Multiagent System for Image Mining

The overdone growth, wide availability, and demands for remote sensing databases combined with human limits to analyze such huge datasets lead to a need to investigate tools, techniques, methodologies, and theories capable of assisting humans at extracting knowledge. Image mining arises as a solution to extract implicit knowledge intelligently and semiautomatically or other patterns not explicitly stored in the huge image databases. However, spatial databases are among the ones with the fastest growth due to the volume of spatial information produced many times a day, demanding the investigation of other means for knowledge extraction. Multiagent systems are composed of multiple computing elements known as agents that interact to pursuit their goals. Agents have been used to explore information in the distributed, open, large, and heterogeneous platforms. Agent mining is a potential technology that studies ways of interaction and integration between data mining and agents. This area brought advances to the technologies involved such as theories, methodologies, and solutions to solve relevant issues more precisely, accurately and faster. AgentGeo is evidence of this, a multiagent system of satellite image mining that, promotes advances in the state of the art of agent mining, since it relevant functions to extract knowledge from spatial databases

Agroforestry as a post-mining land-use approach for waste deposits in alluvial gold mining areas of Colombia

Alluvial gold mining generates a vast amount of extractive waste that completely covers the natural soil, destroys riparian ecosystems, and negatively impacts river beds and valleys. Since 2002, a gold mining company has striven to create agroforestry plots in the waste deposits as a post-mining management approach, where agricultural crops and livestock are combined to complement reforestation in the area. This research aims at supporting reclamation of waste deposits by providing a comprehensive understanding of processes to manage the transition of nutrient-poor and acidic deposition sites towards productive agroforestry-based systems. Major components of this research comprise (i) an analysis of environmental and social challenges of the gold mining sector in Colombia, and its potential opportunities to add value to affected communities, (ii) an assessment of management practices and decision-making processes of the farmers working on reclamation areas, (iii) an analysis of the sources of variability of waste deposits from the perspective of soil development and vegetation succession, (iv) an analysis of spatial variability of the physicochemical properties of waste deposits with a spatially explicit management scheme, and (v) an assessment of vegetation recovery in terms of biomass and plant community composition. Farmers who are currently working on areas undergoing reclamation rely mostly on their own local knowledge to respond to the challenges that the heavily disturbed conditions of the area pose to crop establishment. Therefore, increasing their awareness of the inherent heterogeneity of their fields, as well as the interdependencies between management practices and improvement of soil fertility, may increase the productivity of their farms. The analysis of sources of variability of the waste deposits generated by alluvial gold mining revealed that these deposits are primarily influenced by the parent material of the alluvial gold deposits and by the technology used for gold mining (bucket or suction dredges), which define the type of deposit formed (gravel or sand). Waste deposits can provide essential functions for rural areas such as woody biomass production and crop establishment if deposits are managed according to a specific purpose, and crop selection for each deposit is done based on physicochemical and structural soil properties. This finding is echoed by the spatial assessment of vegetation reestablishment through the combination of remote sensing with machine-learning techniques that show a high spatial variability of textural properties and nutrient contents of the deposits. A management approach is proposed with the use of delineated management zones, which can lead to an overall increased productivity by developing strategies suitable to the characteristics of each field and its potential uses.Agroforstwirtschaft als Landnutzungsansatz auf Abraumdeponien in alluvialen Goldabbaugebieten Kolumbiens Der Abbau von alluvialem Gold erzeugt eine große Menge mineralischen Abfalls, der den natürlichen Boden vollständig bedeckt, Uferökosysteme zerstört, und Flussbetten und -täler negativ beeinflusst. Von einem Goldminenbetreiber werden seit 2002, als ein Ansatz einer Postbergbaustrategie, Agroforstparzellen in Abraumdeponien angelegt. In diesen werden landwirtschaftliche Nutzpflanzen und