scholarly journals An Open Source Approach for Near-Real Time Mapping of Oil Spills along the Mediterranean Coast of Egypt

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (14) ◽  
pp. 2733
Author(s):  
Islam Abou El-Magd ◽  
Mohamed Zakzouk ◽  
Elham M. Ali ◽  
Abdulaziz M. Abdulaziz
Keyword(s):  
Open Source ◽  
Real Time ◽  
Oil Spills ◽  
Oil Pollution ◽  
City Council ◽  
Suez Canal ◽  
Data Availability ◽  
Sar Data ◽  
Port Said ◽  
The City

Oil pollution is one of the major critical risks to the Egypt’s marine environment due to the heavy traffic caused by shipping in the Suez Canal and the exploration and production of crude oil. Indeed, such frequent oil pollution cases harm to the marine ecosystem and creates pressure on the socio-economic activities within the coastal economic zone of Egypt. Limited data availability creates obstacles to the precise monitoring of oil pollution and the ability to alert the environment agency to take any necessary actions. This research explored the potentiality of developing an open-source model with the use of open-access Sentinel 1 Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data from the European Space Agency to operationally monitor oil pollution at near-real time. As such, early detection and quantification of the volume of pollution creates an early warning system that supports decision makers in clean-up operations and the prosecution of the polluter. The developed model uses an open-source GIS system and Sentinel-1 SAR data to robustly detect and map oil spills and create an a report to alert the appropriate agency of the spill. The model examined a large amount of data, nearly 2000 scenes from the Sentinel 1 SAR sensor, that cover the area of study from 2014 to 2020. The model detected approximately 218 oil pollution cases within this time frame, with about 35% occurring in 2017 alone. The statistical analysis and frequency of oil pollution is mapped near the entrance of Suez Canal and the city of Port Said. This area is known as the anchoring area for the maritime ships that travel via the Suez Canal, and there are also oil and gas production nearby. It was found that the drift direction of the oil spills near Port Said move southwards, which creates a hazard for local fishing activities, Port Said touristic beaches, and marine ports. This model is the scientific and practical solution for the city council and the environmental agency to continuously monitor and receive alerts regarding any oil pollution cases in order to protect the coastal and marine socio-economic ecosystem and maintain sustainability.

scholarly journals The Potentiality of Operational Mapping of Oil Pollution in the Mediterranean Sea near the Entrance of the Suez Canal Using Sentinel-1 SAR Data

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (8) ◽  
pp. 1352 ◽  
Author(s):  
Islam Abou El-Magd ◽  
Mohamed Zakzouk ◽  
Abdulaziz M. Abdulaziz ◽  
Elham M. Ali
Keyword(s):  
Oil Spills ◽  
Oil Pollution ◽  
Marine Ecosystem ◽  
Weather Conditions ◽  
Suez Canal ◽  
Volume Estimation ◽  
Dark Spot ◽  
Potential Hazard ◽  
Ship Traffic ◽  
Port Said

The Suez Canal, being a main international maritime shipping route, experiences heavy ship traffic with probable illegal oil discharges. Oil pollution is harming the marine ecosystem and creates pressure on the coastal socio-economic activities particularly at Port Said city (the area of study). It is anticipated that the damage of oil spills is not only during the event but it extends for a long time and normally requires more effort to remediate and recover the environment. Hence, early detection and volume estimation of these spills is the first and most important step for a successful clean-up operation. This study is the first to use Sentinel-1 space-borne Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) images for oil spill detection and mapping over the north entrance of the Suez Canal aiming to enable operational monitoring. SAR sensors are able to capture images day and night and are not affected by weather conditions. In addition, they have a wide swath that covers large geographical areas for possible oil spills. The present study examines a large amount of data (800 scenes of sentinel 1) for the study area over a period of five years from 2014 till 2019 which resulted in the detection of more than 20 events of oil pollution. The detection model is based on the quantitative analysis of the dark spot of the radar backscatter of oil spills. The largest case covered nearly 26 km2 of seawater. The spill drift direction in the area of spills indicated potential hazard on fishing activities, Port Said beaches and ports. This study can be the base for continuously monitoring and alarming pollution cases in the Canal area which is important for environmental agencies, decision-makers, and beneficiaries for coastal and marine socio-economic sustainability.

