Estimation of Domestic Water Consumption in China and the United States Using Nighttime Satellite Imagery

Author(s):  
Naizhuo Zhao ◽  
Yunsheng Zhao
Author(s):  
Glenn Vorhes ◽  
Ernest Perry ◽  
Soyoung Ahn

Truck parking is a crucial element of the United States’ transportation system as it provides truckers with safe places to rest and stage for deliveries. Demand for truck parking spaces exceeds supply and shortages are especially common in and around urban areas. Freight operations are negatively affected as truck drivers are unable to park in logistically ideal locations. Drivers may resort to unsafe practices such as parking on ramps or in abandoned lots. This report seeks to examine the potential parking availability of vacant urban parcels by establishing a methodology to identify parcels and examining whether the identified parcels are suitable for truck parking. Previous research has demonstrated that affordable, accessible parcels are available to accommodate truck parking. When used in conjunction with other policies, adaptation of urban sites could help reduce the severity of truck parking shortages. Geographic information system parcel and roadway data were obtained for one urban area in each of the 10 Mid America Association of Transportation Officials region states. Area and proximity filters were applied followed by spectral analysis of satellite imagery to identify candidate parcels for truck parking facilities within urban areas. The automated processes created a ranked short list of potential parcels from which those best suited for truck parking could be efficiently identified for inspection by satellite imagery. This process resulted in a manageable number of parcels to be evaluated further by local knowledge metrics such as availability and cost, existing infrastructure and municipal connections, and safety.


2020 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Florent Vieux ◽  
Matthieu Maillot ◽  
Colin D. Rehm ◽  
Pamela Barrios ◽  
Adam Drewnowski

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 53-76 ◽  
Author(s):  
Clint Peinhardt ◽  
Alisha A. Kim ◽  
Viveca Pavon-Harr

Do environmental provisions in trade agreements make a difference? In part to coopt environmental criticisms, the United States has included environmental components to trade agreements since NAFTA side agreements in the mid-1990s. Environmental components are increasingly more integrated and more specific, as illustrated by the 2009 United States–Peru Trade Promotion Agreement (PTPA). In exchange for increased market access to the United States, the Peruvian government agreed to reduce illegal logging and improve forest sector governance. Recent qualitative assessments of deforestation highlight difficulties in implementing the specific requirements of the PTPA’s Annex on Forest Sector Governance, but tests with Peruvian data on logging appear unreliable. We circumvent this difficulty by using satellite imagery of deforestation across Peruvian border regions and by engaging multiple methods to estimate the PTPA’s impact. All results suggest that deforestation has actually increased since the PTPA entered force, although no more than in other Amazonian countries. We conclude by emphasizing the limits of external imposition of environmental rules, which appear prone to failure unless domestic interests mobilize in their support.


Water ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (12) ◽  
pp. 2620 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wenge Zhang ◽  
Xianzeng Du ◽  
Anqi Huang ◽  
Huijuan Yin

Proper water use requires its monitoring and evaluation. An indexes system of overall water use efficiency is constructed here that covers water consumption per 10,000 yuan GDP, the coefficient of effective utilization of irrigation water, the water consumption per 10,000 yuan of industrial value added, domestic water consumption per capita of residents, and the proportion of water function zone in key rivers and lakes complying with water-quality standards and is applied to 31 provinces in China. Efficiency is first evaluated by a projection pursuit cluster model. Multidimensional efficiency data are transformed into a low-dimensional subspace, and the accelerating genetic algorithm then optimizes the projection direction, which determines the overall efficiency index. The index reveals great variety in regional water use, with Tianjin, Beijing, Hebei, and Shandong showing highest efficiency. Shanxi, Liaoning, Shanghai, Zhejiang, Henan, Shanxi, and Gansu also use water with high efficiency. Medium efficiency occurs in Inner Mongolia, Jilin, Heilongjiang, Jiangsu, Hainan, Qinghai, Ningxia, and Low efficiency is found for Anhui, Fujian, Jiangxi, Hubei, Hunan, Guangdong, Guangxi, Chongqing, Sichuan, Guizhou, Yunnan, and Xinjiang. Tibet is the least efficient. The optimal projection direction is a* = (0.3533, 0.7014, 0.4538, 0.3315, 0.1217), and the degree of influence of agricultural irrigation efficiency, water consumption per industrial profit, water used per gross domestic product (GDP), domestic water consumption per capita of residents, and environmental water quality on the result has decreased in turn. This may aid decision making to improve overall water use efficiency across China.


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