scholarly journals Automatic delineation of debris-covered glaciers using InSAR coherence derived from X-, C- and L-band radar data: a case study of Yazgyl Glacier

2018 ◽  
Vol 64 (247) ◽  
pp. 811-821 ◽  
Author(s):  
STEFAN LIPPL ◽  
SAURABH VIJAY ◽  
MATTHIAS BRAUN

ABSTRACTDespite their importance for mass-balance estimates and the progress in techniques based on optical and thermal satellite imagery, the mapping of debris-covered glacier boundaries remains a challenging task. Manual corrections hamper regular updates. In this study, we present an automatic approach to delineate glacier outlines using interferometrically derived synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) coherence, slope and morphological operations. InSAR coherence detects the temporally decorrelated surface (e.g. glacial extent) irrespective of its surface type and separates it from the highly coherent surrounding areas. We tested the impact of different processing settings, for example resolution, coherence window size and topographic phase removal, on the quality of the generated outlines. We found minor influence of the topographic phase, but a combination of strong multi-looking during interferogram generation and additional averaging during coherence estimation strongly deteriorated the coherence at the glacier edges. We analysed the performance of X-, C- and L- band radar data. The C-band Sentinel-1 data outlined the glacier boundary with the least misclassifications and a type II error of 0.47% compared with Global Land Ice Measurements from Space inventory data. Our study shows the potential of the Sentinel-1 mission together with our automatic processing chain to provide regular updates for land-terminating glaciers on a large scale.

Water Policy ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 9 (S2) ◽  
pp. 69-81 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Earle

The Trialogue model of governance includes relationships between three main actor clusters—government, science and society—within which the quality of the relationships between the three actor-clusters “determines the extent to which government can generate the incentives needed to develop society by allowing science to inform the decision-making process”. Corruption, in the form of the bribery of a public official, diminishes the quality of the relationship between the society cluster, usually in the form of private-sector business interests, and government. The drop in quality in this relationship has a negative impact on the quality of the government—science interface, due to increased project costs, in turn dropping the quality of the science—society interface, due to a drop in quality or increase in the price of services. Far from being purely a morally detestable action, corruption has a direct impact on the level of development of both a society and a country, undermining efforts to promote growth, equity and access to services. The asymmetries in power between some of the large corporations and developing countries has led to a situation where corruption is taken as the norm and it is assumed that there is very little that can be done about it. The case study of how Lesotho confronted corruption on the Lesotho Highlands Water Project, leading to the prosecution of the Chief Executive of the Lesotho Highlands Development Authority as well as three multinational corporations, provides an example of what can be done by a developing country to promote good governance through tackling corruption. This paper investigates the impact of corruption, specifically on large-scale water infrastructure development projects, and what measures can be taken to combat it.


2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Nur Indriani Dewi ◽  
Fadilla Citra Melati

The goal of this analysis is to examine in greater detail the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on economic development and the quality of the atmosphere in Indonesia. This report uses secondary data as the primary source, obtained using a secondary data collection method from many different organizations. Different government policies and measures to discourage the escalation of the transmission of the Coronavirus, one of which is large-scale social restrictions (PSBB). However, before Indonesia suffered a recession, the PSBB actually became a barrier to economic development. As a part of this program, the rise in environmental efficiency is another positive effect because traffic that generates emissions and vast manufacturing sectors that create dirty waste is temporarily halted. Based on the findings of the review, this report notes that there is a detrimental effect of COVID-19 on economic development in Indonesia. However, because of the introduction of PSBB, Indonesia's air quality has improved. This report is intended to serve as a reference and assessment of the effects of COVID-19 on the economy and the atmosphere for stakeholders and the general public. In order to allow the government to consider measures that will deter the spread of the coronavirus and restore the economy without damaging improved air quality.


2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 1131-1135
Author(s):  
Tomas Hambili Paulo Sanjuluca ◽  
◽  
Ricardo Correia ◽  
Anabela Antunes de Almeida ◽  
Ana Gloria Diaz Martinez ◽  
...  

