Application of geographic information system and modelling in health impact assessment for urban road mobility in Vietnam

Transport is an essential sector in modern societies. It connects economic sectors and industries. Next to its contribution to economic development and social interconnection, it also causes adverse impacts on the environment and results in health hazards. Transport is a major source of ground air pollution, especially in urban areas, and therefore contributing to the health problems, such as cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, cancer, and physical injuries. This thesis presents the results of a health risk assessment that quantifies the mortality and the diseases associated with particulate matter pollution resulting from urban road transport in Hai Phong City, Vietnam. The focus is on the integration of modelling and GIS approaches in the exposure analysis to increase the accuracy of the assessment and to produce timely and consistent assessment results. The modelling was done to estimate traffic conditions and concentrations of particulate matters based on geo-references data. A simplified health risk assessment was also done for Ha Noi based on monitoring data that allows a comparison of the results between the two cases. The results of the case studies show that health risk assessment based on modelling data can provide a much more detail results and allows assessing health impacts of different mobility development options at micro level. The use of modeling and GIS as a common platform for the integration of different assessments (environmental, health, socio-economic, etc.) provides various strengths, especially in capitalising on the available data stored in different units and forms and allows handling large amount of data. The use of models and GIS in a health risk assessment, from a decision making point of view, can reduce the processing/waiting time while providing a view at different scales: from micro scale (sections of a city) to a macro scale. It also helps visualising the links between air quality and health outcomes which is useful discussing different development options. However, a number of improvements can be made to further advance the integration. An improved integration programme of the data will facilitate the application of integrated models in policy-making. Data on mobility survey, environmental monitoring and measuring must be standardised and legalised. Various traffic models, together with emission and dispersion models, should be tested and more attention should be given to their uncertainty and sensitivity

A type system for value-dependent information flow analysis

Information systems are widespread and used by anyone with computing devices as well as corporations and governments. It is often the case that security leaks are introduced during the development of an application. Reasons for these security bugs are multiple but among them one can easily identify that it is very hard to define and enforce relevant security policies in modern software. This is because modern applications often rely on container sharing and multi-tenancy where, for instance, data can be stored in the same physical space but is logically mapped into different security compartments or data structures. In turn, these security compartments, to which data is classified into in security policies, can also be dynamic and depend on runtime data. In this thesis we introduce and develop the novel notion of dependent information flow types, and focus on the problem of ensuring data confidentiality in data-centric software. Dependent information flow types fit within the standard framework of dependent type theory, but, unlike usual dependent types, crucially allow the security level of a type, rather than just the structural data type itself, to depend on runtime values. Our dependent function and dependent sum information flow types provide a direct, natural and elegant way to express and enforce fine grained security policies on programs. Namely programs that manipulate structured data types in which the security level of a structure field may depend on values dynamically stored in other fields The main contribution of this work is an efficient analysis that allows programmers to verify, during the development phase, whether programs have information leaks, that is, it verifies whether programs protect the confidentiality of the information they manipulate. As such, we also implemented a prototype typechecker that can be found at http://ctp.di.fct.unl.pt/DIFTprototype/.

Analysis of panoramio photo tags in order to extract land use information

In the recent past, hardly anyone could predict this course of GIS development. GIS is moving from desktop to cloud. Web 2.0 enabled people to input data into web. These data are becoming increasingly geolocated. Big amounts of data formed something that is called "Big Data". Scientists still don't know how to deal with it completely. Different Data Mining tools are used for trying to extract some useful information from this Big Data. In our study, we also deal with one part of these data - User Generated Geographic Content (UGGC). The Panoramio initiative allows people to upload photos and describe them with tags. These photos are geolocated, which means that they have exact location on the Earth's surface according to a certain spatial reference system. By using Data Mining tools, we are trying to answer if it is possible to extract land use information from Panoramio photo tags. Also, we tried to answer to what extent this information could be accurate. At the end, we compared different Data Mining methods in order to distinguish which one has the most suited performances for this kind of data, which is text. Our answers are quite encouraging. With more than 70% of accuracy, we proved that extracting land use information is possible to some extent. Also, we found Memory Based Reasoning (MBR) method the most suitable method for this kind of data in all cases.

