bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The neuroscience of birth – and the case for Zero Separation
Authors: Bergman Nils J.
Published: November 2014

Currently, Western maternal and neonatal care are to a large extent based on routine separation of mother and infant. It is argued that there is no scientific rationale for this practice and a body of new knowledge now exists that makes a case for Zero Separation of mother and newborn. For the infant, the promotion of Zero Separation is based on the need for maternal sensory inputs that regulate the physiology of the newborn. There are harmful effects of dysregulation and subsequent epigenetic changes caused by separation. Skin-to-skin contact is the antithesis to such separation; the mother’s body is the biologically ‘normal’ place of care, supporting better outcomes both for normal healthy babies and for the smallest preterm infants. In the mother, there are needed neural processes that ensure enhanced reproductive fitness, including behavioural changes (e.g. bonding and protection) and improved lactation, which are supported by the practice of Zero Separation. Zero Separation of mother and newborn should thus be maintained at all costs within health services.
Assessment of adaptation strategies to flooding: A comparative study between informal settlements of Keko Machungwa in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania and Sangkrah in Surakarta, Indonesia
Authors: Sakijege Tumpale , Sartohadi Junun , Marfai Muh A. , Kassenga Gabriel R. , Kasala Samson E.
Published: November 2014

A large number of informal settlements in developing countries are located in high risk areas(low-lying lands and on river banks). This situation is caused by poverty and the inabilityof authorities to supply planned plots for building to meet demands of the growing urbanpopulations. Informal settlements have, in turn, triggered disaster risks, flooding being just oneof them. As a way of reducing impacts of flooding, residents in informal settlements have resortedto the use of structural adaptation strategies. Despite these efforts, the vulnerability of peopleand properties in informal settlements is increasing. This article aimed to provide an answer as towhy this is the case, by assessing and comparing the technical suitability of adaptation strategiesto flooding in the informal settlements of Sangkrah and Keko Machungwa and recommendingmeasures for improvement. Household interviews, physical observation (visual inspections ofsigns of damage and deterioration), measurements of height of physical adaptation strategies,mapping, photographing, and in-depth interviews were the key methods employed. Generally,in both cases, it was determined that flood mitigation and risk minimisation measures throughstructural adaptation strategies were hardly achieved at the household level, as adaptationstrategies were constructed with little or no attention to acceptable technical considerations.However, when levels of compliance to technical considerations in the construction of houseswere compared between the two cases, they were found to be slightly higher in Sangkrah thanin Keko Machungwa. Residents in Sangkrah demonstrated a slight difference, especially in theuse of reinforced concrete (4.3%) for constructing a building’s foundation, as well as in the useof ceramics (72.9%) to construct the floor. In order to deliver technically suitable adaptationstrategies, efforts need to be directed toward: regulating and controlling the construction ofstructures for adaptation, enhancing individual coping capacity, deployment of a workforcetrained in disaster risk and management and enforcement of relevant urban planning andenvironmental management laws in managing risky areas.
The bus rapid transit system: A service quality dimension of commuter uptake in Cape Town, South Africa
Authors: Ugo Prince D.
Published: November 2014

This study evaluated commuter uptake of the bus rapid transit (BRT) system in Cape Town,South Africa. As a stated preference survey was not carried out prior to the launch of the new BRT system in the City of Cape Town, it became difficult to assess commuters’ preferences,which would have provided City policymakers and planners with an understanding of customer satisfaction of the proposed bus service. The commuting trend of the BRT system in the City indicates that tickets sales and utilisation by commuters is gradually picking up, but one would have expected high commuter engagement in terms of the modernity profile of the BRT system. This study investigated commuters’ (n = 260) satisfaction levels with 30 service quality variables on a self-rated questionnaire, using quantitative research methodology.The study result showed that passengers were not satisfied with the transport fare and the availability or accessibility of ticket sales outlets. In the context of this study, this result implies that the ‘responsiveness and affordability’ variable of the service quality dimensions should be an area of interest and review to City of Cape Town policymakers and planners. Service quality trends in public transport were also highlighted.
Vegetation of the eastern communal conservancies in Namibia: I. Phytosociological descriptions
Authors: Strohbach Ben J.
Published: November 2014

