Digital Commons Network^™

State Of The Art In Methods And Software For The Identification, Resolution And Apportionment Of Contamination Sources, Roma Tauler, Pentti Paatero, Cliff Spiegelman, Eun Sug Park, Richard L. Poirot, Philip Hopke, Ronald C. Henry

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

Current approaches and recent developments and software related with multivariate factor analysis and related methods in the analysis of environmental data for the identification, resolution and apportionment of contamination sources are discussed and compared

Modelling Of Water Pollution In Urban Areas With Gis And Multivariate Statistical Methods, L. Matejicek

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

Integrating modelling of water pollution and GIS enables the connection of environmental process models with geospatial data describing the physical environment. Time series of water pollution data at monitoring profiles are used to complement the spatial database and to interpret the results of data analysis. In this case, the multivariate statistical methods provide an exploratory environment for data analysis and an indication of seasonal changes in the framework of surface water pollution. In addition to a wide range of useful multivariate methods, principal component analysis (PCA) and factor analysis (FA) are used to differentiate seasonal water pollution at monitoring profiles. …

Spatial Estimations Of Air Pollution In Urban Areas By Lidar Measurements, L. Matejicek

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

Spatial analysis and visualization of data focused on air pollution in urban areas can be more efficiently explored by geographic information systems (GISs). Data originating from direct monitoring, mathematical modelling and physical simulation in wind tunnels are represented by a wide range of data formats that, together with spatial objects on the surface of studied areas, form heterogenic structures. Thus, to solve spatio-temporal analysis and numeric models, a complex computer system is needed to manage the data and a number of user oriented procedures. In the case of this contribution, a GIS project is developed to examine the GIS abilities …

Features Of Advanced Decision Support Systems For Environmental Studies, Management, And Regulation, Edwin Roehl, Ruby Daamen, Paul A. Conrads

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

Natural resource managers and users face difficult challenges when managing the interactions between natural and man-made systems. Even though the collective interests and computer skills of the community of managers, scientists, and other stakeholders are quite varied, there is an overarching need for equal access by all to the scientific knowledge needed to make the best possible decisions. A decision support system (DSS) can meet this need. DSS have been described as, “computer-based systems (for) helping decision-makers to solve various semi structured and unstructured problems involving multiple attributes, objectives, and goals… Historically, the majority of DSSs have been either computer …

Data Mining And Image Segmentation Approaches For Classifying Defoliation In Aerial Forest Imagery, K. Fukuda, P. A. Pearson

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

Experimental data mining and image segmentation approaches are developed to add insight towards aerial image interpretation for defoliation survey procedures. A decision tree classifier generated with a data mining package, WEKA [Witten and Frank, 2005], based on the contents of a small number of training data points, identified from known classes, is used to predict the extents of regions containing different levels of tree mortality (severe, moderate, light and non attack) and land cover (vegetation and ground surface). This approach is applicable to low quality imagery without traditional image pre-processing (e.g., normalization or noise reduction). To generate the decision tree, …

Predicting Impacts Of Water Management In Coastal Zones By Hydraulic And Salinity Modeling, C. T. Hoanh, N. D. Phong, J. W. Gowing, T. P. Tuong, N. X. Hien, N. D. Dat

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

Tidal effects and salinity intrusion are two defining characteristics of coastal zones. The firstcauses complex variations of water level and unsteady flows in the river and canal network. The second is aconstraint to agriculture and freshwater fishery, but provides suitable conditions for brackish wateraquaculture. These phenomena bring about conflicts in the development of agriculture, fishery andaquaculture due to different requirements of water quality. Hydraulic and salinity modeling have beendeveloped and applied to simulate tidal propagation and salinity intrusion, and to analyze the effects of watermanagement on hydrological and salinity conditions that control land use in the coastal zones. This paperpresents …

Spatial Estimations Of Air Pollution In Street Canyons By Lidar Measurements, L. Matejicek, Jana Konradova

