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To provide effective solution to escalating spatial problems of hostel management this paper provides a lay out of latest technologies which is applicable for not only interactive decision making, but also beneficial for risk management. The architectural plane of eight hostels of University of the Punjab, New campus Lahore and Google Earth imagery were selected to prepare geodatabase for spatial and non-spatial entities using ArcGIS 10. To manage effectively spatial and non-spatial data of a hostel requires the understanding and manipulation of a large number of variables. The spatial nature of the hostel and their associated resources were linked to students, departments and hostel management in Geographic Information System (GIS). Three storys buildings of these hostels were digitized as three different layers with other basic layers. Student's data linked with rooms for query and visualization. Hostel management system also provided facility to manage immovable assets glued to the hostel property allotted to students and management staffs. ArcReader 10 was used for the data disbursement to different hostel offices and related department for the management of hostel assets and illegal hostelized any time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shortage of land for waste disposal and inappropriate landfill site is one of the biggest problems in urban areas. This problem could be solved by applying new technologies like Geographic Information Systems. Most of the landfill sites in Pakistan are selected randomly, and waste is burned in air which has impacts on nature and human lives. The main aim of this research is to determine a suitable landfill site with less impact on environment. In this research, a potential site for an appropriate landfill area for Faisalabad city was determined by using Geographic Information System (GIS) as a tool to aid the decision making process. To achieve this purpose, thematic layers, and different tabular data such as topography, land use, roads network, ground, and surface water, infrastructure, and urban areas were collected. Thematic maps were used to create the vulnerability map for the area and the results were compiled to the buffer zones around sensitive areas. Multi-criteria analysis (MDA) was used to measure the relative importance weighting for each criterion. Each map layers were formed with the aid of GIS and final suitability map was created by overlay analyses of each criterion map. According to obtained results, high and low suitable areas were determined in the study area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Durability and suitability of concrete aggregates are influenced by mineralogical composition. This paper therefore discuses the mineralogical composition of Jhelum river aggregates and identifies the deleterious components responsible of ASR expansion, when used in normal weight concrete. Accelerated Mortar Bar Test (ASTM C-1260) and petrographic analysis were performed to determine the durability aspects of river aggregate. Aggregate Suitability was assessed by aggregate quality tests i.e. specific gravity & absorption, Loss Angeles abrasion, sulfate soundness, shape test, fineness modulus and sand equivalent. On obtaining satisfactory results of coarse aggregate tests, concrete mix designs for class-A, class-B, class-C and class-D were devised by absolute volume method (ACI- 211.1). Projected UCS (Unconfined Compressive Strength) considered 4000Psi for A-type, 3000Psi for B-type, 2000Psi for C-type and 1500Psi for D- type concrete at the at 28days. Results of 24 casted cylinders show that achieved average UCS at the age of 28 days is, 4921 Psi, 3773 Psi, 2780 Psi and 2432Psi for A, B, C and D-type concrete respectively. Jhelum River Aggregate is found mechanically fit and suitable for normal weight concrete. There are about 40% samples which deviate from the suitability standard of Accelerated Mortar Bar Test. Mineralogical studies of Jhelum river aggregate revealed that most of the aggregate components (Sandstone, Quartz Arenite) are suitable for construction but some of these are highly susceptible to alkali silica reaction due to the presence of highly strained quartz. The studied river aggregate is economical while used with slag cement and additives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]