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Geographic Information Systems (GIS) is one of the most accurate, analytical, results-based, and decision-making tools. In this context, we will try to apply this technique to the best geographical locations for the construction of industrial units in the Nador region (north-eastern Morocco); But these units vary according to the manufacturing branches. The factors in control of light industries vary compared to heavy industries. considerations in the localization of building materials units vary compared to textile units. Thus, the criteria adopted in the localization of industrial units and their indicators differ. We decided to determine several factors that influence plant location, such as proximity to industrial units, proximity standards to cities, road density, topography nature, ports, raw materials, railways, and other factors. We find that the prime locations for establishing industrial facilities and developing industrial zones are the geographical regions neighboring the town of Selouane. The most significant areas for industrial investment cover approximately 1469 hectares, notably the flatlands to the west of Selouane. Additionally, there are well-suited areas such as Azgangan, Beni Ansar, and Zaio, totaling approximately 14,211 hectares in the outskirts of these town.

The escalation of climate-induced natural disasters—such as hurricanes, floods, droughts, and wildfires—constitutes an increasing hazard to populations and infrastructure globally. This research examines the incorporation of risk assessment models in forecasting, assessing, and alleviating the effects of severe calamities. We evaluate the susceptibility of different locations to climate-related risks by conducting a thorough analysis of historical climate data and use sophisticated risk modeling methodologies. Catastrophe modeling (CAT), geographic information systems (GIS), and statistical hazard analysis are used to delineate high-risk areas and assess possible losses. The results highlight the significance of early warning systems and sustainable adaption measures, particularly for areas increasingly impacted by severe climatic events. The research underscores the constraints of existing models and stresses the need for cohesive, data-informed strategies to enhance the prediction and management of catastrophe risks.

Disappeared streams are streams that have been buried, removed, or moved as part of the urbanization process. We identified disappeared streams in the Portland, Oregon metropolitan area using historical topographic maps for four time periods, and related them to the history of urban development. The historical maps were used to identify streams visible in older maps but not shown in a more recent version. From 1852 to 1895, 15% of streams disappeared, but the majority of streams disappeared between 1896 and 1953 (65%). This trend continued mainly in suburban areas after 1954 with 12% of streams being removed from 1954 to 1989 and 8% from 1990 to 2017. Stream disappearance can be linked to residential development and prior conversion of land for agriculture depending on the area and time period. Mapping disappeared streams can help urban spatial planners identify where stream daylighting or restoration could be targeted.

A multitude of spatial relations between the lake and its catchment prompts both water managers and scientists to use Geographic Information Systems (GIS). The paper presents the possibility of using GIS systems in the monitoring and management of Polish lakes, taking advantage of the dynamic development of geoinformatics. The focus is on the possibility of using GIS systems when creating documents necessary for the implementation of subsequent water management plans, as required by the Water Framework Directive. This review presents the currently existing spatial databases of Polish lakes and discusses the impact of the use of morphometric data of lakes on the process of water monitoring. Attention was paid to the problem of delimiting the catchment areas of lakes and the legal consequences of determining their boundaries. Tools used in the interpolation of limnological parameters and the models most often used in GIS software for water quality prediction are discussed.

Abstract Background Recent rapid growth in urban areas and the desire to create liveable neighbourhoods has brought about a renewed interest in planning for compact cities, with concepts like the 20-minute neighbourhood (20MN) becoming more popular. A 20MN broadly reflects a neighbourhood that allows residents to meet their daily (non-work) needs within a short, non-motorised, trip from home. The 20MN concept underpins the key planning strategy of Australia’s second largest city, Melbourne, however the 20MN definition has not been operationalised. This study aimed to develop and operationalise a practical definition of the 20MN and apply this to two Australian state capital cities: Melbourne (Victoria) and Adelaide (South Australia). Methods Using the metropolitan boundaries for Melbourne and Adelaide, data were sourced for several layers related to five domains: 1) healthy food; 2) recreational resources; 3) community resources; 4) public open space; and 5) public transport. The number of layers and the access measures required for each domain differed. For example, the recreational resources domain only required a sport and fitness centre (gym) within a 1.5-km network path distance, whereas the public open space domain required a public open space within a 400-m distance along a pedestrian network and 8 ha of public open space area within a 1-km radius. Locations that met the access requirements for each of the five domains were defined as 20MNs. Results In Melbourne 5.5% and in Adelaide 7.6% of the population were considered to reside in a 20MN. Within areas classified as residential, the median number of people per square kilometre with a 20MN in Melbourne was 6429 and the median number of dwellings per square kilometre was 3211. In Adelaide’s 20MNs, both population density (3062) and dwelling density (1440) were lower than in Melbourne. Conclusions The challenge of operationalising a practical definition of the 20MN has been addressed by this study and applied to two Australian cities. The approach can be adapted to other contexts as a first step to assessing the presence of existing 20MNs and monitoring further implementation of this concept.