The establishment of communal conservancies aims to have the local communities share in the benefits especially of wildlife resources, in this way spearheading the conservation of the environment. The Desert Margins Programme in Namibia aimed to develop vegetation resource data for the Otjituuo, Okamatapati, Ozonahi, African Wild Dog, Otjinene, Epukiro, Otjombinde, Omuramba Ua Mbinda, Eiseb and Ondjou communal conservancies, in order to assist with natural resource planning. For this purpose, a phytosociological survey of this area, with 422 relevés, was conducted during 2004. The data was captured in Turboveg and forms part of the Namibian phytosociological database (GIVD AF-NA-001). The data was split into two, representing two major land forms, the ‘hardeveld’ and the ‘sandveld’, respectively. A classification was undertaken using the Modified two-way indicator species analysis (TWINSPAN) procedure. Further refinements, based on field observations and literature sources, were performed using Cocktail procedures. Thirteen vegetation associations were formally described in this article, of which two were subdivided into subassociations. These associations can broadly be grouped into broad-leaved savanna types typical of the central and northern Kalahari of Namibia and microphyll savannas found on the transitions to the Central Plateau. One association, the Burkeo africanae–Pterocarpetum angolensis, forms the southern fringe of the Zambesian Baikiaea Woodlands ecoregion of the World Wildlife Fund, whilst all the other associations fall within the Kalahari Acacia–BaikiaeaWoodlands ecoregion. The Combreto collini–Terminalietum sericeae is the most widespread association and dominates the landscape. Threats to the vegetation include overutilisation and regular fires, both of which could easily lead to desertification. This threat is aggravated by global climate change.Conservation implications: This article described 13 plant associations of the central Kalahari in eastern Namibia, an area hitherto virtually unknown to science. The information presented in this article forms a baseline description, which can be used for future monitoring of the vegetation under communal land use.
Induction and resistance against Fusarium wilt disease of tomato by using sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum L) extract
Authors: Akladious Samia Ageeb , Isaac George Saad , Abu-Tahon Medhat Ahmed
Published: November 2014

Akladious, S. A., Isaac, G. S. and Abu-Tahon, M. A. 2015. Induction and resistance against Fusarium wilt disease of tomato by using sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum L) extract. Can. J. Plant Sci. 95: 689–701. The antifungal activity of Ocimum basilicum (sweet basil) extract against Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici race 3 the causal agent of tomato wilt and its ability in inducing disease resistance were studied in vivo using seed-soaking treatment before sowing. Plants were harvested at 45 and 105 d (vegetative and flowering stages) after sowing. Treatment with O. basilicum extract decreased the disease incidence from 94.70 to 18.00%. Results revealed that growth parameters and photosynthetic pigments were markedly inhibited in tomato plants in response to Fusarium wilt disease, whereas the contents of non-enzymatic and enzymatic antioxidants were increased as compared with healthy control plants. Moreover, presoaking in basil extract enhanced all the mentioned parameters in both healthy and infected plants. SDS-PAGE analysis of tomato leaves revealed that seed treated with basil extract resulted in an induction of novel protein bands during the vegetative stage. These new proteins were not detected in untreated healthy or infected control plants. Electrophoretic studies of polyphenol oxidase, esterase and malate dehydrogenase isoenzymes showed wide variations in their intensities and densities among all treatments. It seems that O. basilicum extract was able to enhance the biological control of Fusarium wilt disease of tomato.
Carbon dynamics in a biochar-amended loamy soil under switchgrass
Authors: Allaire Suzanne E. , Baril Benjamin , Vanasse Anne , Lange Sébastien F. , MacKay John , Smith Donald L.
Published: November 2014

Allaire, S. E., Baril, B., Vanasse, A., Lange, S. F., MacKay, J. and Smith, D. L. 2015. Carbon dynamics in a biochar-amended loamy soil under switchgrass. Can. J. Soil Sci. 95: 1–13. The environmental impacts of switchgrass production for bioenergy could be reduced through the use of biofertilizers rather than mineral fertilizers and through soil amendment with biochar. The objectives of this study were: (1) to assess the impact of biochar and biofertilizer on switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) yield and parameters related to carbon dynamics, (2) to correlate carbon parameters with soil physico-chemical properties over the first two growing seasons, and (3) to develop a C budget. A complete randomized block design was installed in a sandy loam with split plot treatment design, the main plots receiving 0 or 10 t ha−1of biochar and the sub − plots receiving no fertilization, mineral N fertilization, or biofertilizers. Biofertilizers had no significant impact on plant and soil. Biochar increased yield relative to the control treatment by about 10% during the first year and root biomass by up to 50% after 2 yr (P>0.1). Mineral N fertilization also increased yield resulting in higher plant C sequestration after 2 yr. Biochar increased CO2soil concentration (CO2-soil) by up to 50% but its impact on CO2emission flux (CO2-flux) changed over time. The impact of mineral fertilization on CO2-fluxalso varied with time. Soil CO2dynamics was mostly influenced by temperature, N and water content. Biochar and fertilization treatments showed interactions on some plant and soil parameters. The highest C sequestration budget was obtained with a combination of biochar and mineral N fertilization. The equivalent of about one-third of the increase in soil C content associated with biochar treatments was respired away by soil microorganisms. Nearly one-fourth of C sequestered by plants remained in or at the soil surface (root and crop residues).
Upscaling modelled crop yields to regional scale: A case study using DSSAT for spring wheat on the Canadian prairies
Authors: Huffman Ted , Qian Budong , De Jong Reinder , Liu Jiangui , Wang Hong , McConkey Brian , Brierley Tony , Yang Jingyi
Published: November 2014