AUTOMATED SYSTEM FOR NEAR-REAL TIME PREDICTION OF OIL SPILLS FROM EU SATELLITE-BASED DETECTION SERVICE

2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 (1) ◽  
pp. 1574-1593 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rodrigo Fernandes ◽  
Francisco Campuzano ◽  
David Brito ◽  
Manuela Juliano ◽  
Frank Braunschweig ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Real Time ◽  
Oil Spill ◽  
Hazard Assessment ◽  
Situational Awareness ◽  
Oil Spills ◽  
Oil Pollution ◽  
Warning System ◽  
Pollution Source ◽  
Google Earth ◽  
Automated System

ABSTRACT 2017-244: The state-of-the-art in both operational oceanography, remote sensing, and computational capacity, enables now the possibility of developing near-real time, holistic automated services capable of dramatically improving maritime situational awareness to responding to oil spill emergencies. Based on the European satellite-based oil spill and vessel detection service – CleanSeaNet (EMSA – European Maritime Safety Agency), which distributes oil pollution detection standardized notification packages in less than 30 minutes, a new automated early warning system (EWS) for near-real time modelling and prediction of the detected oil spills was developed. This EWS provides 48-hour oil spill forecasts + 24-hour backward simulations, delivering results 5–10 minutes after the reception of the oil spill detection notifications. These forecasts are then distributed in multiple formats and platforms (e.g. Google Earth, e-mail). The oil spill fate and behaviour model used in this EWS is part of MOHID modelling system, and is coupled offline with metocean forecast solutions, taking advantage of autonomous models previously run in multiple institutions. The system is currently able to integrate various metocean forecasting systems, being agnostic about the data sources and applied locations, as long as their outputs comply with commonly adopted formats, including CF compliant files or CMEMS (Copernicus Marine Environment Monitoring Service). The EWS is currently operational in western Iberia, supporting Portuguese Maritime Authority, and is being expanded to neighbourhood regions (from Spain and Morocco) with high resolution metocean models (MARPOCS project funded by European Union Humanitarian Aid & Civil Protection). Taking advantage of the coupling of MOHID oil spill model and CleanSeaNet, an oil spill hazard assessment is made in the Portuguese continental coast, based on the cumulative analysis of drift model simulations from previously detected spills using metocean model data, for a period between 2011–2016. Although this EWS doesn’t replace on-demand operational oil spill forecasting systems, it supports maritime authorities with a fast first-guess forecast solution, allowing:Anticipation of tactical response (including visual inspection of the spill) and mitigation of the pollution episode;A more effective identification of the pollution source, and in case of suspected illegal spill, earlier actions towards effective prosecution of the polluter;In the other hand, the hazard assessment generated is a valuable instrument for the development of efficient planning and prevention strategies. The EWS can be connected to any satellite-based detection service (inside or outside Europe) as long as the detected oil slicks are automatically distributed in a structured and standardized data format similar to CleanSeaNet.

scholarly journals Computation of backwater effects in low lying (marshland) catchments – a re-usable and efficient method in an open source hydrological model

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandra Hellmers ◽  
Christoph Sauer ◽  
Peter Fröhle
Keyword(s):  
Numerical Modelling ◽  
Open Source ◽  
Real Time ◽  
Open Source Software ◽  
Efficient Method ◽  
Hydrological Model ◽  
Flood Routing ◽  
Data Availability ◽  
Time Step ◽  
Numerical Approaches

<p>An efficient method to solve a significant weakness in hydrological modelling to compute backwater effects in low lying catchments is presented. The re-usable and transferable method is implemented in the open source software KalypsoNA (KalypsoHydrology) and validated with results of a tidal influenced low lying catchment study. <br>Especially in low lying (marshy) catchments, the pressure on current storm water drainage systems raises due to combined impacts of enlarged urbanisation on the one hand and mean sea level rise and heavy storm events on the other hand. Models are applied to analyse and assess the resulting consequences by these impacts on the flood routing along a stream using different hydrological approaches: (i) pure black box (namely empirical, lumped), (ii) hydrological conceptual or (iii) hydrodynamic-numerical approaches. The computation of flow depths, velocities and backwater effects in streams as well as on forelands are not yet modelled with hydrological approaches, but using simplified hydrodynamic-numerical approaches. A requirement for accurate hydrodynamic-numerical modelling is high resolution data of the topography of the main channel and the flood plain in case of bank overflow. Hence, the availability of suitable detailed profile data from measurements is crucial for hydrodynamic-numerical modelling. The comparatively long computing time for hydrodynamic-numerical model simulations is no limitation for answering special research questions, but it poses a limitation in real-time operational application and for meso to regional scale catchment modelling (>100 km<sup>2</sup>). <br>To resolve the shortcomings in hydrological approaches to model water depths and backwater effects, new concepts are required which are <em>applicable</em> for catchments with scarce data availability, <em>efficient </em>for real-time operational model application, <em>open </em>for further model developments and <em>re-useable</em> for other hydrological model implementations.<br>This contribution presents the development, implementation and evaluation of a method for modelling backwater effects based on a hydrological flood routing approach and a backwater volume routing according to the water level slope. The developed method computes the backwater effects in two steps. First, the inflow from sub-catchments and the non-backwater affected flood routing processes are computed. Secondly, the afflux conditions are calculated which cause backwater effects in upstream direction. Afflux conditions occur mainly at tributary inlets or control structures (for example, tide gates, weirs, retention ponds or sluices). The input parameters comprise simplified or complex geometrical data per stream segment. Therefore, the model is applicable for catchments with a good or scarce availability of data. Computation time is in the range of max 3 minutes even for large catchments (> 150 km² with several sub- and sub-sub-catchments) using a time step size of 15 minutes for a 14 days simulation and is therefore applicable for real-time operational simulations in flood forecasting. <br>The proposed method is re-useable and transferable to other hydrological numerical models which use conceptual hydrological flood routing approaches (e.g. Muskingum-Cunge or Kalinin-Miljukov). The open source software model KalypsoHydrology and the calculation core KalypsoNA are available at https://sourceforge.net/projects/kalypso/ and http://kalypso.wb.tu-harburg.de/downloads/. Open access for developments and user application is supported by an online accessible commitment management via SourceForge and a wiki as an online manual.</p>