The emergence of 2019 novel corona virus disease (COVID-19) raised global health concerns throughout the world. It has become a major challenge for healthcare personnel and researchers throughout the world to efficiently track and prevent the transmission of this virus. In this paper, the role of geographic information system (GIS) based spatial models for tracking the spread of COVID-19 and discovery of testing centres in Maharashtra, India was studied. The datasets collected from diverse sources were geocoded to make it geospatially compatible. A three-tiered framework was proposed to practically realize the impact of COVID-19 in a cartographic fashion. Initially, choropleth maps labeled with testing centres, number of confirmed cases and casualties were visualized in a district-wise manner. Heatmaps for visualizing the spatial density of confirmed cases and casualties were presented. The visualization of spatial K-means clustering for optimal value of “k” estimated using the heuristic-based Elbow method was provided along with zonal analysis of the districts. Map showing spatial autocorrelation was also presented to identify spatial hotspots and coldspots. The districts of Pune and Thane reported respective z-scores of 3.424 and 3.347 along with p-values of 0.006 and 0.001 respectively. It was inferred from the generated results that Pune and Thane districts in Maharashtra were identified as COVID-19 hotspots. Based upon this analysis, certain effective mitigation strategies can be devised in order to check the uncontrolled spread of COVID-19 in the identified hotspot areas.

The logistics center concept has been discussed in the literature for over four decades. Logistics centers simplify the logistics network and have many advantages, such as lower transportation costs, an economy of scale, and integrated service capabilities. We propose a spatial multi-criteria decision-making model for new logistic centers in metropolitan areas. The first focus of the study is identifying the logistic concerns, defining the factors affecting the replacement decisions and determining the weights of the factors in metropolitan areas with many expert opinions. The second focuses on spatial analysis to locate new logistics centers serving urban areas. We present a case study in Istanbul, the most populous metropolis in Europe, to demonstrate the applicability and exhibit efficacy of the method proposed in this study. Outputs of the study pointed out where the convenient places are to locate new logistics centers.

Increasing the preservation and creation of natural and nature-based features (NNBF), like wetlands, living shorelines, beaches, dunes and other natural features to improve community resilience in the face of increasing coastal flooding may be achieved by highlighting the locally relevant benefits that these features can provide. Here we present a novel application of the least-cost geospatial modeling approach to generate inundation pathways that highlight landscape connections between NNBF and vulnerable infrastructure. Inundation pathways are then used to inform a ranking framework that assesses NNBF based on their provision of benefits and services to vulnerable infrastructure and for the broader community including 1) the flooding mitigation potential of NNBF, 2) the relative impact of those NNBF on local infrastructure, and 3) co-benefits for the broader community linked to incentive programs like nutrient reduction crediting and the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Community Rating System. Inundation pathways are also used to identify locations lacking in benefits from NNBF as target areas for NNBF restoration or creation. This approach, applied here for coastal Virginia, with project outputs available via an interactive map viewer1, can be customized for application in any community to identify high-priority NNBF that are particularly beneficial for preservation and to identify target areas for new or restored features.

