Highway Vulnerability Assessment: A Guide for State Departments of Transportation

2003 ◽  
Vol 1827 (1) ◽  
pp. 55-62 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shahed Rowshan ◽  
Michael C. Smith ◽  
Stephen J. Krill ◽  
Jennifer E. Seplow ◽  
William C. Sauntry
Keyword(s):  
Vulnerability Assessment ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Planning Stage ◽  
Midlevel Managers ◽  
Straightforward Method ◽  
Vulnerability Assessments ◽  
Highway Transportation ◽  
Assessment Plans ◽  
Physical Assets ◽  
Departments Of Transportation

A methodology is provided for state departments of transportation (DOTs) to conduct vulnerability assessments of their highway assets. This tool allows state DOTs to assess the vulnerability of their physical assets, such as bridges and tunnels; to develop possible countermeasures to deter, detect, and delay the consequences of terrorist threats; to estimate the capital and operating costs of such countermeasures; and to improve security operational planning. The audience for this methodology is broad—from senior officials involved in the initial planning stage of the process, to midlevel managers charged with developing the assessment plans and procedures, to field personnel. The state DOTs must organize and manage a multidisciplinary team whose members have a working knowledge of the department’s mission, its critical assets, and its policies, plans, and procedures. The methodology involves six steps for conducting a vulnerability assessment of highway transportation assets. They provide a straightforward method for examining critical assets and identifying cost-effective countermeasures to guard against terrorism. The criteria used in selecting the preferred approaches include availability, accessibility, transparency, replicability, reasonableness, scalability, robustness, costeffectiveness, and modularity.

scholarly journals BUDGETING IN INDUSTRIAL ENTERPRISES

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ya. Samusevych ◽  
A. Temchenko
Keyword(s):  
Financial Planning ◽  
Financial Management ◽  
Planning Process ◽  
Minimum Cost ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Planning Stage ◽  
Industrial Enterprises ◽  
Planning And Control ◽  
Rational Organization ◽  
Internal And External Factors

The key to successful and cost-effective activities of enterprises is the rational organization of the planning process, which concerns financial indicators and involves writing budgets. The article summarizes the theoretical and practical aspects of the organization and implementation of budgeting in industrial enterprises. The study of approaches of different scholars to the interpretation of the essence of the concept of budgeting allowed defining it as a complex economic process of the management cycle. It is developed at the discretion of the enterprise by determining the amount and composition of the costs of individual units of the entity and ensuring coverage of these costs by the resources of the enterprise to achieve the ultimate goal of the entity – to obtain maximum profit at minimum cost, taking into account both internal and external factors. The role of budgeting for industrial enterprises, its main purpose, the list of entities involved in budgeting, as well as the fundamental criteria for budgeting were clarified. Based on the generalization of a number of the most important criteria for the company, the possible types of budgets as well as their advantages and specifics of use depending on the objectives of the entity were generalized and described. The analysis of the basic stages of budgeting which are carried out in the course of activity of the is enterprise carried out, terms of writing and representation of budgets on an example of the monthly, quarterly and annual financial period are considered. It is determined that the budgeting system is a tool of internal financial planning and control, which significantly increases the efficiency of financial management of the enterprise, preventing the irrational use of financial resources both at the planning stage and at the stage of control over their use. Given the lack of established norms and rules for budgeting in the enterprise, optimizing the organization of the budgeting process and the effectiveness of financial planning are the tasks of the internal system of corporate governance.

scholarly journals Groundwater vulnerability assessment to pollution in Kasihan, Bantul Regency: A comparative method study (GOD, SINTACS and DRASTIC)

2020 ◽  
Vol 200 ◽  
pp. 02012
Author(s):  
Ignasius Loyola Setyawan Purnama ◽  
Vincentia Anindha Primacintya
Keyword(s):  
Groundwater Level ◽  
Vulnerability Assessment ◽  
Rock Type ◽  
Comparative Method ◽  
Groundwater Vulnerability ◽  
Vulnerability Index ◽  
Vulnerability Assessments ◽  
Drastic Method ◽  
Groundwater Vulnerability Assessment ◽  
Aquifer Type

