scholarly journals A webGIS Application to Assess Seawater Quality: A Case Study in a Coastal Area in the Northern Aegean Sea

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 33
Author(s):  
Dimitra Kitsiou ◽  
Anastasia Patera ◽  
George Tsegas ◽  
Theodoros Nitis

The assessment of seawater quality in coastal areas is an important issue as it is related to the welfare of coastal ecosystems, a prerequisite for the provision of the related ecosystem services. During the last decades, marine eutrophication has become an important problem in coastal waters as a result of nutrient inputs increase. Consequently, there is need for appropriate methods and tools to assess the eutrophication status of seawater which should be user-friendly to coastal managers and support the adoption of effective plans for the protection and sustainable development of the coastal environment. In this framework, a user-friendly webGIS application has been developed and the Strait of Mytilene at the southeastern part of the Island of Lesvos in the NE Aegean Sea, Greece, was used as a case study. The methodology includes, as a first step, the evaluation of the accuracy of spatial interpolators widely applied in oceanographic studies for assessing the spatial distribution of relevant variables. The most appropriate interpolator revealed for each variable is subsequently applied for the production of the representative thematic layer. The second step involves the integration of the information from the optimal thematic layers representing the spatial distributions of the variables under study; as a result, a new thematic layer illustrating the eutrophication status of the study area is produced. The webGIS application is fully available via a web browser and provides a number of geoprocessing modules developed in Python which implement the user interface, the application of the interpolation analytical tasks, the statistical evaluation toolset and the integration of the optimal interpolated layers. Suggestions for further improvement of the proposed webGIS application are discussed.

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (12) ◽  
pp. e0262145
Author(s):  
Olatunji Johnson ◽  
Claudio Fronterre ◽  
Peter J. Diggle ◽  
Benjamin Amoah ◽  
Emanuele Giorgi

User-friendly interfaces have been increasingly used to facilitate the learning of advanced statistical methodology, especially for students with only minimal statistical training. In this paper, we illustrate the use of MBGapp for teaching geostatistical analysis to population health scientists. Using a case-study on Loa loa infections, we show how MBGapp can be used to teach the different stages of a geostatistical analysis in a more interactive fashion. For wider accessibility and usability, MBGapp is available as an R package and as a Shiny web-application that can be freely accessed on any web browser. In addition to MBGapp, we also present an auxiliary Shiny app, called VariagramApp, that can be used to aid the teaching of Gaussian processes in one and two dimensions using simulations.


2016 ◽  
Vol 167 (5) ◽  
pp. 294-301
Author(s):  
Leo Bont

Optimal layout of a forest road network The road network is the backbone of forest management. When creating or redesigning a forest road network, one important question is how to shape the layout, this means to fix the spatial arrangement and the dimensioning standard of the roads. We consider two kinds of layout problems. First, new forest road network in an area without any such development yet, and second, redesign of existing road network for actual requirements. For each problem situation, we will present a method that allows to detect automatically the optimal road and harvesting layout. The method aims to identify a road network that concurrently minimizes the harvesting cost, the road network cost (construction and maintenance) and the hauling cost over the entire life cycle. Ecological issues can be considered as well. The method will be presented and discussed with the help of two case studies. The main benefit of the application of optimization tools consists in an objective-based planning, which allows to check and compare different scenarios and objectives within a short time. The responses coming from the case study regions were highly positive: practitioners suggest to make those methods a standard practice and to further develop the prototype to a user-friendly expert software.


2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 67-71
Author(s):  
Herru Darmadi ◽  
Yan Fi ◽  
Hady Pranoto

Learning Object (LO) is a representation of interactive content that are used to enrich e-learning activities. The goals of this case study were to evaluate accessibility and compatibility factors from learning objects that were produced by using BINUS E-learning Authoring Tool. Data were compiled by using experiment to 30 learning objects by using stratified random sampling from seven faculties in undergraduate program. Data were analyzed using accessibility and compatibility tests based on Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 Level A. Results of the analysis for accessibility and compatibility tests of Learning Objects was 90% better than average. The result shows that learning objects is fully compatible with major web browser. This paper also presents five accessibility problems found during the test and provide recommendation to overcome the related problems. It can be concluded that the learning objects that were produced using BINUS E-learning Authoring Tool have a high compatibility, with minor accessibility problems. Learning objects with a good accessibility and compatibility will be beneficial to all learner with or without disabilities during their learning process. Index Terms—accessibility, compatibility, HTML, learning object, WCAG2.0, web


Author(s):  
Yorick Bernardus Cornelis van de Grift ◽  
Nika Heijmans ◽  
Renée van Amerongen