Huffman, T., Qian, B., De Jong, R., Liu, J., Wang, H., McConkey, B., Brierley, T. and Yang, J. 2015. Upscaling modelled crop yields to regional scale: A case study using DSSAT for spring wheat on the Canadian prairies. Can. J. Soil Sci. 95: 49–61. Dynamic crop models are often operated at the plot or field scale. Upscaling is necessary when the process-based crop models are used for regional applications, such as forecasting regional crop yields and assessing climate change impacts on regional crop productivity. Dynamic crop models often require detailed input data for climate, soil and crop management; thus, their reliability may decrease at the regional scale as the uncertainty of simulation results might increase due to uncertainties in the input data. In this study, we modelled spring wheat yields at the level of numerous individual soils using the CERES–Wheat model in the Decision Support System for Agrotechnology Transfer (DSSAT) and then aggregated the simulated yields from individual soils to regions where crop yields were reported. A comparison between the aggregated and the reported yields was performed to examine the potential of using dynamic crop models with individual soils in a region for the simulation of regional crop yields. The regionally aggregated simulated yields demonstrated reasonable agreement with the reported data, with a correlation coefficient of 0.71 and a root-mean-square error of 266 kg ha−1 (i.e., 15% of the average yield) over 40 regions on the Canadian prairies. Our conclusion is that aggregating simulated crop yields on individual soils with a crop model can be reliable for the estimation of regional crop yields. This demonstrated its potential as a useful approach for using crop models to assess climate change impacts on regional crop productivity.
Engagement in Instrumental Activities of Daily Living, Social Activities, and Use of Everyday Technology in Older Adults with and without Cognitive Impairment
Authors: Nygård Louise , Kottorp Anders
Published: November 2014

Introduction:

Little is known about how subtle activity limitations may be manifested and clinically detected in people with mild cognitive impairment, but these people have been found to experience greater challenges with everyday technology use. The aim of this study was to investigate levels and profiles of engagement in activities, and their associations with perceived difficulty in technology use, for people with mild cognitive impairment, and to compare this group to people with Alzheimer's disease and to controls.

Method:

Samples with mild cognitive impairment (n = 37), Alzheimer's disease (n = 37), and controls (n = 44) were included. Based on raw data from the Frenchay Activity Index, a Rasch model was used to generate linear measures. Analysis of variance and differential item functioning were used.

Results:

The analysis yielded a profile of decreased engagement in specific activities even in mild cognitive impairment. The association between activity engagement and difficulty with everyday technology use was stronger in people with mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease than in controls.

Conclusion:

Taken together, engagement in outdoor activities showed the greatest decrease of all activity types for the group with mild cognitive impairment, suggesting that participation in life outside the home is threatened. The results also suggest that challenges in managing technology are restricting people with cognitive impairment more than they restrict controls.
Implications of Occupational Therapy Job Advertisement Trends for Occupational Therapy Education
Authors: Broome Kieran , Gillen Ailsa
Published: November 2014

Introduction:

The aim of this study was to consider trends in occupational therapy workplace demands in Queensland between December 2009 and November 2011, as demonstrated by advertised job requirements. These trends are considered in the context of both undergraduate curriculum design and continuing professional development.

Method:

A mixed-methods approach was used. The content of occupational therapy job advertisements from four job databases over a 2-year period were examined using quantitative and qualitative analysis to identify trends, concepts, and themes.

Results:

Six lessons regarding occupational therapy education were drawn from the data. These included lessons relating to balancing graduate demand and supply, intake and exit timing, high-demand areas of practice, non-traditional occupational therapy roles, the roles of continuing professional development providers, and discrepancies between existing new graduate competencies and required workplace competencies.

Conclusion:

Occupational therapy educators have an obligation to produce graduates who meet the profession's graduate competencies, as well as those competencies required by workplaces, if those graduates are to be considered work-ready and fit for practice. Similarly, education at a continuing professional development level should reflect market trends and offer graduates and practitioners the opportunity to maintain employment currency.
A new parameterization of particle dry deposition over rough surfaces
Authors: Zhang J. , Shao Y.
Published: November 2014

Abstract. In existing particle dry deposition schemes, the effects of gravity and surface roughness elements on particle motion are often poorly represented. In this study, we propose a new scheme to overcome such deficiencies. Particle deposition velocity is a function of aerodynamic, surface-collection and gravitational resistances. In this study, the effect of gravitation settling is treated analytically. More importantly, the new scheme takes into consideration the impacts of roughness elements on turbulent particle diffusion and surface particle collection. A relationship between aerodynamic and surface-collection processes is established by using an analogy between drag partition and deposition-flux partition. The scheme is then tested against a wind-tunnel data set for four different surfaces and a good agreement between the scheme predictions and the observations is found. The sensitivity of the scheme to the input parameters is tested. Important factors which affect particle deposition in different particle size ranges are identified. The scheme shows good capacity for modeling particle deposition over rough surfaces.
Modeling of gaseous methylamines in the global atmosphere: impacts of oxidation and aerosol uptake
Authors: Yu F. , Luo G.
Published: November 2014

