BIM AND GIS INTEGRATION FOR INFRASTRUCTURE ASSET MANAGEMENT: A BIBLIOMETRIC ANALYSIS

The integration of Building Information Modelling (BIM) and Geographical Information Systems (GIS) is gaining momentum in digital built Asset Management (AM), and has the potential to improve information management operations and provide advantages in process control and delivery of quality AM services, along with underlying data management benefits through entire life cycle of an asset. Work has been carried out relating GeoBIM/AM to buildings as well as infrastructure assets, where the potential financial savings are extensive. While information form BIM maybe be sufficient for building-AM; for infrastructure AM a combination of GIS and BIM is required. Scientific literature relating to this topic has been growing in recent years and has now reached a point where a systematic analysis of current and potential uses of GeoBIM in AM for Infrastructure is possible. Three specific areas form part of the analysis – a review of BIM and Infrastructure AM and GIS and Infrastructure AM leads to a better understanding of current practice. Combining the two, a review of GeoBIM and Infrastructure AM allows the benefits of, and issues relating to, GeoBIM to be clearly identified, both at technical and operational levels. A set of 54 journal articles was selected for in-depth contents analysis according to the AM function addressed and the managed asset class. The analysis enabled the identification of three categories of issues and opportunities: data management, interoperability and integration and AM process and service management. The identified knowledge gaps, in turn, underpin problem definition for the next phases of research into GeoBIM for infrastructure AM

Effects of Climate Change and Land Use on Rainfall and Management of Flooding in an Urban Coastal Catchment

Extreme and unpredictable rainfall events occur regularly within Australia and the likelihood of these occurring more regularly may increase as a result of climate change. This dissertation investigates whether the occurrence of severe rainfall events based on estimated climatic condition changes on the Gold Coast have increased and will determine whether this has resulted in increased rainfall intensity and flood levels. Sea-level rise and increased flood levels will be analysed along with storm surge and how this correlates with climate change. These severe rainfall events are unexpected and have the potential to have a large impact on urban areas. Future predicted rainfall intensities have a high possibility of increasing due to climate change and it is critical to understand these changes as it can result in increases to the risks of flooding. Population growth in urban coastal areas are vulnerable to climate change effects such as sea-level rise exacerbating coastal erosion and possible inundation. The Currumbin Creek catchment has been chosen for this analysis due to the area being low-lying with a potential large increase in population. An increase in population follows a need for development, subsequently a change in land use and enhanced climate change factors. An analysis will be conducted on rainfall events using QGIS and TUFLOW modelling software. Data is obtained from available online datasets that are input into the software programs. A number of scenarios will be modelled applying climate change factors, increased impervious ground cover and increased sea-levels. These scenarios are historical, current and future with climate change factors applied. The investigation concluded that the critical storm duration for all three scenarios is the 1440-minute (24 hour) storm. Additionally, it was found at the Pacific Motorway crossing of the Currumbin Creek there was no change in flood level when adjusting the TWL conditions. Within the future scenario the flood extent had grown compared to the historical and current scenarios

Assessing the vulnerability of hydrological infrastructure to flood damage in coastal cities of developing nations

Hydrological infrastructure such as pumps, floodgates (or sluice gates), dams, embankments, and flood barriers are invaluable assets used for controlling water in flood-prone areas such coastal cities. These infrastructure components are often vulnerable to damage or failure due to the impact of floodwaters, thus leaving people and urban property exposed to flood hazards. To minimise the failure of hydrological infrastructure during intense flooding events, it is important to identify the most vulnerable components and to invest scarce resources in reducing their vulnerability. Using the concepts of exposure, susceptibility and resilience, this study proposes a graph-based network approach for measuring the vulnerability of hydrological infrastructure to flood damage in coastal cities. In this graph-based approach, hydrological infrastructures are represented as network nodes and the waterways as edges. The proposed vulnerability assessment approach is applied to measure and rank the vulnerability of floodgates in one of the most exemplary coastal cities - Jakarta, Indonesia. The results show that the proposed solution is both useful in highlighting the most vulnerable infrastructure components and also providing clues as to what actions can be taken to minimise infrastructure vulnerability. More so, the solution was found to be useful in identifying potential locations within the city of Jakarta, where additional infrastructure are required to improve resilience to flooding. This type of information about infrastructure vulnerability and resilience actions is vital to decision-making authorities responsible for planning, flood preparedness and priority-based allocation of resources for the maintenance of flood control infrastructure in coastal cities

