Visualisation of quality information for geospatial and remote sensing data:providing the GIS community with the decision support tools for geospatial dataset quality evaluation

The evaluation of geospatial data quality and trustworthiness presents a major challenge to geospatial data users when making a dataset selection decision. The research presented here therefore focused on defining and developing a GEO label – a decision support mechanism to assist data users in efficient and effective geospatial dataset selection on the basis of quality, trustworthiness and fitness for use. This thesis thus presents six phases of research and development conducted to: (a) identify the informational aspects upon which users rely when assessing geospatial dataset quality and trustworthiness; (2) elicit initial user views on the GEO label role in supporting dataset comparison and selection; (3) evaluate prototype label visualisations; (4) develop a Web service to support GEO label generation; (5) develop a prototype GEO label-based dataset discovery and intercomparison decision support tool; and (6) evaluate the prototype tool in a controlled human-subject study. The results of the studies revealed, and subsequently confirmed, eight geospatial data informational aspects that were considered important by users when evaluating geospatial dataset quality and trustworthiness, namely: producer information, producer comments, lineage information, compliance with standards, quantitative quality information, user feedback, expert reviews, and citations information. Following an iterative user-centred design (UCD) approach, it was established that the GEO label should visually summarise availability and allow interrogation of these key informational aspects. A Web service was developed to support generation of dynamic GEO label representations and integrated into a number of real-world GIS applications. The service was also utilised in the development of the GEO LINC tool – a GEO label-based dataset discovery and intercomparison decision support tool. The results of the final evaluation study indicated that (a) the GEO label effectively communicates the availability of dataset quality and trustworthiness information and (b) GEO LINC successfully facilitates ‘at a glance’ dataset intercomparison and fitness for purpose-based dataset selection.

Demo: Shield UI JavaScript Chart - A Flexible HTML5 Data Visualization Component

Shield UI’s advanced framework for creating rich charts and graphs is the first of a line of data visualization components, giving web developers the power for embedding rich graphics in their web projects with minimum effort. Built with HTML, CSS3 and packaged as a jQuery plugin, the library has full support for legacy and modern desktop web browsers, as well as the latest mobile devices.

GIS and optimisation:potential benefits for emergency facility location in humanitarian logistics

Floods are one of the most dangerous and common disasters worldwide, and these disasters are closely linked to the geography of the affected area. As a result, several papers in the academic field of humanitarian logistics have incorporated the use of Geographical Information Systems (GIS) for disaster management. However, most of the contributions in the literature are using these systems for network analysis and display, with just a few papers exploiting the capabilities of GIS to improve planning and preparedness. To show the capabilities of GIS for disaster management, this paper uses raster GIS to analyse potential flooding scenarios and provide input to an optimisation model. The combination is applied to two real-world floods in Mexico to evaluate the value of incorporating GIS for disaster planning. The results provide evidence that including GIS analysis for a decision-making tool in disaster management can improve the outcome of disaster operations by reducing the number of facilities used at risk of flooding. Empirical results imply the importance of the integration of advanced remote sensing images and GIS for future systems in humanitarian logistics.

Spatial ecological complexity measures in GRASS GIS

Good estimates of ecosystem complexity are essential for a number of ecological tasks: from biodiversity estimation, to forest structure variable retrieval, to feature extraction by edge detection and generation of multifractal surface as neutral models for e.g. feature change assessment. Hence, measuring ecological complexity over space becomes crucial in macroecology and geography. Many geospatial tools have been advocated in spatial ecology to estimate ecosystem complexity and its changes over space and time. Among these tools, free and open source options especially offer opportunities to guarantee the robustness of algorithms and reproducibility. In this paper we will summarize the most straightforward measures of spatial complexity available in the Free and Open Source Software GRASS GIS, relating them to key ecological patterns and processes.

A multi-organisational approach for disaster preparedness and response:the use of optimisation and GIS for facility location, stock pre-positioning, resource allocation and relief distribution

From 1992 to 2012 4.4 billion people were affected by disasters with almost 2 trillion USD in damages and 1.3 million people killed worldwide. The increasing threat of disasters stresses the need to provide solutions for the challenges faced by disaster managers, such as the logistical deployment of resources required to provide relief to victims. The location of emergency facilities, stock prepositioning, evacuation, inventory management, resource allocation, and relief distribution have been identified to directly impact the relief provided to victims during the disaster. Managing appropriately these factors is critical to reduce suffering. Disaster management commonly attracts several organisations working alongside each other and sharing resources to cope with the emergency. Coordinating these agencies is a complex task but there is little research considering multiple organisations, and none actually optimising the number of actors required to avoid shortages and convergence. The aim of the this research is to develop a system for disaster management based on a combination of optimisation techniques and geographical information systems (GIS) to aid multi-organisational decision-making. An integrated decision system was created comprising a cartographic model implemented in GIS to discard floodable facilities, combined with two models focused on optimising the decisions regarding location of emergency facilities, stock prepositioning, the allocation of resources and relief distribution, along with the number of actors required to perform these activities. Three in-depth case studies in Mexico were studied gathering information from different organisations. The cartographic model proved to reduce the risk to select unsuitable facilities. The preparedness and response models showed the capacity to optimise the decisions and the number of organisations required for logistical activities, pointing towards an excess of actors involved in all cases. The system as a whole demonstrated its capacity to provide integrated support for disaster preparedness and response, along with the existence of room for improvement for Mexican organisations in flood management.

