Smart Monitoring and Control in the Future Internet of Things

The Internet of Things (IoT) and related technologies have the promise of realizing pervasive and smart applications which, in turn, have the potential of improving the quality of life of people living in a connected world. According to the IoT vision, all things can cooperate amongst themselves and be managed from anywhere via the Internet, allowing tight integration between the physical and cyber worlds and thus improving efficiency, promoting usability, and opening up new application opportunities. Nowadays, IoT technologies have successfully been exploited in several domains, providing both social and economic benefits. The realization of the full potential of the next generation of the Internet of Things still needs further research efforts concerning, for instance, the identification of new architectures, methodologies, and infrastructures dealing with distributed and decentralized IoT systems; the integration of IoT with cognitive and social capabilities; the enhancement of the sensing–analysis–control cycle; the integration of consciousness and awareness in IoT environments; and the design of new algorithms and techniques for managing IoT big data. This Special Issue is devoted to advancements in technologies, methodologies, and applications for IoT, together with emerging standards and research topics which would lead to realization of the future Internet of Things

A hybrid model using data mining and multi-criteria decision-making methods for landslide risk mapping at Golestan Province, Iran

The accurate modeling of landslide risk is essential pre-requisite for the development of reliable landslide control and mitigation strategies. However, landslide risk depends on the poorly known environmental and socio-economic factors for regional patterns of landslide occurrence probability and vulnerability, which constitute still a matter of research. Here, a hybrid model is described that couples data mining and multi-criteria decision-making methods for hazard and vulnerability mapping and presents its application to landslide risk assessment in Golestan Province, Northeastern Iran. To this end, landslide probability is mapped using three state-of-the-art machine learning (ML) algorithms—Maximum Entropy, Support Vector Machine and Genetic Algorithm for Rule Set Production—and combine the results with Fuzzy Analytical Hierarchy Process computations of vulnerability to obtain the landslide risk map. Based on obtained results, a discussion is presented on landslide probability as a function of the main relevant human-environmental conditioning factors in Golestan Province. In particular, from the response curves of the machine learning algorithms, it can be found that the probability p of landslide occurrence decreases nearly exponentially with the distance x to the next road, fault, or river. Specifically, the results indicated that p≈exp(−λx) where the length scale λ is about 0.0797 km−1 for road, 0.108 km−1 for fault, and 0.734 km−1 0.734 km−1 for river. Furthermore, according to the results, p follows, approximately, a lognormal function of elevation, while the equation p=p0−K(θ−θ0)2 fits well the dependence of landslide modeling on the slope-angle θ, with p0≈0.64,θ0≈25.6∘and|K|≈6.6×10−4. However, the highest predicted landslide risk levels in Golestan Province are located in the south and southwest areas surrounding Gorgan City, owing to the combined effect of dense local human occupation and strongly landslide-prone environmental conditions. Obtained results provide insights for quantitative modeling of landslide risk, as well as for priority planning in landslide risk management

A novel framework for addressing uncertainties in machine learning-based geospatial approaches for flood prediction

Globally, many studies on machine learning (ML)-based flood susceptibility modeling have been carried out in recent years. While majority of those models produce reasonably accurate flood predictions, the outcomes are subject to uncertainty since flood susceptibility models (FSMs) may produce varying spatial predictions. However, there have not been many attempts to address these uncertainties because identifying spatial agreement in flood projections is a complex process. This study presents a framework for reducing spatial disagreement among four standalone and hybridized ML-based FSMs: random forest (RF), k-nearest neighbor (KNN), multilayer perceptron (MLP), and hybridized genetic algorithm-gaussian radial basis function-support vector regression (GA-RBF-SVR). Besides, an optimized model was developed combining the outcomes of those four models. The southwest coastal region of Bangladesh was selected as the case area. A comparable percentage of flood potential area (approximately 60% of the total land areas) was produced by all ML-based models. Despite achieving high prediction accuracy, spatial discrepancy in the model outcomes was observed, with pixel-wise correlation coefficients across different models ranging from 0.62 to 0.91. The optimized model exhibited high prediction accuracy and improved spatial agreement by reducing the number of classification errors. The framework presented in this study might aid in the formulation of risk-based development plans and enhancement of current early warning systems

Landslide susceptibility mapping using remote sensing data and geographic information system-based algorithms

