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The degree of human impact on the environment is closely related to social development. Due to the process of industrialization, economic and social development, and the intensification of human activities, cities are facing serious environmental pollution and ecosystem degradation, which threatens the normal metabolic function and coordinated development of urban ecosystem. These regional ecological and environmental problems seriously threaten the atmosphere, land, and water resources that people rely on for survival and cause great economic losses. The study of the relationship between urbanization and ecological environment is an important part of the study of global environmental change, which is of great significance for the sustainable development of cities and the harmonious development of human and nature. This paper studies the remote sensing image data and night lighting data in the region, and uses appropriate spatial analysis methods in ENVI and GIS to separate the main building areas in the urban center, and quantitatively analyzes the spatial characteristics and the morphological development of urban buildings. Based on GIS and remote sensing technology, combined with pressure state model and analytic hierarchy process, this paper establishes an index system for evaluating urban ecosystem health. Using the method of time, space, quantity, and order of ecological integration, this paper makes a spatial quantitative analysis of geography and obtains the indexes of population disturbance, land reclamation degree, and ecological elasticity. The quantitative measurement of urban population is carried out, and the ecological system, spatial distribution characteristics, and urban evolution law are obtained, as well as the strategies of urban ecosystem in the framework of multi-element communication mechanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The research shows that the southwest highland area of China along the rivers is the inhabited area of ethnic minorities, and the sustainable development of the water ecological environment in the southwest mountainous area is inseparable from the excellent river ecology and ethnic culture. Based on the concept of water resources ecology and sustainable development, and on the basis of analyzing the characteristics of ecological development of rivers in southwest mountainous areas, this paper selects typical river sections and establishes an ecological evaluation system of river flow. At the same time, the spatial auto-correlation distance of different indicators was studied by using GIS software, and the spatial correlation of different factors was determined. Finally, the function index and leading index of water ecosystem in southwest mountain area were determined. At last, according to the spatial superposition method of argis10.0, the boundary of a single indicator grid is modified to determine the functional level and regional test of water ecological change in southwest mountain area. With the rapid development of China's economy, the problem of environmental pollution is becoming more and more serious. More and more people are concerning about their own living conditions and their families' living conditions. The discharge of pollutants from rivers in southwest mountainous areas poses a threat to the country's fragile water environment. Therefore, we must strictly abide by environmental laws and regulations, monitor the water quality of river basins in real time, and take necessary measures to prevent water environmental pollution. In this paper, the GIS software system technology is used to study the changes of water ecological environment and environmental detection in the southwest mountain area of China, and an important research on the water quality detection and water ecological detection management of rivers in the southwest mountain area is designed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper mainly studies the problems related to the evaluation of high slope intelligent area under rainfall conditions and, through the unified design method, saturation unsaturation theory, marginal equilibrium neural network theory, and GIS, based on Fengjie area, studies the rainfall conditions and the evaluation of high and low slope stability in intelligent area. This paper provides a positive research and practice way for GIS intelligence and is establishing an intelligent regional evaluation system based on GIS platform. As the goal of high slope stability research under rainfall conditions, the intelligent regional evaluation map based on slope stability can become an important basis for Fengjie region to prevent and control global disasters. Although football training is scientific, scientific and reasonable use of nutrition intervention measures can improve the training efficiency of football players, increase the time of athletes to bear the extreme sports load, delay the fatigue of sports, and ultimately improve the performance of athletes. This study is based on the investigation and field test of nutritional intervention of football players and puts forward and proves the practical basis and empirical effect of nutritional supplements in football players. The purpose is to provide an effective basis for supporting football players' nutritional supplements through targeted case studies. According to the research of GIS, it is applied to the slope rainfall and football training nutrition intervention, which can effectively improve the slope rainfall and football training nutrition intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study reveals the geological fracture line of the earth surface of the Mula catchment area with the help of remote sensing and GIS techniques. In this paper, a comparative analysis of lineament extraction is carried out by using different DEM data like Cartosat, Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER), ALOS (Advanced Land Observing Satellite) PALSAR (Phased Array L-band Synthetic Aperture Radar), JAXA's (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency), and Shuttle Radar Topographic Mission (SRTM). Lineaments were extracted from each DEM data, to recognize which DEM data is accurately showcasing the extracted lineaments. From the analysis, it is found that the highest number of lineaments can be extracted from ALOS PALSAR DEM data having a resolution of 12.5 m, whereas comparing the other four datasets having a resolution of 30 m, it is found that the lineament features extracted using Cartosat DEM are more accurate. The results of this study recommend that ALOS PALSAR and Cartosat DEM data should be used for the extraction of lineaments and can be used for the Indian region as it layouts definite geological information. The result is analyzed with the help of a rosette diagram showing flow direction and azimuth angle for all DEM from 0 to 315° at an interval of 45°. The study area shows major direction is NW–SE. More lineaments are seen in the source region and formed as rills and gullies. The geological analysis of lineament is helpful to study the groundwater permeability tectonic evolution etc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The swelling water demand due to population rise and inefficient water management has caused water scarcity in Pakistan's Sindh Province. The Sindh province almost entirely relies on the Indus River supply to meet its demand to irrigate 6Mha of culturable area. Many studies have predicted a shortfall of water in the coming years. It is also anticipated that Pakistan may become water scarce until 2025, which will cause food security issues. This study, funded by the Sindh Water Sector Improvement Project (WSIP), aimed to understand the current water availability trends to develop sustainable water budgeting for the province. The agricultural activities in Sindh are usually carried out in two seasons—Rabi and Kharif. In this study, agricultural water use was estimated in terms of actual evapotranspiration (ET) for14 canal command areas (CCAs) of Sindh during the Rabi (Oct to Mar) and Kharif (Apr to Sept) seasons during 2017–2019. Landsat satellite data product—Earth Engine Evapotranspiration Flux (EEflux)—is used for analysis. This study assessed agriculture water balance for three scenarios: 1) Rabi and Kharif seasons, 2) a water year, and 3) overall growing seasons. The result shows that when flows are low in the Rabi seasons, the consumptive water use exceeds the combined canal flows and rainwater. The deficits were supposedly met through groundwater abstraction. However, during the Kharif season, water availability was in surplus of the need indicating a possible recharge of aquifers. This study proposes that the disparity of the supplies and demands can be balanced by reallocating the canal water supply based on the actual need. Furthermore, the spatial distribution of consumptive water use through GIS maps is also represented in this study. The water balance of all 14 CCAs in Sindh is illustrated in this paper, discussing possible guidelines on when, where, and how future allocations should be made. