ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
Application of queuing model at the driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority-Kumasi (Eye-Test Section)

In general customers do not like to wait for a long period before services are rendered. Most customers prefer to give up or leave instead of waiting in queues. Over the years, the importation of vehicles into the country has led to massive queues and congestion at the DVLA premises. The DVLA is a government agency solely responsible for issuing license and evaluating drivers and cars in Ghana. This authority is responsible for ensuring safety on the road. The major problem facing the DVLA is that, the number of applications have increased, whiles the DVLA premises still remains the same so drivers have to queue for a long time before services are rendered. These inconveniences might cost both parties, that is the driver who would be driving without valid documents and the DVLA which is a business entity for the nation would also loose some revenue if drivers fail to patronize the services rendered to them by the authority due to long queues. Therefore understanding queues and knowledge on how to manage them is one of the most essential fields in operations management. This work analysis the M=M=1 queuing model at the eye-test section of the DVLA(Kumasi). Due to insufficient number of Optometrist, queues are always formed at the eye-test section of the DVLA. The M=M=1 queuing model provides details on the arrival rates, performance measures, busy and idle period of the Optometrist, for which management of the DVLA could use and provide information to drivers on the amount of time they are expected to spend both in the queue and in the system during the five working days at the eye-test section of the DVLA. In all Monday and Friday recorded the highest arrival rates and performance measures as compared to the other three working days. Customers can therefore choose to go through the eye-test examination on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays to avoid long queues and congestions since these days recorded the least arrival rates and performance measures.

Source: KNUST
Application of Queuing Systems: a Case Study of the Outpatient . Department of Kwahu Government Hospital, Atibie

This research work was undertaken to investigate the queue situation at the outpatient department of Kwahu Government Hospital, Atibie. Queuing theory is thus applied in the evaluation of queue situations at the four sections of the outpatient department of the hospital namely: records section, health insurance section, history section and consulting rooms. Data was taken on the number of patients entering the system and the service time of patients. The data was then used to measure the performance of the system. The research shows which section of the outpatient department is busies and where Patients spend more time. It concludes with ways by which management of the hospital can reduce waiting time of patients thereby achieving most of its objectives.

Source: KNUST
Application of queuing theory to the judicial process in Ghana court system: case study of High Court in Kumasi

The application of Justice is very vital to the social, economic and political development of every country, and effective and efficient court system is one of the important ingredients of democracy. The objectives of the court among others are to ensure efficiency and a speedy delivery of justice and also change the public perception of the Judiciary and build confidence in the Judiciary. However, majority of them turn out to become dejected, disappointed or frustrated and have therefore lost confidence in the bodies adjudicating over their cases due to long delays, for it is said that justice delayed is justice denied. A major topic of Applied Mathematics that deals with this phenomenon of waiting, congestion, delay etc, is called Queuing theory, which can also be applied in the judicial process as cases work their way through the Court Service System. For the purpose of the queuing theory a model was designed based on Poisson Probability Distribution to determine the waiting time. Notwithstanding this waiting time there are a lot of factors that affect the smooth delivery of service to the public. The study investigated the factors that cause delay. Both primary and secondary data source were used. Sample survey, interviews and observations were used in primary data collection. The analysis of data revealed that there are a lot of factors that cause delay in the court and as such the application of the Queuing Theory in the Court’s Service System becomes somewhat impossible. It was observed that the application of Queuing Theory in the Court can only be possible if the factors that cause delay are solved. So therefore the findings of the study suggested and recommended that among others adequate infrastructure should be provided, competent Lawyers should be employed for the post of Judges and also increase salaries and better conditions of service to the staff.

Source: KNUST
An application of Queuing Theory to Outpatients Waiting Time; A Case Study of the Seventh day Adventist Hospital Tamale

This thesis considers the average waiting time of patients at the Out-patients department (OPD) of tamale Seventh Day Adventist Day hospital as a single-channel queuing system with Poisson arrivals and exponential service rate where arrivals are handled on a first serve (FCFS) basis...

Source: KNUST
Application of Remote Sensing and GIS for Forest Cover Change Detection. (A Case Study of Owabi Catchment in Kumasi, Ghana)