Whether they occur due to natural triggers or human activities, landslides lead to loss of life and damages to properties which impact infrastructures, road networks and buildings. Landslide Susceptibility Map (LSM) provides the policy and decision makers with some valuable information. This study aims to detect landslide locations by using Sentinel-1 data, the only freely available online Radar imagery, and to map areas prone to landslide using a novel algorithm of AB-ADTree in Cameron Highlands, Pahang, Malaysia. A total of 152 landslide locations were detected by using integration of Interferometry Synthetic Aperture RADAR (InSAR) technique, Google Earth (GE) images and extensive field survey. However, 80% of the data were employed for training the machine learning algorithms and the remaining 20% for validation purposes. Seventeen triggering and conditioning factors, namely slope, aspect, elevation, distance to road, distance to river, proximity to fault, road density, river density, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), rainfall, land cover, lithology, soil types, curvature, profile curvature, Stream Power Index (SPI) and Topographic Wetness Index (TWI), were extracted from satellite imageries, digital elevation model (DEM), geological and soil maps. These factors were utilized to generate landslide susceptibility maps using Logistic Regression (LR) model, Logistic Model Tree (LMT), Random Forest (RF), Alternating Decision Tree (ADTree), Adaptive Boosting (AdaBoost) and a novel hybrid model from ADTree and AdaBoost models, namely AB-ADTree model. The validation was based on area under the ROC curve (AUC) and statistical measurements of Positive Predictive Value (PPV), Negative Predictive Value (NPV), sensitivity, specificity, accuracy and Root Mean Square Error (RMSE). The results showed that AUC was 90%, 92%, 88%, 59%, 96% and 94% for LR, LMT, RF, ADTree, AdaBoost and AB-ADTree algorithms, respectively. Non-parametric evaluations of the Friedman and Wilcoxon were also applied to assess the models’ performance: the findings revealed that ADTree is inferior to the other models used in this study. Using a handheld Global Positioning System (GPS), field study and validation were performed for almost 20% (30 locations) of the detected landslide locations and the results revealed that the landslide locations were correctly detected. In conclusion, this study can be applicable for hazard mitigation purposes and regional planning

Flood Forecasting Using Machine Learning Methods

This book is a printed edition of the Special Issue Flood Forecasting Using Machine Learning Methods that was published in Wate

Food industry site selection using geospatial technology approach

Food security has been an ongoing concern of governments and international organizations. One of the main issues in food security in Developing and Sanctioned Countries (DSCs) is establishment of food industries and related distributions in appropriate places. In this respect, geospatial technology offers the most up-to-date Land Cover (LC) information to improve site selection for assisting food security in the study area. Currently food security issues are not comprehensively addressed, especially in DSCs. In this research, ASTER L1B and LANDSAT satellite data were used to derive various LC biophysical parameters including build-up area, water body, forest, citrus, and rice fields in Qaemshahr city, Iran using different satellite-derived indices. A Product Level Fusion (PLF) approach was implemented to merge the outputs of the indices to prepare an improved LC map. The suitability of the proposed approach for LC mapping was evaluated in comparison with Support Vector Machine (SVM) and Artificial Neural Network (ANN) classification techniques. For implementing site selection, the outcomes of satellite-derived indices, as well as the city, village, road, railway, river, aqueduct, fault, casting, abattoir, cemetery, waste accumulation, wastewater treatment, educational centre, medical centre, military centre, asphalt factory, cement factory, and slope layers were obtained using Global Positioning System (GPS), on-screen digitizing, and image processing were used as input data. The Fuzzy Overlay and Weighted Linear Combination (WLC) methods were adopted to perform site selection process. The outcomes were then classified and analyzed based on the accessibility to main roads, cities and raw food materials. Finally, the existing industrial zones in the study area were evaluated for establishing food industries based on site selection results of this study. The results indicated higher performance of PLF method to provide up-to-date LC information with an overall accuracy and Kappa coefficient values of 95.95% and 0.95, respectively. The site selection result obtained using WLC method with the accuracy of 90% was superior, thus it was selected for further analyses. Based on the achieved results, the study has proven the applicability of current satellite data and geospatial technology for food industry site selection to resolve food security issues. In conclusion, site selection using geospatial technology provides a great potential for a reliable decision-making in food industry planning, as a significant issue in agro-based food security, especially in sanctioned countries

