Methodological Toolkit for Assessing the Investment Attractiveness of Renewable Resources in Northern and Arctic Territories

This article examines a pressing issue of assessing the investment attractiveness of renewable resources in underdeveloped Northern and Arctic territories that have a huge untapped natural resource potential. The subject of the study is the economic interactions that occur during the development of natural resource potential. The goal of this study is to develop the methodological toolkit for assessing the investment attractiveness for businesses and government authorities at various levels. At the pre-investment stage of development projects, we identified typical landscapes for zoning of the territory and assessed them for each type of renewable natural resources. Based on an analysis of existing approaches to natural resource zoning, the authors propose to identify three types of landscapes, including those that are attractive in terms of investment, those that are attractive in terms of investment with certain limitations, and those that are unattractive for investment. The study has confirmed the hypothesis that the selection of the most valuable natural resources expands the opportunities for their economic use. The investment attractiveness is determined by favorable geographical location, development of regional infrastructure, natural potential viewed as a priority object. The authors have provided the rationale for the need to valuate the natural resource potential of landscape areas within the boundaries of an assessed territory for the purposes of their ranking based on establishing the investment attractiveness. The limitations may be imposed by the low level of infrastructure development prerequisites, insufficient sustainability of landscapes to anthropogenic influences, export of raw materials for processing outside the territory, etc. The authors have substantiated the list of conditions that require the introduction of correction coefficients to the value indicators of natural resource potential in landscape areas. The main findings of the study are presented in the form of landscape zoning of the territory and methodological toolkit for assessing the investment attractiveness tested in Berezovsky Municipal District of Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug—Yugra.The article has been prepared under the Grant No. 14–18–00456 "Substantiating the Geo-Eco-Socio-Economic Approach to the Development of Strategic Natural Resource Potential of Northern Understudied Territories as Part of The Arctic—Central Asia Investment Project " provided by the Russian Science Foundation

Discriminating small wooded elements in rural landscape from aerial photography: a hybrid pixel/object-based analysis approach

While small, fragmented wooded elements do not represent a large surface area in agricultural landscape, their role in the sustainability of ecological processes is recognized widely. Unfortunately, landscape ecology studies suffer from the lack of methods for automatic detection of these elements. We propose a hybrid approach using both aerial photographs and ancillary data of coarser resolution to automatically discriminate small wooded elements. First, a spectral and textural analysis is performed to identify all the planted-tree areas in the digital photograph. Secondly, an object-orientated spatial analysis using the two data sources and including a multi-resolution segmentation is applied to distinguish between large and small woods, copses, hedgerows and scattered trees. The results show the usefulness of the hybrid approach and the prospects for future ecological applications

Analysis of urban sprawl at mega city Cairo, Egypt using multisensoral remote sensing data, landscape metrics and gradient analysis

This paper is intended to highlight the capabilities of synergistic usage of remote sensing, landscape metrics and gradient analysis. We aim to improve the understanding of spatial characteristics and effects of urbanization on city level. Multisensoral and multitemporal remotely sensed data sets from the Landsat and TerraSAR-X sensor enable monitoring a long time period with area-wide information on the spatial urban expansion over time. Landscape metrics aim to quantify patterns on urban footprint level complemented by gradient analysis giving insight into the spatial developing of spatial parameters from the urban center to the periphery. The results paint a characteristic picture of the emerging spatial urban patterns at mega city Cairo, Egypt since the 1970s