Farming activities, continued sand winning operations and the allocation of plots of land to prospective developers in and around the catchments of the Owabi Dam pose a serious threat to the forest covers and the lifespan of the dam. The aim of this study was to analyzing the Change detection of forest cover in Owabi catchment area in Kumasi, using multi-temporal Remote Sensing (RS) data and Geographic Information System (GIS) based techniques. For this study, Landsat TM image of 11th January 1986, aster image of 15th January 2002 and Landsat ETM image of 24th February 2007 were analyzed using Erdas Imagine and ArcGIS software. After performing supervised classification on these images, a total of eight land use and land cover (LULC) classes were identified and mapped. These were water, bare soil/sand, grassland, built-up, sparse forest, high density forest, croplands and wetlands. An NDVI analysis was performed on these images and vegetation covers were identified. Using Fragstats software, changes in the landscape structure were analyzed and some fragmantation statistics of the LULC types were computed. Gain and loss to persistence ratio as well as the net change to persistence ratio of the various LULC classes were also computed. Topographic map of 1974 were used to identify the spatial distribution of the reserved forest. The results of the analysis showed that from 1986 to 2002 and 2002 to 2007 the forest covers‟ has decreased by 2136.6 ha and 1231.56 ha respectively representing 24.7% and 14.2%. It emerged that from 1986 to 2007, forest covers‟ reduced by 3368.16 ha, representing 38.9%. These changes were as a result of an increase in human activities and population explosion within the catchment area. There was no significant difference between the NDVI classification and the supervised classification of the images. Overlay of the reserved forest of the 1974 and the classified maps of 1986, 2002 and 2007 shows that the reserved forest had been highly depleted over the past 33 years. The use of Satellite image data, GIS and RS technique is a valuable tool for detection and prediction of forest cover change and the identification of areas under risk of invasion.

Source: KNUST
Application of Statistical Models to Outpatient Department (OPD) Attendance Data in Saltpond Municipal Hospital of the Central Region of Ghana

Hospitals in Ghana are always overwhelmed by the unexpected high Outpatient Department (OPD) attendance. The Saltpond Municipal Hospital at Saltpond in the Central Region of Ghana is no exception. This reason underpins this study where OPD attendance data from 2002 to 2012 as can be seen in appendix A was gathered for developing an adequate time series model and forecasting attendance for the next five (5) years. Several time series models including AR, MA, ARMA, ARIMA and SARIMA were fitted to the data. It was revealed that the most adequate model for the data was the seasonal ARIMA (1, 1, 3) (0, 1, 1)12. Also, there will be an increase in the OPD attendance at the hospital in the next 5 years. It is recommended that in order for the hospital to prepare adequately, the forecasted figures should be relied upon in planning its activities.

Source: KNUST
Application of Residue Number System to Smith - Waterman Algorithm

In this thesis, we propose a hardware implementation of the Smith - Waterman Algorithm using Residue Number System (RNS). One of the biggest challenges confronting the bioinformatics community as at now is fast and accurate sequence alignment. The Smith - Waterman algorithm (SWA) is one of the several algorithms used in addressing some of these challenges. Though very sensitive in doing sequence alignment, the SWA is not used in real life applications due to the computational cost involve in using this algorithm. Hence heuristics methods such as BLAST and FASTA are used though they do not guarantee accurate sequence alignments. We seek to address the computational challenge associated with the SWA by using the inherent arithmetic advantages of RNS. The RNS is such an integer system exhibiting the capabilities that support parallel computation, carry free addition, borrow-free subtraction, and single step multiplication without partial product. Base on some of these properties, a hardware implementation of the SWA is done in VHDL, a hardware description Language. In order to be able to use moduli set with a small dynamic range, matrix partitioning has been used on the fact that the comparison of two long strings of DNA can be done in a divide - and - conquer approach. A sample 4 - bit system implementation improves the overall speed of the SWA. The implementation was on FPGA device EP2S15F484C3, a Stratix II family, and it consumes 189 logic cells. The worst - case clock - to - output delay (tco) between the specified source and destination points is 6.006 ns. These outstanding results when compared with what is in literature shows that the implementation is both area and speed efficient and thereby improve the speed constraints of the SWA. When compared with the work of L. Hasan and Z. Al-lrs (2007) this implementation has improves the computational time 243%, when calcualted in terms of percentage ratio, thereby making this implementation better than the state of the art hardware implementation of the SWA. In terms of comparison with the hardware implementation done by [1], our hardware implementation is superior by 143%. Also, comparing our hardware implementation result with it’s software equivalent shows a tremendous improvement of 871029%, that is 8710.29 times faster. What these outstanding results mean is that there is hope for the bioinformatics community so far as accurate sequence alignment is concern. The total time that will be needed to alignment two strings of DNA using the RNS - SWA architecture will be improved by 8710.29 times more than it’s software equivalent implementation. These results also support the fact that RNS is a good platform to implement the SWA, since it has a high prospect of improving the overall computational cost and the hardware foot print of the algorithm.