Viehhaltung zur Aufforstung der Parzelle kombiniert eingesetzt. Diese Forschungsarbeit beabsichtigt die Rekultivierungsmaßnahmen in Agroforstparzellen durch ein umfassendes Verständnis der beteiligten Prozesse zu unterstützen und den Übergang von nährstoffarmen und sauren Abraumdeponien hin zu produktiven agroforstbasierten Systemen zu steuern. Die Hauptbestandteile dieser Arbeit umfassen (i) eine Analyse der ökologischen und sozialen Herausforderungen des Goldminensektors in Kolumbien und potenzielle Möglichkeiten einen Mehrwert für die betroffenen Gemeinden zu schaffen, (ii) eine Bewertung der Managementpraktiken und Entscheidungsprozesse der Landwirte im Rahmen der Rückgewinnung von Landnutzungsflächen, (iii) eine Analyse der Ursachen von Varianz zwischen Abfalldeponien aus der Perspektive der Boden- und Vegetationsentwicklung, (iv) eine Analyse der räumlichen Variabilität der physikochemischen Eigenschaften von mineralischen Abraumdeponien mit einem räumlich expliziten Managementschema und (v) eine Bewertung der Vegetationserholung im Sinne der Zusammensetzung von Biomasse und Pflanzengemeinschaften. Landwirte die in Gebieten arbeiten die gegenwärtig einer Rekultivierung unterzogen werden, verlassen sich größtenteils auf ihre lokalen Erfahrungswerte, um mit den Herausforderungen für die Nutzpflanzenproduktion umzugehen, die durch die stark gestörten Bodenbedingungen verursacht werden. Eine Steigerung des Bewusstseins der lokalen Farmer für die inhärente Heterogenität ihrer Felder, sowie der Interdependenzen zwischen Managementpraktiken und der Verbesserung der Bodenfruchtbarkeit, kann die Produktivität der Farmbetriebe erhöhen. Die Analyse der Variabilitätsquellen der durch den alluvialen Goldabbau entstandenen mineralischen Abfalllager ergab, dass diese Lagerstätten in erster Linie vom Grundgestein der alluvialen Goldlagerstätten und der verwendeten Abbautechnik (Schaufel- oder Saugbagger) beeinflusst werden. Diese Faktoren bestimmen die Art der gebildeten Ablagerung (Kies oder Sand). Abfalldeponien können wesentliche Funktionen für ländliche Gebiete wie die Produktion von Holzbiomasse und den Anbau von Nutzpflanzen ermöglichen, wenn die Lagerstätten einem bestimmten Zweck entsprechend bewirtschaftet werden und die Auswahl der Kulturen für jede Lagerstätte auf Grundlage der spezifischen physikochemischen und strukturellen Bodeneigenschaften erfolgt. Dieser Befund wird durch die räumliche Bewertung der Vegetationsneubildung durch die Kombination von Fernerkundung mit maschinellen Lerntechniken bestätigt, die eine hohe räumliche Variabilität der Textureigenschaften und Nährstoffgehalte der Deponien zeigt. Es wird ein Managementansatz vorgeschlagen, bei dem abgegrenzte Bewirtschaftungszonen unterteilt werden. Dies kann zu einer insgesamt höheren Produktivität führen, indem Strategien entwickelt werden, die den Eigenschaften jedes einzelnen Feldes und seiner potenziellen Nutzungsmöglichkeiten entsprechen

Later prehistoric and Roman rural settlement and land-use in western Transylvania

The present study analyses Roman-native interaction from a landscape perspective in a core territory of both Iron Age and Roman Dacia. The study are includes the royal Dacian heartland (the Orastie Mountains) and its surrounding lowlands, and also the hinterlands of Ulpia Traiana Sarmizegetusa and Apulum, the two most important Roman towns in the province. The research considers the nature and distribution of lower-order settlements in the pre-Roman and Roman periods, human impact on the local landscape and the changes which occurred as a result of the Roman occupation. Also, it addresses previous biases of interpretation through re-evaluation of earlier data and consideration of new datasets provided by the interpretation and mapping of recent oblique aerial photographs. New detailed plans of the sites discovered through aerial photography have been integrated within a significant amount of scattered published data (excavation and field walking reports; gazetteers) and relevant information from historical maps. Al the material has been analysed utilising a relational database linked to a GIS. The results provide a complex reconsideration on a more realistic and up-to-date basis of previous theories regarding the native settlement pattern and the impact of Roman colonisation in the chronological and geographical context specified. Also, through the resulting database and GIS, it provides a methodological framework and a customised tool for further analysis of the landscape and of the evolution of the settlement pattern which can be extended throughout the province of Dacia and into the neighbouring areas. Finally, it creates a useful source of analogy or contrast for Empire-wide studies of Romanisation and Roman-native interaction

Environmental study of the rehabilitation of the Monze-Zimba Road in Zambia.

