Assessment of the Retail Food Environment Using Integrated GIS and Modified Measures in Wuhan, China

The retail food environment (RFE) has a significant impact on people’s dietary behavior and diet-related outcomes. Although RFE research has received a lot of attention, there are very few studies that shed light on the foodscape and assessment methodologies in the China context. Based on open data obtained from Dianping.com and AutoNavi map, we classified all food outlets into six types. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) techniques were employed to create two network buffer areas (1-km and 3-km) and calculate the absolute measures and relative measures (i.e., mRFEI and Rmix). We modified the calculation of relative measures by adding items and assigning weights. The mean mRFEI using the 1-km and 3-km buffer sizes across the communities were 10.45 and 20.12, respectively, while the mean mRmix of the two buffer sizes were 20.97 and 58.04, indicating that residents in Wuhan have better access to fresh and nutritious food within 3-km network buffers. Residents in urban areas are more likely to be exposed to an unhealthy food environment than those in rural areas. Residents in Xinzhou and Qiaokou districts are more likely to be subjected to unfavorable neighborhood RFE. The open data-driven methods for assessing RFE in Wuhan, China may guide community-level food policy interventions and promote active living by shifting built environments to increase residents’ access to healthy food.

GIS-based 3D limit equilibrium analysis for design optimization of a 600 m high slope in an open pit mine

Combining the GIS （geographic information systems） grid-based data with four proposed column-based 3D slope stability analysis models, a comprehensive solution of a high-steep open-pit slope has been obtained. For six searching ranges, 19 critical slip surfaces of different sizes have been studied, in which the minimum 3D safety factor is 1.33. Comparison of 3D safety factors of designed and proposed slope plans shows for all the critical slip surfaces for the proposed plan, the smallest 3D safety factor is 1.33 under the most unfavorable condition. This means that the proposed plan of the high slopes, about 600 m, of an open pit （2-5° steeper than designed plan） is feasible.

Estimating and Plotting of Groundwater Quality Using WQI UA and GIS in Assiut Governorate, Egypt

This paper aims to turn complex groundwater data into comprehensible information by indexing the different factors numerically comparative to the standards of World Health Organization (WHO) to produce Water Quality Index (WQI). Water Quality Index (WQI) has been used to assess groundwater quality and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) has been used to create maps representing the spatial distribution of groundwater categories in Assiut governorate, Egypt. Water Quality Index has been computed by Un-weighted Arithmetic Water Quality Index (WQIUA) method and applied on 796 wells over eight years from 2006 to 2013. The results showed that WQIUA values for drinking purposes were high and most of them reached higher or close to 100, which indicated that the groundwater was polluted and unsafe for drinking. On the other hand, the quality index of groundwater for irrigation purposes in most of the study area ranges between 55.78 and 78.38 (poor and very poor category);this means that groundwater is moderately polluted and rather suitable for irrigation.

Mapping of Stream Flow Trends in Porsuk Basin Using GIS Environment

In this study, trends of minimum, average and maximum flows were investigated in Porsuk basin, which is a sub-basin of Sakarya basin and then changes in flows were mapped using Geographical Information Systems (GIS). In the study, in 10 flow gauging stations across the Porsuk basin, monthly average, maximum and minimum flow data is used covering the period 1961-2013 (53 years). When analyzing the distribution of observed trends in the basin, a trend has been observed in most of the river flows. A decreasing trend has been observed overall in the basin. Trends are generally decreasing over time except for a few stations. As a result, increasing trends are observed in the west part of the basin;while in the east part of the basin decreasing trends are observed. When average and maximum monthly flows are investigated, decreasing trends are observed in the stations except DSI-12182. Trend analysis of 10 flow gauging stations across the Porsuk basin is investigated by Mann-Kendall method. Trend distribution was made according to flow trends of basin by transferring Z values to GIS.