Source: KNUST
Application of sobolev spaces to differential equations

This thesis de nes the Sobolev Space and provides certain properties using concepts from functional analysis and real analysis. These theories and properties are applied to solu-tions of some partial di erential equations. The concepts used here in nding solutions to di erential equation involve analytical properties like continuity, in nite di erentiability, continuous derivatives, e.t.c. Speci c examples of partial di erential equations are taken where the Existence and Uniqueness of their weak solutions are studied together with their Regularity and Recovery of their classical or strong solutions

Source: KNUST
Application of surpac software in open pit

The Maxbo Mining Company (a hypothetical mining company) has through extensive exploration, discovered a near surface lode gold deposit of commercial value at Tarkwa in the Western Region of Ghana and intends to exploit this deposit using surface mining technology. The immediate concern of the company is to design a preliminary pit so that an idea about its depth, slope, lateral extent, stripping ratio and the average grade can be obtained. The huge amount of exploration data requires that some appropriate computer software must be employed to speed up the work and also avoid human errors usually associated with manual methods of pit design. In this thesis report, an interactive computer-aided approach within the framework of the Surpac Software is used to model the deposit and design a suitable pit for the exploitation of the deposit. Initially, field data was collated and validated, drillhole plans and sections were produced, and with a constraining cut-off grade of 1.0 g/t, the outlines of mineralised zones on the various sections were digitised, this formed the framework around which the orebody model was built by the process of stitching. The designing work involved digitising the orebody outlines at various depths of the deposit, and by specifying the desired bench height, berm width, ramp width and gradient, a possible pit design layout was generated from bottom upwards until the surface was intersected. The final pit has a depth of 70 m, slope angle of 30°, lateral extent of 300 m, and an overall stripping ratio of 8.4. The tonnage of ore to be mined is approximately 189 097 t with an average grade of 5.0 g/t. It has been recommended that the final pit should be optimised to obtain an ultimate pit, which will be most economic for exploitation of the deposit.

Source: KNUST
Application of surpac software in open-pit design - a case study

Mpeasem Mining Company (MMC) Limited is about to exploit a lode gold deposit at Mpeasern in the Central Region of Ghana by open-pit mining method. As part of the planning, it is desirable to design the ultimate pit. In this thesis work, an interactive computer-aided approach within the frame work of the SIJRPAC software has been used to design a possible ultimate pit for the lode deposit. Initially, the design work involved digitising orebody outlines at various depths of the deposit. Subsequently, beginning from the bottom to the top, the suitable bench height and width, slope angle, berm width, ramp width and gradient have been systematically applied to arrive at the final pit. The final pit has a depth of 70 m and slope angle of 50°. The lateral extent at the surface is 1440 m and the overall stripping ratio is 1: 4.43. Final decisions on mining operations will require pit optimisation, the techniques of which have been reviewed in this work.

Source: KNUST
The application of sustainable approaches to revenue generation for procurement of public works in District Assemblies

This study, the application of sustainable approaches to revenue generation for procurement of public works in District Assemblies, was conducted at the Sunyani Municipal Assembly and the Sunyani West District Assembly. The objectives of the study were; to identify sustainable approaches to internally generated revenue within District Assemblies, to determine the impact of internally generated revenue on the procurement of public works projects in the District Assemblies and to find out the challenges confronting District Assemblies in generating internal revenue for procurement of public works. The study used both descriptive and explorative research designs which allowed for the administration of questionnaires and interviews of some key management staff of the District Assemblies to generate data which was later analysed by using tables, frequencies, percentages and figures to illustrate the results. The study involved sixty (60) staff of the Assemblies which consisted of forty-six (46) revenue officers and fourteen (14) key management staff. It was revealed that the sustainable approaches to internally generated revenue for procurement of public works included; tax education for the public, outsourcing revenue collection, resourcing revenue task forces, prosecution of tax or revenue defaulters at the law courts, proper and effective monitoring and supervision, logistics provision and investing in other income yielding ventures such as allowing the community to hire their road grader. These strategies will help overcome tax evasion, put a stop to insults and quarrels, provide means of transport, and eventually increase the internally generated revenue for the procurement of public works in the District Assemblies.

Source: KNUST
Application of the electromagnetic and the electrical resistivity methods in groundwater exploration in the Tolon-Kumbungu District of the Northern Region of Ghana