Abstract. Gaseous amines have attracted increasing attention due to their potential role in enhancing particle nucleation and growth and affecting secondary organic aerosol formation. Here we study with a chemistry transport model the global distributions of the most common and abundant amines in the air: monomethylamine (MMA), dimethylamine (DMA), and trimethylamine (TMA). We show that gas phase oxidation and aerosol uptakes are dominant sinks for these methylamines. The oxidation alone (i.e., no aerosol uptake) leads to methylamine lifetimes of 5–10 h in most parts of low and middle latitude regions. The uptake by secondary species with uptake coefficient (γ) of 0.03 (corresponding to the uptake by sulfuric acid particles) reduces the lifetime by ~30% over oceans and much more over the major continents, resulting in a methylamine lifetime of less than 1–2 h over central Europe, eastern Asia, and eastern US. With the estimated global emission flux, from the literature, our simulations indicate that [DMA] in the model surface layer over major continents is generally in the range of 0.1–2 ppt (parts per trillion) when γ = 0.03 and 0.2–10 ppt when γ = 0, and decreases quickly with altitude. [DMA] over oceans is below 0.05 ppt and over polar regions it is below 0.01 ppt. The simulated [MMA] is about a factor of ~2.5 higher while [TMA] is a factor of ~8 higher than [DMA]. The modeled concentrations of methylamines are substantially lower than the limited observed values available, with normalized mean bias ranging from −57 (γ = 0) to −88% (γ = 0.03) for MMA and TMA, and from −78 (γ = 0) to −93% (γ = 0.03) for DMA.
The thermodynamic structure of summer Arctic stratocumulus and the dynamic coupling to the surface
Authors: Sotiropoulou G. , Sedlar J. , Tjernström M. , Shupe M. D. , Brooks I. M. , Persson P. O. G.
Published: November 2014

Abstract. The vertical structure of Arctic low-level clouds and Arctic boundary layer is studied, using observations from ASCOS (Arctic Summer Cloud Ocean Study), in the central Arctic, in late summer 2008. Two general types of cloud structures are examined: the "neutrally stratified" and "stably stratified" clouds. Neutrally stratified are mixed-phase clouds where radiative-cooling near cloud top produces turbulence that generates a cloud-driven mixed layer. When this layer mixes with the surface-generated turbulence, the cloud layer is coupled to the surface, whereas when such an interaction does not occur, it remains decoupled; the latter state is most frequently observed. The decoupled clouds are usually higher compared to the coupled; differences in thickness or cloud water properties between the two cases are however not found. The surface fluxes are also very similar for both states. The decoupled clouds exhibit a bimodal thermodynamic structure, depending on the depth of the sub-cloud mixed layer (SCML): clouds with shallower SCMLs are disconnected from the surface by weak inversions, whereas those that lay over a deeper SCML are associated with stronger inversions at the decoupling height. Neutrally stratified clouds generally precipitate; the evaporation/sublimation of precipitation often enhances the decoupling state. Finally, stably stratified clouds are usually lower, geometrically and optically thinner, non-precipitating liquid-water clouds, not containing enough liquid to drive efficient mixing through cloud-top cooling.
Implementation of a GPS-RO data processing system for the KIAPS-LETKF data assimilation system
Authors: Kwon H. , Kang J.-S. , Jo Y. , Kang J. H.
Published: November 2014

Abstract. The Korea Institute of Atmospheric Prediction Systems (KIAPS) has been developing a new global numerical weather prediction model and an advanced data assimilation system. As part of the KIAPS Package for Observation Processing (KPOP) system for data assimilation, preprocessing and quality control modules for bending angle measurements of global positioning system radio occultation (GPS-RO) data have been implemented and examined. GPS-RO data processing system is composed of several steps for checking observation locations, missing values, physical values for Earth radius of curvature, and geoid undulation. An observation-minus-background check is implemented by use of a one-dimensional observational bending angle operator and tangent point drift is also considered in the quality control process. We have tested GPS-RO observations utilized by the Korean Meteorological Administration (KMA) within KPOP, based on both the KMA global model and the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) Community Atmosphere Model-Spectral Element (CAM-SE) as a model background. Background fields from the CAM-SE model are incorporated for the preparation of assimilation experiments with the KIAPS-LETKF data assimilation system, which has been successfully implemented to a cubed-sphere model with fully unstructured quadrilateral meshes. As a result of data processing, the bending angle departure statistics between observation and background shows significant improvement. Also, the first experiment in assimilating GPS-RO bending angle resulting from KPOP within KIAPS-LETKF shows encouraging results.
A two thousand year annual record of snow accumulation rates for Law Dome, East Antarctica
Authors: Roberts J. , Plummer C. , Vance T. , van Ommen T. , Moy A. , Poynter S. , Treverrow A. , Curran M. , George S.
Published: November 2014