Application of Geographic Information Systems to Analyses and Modeling of Hydrocarbons Anomaly in Yakla,North Tarim Basin,Xinjiang,China

Yakla area is a very important and typical region in North Tarim, because it is the region that leads to a breakthrough in North Tarim oil/gas exploring. Therefore, a lot of exploration work has been already carried out in the area aiming at assessing the hydrocarbon anomaly and some techniques for anomaly delineation are being suggested. Yakla covers about 312 km 2 and lies 20 km south to Luntai Kuche road and displays as a long rectangular, with the length of 24 km in ENE and the width of 13 km in WSW. The surface is desert covered with saline akali, sand ribbon and sand dune. Samples collected from Yakla were analyzed for their hydrocarbon mass fractions and the spatial distribution of the concentrations of selected hydrocarbons C 1, C 2, C 3, i C 4, n C 4, i C 5, n C 5 and UF365 were estimated from these data sets. Multivariate statistical techniques including Kriging, moving average, factor analyses, cluster analyses and furrier filtering are used. The statistical techniques, spatial data analysis and transformation capabilities of geographic information systems, combined with geophysical and geological data, helped the authors to identify the hydrocarbon anomaly in Yakla.

GIS-Based Spatial Analysis for the Integrated Transport-Land Use-Energy Planning:An Application to the Greater London

This work focuses on examining the possible advantages for the urban sustainability,derived from the integration of transport,land use and energy systems.The main aim is to develop a GIS-based method that can help decision makers,either public or private,improve the economic,social and environmental sustainability of urban areas through an integrated transformation approach.As a result,it was possible to provide a spatial analysis technique based on seven synthetic variables and on the application of a cluster method able to identify the portions of urban areas where investments and urban integrated transformation processes can be more suitable,according to the dynamic relationships among transport,land use and energy systems.The methodology was applied to the Greater London area and led to significant results:the cluster classes follow the transport railway network evolution within the study area boundary.The paper is organized as follows:in Section 1 the integration of transport,land use and energy planning is investigated;following the introduction,in Section 2,the GIS-based method is presented,followed by a description of the application to the Greater London area;in Section 4,findings of the methodology are explained.In the last section,results and future developments are discussed.

Search Methods for Evacuation Routes during Torrential Rain Disasters Using Genetic Algorithms and GIS

The present study aims to propose a method to search for the most appropriate evacuation routes that take calorie consumption required for evacuees to reach evacuation sites into consideration, by focusing on disasters caused by heavy rainfall, and using genetic algorithm (GA) and geographic information system (GIS). Specifically, GA was used to design and develop an evacuation route search algorithm and 4 parameters including the number of generations, mutation rate number of individuals and crossover rate were set by conducting sensitivity analyses. Additionally, GIS was also used to create road network data and contour data for digital maps and calculate the altitude of each crossover point. Based on these, the necessary calorie consumption to reach evacuation sites for each route was calculated, and that made it possible to derive the several evacuation routes with the small values unlike other methods. By using GA and GIS to suggest detailed evacuation routes, which take the necessary calories required to reach evacuation sites into consideration, it can be expected that the present study should contribute to the decision-making of evacuees. Additionally, as the method is based on public information, the method has high spatial and temporal repeatability. Because evacuation routes are proposed based on quantified data, the selected evacuation routes are quantitatively evaluated, and are an effective indicator for deciding on an evacuation route. Additionally, evacuation routes that accurately reflect current conditions can be derived by utilizing detailed information as data.

Water Runoff Estimation Using Geographical Information System (GIS) for Alrakhmah Basin Valley Northeast of Iraq

The lack of water resources in many regions is the main challenge for the human being and to extended investigations. Water resources controlling and management is essential in the areas depending on the seasonal rainfall. This research aims to estimate the surface water runoff for Basin of Alrakhmah Valley located in the southwestern part of Kirkuk Province in northeastern of Iraq. Analyzing of Spatial data and Digital Elevation Model (DEM) data has been conducted using Geographic Information System (GIS) to estimate the hydrological properties for the watershed valley with 158.5 km2 surface area. The results showed that watershed valley type is from the fifth rank with a longitudinal shape and topography percentage of 0.568. The watershed textures found to be 3.24 and the drain density 1.5 at 3.49 river branching. Finally, the annual estimated surface water retreat according to the morpho-hydro climatic elements found to be 0.01286233 milliard cubic meter.

