scholarly journals The observation of birds as informative tools to develop citizen science: Contributions of a 10-year record in the state of Chihuahua, Mexico

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fidel González-Quiñones ◽  
Luis Roberto Granados ◽  
José Manuel Jurado Ruiz ◽  
Javier Tarango ◽  
Juan D. Machin-Mastromatteo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Citizen Science ◽  
Professional Education ◽  
Environmental Issues ◽  
The United States ◽  
Research Centre ◽  
Service Research ◽  
United States Geological Survey ◽  
The North ◽  
Urban Characteristics

AbstractThis article analyses historical data from observations made to birds in breeding, throughout two routes with urban characteristics and during a consecutive period of 10 years (2009-2018), following a precise methodology designed by the North American Breeding Bird Survey. The analyzed routes are officially registered in the Mexican Commission for Biodiversity’s Knowledge and Use, the United States Geological Survey Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, and the Canadian Wildlife Service Research Centre. The observations were made by citizens without formal professional education; hence the results may be considered within the framework of citizen science. Their contributions provided important data for decision-making regarding environmental issues, since the presence of birds is considered one of the main indicators on health conditions of an ecosystem. Data analysis identified two basic conditions: (i) a reduction of the 23% in the number of species found, as many of them disappeared during counting; and (ii) the significant increase in population of other species, three of pigeons among them. Apart from the study of bird behavior in the routes with urban characteristics, the article acknowledges the lack of connection and use of the information produced from monitoring for decision-making and education regarding environmental issues. Therefore, we consider crucial to create scientific observatories, both available to experts in the field and to the general population, as the ultimate purpose would be the production of citizen science.

Le Duan, the American War, and the Creation of an Independent Vietnamese State

2001 ◽  
Vol 10 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 1-27 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pierre Asselin
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Vietnam War ◽  
Democratic Republic ◽  
Prime Minister ◽  
The United States ◽  
Decision Making Process ◽  
The North ◽  
War Effort ◽  
Western Scholarship ◽  
North Vietnam

AbstractSince the end of the Vietnam War thirty years ago, Western scholars have made countless attempts at explaining that conflict's course and rationalizing its outcome. These attempts have considered a wide variety of elements ranging from the personalities of those involved in the decision- making process in Washington to the technologies used by American forces against their enemies in Indochina. Ironically, few scholars have considered the element that may have been most important in determining the outcome of the war, mainly the North Vietnamese leadership. As a result, little is known about the nature of that leadership. For many Western scholars, Ho Chi Minh inspired the North Vietnamese war effort, Vo Nguyen Giap coordinated it, and Pham Van Dong, as prime minister of the Democratic Republic of (North) Vietnam (DRVN), supervised the implementation of Ho and Giap's policies. That others may have been involved and influential in the decision-making process in Hanoi is rarely considered in Western scholarship. We accept the notion that the Ho-Giap-Dong axis led the effort against the United States, and the zeal of the North Vietnamese people carried Hanoi to victory.

scholarly journals Professional Practices in Fixed Assets Valuation and Assessor Education in North America: Suggestions for Japan

2021 ◽  
pp. 123-137
Author(s):  
Takashi Yamamoto
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
North America ◽  
Professional Practice ◽  
Professional Education ◽  
The United States ◽  
Professional Practices ◽  
The North ◽  
Tax Assessment ◽  
Fixed Assets ◽  
And Training

AbstractThis paper examined and compared the situation of and problems with professional practices in fixed assets valuation and assessor education between North America (the United States and Canada) and Japan. Because professional practice in tax assessment takes place within individual municipalities in North America, the opportunities for external experts to participate in the practice are limited. Moreover, external institutions and universities that provide professional education educated the assessors who were in charge of these professional practices. As a result, the costs of professional practices in tax assessment and assessor education and training have been kept low. In Japan, there has been no foundation through which to foster experts within individual municipalities, so much professional practice is outsourced; consequently, this practice has become ineffective and unstable. Thus, Japan can refer to the North American system of providing complete professional tax assessment services within each municipality, as well as the fostering of experts through external organizations.