Ataque interno de sulfatos : mudanças nas propriedades de compostos cimentícios

Orientador: Prof. Dr. Marcelo H. F. de MedeirosTese (doutorado) - Universidade Federal do Paraná, Setor de Tecnologia, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Engenharia de Construção Civil. Defesa : Curitiba, 28/06/2019Inclui referências: p. 170-187Área de concentração: Materiais e EstruturasResumo: O ataque interno de sulfatos é um dos mecanismos de deterioração mais agressivo aos compostos cimentícios, isto porque, a presença do contaminante, disperso em toda a massa do material, desde as primeiras idades, pode causar expansão, fissuração, desplacamento e desintegração da matriz cimentícia. As recomendações normativas, difundidas internacionalmente, estabelecem um teor máximo de utilização, expresso em teor de SO3, em relação à massa total de agregados (graúdo e miúdo) contido na proporção de mistura do concreto. Entretanto, ainda existem muitas divergências quanto ao teor máximo de contaminante no concreto para que não haja degradação prematura do material quando em serviço. Neste contexto, o estudo dos mecanismos resultantes do ataque é de extrema importância para entendê-lo, uma vez que são muitas as variáveis ligadas ao processo. Dessa forma, este estudo teve por objetivo avaliar, por meio de uma campanha experimental, como diferentes teores de substituição de agregado miúdo por um material contaminado com enxofre influenciam nas propriedades mecânicas, químicas e microestruturais de compostos cimentícios. Na pesquisa foi empregada como contaminante a pirita (FeS2) e os teores de contaminação em SO3 foram: 0,5%, 1,0% e 5,0%, com relação a massa total de agregados da mistura. Para a avaliação do mecanismo, foram confeccionados quatro concretos, moldados em corpos cilíndricos 10x20cm e lajes armadas com aço CA50 de 8mm, com dimensões iguais a: 25x25x7cm, e quatro pastas, moldadas em copos de prova prismáticos 4x4x16cm e amostras cúbicas (1x1x1cm). As amostras moldadas permaneceram em cura submersa saturada com cal até os 28 dias de idade e após isso, até os 720 dias de idade, foram expostas a duas diferentes condições de exposição ambiental: ciclos semanais de molhagem e secagem e imersão total em tanque com solução aquosa aerada. O estudo das diferentes condições de exposição foi realizado a fim de acompanhar as condições propícias à ocorrência do mecanismo. Para análise do fenômeno foram realizados os ensaios de resistência à compressão axial, ultrassom e resistividade elétrica nos corpos de prova cilíndricos de concreto; potencial de corrosão, densidade de corrente de corrosão e resistividade elétrica nas lajes de concreto; DRX, MEV, porosidade, variação dimensional, resistência à tração na flexão e compressão axial nas pastas. Ainda, por fim, os resultados obtidos experimentalmente foram aplicados em uma modelagem numérica, com o uso do método dos elementos finitos, para avaliação do comportamento de estruturas contaminadas por sulfetos. Ao final do trabalho, a fim de contribuir para as pesquisas realizadas na área, é apresentada uma análise crítica dos teores de contaminação e dos ensaios empregados. Palavras-Chave: Ataque interno por sulfatos, agregado contaminado, deterioração, pirita.Abstract: The internal attack of sulfates is one of the mechanisms of deterioration more aggressive to the cement compounds, because the presence of the contaminant, dispersed throughout the mass of the material, from the earliest ages, can cause expansion, cracking, displacement and disintegration of the cementitious matrix. Normative recommendations, internationally disseminated, establish a maximum utilization content, expressed as SO3, in relation to the total mass of aggregates (coarse and fine) contained in the mixing ratio of the concrete. However, there are still many disagreements as to the maximum contaminant content in the concrete so that there is no premature degradation of the material when in service. In this context, the study of the mechanisms resulting from the attack is of extreme importance to understand it, since there are many variables linked to the process. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate, through an experimental campaign, how different contents of replacement of fine aggregate by a material contaminated with sulfur, influence on the mechanical, chemical and microstructural properties of cementitious compounds. Pyrite (FeS2) was used as contaminant and substitution levels were: 0. 5%, 1.0% and 5.0% of SO3, relative to the total aggregate mass of the mixture. For the evaluation of the mechanism, four concretes were made, molded in cylindrical specimens 10x20cm and reinforcement slabs with 8mm steel, with dimensions equal to: 25x25x7cm, and four cement pastes, molded in prismatic 4x4x16cm test molds and cubic samples (1x1x1cm). The molded samples remained in submerged curing saturated with lime up to 28 days of age and thereafter, up to 720 days of age, were exposed to two different environmental exposure conditions: weekly wetting and drying cycles and total tank immersion with solution aqueous aerated solution. The study of the different exposure conditions was carried out in order to follow the conditions favorable to the occurrence of the mechanism. For the analysis of the phenomena, the tests of compressive strength, ultrasound and electrical resistivity in the cylindrical test specimens of concrete; corrosion potential, corrosion current density and electrical resistivity in concrete slabs; DRX, SEM, porosity, dimensional variation, flexural tensile strength and compressive strength in the pastes. Finally, the experimental results were applied in numerical modeling, using the finite element method, to evaluate the behavior of structures contaminated by sulphides. At the end of the work, in order to contribute to the research carried out in the area, a critical analysis of the contamination levels and the tests used is presented. Keywords: Internal attack by sulfates, contaminated aggregate, deterioration, pyrite

VULNERABILITY ASSESSMENT OF CRITICAL OIL AND GAS INFRASTRUCTURES TO CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACTS IN THE NIGER DELTA