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Groundwater is an important source of drinking water and irrigation. However, due to increased anthropogenic activities, its quantity and quality are gradually deteriorating over time. The current paper focuses on the evaluation of groundwater quality and its variability for drinking purpose in Gurugram district of Haryana. Geographical Information System based groundwater quality index (GWQI) is a cost-effective tool for the assessment of groundwater quality and its variability. Nine water quality parameters, i.e., sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium, chloride, sulfate, nitrate, fluoride, and total dissolved solvent have been considered for quality assessment of pre-monsoonal season. Two GIS-based groundwater quality index maps GWQI-9 (for all the above mentioned parameters) and GWQI-4 (for the critical parameters whose concentrations exceeded the permissible limit) were produced. Subsequently, correlation analysis and factor analysis were performed to determine the degree of correlation and to identify the principal factor of contamination among all nine water quality parameters, respectively. Interpolated maps, concentration maps, and rank maps were developed for each parameter. Furthermore, the rank map was used to assign weight to each parameter. Based on rank and weight, the final GIS-based GWQI-9 and GWQI-4 were developed. Higher GWQI values reflect higher water quality. Overall, the north-eastern parts of the district have high water quality, while the western and northwestern periphery of Gurugram has low water quality. Except northern and north western region, most of region of Gurugram have poor water quality in terms of GWQI-4. It is possible to conclude that GIS-based GWQI could become a comprehensive approach for assessing surface or groundwater quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, with the continuous construction of highways in Southwest China, highway tunnels inevitably have to pass through mine tunnels, which often happen. The tunnel passing through the coal mining area has an adverse impact on the stability of the rock around the tunnel, which leads to the instability of the rock around the tunnel and may collapse. It is of great practical significance to analyze and study the stability of surrounding rock in the section of highway tunnel crossing the mining area for ensuring the safety construction of tunnel crossing the mining area. With the continuous excavation of coal seam, the rock above the goaf will bend, fracture, and collapse. By monitoring the deformation of load and analyzing the parameters of geotechnical properties, it can effectively identify the deformation, overload damage, and rock cracks and other related problems. The optical fiber monitoring data of overburden is input into GIS to obtain the GIS state map in the process of coal mining. This paper discusses the properties of overload deformation and damage, and the division method of deformation zone. The existing control methods mainly follow the vertical stress, and cannot monitor the three-dimensional stress. In addition, most of these devices use electronic identification method, which has the disadvantage of weak anti electromagnetic interference ability, and cannot meet the requirements of three-dimensional stress monitoring. In this study, through the development of GIS technology, combined with the theory of flow stress and recovery, and aiming at the characteristics of FBG axial stress sensitivity, a three-dimensional stress-strain monitoring method of surrounding rock analysis based on FBG sensing technology is proposed. Based on this principle, a cubic three-dimensional stress FBG sensor is developed. This paper studies the stress-strain analysis of surrounding rock in goaf, and applies it to practical life, in order to promote its development and application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the development of China's economy and the acceleration of urbanization, the annual demand for ATMs in China is around 60,000 to 80,000. As of 2018, the number of ATMs in China has exceeded 1.1 million, which has surpassed the USA to become the world's largest ATM market. The research data in this paper are mainly composed of the point data provided by Gaode Map Platform and Hangzhou Statistical Yearbook data. According to the above data, ArcGIS is used to discuss the rationality of the number of ATM outlets and the reliability of the layout location. The results show that (1) the highest regional density of ATM outlets in Hangzhou is in Xihu District, with 16.87 ATMs per km2, and the lowest in Chun'an County with only 0.04. It shows the unevenness of ATM distribution. (2) Xiacheng District of Hangzhou has the highest number of ATM carrying outlets, with an average of 6.88 ATM outlets per 10,000 people. Yuhang District had the lowest, with 4.2 units per 10,000 people. (3) By analyzing the data of 12 districts and counties in Hangzhou, it is concluded that there is a linear correlation between domain density and population carrying capacity. (4) ATM network distribution in Hangzhou is positively correlated with population density and GDP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Among all natural disasters, floods in urban zones are the most harmful to humans and the economy. To engineers and city managers, making decisions and managing such risk is a tough task. To provide a reliable tool for the urban planner, mainly, to avoid construction in flood-prone areas, this paper presents a useful multicriteria decision analysis (MCDA) methodology for mapping vulnerability to flood risk in urban areas. The approach is applied to Sigus city, east of Algeria, which is considerably damaged by a flood in 1995. The proposed methodology is based on the combination of geographical information systems (GIS) and the analytical hierarchy process (AHP). To fulfill this approach, large data for Sigus city were collected. We considered four criteria that are the most influencing: distance from the main stream “C 1,” site elevation “C 2,” slope “C 3,” and land use “C 4. “Then we made the pairwise comparison between them to get the weight of each criterion. Using ArcGIS software, the criteria weights were transformed into maps and overlaid to produce a final map which is scaled by 05 levels of flood vulnerability. The results show that the criterion “C 1” is the most important. The spatial distribution of flood risk vulnerability is much more important when we approach the main stream. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper establishes a geological three-dimensional coordinate model and uses GIS to obtain the thickness of the overburden. The tunnel displacement monitoring points mainly include: vault settlement measurement points, foot settlement measurement points, and gap convergence measurement points. This paper constructs a GIS-based section tunnel entrance safety evaluation system, which provides a reference for the safety evaluation of the section tunnel entrance. The determination of the construction parameters and support parameters of the tunnel engineering is deeply affected by the stress conditions of the tunnel engineering. Under the conditions of limited economy and time, before tunnel construction, the mechanical parameters of the tunnel-surrounding rock are determined mainly through limited drilling. Although it is somewhat difficult, the construction parameters of tunnel engineering are also determined accordingly. The calculation results may cause the actual deformation of the surrounding rock to be quite different from the predicted deformation, and accidents may be caused according to the original construction plan. Therefore, the supervision and measurement of tunnel engineering is particularly important. At the same time, a