Arab gripes pose challenges for Syrian Kurds’ control

2019 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Decision Making ◽  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
The United States ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Power Dynamic ◽  
North East ◽  
The North ◽  
North Eastern ◽  
Underlying Causes

Subject Kurdish-Arab tensions in north-east Syria Significance Significant protests between April and June by Arab tribes in north-eastern Syria against Kurdish governance have subsided in north-eastern Syria after Saudi Arabia intervened to encourage de-escalation. However, the underlying causes, including grievances over economic distribution, heavy-handed security methods and a lack of Arab representation in decision-making, have not been resolved. Impacts A deterioration in cooperation between Arab tribes and the SDF may facilitate the operations of IS sleeper cells. The United States and partners will look for further ways to alleviate the concerns of Arab tribes in the area. Ankara and Damascus, which both have designs on the north-east, will play up protests to justify intervention. A mooted Turkish invasion of the border area could radically shift the power dynamic in the region.

Applications of Monsoon Research: Opportunities to Inform Decision Making and Reduce Regional Vulnerability

2007 ◽  
Vol 20 (9) ◽  
pp. 1608-1627 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea J. Ray ◽  
Gregg M. Garfin ◽  
Margaret Wilder ◽  
Marcela Vásquez-León ◽  
Melanie Lenart ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Decision Making ◽  
North American ◽  
Knowledge Exchange ◽  
The United States ◽  
North American Monsoon ◽  
Precipitation Regime ◽  
The North ◽  
Integrated Assessments ◽  
Inform Decision Making

Abstract This article presents ongoing efforts to understand interactions between the North American monsoon and society in order to develop applications for monsoon research in a highly complex, multicultural, and binational region. The North American monsoon is an annual precipitation regime that begins in early June in Mexico and progresses northward to the southwestern United States. The region includes stakeholders in large urban complexes, productive agricultural areas, and sparsely populated arid and semiarid ecosystems. The political, cultural, and socioeconomic divisions between the United States and Mexico create a broad range of sensitivities to climate variability as well as capacities to use forecasts and other information to cope with climate. This paper highlights methodologies to link climate science with society and to analyze opportunities for monsoon science to benefit society in four sectors: natural hazards management, agriculture, public health, and water management. A list of stakeholder needs and a calendar of decisions is synthesized to help scientists link user needs to potential forecasts and products. To ensure usability of forecasts and other research products, iterative scientist–stakeholder interactions, through integrated assessments, are recommended. These knowledge-exchange interactions can improve the capacity for stakeholders to use forecasts thoughtfully and inform the development of research, and for the research community to obtain feedback on climate-related products and receive insights to guide research direction. It is expected that integrated assessments can capitalize on the opportunities for monsoon science to inform decision making and, in the best instances, reduce regional climate vulnerabilities and enhance regional sustainability.

scholarly journals Long-Term Shoreline Evolution Using DSAS Technique: A Case Study of Quang Nam Province, Vietnam

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (10) ◽  
pp. 1124
Author(s):  
Dinh Nhat Quang ◽  
Vu Huong Ngan ◽  
Ho Sy Tam ◽  
Nguyen Trung Viet ◽  
Nguyen Xuan Tinh ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Coastal Management ◽  
The United States ◽  
Rate Of Change ◽  
United States Geological Survey ◽  
Statistical Parameters ◽  
Coastal Morphology ◽  
Shoreline Evolution ◽  
The North ◽  
Analysis System ◽  
End Point Rate

A Quang Nam coastline, located in the central of Vietnam, has been strongly affected by severe erosion and accretion due to climate change and human activities. Thus, understanding the causes and mechanisms of coastal morphology changes is essential to offer optimal coastal management and protection solutions. In this research, the Digital Shoreline Analysis System (DSAS) technique developed by the United States Geological Survey was adopted to calculate rate-of-change statistics from multiple historical coastline positions of Quang Nam province extracted from satellite images, i.e., Landsat and Sentinel images from 1990 to 2019. The coastal dynamic was digitized, visualized, and compared by two statistical parameters provided in DSAS, namely End Point Rate (EPR) and Linear Regression Rate (LRR). The final results reveal that the Quang Nam coast experienced remarkable phenomena of erosion and accumulation over the past three decades. The total number of erosional and accretional transects obtained from the EPR results are 401 and 414, with annual change rates of −1.7 and 0.77 m/year, respectively. The LRR parameter was also considered and illustrated a significant correlation with the EPR, as the obtained R2 value of 0.96. The lowest value of EPR over the period 1990–2019 is −42.4 m/year, highlighting the most significant erosion at the north of Cua Dai estuary, whereas coastline advance is recorded in the south segment. As a result, this study’s outcomes provide helpful information for better and sustainable coastal management in Quang Nam province of Vietnam.