scholarly journals Assessing the interplay between travel patterns and SARS-CoV-2 outbreak in realistic urban setting

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rohan Patil ◽  
Raviraj Dave ◽  
Harsh Patel ◽  
Viraj M. Shah ◽  
Deep Chakrabarti ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Population Density ◽  
Open Source ◽  
Real Time ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Urban Setting ◽  
Disease Spread ◽  
Contact Network ◽  
Travel Patterns ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The City

Abstract Background The dense social contact networks and high mobility in congested urban areas facilitate the rapid transmission of infectious diseases. Typical mechanistic epidemiological models are either based on uniform mixing with ad-hoc contact processes or need real-time or archived population mobility data to simulate the social networks. However, the rapid and global transmission of the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) has led to unprecedented lockdowns at global and regional scales, leaving the archived datasets to limited use. Findings While it is often hypothesized that population density is a significant driver in disease propagation, the disparate disease trajectories and infection rates exhibited by the different cities with comparable densities require a high-resolution description of the disease and its drivers. In this study, we explore the impact of creation of containment zones on travel patterns within the city. Further, we use a dynamical network-based infectious disease model to understand the key drivers of disease spread at sub-kilometer scales demonstrated in the city of Ahmedabad, India, which has been classified as a SARS-CoV-2 hotspot. We find that in addition to the contact network and population density, road connectivity patterns and ease of transit are strongly correlated with the rate of transmission of the disease. Given the limited access to real-time traffic data during lockdowns, we generate road connectivity networks using open-source imageries and travel patterns from open-source surveys and government reports. Within the proposed framework, we then analyze the relative merits of social distancing, enforced lockdowns, and enhanced testing and quarantining mitigating the disease spread. Scope Our results suggest that the declaration of micro-containment zones within the city with high road network density combined with enhanced testing can help in containing the outbreaks until clinical interventions become available.

Portuguese Sardines - from the ritual to the brand

2017 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 109-120
Author(s):  
Cecília Avelino Barbosa
Keyword(s):  
Social Construction ◽  
Place Branding ◽  
Symbolic Capital ◽  
City Council ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
City Branding ◽  
The Past ◽  
Behavioral Expression ◽  
The City ◽  
City Identity

Place branding is a network of associations in the consumer’s mind, based on the visual, verbal, and behavioral expression of a place. Food can be an important tool to summarize it as it is part of the culture of a city and its symbolic capital. Food is imaginary, a ritual and a social construction. This paper aims to explore a ritual that has turned into one of the brands of Lisbon in the past few years. The fresh sardines barbecued out of doors, during Saint Anthony’s festival, has become a symbol that can be found on t-shirts, magnets and all kinds of souvenirs. Over the year, tourists can buy sardine shaped objects in very cheap stores to luxurious shops. There is even a whole boutique dedicated to the fish: “The Fantastic World of Portuguese Sardines” and an annual competition promoted by the city council to choose the five most emblematic designs of sardines. In order to analyze the Sardine phenomenon from a city branding point of view, the objective of this paper is to comprehend what associations are made by foreigners when they are outside of Lisbon. As a methodological procedure five design sardines, were used of last year to questioning to which city they relate them in interviews carried in Madrid, Lyon, Rome and London. Upon completion of the analysis, the results of the city branding strategy adopted by the city council to promote the sardines as the official symbol of Lisbon is seen as a Folkmarketing action. The effects are positive, but still quite local. On the other hand, significant participation of the Lisbon´s dwellers in the Sardine Contest was observed, which seems to be a good way to promote the city identity and pride in their best ambassador: the citizens.

