scholarly journals Starting an effective Climate Service for urban applications: the ClimaMi Project in Milan.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cristina Lavecchia ◽  
Samantha Pilati ◽  
Giuseppe Frustaci
Keyword(s):  
Management Practices ◽  
Time Windows ◽  
Urban Climate ◽  
Industrial Area ◽  
Third Party ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
Near Surface ◽  
Po Valley ◽  
Common Basis ◽  
Recent Climate

<p>Resilience plans to cope with climate change are of particular relevance in cities, because of the large and still increasing percentage of population living in urbanized environments. Urban adaptation implies general planning, but reflects also in single and limited urbanistic, engineering and architectural projects, in which local authorities as well as professionals and practitioners are directly involved.</p><p>The basic concept of ClimaMi (www.progettoclimami.it), a locally funded but easily replicable project for the city of Milan and immediate neighborhood (a densely populated and industrial area in the western-central part of Po valley in northern Italy), relies on the need to provide, bottom-up, updated and useful climatological information to agencies and personnel directly involved in public and private enterprises and management practices, which have immediate impact in present and future urban climate and citizens wellness. The 3 years Project was therefore developed as an interdisciplinary activity, directly involving not only climatologists but also local professional organizations, and producing as a first result a common basis of knowledge and technical language among different disciplines.</p><p>A second fundamental task has been the creation of an as much as possible complete database of 7 essential climatic variables and relevant derived indexes (94 in total) for specific applications, representing an updated and detailed description of the urban environment in the most recent climate. Relating mainly on a high-quality and metrologically managed climate network of urban automatic weather stations (CN by OMD), and integrating data from stations of third-party networks according to accurate selection criteria for homogeneity and reliability, a 6 years DB for 19 selected points and 6 different time windows is now openly available to professionals for direct and immediate use in their activities.</p><p>A further development has been the production of interactive GIS-based maps of air temperature distribution at medium-high resolution (100 m) in the Project area: a climatological and geostatistical methodology has been in this case applied to optimally integrate near surface measurements and space-borne observations of land skin temperature. The result is an Atlas of mean thermal fields in selected typical weather situations of specific relevance for resilience applications, for instance in case of enhanced Urban Heat Island and Heat Wave episodes. In the third and last Project year (2021), a DB and Atlas update is planned, while similar methodologies are specifically applied to precipitation.</p><p>In order to make the Project results as effective as possible with real impacts on planning and project activities, numerous capacity building courses have also been planned and activated, involving hundreds of officials and professionals. Furthermore, practical laboratories and case studies were performed in order to evaluate the real effects in the aware and informed use of updated climatological information in adaptation projects.</p>

scholarly journals Mapping and Assessing Soil Sealing in Padua Municipality through Biotope Area Factor Index

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (12) ◽  
pp. 5167
Author(s):  
Guglielmo Pristeri ◽  
Francesca Peroni ◽  
Salvatore Eugenio Pappalardo ◽  
Daniele Codato ◽  
Anna Giulia Castaldo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Cover ◽  
Urban Climate ◽  
Landscape Fragmentation ◽  
Industrial Area ◽  
Aerial Images ◽  
Po Valley ◽  
Soil Sealing ◽  
Worldwide Phenomenon ◽  
Index Value ◽  
The City

Soil sealing is a worldwide phenomenon of covering of natural or seminatural soil with impervious surfaces, such as built-up or paved surfaces. It is widely recognized as a major environmental issue which drives landscape fragmentation and ecosystem services degradation and loss. Italy is one of European countries with the highest extent of soil sealing. The most affected area is northern Italy, especially the Po Valley with more than 12% of sealed surfaces. According to official data, Veneto Region and the city of Padua are seriously affected by this phenomenon. The Biotope Area Factor is a consolidated ecological urban index for mapping soil sealing, adopted in different European cities to support urban planning; it expresses the ratio of the ecologically effective surface area in relation to the total land area according to land cover classes. The general aim of this study is to map and to assess soil sealing in the whole municipal territory of Padua using the Biotope Area Factor (BAF) index. We tested and adopted a digital land cover map together with aerial images to perform a BAF analysis on the whole municipal territory of Padua. By using sample areas previously analyzed, we validated our source data by a double spatial validation process; therefore, soil sealing analysis was scaled-up to the municipality territory. Results show that in the city of Padua, the average BAF index value is 0.6; totally permeable surfaces (BAF = 1) cover 59.5%, whereas totally “sealed” surfaces (BAF = 0) are 40.3% of the municipal territory (93 km2). Most of the sealed soil is located in the east sector and in the historical core of the city, with BAF values ranging from 0 to 0.2. A particularly critical area is identified within the new industrial area of the city, which is strongly affected by soil sealing. BAF maps are useful tools to identify critical areas by geovisualizing surface permeability at a very detailed scale and by enabling further analyses for hydrogeological risk assessment and urban climate regulation. Moreover, the use of BAF maps at urban scale today represent an important tool for urban management, especially for policy makers who are planning mitigation and compensation measures to control soil sealing.

