Urban Cemeteries in Southern Brazil: An Analysis of Planimetric Variations, Vegetation Indices and Temperature

Urban cemeteries have the potential to negatively impact the quality of health of populations in their immediate vicinity.Thus,it becomes important to understand the factors influencing the potential to disperse contamination.This study examined the altimetry,Normalized Difference Vegetation Index(NDVI)and Land Surface Temperature(LST)in five urban cemeteries in the City of Passo Fundo/RS,in the south of Brazil,and the possible potential for the proliferation of contaminating agents present in these cemetery spaces in relation to a radius of 300 meters(m).The methodologies used Landsat 8 satellite images to sample the altimetry,NDVI and LST,applied to a regression model,to analyze the dispersion factors of the correlation of collected data.The results showed a trend of contamination of the environment by urban cemeteries in Passo Fundo,in the regions with the highest population density and the lowest vegetative cover.

Geo-environmental parametric 3D models of SARS-CoV-2 virus circulation in hospital ventilation systems

The novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, has the potential to cause natural ventilation systems in hospital environments to be rendered inadequate, not only for workers but also for people who transit through these environments even for a limited duration. Studies in of the fields of geosciences and engineering,when combined with appropriate technologies, allow for the possibility of reducing the impacts of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in the environment, including those of hospitals which are critical centers for healthcare. In this work, we build parametric 3D models to assess the possible circulation of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in the natural ventilation system of a hospital built to care infected patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. Building Information Modeling(BIM) was performed, generating 3D models of hospital environments utilizing Revit software for Autodesk CFD 2021. The evaluation considered dimensional analyses of 0°, 45°, 90° and 180°. The analysis of natural ventilation patterns on both internal and external surfaces and the distribution of windows in relation to the displacement dynamics of the SARS-CoV-2 virus through the air were considered. The results showed that in the external area of the hospital, the wind speed reached velocities up to 2.1 m/s when entering the building through open windows. In contact with the furniture, this value decreased to 0.78 m/s. In some internal isolation wards that house patients with COVID-19, areas that should be equipped with negative room pressure, air velocity was null. Our study provides insights into the possibility of SARS-CoV-2 contamination in internal hospital environments as well as external areas surrounding hospitals, both of which encounter high pedestrian traffic in cities worldwide.

Changes in Rural Areas of the City of Carazinho (RS) between 2001 and 2020: A Temporal Analysis Using Landsat TM-7 and TM-8 Images

The analysis of satellite images is of fundamental importance in relation to understanding the evolution in land use.The general objective of this study is to analyze the changes in characteristics of rural land use in the municipality of Carazinho(RS)from 2001 to 2020 through the analysis of images taken from the Landsat TM-7 and TM-8 satellites.The TM-7 and TM-8 satellite images were classified and supervised,thus generation thematic maps with the following groups:tillage,forest,water resources and exposed soil.The analysis of this study showed that in 2001 the tillage group had an area of 10,651.6 ha,the forest group had an area of 7,248.03 ha,the water resources group occupied an area of 1,444.96 ha,and the exposed soil group occupied an area of 6,798.75 ha.When using the images taken in 2020,the same area presented the following data:the tillage group with an area of 15,941.5 ha.(60.95%),the forest group with an area of 4,320.99 ha(16.52%),water resources group with an area of 141.02 ha(0.53%),and the exposed soil group with an area of 5,747.22 ha(21.97%).The results demonstrate changes in land use during the study period,mainly with regard to the increase of cultivation areas and,consequently,the suppression of vegetation.

The Use of Remote Sensing and Landscape Metrics to Analyze Land Use Evolution in Rural Areas of the Municipality of Passo Fundo/RS(Brazil)

The use of remote sensing in the design of land use mapping allows analyses of landscape evolution during a certain period of time which helps studies in a global scope.The objective of this study is to identify and analyze changes in characteristics of rural land use in the municipality of Passo Fundo,located in the state of Rio Grande do Sul,Brazil,during the years 2001 and 2020,through images taken from the Landsat TM-7 and TM-8 satellites.Methodologically,satellite images were classified by supervised methods,generating thematic maps,and taking into account the following groups:tillage(growing area),forest,exposed soil and water resources.Results demonstrated that the process of connecting agricultural crop patches went from 5.495 in 2001 to a figure of 10.812 in 2020,thus having an increase of 96%.