The implementation of an Enterprise Geographical Information System to support Cadastre and Expropriation activities.

The processes of mobilization of land for infrastructures of public and private domain are developed according to proper legal frameworks and systematically confronted with the impoverished national situation as regards the cadastral identification and regularization, which leads to big inefficiencies, sometimes with very negative impact to the overall effectiveness. This project report describes Ferbritas Cadastre Information System (FBSIC) project and tools, which in conjunction with other applications, allow managing the entire life-cycle of Land Acquisition and Cadastre, including support to field activities with the integration of information collected in the field, the development of multi-criteria analysis information, monitoring all information in the exploration stage, and the automated generation of outputs. The benefits are evident at the level of operational efficiency, including tools that enable process integration and standardization of procedures, facilitate analysis and quality control and maximize performance in the acquisition, maintenance and management of registration information and expropriation (expropriation projects). Therefore, the implemented system achieves levels of robustness, comprehensiveness, openness, scalability and reliability suitable for a structural platform. The resultant solution, FBSIC, is a fit-for-purpose cadastre information system rooted in the field of railway infrastructures. FBSIC integrating nature of allows: to accomplish present needs and scale to meet future services; to collect, maintain, manage and share all information in one common platform, and transform it into knowledge; to relate with other platforms; to increase accuracy and productivity of business processes related with land property management.

Determination of the most suitable oil pipeline route using GIS least cost path analysis

The Keystone XL has a big role for transforming Canadian oil to the USA. The function of the pipeline is decreasing the dependency of the American oil industry on other countries and it will help to limit external debt. The proposed pipeline seeks the most suitable route which cannot damage agricultural and natural water recourses such as the Ogallala Aquifer. Using the Geographic Information System (GIS) techniques, the suggested path in this study got extremely high correct results that will help in the future to use the least cost analysis for similar studies. The route analysis contains different weighted overlay surfaces, each, was influenced by various criteria (slope, geology, population and land use). The resulted least cost path routes for each weighted overlay surface were compared with the original proposed pipeline and each displayed surface was more effective than the proposed Keystone XL pipeline.

From the portolan chart of the mediterranean to the latitude chart of the atlantic

Thesis submitted to the Instituto Superior de Estat��stica e Gest��o de Informa����o da Universidade Nova de Lisboa in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Information Management ��� Geographic Information Systems

Predicting the impacts of climate change on the distribution and conservation of endemic forest land snails of Madeira Island

Climate change is emerging as one of the major threats to natural communities of the world���s ecosystems; and biodiversity hotspots, such as Madeira Island, might face a challenging future in the conservation of endangered land snails��� species. With this thesis, progresses have been made in order to properly understand the impact of climate on these vulnerable taxa; and species distribution models coupled with GIS and climate change scenarios have become crucial to understand the relations between species distribution and environmental conditions, identifying threats and determining biodiversity vulnerability. With the use of MaxEnt, important changes in the species suitable areas were obtained. Laurel forest species, highly dependent on precipitation and relative humidity, may face major losses on their future suitable areas, leading to the possible extinction of several endangered species, such as Leiostyla heterodon. Despite the complexity of the biological systems, the intrinsic uncertainty of species distribution models and the lack of information about land snails��� functional traits, this analysis contributed to a pioneer study on the impacts of climate change on endemic species of Madeira Island. The future inclusion of predictions of the effect of climate change on species distribution as part of IUCN assessments could contribute to species prioritizing, promoting specific management actions and maximizing conservation investment.