Route Search Method for Railway Replacement Buses Adopting Ant Colony Optimization

In recent years, Japan, and especially rural areas have faced the growing problems of debt-ridden local railway lines along with the population decline and aging population. Therefore, it is best to consider the discontinuation of local railway lines and introduce replacement buses to secure the transportation methods of the local people especially in rural areas. Based on the above background, targeting local railway lines that may be discontinued in the near future, appropriate bus stops when provided with potential bus stops were selected, the present study proposed a method that introduces routes for railway replacement buses adopting ant colony optimization (ACO). The improved ACO was designed and developed based on the requirements set concerning the route length, number of turns, road width, accessibility of railway lines and zones without bus stops as well as the constraint conditions concerning the route length, number of turns and zones without bus stops. Original road network data were generated and processed adopting a geographic information systems (GIS), and these are used to search for the optimal route for railway replacement buses adopting the improved ACO concerning the 8 zones on the target railway line (JR Kakogawa line). By comparing the improved ACO with Dijkstra’s algorithm, its relevance was verified and areas needing further improvements were revealed.

Understanding the Dynamics Location of Very Large Populations Interacted with Service Points

This paper offers preliminary work on system dynamics and Data mining tools. It tries to understand the dynamics of carrying out large-scale events, such as Hajj. The study looks at a large, recurring problem as a variable to consider, such as how the flow of people changes over time as well as how location interacts with placement. The predicted data is analyzed using Vensim PLE 32 modeling software, GIS Arc Map 10.2.1, and AnyLogic 7.3.1 software regarding the potential placement of temporal service points, taking into consideration the three dynamic constraints and behavioral aspects: a large population, limitation in time, and space. This research proposes appropriate data analyses to ensure the optimal positioning of the service points with limited time and space for large-scale events. The conceptual framework would be the output of this study. Knowledge may be added to the insights based on the technique.

Estimation of ammonia nitrogen load from nonpoint sources in the Xitiao River catchment, China

Ammonia nitrogen (NH4+-N) is one of the three main forms of total nitrogen (TN). Most studies have estimated the load of TN from nonpoint sources instead of one specific form. The relationship between land use and concentrations of NH4+-N in runoff was analyzed using the hydraulic analysis functions of a Geographic Information Systems (GIS), and the annual loads of NH4+-N in the Xitiao River catchment were estimated according to model results. The results suggested that the calculated annual loads of NH4+-N...

An evaluation of the role played by remote sensing technology following the World Trade Center attack

Remote sensing technology has been widely recognized for contributing to emergency response efforts after the World Trade Center attack on September 11th, 2001. The need to coordinate activities in the midst of a dense, yet relatively small area, made the combination of imagery and mapped data strategically useful. This paper reviews the role played by aerial photography, satellite imagery, and LIDAR data at Ground Zero. It examines how emergency managers utilized these datasets, and identifies significant problems that were encountered. It goes on to explore additional ways in which imagery could have been used, while presenting recommendations for more effective use in future disasters and Homeland Security applications. To plan adequately for future events, it was important to capture knowledge from individuals who responded to the World Trade Center attack. In recognition, interviews with key emergency management and geographic information system (GIS) personnel provide the basis of this paper. Successful techniques should not be forgotten, or serious problems dismissed. Although widely used after September 11th, it is important to recognize that with better planning, remote sensing and GIS could have played an even greater role. Together with a data acquisition timeline, an expanded discussion of these issues is available in the MCEER/NSF report “Emergency Response in the Wake of the World Trade Center Attack; The Remote Sensing Perspective” (Huyck and Adams, 2002) Keywords World Trade Center (WTC) - terrorism - emergency response - emergency management - ground zero - remote sensing - emergency operations - disasters - geographic information systems (GIS) - satellite imagery - synthetic aperture radar (SAR) - light detection and ranging imagery (LIDAR)

Role of remote sensing, geographic bioinformatics system and bioinformatics in kala-azar epidemiology

Visceral leishmaniasis or kala-azar is a potent parasitic infection causing death of thousands of people each year. Medicinal compounds currently available for the treatment of kala-azar have serious side effects and decreased efficacy owing to the emergence of resistant strains. The type of immune reaction is also to be considered in patients infected with Leishmania donovani （L. donovani）. For complete eradication of this disease, a high level modern research is currently being applied both at the molecular level as well as at the field level. The computational approaches like remote sensing, geographic information system （GIS） and bioinformatics are the key resources for the detection and distribution of vectors, patterns, ecological and environmental factors and genomic and proteomic analysis. Novel approaches like GIS and bioinformatics have been more appropriately utilized in determining the cause of visearal leishmaniasis and in designing strategies for preventing the disease from spreading from one region to another.

