scholarly journals M-GAM method in function of tourism potential assessment: Case study of the Sokobanja basin in eastern Serbia

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 1468-1485
Author(s):  
Marija Bratić ◽  
Miloš Marjanović ◽  
Aleksandar R. Radivojević ◽  
Mila Pavlović
Keyword(s):  
Assessment Model ◽  
Current State ◽  
The Matrix ◽  
Geosite Assessment ◽  
Tourism Potential ◽  
Geomorphological Features

AbstractThe Sokobanja basin is an area in Eastern Serbia with diverse geological and geomorphological features. Also, it is an area with developed spa tourism. The Sokobanja basin has numerous geoheritage features, which tourist potential has not been discovered yet. In this article, several geosites were analyzed, which present significant geoheritage formations. Geosites were selected by authors of this article based on the degree of their attractiveness for the geotourism development. The main goal of this article is to emphasize the geotourism potential of the Sokobanja basin and to determine the current state and geotourism potential of evaluated geosites by applying the modified geosite assessment model (M-GAM). A total of seven geosites were evaluated throughout the basin. The values of the investigated parameters were entered into the matrix of the M-GAM based on the number of points. Based on the research and the results obtained, it can be concluded that the Sokobanja basin has the potential for the development of geotourism, but it is necessary to improve additional values to become a true geotourism destination.

scholarly journals Canyons and gorges as potential geotourism destinations in Serbia: comparative analysis from two perspectives – general geotourists’ and pure geotourists’

2015 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sanja Božić ◽  
Nemanja Tomić
Keyword(s):  
Management Strategy ◽  
Assessment Process ◽  
Target Market ◽  
Market Segments ◽  
Tourism Management ◽  
Current State ◽  
The World ◽  
The Matrix ◽  
Geosite Assessment ◽  
Tourism Potential

AbstractSerbia represents one of those countries which have not yet differentiated themselves on the world tourism map. However, it has an immense but still unrevealed potential for geotourism development. In this paper we analyzed several remarkable canyons and gorges of great scientific importance and geotourism potential. These sites include the Djerdap Gorge and Lazar River Canyon, located in Eastern Serbia and the Ovcar-Kablar Gorge and Uvac Canyon located in Western Serbia. One of the main goals of this paper was to analyze and compare the current state and tourism potential of these geosites by using the M-GAM model for geosite assessment. However, the principal aim of the paper is to analyze how important is each subindicator in the assessment process for different market segments. In this paper, we also analyzed how giving different importance to subindicators can influence the position of the geosites in the matrix indicating different assessment done by two chosen market segments. The research showed that general geotourists appreciate considerably different values when assessing a geosite in comparison to pure geotourists. The paper can be used as framework for developing the tourism management strategy of geosites taking into consideration the needs and preferences of the target market segments.

scholarly journals Exploring the Preferences of Iranian Geotourists: Case Study of Shadows Canyon and Canyon of Jinns

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 798
Author(s):  
Nemanja Tomić ◽  
Babak Sepehriannasab ◽  
Slobodan B. Marković ◽  
Qingzhen Hao ◽  
Heros Augusto Santos Lobo
Keyword(s):  
Central Iran ◽  
Assessment Model ◽  
Tour Guide ◽  
Current State ◽  
The Future ◽  
Tourist Infrastructure ◽  
Geosite Assessment ◽  
Tourism Flows

Compared to other parts of the country, the region of Central Iran still remains mainly outside of major tourism flows even though there are significant geosites with great value for geotourism development. Two of those sites, the Shadow Canyon and the Canyon of Jinns, have excellent qualities for the development of this form of tourism in the future. The goal of this research is to gain information about the preferences of Iranian geotourists and to determine the current state and geotourism potential of Shadows Canyon and Jinn Canyon located in Central Iran by applying the modified geosite assessment model (M-GAM). The results indicate that Iranian geotourists consider rarity and the number of viewpoints the most important when choosing which geosite to visit, while the least important are tour guide service as well as hostelry and restaurant service. The results also show that more attention should primarily be concentrated toward promotional activities and basic tourist infrastructure construction in the future to attract even more tourists to these and other geosites in Iran.

