Comparing transmission potential networks based on social network surveys, close contacts and environmental overlap in rural Madagascar

Social and spatial network analysis is an important approach for investigating infectious disease transmission, especially for pathogens transmitted directly between individuals or via environmental reservoirs. Given the diversity of ways to construct networks, however, it remains unclear how well networks constructed from different data types effectively capture transmission potential. We used empirical networks from a population in rural Madagascar to compare social network survey and spatial data-based networks of the same individuals. Close contact and environmental pathogen transmission pathways were modelled with the spatial data. We found that naming social partners during the surveys predicted higher close-contact rates and the proportion of environmental overlap on the spatial data-based networks. The spatial networks captured many strong and weak connections that were missed using social network surveys alone. Across networks, we found weak correlations among centrality measures (a proxy for superspreading potential). We conclude that social network surveys provide important scaffolding for understanding disease transmission pathways but miss contact-specific heterogeneities revealed by spatial data. Our analyses also highlight that the superspreading potential of individuals may vary across transmission modes. We provide detailed methods to construct networks for close-contact transmission pathogens when not all individuals simultaneously wear GPS trackers.

Innovation and geographic spread of a complex foraging culture in an urban parrot

The emergence, spread, and establishment of innovations within cultures can promote adaptive responses to anthropogenic change. We describe a putative case of the development of a cultural adaptation to urban environments: opening of household waste bins by wild sulphur-crested cockatoos. A spatial network analysis of community science reports revealed the geographic spread of bin opening from three suburbs to 44 in Sydney, Australia, by means of social learning. Analysis of 160 direct observations revealed individual styles and site-specific differences. We describe a full pathway from the spread of innovation to emergence of geographic variation, evidencing foraging cultures in parrots and indicating the existence of cultural complexity in parrots. Bin opening is directly linked to human-provided opportunities, highlighting the potential for culture to facilitate behavioral responses to anthropogenic change.

Urban Heat Island Effects on Megacities in Desert Environments Using Spatial Network Analysis and Remote Sensing Data: A Case Study from Western Saudi Arabia

Contemporary cities continue to face significant geoenvironmental challenges due to constant rapid urbanization. Furthermore, the governments of cities worldwide are considering the green cities approach to convert their cities’ weaknesses into opportunities. The 2030 Saudi vision supports smart growth concepts, with a vision of speeding up economic growth while ensuring that natural assets strengthen the country’s foundations. The urban heat island (UHI) effect is a threatening phenomenon that increases the required cooling loads and negatively affects urban communities and the quality of life, especially in arid environments. This study integrates remote sensing and spatial network analysis to investigate the UHI using the distribution of land surface temperatures (LST) extracted from satellite data during both winter and summer seasons in Makkah city. We investigated and compared the UHIs in two districts, Al-Sharashef and AlEskan, representing the organic and deformed iron-grid with fragmented paralleled street networks, respectively. The spatial analysis of different LST maps, which were derived from Landsat-8 images revealed significant differences between the two case studies. The mean temperature for the AlEskan district was 1–1.5 °C higher than that of the Al-Sharshaf district. This difference can be attributed to the different urban fabrics between the two districts. Moreover, the zones that are currently under construction show relatively higher LST compared to residential zones. The research revealed that the organic/compact urban fabric is better than the deformed iron-grid urban fabric in mitigating the UHI. However, these results are specific to the test site; however, they emphasize the role of integration of remote sensing and spatial network analysis in urban planning. In light of these findings, we recommend integrating remote sensing-based LST analysis with spatial analysis of urban fabrics to better understand the causal effects of UHI, especially in cities located in desert environments. This can help mitigate the impact of projected global warming and contribute to improving the quality of urban life.

Design of Nature Tourism Route in Chimborazo Wildlife Reserve, Ecuador

The design of new routes is a specific strategy to improve tourism management and to increase the attractiveness of landscape features, promoting activities as a part of sustainable development. This study proposes the design of alternative multi-parameter tourist routes in the Chimborazo Wildlife Reserve based on spatial network analysis implemented in ArcGIS 10.5® software. Tourist interest points were identified and mapped using spatial analysis software, then two routes for bicycles and hiking were defined as being the most efficient, based on the most frequented tourist attractions. The main contribution of this study is the identification of optimal routes for vehicular, bicycling, and hiking traffic through tourist attractions, considering variables such as the time, distance, average circulation speed, road state, and tourist facilities. As a result, two routes were identified. Route one includes 17 tourist attractions, five lodging establishments, four food centers, and one health center. On the other hand, route two includes 11 tourist attractions, two lodging and food establishments, and one health center. The final contribution of this research is to maximize tour satisfaction by presenting new routes of visiting tourist attractions due to the growing demand in the Chimborazo Reserve.