Estimation of average annual daily traffic (AADT) using geographically weighted regression (GWR) method and geographic information system (GIS)

Annual average daily traffic (AADT) is important information for many transportation planning, design, operation, and maintenance activities, as well as for the allocation of highway funds. Many studies have attempted AADT estimation using factor approach, regression analysis, time series, and artificial neural networks. However, these methods are unable to account for spatially variable influence of independent variables on the dependent variable even though it is well known that to many transportation problems, including AADT estimation, spatial context is important. ^ In this study, applications of geographically weighted regression (GWR) methods to estimating AADT were investigated. The GWR based methods considered the influence of correlations among the variables over space and the spatially non-stationarity of the variables. A GWR model allows different relationships between the dependent and independent variables to exist at different points in space. In other words, model parameters vary from location to location and the locally linear regression parameters at a point are affected more by observations near that point than observations further away. ^ The study area was Broward County, Florida. Broward County lies on the Atlantic coast between Palm Beach and Miami-Dade counties. In this study, a total of 67 variables were considered as potential AADT predictors, and six variables (lanes, speed, regional accessibility, direct access, density of roadway length, and density of seasonal household) were selected to develop the models. ^ To investigate the predictive powers of various AADT predictors over the space, the statistics including local r-square, local parameter estimates, and local errors were examined and mapped. The local variations in relationships among parameters were investigated, measured, and mapped to assess the usefulness of GWR methods. ^ The results indicated that the GWR models were able to better explain the variation in the data and to predict AADT with smaller errors than the ordinary linear regression models for the same dataset. Additionally, GWR was able to model the spatial non-stationarity in the data, i.e., the spatially varying relationship between AADT and predictors, which cannot be modeled in ordinary linear regression. ^

Data partitioning and replication management in distributed geographic information system (GIS) database

This research presents several components encompassing the scope of the objective of Data Partitioning and Replication Management in Distributed GIS Database. Modern Geographic Information Systems (GIS) databases are often large and complicated. Therefore data partitioning and replication management problems need to be addresses in development of an efficient and scalable solution. ^ Part of the research is to study the patterns of geographical raster data processing and to propose the algorithms to improve availability of such data. These algorithms and approaches are targeting granularity of geographic data objects as well as data partitioning in geographic databases to achieve high data availability and Quality of Service(QoS) considering distributed data delivery and processing. To achieve this goal a dynamic, real-time approach for mosaicking digital images of different temporal and spatial characteristics into tiles is proposed. This dynamic approach reuses digital images upon demand and generates mosaicked tiles only for the required region according to user's requirements such as resolution, temporal range, and target bands to reduce redundancy in storage and to utilize available computing and storage resources more efficiently. ^ Another part of the research pursued methods for efficient acquiring of GIS data from external heterogeneous databases and Web services as well as end-user GIS data delivery enhancements, automation and 3D virtual reality presentation. ^ There are vast numbers of computing, network, and storage resources idling or not fully utilized available on the Internet. Proposed "Crawling Distributed Operating System "(CDOS) approach employs such resources and creates benefits for the hosts that lend their CPU, network, and storage resources to be used in GIS database context. ^ The results of this dissertation demonstrate effective ways to develop a highly scalable GIS database. The approach developed in this dissertation has resulted in creation of TerraFly GIS database that is used by US government, researchers, and general public to facilitate Web access to remotely-sensed imagery and GIS vector information. ^

Water resources assessment and geographic information system (GIS)-based stormwater runoff estimates for artificial recharge of freshwater aquifers in New Providence, Bahamas

The Bahamas is a small island nation that is dealing with the problem of freshwater shortage. All of the country’s freshwater is contained in shallow lens aquifers that are recharged solely by rainfall. The country has been struggling to meet the water demands by employing a combination of over-pumping of aquifers, transport of water by barge between islands, and desalination of sea water. In recent decades, new development on New Providence, where the capital city of Nassau is located, has created a large area of impervious surfaces and thereby a substantial amount of runoff with the result that several of the aquifers are not being recharged. A geodatabase was assembled to assess and estimate the quantity of runoff from these impervious surfaces and potential recharge locations were identified using a combination of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and remote sensing. This study showed that runoff from impervious surfaces in New Providence represents a large freshwater resource that could potentially be used to recharge the lens aquifers on New Providence.