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

Air pollution of urban areas can be explored by direct monitoring, mathematical modeling and physical simulation in the wind tunnels. Complex analysis requires using of all mentioned approaches together. To integrate the data inputs and outputs, which include spatio-temporal interactions, the Geographic Information System (GIS) is used for database management and spatial analysis. The geodatabase is primarily developed to support spatial interpolations of LIDAR measurements in the street canyons. The LIDAR measurements provide the information about the distribution of pollutants in the points along the beam trajectories. As the examples, the sets of NO2 spatial measurements are performed in the …

Spatial Estimations Of Air Pollution In Urban Areas By Lidar Measurements, L. Matejicek

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

Spatial analysis and visualization of data focused on air pollution in urban areas can be more efficiently explored by geographic information systems (GISs). Data originating from direct monitoring, mathematical modelling and physical simulation in wind tunnels are represented by a wide range of data formats that, together with spatial objects on the surface of studied areas, form heterogenic structures. Thus, to solve spatio-temporal analysis and numeric models, a complex computer system is needed to manage the data and a number of user oriented procedures. In the case of this contribution, a GIS project is developed to examine the GIS abilities …

Air Pollution In Japan: The Inverted U-Shaped Relation, T. Fukiharu

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

In 1995 Grossman and Krueger, utilizing the data collected worldwide, discovered the invertedU-shaped relation between the per-capita GDP and air pollution level. It may be explained that the relationholds in each country. To explain the inverted U-shaped relation, however, an alternative explanation is alsopossible: although for each country's cross-sectional data the positive correlation holds between the percapitaGDP and pollution level, the worldwide data may exhibit the inverted U-shape. The worldwide resultmight be regarded as the one of time-series data, in which each country's preference relation towardsenvironment is different depending on the stage of economic growth. First, it is shown by …

Modelling Of Water Pollution In Urban Areas With Gis And Multivariate Statistical Methods, L. Matejicek

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

Integrating modelling of water pollution and GIS enables the connection of environmental process models with geospatial data describing the physical environment. Time series of water pollution data at monitoring profiles are used to complement the spatial database and to interpret the results of data analysis. In this case, the multivariate statistical methods provide an exploratory environment for data analysis and an indication of seasonal changes in the framework of surface water pollution. In addition to a wide range of useful multivariate methods, principal component analysis (PCA) and factor analysis (FA) are used to differentiate seasonal water pollution at monitoring profiles. …

Modelling Support To Improve The Quality Of Environmental Studies, Huub Scholten

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

Sound decisions in environmental management are often based on modelling, performed by teams consisting of team members with multidisciplinary backgrounds and solving multidisciplinary problems. Modelling in itself is a risky activity, in which many things can go wrong, including miscommunication within the team and between the team and the problem owner, malpractice, lack of process knowledge and a lack of documentation. This kind of problems makes modelling an obscure and arbitrary practice. The multidisciplinary character enhances the problem-solving scope of model studies, but does further increase the problems. Projects that use methods and tools for multidisciplinary model-based problem solving should …

Ten Iterative Steps In Development And Evaluation Of Environmental Models, A. J. Jakeman, R. A. Letcher, J. P. Norton

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

Models are increasingly being relied upon to inform and support natural resource management. They are incorporating an ever broader range of disciplines and now often confront people without strong quantitative or model-building backgrounds. These trends imply a need for wider awareness of what constitutes good model-development practice, including reporting of models to users and sceptical review of models by users. To this end the paper outlines ten basic steps of good, disciplined model practice. The aim is to develop purposeful, credible models from data and prior knowledge, in consort with end-users, with every stage open to critical review and revision. …

Features Of Advanced Decision Support Systems For Environmental Studies, Management, And Regulation, Edwin Roehl, Ruby Daamen, Paul A. Conrads

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

Natural resource managers and users face difficult challenges when managing the interactions between natural and man-made systems. Even though the collective interests and computer skills of the community of managers, scientists, and other stakeholders are quite varied, there is an overarching need for equal access by all to the scientific knowledge needed to make the best possible decisions. A decision support system (DSS) can meet this need. DSS have been described as, “computer-based systems (for) helping decision-makers to solve various semi structured and unstructured problems involving multiple attributes, objectives, and goals… Historically, the majority of DSSs have been either computer …

