Detection and Delineation of Potential Areas for Tourism Activities in Coastal Zone of Ratnagiri District, Maharashtra (India)

Tourism is a device of economic development in developed, developing, and even in underdeveloped countries. The AHP based MCDA techniques used for detection and delineation of the tourism potential zones in the coastal area of Ratnagiri district in Maharashtra (India). The conventional and satellite data viz. ASTER data has been used for spatial analysis in GIS software. Seacoast, elevation, slope, river, LULC, available amenities, accessibility and connectivity, cultural and historical places, and density of settlements used as the criterions for detection of potential zones for tourism activities. The experts’ opinions, literature survey and fieldwork used as the source of information for the selection of criterions and determination of ranks. The weighted overlay technique used to find the comparative levels of tourism potentials: very high, high, moderate and less potentials for tourism. About 13% of TGA shows comparatively very high tourism potential, 25.80% shows high, 54.62 % shows moderate, and 6.57 % shows less tourism potential. The overall accuracy of the categorized map estimated about 89.60%. The thematic maps viz. amenities and settlement were processed using inverse distance weighted (IWD) interpolation technique. Therefore, some areas from the category, ‘high potential’ merged in the category, ‘moderate potential’ and reduced the producer’s accuracy of the classified map. The sandy beaches, lowland area with a gentle slope, river landscape features, road network, cultural and historical places, ideal size of settlements and number of amenities are attractions of tourists in the region. The technique used in this study can be an effective apparatus for precise analysis of site suitability for tourism activities.

Does Media Exposure Affect the Utilization of Maternal Health Care Services? A Query from a Nationally Representative Survey of India

Maternal Health Care (MHC) is very essential for improvement in the health status of the mother and children. The present study attempts to show the role of mass media on the utilization of MHC services in India. The entire study depends on secondary data collected from the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-4, 2015-16). Initially, the data has been analyzed by some descriptive statistics and for the proper depiction of the result, binary logistic regression has been conducted. The unadjusted odds ratio (UOR) has shown media exposure positively and significantly associated with the utilization of the majority of MHC services. The adjusted odds ratio has a less effective association with the MHC services compare to the unadjusted odds ratio. Other controlling variables including maternal age, age at marriage, birth order, education, caste, religion, wealth index, place of residence, and the region has also affect the health care services.

Ecotourism Potential Zone Mapping by Using Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Weighted Linear Algorithm: A Study on West Bengal, India

This study was designed to demarcate the Ecotourism Potential Zones (ETPZs) of West Bengal using the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and weighted linear algorithm by considering three sustainable tourism parameters and sixteen indicators. Those three parameters are 1) physical (P), 2) social (S), and 3) availability of scenic beauty and infrastructures (ASI). Overall, 5 parameters are merged under physical (P), 2 parameters are integrated under social (S), and 9 parameters are incorporated under availability of scenic beauty and infrastructures (ASI). A 4-step procedure has been adopted for this study: 1) a simple hierarchical structure has been outlined, 2) pair-wise comparison matrices are formed, 3) weighted linear algorithm technique is utilized to get the ecotourism potentiality zone, and 4) ecotourism potentiality map is classified into high, moderate and low categories based on the principle of Dominant and Distinctive Function (DDF). As a result, about 61.65% area is identified with high ecotourism potential zone, 17.86% area is observed under the moderate ecotourism potential zone, and 20.48% area is recognized as the low ecotourism potential zone. Thus, the study considers an exceptional methodological framework that is applicable in any region of the world.

Nuptiality Status in West Bengal: A Demographic Appraisal

The present study deals with nuptiality pattern, probability of marriage and age at first marriage in different districts of West Bengal (India). The crude marriage rate was higher in Hugli district, while East Mednipur occupied top position in different district of West Bengal with regarding to general marriage rate. Hajnal’s Singulated Mean Age at Marriage (SMAM) was used to find out the mean age at marriage and marriage probability was estimated by construction of nuptiality table based on the census data (2011). The study revealed that the SMAM is 23 years in the state, while Murshidabad constitutes lower SMAM (21.7 years). The study also found that the marriage probability was 5 times higher among females (10-14 years) as compared to males. Awareness should be increased to reduce the harmful effects of marriage at a lower age. Policy makers and government should pay special attention to rural and marginalized communities by providing them economic benefits.

Morphometric and Sinuosity Analysis of Tlawng River Basin: A Geographic Information System Approach

Channel plan-form patterns of river Tlawng has been studied which shows that there is variation in the sinuosity index. This variation is a sign of changing characteristics and behavior of the river. The average sinuosity of the river is 1.41. The sinuosity index is higher in the lower course of the river as it flows through alluvial plain. GIS techniques have been used for studying morphometric parameters. There are 6736 streams in the Tlawng river basin which shows that the topography is still undergoing erosion as the number of stream is high (Zaidi, 2011). The river has low bifurcation ratio which indicates less possibilities of flooding. The drainage density indicates the higher permeable subsoil and moderate to thick vegetative cover. The stream frequency value of the Tlawng river basin is 1.30 streams / km2 which shows a positive relation with drainage density.