Thesis (M.Sc.Eng.)-University of Durban-Westville, 2001.It is very unfortunate that despite laws that require adequate incorporation and integration of environmental concerns at all phases of the economic developmental projects in Zambia, the research findings of this dissertation show that they are not applied well. The dissertation consists of six chapters. The Introduction (Chapter One) gives a general overview of Zambia, its geographical position in relation to other African countries, its macro and micro economic policies and its economic needs for a sound transport infrastructure. It also gives a rationale for the Monze-Zimba road rehabilitation project. Chapter Two reviews and states existing policies, legal, strategies and the institutional framework for environmental management and protection in Zambia. It also states and identifies key institutions involved in administering the various environmental laws/regulations and briefly refers to applicable International Conventions. Chapter Three gives a descriptive overview of baseline information - particularly within the catchment area of the road - regarding the biophysical, socioeconomic and cultural environments. The baseline studies provide insights into the normal background environmental variability such that appropriate monitoring programmes can be designed. It is now abundantly and evidently clear that the despoiling of the environment has negative repercussions on the health and wellbeing, culture and economic opportunities of humans. Chapter Four, therefore, provides in-depth discussions of each of the major impacts identified, their nature and scale and appropriate practical measures for their mitigation. The measures are incorporated into an Environmental Management Plan. Chapter Five addresses the environmental monitoring of the impacts resulting from the activities of the road. The Conclusion (Chapter Six) gives substantiated opinions on the overall findings of the research. Recommendations are given to the government of Zambia and all stakeholders on the best ways that environmental issues should be handled at all levels of society

Advanced Information Systems and Technologies

This book comprises the proceedings of the VI International Scientific Conference “Advanced Information Systems and Technologies, AIST-2018”. The proceeding papers cover issues related to system analysis and modeling, project management, information system engineering, intelligent data processing, computer networking and telecomunications, modern methods and information technologies of sustainable development. They will be useful for students, graduate students, researchers who interested in computer science

A systemic design application for resources management in urban green spaces

Urban green spaces are often analyzed by the quantity of provided services, the kind of benefits they supply for the community and the human actions that modify the urban ecosystems. Moreover, urban green spaces and green infrastructures can produce important resources, even if these latter are not always considered during the preparation of management plans. To this extent, the Systemic Design can help to show the qualitative aspects of these resources and how they can be managed. Aim of this study is therefore to illustrate how a holistic approach like the Systemic Design can be applied to the management of urban green infrastructure, their ecosystem services and the raw materials and resources useful for the community.With an application to a real case, we will show how a Systemic Design approach is able to state resources' availability in a green urban area with the consequent identification of the area in which these resources can be employed. This identification is the essential prerequisite for the creation of a plan that stress the links among ecosystem services, resources and urban dwellers and the consequent best management practices, with particular emphasis on challenges related to climate changes and increasing urbanization.When necessary, Systemic Design can also provide viable indications to redesign a new context with different fluxes of materials and energy and can contribute to the creation of a set of new activities deeply connected with local green spaces. The final results can be identified in the creation of work tools for administrators and urban designers interested in the integrated management of green infrastructures and the suggestion of a new urban model, with stronger connections between society and territory, for more sustainable and resilient cities

A Framework for K-12 Science Education: Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, and Core Ideas

Details the NRC's framework for new standards in K-12 science education that provide all students with some appreciation of science; knowledge to engage with scientific and technological information beyond school; and skills for careers of their choice

Landscape impact assessment in planning processes

The book is specifically dedicated to a broad spectrum of aspects of landscape impact assessment in the process of strategic planning and decision-making. It aims to show the required standard process, content and scope of assessment of impact on the landscape and to present the main principles to ensure their integrity and consistency