Abstract. Accurate high resolution records of snow accumulation rates in Antarctica are crucial for estimating ice sheet mass balance and subsequent sea level change. Snowfall rates at Law Dome, East Antarctica, have been linked with regional atmospheric circulation to mid-latitudes as well as regional Antarctic snowfall. Here, we extend the Law Dome accumulation record from 750 to 2035 years, using recent annual layer dating that extends to AD −22. Accumulation rates were calculated as the ratio of measured to modelled layer thicknesses, multiplied by the long term mean accumulation rate. The modelled layer thicknesses were based on a power law vertical strain rate profile fitted to observed annual layer thickness. The periods AD 380–442, AD 727–783 and AD 1970–2009 have above average snow accumulation rates, while AD 663–704, AD 933–975 and AD 1429–1468 were below average. The calculated snow accumulation rates show good correlation with atmospheric reanalysis estimates, and significant spatial correlation over a wide expanse of East Antarctica, demonstrating that the Law Dome record captures larger scale variability across a large region of East Antarctica well beyond the immediate vicinity of the Law Dome summit. Spectral analysis reveals periodicities in the snow accumulation record which may be related to ENSO and Interdecadal Pacific Oscillation frequencies.
Risk management support through India Remote Sensing Satellites
Authors: Aparna N. , Ramani A. V. , Nagaraja R.
Published: November 2014

Abstract. Remote Sensing along with Geographical Information System (GIS) has been proven as a very important tools for the monitoring of the Earth resources and the detection of its temporal variations. A variety of operational National applications in the fields of Crop yield estimation , flood monitoring, forest fire detection, landslide and land cover variations were shown in the last 25 years using the Remote Sensing data. The technology has proven very useful for risk management like by mapping of flood inundated areas identifying of escape routes and for identifying the locations of temporary housing or a-posteriori evaluation of damaged areas etc. The demand and need for Remote Sensing satellite data for such applications has increased tremendously. This can be attributed to the technology adaptation and also the happening of disasters due to the global climate changes or the urbanization. However, the real-time utilization of remote sensing data for emergency situations is still a difficult task because of the lack of a dedicated system (constellation) of satellites providing a day-to-day revisit of any area on the globe. The need of the day is to provide satellite data with the shortest delay. Tasking the satellite to product dissemination to the user is to be done in few hours. Indian Remote Sensing satellites with a range of resolutions from 1 km to 1 m has been supporting disasters both National & International. In this paper, an attempt has been made to describe the expected performance and limitations of the Indian Remote Sensing Satellites available for risk management applications, as well as an analysis of future systems Cartosat-2D, 2E ,Resourcesat-2R &RISAT-1A. This paper also attempts to describe the criteria of satellite selection for programming for the purpose of risk management with a special emphasis on planning RISAT-1(SAR sensor).
A Merging Approach for Urban Boundary Correction Acquired By Remote Sensing Images
Authors: Zhang P. L. , Shi W. Z. , Wu X. Y.
Published: November 2014

Abstract. Since reform and opening up to outside world, ever-growing economy and development of urbanization of China have caused expansion of the urban land scale. It’s necessary to grasp the information about urban spatial form change, expansion situation and expanding regularity, in order to provide the scientific basis for urban management and planning. The traditional methods, like land supply cumulative method and remote sensing, to get the urban area, existed some defects. Their results always doesn’t accord with the reality, and can’t reflects the actual size of the urban area. Therefore, we propose a new method, making the best use of remote sensing, the population data, road data and other social economic statistic data. Because urban boundary not only expresses a geographical concept, also a social economic systems.It’s inaccurate to describe urban area with only geographic areas. We firstly use remote sensing images, demographic data, road data and other data to produce urban boundary respectively. Then we choose the weight value for each boundary, and in terms of a certain model the ultimate boundary can be obtained by a series of calculations of previous boundaries. To verify the validity of this method, we design a set of experiments and obtained the preliminary results. The results have shown that this method can extract the urban area well and conforms with both the broad and narrow sense. Compared with the traditional methods, it’s more real-time, objective and ornamental.
Supplementing Oscat winds with Saral Altika observations for cyclone studies
Authors: Niharika K. , Usha Sundari H. S. V. , Prasad A. V. V. , Sita Kumari E. V. S. , Dadhwal V. K. , Ali M. M.
Published: November 2014