Land Management of the Areas of High Landscape Values: An Economic Model

This paper presents selected results of the research entitled Planning the Space of High Landscape Values, Using Digital Land Analysis, with Economic Appraisal, supervised by Dr. Paweł Ozimek, Cracow Technical University, conducted since 2009. Usually, we do not pay attention to surrounding landscapes in our everyday life. However, for the persons who deal with spatial planning, geography, natural environment, or cultural heritage, the validity and value of landscape are the terms which do not have to be defined. The first part of the paper is dedicated to the landscape features that decide about its value. The author discusses whether those features are the same as those we want to protect and how we can appraise landscape values. The next part contains an analysis of the economic bases of development. In reference to space, the analysis and opinion on land use in the context of the development of usable functions are essential. Consequently, the identification of the limitations connected with the protection of landscape and delimitation of the areas on which such limitations exist are required. Another component consists in the determination of the land requirements associated with existential and economic needs of the local population. Such a general balance of needs and requirements is the starting point of the adoption of development policies and action programmes. The programmes should include the location of individual projects and capital investments on land, as well as their proper timing co-ordination. Owing to the complexity of the tasks, the option analysis is the preferred method of search for the best possible solution. The reconciliation of individual land use (title to land), public and business land uses, with the protection of environmental and cultural values, can be difficult or next to impossible to attain. Therefore, we need some mechanisms to compensate the losses occurring in individual interests and in local, regional, or national development. The choice of options for local or regional development is based on balancing the costs and benefits that depend on the sizes of both protected and non-protected areas. In conclusion, the author attempts at answering the questions whether the landscape and landscape values can be saved owing to their economic assets, and what instruments should be implemented to utilize economic mechanisms of protection.Artykuł przedstawia wybrane rezultaty pracy Planowanie przestrzeni o wysokich walorach krajobrazowych przy użyciu cyfrowych analiz terenu wraz z ocena ekonomiczną (kierownik dr Paweł Ozimek, Politechnika Krakowska). W codziennym życiu zwykle na krajobraz nie zwracamy uwagi. Ale dla osób zajmujących się planowaniem przestrzennym, geografią, środowiskiem naturalnym i dobrami kultury ważność i wartość krajobrazu jest tezą nie wymagającą dowodu. Pierwszą część artykułu poświęcono zagadnieniu cech krajobrazu, które decydują o jego wartości. Także - czy są to te cechy krajobrazu, które chcemy chronić oraz jak możemy ocenić wartość krajobrazu. Kolejna część to analiza gospodarczych podstaw rozwoju. W odniesieniu do przestrzeni istotnym elementem jest ocena przydatności poszczególnych terenów dla rozwoju funkcji użytkowych. W konsekwencji określenie ograniczeń wynikających z ochrony krajobrazu oraz wskazanie obszarów, na których ograniczenia te występują. Drugim elementem jest określenie potrzeb terenowych związanych z bytowymi i ekonomicznymi potrzebami ludności. Tak opracowany ogólny bilans potrzeb i możliwości służy za punkt wyjścia do określenia polityki rozwoju i programów działania. Programy winny zawierać lokalizację przedsięwzięć i inwestycji w przestrzeni oraz odpowiednią ich koordynację w czasie. Ze względu na złożoność preferowaną metodą poszukiwania możliwie najlepszego rozwiązania jest analiza wariantów. Pogodzenie indywidualnego (prawo własności), społecznego i ekonomicznego użytkowania przestrzeni z ochroną jej walorów środowiskowych i kulturowych może być trudne lub wręcz niemożliwe. Konieczne są więc mechanizmy rekompensujące straty zarówno w sprawach indywidualnych, jak i w kontekście rozwoju lokalnego, regionalnego czy krajowego. Wybór wariantu rozwoju opiera się na bilansowaniu kosztów i korzyści zależnych od wielkości chronionego i niechronionego obszaru. Podsumowaniem artykułu jest próba odpowiedzi na pytanie, czy krajobraz i walory krajobrazu ocaleją dzięki swojej ekonomicznej wartości oraz jakie instrumenty winno się wdrożyć w celu wykorzystania mechanizmów ekonomicznych do jego ochrony

UK Research Information Shared Service (UKRISS) Final Report, July 2014

The reporting of research information is a complex and expensive activity for research organisations (ROs). There is little alignment between funders of the reporting requests made to institutions and requests made to individual researchers about their research outputs and outcomes. This inevitably results in duplication and increased costs across the sector, whilst limiting the potential sharing and reuse of the information. The UK Research Information Shared Service (UKRISS) project conducted a feasibility and scoping study for the reporting of research information at a national level based on CERIF (Common European Research Information Format), with the objective of increasing efficiency, productivity and quality across the sector. The aim was to define and prototype solutions which are compelling, easy to use, have a low entry barrier, and support innovative information sharing and benchmarking. CERIF has emerged as the preferred format for expressing research information across Europe. To date, CERIF has been piloted for specific applications, but not as a format for reporting requirements across all UK ROs. The final report presents the work carried out by the UKRISS project, including requirements gathering, modelling and prototyping, as well as recommendation for sustainability. UKRISS was divided into two phases. Phase 1, mapping the reporting landscape, ran from March 2012 to December 2012. Phase 2, exploring delivery of potential solutions, began in February 2013 and ended in December 2013

