scholarly journals Detecting Classic Maya Settlements with Lidar-Derived Relief Visualizations

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (17) ◽  
pp. 2838 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amy E. Thompson
Keyword(s):  
Agricultural Practices ◽  
Ground Truth ◽  
Classic Maya ◽  
View Factor ◽  
Human Environment ◽  
Archaeological Prospection ◽  
Settlement Systems ◽  
Pedestrian Survey ◽  
Visualization Techniques ◽  
The Impact

In the past decade, Light Detection and Ranging (lidar) has fundamentally changed our ability to remotely detect archaeological features and deepen our understanding of past human-environment interactions, settlement systems, agricultural practices, and monumental constructions. Across archaeological contexts, lidar relief visualization techniques test how local environments impact archaeological prospection. This study used a 132 km2 lidar dataset to assess three relief visualization techniques—sky-view factor (SVF), topographic position index (TPI), and simple local relief model (SLRM)—and object-based image analysis (OBIA) on a slope model for the non-automated visual detection of small hinterland Classic (250–800 CE) Maya settlements near the polities of Uxbenká and Ix Kuku’il in Southern Belize. Pedestrian survey in the study area identified 315 plazuelas across a 35 km2 area; the remaining 90 km2 in the lidar dataset is yet to be surveyed. The previously surveyed plazuelas were compared to the plazuelas visually identified on the TPI and SLRM. In total, an additional 563 new possible plazuelas were visually identified across the lidar dataset, using TPI and SLRM. Larger plazuelas, and especially plazuelas located in disturbed environments, are often more likely to be detected in a visual assessment of the TPI and SLRM. These findings emphasize the extent and density of Classic Maya settlements and highlight the continued need for pedestrian survey to ground-truth remotely identified archaeological features and the impact of modern anthropogenic behaviors for archaeological prospection. Remote sensing and lidar have deepened our understanding of past human settlement systems and low-density urbanism, processes that we experience today as humans residing in modern cities.

Safe development of business and national economy in the face of a pandemic and global recession

2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (6) ◽  
pp. 1182-1198
Author(s):  
I.V. Vyakina
Keyword(s):  
Economic Security ◽  
Global Recession ◽  
Graphical Visualization ◽  
National Economic ◽  
Business Support ◽  
The Face ◽  
The Russian Federation ◽  
Business Entities ◽  
Visualization Techniques ◽  
The Impact

Subject. This article deals with the issues related to the national economic security of the State in today's conditions. Objectives. The article aims to develop a set of special measures for additional business support to reduce the impact of restrictions imposed against the background of quarantine and the pandemic spread, and which would help prevent collapse of business entities. Methods. For the study, I used the methods of theoretical, systems, logical, and comparative analyses, and tabular and graphical visualization techniques. Results. The article proposes possible measures to support business aimed at reducing the costs of business entities due to the restrictions caused by the pandemic, that complement and explain the activities proposed by the President and Government of the Russian Federation, taking into account the regional and municipal levels. Conclusions. The uncertain current situation requires constant adjustment and adaptation of public policy in accordance with specific circumstances. Ensuring the country's economic security and sustainability associates with creation of a business organization system that connects public administration tools and business support and development opportunities under the changed environment.

Overseas Development Administration. A Guide to Social Analysis for Projects in Developing Countries. London: HMSO. 1995. viii+248 pages. Hardbound. £18.95.

1996 ◽  
Vol 35 (2) ◽  
pp. 189-190
Author(s):  
Mir Annice Mahmood
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Social Change ◽  
Practical Experience ◽  
Development Projects ◽  
Social Analysis ◽  
Economic Perspective ◽  
Human Environment ◽  
The Past ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Overseas Development

This book, hereinafter referred to as the Guide, has been developed for those social analysts (e.g., anthropologists, sociologists, and human geographers) who have had little or no practical experience in applying their knowledge as development practitioners. In the past, development projects would be analysed from a narrow financial and economic perspective. But with the evolution of thinking on development, this narrow financial and economic aspect has now been broadened to include the impact on society as the very meaning of development has now come to symbolise social change. Thus, development is not restricted only to plans and figures; the human environment in its entirety is now considered for analysis while designing and implementing development projects.

scholarly journals Improving Sustainability of Smart Cities through Visualization Techniques for Big Data from IoT Devices

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (14) ◽  
pp. 5595 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana Lavalle ◽  
Miguel A. Teruel ◽  
Alejandro Maté ◽  
Juan Trujillo
Keyword(s):  
Big Data ◽  
Smart City ◽  
Smart Cities ◽  
Fire Department ◽  
Heterogeneous Data ◽  
Fire Extinguishing ◽  
Heterogeneous Data Sources ◽  
Iot Devices ◽  
Visualization Techniques ◽  
The Impact