risk evaluation system is established to achieve the control of risk evaluation indicators, which can intuitively express the size of the tunnel entrance affected by the evaluation factors, calculate the mechanical parameters of the surrounding rock of the tunnel, determine the construction parameters and support parameters of the tunnel project, and analyze the measured displacement changes to ensure long-term stable construction and support. Through the actual application of the project, it can be seen that the risk assessment system can also conveniently and quickly query and analyze the monitoring data of the tunnel, and it can realize online operation and analyze the stability of the same surrounding rock. This proves the rationality of the planning and framework of the detection system, and it has high application value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As we all know, China is currently in a critical period of economic and social structural transformation. The most crucial point in social change is taking urban-rural integration as the fundamental goal and increasing vegetation coverage in urban infrastructure construction. This is also the current urban greening work, the top priority. Green vegetation, as an indispensable part of the urban greening process, makes relevant greening work begin to flourish in China. At the same time, the progress of this work also urgently needs professional planning guidance. Although this work is complex, with all parties' efforts, a suitable method has finally been found, which is the application of green city planning mentioned in this article. This paper conducts an in-depth discussion on the theories and research related to urban planning based on the planning and design of urban greening. It uses remote sensing images and the overall summary of the urban green space planning model through the GIS system and the related urban greening issues, carried out characterization analysis. By discussing the green circle problems involved in the current urban planning process and a systematic summary of the relevant scientific knowledge, with the subject knowledge, social practice, and the status quo of urban planning as the research background, urban planning is further discussed. The Chinese greening project's importance and rationality finally determined the research direction of this article and the problems that need to be solved in the research process. Besides, this paper further combines remote sensing images with GIS system technology. It uses a series of analytical investigation methods, such as the literature research method, field inspection method, landscape interval index method, etc. and conduct research and analysis in the region. By studying the dynamic evolution process of the greening pattern in this area, based on the ecological fragility, a series of evolving urban vegetation laws in the greening area after being destroyed by the outside world are explained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on GIS technology, this paper analyzes the three-dimensional data of urban landforms in Yan'an New District, and studies the problems of mountain terrain in Yan'an new area as a whole, the difficult problems in terrain reconstruction, the location of water system in the new area, and so on. The landscape vision and dynamic three-dimensional visualization of planning results in the new area. The planning of new area has real-time interactive feedback with GIS technology in the whole stage from planning conception, sketch to final scheme expression, which is really combined with the scheme design, which provides help in real-time adjustment and modification of the scheme. This method of decomposing urban planning problems into GIS processing and establishing corresponding models and making planning suggestions can become an application mode to solve planning problems in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the development of human civilization, the demand for resources and the collision with nature are becoming more and more intense. After the burning of fossil fuels, land use has become another major impact plate of atmospheric carbon content. At the same time, it is also the initiator of global change. As a new solution to the new era, the interaction between low-carbon economic model and land use has been pushed to the forefront of global scholars' discussion. Since the reform and opening up, China's land use form and corresponding proportion have changed significantly. The rapid conversion of agricultural land to construction land has resulted in a large proportion of construction land, and the original land structure has been deformed too fast, resulting in the rapid destruction of the original carbon emission model and structure. The main reason is that the economic income is put in the first place of land use, ignoring the destruction of carbon cycle balance and the impact on carbon balance caused by this change. With the concept of sustainable development put forward, low-carbon economic development model will occupy an important position in accelerating the process of urbanization in China. For how to evaluate the indicators of low-carbon economy, this paper first establishes a system and fully considers the development status and economic status of each urban agglomeration. For the evaluation of low-carbon economy, this paper adopts the method of decomposition and analysis of all levels and uses real-time large data of urban agglomeration land use to study and analyze the utilization efficiency. Finally, combined with the data obtained by the above two methods, through the application of GIS correlation analysis method, the contribution of low-carbon economic model to economic development is obtained, and the correlation degree and influence state between them are obtained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prediction and validation of Compound factors for prioritization of watersheds are an essential application using machine learning (ML) techniques in water resource engineering. The current paper proposes a methodology to derive 14 morphometric and 3 topo-hydrological parameters using remote sensing (RS) and geographical information systems (GIS). Compound factor (CF) values are calculated using weighted sum analysis (WSA), ReliefF, and the Pearson correlation coefficient, and the important parameters are identified. Two machine learning models, multilayer perceptron (MLP) and support vector machine (SVM), are utilized to predict CF values. Predication accuracy of ML models is evaluated with three parameters, mean absolute error (MAE), Pearson correlation coefficient (PCC), and root mean square error (RMSE). It is observed that the maximum value of PCC equal to 1 is achieved through ReliefF and SVM, whereas minimum MAE and RMSE are observed with ReliefF and SVM when Tenfold cross-validation is applied. Since ReliefF shows better results, CF values are calculated and applied to create the watershed. The proposed methodology is helpful for accurately predicting CF values and advantageous to allocating the proper watershed, which will be useful for decision-making and implementation of conservation techniques for soil and water. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accuracy in watershed modelling has improved because of the use of continuous-time and distributed hydrologic models like SWAT (Soil and Water Assessment Tool). However, it has also significantly increased the amount of work required for users to parameterize the watershed in general and to accurately describe the watershed's spatial variability in particular. Some of the challenges involved in maintaining geographical data have been eased by recent advancements in geographical information systems (GIS). This paper addresses the first ever research conducted in the Aripal watershed, which is significant due to its topography and remote accessibility issues. The Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) with an interface to ArcView GIS software was used to assess the runoff of the Aripal watershed, a sub-catchment of the Jhelum River, a significant Himalayan River situated in J&K, India. Soil map, land use-land-cover map, slope map, and historical weather and discharge data served as the primary inputs to the model giving runoff as the output from the watershed. Two statistical measures, coefficient of determination (R2) and Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency coefficient (NSE) were calculated for the purpose of assessing model performance. Calibration of model was done for runoff values between 2005 and 2013 and validation for the period 2014–2018.The value of R2 achieved was 0.904 for calibration period suggesting a good relation between observed/measured and predicted values, and for the validation period it was found to be 0.766. The value of NSE was found to be 0.718 for calibration period and 0.813 for the validation period. Thus, SWAT was found to be an appropriate tool for watershed runoff modelling. The extreme flood event that occurred in the catchment in 2014, on the other hand, was underestimated by the model. Sensitivity analysis was carried out to identify the most influential variables in the determination of runoff from the watershed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phenomenal progress has been witnessed in the field of Geographic Information System (GIS) in recent times. The development of webGIS is the result of the growth of the Internet and consequently World Wide Web. The webGIS architecture is continuously changing according to contemporary technologies and requirements. In this paper, webGIS and its architectures are reviewed. Firstly, GIS and invention of the Internet are discussed. Evolution of webGIS is then covered along with major milestones of its development and open source initiatives. It is followed by discussion on client server architecture and its types. Thick and thin client architectures are then described and compared. As the paradigm in the computing world shifted towards web services, service-oriented architecture (SOA) is also discussed in context of webGIS. Spatial cloud computing and cloud-based architecture for webGIS are then described. The paper also provides a comparison of different webGIS architectures so that suitable architecture can be selected by the user based upon the requirements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seismic hazard assessment is indispensable to improve and update the earthquake peak ground acceleration (PGA) and intensity map. Although a lot of work has been done on earthquake hazard assessment using various mathematical functions and spatial technologies, however, limited studies could be seen on estimating PGA and intensity variation using the powerful wavelets tool. This paper analyzed the location-frequency characteristics of PGA, intensity, and their magnitude values based on short-time Fourier transform (STFT) and continuous wavelet transform (CWT) techniques. The models were implemented in the Indian state of Odisha. Earthquake ground motion is a random process that depends on lithology, amplification factors, structural features, and complicated tectonics of a given location. Four STFTs, namely Rectangle, Welch, Hanning, and Hamming and four CWT techniques such as Morlet, Paul (k=2), derivative of Gaussian DOG (k=2), and DOG (k=6) were implemented to study earthquake PGA in horizontal directions and their motion intensities. This study would help to locate the long-period ground motion in all the event locations. This research could help in identifying the areas, where the power of long-period ground motions could trigger structural damage. This study concludes that Hanning and Hamming's windows are superior to others in STFT, and DOG (k=6) is better than others in CWT analysis. Detailed seismic wave analysis and long-period ground motions study are required to minimize the structural damage during destructive earthquakes. Hence, wavelet techniques could be useful to specify the seismically active locations and local structural features. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ecological security pattern is a critical way to ensuring urban ecological security and achieving sustainable urban development. It is also one of the most active study topics in the field of landscape ecology research. The scientific identification of ecological source areas has always been the technical difficulty and primary link in the construction of ecological security patterns. Therefore, based on the relevant theories of geography and landscape ecology, this paper selected Tianjin, China, as the research area to comprehensively identify the source area of ecological security patterns from the aspects of ecological function and landscape level. Firstly, the pressure-state-response model was used to evaluate the ecological environment quality under the influence of social-economic-natural factors from three aspects of pressure, state, and response. Secondly, the ecological structure was evaluated by combining morphological spatial pattern analysis and landscape connectivity index. Finally, the identified ecological source areas were verified by overlaying ecological control lines and calculating the coupling degree of socio-economic systems. The results revealed that (1) the total area of ecological sources identified by the PSR model in 2000, 2010, and 2020 accounted for 18.88%, 16.08%, and 15.28% of the total area, respectively. After the structural integrity assessment of MSPA and landscape connectivity, the area of ecological source in 2020 was less than that in 2010. It demonstrated that while considerable progress had been made in the restoration of the ecological environment in recent years, the connectivity between sources remained low. (2) The main landscape components of ecological source areas were woodlands and wetlands with high ecosystem service values, mainly located in the northern part of Jizhou District, most areas of Binhai New Area, southern Ninghe District, eastern Wuqing District, and northeastern Jinghai District. (3) There was a high degree of consistency between identified ecological source areas and ecological control lines. It was verified that the existing basic ecological control line policy is capable of protecting the most important patches. For the important patches falling outside the control line, the ecological protection red line preselected area can be considered. (4) Combined with the results of social-ecological coupling degree and source area change trend, the scientificity and rationality of ecological source identification method based on the PSR model and structural integrity were verified. The research results can provide theoretical references for the future urban planning and ecological protection of the study area, and also provide new ideas and case references for the source identification of ecological security pattern. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to social defiance, there was a controversial issue regarding the development of new high-voltage overhead power lines (HVOPL) in electricity companies. In developing the infrastructure of new power infrastructure design, the psychological aspects of the country culture need to be considered and accept its advancement as part of important components in the physical environment of the community. Species of the tropical tree such as Aquilaria malaccensis and Dipterocarpus concavus was listed as Critically Endangered by International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List. Therefore, this paper is to overcome the issues of transmission line siting to avoid endangered tree species. Due to the rising demand for power supply, site exploration and automated technology development have become necessary. One of the suitable sites to set up the transmission line is in the tropical forest area, resulting in forest clearing for transmission Right-Of-Way (ROW) that threatens endangered tree species. This study aims to propose the optimization power transmission line sitting using geospatial data at the tropical forest in avoiding the endangered tree species. Previously, the best route for transmission line siting in a particular location was determined based on expert opinion and drawn manually on paper. Geographic Information System (GIS) technologies with the optimize least-cost path (LCP) siting by considering the related multi-criteria features including endangered tree species, slope, average wind speed, and human mask was introduced. The transmission line siting optimization using the reclassification algorithm to weigh the relevant multi-criteria and LCP tools carried out data processing on the Model Builder platform. Finally, mapping suitable power transmission line siting development using geospatial data in avoided endangered tree species in tropical forest areas. The output will be the guideline or reference for any utility