Digital Commons Network^™

Optimizing Land Use And The Yields Of Bio-Energy Crops By Using Site Specific Biomass Calculations: Introduction Of The Crop Modelling Software Biostar, Roland Bauböck

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

With the trend of a growing production and use of agricultural substrates in bio-gas facilities in Lower Saxony (Germany), the competition between the production of food crops, environmental conservation issues and, sustainability goals in general, has seen an increase in the last decade. To mitigate the conflict, accurate knowledge of agricultural potentials can be of help. When questions of medium or long range regional planning are concerned, policy makers and other stakeholders often lack reliable yield data. From statistical data sources, usually only limited information with low spatial resolutions on agricultural biomass potentials is available in Lower Saxony (administration district …

Participatory Bayesian Networks Reveal Site-Specific Causes Of Land-Use Trajectories In Southeast Asia, Zhanli Sun, Daniel Müller

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

Understanding local land-use trajectories is of vital importance for designing and implementing REDD+ projects. But such understanding is often marred by difficulties to relate to the effects of broad-scale underlying causes on local land-use responses. In this research, we used participatory data collection methods to calibrate Bayesian networks in order to study land-use change at the household and village level. We extracted historic land-use change trajectories from focus group discussions to identify the underlying causes of major land-use transitions with a focus on changes in forest cover and forest quality. These insights were used to construct influence diagrams consisting of …

Modelling Scenarios As A Link Between Research And Policy Making, Martina Flörke, Florian Wimmer, Thomas Dworak, Rodrigo Rojas, Luc Feyen, Jacques Delsalle

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

The aim of the ClimWatAdapt project was to support EU policy development regarding adaptation strategies. This paper presents some of the results related to water scarcity and highlights the importance of scenario applications in this context. Within this study, an impact assessment for the summer season (June, July, August) was conducted by using different indicators based on existing hydrological and water use scenarios. To cover a range of uncertainty, an economic-oriented (Economy First) and sustainability-targeted (Sustainability Eventually) scenario was selected together with an ensemble of climate input. Based on the water scarcity results, the potential of water savings were analyzed. …

Urban Shrinkage As A Shock? Challenges For Modelling Humanenvironmental Interaction, A. Haase, D. Rink, Katrin Grossmann

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

Urban shrinkage is a development path that has spread widely across Europe and worldwide. Shrinkage represents a challenge for urban planning and policy-making. Often, cities have lost population as reaction or response to extreme and unexpected events which will be understood as shocks in this paper. Modelling can help to better understand the relation between shock events and urban shrinkage as a response to them. Given this background, the purpose of this paper is a threefold one: Firstly, urban shrinkage is introduced and discussed as a response to shock events. Secondly, the functioning of urban shrinkage as a response to …

The Demeter Framework For Model And Data Interoperability, Eric Fritzinger, Sergiu M. Dascalua, Daniel P. Ames, Karl Benedict

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

This paper presents an overview of the Demeter Framework being developed at the University of Nevada, Reno as part of the Nevada Climate Change Portal. The Demeter Framework proposes a new solution to the model coupling problem by taking a component-based approach that allows almost any standard or type of component to be integrated within the system. For example, the DotSpatial toolbox from Idaho State University is currently being integrated into the Demeter Framework to handle complex geospatial processing, and can then be linked with components from many different sources. The Demeter Framework utilizes flow control and automated data conversions …

Enhanced Model Flexibility And Coupling Opportunities: The Wetspa Model Case, Elga Salvadore, Jan Bronders, Okke Batelaan

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

In the last decade spatially distributed hydrological models have becomeincreasingly versatile due to the improvements in computational capabilities, theavailability of digital data, and the use of Geographical Information System (GIS).Keeping up with technological development and new data types is becoming achallenge. Moreover, models are often developed to answer a specific need andthus lack flexibility, making it nearly impossible to further develop them. Using theprinciple of adaptability and expandability, we discuss an object oriented, modularmodel that is based on the fully distributed and physically based hydrological modelWetSpa. The original WetSpa model has been disassembled into smaller andindependent modules and it has …

Gis-Based Procedure For Evaluation Of Performances Of The Italian Atmospheric Modelling System Simulated Data Versus Observed Measurements, Antonio Piersanti, Gaia Righini, Giuseppe Cremona, Luisella Ciancarella, Irene Cionni, Massimo D’Isidoro, Mihaela Mircea, Lina Vitali

