addressed through specific research projects or implementation activities. Process is central in shaping issues, utilizing external support, and generating management results. The outcomes of voluntary processes in the three watershed initiatives highlight how the evolution of the Massachusetts Watershed Initiative leads to, and depends upon, the development of watershed-scale initiatives.     

小城镇突发公共事件应急决策系统的研究

近年来,突发公共事件的应急研究是研究热点,但对小城镇却缺少应有的关注和重视.本文剖析了当前小城镇突发公共事件应急管理存在的弊端,简要介绍了小城镇突发公共事件应急决策系统的设计与实现,包括应急预案、历史灾情库和法律法规库三大功能.着重论述了小城镇突发公共事件应急流程和预案的框架要素,并分析了应急决策系统与小城镇应急管理体制的融合机制问题.     

LIMITS ON THE INSTITUTIONAL FRAME OF REFERENCE IN WATER RESOURCE DECISION-MAKING1

Study of water resource decision-making in Massachusetts demonstrates the existence of many institutional constraints such as the established fee system for consulting engineers, the funding of certain agencies, the institutionalization of equity concerns, overrepresentation of interests, and incompatibility of agency goals. These institutional constraints are attributable in part to certain broadly-based value-orientations such as the American pragmatic tradition. However, various lines of evidence indicate that these constraints are less important than other factors in the etiology of decisional outcomes. The outcomes of the decision processes were found to be at variance with the decisions studied, a fact leading to the conclusion that choice of decisions for study should be given more attention. The authors conclude that institutional constraints are important if one is interested in studying how decisions are made, but that what actually happens in the long run cannot be easily ascertained by studying either institutions or the decision-making process. They suggest the need for more research utilizing the incremental theories of Carl Lindblom and the side-effect theories of Albert O. Hirschman.