company for transmission line siting development at tropical forest area using GIS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The historical records of earthquakes play a vital role in seismic hazard and risk assessment. During the last decade, geophysical, geotechnical, geochemical, topographical, geomorphological, geological data, and various satellite images have been collected, processed, and well-integrated into qualitative and quantitative spatial databases using geographical information systems (GIS). Various types of modeling approaches, such as traditional and GIS-based models, are used. Progressively, seismic studies can improve and modify systematic models and standardize the inventory map of earthquake-susceptible regions. Therefore, this paper reviews different approaches, which are organized and discussed on various models primarily used to create an earthquake scenario focusing on hazard and risk assessment. The reviews are divided into two major parts. The first part is the basic principles, data, and the methodology of various models used for seismic hazard and risk assessment. In the second part, a comparative analysis in terms of the limitations and strengths of the models, as well as application variability is presented. Furthermore, the paper includes the descriptions of software, data resources, and major conclusions. The main findings of this review explain that the capability of machine learning techniques regularly enhances the state of earthquake research, which will provide research opportunities in the future. The model suitability depends on the improvement of parameters, data, and methods that could help to prevent future risk. This paper will help researchers further understand the models based on their strengths, limitations, and applicability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The traditional Soil Conservation Service)SCS(process for calculating the runoff depth tends to be a very tedious and time time-consuming hydrological modeling process. Therefore, a geographic information system (GIS) is now being utilized as a tool alongside the common SCS-CN method for runoff calculations. This research aims to estimate the spatial distribution of runoff depth from Ratga, an agricultural watershed from the Iraqi Western Desert, using the SCS-CN method, GIS, generalized regression neural network (GRNN), field observation dataset, and remote sensing data. The GRNN model was used to predict the soil type based on spectral reflectance data. The results refer to an excellent performance of this model with the maximum absolute error was 8.44%, 14.11%, and 4.15% for sand, silt, and clay soil, respectively, and the sandy soil has the highest correlation coefficient (0.83). The outcome of the SCS method showed the CN value ranged from 70 to 85 of normal conditions. This investigation outline that the maximum volume of surface runoff of the 2018 to 2020 years was 4,324,528 m3. This paper proves that incorporating GIS with the SCS-CN model and ANN provides a robust tool for calculation runoff depth in the Iraqi Western Desert, representing barren catchments of Iraq. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agricultural production system is extensively impacted by dynamics of land use. In the present paper, dynamics of land use and land cover (LULC) and environmental factors such as digital elevation model (DEM), slope, vegetation cover, soil type, and aspect were assessed to simulate the potential hazard in the watershed area at the southern part of Ningxia, Guyuan. This area was selected due to its wealthy fertile soils; thus, it provides food for multiple regions. Guyuan, Shilitan, and Yangcao cities were chosen as case studies. Multispectral Gaofen (GF) 2 satellite images and SRTM DEM were processed to produce environmental variables to assess the probable risks. In Shilitan watershed, very dense vegetation showed an increase from 14.6 to 22.1% and in Yangcao from 5.65 to 9.46% at 2005 and 2019, respectively, which protects the watershed area from flood and land degradation. However, spare vegetation recorded a decrease during the investigated period in two watershed areas. Hence, soil with little vegetative cover is more vulnerable to erosion, degradation runoff, and inconsequential water retention. DEM analyses showed that higher degree of segmentation leads to more degradation and damage of agricultural lands which adversely affects food security of the city. Results of the present study help policy makers, planners, and other accompanying development workers to apply the best suitable land use management options to protect Guyuan watershed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current research aims to evaluate sustainable development through building simulation models of poverty, environmental hazards, urbanism, health care, education, agriculture, and tourism. Furthermore, this paper presents future scenarios for sustainable development in the Al-Ahsa governorate to allow it to benefit from the environment and convert into resources in a manner that ensures sustainability. This study is performed utilizing satellite images and numerous digital layers of geographic data systems. The results indicate that the Al-Ahsa governorate is strategically located as a result of its closeness to the Arabian Gulf and that a large proportion of the land area there is desert. Thus, this place constitutes a gateway to sustainable development in all forms. Moreover, the findings show that there are three planning alternatives for sustainable development: first, urban densification in the central metropolitan area; second, spreading over the axes of regional development; and last, spreading in a concentrated way—developing urban cities, making the Al-Ahsa governorate a multi-nucleus entity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change–induced disasters and anthropogenic influences are making the ecological environment vulnerable. Thus, assessment of ecological vulnerability and risk is essential for devising suitable adaptation and management strategies. The paper makes a concerted effort to analyze flood-induced ecological vulnerability and risk using site-specific parameters in Bhagirathi sub-basin of India. Analytical hierarchy process (AHP) was used to assign weightage to the selected parameters. Association of parameters with vulnerability was examined through multiple regression analysis. Findings revealed that most of the area in eastern, central, and deltaic sub-basin was found under high vulnerability and risk. Disturbance index, rainfall, temperature, SAVI, vegetation type, low biological richness, slope, and NDVI identified the potent factors for high vulnerability to flood, while high inundation was the prime determinant for very high flood risk in the study area. Evaluated findings may be helpful in prioritizing the areas for ecological restoration and conservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bouarfa's Tamellalt groundwater has a strategic role in the socio-economic development of the region. Groundwater is the primary water source of that region. This paper provides comprehensive pieces of information about its vulnerability to pollution. Statistical sensitivity analysis highlighted two principal parameters among the seven DRASTIC model parameters: "Aquifer Media" and "Impact of Vadose zone." The particular distribution of these parameters corresponds to the distribution of the vulnerability index. Three types of spatial vulnerability distribution were identified: high, medium, and low. Water decision-makers, water users, environmentalists, and authorities can rely on these results to prevent Tamellalt groundwater pollution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China regards sustainable development as a new task and goal of development at this stage, which not only conforms to the concept of this new era but also meets the practical needs. Nowadays, people all over the world pay close attention to the ecological environment. Ecological problems cannot be solved only by a country or a society. China has always been a responsible country and plays an important role in the process of global sustainable development. Nowadays, the main contradiction of our society has changed. In order to meet people’s needs for life, we need to create more spiritual wealth and material wealth. In order to meet people’s demand for beautiful ecological environment, it is necessary to provide more