Overcoming Psychologism. Twardowski on Actions and Products

This paper is about the topic of psychologism in the work of Kazimierz Twardowski and my aim is to revisit this important issue in light of recent publications from, and on Twardowski’s works. I will first examine the genesis of psychologism in the young Twardowski’s work; secondly, I will examine Twardowski’s picture theory of meaning and Husserl’s criticism in Logical Investigations; the third part is about Twardowski’s recognition and criticism of his psychologism in his lectures on the psychology of thinking; the fourth and fifth parts provide an overview of Twardowski’s paper “Actions and Products” while the sixth part addresses the psychologism issue in the last part of this paper through the delineation of psychology and the humanities. I shall conclude this study with a brief assessment of Twardowski’s solution to psychologism

Analysis of urban green space in Chongqing and Nanjing using multi-resolution segmentation, object-oriented classification approach and landscape ecology metrics.

So Lek Hang Lake.Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2005.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 196-203).Abstracts in English and Chinese.Abstract --- p.iAcknowledgement --- p.viiTable of Content --- p.ixList of Figures --- p.xiiiList of Tables --- p.xviChapter CHAPTER 1. --- Introduction --- p.1Chapter 1.1 --- Problem Statement --- p.1Chapter 1.2 --- Research Objectives --- p.5Chapter 1.3 --- Research Significance --- p.6Chapter 1.4 --- Organization of the thesis --- p.7Chapter 1.5 --- Definition of Urban Green Space --- p.9Chapter CHAPTER 2. --- Literatu re Re view --- p.10Chapter 2.1 --- Introduction --- p.10Chapter 2.2 --- Urban Green Space --- p.10Chapter 2.2.1 --- Classification of Urban Green Space --- p.11Chapter 2.2.2 --- Configuration of Urban Green Space System --- p.12Chapter 2.2.3 --- Different Approaches to Urban Green Space Study --- p.14Chapter 2.3 --- Urban Green Space in China --- p.15Chapter 2.3.1 --- General Problems --- p.16Chapter 2.3.2 --- Increasing Awareness of Environment --- p.16Chapter 2.3.3 --- Chinese Definition of Urban Green Space --- p.18Chapter 2.4 --- Remote Sensing Techniques --- p.21Chapter 2.4.1 --- Review of Image Classification Techniques --- p.21Chapter 2.4.1.1 --- Conventional Classification Methods --- p.22Chapter 2.4.1.2 --- Mixed Pixels Problem --- p.23Chapter 2.4.1.3 --- Mixed Pixels，Effects on Conventional Classifiers --- p.25Chapter 2.4.1.4 --- Alternative Solutions to Mixed Pixels Problems (Fuzzy Sets) --- p.26Chapter 2.4.1.5 --- Problems Fuzzy Classifications are unable to solve --- p.28Chapter 2.4.2 --- Object-oriented Classification Concept --- p.30Chapter 2.4.2.1 --- Multiresolution Segmentation --- p.30Chapter 2.4.2.2 --- Fuzzy Classification Procedure --- p.31Chapter 2.4.2.3 --- Object-orien ted Approach to Image Processing --- p.32Chapter 2.4.2.4 --- E cognition --- p.33Chapter 2.4.2.5 --- Research about ecognition --- p.34Chapter 2.5 --- Landscape Ecology --- p.35Chapter 2.5.1 --- Basic Principles --- p.35Chapter 2.5.2 --- Landscape Metrics --- p.36Chapter 2.5.3 --- Application of Landscape Ecology in Landscape Analysis --- p.38Chapter 2.6 --- Conclusion --- p.39Chapter CHAPTER 3. --- Study Sites