Resolving place names in Amdo and Kham:A gazetteer for the Hengduan Mountains region of Southwest China

Perhaps no region on earth presents such a confusing array of place names as does the area made up of the former provinces of Kham and Amdo in historic Tibet (Xizang). Within these areas, cities, towns, villages, mountains, lakes and other geographic features have at least two names applied to them, one Tibetan, the other Chinese. Overlying this indigenous nomenclature are the names applied by outsiders, mostly Europeans, each of whom used their native language to transliterate the names they heard or read from Tibetan or Chinese script, and names in the languages of other ethnic minorities who live within the area. Adding to the confusion are the conflicting “standards” for transliterating Tibetan and Chinese names. To resolve the inconsistencies and uncertainties of place names in this region, a multilingual gazetteer and thesaurus was prepared. The gazetteer-thesaurus was compiled to be used as a tool for correlating the often radically different names assigned to a single place or feature and to provide the geographic coordinates for each. The impetus for this project was the need to assign geographic coordinates to plant specimens collected in the area since the latter part of the 19th century up until the advent and widespread use of Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers in the 1990s. Georeferencing specimens is necessary for plotting the historical distribution of species and for more completely understanding the information contained on specimen labels. Knowing the distribution of plants is important for answering phylogenetic questions, determining local and widespread biogeographical patterns, identifying areas of unusually high diversity or endemism, and determining areas in need of special protection. The value of such a gazetteer, however, extends well beyond the field of botany. It is intended to be of use to anyone with a desire to know the nomenclatural history of places in the area and for pinpointing with a fair degree of accuracy the location of each of those places.

Three-dimensional critical slip surface locating and slope stability assessment for lava lobe of Unzen volcano

Even Unzen volcano has been declared to be in a state of relative dormancy,the latest formed lava lobe No.11 now represents a potential slope failure mass based on the latest research.This paper concentrates on the stability of the lava lobe No.11 and its possible critical sliding mass.It proposes geographic information systems (GIS) based three-dimensional (3D) slope stability analysis models.It uses a 3D locating approach to identify the 3D critical slip surface and to analyze the 3D stability of the lava lobe No.11.At the same time,the new 3D approach shows the effectiveness in selecting the range of the Monte Carlo random variables and locating the critical slip surface in different parts of the lava lobe No.11.The results are very valuable for judging the stability of the lava lobe and assigning the monitoring equipments.

Remote Sensing Applied to Regional-Scale Mapping of Solar Potential—Case Study on Florianopolis Island

Satellite imagery is used for many activities in different areas of the planet, including searching for alternative and sustainable sources to meet growing energy demand to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. One way to minimize these effects and expand energy parks is to encourage local generation through the use of renewable sources, such as solar energy, which is free and affordable in many regions of the planet, but that in Brazil is not yet a reality. In order to make an assertive decision when installing a solar power system, one needs to use tools that involve remote sensing and geographic information systems (GIS), and compile information and variables that are relevant to the subject of solar power generation and take into account the inherent geographic space. In this context, the main objective of this work is to develop a GIS model to identify areas with solar potential on a regional scale using active remote sensor images and previously available solar models. To validate the model, this study used an area on the island part of the city of Florianópolis in Santa Catarina State—Brazil, which suffers from repeated climatic events which cause long power cuts, as its distribution occurs by air all over the island. Through the “solar analist” function of ArcGIS and the matrix bases derived from the Digital Model of the Space Shuttle Topography Mission (SRTM) with 30 m of spatial resolution and the supervised classification of panthromatic and multispectral images fused from LandSat 8 satellite, were generates indicative maps of the areas with solar potential. The results pointed to a high solar potential in the all year and that could be better explored by public managers and also by individual consumers.

Mapping Distribution of Precipitation, Temperature and Evaporation in Seydisuyu Basin with the Help of Distance Related Estimation Methods

In this research, distributions of precipitation, temperature and evaporation in Seydisuyu basin were analyzed with the help of inverse distance weighted (IDW) method. Because real meteorological data of the basin (precipitation, temperature and evaporation) do not have normal distribution, precipitation, temperature and evaporation distribution maps are drawn after normalization process. The number of meteorological stations, in other words the number of samples, is low, so only IDW method is used in this research. In addition to the research, reliability of the results obtained with the help of inverse distance weighting method was examined with accuracy analysis. The purpose of this study, the spatial distribution of meteorological data on a basin or areas is to demonstrate the applicability of the statistical basis.