This article begins by briefly examining the multitude of ways in which climate and climate change affect human health and wellbeing. It then proceeds to present a quick overview of how geospatial data, methods and tools are playing key roles in the measurement, analysis and modelling of climate change and its effects on human health. Geospatial techniques are proving indispensable for making more accurate assessments and estimates, predicting future trends more reliably, and devising more optimised climate change adaptation and mitigation plans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A year since the declaration of the global coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, there were over 110 million cases and 2.5 million deaths. Learning from methods to track community spread of other viruses such as poliovirus, environmental virologists and those in the wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) field quickly adapted their existing methods to detect SARS-CoV-2 RNA in wastewater. Unlike COVID-19 case and mortality data, there was not a global dashboard to track wastewatermonitoring of SARS-CoV-2 RNA worldwide. This study provides a 1-year review of the "COVIDPoops19" global dashboard of universities, sites, and countries monitoring SARS-CoV-2 RNA in wastewater. Methods to assemble the dashboard combined standard literature review, Google Form submissions, and daily, social media keyword searches. Over 200 universities, 1400 sites, and 55 countries with 59 dashboards monitored wastewater for SARS-CoV-2 RNA. However, monitoring was primarily in high-income countries (65%) with less access to this valuable tool in low- and middle-income countries (35%). Data were not widely shared publicly or accessible to researchers to further inform public health actions, perform meta-analysis, better coordinate, and determine equitable distribution of monitoring sites. For WBE to be used to its full potential during COVID-19 and beyond, show us the data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The number and location of tornadoes in the greater Chicago area is a topic of frequent interest among the media, public, and local government agencies served by the National Weather Service (NWS) Chicago Forecast Office. While accounts of tornadoes over the last several decades are generally clear, tornadoes occurring prior to 1950—especially those considered to be weak—are often more difficult to discern owing to limited corresponding detailed reports. As part of an effort to review and update all tornadoes known to have occurred within the modern-day boundaries of Chicago, NWS Chicago staff reviewed the 22 May 1855 tornado, which is regarded as the first to impact the city of Chicago. Multiple sources reported that the tornado occurred near the town of Jefferson, which eventually became the Jefferson Park neighborhood of Chicago. However, after reviewing multiple historical records, newspaper articles, property maps, and genealogical information, the actual location of the tornado was determined to have been in present-day Des Plaines. Confusion over the name "Jefferson" likely led to the misunderstanding that, until now, has been perpetuated through numerous reports and media accounts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Akademi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi is the property of Akademi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Railway Technical College "Unirea" in Paşcani embarked on the ambitious two-year Erasmus KA220 project, "GIS FOR GIST OF EUROPE," commencing in December 2022. This endeavor is significant for both the institution and the local community. The project focuses on using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to study the impact of climate change on the European environment. Interactive GIS maps allow users to explore the regions most affected by climate change, assess its effects on biodiversity and natural resources, and develop strategies to mitigate these environmental challenges. Within the Erasmus+ initiative, "GIS for Gist of Europe," GIS plays a central role, aiding urban planning, territorial development, and sustainable resource management. It also contributes to efficient communication networks and waste management systems. Project activities include online and in-person meetings, as well as Learning, Teaching, and Training (LTT) sessions. Key objectives involve creating two eLearning platforms, one with STEM educational resources featuringGISmaps and another forGIS training. The project fosters the advantages of GIS in data accessibility, correlation, and localized database creation. This project employing GIS will address climate change's impact on Europe, enhancing education and advancing climate-resilient strategies. The digitization of Geography remains pivotal in modern education and research, deepening our understanding of our ever-changing world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although there are many studies related to Madaba at an urban scale, there is no study for the examination of the relationship between university campus locations at the edges and the urban growth of Madaba in Jordan. This study is the first study investigating the impact of university campuses on the urban growth of Madaba, including a set of critical urban issues involved in the development of the city of Madaba. Due to the rapid urban sprawl of Madaba city, there is an increase in population flow towards the outer suburb of the city which includes the university campus and inequity in the distribution of services in these areas. This increases the urban intensification in the city suburbs and the surrounding areas without preserving and reservation of land uses and urban activities. However, urban changes appeared at the city's edges, which helped to form new urban areas close to the university campuses. These changes gave an opportunity to attract new activities due to the existence of university campuses, which affect the urban growth of the city. Therefore, this study aims to identify the role of university campuses localized at the city edges in developing city urban growth. It focused on investigating the relationship between the university campus locations and the urban growth of the cities. This research depends on the quantitative method. The quantitative method employs statistical data analysis using GIS and a questionnaire survey. The study concludes with a series of recommendations for future decision-makers to overcome the main problems facing the urban growth of the city including university campus localizing at the edges. The study shows that the land uses in the surrounding context of the university campus changed significantly, where it could be concluded that residential (48.88% to 79.16%), commercial (3.03% to 9.56%), and service (3.28% to 5.42%) increased at the expense of agricultural use (36.13% to 4.02%). According to this change, it can be noted that there is a slight increase in the built-up areas, which was 3.30% in 1990 then became 8.30% in 2020. The outcome of this study contributes to improving the decisions made by the parties involved in urban development in Jordan when developing the surrounding context of the university campus located at the city edges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Arts & Social Sciences (JASS) is the property of Sultan Qaboos University and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The implementation of the energy transition and the building of energy communities are driving forward the exploitation of the potential for rooftop photovoltaic power generation. Estimating rooftop PV generation potential requires the processing of different types of data, such as the cadastral information of buildings, a detailed description of available rooftop areas, and solar irradiance data. High-resolution estimation based on GIS data is normally limited to small survey areas. Instead, by using an algorithm for the efficient calculation of shadows over rooftops, and the integration of solar irradiance over time, we developed a procedure that allows for the rapid full census assessment of rooftop photovoltaic potential with a spatial resolution of 1 m, applicable at the regional scale and requiring minimal computational resources. We applied this approach to the rooftops of buildings in Sardinia, an island and region of Italy of particular interest for the energy transition. In addition to estimating the geographic potential, we carried out a preliminary assessment of the technical and economic potential, yielding a maximal photovoltaic rooftop generation potential of 22 TWh for the entire region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) has been driven by advancements in computing technology and data collection methods. GIS has become a critical tool in transportation planning, enabling planners to store, analyze, and visualize spatial data related to transportation networks, land use patterns, and population distribution. GIS are powerful tool that enable the capture, storage, manipulation, analysis, and presentation of geographic data. In the Republic of North Macedonia, GIS has been successfully applied in various sectors, including traffic engineering. This paper provides an overview of GIS and its components, followed by a discussion of successful GIS projects in Macedonia. The paper then explores how GIS can be better utilized in North Macedonia, including enhancing data quality, expanding GIS use, collaboration and data sharing, capacity building, and public engagement. By leveraging the power of GIS, Macedonia can better address complex challenges and achieve sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the main island of the Madeira Archipelago, Madeira is faced with a clear demand for more precise and specific planning policies, in order to respond to regional requests. Bearing in mind the urgency of this issue linked to the concept of sustainability, planning strategies must be based on and strengthened by several studies, with the most varied themes, as a way of incisively understanding the problem at hand. Based on tools such as GIS (geographic information systems), this study allows the analysis of variations and patterns of land use and occupancy in the municipality of