scholarly journals Examining the Spatial Variability of Geosite Assessment and Its Relevance in Geosite Management

Geoheritage ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Márton Pál ◽  
Gáspár Albert
Keyword(s):  
Development Strategy ◽  
Initial Step ◽  
Assessment Method ◽  
Assessment Model ◽  
Individual Development ◽  
Importance Value ◽  
Current State ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Geosite Assessment ◽  
Common Weight

AbstractAssessment is the initial step for experts on geoheritage and geotourism when designating geosites in a certain area. During this process, geologically interesting outcrops, formations and places are examined with the use of different criteria to see if they are suitable for geoconservation and geotourism purposes. A quantitative assessment method—Modified Geosite Assessment Model (M-GAM)—was applied in the study area, which is part of the Bakony–Balaton UNESCO Global Geopark in Hungary. M-GAM uses a weight factor (importance) that expresses the opinion of geotourists about 27 infrastructural, tourism and scientific indicators. This factor was examined by questionnaires at nine geosites in the area. At each site, we determined a unique importance value, which shows significant difference from site-to-site and reflects the opinions of visitors about the geosite. The M-GAM method is originally aimed at applying a common weight on each of the 27 criteria during the assessment of selected sites. While this approach is valid, we demonstrated that the method can be extended because the weights spatially vary and can be used to draw conclusions on geosite management. Practically, the evaluation of the factors obtained in this way offers an individual development plan for every site. The current state of improvement direction, the level of communication and the interpretability of the geo-objects can also be determined. In this way, we can get a more realistic development strategy for the geosites.

scholarly journals Optimizing the Environmental and Economic Sustainability of Remote Community Infrastructure

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
pp. 2208 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jamie E. Filer ◽  
Justin D. Delorit ◽  
Andrew J. Hoisington ◽  
Steven J. Schuldt
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Impacts ◽  
Sustainability Assessment ◽  
Model Performance ◽  
Assessment Model ◽  
Remote Communities ◽  
Remote Community ◽  
Rural Villages ◽  
Sustainable Technologies ◽  
Study Results

Remote communities such as rural villages, post-disaster housing camps, and military forward operating bases are often located in remote and hostile areas with limited or no access to established infrastructure grids. Operating these communities with conventional assets requires constant resupply, which yields a significant logistical burden, creates negative environmental impacts, and increases costs. For example, a 2000-member isolated village in northern Canada relying on diesel generators required 8.6 million USD of fuel per year and emitted 8500 tons of carbon dioxide. Remote community planners can mitigate these negative impacts by selecting sustainable technologies that minimize resource consumption and emissions. However, the alternatives often come at a higher procurement cost and mobilization requirement. To assist planners with this challenging task, this paper presents the development of a novel infrastructure sustainability assessment model capable of generating optimal tradeoffs between minimizing environmental impacts and minimizing life-cycle costs over the community’s anticipated lifespan. Model performance was evaluated using a case study of a hypothetical 500-person remote military base with 864 feasible infrastructure portfolios and 48 procedural portfolios. The case study results demonstrated the model’s novel capability to assist planners in identifying optimal combinations of infrastructure alternatives that minimize negative sustainability impacts, leading to remote communities that are more self-sufficient with reduced emissions and costs.

scholarly journals Extending Geodemographics Using Data Primitives: A Review and a Methodological Proposal

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 386
Author(s):  
Jennie Gray ◽  
Lisa Buckner ◽  
Alexis Comber
Keyword(s):  
Social Dynamics ◽  
Feature Space ◽  
Social Processes ◽  
Multiple Time ◽  
Current State ◽  
Cluster Label ◽  
Static Data ◽  
The Social ◽  
Using Data