AbstractAn increasing number of ‘-omics’ datasets, generated by labs all across the world, are becoming available. They contain a wealth of data that are largely unexplored. Not every scientist, however, will have access to the required resources and expertise to analyze such data from scratch. Fortunately, a growing number of investigators is dedicating their time and effort to the development of user friendly, online applications that allow researchers to use and investigate these datasets. Here, we will illustrate the usefulness of such an approach. Using regulation of Wnt7b expression as an example, we will highlight a selection of accessible tools and resources that are available to researchers in the area of mammary gland biology. We show how they can be used for in silico analyses of gene regulatory mechanisms, resulting in new hypotheses and providing leads for experimental follow up. We also call out to the mammary gland community to join forces in a coordinated effort to generate and share additional tissue-specific ‘-omics’ datasets and thereby expand the in silico toolbox.


Geoheritage ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 317-327 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nickolas Zouros ◽  
Spyros Pavlides ◽  
Nikolaos Soulakellis ◽  
Alexandros Chatzipetros ◽  
Katerina Vasileiadou ◽  
...  

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrizia Serra ◽  
Gianfranco Fancello

Abstract Performance assessment is a fundamental tool to successfully monitor and manage logistics and transport systems. In the field of Short Sea Shipping (SSS), the performance of the various maritime initiatives should be analyzed to assess the best way to achieve efficiency and guide related policies. This study proposes a quantitative methodology which can serve as a decision-support tool in the preliminary assessment and comparison of alternative SSS networks. The research is executed via a Mediterranean case study that compares a hypothetical Mediterranean ro-ro SSS network developed in the framework of a past Euro-Mediterranean cooperation project with the network of existing ro-ro liner services operating in the area. Performance benchmarking of the two networks is performed using a set of quantitative Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and applying a factor-cluster analysis to produce homogeneous clusters of services based on the relevant variables while accounting for sample heterogeneity. Quantitative results mostly confirm the overall better performance of the prospective network and demonstrate that using KPIs and factor-cluster analysis to investigate the performance of maritime networks can provide policymakers with a preliminary wealth of knowledge that can help in setting targeted policy for SSS-oriented initiatives.


2021 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cody Ising ◽  
Pedro Rodriguez ◽  
Daniel Lopez ◽  
Jeffrey Santner

In combustion chemistry experiments, reaction rates are often extracted from complex experiments using detailed models. To aid in this process, experiments are performed such that measurable quantities, such as species concentrations, flame speed, and ignition delay, are sensitive to reaction rates of interest. In this work, a systematic method for determining such sensitized experimental conditions is demonstrated. An open-source python script was created using the Cantera module to simulate thousands of 0D and hundreds of 1D combustion chemistry experiments in parallel across a broad, user-defined range of mixture conditions. The results of the simulation are post-processed to normalize and compare sensitivity values among reactions and across initial conditions for time-varying and steady-state simulations, in order to determine the “most useful” experimental conditions. This software can be utilized by researchers as a fast, user-friendly screening tool to determine the thermodynamic and mixture parameters for an experimental campaign. We demonstrate this software through two case studies comparing results of the 0D script against a shock tube experiment and results of the 1D script against a spherical flame experiment. In the shock tube case study we present mixture conditions compared to those used in the literature to study H + O2 (+M)→HO2(+M). In the flame case study, we present mixture conditions compared to those in the literature to study formyl radical (HCO) decomposition and oxidation reactions. The systematically determined experimental conditions identified in the present work are similar to the conditions chosen in the literature.


Author(s):  
Patriarca Riccardo ◽  
Del Pinto Gianluca ◽  
Di Gravio Giulio ◽  
Costantino Francesco

Due to the inherent complexity of nowadays Air Traffic Management (ATM) system, standard methods looking at an event as a linear sequence of failures might become inappropriate. For this purpose, adopting a systemic perspective, the Functional Resonance Analysis Method (FRAM) originally developed by Hollnagel, helps in identifying nonlinear combinations of events and interrelationships. This paper aims to enhance the strength of FRAM-based accident analyses, discussing the Resilience Analysis Matrix (RAM), a user-friendly tool that supports the analyst during the analysis, in order to reduce the complexity of representation of FRAM. The RAM offers a two-dimensional representation which systematically highlights the connections among couplings, and thus even the highly connected group of couplings. As an illustrative case study, this paper develops a systemic accident analysis for the runway incursion happened in February 1991 at LAX airport, involving SkyWest Flight 5569 and USAir Flight 1493. FRAM confirms itself a powerful method to characterize the variability of the operational scenario, identifying the dynamic couplings with a critical role during the event and helping in discussing the systemic effects of variability at different level of analysis.


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