Ribeira Brava, located on Madeira Island. In a comprehensive manner, the study allows us to highlight the stagnation of the urban fabric of the region and, on the other hand, the change in the dynamics of agricultural cultivation present in the county. In addition, this study highlights the change in the predominant native vegetation in the municipality between the years 1990 and 2018. It is still necessary to emphasize the worrying scenario with the loss of native vegetation due to human activity, which requires more emphatic monitoring by regional government actors to protect, preserve and conserve these landscapes, environments and ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this article is to present the main aspects of the methodology employed in my research concerning artistic transfers in the late medieval Mediterranean from Islamic to Christian art, with a special focus on the Iberian Peninsula. The starting point of the research was the selection of certain artistic elements incorporated into western Islamic art during the Almoravid period (in particular, the muqarnaṣ and the pointed-horseshoe arches), to analyse their spread in western Islamic art and beyond. A Geographic Information System (GIS) was applied to create two databases and assess the distribution of these elements in the Mediterranean framework between the 12th and 15th centuries. As a result, different analyses and cartographic material developed with the GIS are thus included in this work. The GIS made it possible to analyse not only geographic aspects of the distribution of these elements but also other complex phenomena related to the muqarnaṣ and the pointed-horseshoe arches in a quantitative way, which allowed me to raise some preliminary hypotheses concerning the use and distribution of both elements in the Mediterranean framework. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Latin America and developing countries, urban planners often lack sufficient data on cyclists' modal share and profile to establish effective cycling lane networks. Mendoza, Argentina, is such a city. This research aimed to identify adequate locations for new cycle lanes by speculating on potential cycle trips from observed patterns of existing cyclists for a coherent demand-based network. The study proposed a novel, simple, cost-effective Geographic Information Systems model that uses spatial and human data and presents results cartographically for policymakers. Statistical analysis of observed bicycle trips enabled constructing a local profile of cyclists, from which 'potential trips' were speculated: trips made by other modes, but which could have been biked given their distance, duration, purpose, and the traveler's age. Geo-referencing observed and potential trips to their 'sub-zones' of origin and destination produced a migratory synthesis map highlighting general flows and densities. Superimposing this on the current cycling infrastructure exposed the critical gaps. As a broader aim, this geomatic method is readily transferable to other developing world settings. Actions for Mendoza and broader applications are proposed, significant limitations discussed, and further research suggested, noting issues of gender equity and safety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Geospatial models can facilitate the delineation of food access patterns, which is particularly relevant for urban planning and health policymaking. Because community food environmental studies use different analysis units or study scales, the rigor and consistency of their evaluations cannot be ensured. This issue is known as the modifiable areal unit problem (MAUP). The paper provides a systematic review of past literature on place-based community food environmental research using different analysis units or geospatial models as they pertain to the MAUP. We identify these key findings: (1) the ZIP code zone is not recommended as an appropriate analysis unit for modeling community food access, as it did not have significant correlations with health indicators; (2) using a circular buffer of less than 0.5 km around household locations is most likely to reveal health correlations, compared with network buffers or container-based measures; (3) to reveal health effects of the community food environment, it is recommended to focus in selected regions or partitions of a study area with similar socioeconomic statuses, such as the central city or low socioeconomic status areas; (4) for studies utilizing a single statistical unit or distance measure, it is suggested to discuss the existence of the MAUP, such as evaluating the sensitivity of the model to the change of the unit or the distance measure. By highlighting the MAUP, this paper has policy implications—given that geospatial modeling of food accessibility provides support for health policy intervention, using different metrics may lead to different interpretations of health disparities and could thus misinform policy decisions. Therefore, any assessment of community food environments that may potentially lead to a policy change should consider the effects of the MAUP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Groundwater resources are severely threatened not only in terms of their quality but also their quantity. The availability of groundwater in arid regions is highly important as it caters to domestic needs, irrigation, and industrial purposes in those areas. With the increasing population and human needs, artificial recharging of groundwater has become an important topic because of rainfall scarcity, high evaporation, and shortage of surface water resources in arid regions. However, this has been given the minimum attention in the context of Sri Lanka. Therefore, the current research was carried out to demarcate suitable sites for the artificial recharging of aquifers with the help of geographic information system (GIS) techniques, in one of the water-scarce regions in Sri Lanka. Tissamaharama District Secretariat Division (DSD) is located in Hambanthota district. This region faces periodic water stress with a low-intensity seasonal rainfall pattern and a lack of surface water sources. Hydrological, geological, and geomorphological parameters such as rainfall, soil type, slope, drainage density, and land use patterns were considered to be the most influential parameters in determining the artificial recharging potential in the study area. The GIS tools were used to carry out a weighted overlay analysis to integrate the effects of each parameter into the potential for artificial groundwater recharge. The result of the study shows that 14.60% of the area in the Tissamaharama DSD has a very good potential for artificial groundwater recharge, while 41.32% has a good potential and 39.03% and 5.05% have poor and very poor potential for artificial groundwater recharge, respectively. The southern part of the DSD and the Yala nature reserve areas are observed to have a higher potential for artificial groundwater recharge than the other areas of Tissamaharama DSD. It is recommended to test the efficiency and effects of groundwater recharge using groundwater models by simulating the effects of groundwater recharge in future studies. Therefore, the results of the current research will be helpful in effectively managing the groundwater resources in the study area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Countries whose industry constantly develops need to find different resources to those that they have been using so far to meet their energy needs. Among renewable energy resources, solar energy is being used highly prevalently due to its high potential, ease of use and environmentally friendly nature. In determining the installation locations of SPP, it is highly important to consider economic, environmental and social factors. In this study, it was focused to indicate areas inside the Karabük-Ovacık district suitable for SPP installation by using GIS and AHP. Although there are energy production plants in the province of Karabük and in some of its districts, there is no energy production facility in the study area of Ovacık. Moreover, it is emphasized Karabük Provincial Environmental Status report that a project for water heating with solar energy was planned for Ovacık for the purpose of reducing wood consumption. Thanks to this study, suitable SPP establishment areas were determined for the first-time in a location in Ovacık where clean energy is needed. According to the obtained results, it was determined that the Ovacık District had low, medium and high sensitivity properties for SPP construction, and the areas suitable for SPP construction providing medium and high sensitivity constituted 63.81% of the study area. While these areas suitable for SPP installation were distributing to almost everywhere in the Ovacık, mostly covering wide areas at the center and in the south and local areas in the northwest and northeast of the study area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Autonomous control and high-level decision-making for autonomous ships in complex environments are largely dependent on real-time navigational data from sensory systems and nautical charts. Visualization and manipulation of data contained within electronic navigational charts (ENC) or hydro/geographic information systems (HIS/GIS) is generally handled on the application or operations level. However, accessible and open-source application programming interfaces (API) for displaying and managing spatial bathymetry or other related sea-faring data for research and development are scarce. This work presents an open-source ENC visualization and manipulation API implemented in Python, with heavy emphasis on accessibility and simplicity. The current version of the package provides tools for displaying marine polygon data such as ships, ocean depths, reefs, and shallows, using the transverse Mercator projection. Additionally, polygon- and point-based transformation and calculation methods for application development based on spatial geometry, path planning and numerical optimal control are implemented. Usage of the spatial methods are demonstrated by examples involving high-level path or trajectory planning, optimization, and assisted decision-making for autonomous and remote-controlled ships.