Simulations of Carbon Dioxide Emissions Related to the Use of Public Transport for Students in a Higher Education Institution in Southern Brazil

Carbon dioxide(CO2)emissions from motor vehicles have been increasing in large urban centers,thus contributing to air pollution.The general objective of this study is to analyze simulations of CO2 emissions among students who use public transport in the city of Passo Fundo,in the state of Rio Grande do Sul,Brazil.Methodologically,this study was developed in three stages:(1)verification of the time used by higher education students at Faculdade Meridional(IMED)in relation to urban mobility;(2)understanding of the transport mode used by these students,taking into account the one which appears with the highest incidence;(3)simulating CO2 emissions from the modes of transport used by students after the application of the Environmental Impact Simulator(EIS)used by the National Public Transport Association(ANTP,in Portuguese)for the modeling of transport indexes aimed at analyzing CO2 emissions.When considering the total of 3,079 students who assigned to a sample of 66 questionnaires,a reduction of CO2 emissions of 4,527.04 kg during a year in relation to the use of public transport was found.

Use of geospatial tools to predict the risk of contamination by SARS-CoV-2 in urban cemeteries

Urban cemeteries are increasingly surrounded by areas of high residential density as urbanization continues world-wide. With increasing rates of mortality caused by the novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2,urban vertical cemeteries are experiencing interments at an unprecedented rate. Corpses interred in the 3rd to 5th layer of vertical urban cemeteries have the potential to contaminate large adjacent regions.The general objective of this manuscript is to analyze the reflectance of altimetry, normalized difference vegetation index(NDVI) and land surface temperature(LST) in the urban cemeteries and neighbouring areas of the City of Passo Fundo, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. It is assumed that the population residing in the vicinity of these cemeteries may be exposed to SARS-CoV-2 contamination through the displacement of microparticles carried by the wind as a corpse is placed in the burial niche or during the first several days of subsequent fluid and gas release through the process of decomposition. The reflectance analyses were performed utilizing Landsat 8 satellite images applied to altimetry, NDVI and LST, for hypothetical examination of possible displacement, transport and subsequent deposition of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The results showed that two cemeteries within the city, cemeteries A and B could potentially transport SARS-CoV-2 of nanometric structure to neighboring residential areas through wind action.These two cemeteries are located at high relative altitudes in more densely populated regions of the city.The NDVI, which has been shown to control the proliferation of contaminants, proved to be insufficient in these areas, contributing to high LST values. Based on the results of this study, the formation and implementation of public policies that monitor urban cemeteries is suggested in areas that utilize vertical urban cemeteries in order to reduce the further spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

Post-Occupancy Evaluation (POE) Using Space Syntax: A Case Study of Urban Parks in the South of Brazil

This study is based on strategies for reading and representing the environment,associated with the theory of social logic of space(space syntax).The general objective of this study is to understand and compare the use of space syntax in relation to connectivity,integration and choice of axial routes of the urban parks of Porto Alegre,in the state of Rio Grande do Sul,south of Brazil.The method applied was the capture of georeferenced images for data analysis by using the Theory of Space Syntax(TSE).Thus,three variables were considered for interpretation:choice,connectivity and integration,and they were correlated to statistical data on urban morphology.The results demonstrated the possibility of obtaining significant improvements in the studied urban parks due to the need to create guidelines related to connection and integration that directly impact users'choice strategies when they move around the city.

Public Initiatives Aiming at the Cycling System in a City in Southern Brazil

The discussion about the use of the bicycle as a means of transport has been gaining importance on a global scale,although countries like Brazil still have urban mobility difficulties caused by how urban densification occurs,the growing number of motor vehicles and the lack of space for the construction of cycle paths in cities.The general objective of this manuscript is to analyze the result of public policies aimed at the implementation of bicycle paths,with the“Passo Fundo Vai de Bici”Program created to investigate the variations in intensity in relation to the areas served by the current incentive for active cycling mobility in the city of Passo Fundo(South of Brazil).Methodologically,Google Earth Pro satellite images were used to map the existing bike paths in the city.Subsequently,geographic coordinate points and altitudes of specific locations on the bike paths and bike sharing stations were collected,generating a database,transferred to the Qgis 3.10 software for the preparation of heat maps.The results showed the lack of integration between the cycling systems analyzed by the distance factor,needing to encourage discussions about its expansion and functionality,consolidating it as an urban public policy of local functionality to foster sustainable transport.