scholarly journals Which are the highest peaks in the US Arctic? Fodar settles the debate

2016 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 1245-1257 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matt Nolan ◽  
Kit DesLauriers
Keyword(s):  
The United States ◽  
Disruptive Innovation ◽  
Airborne Lidar ◽  
United States Geological Survey ◽  
Climate Trends ◽  
Gps Measurements ◽  
The North ◽  
Recent Climate ◽  
The Us ◽  
North American Arctic

Abstract. Though an outstanding achievement for their time, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) topographic maps of the eastern Alaskan Arctic nonetheless contain significant errors, and in this paper we address one of them. Specifically, USGS maps of different scale made in the late 1950s alternate between Mt. Chamberlin and Mt. Isto as the tallest peak in the US Arctic. Given that many of the peaks here are close in height and covered with glaciers, recent climate change may also have changed their height and their order. We resolved these questions using fodar, a new airborne photogrammetric technique that utilizes structure-from-motion (SfM) software and requires no ground control, and validated it using GPS measurements on the peaks as well as airborne lidar. Here we show that Mt. Chamberlin is currently the third tallest peak and that the order and elevations of the five tallest mountains in the US Arctic are Mt. Isto (2735.6 m), Mt. Hubley (2717.6 m), Mt. Chamberlin (2712.3 m), Mt. Michelson (2698.1 m), and an unnamed peak (2694.9 m); these heights are relative to the NAVD88 GEOID12A vertical datum. We find that it is indeed plausible that this ranking has changed over time and may continue to change as summit glaciers continue to shrink, though Mt. Isto will remain the highest under current climate trends. Mt. Isto is also over 100 m taller than the highest peak in Arctic Canada, making it the highest peak in the North American Arctic. Fodar elevations compared to within a few centimeters of our ground-based GPS measurements of the peaks made a few days later and our complete validation assessment indicates a measurement uncertainty of better than ±20 cm (95 % RMSE). By analyzing time series of fodar maps, we were able to detect topographic change on the centimeter level on these steep slopes, indicating that fodar can be used to measure mountain snow packs for water resource availability or avalanche danger, glacier volume change, and slope subsidence, as well as many other applications of benefit to society. Compared to lidar, the current state-of-the-art airborne topographic mapping, we found this SfM technique as accurate, more useful scientifically, and significantly less expensive, suggesting that fodar is a disruptive innovation that will enjoy widespread usage in the future.

scholarly journals The Lower Palaeozoic shale gas play in Denmark

1969 ◽  
Vol 31 ◽  
pp. 19-22 ◽  
Author(s):  
Niels H. Schovsbo ◽  
Arne T. Nielsen ◽  
Donald L. Gautier
Keyword(s):  
North Sea ◽  
Best Practice ◽  
The United States ◽  
United States Geological Survey ◽  
The North ◽  
Alum Shale ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The North Sea ◽  
Potential Resource ◽  
Lower Palaeozoic

The unconventional gas resources in the Lower Palaeozoic shale of Denmark were recently assessed by the United States Geological Survey (USGS; Gautier et al. 2013). Assuming unrestricted application of best practice current technology, recoverable gas resources of 0 to 130 × 109 Nm3 gas were estimated onshore (mean = 67 × 109 Nm3 gas) and 0 to 228 × 109 Nm3 gas were estimated offshore (mean = 119 × 109 Nm3 gas), i.e. a total estimated mean of 186 × 109 Nm3 gas (Nm3: normal cubic metre, unit used for natural gas at 0°C and 101.325 kPa). Nearly all of this potential resource is assumed to be contained in the Cambro-Ordovician Alum Shale. The wide range of estimates reflects the sparse data and the geological uncertainty inherent in the still untested play. The estimated mean quantity of gas resource is comparable to the total volume of gas produced from the Danish part of the North Sea during 1972–2011 and twice the amount of the estimated remaining reserves of conventional gas in the Danish part of the North Sea.