In the context of current climate change, it is estimated that flood risk will increase significantly, with important consequences for the human habitat and transport networks. Research literature features a continuous concern both for the improvement of flood hazard modeling and for the quantification of economic costs specific to material and human damage caused by floods. In the present study, we intend to perform an analysis on the vulnerability of the transport network along the Orient-East Med (OEM) Corridor, part of the TEN-T Core network at European level. By integrating flood bands with high (10 years) and medium (100 years) probability of recurrence, as well as various typologies of the transport network in a GIS environment, we successfully identified and characterized road and railway sectors susceptible to flooding events. Vector overlay analysis and statistical methods were validated by means of local research literature, field observations and aerial imagery. Our results feature the geographic distribution and statistical characterization of transport infrastructure vulnerable to flood risk along Timiș-Cerna Valley, in south-western Romania. We also discuss the state of current flood risk mitigation measures for transport network in the study area, along with the importance of our research for regional and local spatial planning documents and investment prioritization activities. Similar spatially-enabled analysis could enable better protection for the current and proposed transport infrastructure and minimize the damaging effects of flash floods.

The Mount Elgon ecosystem (MEE), an important hydrological and socio-economic area in East Africa, has exhibited significant landscape changes. These are driven by both natural factors and human activities. Yet, the vulnerability of this ecosystem is poorly understood. This study characterizes ecological and environmental (eco-environmental) vulnerability for the MEE using freely available Earth observation, topographic, and socio-economic data. Spatial principal component analysis (SPCA) was used to compute a new eco-environmental vulnerability index (EEVI) by integrating natural, environmental, and socio-economic conditions. The final EEVI was then categorized into five classes (potential, slight, light, moderate, and severe). Temporal principal component analysis (TPCA) was also conducted to identify persistent changes in multi-year variables spanning the period 2001–2018. Further, the precipitation concentration index (PCI) was assessed to evaluate changes in the spatio-temporal distribution of precipitation in the MEE. The study found that EEVI indicates the most aggregate vulnerability on the Ugandan side, especially in savanna regions. Majority of the MEE was moderately vulnerable, and savannas and grasslands constituted the largest proportion of the severe vulnerability class. There was also a marked increase in vulnerability with decrease in elevation. Eco-environmental vulnerability was strongly associated with multi-year variables based on precipitation, temperature, and population density. The study also found that precipitation concentration is amplifying especially in the wet season, thus threatening agriculture and community livelihoods. Areas in the moderate and severe vulnerability classes were identified for prioritized conservation attention.

Physical activity (PA) built environments may support PA among rural youth and families. In the United States (U.S.), differences between rural and urban PA built environments are assessed using coarse scale, county-level methods. However, this method insufficiently examines environmental differences within rural counties. The present study uses rural-specific geospatial mapping techniques and a fine scale, within-rural grouping strategy to identify differing levels of access to the PA built environment among a rural sample. First, PA infrastructure variables (parks, sidewalks) within a rural region of the Midwest U.S. were mapped. Then, households (N = 112) of participants in the NU-HOME study, a childhood obesity prevention trial, were categorized to community-level and neighborhood-level PA built environment groups using two access indicators; Rural-Urban Commuting Area (RUCA) codes and Walk Scores®, respectively. Finally, households were categorized to new groups that combined community-level RUCA codes and neighborhood-level Walk Scores® to indicate the diverse ways in which rural families might access PA built environments, including by vehicle travel and pedestrian commuting. Household access to PA infrastructure (per geospatial proximity and density analyses), parent perceptions of the PA environment, and child PA were examined across the new combined access groups. All measures of household access to PA infrastructure significantly differed by group (p