Guidance Index for Shallow Landslide Hazard Analysis

Rainfall-induced landslides are one of the most frequent hazards on slanted terrains. They lead to considerable economic losses and fatalities worldwide. Intense storms with high-intensity and long-duration rainfall have high potential to trigger rapidly moving soil masses due to changes in pore water pressure and seepage forces. Nevertheless, regardless of the intensity-duration of the rainfall, shallow landslides are influenced by antecedent soil moisture conditions. To the present day, no system exists that dynamically interrelates these two factors. This work establishes a relationship between antecedent soil moisture and rainfall expressed in the form of a Shallow Landslide Index (SLI) at 1km2 resolution for the United States. The proposed mathematical model is based on a logistic regression-learning algorithm that systematically adapts from previous landslide events listed in a comprehensive landslide inventory. Because landslides are considered to be the product of the interaction of static and dynamic factors, static factors are examined first. Also, because significant uncertainties are found when mapping factors in large spatial scales, buffer and threshold techniques are used to downscale areas and minimize uncertainties. Static parameters for 230 shallow rainfall-induced landslides in the continental United States are examined. ASTER GDEM is used as the basis for topographical characterization of slope and buffer analysis. Slope angle threshold assessment at the 50, 75, 95, 98, and 99 percentiles is tested locally. Further analysis of each threshold in relation to other parameters is investigated in a logistic regression model for the continental U.S. It is determined that lower than 95-percentile thresholds under-estimate slope angles and best regression fit can be achieved when utilizing the 99-threshold slope angle. This model predicts the highest number of cases correctly at 87.0% accuracy. A one-unit rise in the 99-threshold range increases landslide likelihood by 11.8%. The logistic regression model is carried over to ArcGIS where all static variables are processed based on their corresponding coefficients. A regional slope susceptibility map for the continental United States is developed and analyzed against the available landslide records and their spatial distributions. Consequently, a mathematical algorithm is proposed to determine landslide probability as a function of static and dynamic factors employing accumulated water volume. As rainfall thresholds alone do not provide information about the soil wetness profile with depth, the Shallow Landslide Index (SLI) is intended to be an indicator of antecedent root soil moisture and rainfall accumulation over a 1km2 pixel area. Experimentally, root-soil moisture retrieved from AMSR-E and rainfall retrieved from TRMM are used as proxies to develop such index. Static and dynamic conditions leading to each landslide event are examined over 60-days, 30-days, 10-days and 7-days. The input dataset is randomly divided into training and verification sets where validation results indicate that the best-fit model predicts the highest number of cases correctly at 93.2% accuracy. The resulting equation is then incorporated in a python subroutine that calculates the SLI for each of the 900,000-pixel points. For each pixel, the algorithm incrementally tries values from 0 to the value that makes the event probability equal to 1. Since AMSR-E and TRMM stopped working in October 2011 and April 2015 respectively, a solution that works for the future is presented. Root-soil moisture retrieved from SMAP and rainfall retrieved from GPM are used to develop models that calculate the SLI for the continental United States for 10-days, 7-days, and 3-days. The resulting models indicated a strong relationship (93.4%, 93.8%, and 93.7% respectively) between the predictors and the prediction value. Nevertheless, as of the writing of this work, the SMAP root soil moisture product has a mean latency of 7-days hence the SLI is functional for 10 or 7 days. It is expected that as SMAP’s latency is reduced, the SLI functionally can also be brought to a shorter period. The resulting SLI map can potentially be used as an indicator of the total amount of rainfall needed for a given duration of time to trigger a shallow landslide in a susceptible area

Natural and Technological Hazards in Urban Areas

Natural hazard events and technological accidents are separate causes of environmental impacts. Natural hazards are physical phenomena active in geological times, whereas technological hazards result from actions or facilities created by humans. In our time, combined natural and man-made hazards have been induced. Overpopulation and urban development in areas prone to natural hazards increase the impact of natural disasters worldwide. Additionally, urban areas are frequently characterized by intense industrial activity and rapid, poorly planned growth that threatens the environment and degrades the quality of life. Therefore, proper urban planning is crucial to minimize fatalities and reduce the environmental and economic impacts that accompany both natural and technological hazardous events