Abstract. Accurate prediction of life cycle of cyclone is very critical to the disaster management practices. Since the cyclones originate over the oceans where in situ observations are limited, we have to resort to the remote sensing techniques. Both optical and microwave sensors help studying the cyclones. While scatterometer provide wind vectors, altimeters can give only wind speed. In this paper we present how altimeter measurements can supplement the scatterometer observations in determining the radius of maximum winds (RMW). Sustained maximum winds, indicator for the intensity of the cyclone, are within the eye wall of a cyclone at a distance of RMW. This parameter is also useful in predicting right time of the storm surge. In this paper we used the wind speed estimations from AltiKa, an altimeter operating at Ka band.
Investigation of coastline changes in three provinces of Thailand using remote sensing
Authors: Tochamnanvita T. , Muttitanon W.
Published: November 2014

Abstract. The measuring of coastal in the certain short period of time is almost impossible, but applying the remote sensing with the satellite imagery bring mankind to track down and analyze the approximately length of the coastal changes at the Nano technology speed. An attempt has been made to study the length of shoreline changes along three provinces in the upper gulf of Thailand. The significant purpose is to investigate coastline length changes and to evaluate those different coastal changes at different times. Two specialties of chosen areas are the outstanding location at mouth of river in curve pattern and ecological important mangrove forest, as nominated and designated area listed in Ramsar convention, international wetlands treaty. In employing the remote sensing will help to investigate the shoreline erosion, stable or construction shoreline. Rapid and drastic shoreline changes have been compared and measured base on satellite image Landsat 5 TM on 1994, 2002 and 2007 at path129 row 051. There were geometrically co-registered and, in the process were resampled to 25 m. By composing RGB band, fusion, supervised classification. By apply different theories will give different results but the similarly pattern. Training sites were selected by signature editor, area of interest, evaluate by seperabilitly and contingency. Principle component analysis (PCA) was employed as a method of change detection. This is to conclude that these shoreline areas were in erosion from natural processes and manmade activities, for example, aquaculture and agriculture expansion, such as shrimp farm. These coastal line lost were not just losing the land; it's losing the soul of the cycle of marine life, economically, and environmentally. Moreover, this project, in the future, could benefit to set the recovery buffer zone for mangrove restoration also.
Oil Spill Map for Indian Sea Region based on Bhuvan- Geographic Information System using Satellite Images
Authors: Vijaya kumar L. J. , Kishore J. K. , Kesava Rao P. , Annadurai M. , Dutt C. B. S. , Hanumantha Rao K. , Sasamal S. K. , Arulraj M. , Prasad A. V. V. , Sita Kumari E. V. S. , Satyanarayana S. N. , Shenoy H. P.
Published: November 2014

Abstract. Oil spills in the ocean are a serious marine disaster that needs regular monitoring for environmental risk assessment and mitigation. Recent use of Polarimetric SAR imagery in near real time oil spill detection systems is associated with attempts towards automatic and unambiguous oil spill detection based on decomposition methods. Such systems integrate remote sensing technology, geo information, communication system, hardware and software systems to provide key information for analysis and decision making. Geographic information systems (GIS) like BHUVAN can significantly contribute to oil spill management based on Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) images. India has long coast line from Gujarat to Bengal and hundreds of ports. The increase in shipping also increases the risk of oil spills in our maritime zone. The availability of RISAT-1 SAR images enhances the scope to monitor oil spills and develop GIS on Bhuvan which can be accessed by all the users, such as ships, coast guard, environmentalists etc., The GIS enables realization of oil spill maps based on integration of the geographical, remote sensing, oil & gas production/infrastructure data and slick signatures detected by SAR. SAR and GIS technologies can significantly improve the realization of oil spill footprint distribution maps. Preliminary assessment shows that the Bhuvan promises to be an ideal solution to understand spatial, temporal occurrence of oil spills in the marine atlas of India. The oil spill maps on Bhuvan based GIS facility will help the ONGC and Coast Guard organization.
Effective System for Automatic Bundle Block Adjustment and Ortho Image Generation from Multi Sensor Satellite Imagery
Authors: Akilan A. , Nagasubramanian V. , Chaudhry A. , Rajesh Reddy D. , Sudheer Reddy D. , Usha Devi R. , Tirupati T. , Radhadevi P. V. , Varadan G.
Published: November 2014

Abstract. Block Adjustment is a technique for large area mapping for images obtained from different remote sensingsatellites.The challenge in this process is to handle huge number of satellite imageries from different sources with different resolution and accuracies at the system level. This paper explains a system with various tools and techniques to effectively handle the end-to-end chain in large area mapping and production with good level of automation and the provisions for intuitive analysis of final results in 3D and 2D environment. In addition, the interface for using open source ortho and DEM references viz., ETM, SRTM etc. and displaying ESRI shapes for the image foot-prints are explained. Rigorous theory, mathematical modelling, workflow automation and sophisticated software engineering tools are included to ensure high photogrammetric accuracy and productivity. Major building blocks like Georeferencing, Geo-capturing and Geo-Modelling tools included in the block adjustment solution are explained in this paper. To provide optimal bundle block adjustment solution with high precision results, the system has been optimized in many stages to exploit the full utilization of hardware resources. The robustness of the system is ensured by handling failure in automatic procedure and saving the process state in every stage for subsequent restoration from the point of interruption. The results obtained from various stages of the system are presented in the paper.
Epipolar Rectification for CARTOSAT-1 Stereo Images Using SIFT and RANSAC
Authors: Akilan A. , Sudheer Reddy D. , Nagasubramanian V. , Radhadevi P. V. , Varadan G.
Published: November 2014