Oil and gas infrastructures are being severely impacted by extreme climate change-induced disasters such as flood, storm, tidal surges, and rising temperature in the Niger Delta with high. There is a high potential for disruption of upstream and downstream activities as the world climate continues to change. The lack of knowledge of the criticality and vulnerability of infrastructures could further exacerbate impacts and the assets management value chain. This thesis, therefore, applied a criteria-based systematic evaluation of the criticality and vulnerability of selected critical oil and gas infrastructure to climate change impacts in the Niger Delta. It applied multi-criteria decision-making analysis (MCDA) tool – analytic hierarchy process (AHP), in prioritising systems according to their vulnerability and criticality and recommended sustainable adaptation mechanisms. Through a critical review of relevant literature, seven (7) criteria each for criticality and vulnerability assessment were synthesised accordingly and implemented in the assessment process. A further exploratory investigation, physical examination of infrastructures, focus groups and elite interviews were conducted to identify possible vulnerable infrastructures and scope qualitative and quantitative data for analysis using Mi-AHP spreadsheet. Results prioritised the criticality of infrastructures in the following order: terminals (27.1%), flow stations (18.5%), roads/bridges (15.5%), and transformers/high voltage cables (11.1%) while the least critical are loading bays (8.6%) and oil wellheads (5.1%). Further analysis indicated that the most vulnerable critical infrastructures are: pipelines (25%), terminals (17%) and roads/bridges (14%) while transformers/high voltage cables and oil wellheads where ranked as least vulnerable with 11% and 9% respectively. In addition to vulnerability assessment, an extended documentary analysis of groundwater geospatial stream flow and water discharge rate monitoring models suggest that an in-situ rise in groundwater level and increase in water discharge rate (WDR) at the upper Niger River could indicate a high probability of flood event at the lower Delta, hence further exacerbates the vulnerability of critical infrastructures. Accordingly, physical examination of infrastructures suggests that an increase in regional and ambient temperature disrupts the functionality of compressors and optimal operation of Flow Stations and inevitably exacerbate corrosion of cathodic systems when mixed with the saltwater flood from the Atlantic. The thesis produced a flexible conceptual framework for the vulnerability assessment of critical oil/gas infrastructures, contextualised and recommended sustainable climate adaptation strategies for the Niger Delta oil/gas industry. Some of these strategies include installation of industrial groundwater and water discharge rate monitoring systems, construction of elevated platforms for critical infrastructures installations, substitution of cathodic pipes with duplex stainless and glass reinforcement epoxy pipes. Others include proper channelisation of drainages and river systems around critical platforms, use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for flood monitoring and the establishment of inter-organisational climate impact assessment groups in the oil/gas industry. Climate impact assessment (CIA) is suggested for oil and gas projects as part of best practice in the environmental management and impact assessment framework

Integrating local, indigenous knowledge and geographical information system in mapping flood vulnerability at Quarry Road West informal settlement in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal.

Doctoral Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg.Reducing flood vulnerability is crucial in reducing flood impacts, and mapping flood vulnerability is one of the most useful options for reducing flood vulnerability. This is because it helps locate where the vulnerable households or areas are, which in turn, supports policy and strategic interventions. However, the complex nature of flood vulnerability, especially in Mutanga, Onisimo.Mutanga, Onisimo. requires holistic consideration of the dweller’s experiential, contextual, and situational knowledge in mapping flood vulnerability. This study sought to establish a methodological approach for integrating Local, Indigenous Knowledge and Geographical Information System to map flood vulnerability in Quarry Road West informal settlement in Durban, South Africa. A convergent parallel mixed methods approach which involved a digital household survey (n=359), interviews with key informants (n=10), focus group discussions (n=2) and a global positioning system was used in the study. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyse the quantitative data while thematic analysis was used to analyse the qualitative data. The findings reveal that using Local and Indigenous Knowledge that community members possess, generated context-specific indicators for mapping flood vulnerability in Quarry Road West informal settlement. The findings also reveal that the proximity of houses to the Palmiet River and the main roads, the nature of the soil and the type of materials people were using to build their houses hugely contributed to the vulnerability of people to flooding in the study area. The study further showed that flood vulnerability in the study area was a result of socio-economic, physical and institutional challenges. Using the Analytical Network Process helped to foster community participation and comprehensively integrated Local and Indigenous Knowledge with Geographical Information System in mapping flood vulnerability in Quarry Road West informal settlement. Flood vulnerability in the informal settlement exhibited spatial differentiations. Households along the Palmiet River were highly vulnerable to flooding and a section of the settlement called Mcondo 1 was highly vulnerable to flooding while maMsuthu had low flood vulnerability. The study concludes that using community members’ Local and Indigenous Knowledge to select indicators was crucial for mapping flood vulnerability in an informal settlement, as it provided a more nuanced understanding of flood vulnerability. The methodological approach presented in this study can help decision-makers and other stakeholders to have sight of sustainable solutions and context-specific strategies that could be employed to increase the resilience of people at local levels to flooding