Web GIS for Airport Emergency Response - UML Model

The main objective of integrating Web GIS in airport emergency response should be to provide the most appropriate geospatial information to all participants. Airport emergency response still needs a model that will explain its complexity: its participants, their tasks and information needs. This paper presents the UML model of airport emergency response. Such a model facilitates a common understanding of the system by participants coming from airport, police, fire brigade, etc. It also enables institutional agreements for sharing data. The developers have got specifications of geospatial data and GIS functions imposed by participants and standards. A prototype Web GIS application is developed and presented to the users for evaluation. The prototype has shown how GIS functions can improve airport emergency response. The users have shown great interest, and they have great expectations in further integration of Web GIS in airport emergency response

Enhanced Planning Review of the Salt Lake and Ogden Metropolitan Area

ISTEA significantly changed the law governing metropolitan transportation planning. In response to the changes introduced by ISTEA, FHWA and FTA issued revised planning regulations on October 28, 1993, setting new requirements for the transportation planning processes. The requirements are presented in 23 CFR Part 450 and 49 CFR Part 613, Statewide and Metropolitan Planning Final Rule. The Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 (CAAA) also imposed rigorous new transportation planning requirements in metropolitan areas, particularly those that are designated nonattainment or maintenance areas for air quality. In support of the implementation of the revised regulations, FHW A and FTA jointly established a schedule of EPRs. The EPRs are intended to determine the impact of planning on transportation investment processes. The EPRs also provide a technical assessment of the transportation planning and programming processes, including consideration of the six focal points identified by the FHW A and FTA Administrators for certification. The six focal points are: Financial Constraint and Financial Planning, Major Investment Studies, Congestion Management Systems, the Planning Process, and Links to the Conformity Requirements of the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990; the Public Involvement Process; and the IS TEA Fifteen Planning Factors. 1 Of equal importance, EPRs will provide a forum for dialogue and the exchange of information on perspectives and concerns related to IS TEA between FT A and FHW A headquarters and field staff, and state and local officials responsible for metropolitan area transportation planning. Additionally, EPRs will provide information for future long-term federal policy-making, including possible legislative and regulatory changes; identify national issues and trends; and document national case studies of best professional practice. This information will also be used to help identify how future federal technical assistance programs can best assist MPOs and other planning agencies in carrying out the requirements of ISTEA. Finally, EPRs are intended to support progress toward meeting ISTEA requirements

INTRODUCING A NEW HSE MANAGEMENT FRAMEWORK FOR IRAN AIRPORTS (CASE STUDY: MEHRABAD AIRPORT)

Abstract. Nowadays, demands for air travel and transportation have become one of the undeniable human needs. On the other hand, negative effects of this technology on the human health and his environment have not been thoroughly investigated. The aim of this research is to introduce a novel framework for HSE management of the airports of Iran. So, Mehrabad airport as the most important airport of the capital Tehran, was selected as the case study. In this research, by integrating William Fine’s procedure with other methods, the activities and operations in the airport were evaluated and the most important risks were carefully identified and weighted. Then, by preparing a atrix and integrating the elements of environment, Health and safety management risks, four tools of “prevention, reduction, transfer, and acceptance” were introduced to manage the risks of the airport. The results of the study showed that in Mehrabad airport, noise and air pollutions are above the limits allowed by the standards. Furthermore, some other factors such as ergonomic, thermal, mechanical and physical factors of the work environment as well as personnel activities showed some standard deviations. Therefore, corrective measures were proposed based onmedical reports and experts' viewpoints for each of them. By implementing the proposed framework in the airports of Iran, a major part of damaging factors will be recognized, entirely omitted or reached to the expected standard ranges.Keywords: Mehrabad, Airport, HSE management, William Fine method

Factors associated with adequate weekly reporting for disease surveillance data among health facilities in Nairobi County, Kenya, 2013