Abstract. Cartosat-1 provides stereo images of spatial resolution 2.5 m with high fidelity of geometry. Stereo camera on the spacecraft has look angles of +26 degree and -5 degree respectively that yields effective along track stereo. Any DSM generation algorithm can use the stereo images for accurate 3D reconstruction and measurement of ground. Dense match points and pixel-wise matching are prerequisite in DSM generation to capture discontinuities and occlusions for accurate 3D modelling application. Epipolar image matching reduces the computational effort from two dimensional area searches to one dimensional. Thus, epipolar rectification is preferred as a pre-processing step for accurate DSM generation. In this paper we explore a method based on SIFT and RANSAC for epipolar rectification of cartosat-1 stereo images.
Development of Gis Tool for the Solution of Minimum Spanning Tree Problem using Prim's Algorithm
Authors: Dutta S. , Patra D. , Shankar H. , Alok Verma P.
Published: November 2014

Abstract. minimum spanning tree (MST) of a connected, undirected and weighted network is a tree of that network consisting of all its nodes and the sum of weights of all its edges is minimum among all such possible spanning trees of the same network. In this study, we have developed a new GIS tool using most commonly known rudimentary algorithm called Prim’s algorithm to construct the minimum spanning tree of a connected, undirected and weighted road network. This algorithm is based on the weight (adjacency) matrix of a weighted network and helps to solve complex network MST problem easily, efficiently and effectively. The selection of the appropriate algorithm is very essential otherwise it will be very hard to get an optimal result. In case of Road Transportation Network, it is very essential to find the optimal results by considering all the necessary points based on cost factor (time or distance). This paper is based on solving the Minimum Spanning Tree (MST) problem of a road network by finding it’s minimum span by considering all the important network junction point. GIS technology is usually used to solve the network related problems like the optimal path problem, travelling salesman problem, vehicle routing problems, location-allocation problems etc. Therefore, in this study we have developed a customized GIS tool using Python script in ArcGIS software for the solution of MST problem for a Road Transportation Network of Dehradun city by considering distance and time as the impedance (cost) factors. It has a number of advantages like the users do not need a greater knowledge of the subject as the tool is user-friendly and that allows to access information varied and adapted the needs of the users. This GIS tool for MST can be applied for a nationwide plan called Prime Minister Gram Sadak Yojana in India to provide optimal all weather road connectivity to unconnected villages (points). This tool is also useful for constructing highways or railways spanning several cities optimally or connecting all cities with minimum total road length.
Automated system for generation of soil moisture products for agricultural drought assessment
Authors: Raja Shekhar S. S. , Chandrasekar K. , Sesha Sai M. V. R. , Diwakar P. G. , Dadhwal V. K.
Published: November 2014

Abstract. Drought is a frequently occurring disaster affecting lives of millions of people across the world every year. Several parameters, indices and models are being used globally to forecast / early warning of drought and monitoring drought for its prevalence, persistence and severity. Since drought is a complex phenomenon, large number of parameter/index need to be evaluated to sufficiently address the problem. It is a challenge to generate input parameters from different sources like space based data, ground data and collateral data in short intervals of time, where there may be limitation in terms of processing power, availability of domain expertise, specialized models & tools. In this study, effort has been made to automate the derivation of one of the important parameter in the drought studies viz Soil Moisture. Soil water balance bucket model is in vogue to arrive at soil moisture products, which is widely popular for its sensitivity to soil conditions and rainfall parameters. This model has been encoded into "Fish-Bone" architecture using COM technologies and Open Source libraries for best possible automation to fulfill the needs for a standard procedure of preparing input parameters and processing routines. The main aim of the system is to provide operational environment for generation of soil moisture products by facilitating users to concentrate on further enhancements and implementation of these parameters in related areas of research, without re-discovering the established models. Emphasis of the architecture is mainly based on available open source libraries for GIS and Raster IO operations for different file formats to ensure that the products can be widely distributed without the burden of any commercial dependencies. Further the system is automated to the extent of user free operations if required with inbuilt chain processing for every day generation of products at specified intervals. Operational software has inbuilt capabilities to automatically download requisite input parameters like rainfall, Potential Evapotranspiration (PET) from respective servers. It can import file formats like .grd, .hdf, .img, generic binary etc, perform geometric correction and re-project the files to native projection system. The software takes into account the weather, crop and soil parameters to run the designed soil water balance model. The software also has additional features like time compositing of outputs to generate weekly, fortnightly profiles for further analysis. Other tools to generate "Area Favorable for Crop Sowing" using the daily soil moisture with highly customizable parameters interface has been provided. A whole India analysis would now take a mere 20 seconds for generation of soil moisture products which would normally take one hour per day using commercial software.
Geometric Quality Assessment of Bundle Block Adjusted Mulit- Sensor Satellite Imageries
Authors: Ghosh S. , Bhawani Kumar P. S. , Radhadevi P. V. , Srinivas V. , Saibaba J. , Varadan G.
Published: November 2014