Use of traditional knowledge by the United States Bureau of Ocean Energy Management to support resource management

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 151-163 ◽  
Author(s):  
James J. Kendall ◽  
Jeffrey J. Brooks ◽  
Chris Campbell ◽  
Kathleen L. Wedemeyer ◽  
Catherine C. Coon ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Resource Management ◽  
Traditional Knowledge ◽  
Energy Management ◽  
The United States ◽  
Knowledge Systems ◽  
United States Bureau ◽  
Ocean Energy ◽  
The North ◽  
Support Resource

Professionals who collect and use traditional knowledge to support resource management decisions often are preoccupied with concerns over how and if traditional knowledge should be integrated with science. To move beyond the integration dilemma, we treat traditional knowledge and science as distinct and complementary knowledge systems. We focus on applying traditional knowledge within the decision-making process. We present succinct examples of how the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management has used traditional knowledge in decision making in the North Slope Borough, Alaska: 1) using traditional knowledge in designing, planning, and conducting scientific research; 2) applying information from both knowledge systems at the earliest opportunity in the process; 3) using traditional knowledge in environmental impacts assessment; 4) consulting with indigenous leaders at key decision points; and 5) applying traditional knowledge at a programmatic decision level. Clearly articulating, early in the process, how best to use traditional knowledge and science can allow for more complete and inclusive use of available and pertinent information.

scholarly journals Fragments in the Archive: The Khmer Rouge Years

Plaridel ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
Annette Hamilton
Keyword(s):  
Khmer Rouge ◽  
The United States ◽  
Research Centre ◽  
Phnom Penh ◽  
Political Consequences ◽  
Film Maker ◽  
Popular Films ◽  
The North ◽  
French Colonial ◽  
Khmer Rouge Regime

Cambodia’s cinema history is strange and surprising. Popular films from France and the United States circulated through the Kingdom during the French colonial period. The 1950s and 60s saw extensive local production with the enthusiastic support of King Norodom Sihanouk, himself a passionate film-maker, but the Khmer Rouge regime (1975-1979) destroyed most of the existing material, including hundreds of feature films, raw footage and countless other ephemeral documents. In 2006, after representations by film-maker Rithy Panh and others, the Bophana Audio-Visual Research Centre was established in Phnom Penh to comb the world for every fragment of film and audio material relating to Cambodia’s history in order to reproduce it in an accessible digitized form. The archival preservation and duplication has continued apace. However the ethical use of these materials presents challenges. Contemporary documentary makers and digital enthusiasts frequently use fragmentary footage to support their political or historical interpretations without attribution or context. This paper discusses a propaganda film featuring the former King Norodom Sihanouk and his wife Monique shot in1973 in collaboration with the Communist Chinese, the North Vietnamese and the Khmer Rouge. Short scenes and extracts from this film circulate online and appear in many documentaries. The “archive effect” of this footage raises questions about the source and circulation of archival images with significant historical and political consequences.

scholarly journals A Novel Multicriteria Decision Making Model for Sustainable Stormwater Management

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (22) ◽  
pp. 9508
Author(s):  
Khaled Alkhaledi ◽  
Allison Arnold ◽  
Kenneth Means ◽  
In-Ju Kim ◽  
Salaheddine Bendak
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Multicriteria Decision Making ◽  
The United States ◽  
Eastern Region ◽  
Multicriteria Decision ◽  
Sustainable Solutions ◽  
Sustainable Technologies ◽  
The North ◽  
Treatment Facilities ◽  
Decision Making Model

Precipitation not absorbed by the soil or local vegetation and remain on the surface leading to stormwater can cause soil erosion, flooding, property damage, and overflow to wastewater treatment facilities. This paper introduces a novel multicriteria decision-making model to choose among various sustainable solutions that can help in managing stormwater. This model is intended to help decision-makers in handling stormwater through proper utilization of precipitation while ensuring public safety and adhering to runoff regulations. The model also aims to present sustainable technologies that can help in reducing harmful stormwater overflows. As a way of constructing and validating the model, precipitation and other relevant data from the North-Eastern region of the United States were used. The model can be altered though to suit other regions in the world. The model was further validated by seeking the opinion of a group of experts on its constructs. Statistical analysis identified high item-to-total correlations for model constructs and a model Cronbach’s alpha value of 0.84 leading to conclude that the model is valid. Yet, green solutions presented in this study and the developed model should be considered as a first step in determining sustainable stormwater solutions and further research in this area is needed.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document