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

Air quality assessment and management is usually performed using atmospheric integrated modelling systems and comparisons with data observed by monitoring stations. In Italy, the Project MINNI (National Integrated Model in support to the International Negotiation on Air Pollution) has been supporting Italian Ministry of Environment for the last ten years within the international negotiation process on Air Pollution and assessing Air Quality policies at national/local level. In order to evaluate the performances of the MINNI atmospheric modelling system, a GIS approach was applied to compare simulated and observed concentrations of different atmospheric pollutants. The geoprocessing workflow integrates GIS tools with …

The Water Emission Inventory Planning Support System (Weiss): A Quantification Of Environmental Pressures Following The Path From The Emission Source To The Surface Water., Leen Van Esch, Inge Uljee, Guy Engelen, Greet Vos, Stefaan Hermans

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

According to the Water Framework Directive, Member States should achieve a good water quality by 2015. Especially in highly urbanized regions like Flanders, it’s not easy to attain these standards. In order to formulate cost-efficient mitigation measures, the in depth knowledge of the current status of the quality of water bodies, as well as the location of the most important emission sources is paramount. WEISS is developed to address these questions as part of a LIFE+ project carried out by VITO and the Flemish Environment Agency. It is to support the latter in its monitoring and reporting obligations. WEISS is …

How To Use New Online Monitoring Techniques To Improve River Water Quality Modeling At The River Reach Scale, Michael Rode, Uwe Kiwel

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

High spatial and temporal resolution monitoring systems are needed to improve our knowledge on flow and matter transport pathways and substance transformation. The presentation will introduce a new online water quality monitoring system as part of the UFZ TERENO Hydrological Observatory “Bode” and show how this new information can improve river water quality modelling. Additional low flow measurement campaigns including delta 18O and delta 15N isotope analyses of nitrate have been used to identify denitrification processes on a selected lower river reach. It will be demonstrated how high resolution data can be used in combination with a process based river …

An Agent Model To Simulate Water Markets, Ivana Huskova, Julien J. Harou

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

In many catchments in England no further licenses are available from the Environment Agency (EA). The possibility of trading water between license holders has been recognized as a potentially effective and economically efficient strategy to mitigate increasing scarcity. However it is not clear what potential trading has to meaningfully address the supply-demand imbalance in over-abstracted areas. A screening tool that could assess the potential and effectiveness of water trading in any catchment would be useful. We propose an optimization-driven water market simulator that predicts economically efficient pair-wise trade and represents its interaction with natural flows and engineered infrastructure. The model …

The Use Of Satellite Images For Evaluating A Swat Model: Application On The Vit Basin, Bulgaria, Ann Van Griensven, Shreedhar Maskey, Anastassi Stefanova

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

Remote sensing has become an indispensable source of input data and parameters estimation for environmental modelling. In the presented study evapotranspiration (ET) and leaf area index (LAI) were derived from satellite images and used for the evaluation of a hydrological model. Such applications can help to identify simulation inaccuracies and optimize the performance in areas with limited data availability. Moreover daily observations can provide useful information on agricultural management measures, such as harvesting dates. The Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) was chosen to model the Vit River catchment (area 3200 km²), which is located in the North of Bulgaria. …

An Ontology-Based Design For Modelling Case Studies Of Everyday Proenvironmental Behaviour In The Workplace, Gary Polhill, Nick Gotts, Noelia Sánchez-Maroño, Edoardo Pignotti, Óscar Fontenla-Romero, Miguel Rodríguez-García, Amparo Alonso-Betanzos, Pete Edwards, Tony Craig

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

This paper outlines the design of a model for simulating six case studiesof everyday pro-environmental behaviour in the workplace. Rather than creating sixseparate models, we want to exploit similarities among the case studies andmaximise code re-use – a problem common in the world of integrated modelling.Noting concerns about modular integrated modelling that have been raised bynumbers of authors, we start from a standpoint of viewing integrated modelling as aproblem of semantic integration. A system for integrated modelling using OWLontologies as the medium of representation of the structure and state of the modelat any one time is presented and an early …

Perceptual Modelling Of Environmental Indicators To Assess Land Uses Impacts On Water Quality, Nathalie Lalande, Flavie Cernesson, Marie-George Tournoud

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

The stream functioning is closely influenced by land uses, along thestream itself and throughout the catchment. Land uses can be seen as both theexpression of the natural environment and the result of increasing human activities.Land uses generate various (in kind and intensity) pressures (positive or negative)that alter river water quality at different scales of time and space. The objective ofthis research is to conceptualize and quantify the interactions between river waterquality and land use through spatial modelling. Our methodology is based on (i) thedesign of a system of indicators using the DPSIR framework and (ii) thedevelopment of the relevant environmental …