Fostering sustainability is paramount for Smart Cities development. Lately, Smart Cities are benefiting from the rising of Big Data coming from IoT devices, leading to improvements on monitoring and prevention. However, monitoring and prevention processes require visualization techniques as a key component. Indeed, in order to prevent possible hazards (such as fires, leaks, etc.) and optimize their resources, Smart Cities require adequate visualizations that provide insights to decision makers. Nevertheless, visualization of Big Data has always been a challenging issue, especially when such data are originated in real-time. This problem becomes even bigger in Smart City environments since we have to deal with many different groups of users and multiple heterogeneous data sources. Without a proper visualization methodology, complex dashboards including data from different nature are difficult to understand. In order to tackle this issue, we propose a methodology based on visualization techniques for Big Data, aimed at improving the evidence-gathering process by assisting users in the decision making in the context of Smart Cities. Moreover, in order to assess the impact of our proposal, a case study based on service calls for a fire department is presented. In this sense, our findings will be applied to data coming from citizen calls. Thus, the results of this work will contribute to the optimization of resources, namely fire extinguishing battalions, helping to improve their effectiveness and, as a result, the sustainability of a Smart City, operating better with less resources. Finally, in order to evaluate the impact of our proposal, we have performed an experiment, with non-expert users in data visualization.

scholarly journals Assessment of alternative land management practices using hydrological simulation and a decision support tool: Arborea agricultural region, Sardinia

2007 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 1811-1823 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Cau ◽  
C. Paniconi
Keyword(s):  
Decision Support ◽  
Land Management ◽  
Quantitative Methods ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Water Movement ◽  
Agricultural Practices ◽  
Treated Wastewater ◽  
Hydrological Simulation ◽  
Support Tool ◽  
The Impact

Abstract. Quantifying the impact of land use on water supply and quality is a primary focus of environmental management. In this work we apply a semidistributed hydrological model (SWAT) to predict the impact of different land management practices on water and agricultural chemical yield over a long period of time for a study site situated in the Arborea region of central Sardinia, Italy. The physical processes associated with water movement, crop growth, and nutrient cycling are directly modeled by SWAT. The model simulations are used to identify indicators that reflect critical processes related to the integrity and sustainability of the ecosystem. Specifically we focus on stream quality and quantity indicators associated with anthropogenic and natural sources of pollution. A multicriteria decision support system is then used to develop the analysis matrix where water quality and quantity indicators for the rivers, lagoons, and soil are combined with socio-economic variables. The DSS is used to assess four options involving alternative watersheds designated for intensive agriculture and dairy farming and the use or not of treated wastewater for irrigation. Our analysis suggests that of the four options, the most widely acceptable consists in the transfer of intensive agricultural practices to the larger watershed, which is less vulnerable, in tandem with wastewater reuse, which rates highly due to water scarcity in this region of the Mediterranean. More generally, the work demonstrates how both qualitative and quantitative methods and information can assist decision making in complex settings.

scholarly journals A flexible ChIP-sequencing simulation toolkit

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
An Zheng ◽  
Michael Lamkin ◽  
Yutong Qiu ◽  
Kevin Ren ◽  
Alon Goren ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ground Truth ◽  
Peak Calling ◽  
Simulation Framework ◽  
Experimental Conditions ◽  
Ground Truth Data ◽  
Chip Sequencing ◽  
Genome Wide ◽  
Experimental Parameters ◽  
Differential Binding ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background A major challenge in evaluating quantitative ChIP-seq analyses, such as peak calling and differential binding, is a lack of reliable ground truth data. Accurate simulation of ChIP-seq data can mitigate this challenge, but existing frameworks are either too cumbersome to apply genome-wide or unable to model a number of important experimental conditions in ChIP-seq. Results We present ChIPs, a toolkit for rapidly simulating ChIP-seq data using statistical models of key experimental steps. We demonstrate how ChIPs can be used for a range of applications, including benchmarking analysis tools and evaluating the impact of various experimental parameters. ChIPs is implemented as a standalone command-line program written in C++ and is available from https://github.com/gymreklab/chips. Conclusions ChIPs is an efficient ChIP-seq simulation framework that generates realistic datasets over a flexible range of experimental conditions. It can serve as an important component in various ChIP-seq analyses where ground truth data are needed.

