Information technologies and the sharing of disaster knowledge: the critical role of professional culture

A comparative survey of a diverse sample of 96 US and Italian emergency management agencies shows that the diffusion of new information technologies (IT) has transformed disaster communications. Although these technologies permit access to and the dissemination of massive amounts of disaster information with unprecedented speed and efficiency, barriers rooted in the various professional cultures still hinder the sharing of disaster knowledge. To be effective the available IT must be attuned to the unique settings and professional cultures of the local emergency management communities. Findings show that available technology, context, professional culture and interaction are key factors that affect the knowledge transfer process. Cultural filters appear to influence emergency managers' perceptions of their own professional roles, their vision of the applicability of technology to social issues, and their perspective on the transferability of disaster knowledge. Four cultural approaches to the application of IT to disaster communications are defined: technocentric; geographic,; anthropocentric; and ecocentric.     

METHODOLOGIES FOR CALIBRATION AND PREDICTIVE ANALYSIS OF A WATERSHED MODEL1

ABSTRACT: The use of a fitted parameter watershed model to address water quantity and quality management issues requires that it be calibrated under a wide range of hydrologic conditions. However, rarely does model calibration result in a unique parameter set. Parameter nonuniqueness can lead to predictive nonuniqueness. The extent of model predictive uncertainty should be investigated if management decisions are to be based on model projections. Using models built for four neighboring watersheds in the Neuse River Basin of North Carolina, the application of the automated parameter optimization software PEST in conjunction with the Hydrologic Simulation Program Fortran (HSPF) is demonstrated. Parameter nonuniqueness is illustrated, and a method is presented for calculating many different sets of parameters, all of which acceptably calibrate a watershed model. A regularization methodology is discussed in which models for similar watersheds can be calibrated simultaneously. Using this method, parameter differences between watershed models can be minimized while maintaining fit between model outputs and field observations. In recognition of the fact that parameter nonuniqueness and predictive uncertainty are inherent to the modeling process, PEST's nonlinear predictive analysis functionality is then used to explore the extent of model predictive uncertainty.     

类似一次一密的复合混沌音频隐藏方案

基于离散混沌映射3D-Lorenz系统和Arnold猫映射,设计了一种利用复合混沌系统实现音频信息隐藏的通信方案。该设计方案将3D-Lorenz系统与Arnold离散猫映射组合产生的混沌码具有良好的伪随机性,该混沌流密码系统是完善保密系统,具有类似一次一密的功能,具有较高的安全性。数值模拟表明了算法的有效性和可靠性。     

武器装备验证环境因素确定模型及其应用研究

从系统的角度,分析了与武器装备环境紧密相联的4个因素,从武器装备的产品分解结构、环境分解结构、功能分解结构、状态集构建了武器装备系统、分系统、部件的试验验证环境因素确定模型,分析了模型的应用,给出了模型的工作流程。描述了基于上述模型的信息管理系统的构建思路与功能。     

医疗废物管理信息系统的设计与开发研究

结合医疗废物无害化处理的运作管理,分析了医疗废物管理信息系统的数据流程,进行了系统设计,最终建立了长春市医疗废物管理信息系统,并阐述了该系统实现的主要技术特点。该系统利用条形码技术、GPS(全球卫星定位系统)、GPRS(General Packet RadioService)、在线监测等信息技术实现了对医疗废物的装载、运送、核实、焚烧、残渣处理的全程数字化跟踪管理。     

Environmental cost of using poor decision metrics to prioritize environmental projects

Conservation decision makers commonly use project‐scoring metrics that are inconsistent with theory on optimal ranking of projects. As a result, there may often be a loss of environmental benefits. We estimated the magnitudes of these losses for various metrics that deviate from theory in ways that are common in practice. These metrics included cases where relevant variables were omitted from the benefits metric, project costs were omitted, and benefits were calculated using a faulty functional form. We estimated distributions of parameters from 129 environmental projects from Australia, New Zealand, and Italy for which detailed analyses had been completed previously. The cost of using poor prioritization metrics (in terms of lost environmental values) was often high—up to 80% in the scenarios we examined. The cost in percentage terms was greater when the budget was smaller. The most costly errors were omitting information about environmental values (up to 31% loss of environmental values), omitting project costs (up to 35% loss), omitting the effectiveness of management actions (up to 9% loss), and using a weighted‐additive decision metric for variables that should be multiplied (up to 23% loss). The latter 3 are errors that occur commonly in real‐world decision metrics, in combination often reducing potential benefits from conservation investments by 30–50%. Uncertainty about parameter values also reduced the benefits from investments in conservation projects but often not by as much as faulty prioritization metrics.     

How certain are we about the certainty-equivalent long term social discount rate?

Theoretical arguments for using a term structure of social discount rates (SDR) that declines with the time horizon have influenced government guidelines in the US and Europe. The certainty equivalent discount rate that often underpins this guidance embodies uncertainty in the primitives of the SDR, such as growth. For distant time horizons the probability distributions of these primitives are ambiguous and the certainty equivalent itself is uncertain. Yet, if a limited set of characteristics of the unknown probability distributions can be agreed upon, ‘sharp’ upper and lower bounds can be defined for the certainty-equivalent SDR. Unfortunately, even with considerable agreement on these features, these bounds are widely spread for horizons beyond 75 years. So while estimates of the present value of intergenerational impacts, including the social cost of carbon, can be bounded in the presence of this ambiguity, they typically remain so imprecise as to provide little practical guidance.     

广州市环境监测管理信息化建设中若干问题探讨

以广州市环境监测中心站推进信息化的实践为例，重点对环境监测管理信息化规划、开发和应用3个环节所涉及的信息化进程路线、应用系统开发的需求分析和推广应用等问题进行了一些探讨，提出切合自身的解决思路或办法。     

基于GIS和RS的市域尺度下的植被NPP研究

在GIS和RS支持下,利用土地利用类型数据、地面气象数据和遥感影像数据,以青岛市为例,研究了市域尺度下的植被NPP空间分布特征.结果表明:青岛市NPP值为0~288 g·m-2·a-2,林地NPP值较高,耕地次之,建成区等区域最小.在小尺度区域内,NPP分布受土地利用类型影响较大,受气象因素影响较小.NPP模块在数据获取上比较容易,仅利用土地利用类型数据、地面气象数据和遥感数据就可以对陆地植被NPP进行计算,实际应用可操作性强.30 m分辨率植被NPP计算值更适宜于在市级小尺度区域内应用.     

危险废物交易信息化体系建设初探

分析了我国目前实施危险废物交易的意义和必要性及危险废物交易现状,提出在危险废物交易还处于市场化运行的初级阶段,引入信息化技术,为危险废物交易同时提供监管和市场化平台,建立健全配套的管理制度和办法,是实现危险废物的循环利用和经济可持续发展的有效途径之一。