scholarly journals Spatially detailed urban climatology for temperature and precipitation.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cristina Lavecchia ◽  
Enea Montoli ◽  
Samantha Pilati ◽  
Giuseppe Frustaci
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Resolution ◽  
Air Temperature ◽  
High Spatial Resolution ◽  
Urban Climate ◽  
Temperature Fields ◽  
Statistical Characteristics ◽  
Near Surface ◽  
Urban Climatology ◽  
Temperature And Precipitation ◽  
Recent Climate

<p>With the growing relevance of urbanized environments in the framework of adaptation and mitigation plans, improvements in monitoring the urban weather, and specially in the knowledge of the urban climatology and its evolution, are urgently needed. A basic difficulty arises from the fact that dedicated surface observational networks with the desired characteristics of measurement quality and continuity are often lacking in cities, while remote sensing data are mainly used for specific aspects, as for instance the Surface Urban Heat Island, while air temperature is more important for applications. After the experience gained, and the methodologies developed in Milan during a locally co-funded project (ClimaMi: https://www.progettoclimami.it/), the possibility was investigated of a medium- to high-resolution urban climatology mainly derived from observed air temperature and precipitation data.</p><p>The urban specialized surface network (by Fondazione Osservatorio Meteorologico Milano Duomo: FOMD), in operation since 2011 and “metrologically” tested during MeteoMet Project (Merlone et al., 2015), was considered as a reliable basis for a new and more detailed analysis of the most recent urban climate in Milan. To complement the necessarily limited number of high quality measurements by this urban Climate Network (CN),  other  automatic weather stations  (as homogenous as possible to CN) were accurately selected from third-party networks, in particular from the regional (ARPA Lombardy) meso-synoptic one, and from a private citizens association (MeteoNetwork): this helped in setting up a database of reliable hourly observational data (and metadata) in urban and peri-urban environments, dense enough for a mesoscale description of the city main statistical characteristics and for an already significative time span of 5 years.</p><p>Nevertheless, resilience plans by local authorities and professionals often require a spatial resolution of the order of tens of meters: to significantly improve the spatial resolution, space-borne sensors are an obvious and nowadays practical possibility. Furthermore, to make the best use of the quality of (under sampled) surface measurements, and of the high spatial resolution offered by remote sensed data, a cokriging-based methodology (Goovaerts, 1999) was developed and tested for air temperature. While direct correlation methods between Land Surface Temperature (LST) and the (more interesting and required) near-surface air temperature are not straightforward and generally unreliable, the encouraging results obtained in reconstructing air temperature fields by cokriging allowed an analysis of the recent climate of the cities and neighborhoods at medium to high spatial resolution for selected weather types of particular relevance in the definition of resilience measures.</p><p>The same methodology is now under test for precipitation measurements by different sensors and networks, and first results will be presented together with the unprecedented climatological description of temperature in the greater Milan, and analysis of micro-scale urban climate variations in consideration of (present and future) climate monitoring and assessment needs.</p>

scholarly journals Nature-based cooling potential: a multi-type green infrastructure evaluation in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vidya Anderson ◽  
William A. Gough
Keyword(s):  
Urban Agriculture ◽  
Air Temperature ◽  
Green Infrastructure ◽  
Urban Climate ◽  
Surface Air Temperature ◽  
Green Roofs ◽  
Near Surface ◽  
Green Walls ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Agriculture Systems

AbstractThe application of green infrastructure presents an opportunity to mitigate rising temperatures using a multi-faceted ecosystems-based approach. A controlled field study in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, evaluates the impact of nature-based solutions on near surface air temperature regulation focusing on different applications of green infrastructure. A field campaign was undertaken over the course of two summers to measure the impact of green roofs, green walls, urban vegetation and forestry systems, and urban agriculture systems on near surface air temperature. This study demonstrates that multiple types of green infrastructure applications are beneficial in regulating near surface air temperature and are not limited to specific treatments. Widespread usage of green infrastructure could be a viable strategy to cool cities and improve urban climate.

