Severe storms as an example of a natural hazard in the urban area – case studies of the area of Warsaw, Poland

The main objective of this research was to determine the synoptic and thermodynamic conditions accompanying the development of two severe thunderstorms that caused significant damage in Warsaw. The storm events of 17 June and 4 September 2016 were analysed. Materials used in the research included meteorological, aerological and radar data, as well as the Fire Service interventions database. These data allowed the conditions for the formation of the storms and their spatial variations in terms of intensity to be determined. It was shown that damage in Warsaw was caused by phenomena associated with supercell storms that developed in a moderate CAPE environment and a strong shear. It was confirmed that the geometry of the city increased the wind speed and modified its direction locally. In addition, it was found that the data on the number of Fire Service interventions clearly reflected the spatial variations in storm intensity by corresponding radar signatures to the high intensity of meteorological phenomena.

Planning for Sustainable Development of Tourism in the Tatra National Park Buffer Zone Using the MCDA Approach

This study aims to develop practice guidelines for the preparation of local regulations promoting sustainable tourism planning for the area located at the entrance to the Tatra National Park, Poland. Included in the study was a set of tourism activities put forward by the local community. These activities were divided into two priorities: sustainable tourist activities (hiking and walking, cycling, horseback riding) and investments that would have an environmental impact (downhill skiing, recreational infrastructure, commerce, catering). The analysis criteria covered the tourist attractiveness of the area and its suitability for a given activity (benefit), as well as requirements concerning the protection of nature, topographical relief, landscape, and traditional land use (cost). These criteria were evaluated using the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and summarized using the Weighted Linear Combination (WLC). The results showed the high attractiveness of the area for both priorities. However, due to the area's unique nature, investments having an environmental impact must be limited to the vicinity of the existing built-up areas. The use of MCDA supports decision-making at the local scale, significantly enhances the transparency of the results, and facilitates communication with local communities. The comparison with the current local law provisions showed the shortcomings of the methods used to date when preparing planning instruments.

Analysis of cropping intensity and irrigation intensity in North Twenty Four Parganas district, West Bengal, India

An attempt has been made in this paper to analyse the spatio-temporal variations of cropping intensity and irrigation intensity, and their relationship, in North Twenty Four Parganas district in West Bengal, India from 1996/97 to 2015/16. The relationship between cropping intensity and irrigation intensity has been assessed using partial correlation, residual mapping and hierarchical cluster analysis. One-way ANOVA has been conducted for testing the equality of cluster means. Temporal analysis from 1996/97 to 2015/16 has shown a low positive correlation between cropping intensity and irrigation intensity for the entire district. Analysis at Agricultural Block level has revealed that cropping intensity decreased in many cases even after an increase in irrigation intensity. In general, cropping intensity has increased with the increase in irrigation intensity in the Coastal Saline Region and the Ichhamati Basin, whereas cropping intensity has increased even after a decrease in irrigation intensity in the Gangetic Plains Region in the district.

The Effectiveness of China's Foreign Trade Liberalization

This paper studies the ex-post trade effects of China's multilateral, regional and bilateral trade liberalization using augmented gravity and panel data estimation methods for the period 1995–2016. China's accession to the WTO was revealed to have had a significant impact on the volume of trade as well as on bilateral exports and imports. Regional trade agreements and the majority of bilateral trade agreements were found not to be effective in increasing China's foreign trade. Only the agreements with Chile, Costa Rica and Switzerland were effective in increasing China's trade volume. Moreover, the results for Chile were driven by increases in both exports and imports, while for Costa Rica and Switzerland only by increased imports from these countries.

Multivariate mapping for experienced users: comparing extrinsic and intrinsic maps with univariate maps

Multivariate mapping is a technique in which multivariate data are encoded into a single map. A variety of design solutions for multivariate mapping refers to the number of phenomena mapped, the map type, and the visual variables applied. Unlike other authors who have mainly evaluated bivariate maps, in our empirical study we compared three solutions when mapping four variables: two types of multivariate maps (intrinsic and extrinsic) and a simple univariate alternative (serving as a baseline). We analysed usability performance metrics (answer time, answer accuracy, subjective rating of task difficulty) and eye-tracking data. The results suggested that experts used all the tested maps with similar results for answer time and accuracy, even when using four-variable intrinsic maps, which is considered to be a challenging solution. However, eye-tracking data provided more nuances in relation to the difference in cognitive effort evoked by the tested maps across task types.