Within the multiple urban–rural interactions that make up the territorial dynamics, this article addresses and identifies how mobility relations are produced between neighbouring municipalities that share services. The aim of this research is to carry out a diagnosis of the current mobility situation in an area of low population density in order to identify the needs and possible shortcomings in this area. The initial identification of weaknesses is essential in order to propose solutions for rural mobility. The methodology adopted is based on two distinct lines of work: (1) analysis of information in open data from public repositories using geographic information system tools (GIS), and (2) surveys of citizens living in the study area. The results allude to the fact that the most transcendental problem in the study area is the lack of a quality collective public transport service that meets minimum utility requirements for users, a fact that generates a transfer towards the use of private vehicles. No serious parking, noise, pollution or road safety problems are observed; however, similar dynamics to other rural areas with low demographic density are confirmed, such as the age of the mobile fleet and an aging population with accessibility problems. The presence of new modes of transport (electric bicycles, personal mobility vehicles, and even electric vehicles) is practically insignificant. Both teleworking and the new consumer habits associated with online shopping have not yet had a strong impact. Political decision making by public administrations is identified as a direct application of this research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to improve our understanding of factors that affect the spatial distribution of wildfire occurrences at the regional scale. We employed the random forest, boosted regression tree, and genetic algorithm rule-set production models to assess the spatial interplay between fire events and climate, topography, and anthropogenic factors in order to characterize wildfire occurrence in the Zagros eco-region of western Iran. We constructed a geospatial database using the historical fires from the period 2007–2020 and topography, climate, and human related factors. The results demonstrated that human activities (i.e., land use and distance from the settlements and roads) contributed 45% to the probability model of wildfire occurrence in the study region. The models ranked the climate factors (rainfall, temperature, and wind effect) as the second most influential drivers of fire occurrences, whereas topographic features (slope, elevation, and aspect) did not significantly influence fire probability in the landscape. Overall model performance was assessed with the area under the receiver operating characteristic (AUROC) method that showed the superior performance of the RF model in the training phase (AUROC = 0.92) and in its ability to predict upcoming fires (AUROC = 0.90). The insights obtained from this research can bring into focus both the locations and the types of suppression policies that are required to alleviate the effects of the upcoming wildfires in the early twenty-first century. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research examines tornadoes and their fatalities by light condition (i.e., daytime and nighttime) for the United States. The study has two primary objectives: 1) to catalog and reassess differences in daytime and nighttime, or nocturnal, tornadoes and their fatalities from spatial and temporal perspectives and 2) to employ a spatially explicit Monte Carlo simulation technique to calculate differences in daytime and nocturnal tornado–population impact potential by combining climatological tornado risk data with fine-scale, gridded estimates of day and night population density. Results reveal that nocturnal tornadoes remain a substantial impediment to mitigating tornado casualties despite long-term improvements in detection and warning of these events. Nocturnal tornadoes are nearly 2 times as deadly as daytime events, with fatalities stemming from overnight (i.e., from local midnight to sunrise) tornadoes increasing fourfold since the late nineteenth century. The proportion of all tornado fatalities that occurred during daytime hours has decreased 20% over the last 140 years while the nocturnal fatality proportion has increased 20%. The stall, or even slight growth, in U.S. tornado mortality rates over the last 30 years has, at least in part, been driven by increasing nocturnal tornado fatalities. Overall, nocturnal tornadoes affect 13% more people on average than daytime tornadoes, revealing the importance of time of day in mitigating tornado–population impacts and disasters. Emergency managers, forecasters, first responders, policy makers, and researchers should continue to focus efforts on understanding nocturnal tornadoes, especially with regard to how populations receive warnings and respond to these nocturnal threats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The purpose of this systematic review was to synthesize the existing global literature examining the relationship between altitude and suicide. Method: Using the electronic databases PubMed, CINAHL, EMBASE, and PsychInfo published articles in English that addressed the relationship between altitude and suicide as a primary or secondary aim, and included human subjects, where identified. Studies were assessed for quality based on methodological approach and data relevance on a three-point scale (strong, moderate, or weak). Results: Of the 19 studies related to the purpose and aims, 17 reported evidence of a positive correlation between altitude and increased suicide. Vast design differences were employed within the literature, individual-level suicide data was identified as the preferred level of analysis. Discussion: The relationship between altitude and suicide is an evolving science with a small but growing body of literature suggesting altitude is associated with an increased risk of suicide. This review identifies the need for additional studies examining both individual-level suicide data and improving geographic precision. Public health nurses have a responsibility to carefully examine the quality of studies and the strength of the evidence when addressing variables associated with suicide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Public heat alerts are important risk communication tools, but there has been no systematic analysis of how frequently they are issued or how patterns in alert frequency relate to regional climatology or heat–health impacts. We compiled and analyzed all excessive heat warnings and heat advisories (collectively, heat alerts) issued by the U.S. National Weather Service for 2010–19. Heat alert frequency was correlated to climatological indicators derived from reanalysis data aggregated to Weather Forecast Office (WFO) polygons and to estimates of heat-attributable mortality for 134 metropolitan areas. The type of heat alerts used and the frequency with which they were issued were highly variable. Across 77% of the country, heat advisories were the primary product issued. The median location experienced 2.3 heat alert days per year. Regions with the highest frequency (approaching 25 heat alert days per year) included the southern Midwest and Great Plains, as well as the desert Southwest. The 95th-percentile daily maximum heat index was the climatological indicator most strongly correlated with heat alert frequency across all WFOs (r = 0.71). Locations that issued heat alerts more frequently than would be expected based on climatology were primarily located along the Pacific coast; those that issued heat alerts less frequently than expected were in southern Texas and southern Florida, the latter of which includes multiple cities with high rates of heat-attributable mortality. Our results suggest that the public may be receiving mixed signals about the severity of the heat hazard, with some hotter locations particularly underserved by heat risk messaging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The archaeological study of "the West" and "the frontier" provides a bounty of research questions. However, as researchers delve into issues of culture contact, colonization, and conflict, they must consider the power embedded in the ideologies of the West and the frontier. As metaphors, these terms allow for the reflexive examination of one's research questions. Using the Paoli Battlefield, a Revolutionary War site in southeastern Pennsylvania, as a case study, this analysis aims to challenge current notions of the West and the frontier. Specifically, by examining the cultural landscape in conjunction with a