Modelling Residential Mobility In A Shrinking Medium-Sized Town: Model Concept And First Empirical Results For Delitzsch, Germany, Nina Schwarz, Katrin Grobmann, Carolin Hohnke, Elisabeth Subbauer

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

Shrinking population numbers are a challenge for planning future investments into urban built structures: Declining population numbers can lead to decreasing real estate prices and can even induce vacancies, thus creating uncertainty for returns of investments into the housing stock and public infrastructure. This process is even more critical for municipalities with small budgets. Understanding and estimating future residential mobility is therefore essential for urban development in such regions. The paper provides an overview over a project that investigates the effects of population shrinkage on investments in energy-efficient heating systems and insulation of residential buildings. The paper focuses on an …

Trading-Off Economics And Sustainability In Optimizing Brownfield Redevelopment, Maximilian Morio, Sebastian Schädler, Michael Finkel

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

The reuse of underused or abandoned contaminated land, so-called brownfields,is increasingly seen as an important means for the reduction of land consumptionand natural resources. For a long time decisions on suitable reuse options havebeen predominantly shaped by economic considerations. Recently issues of sustainabledevelopment have gained more and more importance, and have added complexity tothe topic. Using a novel simulation-optimization framework for spatially explicit planningand integrated assessment of brownfield redevelopment (BR) options, this study demonstrateshow the trade-off between economic goals and sustainable development in theregional context may influence what is chosen as the most appropriate reuse option.A multi-criteria genetic algorithm allows …

The Institute Of Archaeology & Siegfried H. Horn Museum Newsletter Volume 33.3, Øystein S. Labianca, Maria Elena Ronza, Jeffrey P. Hudon, Paul Z. Gregor

Institute of Archaeology & the Horn Archaeological Museum Newsletter

Hisban 2012, Øystein S. LaBianca, Maria Elena Ronza, and Jeffrey P. Hudon

Gregor in Croatia, Paul Z. Gregor

WAC-7 - Dead Sea, Jordan: 14-18 January 2013 - Seventh World Archaeological Congress

Random Survey

News From The Crest (July 2012), Crest Associates

News from the Crest

Heidi Bernard, Director

Joanne Blacklidge, Editor

Pepperdine Magazine - Vol. 4, Iss. 2 (Summer 2012), Office Of Public Affairs, Pepperdine University

Pepperdine Magazine

Megan Huard Boyle, editor.

Museu.M. News, No. 34, University Of Montana--Missoula. Philip L. Wright Zoological Museum

Philip L. Wright Zoological Museum (UMZM) Newsletters

Recent Accessions -- Museum Art Show -- Follow the Museum's Blog! -- The Museum in the News -- Friends of Museum Dues are DUE!

Crown Of The Continent Magazine - Summer 2012, University Of Montana, Missoula

Crown of the Continent and the Greater Yellowstone Magazine

Table of Contents: Introduction -- The Crown of the Continent - Floods of June 1964 and a Pulitzer Prize -- Piegans in Paradise -- Photography Spotlight -- Crown of the Continent Weather Extremes and Records -- The Scapegoat Wilderness Celebrates 40 Years

Processing Angry And Happy Faces: The Effect Of Perceptual Load And Familiarity, Peter D. Petronio

Morehead State Theses and Dissertations

A thesis presented to the faculty of the College of Science & Technology at Morehead State University in partial fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science by Peter D. Petronio in July of 2012.

Essential Best Practices In Inclusive Schools, Cheryl M. Jorgensen, Michael Mcsheehan, Mary Schuh, Rae M. Sonnenmeier

Institute on Disability

No abstract provided.

2012/2013 University Of The Pacific [Stockton] Graduate Catalog, University Of The Pacific

Catalogue, Bulletin, Catalog

No abstract provided.