Abstract. The integration of multi-sensor earth observation data belonging to same area has become one of the most important input for resource mapping and management. Geometric error and fidelity between adjacent scenes affects large-area digital mosaic if the images/ scenes are processed independently. A block triangulation approach "Bundle Block Adjustment (BBA)" system has been developed at ADRIN for combined processing of multi-sensor, multi-resolution satellite imagery to achieve better geometric continuity. In this paper we present the evaluation results of BBA software along with performance assessment and operational use of products thus generated. The application evaluation deals with functional aspects of block-adjustment of satellite imagery consisting of data from multiple sources, i.e. AWiFs, LISS-3, LISS-4 and Cartosat-1 in various combinations as single block. It has provision for automatic generation of GCPs and tie-points using image metafile/ Rational Polynomial Coefficient's (RPC’s) and ortho/ merged/ mosaicked products generation. The study is carried out with datasets covering different terrain types (ranging from high mountainous area, moderately undulating terrain, coastal plain, agriculture fields, urban area and water-body) across Indian subcontinent with varying block sizes and spatial reference systems. Geometric accuracy assessment is carried out to figure out error propagation at scene based ortho/ merged products as well as block level. The experimental results confirm that pixel tagging, geometric fidelity and feature continuity across adjacent scenes as well as for multiple sensors reduced to a great extent, due to the high redundancy. The results demonstrate that it is one of the most affective geometric corrections for generating large area digital mosaic over High mountainous terrain using high resolution good swath satellite imagery, like Cartosat-1, with minimum human intervention.
Constructing a Comprehensive Tool for Deriving Drainage Network using Semi-Open Source Tools and Comparision on Different DEM Data Sources
Authors: Gupta P. K. , Yadav P.
Published: November 2014

Abstract. Digital elevation model (DEM) provides elevation information in raster format for an area which help in analysis as these phenomena are gravity depended. Hydrological study requires creation of drainage network map. DEM is the primary input for this process. Generally 6 or more processes are required to be completed to get the drainage network. These are available in form of hydrology tools in the ArcGIS software. These processes are manual and time consuming which increases the chances of human error. An automated process is constructed in this paper which aims to create a tool that can handle multiple files in an intelligent manner. The input DEM plays a significant role in hydrological studies. This study attempts to do a comparative study to analyse the variation in the drainage network and the intermediate products with the change in the input DEM. A tool is created using ArcPy site package in Python programming language to integrate all required hydrology tools. The script is then used to create a tool in ArcGIS 10 which takes location as an input parameter and perform the process on all the DEM files inside the directory. The tool creates separate directory for every DEM file and thus reduces the chances of file mismanagement. The proposed tool is tested on two different datasets namely ASTER GDEM and Cartosat DEM. The tool runs efficiently on both the datasets and thus provides results to compare the drainage pattern produced by these different data sources.
Development of Geospatial Map Based Election Portal
Authors: Kumar Chandra Gupta A. , Kumar P. , Vasanth Kumar N.
Published: November 2014

Abstract. The Geospatial Delhi Limited (GSDL), a Govt. of NCT of Delhi Company formed in order to provide the geospatial information of National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCTD) to the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (GNCTD) and its organs such as DDA, MCD, DJB, State Election Department, DMRC etc., for the benefit of all citizens of Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (GNCTD). This paper describes the development of Geospatial Map based Election portal (GMEP) of NCT of Delhi. The portal has been developed as a map based spatial decision support system (SDSS) for pertain to planning and management of Department of Chief Electoral Officer, and as an election related information searching tools (Polling Station, Assembly and parliamentary constituency etc.,) for the citizens of NCTD. The GMEP is based on Client-Server architecture model. It has been developed using ArcGIS Server 10.0 with J2EE front-end on Microsoft Windows environment. The GMEP is scalable to enterprise SDSS with enterprise Geo Database & Virtual Private Network (VPN) connectivity. Spatial data to GMEP includes delimited precinct area boundaries of Voters Area of Polling stations, Assembly Constituency, Parliamentary Constituency, Election District, Landmark locations of Polling Stations & basic amenities (Police Stations, Hospitals, Schools and Fire Stations etc.). GMEP could help achieve not only the desired transparency and easiness in planning process but also facilitates through efficient & effective tools for management of elections. It enables a faster response to the changing ground realities in the development planning, owing to its in-built scientific approach and open-ended design.