Food Tourism Planning Support System within Urban Sightseeing Areas in Japan

The present study aimed to design, develop, operate and evaluate a tourism planning support system that can be used to decide on places to eat lunch and dinner, sightseeing spots to visit along the way, and routes for visiting these destinations. This system was developed by integrating a web geographic information system (Web-GIS) and a sightseeing plan creation system (an eatery search system and a sightseeing route creation system). Additionally, the system was operated for one month in Central Yokohama City of Kanagawa Prefecture in Japan, and the total number of users was 79. Based on the results of the web questionnaire survey, user evaluations were particularly high for the function of sightseeing spot selection and the function of display of sightseeing plan information, and also for the entire system. From the results of the access analysis of users’ log data, the total number of sessions in the system was 263, 67% used mobile devices, and smartphones were used most frequently. Therefore, it is evident that the system was used by different types of devices just as it was designed for, and that the system was used according to the purpose of the present study, which is to support the food tourism planning of users.

Landslide Hazard Mapping Using GIS and Weight of Evidence Model in Qingshui River Watershed of 2008 Wenchuan Earthquake Struck Region

Tens of thousands of landslides were triggered by May 12, 2008 earthquake over a broad area. The main purpose of this article is to apply and verify earthquake-triggered landslide hazard analysis techniques by using weight of evidence modeling in Qingshui （清水） River watershed, Deyang （德阳） City, Sichuan （四川） Province, China. Two thousand three hundred and twenty-one landslides were interpreted in the study area from aerial photographs and multi-source remote sensing imageries post-earthquake, verified by field surveys. The landslide inventory in the study area was established. A spatial database, including landslides and associated controlling parameters that may have influence on the occurrence of landslides, was constructed from topographic maps, geological maps, and enhanced thematic mapper （ETM＋） remote sensing imageries. The factors that influence landslide occurrence,such as slope angle, aspect, curvature, elevation, flow accumulation, distance from drainages, and distance from roads were calculated from the topographic maps. Lithology, distance from seismogenic fault, distance from all faults, and distance from stratigraphic boundaries were derived from the geological maps. Normalized difference vegetation index （NDV1） was extracted from ETM＋ images. Seismic intensity zoning was collected from Wenchuan （汶川） Ms8.0 Earthquake Intensity Distribution Map published by the China Earthquake Administration.Landslide hazard indices were calculated using the weight of evidence model, and landslide hazard maps were calculated from using different controlling parameters cases. The hazard map was compared with known landslide locations and verified. The success accuracy percentage of using all 13 controlling parameters was 71.82%. The resulting landslide hazard map showed five classes of landslide hazard, i.e., very high, high, moderate, low, and very low. The validation results showed satisfactory agreement between the hazard map and the existing landslides distribution data. The landslide hazard map can be used to identify and delineate unstable hazard-prone areas. It can also help planners to choose favorable locations for development schemes, such as infrastructural, buildings, road constructions, and environmental protection.

Evaluation of environmental parameters in logistic regression models for landslide susceptibility mapping

The aim of this study was to determine how well the landslide susceptibility parameters,obtained by data-dependent statistical models,matched with the parameters used in the literature.In order to achieve this goal,20 different environmental parameters were mapped in a well-studied landslide-prone area,the Asarsuyu catchment in northwest Turkey.A total of 4400 seed cells were generated from 47 different landslides and merged with different attributes of 20 different environmental causative variables into a database.In order to run a series of logistic regression models,different random landslide-free sample sets were produced and combined with seed cells.Different susceptibility maps were created with an average success rate of nearly 80%.The coherence among the models showed spatial correlations greater than 90%.Models converged in the parameter selection peculiarly,in that the same nine of 20 were chosen by different logistic regression models.Among these nine parameters,lithology,geological structure(distance/density),landcover-landuse,and slope angle were common parameters selected by both the regression models and literature.Accuracy assessment of the logistic models was assessed by absolute methods.All models were field checked with the landslides resulting from the 12 November 1999,Kaynas¸li Earthquake(Ms
7.2).