Introduction: Kenya adopted the Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response (IDSR) strategy in 1998 to strengthen disease surveillance and epidemic response. However, the goal of weekly surveillance reporting among health facilities has not been achieved. We conducted a crosssectional study to determine the prevalence of adequate reporting and factors associated with IDSR reporting among health facilities in one Kenyan County. Methods: Health facilities (public and private) were enrolled using stratified random sampling from 348 facilities prioritized for routine surveillance reporting. Adequately-reporting facilities were defined as those which submitted >10 weekly reports during a twelve-week period and a poor reporting facilities were those which submitted <10 weekly reports. Multivariate logistic regression with backward selection was used to identify risk factors associated with adequate reporting. Results: From September 2 through November 30, 2013, we enrolled 175 health facilities; 130(74%) were private and 45(26%) were public. Of the 175 health facilities, 77 (44%) facilities classified as adequate reporting and 98 (56%) were reporting poorly. Multivariate analysis identified three factors to be independently associated with weekly adequate reporting: having weekly reporting forms at visit (AOR19, 95% CI: 6-65], having posters showing IDSR functions (AOR8, 95% CI: 2-12) and having a designated surveillance focal person (AOR7, 95% CI: 2-20). Conclusion: The majority of health facilities in Nairobi County were reporting poorly to IDSR and we recommend that the Ministry of Health provide all health facilities in Nairobi County with weekly reporting tools and offer specific trainings on IDSR which will help designate a focal surveillance person.Pan African Medical Journal 2016; 2

An ontology for the conceptualization of an intelligent environment and its operation

International audienceNowadays sensors and actuators are increasingly used in different spaces, creating an intelligent environment. This article aims to describe a conceptualization of an intelligent environment and its operation, in order to check its consistency and its conformity. This conceptualization is done through an ontology representing the domain knowledge, whose elements will be instantiated from natural language texts describing the physical configuration of an intelligent environment and a scenario describing the operation desired by the user of the environment. We chose OWL to represent formally our environment augmented with SWRL rules to represent the dynamic aspect of the operation system and SQWRL to query our conceptual model. We show how consistency and conformity are checked thanks to this formalism

Evaluation of the usefulness of various simulation technology options for TERPS enhancement

Current approved terminal instrument procedures (TERPS) do not permit the full exploitation of the helicopter's unique flying characteristics. Enhanced TERPS need to be developed for a host of non-standard landing sites and navigation aids. Precision navigation systems such as microwave landing systems (MLS) and the Global Positioning System (GPS) open the possibility of curved paths, steep glide slopes, and decelerating helicopter approaches. This study evaluated the feasibility, benefits, and liabilities of using helicopter cockpit simulators in place of flight testing to develop enhanced TERPS criteria for non-standard flight profiles and navigation equipment. Near-term (2 to 5 year) requirements for conducting simulator studies to verify that they produce suitable data comparable to that obtained from previous flight tests are discussed. The long-term (5 to 10 year) research and development requirements to provide necessary modeling for continued simulator-based testing to develop enhanced TERPS criteria are also outlined

Influencing Factors for Use of Unmanned Aerial Systems in Support of Aviation Accident and Emergency Response

The purpose of this research paper was to examine the influencing factors associated with the use of unmanned aerial system (UAS) technology to support aviation accident and emergency response. The ability of first responders to react to an emergency is dependent on the quality, accuracy, timeliness, and usability of information. With aviation accidents such as the Asiana Airlines Flight 214 crash at San Francisco International Airport, the ability to sense and communicate the location of victims may reduce the potential for accidental passenger death. Furthermore, the ability to obtain information en-route to an accident may also to assist to reduce overall response and coordination time of first responders (e.g., Aviation Rescue and Firefighting [ARFF]). By identifying and examining current and potential practices, capabilities, and technology (e.g., human-machine-interface [HMI], human factors, tools, and capability modifiers) a more comprehensive model of the influencing factors is established to further support the growing body of knowledge (i.e., safety, human computer interaction, human-robot systems, socio-economical systems, service and public sector systems, and technological forecasting). A series of recommendations regarding the technology and application are provided to support future development or adaptation of regulations, policies, or future research. --from the article