The Cloud Services Innovation Platform – Enabling Service-Based Environmental Modelling Using Infrastructure-As-A-Service Cloud Computing, W. Lloyda, O. Davidab, J. Lyonb, K. W. Rojasd, James C. Ascough Ii, Timothy R. Green, Jack R. Carlson

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

Service oriented architectures allow modelling engines to be hosted over the Internet abstracting physical hardware configuration and software deployments from model users. Many existing environmental models are deployed as desktop applications running on user's personal computers (PCs). Migration to service-based modelling centralizes the modelling functions to service hosts on the Internet. Users no longer require high-end PCs to run models and model updates encapsulating science advances can be disseminated more rapidly by hosting the modelling functions centrally via an Internet host instead of requiring software updates to user's PCs. In this paper we present the Cloud Services Innovation Platform (CSIP), …

Quantifying Trade-Offs Between Bioenergy Production, Food Production, Water Quality And Water Quantity Aspects In A German Case Study, Sven Lautenbach, Martin Volk, Michael Strauch, Gerald Whittaker, Ralf Seppelt

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

Worldwide increasing bioenergy production is on the political agenda. It is well known that bioenergy production comes at a cost – several trade-offs with food production, water quality and quantity issues, biodiversity and ecosystem services are known but a quantification of these trade-offs is missing. Hence, we show in this study an analysis of trade-offs between bioenergy production, food production, water quality and water quantity aspects in the Parthe catchment in Central Germany. The analysis is based on using SWAT and a multi-objective genetic algorithm (NSGA II). The genetic algorithm is used to find Pareto-optimal configurations of crop rotation schemes. …

Representation Of Environmental Dynamics In Models Of Socio-Environmental Systems, Joerg A. Priess, Christian Schweitzer

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

Environmental changes can be related to naturally occurring phenomena or human activities such as land use. Considering that more than three quarters of the global land surface have been and are currently altered by humans, societies and their biophysical environments as coupled socio-environmental systems (SES) are more prominent than natural ecosystems. In many instances, people are directly or indirectly affected by environmental changes, and changes in environmental properties and dynamics (soil quality, water levels, forest growth, rainfall …) vice versa often change human decisions and behaviour. Due to these bidirectional influences, we emphasise the need for ( more) accurate representations …

A Concept For The Development Of Model Indicators For Policy Makers To Adapt German Inland Waters To Climate Change, Annette Stosius, Sebastian Kofalk, Michael Schleuter

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

Indicators are used for reducing complexity and for highlighting decision relevant topics and relationships. In response to actual transition processes currently taking place in the German inland waters management system, the objective of the research programme KLIWAS (Impacts of climate change on waterways and navigation - Searching for options of adaptation) is the assessment of climate-induced changes of flows and water levels , taking into consideration the uncertainties in climate projections. The main aspect of the indicator concept in KLIWAS is to translate relevant information to make it usable for policy makers. This necessitates a scientifically based formulation of indicators. …

Impact Of Species Parameter Uncertainty In Simulations Of Tree Species Migration With A Spatially Linked Dynamic Model, Julia E M S Nabel, Natalie Zurbriggen, Heike Lischke

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

The simulation of tree species migration suffers from many sources of uncertainty.In our study we examined the influence of species parameter uncertainty on simulatedtree species migration, using the spatially linked dynamic forest landscape modelTreeMig. The impact of uncertainty becomes especially apparent under critical conditionsarising from the interaction of species sensitivities to climate, species competitionand spatial fragmentation. Therefore we examined the differences in migration successand speed in a realistic scenario including these critical conditions. The south-north migrationof the submediterranean tree species Ostrya carpinifolia through the highly fragmentedand climatically heterogeneous landscape of the Swiss Alps was simulated for27 different species parameter sets …

Overview On Data Sources For Modeling Epidemiological Effects Of Environmental Pollution, Ralf Kusmierz, Hagen Scherb, Kristina Voigt

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

We focus on German population based data, which are routinely available in German statistical databases for the evaluation of the human sex odds at birth in the vicinity of nuclear facilities as well as around chemical sites. In this respect we have to distinguish between the statistical offices of the German states (Bundesländer) and the Federal statistical office of the FRG (Federal Republic of Germany). A specific difficulty arising from the German reunification in 1991 concerns data availability and data formats from the former GDR (German Democratic Republic). These offices collect data on birth statistics which are the basis of …

Spatial-Dynamic Visualization Of Long-Term Scenarios For Demographic, Social-Economic And Environmental Change In Flanders, Jean-Luk De Kok, Lien Poelmans, Guy Engelen, Inge Uljee, Leen Van Esch

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

Land-use change in Flanders is characterized by a rapidly growing proportion of the hard surfaced area with on-going ribbon development and an increasing pressure on the remaining open space. The Spatially-Dynamic Land-Use Model for Flanders or RuimteModel Vlaanderen has been developed for the Flemish Ministry of the Environment and the Flemish Ministry of Spatial Planning and Housing to examine the underlying causes of spatial transformations at different scale levels. The model uses a constrained cellular automata approach, incorporating 35 residential, economic and natural land uses to describe annual land-use change in Flanders for the period 2010-2050. In a scenario exercise …