The use of analytical hierarchy process in spatial decision support system for land use management

Geographic information systems give us the possibility to analyze, produce, and edit geographic information. Furthermore, these systems fall short on the analysis and support of complex spatial problems. Therefore, when a spatial problem, like land use management, requires a multi-criteria perspective, multi-criteria decision analysis is placed into spatial decision support systems. The analytic hierarchy process is one of many multi-criteria decision analysis methods that can be used to support these complex problems. Using its capabilities we try to develop a spatial decision support system, to help land use management. Land use management can undertake a broad spectrum of spatial decision problems. The developed decision support system had to accept as input, various formats and types of data, raster or vector format, and the vector could be polygon line or point type. The support system was designed to perform its analysis for the Zambezi river Valley in Mozambique, the study area. The possible solutions for the emerging problems had to cover the entire region. This required the system to process large sets of data, and constantly adjust to new problems��� needs. The developed decision support system, is able to process thousands of alternatives using the analytical hierarchy process, and produce an output suitability map for the problems faced.

Politicization of non-political events

Spatial analysis and social network analysis typically take into consideration social processes in specific contexts of geographical or network space. The research in political science increasingly strives to model heterogeneity and spatial dependence. To better understand and geographically model the relationship between ���non-political��� events, streaming data from social networks, and political climate was the primary objective of the current study. Geographic information systems (GIS) are useful tools in the organization and analysis of streaming data from social networks. In this study, geographical and statistical analysis were combined in order to define the temporal and spatial nature of the data eminating from the popular social network Twitter during the 2014 FIFA World Cup. The study spans the entire globe because Twitter���s geotagging function, the fundamental data that makes this study possible, is not limited to a geographic area. By examining the public reactions to an inherenlty non-political event, this study serves to illuminate broader questions about social behavior and spatial dependence. From a practical perspective, the analyses demonstrate how the discussion of political topics flu��tuate according to football matches. Tableau and Rapidminer, in addition to a set basic statistical methods, were applied to find patterns in the social behavior in space and time in different geographic regions. It was found some insight into the relationship between an ostensibly non-political event ��� the World Cup - and public opinion transmitted by social media. The methodology could serve as a prototype for future studies and guide policy makers in governmental and non-governmental organizations in gauging the public opinion in certain geographic locations.

Os sistemas de informa����o geogr��fica e a an��lise multicrit��rio para o estudo da acessibilidade e mobilidade da rede escolar no munic��pio da Humpata (Angola)

O presente trabalho faz uma abordagem aos Sistemas de Informa����o Geogr��fica (SIG) e a an��lise multicrit��rio (AMC) para o estudo da acessibilidade da rede escolar do munic��pio de Humpata, prov��ncia da Hu��la, situada em Angola. Neste trabalho pretende-se demonstrar as dificuldades de acessibilidade e mobilidade tendo em conta aos principais factores que condicionam a rede escolar e tamb��m a acessibilidade em termos de oferta e recursos, analisando com algum pormenor as condi����es de ensino que as escolas oferecem. Por outro lado foram tamb��m elaborados modelos de velocidade com o objectivo de verificar a dist��ncia-tempo percorrida pelos usu��rios considerando o declive do terreno. Ficou demonstrado que, para o estudo da acessibilidade da rede escolar, o uso dos SIG e a AMC fornecem resultados com relev��ncia na tomada de decis��o. A AMC conjugada com a ��lgebra de mapas, permitiu registar as disparidades de acessibilidade entre diferentes povoa����es que comp��em o munic��pio. Aconselha-se por isso a utiliza����o de ferramentas de an��lise espacial como os SIG, em contextos como o do munic��pio de Humpata onde os recursos escassos devem ser bem geridos, de forma a levar os servi��os p��blicos e privados �� maior parte da popula����o e ��s povoa����es que mais necessitam atrav��s da localiza����o ��ptima dos futuros servi��os, que no caso das institui����es escolares concorrera para garantia do sucesso escolar.