Land development policy as related to real estate influenced by railway noise in the context of allowable indicators that have been recently modified in Poland

The paper deals with the problem of rail noise pollution in cities in the context of legal amendments. This aspect is often neglected in the process of spatial planning. The authors were motivated to undertake this analysis both by legal changes permitting higher levels of acceptable noise thresholds, which were introduced and legalised in October 2012, and by the intensified levels of investment in areas neighbouring railways. On selected examples of residential areas in Warsaw, Poland (the city districts of Ursus, Białołęka and Ursynów), relevant land development sites were analysed against the course of isophones showing permissible noise levels. The analysis was based on data taken from acoustic maps for Warsaw from 2012 and 2017, planning studies, the Topographic Objects Database (BDOT10k) and the current state of land development. Using ArcGis software, 22 features, three study areas, and corresponding quantitative indicators were assessed. The authors presented the level of railway noise pollution set against the general spatial development. The analysis demonstrated that the changes in legislation have resulted in the “acoustic release” of land near railways; i.e., in these areas new, less-restrictive regulations on noise pollution have become permissible. In turn, the number of buildings that were considered at risk of noise pollution before 2012 has fallen. The aforementioned regulatory changes may unfavourably impact residential areas neighbouring railways and this has even provoked a wider discussion at the European Union level.

The influence of treated wastewater from the Lodz city agglomeration on the ice regime and water temperature of the Ner river

The study attempts to answer the following question: Does human impact contribute to changes recorded in the Ner river ice regime? In replying to this question, data on water consumption in Lodz (Łódź) (a city in central Poland) in 1951–2017 were used, as well as observations of ice cover and all ice phenomena for the same period. The ice regime and water temperature of the river have changed over the past 70 years. The changes result not only from changes caused by global warming but also from additional fluctuations in this temperature as determined by changes in the quantity and quality of wastewater discharged into the river from the Lodz city agglomeration. The frequency of ice phenomena in the river decreased, and their duration dropped by almost half. This tendency was compounded by a decrease in number of days with ice phenomena, which in turn was caused by a rapid increase in the amount of waste and thermally polluted waters supplied from Lodz. The river water temperature has now stopped increasing. The course of the river ice regime now resembles that of a natural watercourse again.

Education and subjective well-being. Observations from Madagascar

This paper examines the association between education and subjective well-being (SWB). To this end, the data collected during the My Baobab Foundation's (FMB) operations in Madagascar in 2007–2020 are analyzed a posteriori. The paper offers some insight into what is required for a low-income country to follow the pathway to education, and examines how educational efforts can translate into an improvement in SWB.

Declining sikh space on the religious and political landscape of India

This study is devoted to highlighting the temporal trends and spatial variations in the concentration and growth of the major religious groups in India with special reference to the Sikh population. Such studies are gaining importance with the increasing penetration of both the religion and caste-composition in the political environment of the country. Although religious and caste interventions in politics are prevalent in all the elections, these become stronger as we move down from Parliamentary to Panchayat elections in which the voting pattern changes in favour of religion and caste groups. It has been observed that the share of Muslim population increased by 5.96% between 2001 and 2011, while it declined in the case of all other communities and the maximum decline (−8.02%) was noticed in the case of the Sikh population with the lowest share among all the major religious communities in India. The Sikh population also recorded the lowest growth rate of 8.42% against 24.65% and 16.76% witnessed by Muslims and Hindus respectively between2001 and 2011. The study is based on the religious data released by the Census of India.

Perceived destination image of Poland: an analysis based on Ukrainian and Russian perceptions

The purpose of this article is to compare the perceived destination image of Poland as seen by Russians and Ukrainians. This study contributes to understanding the process of how the image of a destination is shaped, the new contribution being the comparison of the image of Poland as perceived by visitors and non-visitors of two nations, which until 1991 were a part of one state. The study is based on a questionnaire consisting of 16 statements on the perceived destination image of Poland. A 5-point Likert scale was used in the survey. A total of 710 people were examined, including 348 Russians and 362 Ukrainians. The reliability of the survey was assessed using Cronbach's alpha index. The hypotheses verification, using Student's t-test, showed that Russians and Ukrainians perceived Poland as an attractive country in terms of tourism. No major differences between Russians and Ukrainians were observed in the perception of Poland as a tourist destination. Moreover, no influence of past experience was noted on the shaping of the perceived destination image of Poland. Additionally, some managerial implications of significant relevance to destination marketing are discussed, and future directions for research are outlined.