An Investigation of Credit Risk Management Strategies of Private Commercial Banks of Bangladesh

2014 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 77-87
Author(s):  
Abu Hanifa Md. Noman ◽  
Md. Amzad Hossain ◽  
Sajeda Pervin
Keyword(s):  
Risk Management ◽  
Credit Risk ◽  
Commercial Banks ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Management Practice ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Third Party ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Credit Risk Management ◽  
Risk Management Strategies

Objective - The study aims to investigate credit risk management practices and credit risk management strategies of the local private commercial banks in Bangladesh. Methodology -The investigation is conducted based on primary data collected from a set of both closed end and open end questionnaire from 23 out of 39 local private commercial banks in Bangladesh. Descriptive statistics has been used in processing the data and interpreting the results. Findings - The results reveal that credit risk management practice of the sample banks is sound which is attributed to the appropriate implementation of Basel II and credit risk management guidelines the country's central bank. The findings further show that use of Credit risk grading is most popular and effective criteria for measuring the borrowing capacity of the borrowers. In order to control credit risk and preventing losses from credit exposure banks give more focus on collateralization, accurate loan pricing and third party guarantee. Loan is monitored properly and credit reminder is given to the client if principal and interest remain outstanding for three months. The study further reveals that lack of experienced and trained credit officers, lack of genuine market information and Lack of awareness regarding non-genuine borrower are the most important problems of current credit risk management practices in Bangladesh. Novelty - To the best of the knowledge of the authors the study is the first that investigates credit risk management strategies of private commercial banks, especially on Bangladesh. Type of Paper - Empirical Keyword : Bangladesh; Commercial Bank; Credit risk; Credit risk management; Credit risk management strategies.

Urban climate policy and the Nordic potential for carbon neutrality - the case study of city of Helsinki

2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 57-76
Author(s):  
Katarzyna Dośpiał-Borysiak
Keyword(s):  
Public Involvement ◽  
Urban Climate ◽  
Central Place ◽  
Special Focus ◽  
Political Climate ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
Carbon Neutrality ◽  
Climate Policies ◽  
Inclusive Approach

The aim of this article is to discuss urban climate policies, with a special focus on Helsinki, the fast growing capital of Finland. The preconditionfor the study is that metropolitan areas in Finland hold a central place fornational climate policies due to their population and economic impact. Thecase study proves that the city, which had disadvantageous conditions for climatesolutions in the early 90’s, has successfully remodelled its approach andpresently joins the group of world cities declaring carbon neutrality in comingyears. The change was possible due to a favourable political climate, a multistakeholderand inclusive approach, public involvement, and the correlationbetween public and private initiatives. The study is based on statistical data,institutional analysis, and a comparison of the strategic documents of the cityof Helsinki in the area of climate planning.

scholarly journals High-involvement management practices, job control, and employee well-being in the public and private sectors. Evidence from Finland

2018 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
pp. 467-486
Author(s):  
Laura Peutere ◽  
Antti Saloniemi ◽  
Simo Aho ◽  
Jouko Nätti ◽  
Tapio Nummi
Keyword(s):  
Job Satisfaction ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Job Control ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
High Involvement ◽  
Logistic Regression Models ◽  
The Public ◽  
High Level ◽  
High Involvement Management

The connection between high-involvement management (HIM), entailing heavy employee involvement, and employee well-being is a controversial and widely discussed topic. Clarifying how job satisfaction and stress are connected to HIM and job control (the control employees have over their work), this study is based on data from two Finnish sources: an employer survey investigating the extent of HIM within an organisation, and employee assessments of job control, stress and job satisfaction. Logistic regression models were used as the study method. In contrast to previous Finnish studies, our findings show that HIM seems hardly to benefit employee well-being. Especially in the public sector, the correlation between extensive HIM and employee well-being turned out to be negative. However, HIM in the private sector was positively related to job satisfaction. As expected, a high level of job control was regularly associated with greater well-being.

scholarly journals Evaluation of three new surface irrigation parameterizations in the WRF-ARW v3.8.1 model: the Po Valley (Italy) case study

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (7) ◽  
pp. 3179-3201
Author(s):  
Arianna Valmassoi ◽  
Jimy Dudhia ◽  
Silvana Di Sabatino ◽  
Francesco Pilla
Keyword(s):  
Potential Evapotranspiration ◽  
Mediterranean Area ◽  
Maximum Temperature ◽  
Surface Irrigation ◽  
Start Time ◽  
Near Surface ◽  
Local Climate ◽  
Po Valley ◽  
Soil Variables ◽  
Water Amount