Quality Assessment of Globally Available Digital Elevation Model (DEM) for Mountainous Region

The study assessed the accuracies of globally available Digital Elevation Models (DEM’s) i.e., SRTM v3, ASTER GDEM v2 and ALOS PALSAR DEM with respect to Topo-DEM derived from topographic map of 5m contour interval. 100 ground control points of the elevation data were collected with the help of kinematic hand held GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System), randomly distributed over the study area. The widely used RMSE statistic, NCC correlation and sub-pixel-based approach were applied to evaluate the erroneous, correlation, horizontal and vertical displacement in terms of pixels for the individual Digital Elevation Model. Following these evaluations, SRTM DEM was found to be highly accurate in terms of RMSE and displacement compared to other DEMs. This study is intended to provide the researchers, GIS specialists and the government agencies dealing with remote sensing and GIS, a basic clue on accuracy of the DEMs so that the best model can be selected for application on various purposes of the similar region.

Correlating Spatial Pattern of Canopy Greenness Derived from the NDVI with Hydrological Characteristics of Small Island Watersheds

Watershed ecosystem monitoring and evaluation indicators need to factor in land cover/use change rationally and adaptively. Vegetation canopy greenness can be utilized to seek an accurate solution to various land cover/use change issues, for example, by applying the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) algorithm. This research set out to analyze the relationship between the spatial pattern of canopy greenness and small island watersheds’ hydrological characteristics. It used NDVI algorithm extraction and BFLOW+ 3.0 filter in the HydroOffice 12.0 program and then examined the two resulting datasets using correlation analysis. The results showed that the spatial pattern of canopy greenness derived from NDVI changed significantly near the river mouth. The densely populated settlements in the coastal stretch continued to sprawl towards mountainous regions, which naturally function as recharge zones. Meanwhile, the hydrological characteristics displayed a fluctuating trend during the observation period (2015-2019). Based on the correlation analysis, canopy greenness patterns and hydrological features form a positive and relatively strong relationship (38.8%). For this reason, ecological shifts in small island watersheds require climate change mitigation and adaptation measures.

GIS-based MCDA for Gully Vulnerability Mapping Using AHP Techniques

This paper explores the potentiality of GIS-based Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) and Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) for gully vulnerability mapping. Multilayer information of basin characteristics, such as drainage density, Topographic Wetness Index (TWI), Stream Power Index (SPI), slope aspect and land use land cover (LULC), were used in this study to develop a Gully Vulnerability Index (GVI). A weighted approach was implemented on each criterion relative to their inferred influence on gully vulnerability and validated by determining the Consistency Ratio (CR). Findings show a varying magnitude of gully vulnerability across the study area. The low to medium gully vulnerability class was dominant covering a land area of 6557ha (21.25%), and mostly confined to developed areas. Still, it is noteworthy to observe that the severe gully vulnerability class covers a substantial land area of 5825ha (18.88%), which presents a great risk to infrastructural development and human settlements in the study area. The study has a model predictive capability with accuracy rate of 84.62%. The integration of the MCDA and AHP into GIS workflow is an effective approach critical to minimize the limitations associated with gully occurrence analysis, using a singular basin characteristic. The results obtained in the study will equally be important in determining gully risk zones, circumspect urban development, tracking and proper infrastructure construction plans for long-term gully disaster mitigation.

Spread Mapping of Covid-19 in Morocco Using Geospatial Approach

Most of the people infected in Morocco are triggered by the outbreak of COVID-19. The number of affected cases is currently rising day by day. As of July 16th, 2020, In Morocco, 15,165 cases were tested positive for COVID-19, including 239 deaths and 11,417 patients cured the highest number of Corona virus cases reported as Ministry of Health Department in Morocco. The COVID-19 virus threatens the health, economy, development and social life of individuals. The city needs to be conscious of the fight against this epidemic. GIS technology has played an important role in many aspects, including geospatial perception, geostatistical simulation and spatial knowledge enabling decision-making, mitigation and prediction including COVID-19. GIS has evolved reasonably rapidly and has a full technical route for data processing, modeling and map creation. However, in the battle against the popular endemic, the key challenge is to find ways of controlling conventional technological methods and to increase the quality and accuracy of the knowledge provided for social management. As a consequence, IDW and computational approaches are used to forecast potential cases in the region. Prediction of different parameters existing confirmed events, death and recovery of COVID-19. See reports have been used to take proactive measures in order to penetrate regions. The suggested method of understanding is effective within a certain context and would be a valuable tool for both governments and health authorities.

Updating Topographic Maps at Scale 1:250000 for Libyan Territory Using Quantum GIS (QGIS) and Open Geospatial Data: Libya Topo-Project

From the beginning of the twentieth century, topographic maps for the Libyan state carried out by various compilers, where the first mapping was carried out by the Italian Military Geographical Institute, the Soviet Union Military, and the U.S. Army, followed by mapping carried out by the Libyan state from the 1950s to the 2000s. Most of these maps have not been digitized and updated using the techniques of geographic information systems and remote sensing. This paper discusses on the objectives, methodology and results of the Libya Topography Project, “Libya Topo” for updating the previously compiled topographical map at scale, 1:250000. Open spatial data from different platforms (OSM, Logistics Cluster, Landsat 8 satellite imagery, and SRTM data, etc.). Also, POIs extracted from previously compiled topographic and geological maps. Spatial database for each UTM zone created to store the features and raster. As for the cartographic style, the map layout adopted is the style of the U.S. Defense Mapping Agency maps. The results of the project are an update of 121 topographical map sheets using Quantum (GIS), those will be freely available for the interested users on request (e.g., environmentalists, academics, and university students, etc.).