landscape of conflict, the study challenges the frontier metaphor. Moreover, by using geographic information systems (GIS) to map and model the cultural landscape, researchers glean interpretations of the Paoli Battlefield in an innovative manner that promotes new considerations for conflict archaeology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the global climate continues to change, extreme weather events such as hurricanes and heavy rainfall are becoming more frequent. Subsequently, flooding and standing water disrupt and negatively impact many communities. The use of nature-based solutions (NBS) is an innovative and sustainable approach to flood mitigation. Geospatial research and applications have developed rapidly to identify and map broad regions in the world, as well as specific locations for NBS. We conducted a geospatial analysis in ArcGIS Pro to identify areas where NBS, referred to as "FloodWise" practices in this study, could be sited in the North Carolina Coastal Plain to strategically reduce flooding and provide water quality and habitat improvement. The study provides a spatially explicit application of integrated remote sensing, scientific and professional knowledge, and extant databases to screen diverse variables and identify potential specific NBS opportunities and sites. The practices modeled in this study are wetland restoration, afforestation, agroforestry, "water farming" (which uses a combination of dry dams and berms), and stream restoration. Maps of specific areas and tracts in the county for the NBS practices in Robeson County, North Carolina were developed based on the land ownership size, biophysical characteristics, current land uses, and water management opportunities. Land suitability locations revealed in these maps can be used in future resilience planning initiatives to reduce floodwaters on North Carolina's rural landscapes. The geospatial analysis methodologies employed in this study can be followed to model NBS locations for flood reduction and water storage opportunities in other counties in Eastern North Carolina or other regions with similar topographies and land-type characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solid waste disposal is one of the important environmental and socioeconomic problems faced by city managers with the increase in urban population. To overcome this problem, landfilling is a common and effective solution used by municipalities frequently. This study aims to assess and identify suitable potential areas for municipal solid waste disposal. For this purpose, a criteria determination and evaluation commission consisting of experts from various institutions and disciplines was established. Fourteen criteria, including environmental, economic and sociocultural sensitivities, were selected via the experience of an expert team and a wide literature search. The criteria used in this study were standardized by using fuzzy membership functions and feature values turned into continuous values. The Stepwise Weight Assessment Ratio Analysis (SWARA) method, in which expert opinions are effective, was used to determine the criterion weights. A site suitability map was obtained by using the Weighted Linear Combination (WLC) method with standardized thematic maps and the criterion weight variables. As a result of this study, 3.44% of the total study area was determined suitable for a solid waste storage area. These determined areas were found in different locations of study and numbered on the map and each of them was selected as an alternative storage area candidate. Developed methodology was validated via exploration and observation of candidate areas by the expert team. The proposed methodology can be used for similar scale cities with its ease of use, flexibility and expert opinion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study dealt with analyzing the hydrochemical properties and the degree of karst solution of spring water in Ajloun Governorate, aiming to analyze the variation in the speed of karst solution of spring water in the spring and summer season, in addition to determining the ability of spring water to follow its karst activity. Statistical methods such as: testing have been used in the analysis process paired (t) test, correlation coefficient, and variance, in addition to the use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS). The study found a clear spatial and temporal variation in the karst dissolution speed of spring water. The difference between spring and summer reached about 7.81 mm/1000 years, and the results of paired (t) test indicated the presence of statistically significant differences (0.034). The spatial maps of the karst ranges also showed there is a clear spatial variation between the karstic ranges between the two seasons as the area of the rare and weak karst band increased at the expense of the medium and high karst band area. The study also revealed that the spring water was seasonally different in its ability to follow its karst activity at the moment when flowed to the surface. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rise in electric vehicle uptake has reshaped the German mobility landscape at unprecedented speed and scale. While public charging is pivotal to growing the electric vehicle market, municipalities can play a crucial role in accelerating the energy transition in transport. This research aims to assist municipalities in planning their strategic rollouts of public charging infrastructure in size and location. In the first step, charging demand is estimated based on four development scenarios in 2030 of EV adoption and public charging. In a second step, a geospatial analysis was performed on the study area. Supply and demand criteria were considered to reflect the attractiveness of each location on a grid map. While the supply criteria represent constraints related to infrastructure availability, the demand criteria are categorized into three dimensions: residential, commercial, and leisure. The prioritization of demand criteria was derived from the municipality's input using the analytical hierarchy process method to reflect its strategy. After obtaining the suitability index map, a cluster analysis was performed using a k-means clustering algorithm to ensure adequate geographical coverage of the charging network. Finally, the proposed charging stations in each scenario were allocated to the top-scoring locations, establishing a municipal public charging network. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Atmospheric zinc corrosion in the Mexico City Metropolitan area has long been attributed mainly to the effect of pollutants such as sulfur dipxide. There are changes in the urban atmosphere's chemical composition due to the implementation of air quality policies focused on reducing the emission of sulfur dipxide and other pollutants. This study's objectives were to estimate and map the contribution of nitric acid on zinc's atmospheric corrosion process METHODS: The impact of nitric acid on zinc is feasible to estimate using a function for a multi-pollutant situation. This function contemplates the sum of two contributions: one of nitric acid and another that includes sulfuric acid and climatic parameters. The multi-pollutant function is suitable to apply in areas without the strong influence of chlorides and tropical and subtropical climates, comparable to the Mexico City Metropolitan area. FINDINGS: The results showed that spatial and temporal estimation of corrosion rates in grams per square meter of zinc was made for 2015-2019, using data modeling in a geographic information system. The maps of corrosion rates allowed us to visualize that, in general, the "southwest" zone has the most significant effects and that the lowest corrosion rates were presented in 2019 as an outcome of the implementation of air quality programs. Furthermore, a contribution of nitric acid up to 32% to the zinc corrosion rate was estimated. CONCLUSION: The construction of corrosion rate maps provides a spatial and temporal estimate that allows visualizing areas where zinc materials are at risk corrosion due to the dispersion of atmospheric pollutants and climatic parameters. Likewise, it can represent a decision-making tool for the implementation of atmospheric corrosion studies of materials. ==========================================================================================COPYRIGHTS©2021 The author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, as long as the original authors and source are cited. No permission is required from the authors or the publishers.==========================================================================================