Treading Angels: Edinburgh and its Festivals

2019 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 290-317
Author(s):  
David McCrone
Keyword(s):  
City Council ◽  
The City ◽  
Public Bodies

How did Edinburgh become ‘festival city’? Despite appearances, it was not always so, and it acquired the accolade by happenstance; in the view of one observer, a ‘strange amalgam of cultural banditry, civic enterprise and idealism’. The official Festival's survival was down to the City Council, and it was funded almost entirely by public bodies. This was the central structure around which The Fringe developed, and The Traverse prospered, along with smaller festivals and events to become Festival City. The story sheds considerable light on how Edinburgh ‘works’, its strengths and weaknesses combined.

The Search for Order in Municipal Administration: Herman A. Metz and the New York City Experience, 1898–1909

2020 ◽  
Vol 47 (1) ◽  
pp. 55-74
Author(s):  
Ryan P. McDonough ◽  
Paul J. Miranti ◽  
Michael P. Schoderbek
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
New York City ◽  
Internal Control ◽  
York City ◽  
Internal Controls ◽  
Data Availability ◽  
Financial Reports ◽  
The Public ◽  
Operational Activities ◽  
The City

ABSTRACT This paper examines the administrative and accounting reforms coordinated by Herman A. Metz around the turn of the 20th century in New York City. Reform efforts were motivated by deficiencies in administering New York City's finances, including a lack of internal control over monetary resources and operational activities, and opaque financial reports. The activities of Comptroller Metz, who collaborated with institutions such as the New York Bureau of Municipal Research, were paramount in initiating and implementing the administrative and accounting reforms in the city, which contributed to reform efforts across the country. Metz promoted the adoption of functional cost classifications for city departments, developed flowcharts for improved transaction processing, strengthened internal controls, and published the 1909 Manual of Accounting and Business Procedure of the City of New York, which laid the groundwork for transparent financial reports capable of providing vital information about the city's activities and subsidiary units. JEL Classifications: H72, M41, N91. Data Availability: Data are available from the public sources cited in the text.

Introduction

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
George Hoffmann
Keyword(s):  
Chief Editor ◽  
City Council ◽  
The West ◽  
Son Of God ◽  
Warm Summer ◽  
The City

On a warm summer afternoon in 1561, Calvin’s chief editor donned a heavy stole, thick robes, and a gleaming tiara and proceeded to strut and fret his hour upon the stage in a comedy of his own devising. For little more than a century, Christians in the West had celebrated on August 6th Christ’s Transfiguration as the son of God in shining robes. But on this Sunday in Geneva, the city council, consistory, and an audience fresh from having attended edifying sermons at morning service gathered to applaud the transfiguration of the learned Conrad Badius into the title role of ...

scholarly journals Real Time Multipurpose Smart Waste Classification Model for Efficient Recycling in Smart Cities Using Multilayer Convolutional Neural Network and Perceptron

Sensors ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (14) ◽  
pp. 4916
Author(s):  
Ali Usman Gondal ◽  
Muhammad Imran Sadiq ◽  
Tariq Ali ◽  
Muhammad Irfan ◽  
Ahmad Shaf ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Neural Network ◽  
Convolutional Neural Network ◽  
Real Time ◽  
Multilayer Perceptron ◽  
Smart Cities ◽  
Classification Model ◽  
Rapid Urbanization ◽  
Metal Waste ◽  
Waste Classification ◽  
The City

Urbanization is a big concern for both developed and developing countries in recent years. People shift themselves and their families to urban areas for the sake of better education and a modern lifestyle. Due to rapid urbanization, cities are facing huge challenges, one of which is waste management, as the volume of waste is directly proportional to the people living in the city. The municipalities and the city administrations use the traditional wastage classification techniques which are manual, very slow, inefficient and costly. Therefore, automatic waste classification and management is essential for the cities that are being urbanized for the better recycling of waste. Better recycling of waste gives the opportunity to reduce the amount of waste sent to landfills by reducing the need to collect new raw material. In this paper, the idea of a real-time smart waste classification model is presented that uses a hybrid approach to classify waste into various classes. Two machine learning models, a multilayer perceptron and multilayer convolutional neural network (ML-CNN), are implemented. The multilayer perceptron is used to provide binary classification, i.e., metal or non-metal waste, and the CNN identifies the class of non-metal waste. A camera is placed in front of the waste conveyor belt, which takes a picture of the waste and classifies it. Upon successful classification, an automatic hand hammer is used to push the waste into the assigned labeled bucket. Experiments were carried out in a real-time environment with image segmentation. The training, testing, and validation accuracy of the purposed model was 0.99% under different training batches with different input features.

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