Does body condition scoring portray an accurate representation of a horse's condition when compared to other morphological techniques?

Background: The assessment of a horse's condition is generally carried out using body condition scoring, cresty neck scoring or weigh taping. Aim: The objective of this study was to investigate the accuracy of body condition scoring in comparison to other commonly used morphological condition assessment techniques. Methods: A recognised and well-established body condition scale adapted from Henneke et al (1983) was used, and the subsequent scores from this were compared to cresty neck scores, rump width measurements and belly and heart girth measurements. The study was carried out using seven horses and seven volunteers, who assessed each horse identifying any differences or similarities in each assessor's condition assessment. Results: The rump width measurements were the most accurately assessed condition assessment; however, using rump width measurements alone, a whole-body condition assessment cannot be made. Conclusion: It is therefore recommended that it should be combined with other condition assessments to create a whole-body assessment, with detailed localised adiposity information.

APPLICATION OF DIGITAL HERITAGE DOCUMENTATION FOR CONDITION ASSESSMENTS AND MONITORING CHANGE IN UZBEKISTAN

Cultural heritage is facing irreversible changes due to anthropogenic and natural impacts. Condition assessment is a holistic approach to analyse the historic buildings, structures or sites to record changes and understand their deterioration and causes. Detailed documentation is an essential first step for mapping the condition, analyse, give a diagnosis and propose conservation measures. However, not all the time the appropriate documentation is available or recorded towards this means, making difficult a proper assessment. This paper presents a review of digital documentation tools supporting a systematic assessment of the condition and changes of historic structures. The application aerial and close-range photogrammetry and panoramic photography is illustrated using two case studies within the World Heritage properties in the Central Asia region, Itchan Kala and the Historic Centre of Bukhara in Uzbekistan.

BIM and GIS Applications in Bridge Projects: A Critical Review

In recent years, interest in BIM and GIS applications in civil engineering has been growing. For bridge engineering, BIM/GIS applications such as simulation, visualization, and secondary development have been used to assist practitioners in managing bridge construction and decision-making, including selection of bridge location maintenance decisions. In situ 3D modelling of existing bridges with detailed images from UAV camera has allowed engineers to conduct remote condition assessments of bridges and decide on required maintenance actions. Several studies have investigated the applications of BIM/GIS technology on bridge projects. However, there has been limited focus on reviewing the outcomes of these studies to identify the limitations of BIM and GIS applications on bridge projects. Therefore, the aim of this study was to review the research on BIM/GIS technology applications in bridge projects over the last decade. Using a systematic review process, a total of 90 publications that met the inclusion criteria were reviewed in this study. The review identified the state-of-the-art methods of BIM and GIS applications, respectively, at the planning and design, construction, and operation and maintenance phases of bridge projects. However, the findings point to segregated application of BIM and GIS at all phases of bridge projects. The findings of this study will contribute to guiding practitioners in selecting appropriate BIM and GIS technologies for different aspects of bridge projects.

Enhancing a Building Information Model for an Existing Building with Data from a Sustainable Facility Management Database

This study investigates the feasibility and benefits of transferring data between Autodesk Revit (used for building information modeling (BIM)) and BUILDER SMS (used for sustainable facility management (SFM)). Two data transfer methods were evaluated using a case study; one involved entirely manual data transfer, the other a combination of manual and automatic. Of the data transfer methods evaluated, the manual/automated hybrid was determined to be the best option, especially when regular updates are envisioned. The case study produced an enhanced BIM model that can be used to support sustainable facility management, called here an SFM-enhanced BIM model. An integration workflow is proposed for efficiently creating future SFM-enhanced BIM models. A focus group of facilities management professionals evaluated the case study BIM model. The focus group was most interested in the visualization capabilities—e.g., filtered views for condition assessments—and the ability to view the BIM model on a tablet/mobile device during on-site operation and maintenance activities.

Antarctic Ocean Whaling Photo Album : Cataloguing And Preservation Of A Japanese Album

The Antarctic Ocean whaling photo album is an album published during the 1940's by a Japanese marine product company. The album contains 52 gelatin silver prints of a whaling expedition to the Antarctic Ocean and is a fascinating visual record of the Japanese whaling industry. Using this album as a case study, this thesis project is a study of the cataloguing process and preservation of a photographic album. The goal of this project is to make the album more accessible to researchers through translation, cataloguing and digitization, as well as to provide a preservation strategy through condition assessments. This paper summarizes the research conducted on the album, outlines the cataloguing process, the condition assessment of the album and provides a treatment proposal and a handling guideline for the album. The paper also includes a Romanization chart and a translation table of the album texts as aids for further research.

Antarctic Ocean Whaling Photo Album : Cataloguing And Preservation Of A Japanese Album

The Antarctic Ocean whaling photo album is an album published during the 1940's by a Japanese marine product company. The album contains 52 gelatin silver prints of a whaling expedition to the Antarctic Ocean and is a fascinating visual record of the Japanese whaling industry. Using this album as a case study, this thesis project is a study of the cataloguing process and preservation of a photographic album. The goal of this project is to make the album more accessible to researchers through translation, cataloguing and digitization, as well as to provide a preservation strategy through condition assessments. This paper summarizes the research conducted on the album, outlines the cataloguing process, the condition assessment of the album and provides a treatment proposal and a handling guideline for the album. The paper also includes a Romanization chart and a translation table of the album texts as aids for further research.

Risk-based prioritization of operational condition assessments : stakeholder analysis and literature review

The US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) operates, maintains, and manages more than $232 billion worth of the Nation’s water resource infrastructure. Using the Operational Condition Assessment (OCA) system, the USACE allocates limited resources to assess conditions and maintain assets in efforts to minimize risks associated with asset performance degradation. Currently, OCAs are conducted on each component within a facility every 5 years, regardless of the component’s risk contribution. The analysis of risks associated with Flood Risk Management (FRM) facilities, such as dams, includes considering how the facility contributes to its associated FRM watershed system, understanding the consequences of degradation in the facility’s performance, and calculating the likelihood that the facility will perform as expected given the current OCA condition ratings of critical components. This research will develop a scalable methodology to model the probability of failure of components and systems that contribute to the performance of facilities in their respective FRM systems combined with consequences derived from hydrological models of the watershed to develop facility risk scores. This interim report documents the results of the first phase of this effort, stakeholder analysis and literature review, to identify candidate approaches to determine the probability of failure of a facility.