Abstract. Irrigation is a method of land management that can affect the local climate. Recent literature shows that it affects mostly the near-surface variables and it is associated with an irrigation cooling effect. However, there is no common parameterization that also accounts for a realistic water amount, and this factor could ascribe one cause to the different impacts found in previous studies. This work aims to introduce three new surface irrigation parameterizations within the WRF-ARW model (v3.8.1) that consider different evaporative processes. The parameterizations are tested on one of the regions where global studies disagree on the signal of irrigation: the Mediterranean area and in particular the Po Valley. Three sets of experiments are performed using the same irrigation water amount of 5.7 mm d−1, derived from Eurostat data. Two complementary validations are performed for July 2015: monthly mean, minimum, and maximum temperature with ground stations and potential evapotranspiration with the MODIS product. All tests show that for both mean and maximum temperature, as well as potential evapotranspiration simulated fields approximate observation-based values better when using the irrigation parameterizations. This study addresses the sensitivity of the results to human-decision assumptions of the parameterizations: start time, length, and frequency. The main impact of irrigation on surface variables such as soil moisture is due to the parameterization choice itself affecting evaporation, rather than the timing. Moreover, on average, the atmosphere and soil variables are not very sensitive to the parameterization assumptions for realistic timing and length.

scholarly journals VEHICLE FLEET MANAGEMENT PRACTICES: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (10) ◽  
pp. 1287-1291
Author(s):  
John Promise Chiparo ◽  
◽  
Marian Tukuta ◽  
Michael Musanzikwa ◽  
◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Private Sector ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Sufficient Evidence ◽  
Fleet Management ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
The Public ◽  
Vehicle Fleet ◽  
Public And Private Sector

The purpose of this paper reviews the influence of Vehicle Fleet Management Practices, (VFMP). A systematic review of papers was performed analysing 56 articles from year 2014 to 2021. Vehicle Fleet Management Practices research has garnered interest from both academics and industrialists in both the public and private sector. This is demonstrated by the increasing number of academic papers published in recent years. The article discusses interesting findings, suggests and lays down a number of directions for future research. In addition, limitations of this work are presented. The conclusion of this study provides sufficient evidence on the need for further research addressing the interaction between vehicle fleet management practices and service delivery in public entities.

scholarly journals Generic drugs: international trends and policy developments in Australia

2004 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 39 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hans Lofgren
Keyword(s):  
Generic Drugs ◽  
Cost Savings ◽  
High Volume ◽  
Third Party ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
International Trends ◽  
Speed Up ◽  
Policy Measures ◽  
Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme

Public and private third-party payers in many countries encourage or mandate the use of generic drugs. This articleexamines the development of generics policy in Australia, against the background of a description of internationaltrends in this area, and related experiences of reference pricing programs. The Australian generics market remainsunderdeveloped due to a historical legacy of small Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme price differentials betweenoriginator brands and generics. It is argued that policy measures open to the Australian government can be conceivedas clustering around two different approaches: incremental changes within the existing regulatory framework, or a shifttowards a high volume/low price role of generics which would speed up the delivery of substantial cost savings, andcould provide enhanced scope for the financing of new, patented drugs.

Security Model for Mobile Cloud Database as a Service (DBaaS)

2019 ◽  
pp. 760-769
Author(s):  
Kashif Munir
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Third Party ◽  
Digital Data ◽  
Mobile Cloud ◽  
Security Model ◽  
Service Model ◽  
Cloud Database ◽  
Database As A Service ◽  
Access To Data

There's a big change happening in the world of databases. The industry is buzzing about Database-as-a-Service (DBaaS), a cloud offering that allows companies to rent access to these managed digital data warehouses. Database-as-a-service (DBaaS) is a cloud computing service model that provides users with some form of access to a database without the need for setting up physical hardware, installing software or configuring for performance. Since consumers host data on the Mobile Cloud, DBaaS providers should be able to guarantee data owners that their data would be protected from all potential security threats. Protecting application data for large-scale web and mobile apps can be complex; especially with distributed and NoSQL databases. Data centers are no longer confined to the enterprise perimeter. More and more enterprises take their data to the Mobile Cloud, but forget to adjust their security management practices when doing so. Unauthorized access to data resources, misuse of data stored on third party platform, data confidentiality, integrity and availability are some of the major security challenges that ail this nascent Cloud service model, which hinders the wide-scale adoption of DBaaS. In this chapter, I propose a security model for Mobile Cloud Database as a Service (DBaaS). A user can change his/her password, whenever demanded. Furthermore, security analysis realizes the feasibility of the proposed model for DBaaS and achieves efficiency. This will help Cloud community to get an insight into state-of-the-art progress in terms of secure strategies, their deficiencies and possible future directions.

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