Data Mining And Image Segmentation Approaches For Classifying Defoliation In Aerial Forest Imagery, K. Fukuda, P. A. Pearson

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

Experimental data mining and image segmentation approaches are developed to add insight towards aerial image interpretation for defoliation survey procedures. A decision tree classifier generated with a data mining package, WEKA [Witten and Frank, 2005], based on the contents of a small number of training data points, identified from known classes, is used to predict the extents of regions containing different levels of tree mortality (severe, moderate, light and non attack) and land cover (vegetation and ground surface). This approach is applicable to low quality imagery without traditional image pre-processing (e.g., normalization or noise reduction). To generate the decision tree, …

On-Line Climate Model Simulation Of The Global Carbon Cycle And Verification Using The In Situ Observation Data, K. Mabuchi, H. Kida

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

Using a global climate model that includes a new land surface ecosystem model, a numerical simulation under conditions of the actual vegetation was performed. The values of atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration calculated by the model were verified using the in situ observation data. Concerning the seasonal cycle patterns in the Northern Hemisphere, the model could successfully reproduce the features of the seasonal cycle patterns of the observed data. Also in the equatorial zone and in the low latitudinal zone in the Southern Hemisphere, the model could generally reproduce the features of the seasonal cycles of the observed data. In the …

Modelling Support To Improve The Quality Of Environmental Studies, Huub Scholten

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

Sound decisions in environmental management are often based on modelling, performed by teams consisting of team members with multidisciplinary backgrounds and solving multidisciplinary problems. Modelling in itself is a risky activity, in which many things can go wrong, including miscommunication within the team and between the team and the problem owner, malpractice, lack of process knowledge and a lack of documentation. This kind of problems makes modelling an obscure and arbitrary practice. The multidisciplinary character enhances the problem-solving scope of model studies, but does further increase the problems. Projects that use methods and tools for multidisciplinary model-based problem solving should …

State Of The Art In Methods And Software For The Identification, Resolution And Apportionment Of Contamination Sources, Roma Tauler, Pentti Paatero, Cliff Spiegelman, Eun Sug Park, Richard L. Poirot, Philip Hopke, Ronald C. Henry

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

Current approaches and recent developments and software related with multivariate factor analysis and related methods in the analysis of environmental data for the identification, resolution and apportionment of contamination sources are discussed and compared

Main Hall To Main Street, July 2006, University Of Montana--Missoula. Office Of University Relations

Main Hall to Main Street, 2005-2010

This is volume 12, number 7 of Main Hall to Main Street.

Focus, Bob Evancho (Editor)

FOCUS on Boise State

Creative collaboration between departments, outside agencies and even sister universities is transforming how Boise State operates and what it can accomplish. This issue of FOCUS provides a closer look at how the university is encouraging and benefiting from an array of partnerships in research, community service and creative activity. Cover by Drew Roberts.

Inside Unlv, Cate Weeks, Shane Bevell, Diane Russell, Leora Baron

Inside UNLV

No abstract provided.

Unlv Magazine, Carol C. Harter, Karen Sharp, Gian Galassi, Tony Allen, Jennifer Lawson, Shane Bevell, Lori Bachand, Regina Vaccari, Pete Codella, Cate Weeks, Erin O'Donnell, Diane Russell, Phil Hagen

UNLV Magazine

No abstract provided.

Species-Habitat Associations In A Sri Lankan Dipterocarp Forest, C. V.S. Gunatilleke, I. A.U.N. Gunatilleke, S. Esufali, K. E. Harms, P. M.S. Ashton, D. F.R.P. Burslem, P. S. Ashton

Faculty Publications

Forest structure and species distribution patterns were examined among eight topographically defined habitats for the 205 species with stems ≥ 1 cm dbh inhabiting a 25-ha plot in the Sinharaja rain forest, Sri Lanka. The habitats were steep spurs, less-steep spurs, steep gullies and less-steep gullies, all at either lower or upper elevations. Mean stem density was significantly greater on the upper spurs than in the lower, less-steep gullies. Stem density was also higher on spurs than in gullies within each elevation category and in each upper-elevation habitat than in its corresponding lower-elevation habitat. Basal area varied less among habitats, …

Evaluating Public School Funding In Michigan And The Impact Of Proposal A, Anne-Marie Bessette

SPNA Review

“The scope of reductions under consideration by the Grand Rapids Public School Board should be a wake-up call for the entire community. We can no longer expect business as usual—what was once unimaginable now becomes reality.” - Grand Rapids Education Reform Initiative.