Groundwater vulnerability to pollution refers to the ease with which pollutants reach groundwater, in other words indicating the level of ease of an area to experience pollution. At present, the theme is one of the themes that attracts many researchers because pollution is more frequent in an area. The purpose of this study is to assess groundwater vulnerability in the study area for pollution using the GOD method and conduct a study of 3 groundwater vulnerability assessments, to determine the most appropriate assessment to be applied in the study area. The method used to determine groundwater vulnerability to pollution is GOD, which uses three parameters to assess the vulnerability of groundwater, namely aquifer type, rock type above aquifer and groundwater level. Furthermore, the results of the vulnerability assessment using the GOD method are compared with the vulnerability assessment according to the SINTACS and DRASTIC methods that have been carried out before in this area. The results showed that the variation of groundwater vulnerability index values in the study area according to the GOD method was from 0.35 to 0.63. Locations that are classified as medium vulnerability are generally located in the limestone Sentolo Formation, while locations that are classified as high vulnerability class are located in the volcanic rock of Yogyakarta Formation. Noting the results of determining groundwater vulnerability from the three methods, it can be said that the three methods are suitable for assessing groundwater vulnerability in the study area. However, looking at the distribution pattern of the level of pollution, the DRASTIC method can provide more detailed results related to the level of vulnerability.

scholarly journals Progress in Climate–Agricultural Vulnerability Assessment in Nigeria

Atmosphere ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 190
Author(s):  
Robert Ugochukwu Onyeneke ◽  
Chukwuemeka Chinonso Emenekwe ◽  
Jane Onuabuchi Munonye ◽  
Chinyere Augusta Nwajiuba ◽  
Uwazie Iyke Uwazie ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Systematic Review ◽  
Vulnerability Assessment ◽  
Agricultural Sector ◽  
Linear Trend ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Climatic Data ◽  
Smallholder Farming ◽  
Vulnerability Assessments ◽  
The Impact

An in-depth understanding of the impact of vulnerability on livelihoods and food security is important in deploying effective adaptation actions. The Nigerian agricultural sector is dominated by rainfed and non-homogenous smallholder farming systems. A number of climate change risk studies have emerged in the last decade. However, little attention has been given to vulnerability assessments and the operationalization of vulnerability. To highlight this shortcoming, this study systematically reviewed climate-change-focused vulnerability assessments in the agricultural sector by evaluating (1) variation in climate variables in Nigeria over time; (2) the state of climate change vulnerability assessment in Nigerian agriculture; (3) the theoretical foundations, operationalization approaches, and frameworks of vulnerability assessments in Nigeria; (4) the methods currently used in vulnerability assessments; and (5) lessons learned from the vulnerability studies. We used a linear trend of climatic data spanning over a period of 56 years (1961–2016) obtained from the Nigerian Meteorological Agency and the Climate Research Unit of the University of East Anglia, United Kingdom, along with a systematic review of literature to achieve the objectives. The analysis indicates a significant and positive correlation between temperature and time in all major agro-ecological zones. For precipitation, we found a non-significant correlation between precipitation in the Sahel, Sudan, and Guinea Savanna zones with time, while the other zones recorded positive but significant associations between precipitation and time. The systematic review findings indicate no clear progress in publications focused specifically on vulnerability assessments in the Nigerian agricultural sector. There has been progress recently in applying frameworks and methods. However, there are important issues that require addressing in vulnerability assessments, including low consideration for indigenous knowledge and experience, unclear operationalization of vulnerability, non-standardization of vulnerability measures, and inadequacy of current assessments supporting decision making.