The Role of GIS in DRR: Classifying and Improving GIS Capabilities in Small Towns and Rural Areas

Optimizing GIS capability does not always require that the municipality obtain cutting edge professionals and resources. This paper offers a disaster risk reduction (DRR) design methodology for small towns and rural areas that employs a multi-variable classification system, enabling customization for effective DRR. Determining appropriate GIS capacity requires that a community first be evaluated in order to identify its disaster risk reduction/disaster management (DRR/DM) requirements. These requirements are then considered in conjunction with the municipality's resources to establish the desired capability. Qualification levels for major aspects of GIS capability with respect to DRR/DM are provided along with descriptions of each level and suggested procedures for advancement to the next level. It should be noted that a municipality can be classified at a different level with respect to different variables. Needs vary according to the community, thus attainment of a uniform capability level may not be necessary.

Context-Based Customization of Routing Functions for Web GIS Applications

This poster presentation features three route planning applications developed by the Florida International University GIS Center and the Geomatics program at the University of Florida, and outlines their context based differences. The first route planner has been developed for cyclists in three Florida counties, i.e. Miami Dade County, Broward County, and Palm Beach County. The second route planner computes safe pedestrian routes to schools and has been developed for Miami Dade County. The third route planner combines pre-compiled cultural/eco routes and point-to-point route planning for the City of Coral Gables. This poster highlights the differences in design (user interface) and implementation (routing options) between the three route planners as a result of a different application context and target audience.

Design and Development of Geographical Information System (GIS) Map for Nuclear Waste Streams

A nuclear waste stream is the complete flow of waste material from origin to treatment facility to final disposal. The objective of this study was to design and develop a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) module using Google Application Programming Interface (API) for better visualization of nuclear waste streams that will identify and display various nuclear waste stream parameters. A proper display of parameters would enable managers at Department of Energy waste sites to visualize information for proper planning of waste transport. The study also developed an algorithm using quadratic Bézier curve to make the map more understandable and usable. Microsoft Visual Studio 2012 and Microsoft SQL Server 2012 were used for the implementation of the project. The study has shown that the combination of several technologies can successfully provide dynamic mapping functionality. Future work should explore various Google Maps API functionalities to further enhance the visualization of nuclear waste streams.

GIS layers of seafloor characteristics in the Azores region (North Atlantic), links to files in ArcGIS format

Inventory of some important datasets related to the physical characteristics of the seafloor surrounding the Azores Archipelago. The objective is to ensure that our compilation is readily available for any researchers interested in this type information but also to support institutions responsible for the management and conservation of local resources.

Aplicação de géis de goma guar no processo de clarificação de salmouras e águas produzidas

Produced water is considered the main effluent of the oil industry, due to their increased volume in mature fields and its varied composition. The oil and grease content (TOG) is the main parameter for the final disposal of produced water. In this context, it is of great significance to develop an alternative method based on guar gum gel for the treatment of synthetic produced water, and using as the differential a polymer having high hydrophilicity for clarifying waters contaminated with oil. Thus, this study aims to evaluate the efficiency of guar gum gels in the remotion of oil from produced water. Guar gum is a natural polymer that, under specific conditions, forms three-dimensional structures, with important physical and chemical properties. By crosslinking the polymer chains by borate ions in the presence of salts, the effect salting out occurs, reducing the solubility of the polymer gel in water. As a result, there is phase separation with the oil trapped in the collapsed gel. The TOG was quantified from the spectroscopy in the ultraviolet and visible region. The system was proven to be highly efficient in the removal of dispersed oil from water produced synthetically, reaching removal percentages above 90%.

A INFOGRAFIA MULTIMÍDIA NO CLARÍN.COM E FOLHA.COM: o Flash e o HTML5 na ampliação das características interativas

Este trabalho propõe o estudo comparativo do uso de infográficos multimídia pelos sites Clarín.com, da Argentina e Folha.com, do Brasil. A pesquisa tem como objetivo verificar e analisar como esses dois importantes veículos de comunicação online da América Latina têm utilizado a tecnologia HTML5 para avançar nas possibilidades interativas do gênero jornalístico. Para tanto, a análise comparada trata da infografia multimídia, que tem passado por profundas mudanças tecnológicas, alterando o formato e o conteúdo da notícia. Além da conceituação teórica e revisão de literatura sobre infografia, newsgame, narrativa transmídia, jornalismo online, interatividade e as linguagens de programação voltadas para a produção de infografia multimídia, o trabalho realizou análise comparativa das seções Infográficos, veiculada pela Folha.com, e Especiales Multimedia, do Clarín.com. O estudo, quantitativo e qualitativo, verificou os recursos narrativos e informativos, ferramentas e tecnologias de linguagem de programação para Internet que são empregadas pelos dois meios de comunicação, com base no modelo de análise proposto por Alberto Cairo em Infografia 2.0 – visualización interactiva de información en prensa. A pesquisa demonstrou que ainda que o Clarín.com tenha utilizado a tecnologia Flash na maioria dos infográficos multimídia analisados, os resultados da análise comparada mostram que os infográficos do jornal online argentino possibilitaram níveis mais elevados de interatividade do que os infográficos multimídia da Folha.com, desenvolvidos majoritariamente em HTML5.