healthy products for people. People all over the country hope to achieve sustainable development, because this is the premise of a better life. In this context, this paper studies the sustainable development and mainly studies the atmospheric climate. Through GIS technology, we can use computer to analyze the information of atmospheric climate. Nowadays, GIS technology has been applied in many aspects, such as weather forecast and forecast of meteorological disasters. The application of GIS technology in atmospheric climate can promote sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainable use of groundwater is essential in any region to increase long-term agricultural sustainability as well as to maintain the pace of socio-economic development of the region. Groundwater is a most vital and valuable natural resource for ecosystems and communities in the drought-prone western part of West Bengal, India. The intensity of agriculture in drought-prone areas has resulted in the expansion of groundwater. The current study has been conducted in a semi-arid upper Dwarakeshwar River basin which is basically a meteorological as well as agricultural drought-prone and agro-economy-based region. The current paper attempts to illustrate the areas of groundwater potentiality by using Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Geographic Information System (GIS). Appropriate weight has been determined for each factor and their subclasses on the basis of their relative importance by using the AHP technique. The final output map has been integrated by using total twelve sets of groundwater influencing thematic layers, namely: aquifer media, mean annual groundwater level, lithology, land use and land cover, rainfall, drainage density, soil drainage, soil texture, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), elevation, curvature, and slope. It has been classified into five zones: very poor, poor, moderate, well, and excellent covering an area of 256.87 km2 (13.38%), 581.79 km2 (30.30%), 607.91 km2 (31.66%), 381.58 km2 (19.87%), and 91.36 km2 (4.76%), respectively, and finally, results have been validated with the help of mean annual groundwater level data of 50 dug wells through the Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve. The result of Area Under Curve (AUC) value is 0.871 that indicates 87.1% accuracy and reliability for better planning, management, and resource development in an effective way. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China has a long tradition of sports and fitness Qigong, which is a wealth of Chinese sport culture. Today, people pay more and more attention to their own health, while bearing in mind that exercise and health care are common not only among middle-aged and elderly people but also among young people, particularly young college students. Fitness Qigong, as a type of exercise that can take into account both health and exercise, has improved the physical quality of college students and enhanced the content of campus courses. Teenagers also spread traditional Chinese culture while practicing Qigong. The topic of physical education itself is very unique and needs to be balanced with the field environment. In coastal areas, Qigong sports have a certain demand, so it is important to set up Qigong sport courses in coastal city colleges and universities. According to data from the tourism department, we can see that there is a wide market for Qigong sports in China, so it has a great potential for growth. In order to further the teaching of Qigong sports and to encourage the growth of sports in coastal areas, we should make full use of good resources in coastal areas. Centered on the study of the geological environment and the development requirements of different coastal areas and towns, this paper assesses the rationality of Qigong sport teaching in different areas. This is conducive to enriching the campus' cultural activities so that students build a fitness habit so that students who are involved in Qigong fitness can, at the same time, make students aware of lifelong physical activity so that Qigong fitness can have a stronger fitness value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Red Sea coastal plain between Halayb and Shalateen represents one of the localities with great potential for future sustainable development. The area is almost flat with Quaternary deposits from the western wadies towards the Red Sea shoreline. Due to the general character of the area, it is promising for reclamation, tourism, and industrial activities. This paper highlights the environmental characteristics of the area for sustainable development using remote sensing and GIS techniques. Geomorphological analysis, assessment of soil pollution (radiological and heavy metal distribution), groundwater assessment, and detection of change to the shoreline have been carried out. Geomorphologically, the most suitable part of the study area for future planning is the southeastern region. The northern area is not appropriate as it is classified as third-order drainage and will be exposed to flash floods that threaten the infrastructure of the native settlements, newly built tourist villages, and the coastal roads. The groundwater aquifers in the study area are Quaternary sediments and fractured basement rocks. All groundwater samples have acceptable soluble sodium percentages (SSPs) with relatively low sodium and very high saline, making them suitable for salt-tolerant crops on soil with good permeability and special leaching. The Wadi Diit area is in the safe range of radioactivity with a maximum effective dose rate of 0.37 mSv year−1, which does not represent any harm to living organisms. Furthermore, the soil studied from the area under consideration reflects heavy metal concentrations lower than the maximum allowable levels. The change detection study showed that there is a balance between erosion and accretion rates with no significant change in the shoreline morphology that would affect future planning in the coastal area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the process of road development and road construction, there will be some problems. In some places with poor terrain, it is not only difficult to construct, but also blocked by mountains. In order to get through the roads, tunnels must be dug from the mountains. Tunnel construction is very complex and dangerous; if there is no strong technical support, it is easy to cause the construction personnel to be injured, and the setting will lead to problems in road engineering. In the process of construction, the most difficult problem is the collapse or deformation of the top of the tunnel. In order to solve the similar problems, it is necessary to design an effective support method to control the rock deformation in the tunnel. Although the design and attempt of support means are constantly advancing, researchers have not given a unified standard on this issue. On the basis of collecting a large number of data, this paper makes a practical investigation on the tunnel construction, analyzes various parameters in the construction process by using a variety of data analysis and integration methods, and finally links the contents of the project decomposition structure with the GIS model to provide more theoretical support for the tunnel construction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to realize scientific, reasonable, and accurate ecological suitability evaluation of rural land, in this paper, based on high-resolution aerial remote sensing image as data source and GIS technology as support, the comprehensive evaluation model of factor weighted summation method is used to carry out the evaluation of land ecological suitability within the scope of village. The results showed that the land ecological suitability in the north and southeast of Yannan village was higher than that in the south and central parts of Yannan village, 563.84, from the comprehensive evaluation range. Based on the study of land ecological suitability evaluation of villages and towns, Yannan village in Yiwu city is taken as an example to construct the evaluation model of land ecological suitability and obtain the degree and distribution of land ecological suitability in Yannan village. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to study the ecological suitability evaluation of urban construction land, based on GIS and RS technology, this paper uses Delphi method to determine the natural, socio-economic, and ecological security factors that affect the ecological suitability of urban construction land and uses AHP to calculate the weight of the relevant factors. The results show that the superposition values are divided into five categories by K-means clustering. In conclusion, according to the principle of ecological protection priority, a set of evaluation model system and method of ecological suitability of urban construction land is established, and the basic ecological control area of the study area is divided according to the principle of ecological protection priority, so as to provide suggestions for reasonable and effective planning of urban land resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the continuous growth of the quantity, scale, and speed of vessels in recent years, maritime accidents are posing increasing risks to societies and individuals, especially in narrow inland waterways. Therefore, it is of great significance to analyze navigational risks to ensure the safety of waterborne transportation. In this paper, the navigational risks of Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge (NYRB) waters are investigated based on spatiotemporal mining on massive automatic identification system (AIS) trajectories by using geographic information system (GIS) techniques. A time-series-oriented trajectory processing method is proposed to deal with the historical AIS data in the whole year of 2019. The method adopts a periodic processing strategy to produce traffic density estimation products in multiple temporal scales for supporting spatiotemporal analysis. The proposed method greatly improves the data-processing efficiency and provides a flexible way to deeply understand the vessel behavior patterns in NYRB waters. Then the complete characteristics of the spatial distribution and temporal variation of AIS trajectories are revealed. Based on that, three types of critical navigational risks are discovered, which include the safety distance risk, the pier collision risk, and the traffic congestion risk. Moreover, we find that the greatest risk is existed in small vessels in the flood season, which is worth the most concern. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Information and communication technology, which has been incorporated and provided in the Geographic Information System (GIS), is valuable and effective geospatial information for the decision makers in improving their decisions in planning and development. The integration of this GIS using the multicriteria decision analysis approach provides an environment to the decision makers in citing areas using land suitability analysis procedures. This review paper particularly examines the GIS-based analytic hierarchy process as a multicriteria analysis/evaluation technique in land suitability analysis by means of literature reviews and surveys. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In crowded cities, like Tehran, when a major accident occurs, such as a fire, the response from more than one fire station is usually needed at the scene. The present study focuses on demand allocation to fire stations at two ranked levels to determine the priorities of fire stations to service relevant demands. To solve this problem, this paper uses the Vector Assignment Ordered Median Problem (VAOMP), a new location–allocation model that can allocate demands to facilities at several ranked levels, based on the particular objective function. Thus, this paper uses the meta-heuristic methods of Tabu and genetic algorithms to minimize the arrival time from fire stations to demands, at two levels, at up to 5 min in the GIS environment of the 21st and 22nd districts of Tehran. The optimum parameters for each algorithm were obtained through sensitivity analysis. The results of applying the model with two algorithms in these districts with 10 existing fire stations and 336,600 inhabitants showed that the current stations are insufficient for two levels of service and that 52,840 people at level 1 and 81,320 people at level 2 have no access to services. As such, the results of two algorithms for relocation–reallocation analysis at two levels with different weightings for 13 potential and existing fire stations showed that at least 3 new stations need to be created. Furthermore, the genetic algorithm produced qualitatively superior results, in optimal values, the accuracy of allocation and timeframe, compared with the Tabu algorithm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the important steps towards optimizing land productivity and water availability for the semi-arid and arid areas is the identification of potential sites for water harvesting. Therefore, this paper uses the Geographical Information System (GIS) techniques to select the optimized sites for water harvesting in Al-Qadisiyah Governorate, Iraq. Geographic water management capabilities are applied as a spatial analysis model. Data from global data repositories are retrieved followed by rescaling them to a spatial resolution to acquire a manageable input data set. The Soil Conservation Service Curve Number (SCS-CN) model is used to calculate the potential runoff as an intermediate input. Multi-Criteria Evaluation techniques are adopted to identify the relative importance and suitability levels of the input parameters set to manage the water supply. The suitability for identifying irrigation pond and dam location(s) was considered in this study. To achieve this goal, the criteria for eligibility for water harvesting areas have been completed on the basis of the conditions in the study methods. Based on the hydrological and geomorphological standards of the study area, suitable sites for harvest areas were identified and it was divided into four classes in terms of their suitability for water harvesting, namely very low, low, moderate, and high suitable for water harvesting. It can be concluded that the findings of this research can be used to assist in water resources management as an efficient planning tool to ensure sustainable development of the water in Iraq who suffers from water shortages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sea level rise (SLR) is one of the most severe risks threatening coastal zones all over the world. In Kuwait, coastal areas accommodate about 90% of the total population and most of the urban area. Thus, SLR is expected to have significant impacts on Kuwaiti coastal areas, which may lead to changes in their ecosystems and the geomorphological units in the coastal area. This paper aims to assess the impacts of SLR on the geomorphology of the Kuwaiti coastline under two different scenarios of SLR: an integrated analysis model involving a variety of methods and a composite vulnerability index integrating five criteria. The results revealed that about 58% of the total coastal area is susceptible to inundation under 1- and 2-m SLR scenario, whereas 8.3% of Kuwaiti coastal areas have moderate to high vulnerability levels. Moreover, it was found that SLR may have significant implications for some Kuwaiti coastal areas including expanding sabkhas areas, shoreline retreat, changing coastal hydrodynamics, and erosion patterns and accelerated weathering process. To avoid such potential impacts, it is essential to develop a national strategy for adaptation to SLR impact and mainstreaming adaptation into development plans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Today, transportation is one of the most important and effective infrastructures and at the same time is the basis for development and adaptive development, and this has caused the attention of managers and planners to the category of transportation. But with regard to the focus of transport planners on accesses and other dynamic aspects of urban transport, its environmental impact has been severely neglected. The city of Petaling Jaya, as an important and religious-tourist metropolis, requires the use of an efficient way of organizing and managing transport, which is not in conflict with other sectors of development, especially the environment. The present research aims to achieve this goal for the first time in the field of study. In this research, after studying the sources, environmental indicators related to transportation were identified, and five important indicators were determined. Then, these indicators were located locally and using GIS maps of transportation network and utilities of Qom and with Bachelor's opinions are rated. In this