Cost-effective straightforward method for captured whole mitogenome sequencing of ancient DNA

2021 ◽  
Vol 319 ◽  
pp. 110638
Author(s):  
Anna Senovska ◽  
Eva Drozdova ◽  
Ondrej Vaculik ◽  
Filip Pardy ◽  
Kristyna Brzobohata ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ancient Dna ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Straightforward Method

Application Research on the Coupled Human-Environment Ecosystem Vulnerability Assessment in Different Spatial and Temporal Scales

2014 ◽  
Vol 535 ◽  
pp. 255-265
Author(s):  
Jia Lin Ni ◽  
Ling Cai ◽  
Jing Keng Wang
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Scale ◽  
Vulnerability Assessment ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Natural Ecosystem ◽  
Application Research ◽  
Human Environment ◽  
Spatial And Temporal Scales ◽  
Multi Scale ◽  
Ecosystem Vulnerability ◽  
Vulnerability Assessments

Researches and application of ecosystem vulnerability are effective ways to guide and solve the problems of global climate change and environment sustainable development. Studies on the vulnerability assessment of coupled human-environment ecosystem under multi-scale cross become a new hot issue of vulnerability research. In this paper, different ecosystem vulnerability assessments methods of natural ecosystem, social-economic system and coupled human-environment ecosystem were systemized, the advantages of the vulnerability of the coupled human-environment ecosystem assessment were analyzed. Respectively, the types according to different interferences and scales of the coupled human-environment ecosystem were classified: on time scale, the interferences was divided into sudden and cumulative two types, and in spatial scale, the ecosystem was divided into three types: macro, meso and micro. The assessment and application of different types of interferences correspond with ecological fragility in different spatial scale were also illustrated. Finally, the insufficient of coupled ecosystem vulnerability assessment in present researches was summarized.

scholarly journals Challenges and Prospects of Evaluation of Programs in Public Finance Management in Georgia

2019 ◽  
pp. 54-60
Author(s):  
D. Oboladze ◽  
R. Otinashvili
Keyword(s):  
Public Finance ◽  
Public Sector ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Program Assessment ◽  
Successful Implementation ◽  
Planning Stage ◽  
Management Reform ◽  
The Public ◽  
Finance Management ◽  
Policy Paper

The establishment of a program assessment mechanism in the public sector of Georgia is an important element for supporting the ongoing public finance management reform and improving the budgeting process as well as enhancing the budget planning stage and ensuring the efficient, productive and prudent management of budgetary means. The present paper discusses the problem of the absence of a program assessment mechanism in the public sector, reviews alternative solutions to the problem and, by applying a cost-effective method, analyzes the best alternative. This best alternative envisages the establishment of a centralized structural unit at the Ministry of Finance which will be responsible for the assessment of the programs/subprograms of ministries/budgetary organizations. The concluding part of the policy paper offers those measures and reforms in the form of recommendations which must be undertaken for the successful implementation of the best alternative.

scholarly journals 3D DOCUMENTATION AND BIM MODELING OF CULTURAL HERITAGE STRUCTURES USING UAVS: THE CASE OF THE FOINIKARIA CHURCH

2016 ◽  
Vol XLII-2/W2 ◽  
pp. 45-49 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Themistocleous ◽  
A. Agapiou ◽  
D. Hadjimitsis
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Heritage ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
3D Models ◽  
Building Information Model ◽  
Heritage Sites ◽  
Innovative Methods ◽  
Straightforward Method ◽  
Cost Effective Method ◽  
Building Information ◽  
The Church

The documentation of architectural cultural heritage sites has traditionally been expensive and labor-intensive. New innovative technologies, such as Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), provide an affordable, reliable and straightforward method of capturing cultural heritage sites, thereby providing a more efficient and sustainable approach to documentation of cultural heritage structures. In this study, hundreds of images of the Panagia Chryseleousa church in Foinikaria, Cyprus were taken using a UAV with an attached high resolution camera. The images were processed to generate an accurate digital 3D model by using Structure in Motion techniques. Building Information Model (BIM) was then used to generate drawings of the church. The methodology described in the paper provides an accurate, simple and cost-effective method of documenting cultural heritage sites and generating digital 3D models using novel techniques and innovative methods.

scholarly journals Determining Cost-Effective Policy for Visibility of Overhead Guide Signs on Highways

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammed Said Obeidat ◽  
Margaret J. Rys ◽  
Eugene R. Russell ◽  
Aditya Gund
Keyword(s):  
Cost Analysis ◽  
Light Source ◽  
High Intensity ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Led Light ◽  
Effective Policy ◽  
Departments Of Transportation