Contributions towards smart cities : exploring block level census data for the characterization of change in Lisbon

The interest in using information to improve the quality of living in large urban areas and its governance efficiency has been around for decades. Nevertheless, the improvements in Information and Communications Technology has sparked a new dynamic in academic research, usually under the umbrella term of Smart Cities. This concept of Smart City can probably be translated, in a simplified version, into cities that are lived, managed and developed in an information-saturated environment. While it makes perfect sense and we can easily foresee the benefits of such a concept, presently there are still several significant challenges that need to be tackled before we can materialize this vision. In this work we aim at providing a small contribution in this direction, which maximizes the relevancy of the available information resources. One of the most detailed and geographically relevant information resource available, for the study of cities, is the census, more specifically the data available at block level (Subsec����o Estat��stica). In this work, we use Self-Organizing Maps (SOM) and the variant Geo-SOM to explore the block level data from the Portuguese census of Lisbon city, for the years of 2001 and 2011. We focus on gauging change, proposing ways that allow the comparison of the two time periods, which have two different underlying geographical bases. We proceed with the analysis of the data using different SOM variants, aiming at producing a two-fold portrait: one, of the evolution of Lisbon during the first decade of the XXI century, another, of how the census dataset and SOM���s can be used to produce an informational framework for the study of cities.

Estudo s��cio-ecol��gico sobre tr��fico de seres humanos para fins de explora����o laboral na regi��o do Alentejo : an��lise espacial e estat��stica

O presente relat��rio, inserido no Mestrado em Gest��o do Territ��rio, ��rea de Especializa����o em Dete����o Remota e Sistemas de Informa����o Geogr��fica, lecionado pelo Departamento de Geografia e Planeamento Regional da Faculdade de Ci��ncias Sociais e Humanas da Universidade Nova de Lisboa, pretende descrever o trabalho desenvolvido pelo mestrando enquanto estagi��rio no Observat��rio do Tr��fico de Seres Humanos (OTSH). O relat��rio est�� estruturado em tr��s cap��tulos distintos. No primeiro cap��tulo �� realizada uma abordagem te��rica sobre o Tr��fico de Seres Humanos e a distin����o entre o mesmo com o Aux��lio �� Imigra����o Ilegal. Neste, �� tamb��m feita uma pequena refer��ncia �� problem��tica dos novos fluxos de refugiados/migrantes que, no momento da realiza����o do mesmo, constituem uma quest��o bastante complexa sobretudo ao n��vel europeu. No segundo cap��tulo �� realizada uma caracteriza����o da ��rea de estudo, assim como a descri����o dos dados utilizados e a metodologia aplicada no mesmo. No terceiro cap��tulo s��o apresentados os resultados finais do estudo e a cartografia de s��ntese que sustenta os mesmos. Para a realiza����o deste estudo recorreu-se a uma an��lise multicrit��rio em SIG para prever a localiza����o de ��reas de maior suscetibilidade de ocorr��ncia de novos casos relativos ao crime do tr��fico de seres humanos para explora����o laboral na agricultura, na regi��o do Alentejo (distritos de Beja, ��vora e Portalegre), atrav��s do recurso a dados estat��sticos disponibilizados tanto pelo OTSH, como por outras entidades. A metodologia apresentada integra um SIG baseado num modelo raster com o Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP). Atrav��s da realiza����o deste estudo, a import��ncia dos SIG como ferramenta no aux��lio ao processo de tomada de decis��o, p��de ser testada, conjuntamente com o processo metodol��gico AHP, atrav��s dos resultados apresentados. Com um poss��vel desenvolvimento deste modelo anal��tico, pretende-se que o mesmo seja adapt��vel a outras regi��es e em ��ltima inst��ncia, outros tipos de explora����o e/ou tr��fico.

O papel dos Sistemas de Informa����o Geogr��fica no planeamento, projecto e manuten����o da Rede de Distribui����o de Energia El��ctrica

Este relat��rio de est��gio representa o desenvolvimento de uma metodologia, com recurso a Tecnologias de Informa����o Geogr��fica, que permite a identifica����o de zonas que condicionam os processos de planeamento, projecto e manuten����o das estruturas que comp��em a Rede de Distribui����o de Energia El��ctrica. Centra-se assim nas Tecnologias de Informa����o Geogr��fica enquanto instrumentos que permitem realizar estudos de car��cter territorial com relev��ncia para o sector energ��tico. S��o trabalhadas a identifica����o e delimita����o de zonas de gelo, zonas de polui����o industrial e zonas de salinidade em Portugal Continental. A delimita����o destas zonas foi realizada com recurso a ferramentas de an��lise espacial, utilizando dados fidedignos provenientes de Institui����es da Administra����o P��blica. S��o documentadas tamb��m tarefas extraordin��rias propostas pela EDP Distribui����o - Energia, S.A. Desta forma �� poss��vel compreender as vantagens e desvantagens da utiliza����o destas tecnologias por parte da EDP Distribui����o, de forma a melhorar a gest��o dos recursos dispon��veis, para ajudar a manter a qualidade do servi��o prestado. Ficou no entanto a recomenda����o de uma maior aposta nestas tecnologias.

