Wykorzystanie aplikacji mobilnych GIS w zarządzaniu dziedzictwem kulturowym. Propozycja postępowania badawczego

Location and state of preservation of cultural heritage sites are important aspects in the management of such resources, regardless of the spatial scale adopted. While existing tools had significant limitations, the authors of this paper proposed an exemplary research procedure to create a database for heritage site managers, using Geographic Information Systems. In this paper, a field survey methodology was developed to identify not only the location, but many features of the sites depending on user preferences. The authors used Esri’s commercial mobile application Survey123 for ArcGIS, but the application of the method is not limited to this product. The successive phases of the research procedure from the preparation of the input materials to the creation of the final database are presented and described. The benefits revealed are convincing that field applications are widely applicable to information gathering, and that analyses using GIS software will enable decision-makers to manage cultural heritage sites more effectively. Limitations of mobile app adaptations are also identified and potential directions for future research are highlighted.Cechy takie jak lokalizacja i stan zachowania obiektów dziedzictwa kulturowego stanowią ważny aspekt w zarządzaniu takim zasobem, niezależnie od przyjętej skali przestrzennej. Podczas gdy dotychczasowe narzędzia miały istotne ograniczenia, autorzy niniejszej pracy zaproponowali przykładowe postępowanie badawcze pozwalające na stworzenie bazy danych dla zarządzających obiektami dziedzictwa kulturowego, z wykorzystaniem Geograficznych Systemów Informacyjnych (GIS). Na potrzeby artykułu opracowano metodykę badania terenowego, które pozwoliło na określenie nie tylko lokalizacji, ale wielu cech obiektów zależnych od preferencji użytkownika. Autorzy wykorzystali komercyjną aplikację mobilną Survey123 for ArcGIS firmy Esri, ale zastosowanie metody nie ogranicza się tylko do tego produktu. Przedstawiono i opisano kolejne fazy realizacji postępowania badawczego od etapu przygotowania materiałów wejściowych do stworzenia końcowej bazy danych. Ujawnione korzyści przekonują, że aplikacje terenowe mają szerokie zastosowanie w gromadzeniu informacji, a analizy z wykorzystaniem GIS umożliwią decydentom bardziej efektywne zarządzanie obiektami dziedzictwa kulturowego. Zidentyfikowano także ograniczenia adaptacji mobilnych aplikacji oraz wskazano potencjalne kierunki przyszłych badań

Mapping and sharing agro-biodiversity using Open Data Kit and Google Fusion Tables

The interest in using informatics tools for collecting information on agro-biodiversity is increasing, since they greatly facilitate the collection and sharing of data. Anyway, in some cases, the use of such tools is not of immediate comprehension for a common user because of several reasons (for example, the use of APIs), so an effort should be done to simplify these tools and allow greater participation for general public. In this optic, we tested two tools freely available, namely Open Data Kit and Google Fusion Tables, to verify if their integrated use would allow a participative collection (and sharing) of data related to agro-biodiversity. We use Open Data Kit to collect information regarding several vegetable crops at risk of genetic erosion (including multimedia and GPS data) that were stored into the Google App Engine platform. Such information were afterwards transferred into Google Fusion Tables for mapping them and share with a general public. Both tools were tested in real scenarios in the Italian region of Puglia and the results seems to be encouraging: Open Data Kit has provided a good platform for the collection of data and it is reliable for georeferencing the fields, while Google Fusion Tables allowed us to show the data and share them in an easy way

Data-driven Approach to Support Bridge Asset Management

Economic growth and reduction of poverty lies in a well-planned, constructed, and maintained infrastructure that includes water and sanitation networks, airports, schools, health facilities, and highways systems. As bridges are an integral component of the nation’s highway system infrastructure, deficient bridges without timely maintenance may endanger the public and affect the economy on a broader scale. Currently, more than the 9.0% of the bridges in the U.S. are graded as structurally deficient, and the new estimate to address these bridges is $123 billion. Thus, in order to keep the level of safety and serviceability of these infrastructure assets, efforts in an accurate prediction of condition ratings, a better characterization of deficient bridges, and a focus on prioritization of deficient bridges can help. Currently, bridge stakeholders face budget constraints; thus, they need a systematic approach to better estimate maintenance budgets, make informed decisions in bridge design, and prioritize bridge maintenance. This dissertation research has two major objectives. The first objective is to provide a framework to predict and characterize superstructure deficiency. The second objective is to present a methodology to prioritize bridge maintenance. This dissertation used NBI databases as the main data source and utilized data mining techniques, multi-criteria decision analysis, and GIS to achieve the objectives of the study. Moreover, this dissertation follows a three-journal paper format. The first paper addresses the development of a framework to create predictive models of superstructure ratings for steel and prestressed concrete bridges. The second paper identifies a framework to characterize superstructure deficiency of steel bridges. The third paper presents a decision-making framework to prioritize bridge maintenance through using aggregate bridge ratings and average daily traffic (ADT). This dissertation contributes to the overall body of knowledge by establishing frameworks to develop reliable models to predict superstructure ratings, identify factors that accelerate superstructure deficiency, and prioritize bridge maintenance. The results of this dissertation can be used by any bridge stakeholder to complement their current bridge management programs.Civil Engineerin