This paper reviews geodemographic classifications and developments in contemporary classifications. It develops a critique of current approaches and identifiea a number of key limitations. These include the problems associated with the geodemographic cluster label (few cluster members are typical or have the same properties as the cluster centre) and the failure of the static label to describe anything about the underlying neighbourhood processes and dynamics. To address these limitations, this paper proposed a data primitives approach. Data primitives are the fundamental dimensions or measurements that capture the processes of interest. They can be used to describe the current state of an area in a multivariate feature space, and states can be compared over multiple time periods for which data are available, through for example a change vector approach. In this way, emergent social processes, which may be too weak to result in a change in a cluster label, but are nonetheless important signals, can be captured. As states are updated (for example, as new data become available), inferences about different social processes can be made, as well as classification updates if required. State changes can also be used to determine neighbourhood trajectories and to predict or infer future states. A list of data primitives was suggested from a review of the mechanisms driving a number of neighbourhood-level social processes, with the aim of improving the wider understanding of the interaction of complex neighbourhood processes and their effects. A small case study was provided to illustrate the approach. In this way, the methods outlined in this paper suggest a more nuanced approach to geodemographic research, away from a focus on classifications and static data, towards approaches that capture the social dynamics experienced by neighbourhoods.

scholarly journals Unitarity in KK-graviton production, a case study in warped extra-dimensions

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
A. de Giorgi ◽  
S. Vogl
Keyword(s):  
Extra Dimensions ◽  
Sum Rules ◽  
Effective Theory ◽  
Higher Dimensional ◽  
Massive Spin ◽  
The Matrix ◽  
Dimensional Gravity ◽  
Warped Extra Dimensions ◽  
Kaluza Klein

Abstract The Kaluza-Klein (KK) decomposition of higher-dimensional gravity gives rise to a tower of KK-gravitons in the effective four-dimensional (4D) theory. Such massive spin-2 fields are known to be connected with unitarity issues and easily lead to a breakdown of the effective theory well below the naive scale of the interaction. However, the breakdown of the effective 4D theory is expected to be controlled by the parameters of the 5D theory. Working in a simplified Randall-Sundrum model we study the matrix elements for matter annihilations into massive gravitons. We find that truncating the KK-tower leads to an early breakdown of perturbative unitarity. However, by considering the full tower we obtain a set of sum rules for the couplings between the different KK-fields that restore unitarity up to the scale of the 5D theory. We prove analytically that these are fulfilled in the model under consideration and present numerical tests of their convergence. This work complements earlier studies that focused on graviton self-interactions and yields additional sum rules that are required if matter fields are incorporated into warped extra-dimensions.

scholarly journals Operational and Safety Management at Intersections: Can the Turbo-Roundabout Be an Effective Alternative to Conventional Solutions?

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (9) ◽  
pp. 5103
Author(s):  
Vincenzo Gallelli ◽  
Giusi Perri ◽  
Rosolino Vaiana
Keyword(s):  
Traffic Congestion ◽  
Safety Management ◽  
Environmental Benefits ◽  
Assessment Model ◽  
Pollutant Emission ◽  
Emission Rates ◽  
The European Union ◽  
European Union Policy ◽  
Union Policy

The European Union policy strategies on the sustainability of the transport system pursue the goals of maximizing safety and environmental benefits and reducing the severity and frequency of crashes, congestion, and pollutant emission rates. A common issue is the planning of the most effective solution for operational and safety management at intersections. In this study, an egg turbo roundabout is proposed as the alternative solution to a conventional roundabout in Southern Italy which suffers from traffic congestion. A comparative analysis is carried out using microsimulation techniques to investigate the safety effects and operational improvements of converting a traditional priority intersection into standard roundabout or turbo roundabout layout. In particular, the VISSIM software is used to explore the most relevant operational performance measures: queue length, travel times and delays. The lowest values of these measurements are recorded for the simulated turbo roundabout, thus making this scheme more appropriate in terms of operational performances. With regard to safety analysis, the Surrogate Safety Assessment Model (SSAM) is used to collect information on the predicted number of conflicts, the probability, and severity of the potential collisions. The results suggest that, for the specific case study, the safety levels of the standard roundabout and the turbo roundabout are approximately comparable.