Environmental quality of life index incorporationg MCA & GIS : case study Lisbon Metropolitan Area, Portugal

The study of Quality of Life (Qol) has been conducted on various scales throughout the years with focus on assessing overall quality of living amongst citizens. The main focus in these studies have been on economic factors, with the purpose of creating a Quality of Life Index (QLI).When it comes down to narrowing the focus to the environment and factors like Urban Green Spaces (UGS) and air quality the topic gets more focused on pointing out how each alternative meets this certain criteria. With the benefits of UGS and a healthy environment in focus a new Environmental Quality of Life Index (EQLI) will be proposed by incorporating Multi Criteria Analysis (MCA) and Geographical Information Systems (GIS). Working with MCA on complex environmental problems and incorporating it with GIS is a challenging but rewarding task, and has proven to be an efficient approach among environmental scientists. Background information on three MCA methods will be shown: Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP), Regime Analysis and PROMETHEE. A survey based on a previous study conducted on the status of UGS within European cities was sent to 18 municipalities in the study area. The survey consists of evaluating the current status of UGS as well as planning and management of UGS with in municipalities for the purpose of getting criteria material for the selected MCA method. The current situation of UGS is assessed with use of GIS software and change detection is done on a 10 year period using NDVI index for comparison purposes to one of the criteria in the MCA. To add to the criteria, interpolation of nitrogen dioxide levels was performed with ordinary kriging and the results transformed into indicator values. The final outcome is an EQLI map with indicators of environmentally attractive municipalities with ranking based on predefinedMCA criteria using PROMETHEE I pairwise comparison and PROMETHEE II complete ranking of alternatives. The proposed methodology is applied to Lisbon���s Metropolitan Area, Portugal.

Apoio �� implementa����o do Sistema de Informa����o Territorial da Administra����o Interna e �� an��lise de padr��es espaciais

Este documento visa apresentar o trabalho de Est��gio realizado na Dire����o Geral de Administra����o Interna (DGAI) como parte integrante e conclusiva do Mestrado em Gest��o do Territ��rio na ��rea de Especializa����o em Dete����o Remota e Sistemas de Informa����o Geogr��fica, ministrado pela Faculdade de Ci��ncias Sociais e Humanas da Universidade Nova de Lisboa. O Est��gio desenvolveu-se em duas fases. A primeira det��m um car��ter mais gen��rico e teve como objetivo prestar apoio �� consolida����o do Sistema de Informa����o Territorial da Administra����o Interna (SITAI), onde, entre diversas atividades desenvolvidas, a principal, e conforme exposto no presente relat��rio, reside na adapta����o de dados do Instituto Nacional de Estat��stica (Censos 2011) ao territ��rio nacional ap��s a Reorganiza����o Administrativa do Territ��rio das Freguesias (RATF). A segunda enfoca o fen��meno da Viol��ncia Dom��stica (VD) e consiste no tratamento e an��lise de v��rios tipos de dados provenientes da base de dados do Minist��rio da Administra����o Interna (MAI) relacionados com o mesmo. N��o obstante esta segmenta����o de trabalhos, �� objetivo deste Est��gio a aplica����o dos Sistemas de Informa����o Geogr��fica (SIG) envolvendo dados de realidades espec��ficas e a produ����o de informa����o capaz de se constituir como instrumento de suporte �� decis��o e desenvolvimento de pol��ticas de seguran��a interna pelas quais o MAI �� respons��vel.