The development of West Sidoarjo especially at Krian city has a major influence on the growth of suburban areas. By increasing the number and activity of the population, transportation is one of the principal parts that cannot be separated from the activity. This leads to quite complex traffic problems, especially traffic density problems. This research was conducted to analyze the Service Level Index (ITP) with linear regression method on Jalan Ponokawan until Jalan Mayjend Bambang Yuwono Krian. The survey was conducted in the morning (07.00-09.00), afternoon (12.00-14.00), and evening (16.00-18.00) to analyze the calculation of traffic volume, road capacity, and the speed of the free flow by using Manual Kapasitas Jalan Indonesia (MKJI) 1997. The Geographic Information System (GIS) can help to provide information on road service level index analysis in the form of thematic maps that are easy to understand. From the results of data analysis, a service level index (a) is calculated on each segment using linear regression method and the result of segment I is 0,093, segment II is 0.141, segment III is 0.074, segment IV is 0.210, segment V is 0.130, segment VI is 0.109, and segment VII is 0.113.

Background: Paddy is one of the crops with the largest production worldwide, after corn and wheat. In Indonesia, paddy crops play a role as one of the main boosters of national economic growth based on their contribution to Indonesia's gross domestic product (GDP). Therefore, it is imperative to do research aimed at predicting the yield of paddy crops. Methods: This research exploits the technology of remote sensing and machine learning methods (i.e. Gradient Boosting Regressor) to predict the yield of lowland paddy crops. Remote sensing with a Landsat 8 satellite was used to obtain the input data in the form of the vegetation index (i.e. NDVI) value, surface temperature, and total pixels of the observed area. Afterward, the input data was arranged into training data by combining paddy yield data and the paddy harvest period. Results: The obtained training data was modelled to predict the yield of paddy crops using a Gradient Boosting Regressor. The results obtained from experiments conducted in Bandung, Indonesia, showed the scenario with the best parameter combination is an estimator of 2000, a learning rate of 0.001, minimum samples split of 2, and a maximum depth of 4, which has RMSE of 9766.72. Conclusions: This research succeeded in designing a computational model to predict the yield of lowland paddy crops by involving remote sensing and Gradient Boosting Regressor.

Geographic information sources have evolved at the same rate as the many other information sources in the last half a century. This article discusses geographic literacy and spatial thinking, and the questions that derive from geographic inquiry. Librarians in academic libraries are most often called on to meet the complex specialized geographic information needs that arise from study and practice in those areas. The sources we use and the ways we respond to these needs have evolved and expanded with the advent of various digital technologies. In order to be able to work with these new technologies, librarians can develop specialized competencies in geographic information systems (GIS) which allow them to go beyond print maps and atlases in the provision of geographic information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent decades, particularly intense changes have occurred in Spanish urban areas. This is the result of demographic and urbanizing transformations that have led to a change in the city model. The predominance of compact forms has been replaced by the growing prominence of urban sprawl. Structures are now more extensive, characterized, in turn, by fragmentation and the notable consumption of land in the peripheries. In medium-sized cities, the municipalities bordering the central cities have concentrated the processes of suburbanization and periurbanization. This paper addresses the processes of change for 34 cities and their urban areas located in inland Spain. A proposal is made for the delimitation and characterization of urban areas, taking the municipality as the unit of analysis. At the methodological level, six variables are used, analyzed by means of multicriteria statistical techniques combined with the use of GIS tools. An Urban Transformation Index (ITU) has been developed that synthesizes urbanizing, demographic and socioeconomic dynamics (six variables related to population, housing and socio-productive structure are used). In the territorial area, the 20-min isochrone is used as a reference. In the temporal domain, the period of analysis addresses the events of the first two decades of the twenty-first century.