way, the map of the Petaling Jaya network is networked, and the indicators in each cell are separately reviewed and rated from 1 to 9 for each indicator. To determine the final status of each cell, the results of the GIS are entered into the MATLAB software, and the results are derived using the genetic algorithm. In order to be able to achieve an optimal environmental situation, we need to make changes in the road network or change the locations that are more sensitive to transport pollution, the results of which are presented in the pictures featured in this paper. The results of this study showed that 40% of the network cells were in an inappropriate state, 35% in the state of appropriate, and 25% in an environmentally sound condition. The results from the optimal map of the transport network show that by transferring some of the uses, especially residential areas to areas around the city and with less pollution, there is a significant change in the status of cellular networks, in which cells with a score of 3 (inappropriate) and points 2 and 1 (relatively appropriate and appropriate) will change. Therefore, transferring parts of the city from the city to the surrounding area is a good way to reduce the impact of pollution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to map the landslide susceptibility using the fuzzy gamma operator and GIS for the section of the national road n°11 linking Mateur to Béja. To minimize the subjectivity of the fuzzy logic approach, the frequency ratio was used to calculate the fuzzy membership. To locate the 147 landslides, Google Earth extracts analysis, and field survey has been done. In this cartography, nine factors controlling landslides were used: slope, aspect, curvature plane, curvature profile, distance to faults, distance to rivers, land use, rainfall, and lithology. Once the fuzziness is calculated in each factor using the frequency ratio (FR), the fuzzy gamma operator can be applied to these nine factors to produce the landslide susceptibility map. Finally, the choice of the nearest susceptibility map of reality is made by applying the ROC curve. By the analysis of the area under curve (AUC), it is seen that the prediction accuracy of model proves that the gamma value of 0.90 yielded the better prediction of landslide susceptibility map (0.89). Finally, our area of interest was classified based on the Jenks natural breaks classification method into five classes, such as non-susceptible zone, low susceptible zone, moderate susceptible zone, high susceptible zone, and very high susceptible zone. Landslide susceptibility mapping based on the fuzzy gamma operator presents a very acceptable result with a reliability of 89%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil degradation is the main issue of the Lake Tana basin, Ethiopia. Therefore an attempt has been made in this paper to estimate the soil loss rate (ton/hectare/year) using Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation model. Furthermore, thematic maps pertaining to stream power index, slope gradient, planform curvature, profile curvature, and drainage density were overlaid in GIS environment to get the spatially distributed erosion hazard zones of Lake Tana basin. The results showed that soil loss rate of Lake Tana basin ranges from 1 to 27 (t/ha/year). The critical (12 to 27 t/ha/year) erosion zone covers an area of 180,499.42 ha with a total soil loss of 3,519,738.69 tons. Soil loss rate has been found maximum at the highest elevations with the highest erosivity factor values. The total average annual loss of soil is 9,636,059.97 tons which is an issue of concern and demands conservation measures to maintain the agricultural productivity and to avoid the siltation of Tana Lake by soil erosion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spatio-temporal analysis and estimation of rainfall variability is an important factor to characterize the hydrological manifestation for precise water management. Fifteen years' daily rainfall data (2000–2014) of 39 rain gauge stations (RGS), situated in and around upper Godavari basin (UGB), was analyzed using statistical computations. Mean annual rainfall (MAR) and mean half-decadal rainfall, along with standard deviation (SD), coefficient of variation (CV), standardized anomaly (SA), mean absolute deviation (MAD), and spatial distribution of rainfall (SDR), were computed to delineate the orographic effect, if any, over rainfall. Box and whisker diagrams display rainfall distribution. The analyzed data was incorporated in Geographical Information System (GIS) software, and spatial estimation of half-decadal rainfall, SA, and SDR carried out using inverse distance weighting (IDW) interpolation method. RGS mean rainfall of 2000–2004, 2005–2009, and 2010–2014 were correlated with satellite-derived Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) data using Pearson correlation coefficient (R) to confirm the accuracy and validity of both the data. Statistical results and spatial estimation of rainfall indicate high spatio-temporal variability during 2010–2014 and lower during 2005–2009. Monsoon intensity revealed increasing trend from 2000 to 2006, which was seen to be decreasing later, with rise and fall from 2006 to 2014. The rainfall was seen to increase towards west due to an obstruction posed by the Western Ghat to the east flowing monsoon wind. Strong positive correlation was found between TRMM and 3 half-decade rainfall data. The approach adopted in this paper identified the micro level rainfall variability which will be greatly advantageous for sustainable water resource management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A comprehensive soil information system was identified as essential for land use planning decisions, especially for sustainable agriculture and natural resources conservation in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The lack of such a system limits the capacity of government, businesses, policy makers, and land users to make sustainable land use planning decisions, and considerably hampers land degradation assessments and adaptive sustainable land management interventions. This paper presents a solution developed to disseminate value-added soil information gathered from soil surveys, enabling decision makers, policy formulators, land use planners, and agriculturalists to efficiently manage soil resources. The UAE Soil Information System (UAESIS, ) is a web-based repository of soil data with geographical representation and provides descriptive, quantitative, and geographical data in a simple interface. The system has a number of components including a geospatial soil database, a field operating system, and a highly intuitive web-based secure application. This paper highlights the structure, capabilities, functions, benefits, applications, and uses of the UAESIS. Two case studies demonstrate the application of the system to evaluation of land suitable for date palm production and the growth of salt tolerant crops are presented [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research paper assesses the vulnerability of landslide for the Bodi-Bodimettu Ghat section, Theni district, Tamil Nadu, India, using remotely sensed data and geographic information system (GIS). Landslide database was generated using IRS-1C satellite LISS III data and aerial photographs accompanied by field investigations using differential global positioning system to generate a landslide inventory map. Topographical, spatial, and field data were processed to construct the spatial thematic layers using image processing and GIS environment. Twelve landslide-inducing factors were used for landslide vulnerability analysis: elevation, slope, aspect, plan curvature, profile curvature, proximity to road, drainage and lineament, land use/land cover, geology, geomorphology, and run-off. The first five factors were derived from digital elevation model, and other thematic layers were prepared from spatial database. Frequency ratio of each factor was computed using the above thematic factors with past landslide locations. Landslide vulnerability map was produced using raster analysis. The landslide vulnerability map was classified into five zones: very low, low, moderate, high, and very high. The model is validated using the relative landslide density index (R-index method). The consistency of R-index indicates good performance of the vulnerability map. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]