and Methodology --- p.41Chapter 3.1 --- lntroduction --- p.41Chapter 3.2 --- Study Area --- p.41Chapter 3.2.1 --- Chongqing --- p.41Chapter 3.2.1.1 --- Geography and geomorphology --- p.42Chapter 3.2.1.2 --- Administration and governance --- p.42Chapter 3.2.1.3 --- Environmental Quality --- p.43Chapter 3.2.1.4 --- Governm ent Attempt to Improvement --- p.43Chapter 3.2.2 --- Nanjing --- p.46Chapter 3.2.2.1 --- Geography and Geomorphology --- p.46Chapter 3.2.2.2 --- Administration and Governance --- p.46Chapter 3.2.2.3 --- Landscape Planning of Nanjing --- p.47Chapter 3.2.3 --- Comparison between Chongqing and Nanjing --- p.47Chapter 3.2.3.1 --- Geographical setting --- p.49Chapter 3.2.3.2 --- Population --- p.49Chapter 3.2.3.3 --- Urbanization and Industrialization Levels --- p.51Chapter 3.2.3.4 --- Variation in Landscape Quantity --- p.51Chapter 3.2.3.5 --- Comparison from Satellite Images --- p.52Chapter 3.3 --- Working procedures --- p.56Chapter 3.3.1 --- Data --- p.56Chapter 3.3.1.1 --- VNIR chann els --- p.58Chapter 3.3.1.2 --- SWIR channels --- p.59Chapter 3.3.1.3 --- Data Fusion --- p.59Chapter 3.3.2 --- Designing Hierarchical Classification System --- p.60Chapter 3.3.2.1 --- Chongqing --- p.60Chapter 3.3.2.2 --- Nanjing --- p.61Chapter 3.3.3 --- Object-oriented Classification --- p.62Chapter 3.3.3.1 --- Introdu ction --- p.63Chapter 3.3.3.2 --- Procedure of Object-oriented Classification --- p.65Chapter 3.3.3.2.1 --- Analysis of Image Objects --- p.65Chapter 3.3.3.2.2 --- Image Segmentation --- p.67Chapter 3.3.3.2.3 --- Selection of Features and Data Conversion --- p.67Chapter 3.3.3.2.4 --- Class-based Objects Sampling --- p.68Chapter 3.3.3.2.5 --- Class-based Objects Analysis --- p.68Chapter 3.3.3.2.6 --- Designing Object Level Hierarchy --- p.69Chapter 3.3.3.2.7 --- Designing Class Hierarchy --- p.69Chapter 3.3.3.2.8 --- Decision Tree Classification Structure --- p.69Chapter 3.3.4 --- Comparison with other classification algorithms --- p.70Chapter 3.4 --- Landscape Analyses --- p.71Chapter 3.4.1 --- Selection of Landscape Metrics --- p.72Chapter 3.4.2 --- Landscape Analysis for entire cities --- p.74Chapter 3.4.3 --- Buffer Analysis --- p.74Chapter 3.5 --- Conclusion --- p.77Chapter CHAPTER 4. --- Results and Discussion I Variations of Image Object Signatures for Sampled Land Covers --- p.78Chapter 4.1 --- Introduction --- p.78Chapter 4.2 --- Chongqing --- p.79Chapter 4.2.1 --- Spectral-shape ratio --- p.79Chapter 4.2.1.1 --- Selection Criteria --- p.80Chapter 4.2.1.2 --- Observations --- p.80Chapter 4.2.2 --- Segmentation levels --- p.85Chapter 4.2.2.1 --- Selection Criteria --- p.85Chapter 4.2.2.2 --- Observations --- p.86Chapter 4.2.3 --- Classifying Rules --- p.93Chapter 4.2.3.1 --- Selection Criteria --- p.93Chapter 4.2.3.2 --- Level 9 --- p.94Chapter 4.2.3.3 --- Level 5 --- p.101Chapter 4.2.3.4 --- Level 1 --- p.103Chapter 4.3 --- Nanjing --- p.104Chapter 4.3.1 --- Spectral-shape ratio --- p.104Chapter 4.3.1.1 --- Selection Criteria --- p.105Chapter 4.3.1.2 --- Observations --- p.105Chapter 4.3.2 --- Segmentation Levels --- p.111Chapter 4.3.2.1 --- Selection Criteria --- p.111Chapter 4.3.2.2 --- Observations --- p.111Chapter 4.3.3 --- Classifying Rules --- p.119Chapter 4.3.3.1 --- Selection Criteria --- p.119Chapter 4.3.3.2 --- Level 8 --- p.119Chapter 4.3.3.3 --- Level 4 --- p.126Chapter 4.3.3.4 --- Level 1 --- p.129Chapter 4.4 --- Discussion --- p.131Chapter CHAPTER 5. --- Results and Discussion II Image Classification --- p.134Chapter 5.1 --- lntroduction --- p.134Chapter 5.2 --- Chongqing --- p.135Chapter 5.2.1 --- Class hierarchy --- p.135Chapter 5.2.2 --- Description of the site --- p.136Chapter 5.2.3 --- Classification of “lake´ح --- p.138Chapter 5.2.4 --- "Classification of ""crops and grassland""" --- p.139Chapter 5.2.5 --- Classification of “low density urban´ح --- p.140Chapter 6.3.3 --- Classification Result --- p.142Chapter 5.2.7 --- Error matrix --- p.144Chapter 5.2.8 --- Class Proportion --- p.144Chapter 5.2.9 --- Post-classification Aggregation --- p.147Chapter 5.3 --- Nanjing --- p.149Chapter 5.3.1 --- Class Hierarchy --- p.149Chapter 5.3.2 --- Description of the site --- p.151Chapter 5.3.3 --- Classification of lake --- p.151Chapter 5.3.4 --- "Classification of ""crops and grassland II´ح" --- p.153Chapter 5.3.5 --- "Classification of ""low density urban""" --- p.154Chapter 5.3.6 --- Classification Result --- p.155Chapter 5.3.7 --- Error Matrix --- p.156Chapter 5.3.8 --- Class Proportion --- p.161Chapter 5.3.9 --- Post-classification Aggregation --- p.161Chapter 5.4 --- Discussion --- p.163Chapter 5.4.1 --- Problems of object-oriented classification --- p.163Chapter 5.4.2 --- Strengths of object-oriented classification --- p.165Chapter 5.4.3 --- Transferability of classifying rules --- p.166Chapter CHAPTER 6. --- "Results and Discussion HI Landscape Structure of ""Urban Green Space"", Chongqing and Nanjing" --- p.167Chapter 6.1 --- Introduction --- p.167Chapter 6.2 --- Chongqing --- p.167Chapter 6.2.1 --- Landscape composition --- p.167Chapter 6.2.2 --- Fragmentation --- p.169Chapter 6.2.3 --- Contagion --- p.171Chapter 6.2.4 --- Patch Shape Complexity --- p.171Chapter 6.3 --- Nanjing --- p.173Chapter 6.3.1 --- Landscape composition --- p.173Chapter 6.3.2 --- Fragmentation --- p.175Chapter 6.3.3 --- Contagion --- p.177Chapter 6.3.4 --- Patch Shape Complexity --- p.178Chapter 6.4 --- Discussion --- p.179Chapter 6.4.1 --- Similarities --- p.179Chapter 6.4.2 --- Differences --- p.182Chapter CHAPTER 7. --- Conclusion --- p.186Chapter 7.1 --- Summary on findings --- p.186Chapter 7.1.1 --- Summary on image object analyses --- p.186Chapter 7.1.2 --- Summary on object-oriented classification --- p.187Chapter 7.1.3 --- Summary on landscape studies of ´ب´بurban green space´ح --- p.189Chapter 7.2 --- Limitations of the research --- p.190Chapter 7.2.1 --- Data preparation --- p.190Chapter 7.2.2 --- Image classification --- p.191Chapter 7.2.3 --- Landscape Analysis --- p.193Chapter 7.3 --- Suggestions for further research --- p.194Bibliography --- p.196Appendix 1´ؤEquations of object features --- p.204Appendix 2´ؤEquations for Landscape Metrics --- p.208Appendix 3´ؤVariations of Object Features along Segmentation Levels in Chongqing --- p.216Appendix 4´ؤVariations of Object Features along Segmentation Levels in Nanjing --- p.244Appendix 5´ؤClassifying Rules --- p.277Appendix 6´ؤVariations in Landscape Metrics along Buffers from City Center in Chongqing --- p.282Appendix 7´ؤVariations in Landscape Metrics along Buffers from City Center in Nanjing --- p.29