Geophysical exploration for groundwater has been carried out in seven communities the Tolon-Kumbungu District of the Northern Region of Ghana. This is to locate good yielding wells to be fitted with handpumps to supply the communities with potable water. This study came about as collaboration between NARMSAP/GAP of World Vision Ghana and the Physics Department of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, in the quest to establish the effectiveness of some geophysical techniques in groundwater prospecting in the Tolon-Kumbungu District. The object is to provide safe drinking water in a hydrogeologically difficult terrain and at low cost to the Ground Rural Water Project. The communities involved are Gbullung, Woribogu, Gun, Nyorong, Yoggu, Nyankpala-Tuunayili and Nyerishegu. These communities are mostly located in the South-Eastern part of Tolon and are all guinea worm endemic areas that have no access to potable water. The project area lies in the Lower Voltaian Sedimentary Basin. The geophysical techniques involved were the Electromagnetic (EM) survey for ground profiling with the EM 34-3 ground conductivity meter and the dipole-dipole configuration in Vertical Electrical Sounding (VES) with the Swedish ABEM SAS 300C resistivity equipment. Results show that major aquifers are confined to hard, fractured sandstone formation. No water was found for weathered zone or fresh rock aquifers. Analysis of data also revealed several thin-bedded sequences of between 4 m and 10 m thickness of sandstone, mudstone, shale, siltstone and their intercalations to be the dominant formations here. Groundwater was confined to between 25 m and 45 m with major aquifers occurring approximately between 34 m and 45 m depths. Groundwater availability to beyond 55 m was not possible. The potential success rate is estimated at 75%. The surveys show conclusively that the EM method and the dipole-dipole array in VES when combined is an effective tool for the location of groundwater in the survey area of the Tolon-Kumbungu District. It is therefore recommended that the EM method be used for the ground profiling to be followed by the dipole-dipole method for the VES.

Source: KNUST
Application of the electrical resistivity and ground penetration radar methods in lithostratigraphy characterisation of the Kyereyiase clay deposit site, in the Atwima Nwabiagya South district of the Ashanti region, Ghana

The electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) and the ground penetration radar (GPR) techniques, were employed to characterize the possible lithostratigraphy units at the Kyereyiase clay deposit, in the Atwima Nwabiagya South District of the Ashanti Region of Ghana. The electrical resistivity method was used to measure the distribution of the resistivity beneath the subsurface thereby providing information about the surface geology. This helped in the mapping of the various lithological units in the study area. The GPR is a non-destructive method that uses electromagnetic radiation in the microwave band of the radio spectrum and detects the reflected signals from subsurface structures at a receiver antenna. This helped in the delineation of the lithological units in the area as well as the depth of the water table. From these results, three main lithological units namely, 5 m thick near surface clay/sandy layer, 20 to 30 m thick weathered granitoids both of which form the saprolite layer and the granitoids bedrock. The water table depth was mapped to ranges from 16 to 20 m. The particle size distribution analysis of soil samples from the area showed that the soil consists averagely of 2 to 24% clay, 8 to 34 % silt, 41 to 86% sand and 1 to 4% gravel. . Similar near surface investigations methods conducted within the study area by the Building and road research Institute (BRRI), under the Council for scientific and industrial research, as well as Ghana geological survey, and other similar research methods of exploring for clay as a subsurface resources, within the Asia and the north America has proving to be very successful for its economical viabilityness.

Source: KNUST
Application of Topkapi model for runoff estimation and landuse management at Pungu near Navrongo

The Hydrological Services Department of the Ministry of Water Resources Works and Housing in Ghana is the body mandated to collect, analyse, store and disseminate runoff data on all river networks through the development of hydrological monitoring networks in the country. However, the number of hydrological monitoring networks established in the Volta Basin in Ghana has declined by 48% over the years due to lack of adequate resources to operate and maintain them. Furthermore, only 38% of the networks which are currently still in operation have stage-discharge measurements which are necessary for the generation of runoff data. Significantly, none of the monitoring stations in the basin has thirty years of continuous runoff data which is generally considered to be the basic requirement in most hydrological analysis. Again, to minimize the effects of prolonged dry season on the socio-economic activities, subsistence agriculture, of the people in the Kassena-Nankana District of the Upper East Region, several dams and dug-outs have been constructed to address the problem of water scarcity without a detailed study of the dynamics of rainfall-runoff processes in the area. This study therefore presents the results from field observations and subsequent application of the TOPKAPI model as a tool for filling-in missing runoff data and studying the effects of land use changes on runoff generation in the sub- catchments of the Volta Basin in Ghana. In this study, the distributed TOPKAPI model was calibrated in a small experimental site in the Volta Basin at Pungu near Navrongo in the Kasena-Nakana District of the Upper East Region. The model was calibrated using field observations as input data. The calibrated model was used as a tool to fill-in missing runoff data in the Nabogo catchment, a sub-catchment of the Volta Basin. The model was also used to test different scenarios of land-use changes. With a model efficiency of 0.877, the TOPKAPI model provided reasonable estimates of missing runoff data in the Nabogo catchment in the Volta Basin. Results from the quantitative assessment of the land-use scenarios also show that tillage conservation increases water movement into the soil leading to high percentage of saturation volumes and subsequently declining mean annual runoff. Finally, the model was found to be more sensitive to the channel Manning's roughness coefficient than that of the surface Manning's roughness coefficient.

Source: KNUST