While it is a national trend that public schools are struggling financially, each state has a unique situation due to different funding practices. The budget problems are often blamed on poor money management: too many administrators, too high levels of salaries, extra cost in working with unions, excessive benefits. As for Grand Rapids Public Schools, there are four …

On Roxana Robinson's Sweetwater, Bradley John Monsma

Reconstruction: Studies in Contemporary Culture

[First paragraph]

When Huck lights out for the territories at the end of his hopeless float down the river with Jim, it's already clear that his escape will solve nothing. The story he will become part of in the West is already one of multiple displacements moving fast toward the environmental catastrophe of the dust bowl. Yet long before the frontier was "closed," it inspired myths that would prove to be more persistent than its reality. Despite all evidence to the contrary, the West still represents the pure possibility to remake identity and to leave behind the corruption of Huck's …

The Social Nature Of Natural Resources - The Case Of Water, Jamie Linton

Reconstruction: Studies in Contemporary Culture

Of all things, water is among the most difficult to pin down. It is nevertheless characteristic of modernity that we ascribe to it an essence, on which basis particular kinds of human-water relations are made possible while others are denied. The ascription of an essential identity to water constitutes a social and political act by which it is both made known to people and made available for people. This paper explores the implications of ascribing to water an identity as "resource." Water was pronounced a resource in the United States early in the last century in the context of the …

Donors, Modellers And Development Brokers: The Pork Barrel Of Water Management Research, Julie Trottier

Reconstruction: Studies in Contemporary Culture

Donors are shaping the mainstream research agenda concerning water management around the world. As large sums are made available within applied research programmes, many actors are competing to access them. This has led to the development of a new class of actors: the water research development brokers. Development brokers have mostly been studied in the developing world. They are usually defined as local actors who master the knowledge framework of donor organizations while their social positions and local networks allow them to act as intermediaries between the local population targeted by the donor and the donor itself. Such a position …

Review Of The Environmental Justice Reader: Politics, Poetics & Pedagogy, Edited By Mei Mei Evans Admson And Rachel Stein, Katie Ahearn

Reconstruction: Studies in Contemporary Culture

[First paragraph]

The editors of The Environmental Justice Reader: Politics, Poetics, & Pedagogy (2002) chose to include at least five scholarly essays, comprising one third of the book's content, that directly address the theme of water, thus illuminating the importance of this topic in the realms of environmental and social justice. Contributors to the anthology, ranging from urban activists to literary and anthropological scholars, address a wide variety of national and international environmental disasters from the complex vantage point of the intersection among race, politics, and class, so that the inevitable blurring of the boundaries between traditionally distinct academic disciplines …

Growing Up With Glen, Kathryn Miles

Reconstruction: Studies in Contemporary Culture

Ecologists refer to it as 'shifting baselines.' Anthropologists call it 'environmental generational amnesia.' Both refer to the slow change in the ways we respond to and define the environment. As biologists and social scientists have deftly argued, definitions of environmentalism and sustainable resource use are often based on our earliest experiences with nature. We then use these memories as the basis for our understanding of the natural world and its use. Ultimately, this creates a generational approach to issues of conservation, particularly with regards to such contentious issues as water rights and the changing face of the American West. At …

Insights- Summer 2006, University Relations Staff

Insights

No abstract provided.

Contributors, Justin Scott-Coe, W. Scott Howard

Reconstruction: Studies in Contemporary Culture

Information about contributors to articles in volume 6 issue 3 of Reconstruction.