scholarly journals A Mineralogical Museum as a Geotourism Attraction: A Case Study

Minerals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 582
Author(s):  
Magner Turner-Carrión ◽  
Paúl Carrión-Mero ◽  
Israel Turner-Salamea ◽  
Fernando Morante-Carballo ◽  
Maribel Aguilar-Aguilar ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Evaluation ◽  
Geological Heritage ◽  
Assessment Model ◽  
Heritage Conservation ◽  
Ex Situ ◽  
Mining District ◽  
Mining Site ◽  
Semiquantitative Evaluation ◽  
Additional Value

The Zaruma-Portovelo mining district in Ecuador, and in particular, Portovelo City, is home to the oldest mining museum in the country. This museum, named Museo Mineralógico Magner Turner (MMMT in Spanish), is a centre that reflects, through its collections, the history and culture of this territory. This work aimed to evaluate the MMMT as a possible geosite by analysing its contributions to the geomining heritage of the Zaruma-Portovelo district, and thus, to enhance it and promote its collections as a geotouristic attraction. The work involved three phases: (i) describing the museum and its surroundings; (ii) a semiquantitative evaluation of the museum using the Brilha method and a geosites assessment model (GAM); and (iii) a qualitative evaluation using the Delphi and SWOT methodologies to define strategies and proposals for museum development. The results obtained by the semiquantitative evaluation of the geosite with the Brilha method reflect high scientific (330/400), educational (380/400) and touristic (365/400) appeal. The applied GAM shows the museum as a geosite with high principal and additional value, placing it in the Z33 field of the global valuation matrix. In addition, the semiquantitative and qualitative evaluation made it possible to describe the importance of the museum and its collections in the development of the area. The study carried out qualified the museum as a mining site with an appropriate valuation, an example of ex-situ geological heritage conservation and a basis for geotourism development.

scholarly journals Evaluation of Safety Degree at Railway Crossings in Order to Achieve Sustainable Traffic Management: A Novel Integrated Fuzzy MCDM Model

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 832
Author(s):  
Aleksandar Blagojević ◽  
Sandra Kasalica ◽  
Željko Stević ◽  
Goran Tričković ◽  
Vesna Pavelkić
Keyword(s):  
Traffic Control ◽  
Traffic Management ◽  
Assessment Model ◽  
Level Crossings ◽  
Fuzzy Matrix ◽  
Sustainable Performance ◽  
Current State ◽  
Criterion Weight ◽  
Railway System ◽  
Criteria Importance

Sustainable traffic system management under conditions of uncertainty and inappropriate road infrastructure is a responsible and complex task. In Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), there is a large number of level crossings which represent potentially risky places in traffic. The current state of level crossings in BiH is a problem of the greatest interest for the railway and a generator of accidents. Accordingly, it is necessary to identify the places that are currently a priority for the adoption of measures and traffic control in order to achieve sustainability of the whole system. In this paper, the Šamac–Doboj railway section and passive level crossings have been considered. Fifteen different criteria were formed and divided into three main groups: safety criteria, road exploitation characteristics, and railway exploitation characteristics. A novel integrated fuzzy FUCOM (full consistency method)—fuzzy PIPRECIA (pivot pairwise relative criteria importance assessment) model was formed to determine the significance of the criteria. When calculating the weight values of the main criteria, the fuzzy Heronian mean operator was used for their averaging. The evaluation of level crossings was performed using fuzzy MARCOS (measurement of alternatives and ranking according to compromise solution). An original integrated fuzzy FUCOM–Fuzzy PIPRECIA–Fuzzy MARCOS model was created as the main contribution of the paper. The results showed that level crossings 42 + 690 (LC4) and LC8 (82 + 291) are the safest considering all 15 criteria. The verification of the results was performed through four phases of sensitivity analysis: resizing of an initial fuzzy matrix, comparative analysis with other fuzzy approaches, simulations of criterion weight values, and calculation of Spearman’s correlation coefficient (SCC). Finally, measures for the sustainable performance of the railway system were proposed.

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