Combining land cover, animal behavior, and master plan regulations to assess landscape permeability for birds

Yangon is the largest city and major economic area in Myanmar. However, it is considered to have a high risk of floods and earthquakes. In order to mitigate future flood and earthquake damage in Yangon, land cover change simulations considering flood and earthquake vulnerabilities are needed to support urban planning and management. This paper proposes land cover change simulations in Yangon from 2020 to 2040 under various scenarios of flood and earthquake vulnerabilities with a master plan. In our methodology, we used a dynamic statistical model to predict urban expansion in Yangon from 2020 to 2040. We employed a master plan as the future dataset to enhance the prediction of urban expansion. We applied flood and earthquake vulnerabilities based on multi-criteria analysis as the areas vulnerable to disaster. We simulated land cover changes from 2020 to 2040 considering the vulnerable areas with a master plan for multiple scenarios. The experiments indicated that by using a master plan, some of the predicted urban areas are still located in areas highly vulnerable to floods and earthquakes. By integrating the prediction of urban expansion with flood and earthquake vulnerabilities, the predicted urban areas can effectively avoid areas highly vulnerable to floods and earthquakes.

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Soil Erosion Assessment and Prediction in Urban Landscapes: A New G2 Model Approach

Applied Sciences ◽

10.3390/app11094154 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (9) ◽

pp. 4154

Author(s):

Siniša Polovina ◽

Boris Radić ◽

Ratko Ristić ◽

Jovan Kovačević ◽

Vukašin Milčanović ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Soil Erosion ◽

Land Cover ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Soil Loss ◽

Soil Degradation ◽

Machine Learning Techniques ◽

Slight Reduction ◽

Master Plan ◽

Time Periods ◽

The Impact

Soil erosion is a global problem that negatively affects the quality of the environment, the availability of natural resources, as well as the safety of inhabitants. Soil erosion threatens the functioning of urban areas, which was the reason for choosing the territory of the Master Plan of Belgrade (Serbia) as the research area. The calculation of soil erosion loss was analyzed using the G2 erosion model. The model belongs to a group of empirical models and is based on the synthesis of the equation from the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) and the Erosion Potential Method (EPM). The estimation of soil degradation was analyzed in two time periods (2001 and 2019), which represent the time boundaries of the management of the Master Plan of Belgrade. The novel approach used in this research is based on using the land cover inventory as a dynamic indicator of the urbanization process. Land cover was identified using remote sensing, machine learning techniques, and the random forest algorithm applied to multispectral satellite images of the Landsat mission in combination with spectral indices. Climatic parameters were analyzed on the basis of data from meteorological stations (first scenario, i.e., 2001), as well as on simulations of changes based on climate scenario RCP8.5 (representative concentration pathways) concerning the current condition of the land cover (second scenario). A comparative analysis of the two time periods identified a slight reduction in total soil loss. For the first period, the average soil loss value is 4.11 t·ha−1·y−1. The analysis of the second period revealed an average value of 3.63 t·ha−1·y−1. However, the increase in non-porous surfaces has led to a change in the focus of soil degradation. Increased average soil loss as one of the catalysts of torrential flood frequencies registered on natural and semi-natural areas were 43.29% and 16.14%, respectively. These results are a significant contribution to the study of soil erosion in urban conditions under the impact of climate change.

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Facet Theory

European Psychologist ◽

10.1027/1016-9040.3.1.13 ◽

1998 ◽

Vol 3 (1) ◽

pp. 13-36 ◽

Cited By ~ 54

Author(s):

Ruth Guttman ◽

Charles W. Greenbaum

Keyword(s):

Data Analysis ◽

Animal Behavior ◽

Infant Development ◽

Facet Theory ◽

Structural Relationships ◽

Future Challenges ◽

Spatial Configurations ◽

Multidimensional Methods ◽

Definition Of ◽

Scalogram Analysis

This article gives an overview of Facet Theory, a systematic approach to facilitating theory construction, research design, and data analysis for complex studies, that is particularly appropriate to the behavioral and social sciences. Facet Theory is based on (1) a definitional framework for a universe of observations in the area of study; (2) empirical structures of observations within this framework; (3) a search for correspondence between the definitional system and aspects of the empirical structure for the observations. The development of Facet Theory and Facet Design is reviewed from early scale analysis and the Guttman Scale, leading to the concepts of “mapping sentence,” “universe of content,” “common range,” “content facets,” and nonmetric multidimensional methods of data analysis. In Facet Theory, the definition of the behavioral domain provides a rationale for hypothesizing structural relationships among variables employed in a study. Examples are presented from various areas of research (intelligence, infant development, animal behavior, etc.) to illustrate the methods and results of structural analysis with Smallest Space Analysis (SSA), Multidimensional Scalogram Analysis (MSA), and Partial Order Scalogram Analysis (POSA). The “radex” and “cylindrex” of intelligence tests are shown to be outstanding examples of predicted spatial configurations that have demonstrated the ubiquitous emergence of the same empirical structures in different studies. Further examples are given from studies of spatial abilities, infant development, animal behavior, and others. The use of Facet Theory, with careful construction of theory and design, is shown to provide new insights into existing data; it allows for the diagnosis and discrimination of behavioral traits and makes the generalizability and replication of findings possible, which in turn makes possible the discovery of lawfulness. Achievements, issues, and future challenges of Facet Theory are discussed.

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