Overhead guide sign visibility on highway, can be achieved either by illumination or by using retroreflective sheeting. Two surveys were sent to all U.S. departments of transportation, to determine the states’ policies for increasing overhead guide sign visibility. Results showed that 57% of states currently illuminate guide signs, and the most used retroreflective sheeting by states that do not illuminate signs is Diamond Grade for legend and High Intensity for background. Based on cost analysis, the LED light source and the High Intensity (types III and IV) retroreflective sheeting are the most cost-effective methods for increasing guide signs visibility.

scholarly journals Controlling critical mistag-associated false discoveries in metagenetic data

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rodney T Richardson
Keyword(s):  
Latin Square ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Environmental Research ◽  
Strongly Correlated ◽  
Straightforward Method ◽  
Cost Effective Approach ◽  
And Control ◽  
False Discoveries ◽  
Binomial Process ◽  
Index Combination

Metagenetic methods are commonplace within ecological and environmental research. One concern with these methods is the phenomenon of critical mistagging, where sequences from one sample are erroneously inferred to have originated from another sample due to errors in the attachment, PCR replication or sequencing of sample-specific dual-index tags. For studies using PCR-based library preparation on large sample sizes, the most cost-effective approach to limiting mistag-associated false detections involves using an unsaturated Latin square dual-indexing design. This allows researchers to estimate mistagging rates during sequencing but the statistical procedures for filtering out detections using this mistag rate have received little attention. We propose a straightforward method to limit mistag-associated false discoveries during metabarcoding applications. We analyzed two Illumina metabarcoding datasets produced using unsaturated Latin square designs to explore the distribution of mistagged sequences across dual-index combinations on a per taxon basis. We tested these data for conformity to the assumptions that 1) mistagging follows a binomial distribution [i.e., X ~ B(n, p)] where p, the probability of a sequence being mistagged, varies minimally across taxa and 2) mistags are distributed uniformly across dual-index combinations. We provide R functions that estimate the 95th percentile of expected mistags per dual-index combination for each taxon under these assumptions. We show that mistagging rates were consistent across taxa within the datasets analyzed and that modelling mistagging as a binomial process with uniform distribution across dual-index combinations enabled robust control of mistag-associated false discoveries. We propose that this method of taxon-specific filtering of detections based on the maximum mistags expected per dual-index combination should be broadly accepted during metagenetic analysis, provided that experimental and control sequence abundances per taxon are strongly correlated. When this assumption is violated, data may be better fit by assuming that the distribution of mistags across combinations follows Poisson characteristics [i.e., X ~ Pois(𝜆)], with 𝜆 empirically estimated from the abundance distribution of mistags among control samples. We provide a second R function for this case, though we have yet to observe such a dataset. Both functions and demonstrations associated with this work are freely available at https://github.com/RTRichar/ModellingCriticalMistags.

Integration of Spatial Point Features with Linear Referencing Methods

2003 ◽  
Vol 1836 (1) ◽  
pp. 102-110 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shauna L. Hallmark ◽  
William G. Schuman ◽  
Steven W. Kadolph ◽  
Reginald Souleyrette
Keyword(s):  
Data Storage ◽  
Spatial Data ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Accurate Method ◽  
Global Positioning ◽  
Lateral Offset ◽  
Departments Of Transportation ◽  
Transportation Agencies ◽  
Offset Error

The Global Positioning System (GPS) offers a cost-effective and accurate method for inputting, updating, and analyzing spatial data. However, many data-storage and reporting methods at state departments of transportation and other transportation agencies rely on linear referencing methods (LRMs) for managing transportation data. Consequently, GPS data must be able to coexist with linear referencing systems (LRSs). Unfortunately, the two systems are fundamentally different in the way they collect, integrate, and manipulate data. For spatial data collected with GPS to be integrated into an LRS or shared among LRMs, several issues must be addressed. Various issues are discussed for integrating point features from a typical inventory system with an LRM or between LRMs, including two- or three-dimensional GPS to one-dimensional LRM, linear offset error, lateral offset error, matching to the wrong segment, and locating points between LRMs.

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