Introduction: In order to have a good assessment of the quality of maternal and child health care, it is essential that there is up-to-date and reliable information. Objective: To evaluate the impact of the implementation of a computerized database of clinical processes in the admission, archive and medical statistics section, of Maternity hospital Irene Neto/Lubango-Angola. Methodology: A descriptive study with a quantitative and qualitative approach to carry out a retrospective case study deliveries and newborns, records from 2014 to 2017. Final considerations: The implementation of this project may contribute to the improvement of clinical management support management of the hospital as well as facilitating access to information for research and scientific production.


Sensors ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (12) ◽  
pp. 3982
Author(s):  
Giacomo Lazzeri ◽  
William Frodella ◽  
Guglielmo Rossi ◽  
Sandro Moretti

Wildfires have affected global forests and the Mediterranean area with increasing recurrency and intensity in the last years, with climate change resulting in reduced precipitations and higher temperatures. To assess the impact of wildfires on the environment, burned area mapping has become progressively more relevant. Initially carried out via field sketches, the advent of satellite remote sensing opened new possibilities, reducing the cost uncertainty and safety of the previous techniques. In the present study an experimental methodology was adopted to test the potential of advanced remote sensing techniques such as multispectral Sentinel-2, PRISMA hyperspectral satellite, and UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) remotely-sensed data for the multitemporal mapping of burned areas by soil–vegetation recovery analysis in two test sites in Portugal and Italy. In case study one, innovative multiplatform data classification was performed with the correlation between Sentinel-2 RBR (relativized burn ratio) fire severity classes and the scene hyperspectral signature, performed with a pixel-by-pixel comparison leading to a converging classification. In the adopted methodology, RBR burned area analysis and vegetation recovery was tested for accordance with biophysical vegetation parameters (LAI, fCover, and fAPAR). In case study two, a UAV-sensed NDVI index was adopted for high-resolution mapping data collection. At a large scale, the Sentinel-2 RBR index proved to be efficient for burned area analysis, from both fire severity and vegetation recovery phenomena perspectives. Despite the elapsed time between the event and the acquisition, PRISMA hyperspectral converging classification based on Sentinel-2 was able to detect and discriminate different spectral signatures corresponding to different fire severity classes. At a slope scale, the UAV platform proved to be an effective tool for mapping and characterizing the burned area, giving clear advantage with respect to filed GPS mapping. Results highlighted that UAV platforms, if equipped with a hyperspectral sensor and used in a synergistic approach with PRISMA, would create a useful tool for satellite acquired data scene classification, allowing for the acquisition of a ground truth.


2015 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 583-592 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jing Yu ◽  
Xianwen Bao ◽  
Yang Ding ◽  
Wei Zhang ◽  
Lingling Zhou

2018 ◽  
Vol 42 (3) ◽  
pp. 358-385 ◽  
Author(s):  
Natalie Todak ◽  
Michael D. White ◽  
Lisa M. Dario ◽  
Andrea R. Borrego

Objective: To provide guidance to criminologists for conducting experiments in light of two common discouraging factors: the belief that they are overly time-consuming and the belief that they can compromise the ethical principles of human subjects’ research. Method: A case study approach is used, based on a large-scale randomized controlled trial experiment in which we exposed participants to a 5-s TASER shock, to describe how the authors overcame ethical, methodological, and logistical difficulties. Results: We derive four pieces of advice from our experiences carrying out this experimental trial: (1) know your limitations, (2) employ pilot testing, (3) remain flexible and patient, and (4) “hold the line” to maintain the integrity of the research and the safety of human subjects. Conclusions: Criminologists have an obligation to provide the best possible evidence regarding the impact and consequences of criminal justice practices and programs. Experiments, considered by many to be the gold standard of empirical research methodologies, should be used whenever possible in order to fulfill this obligation.


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