Nitrate transport in the chalk vadose zone in in Picardy (France)

2021 ◽  
pp. SP517-2020-164
Author(s):  
N. Surdyk ◽  
L. Gourcy ◽  
V. Bault ◽  
N. Baran
Keyword(s):  
Groundwater Quality ◽  
Vadose Zone ◽  
Nitrate Concentration ◽  
Agricultural Practices ◽  
Nitrate Transport ◽  
Transport Time ◽  
Major Question ◽  
Noticeable Effect ◽  
Fertiliser Application ◽  
The Impact

AbstractSince the 1980s, nitrate has been shown to be present in soils and the vadose zone of various types of geological materials years after fertiliser application. In chalk where the vadose zone is thick, nitrate storage can be considerable and its transport time toward groundwater can be lengthy.In this context, evaluation of the impact of changes in agricultural practices on groundwater quality remains a major question. Improvement of groundwater quality can in certain cases be greatly delayed after the implementation of environmental agricultural practices.The principal objective of this study is to improve our knowledge of when changes in agricultural practices will have a noticeable effect on groundwater quality.To meet this objective, nitrate concentration profiles were performed in agricultural plots in Picardy (France). A crop marker event was used to calculate the transport velocity of water and associated solutes. This method is useful when other tracers (as tritium or chlorine) cannot be used. Estimated velocities range from 0.51 to 0.54 m/year; these values are similar to those described in similar chalk aquifers.

scholarly journals Can land use changes alter carbon, nitrogen and major ion transport in subtropical brazilian streams?

2007 ◽  
Vol 64 (4) ◽  
pp. 317-324 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniela Mariano Lopes da Silva ◽  
Jean Pierre Henry Balbaud Ometto ◽  
Gré de Araújo Lobo ◽  
Walter de Paula Lima ◽  
Marcos Augusto Scaranello ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Sugar Cane ◽  
Dissolved Inorganic Carbon ◽  
Comprehensive Evaluation ◽  
Land Use Changes ◽  
Agricultural Practices ◽  
Major Ion ◽  
Se Brazil ◽  
Tropical Watersheds ◽  
The Impact

Several studies in tropical watersheds have evaluated the impact of urbanization and agricultural practices on water quality. In Brazil, savannas (known regionally as Cerrados) represent 23% of the country's surface, representing an important share to the national primary growth product, especially due to intense agriculture. The purpose of this study is to present a comprehensive evaluation, on a yearly basis, of carbon, nitrogen and major ion fluxes in streams crossing areas under different land use (natural vegetation, sugar cane and eucalyptus) in a savanna region of SE Brazil. Eucalyptus and sugar cane alter the transport of the investigated elements in small watersheds. The highest concentration of all parameters (abiotic parameters, ions, dissolved organic carbon DOC - and dissolved inorganic carbon - DIC) were found in Sugar Cane Watersheds (SCW). The observed concentrations of major cations in Eucalyptus Watersheds (EW) (Mg, Ca, K, Na), as well as DIN and DOC, were found frequently to be intermediate values between those of Savanna Watersheds (SW) and SCW, suggesting a moderate impact of eucalyptus plantations on the streamwater. Same trends were found in relation to ion and nutrient fluxes, where the higher values corresponded to SCW. It is suggested that sugar cane plantations might be playing an important role in altering the chemistry of water bodies.

scholarly journals Impact of ASAR soil moisture data on the MM5 precipitation forecast for the Tanaro flood event of April 2009

2011 ◽  
Vol 11 (12) ◽  
pp. 3135-3149 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Panegrossi ◽  
R. Ferretti ◽  
L. Pulvirenti ◽  
N. Pierdicca
Keyword(s):  
Soil Moisture ◽  
High Resolution ◽  
Land Surface ◽  
Ground Truth ◽  
Rain Gauge ◽  
Precipitation Forecast ◽  
Flood Event ◽  
Strong Impact ◽  
Moisture Field ◽  
The Impact

Abstract. The representation of land-atmosphere interactions in weather forecast models has a strong impact on the Planetary Boundary Layer (PBL) and, in turn, on the forecast. Soil moisture is one of the key variables in land surface modelling, and an inadequate initial soil moisture field can introduce major biases in the surface heat and moisture fluxes and have a long-lasting effect on the model behaviour. Detecting the variability of soil characteristics at small scales is particularly important in mesoscale models because of the continued increase of their spatial resolution. In this paper, the high resolution soil moisture field derived from ENVISAT/ASAR observations is used to derive the soil moisture initial condition for the MM5 simulation of the Tanaro flood event of April 2009. The ASAR-derived soil moisture field shows significantly drier conditions compared to the ECMWF analysis. The impact of soil moisture on the forecast has been evaluated in terms of predicted precipitation and rain gauge data available for this event have been used as ground truth. The use of the drier, highly resolved soil moisture content (SMC) shows a significant impact on the precipitation forecast, particularly evident during the early phase of the event. The timing of the onset of the precipitation, as well as the intensity of rainfall and the location of rain/no rain areas, are better predicted. The overall accuracy of the forecast using ASAR SMC data is significantly increased during the first 30 h of simulation. The impact of initial SMC on the precipitation has been related to the change in the water vapour field in the PBL prior to the onset of the precipitation, due to surface evaporation. This study represents a first attempt to establish whether high resolution SAR-based SMC data might be useful for operational use, in anticipation of the launch of the Sentinel-1 satellite.

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