State-of-the-Art Report on Systems Analysis Methods for Resolution of Conflicts in Water Resources Management

Water is an important factor in conflicts among stakeholders at the local, regional, and even international level. Water conflicts have taken many forms, but they almost always arise from the fact that the freshwater resources of the world are not partitioned to match the political borders, nor are they evenly distributed in space and time. Two or more countries share the watersheds of 261 major rivers and nearly half of the land area of the wo rld is in international river basins. Water has been used as a military and political goal. Water has been a weapon of war. Water systems have been targets during the war. A role of systems approach has been investigated in this report as an approach for resolution of conflicts over water. A review of systems approach provides some basic knowledge of tools and techniques as they apply to water management and conflict resolution. Report provides a classification and description of water conflicts by addressing issues of scale, integrated water management and the role of stakeholders. Four large-scale examples are selected to illustrate the application of systems approach to water conflicts: (a) hydropower development in Canada; (b) multipurpose use of Danube river in Europe; (c) international water conflict between USA and Canada; and (d) Aral See in Asia. Water conflict resolution process involves various sources of uncertainty. One section of the report provides some examples of systems tools that can be used to address objective and subjective uncertainties with special emphasis on the utility of the fuzzy set theory. Systems analysis is known to be driven by the development of computer technology. Last section of the report provides one view of the future and systems tools that will be used for water resources management. Role of the virtual databases, computer and communication networks is investigated in the context of water conflicts and their resolution.https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/wrrr/1005/thumbnail.jp

GIS based models for optimisation of marine cage aquaculture in Tenerife, Canary Islands

This study focused on the optimisation of offshore marine fish-cage farming in Tenerife, Canary Islands. The main objective was to select the most suitable sites for offshore cage culture. This is a key factor in any aquaculture operation, affecting both success and sustainability. Moreover, it can solve conflicts between different coastal activities, making a rational use of the coastal space. Site selection was achieved by using Geographical Information Systems (GIS) based models and related technology, such as satellite images and Global Positioning System (GPS), to support the decision-making process. Three different cage systems were selected and proposed for different areas around Tenerife. Finally, a particulate waste distribution model (uneaten feed and faeces) was developed, also using GIS, for future prediction of the dispersive nature of selected sites. This can reduce the number of sites previously identified as most suitable, by predicting possible environmental impacts on the benthos if aquaculture was to be developed on a specific site. The framework for spatial multi-criteria decision analysis used in this study began with a recognition and definition of the decision problem. Subsequently, 31 production functions (factors and constraints) were identified, defined and subdivided into 8 sub-models. These sub-models were then integrated into a GIS database in the form of thematic layers and later scored for standardization. At this stage, the database was verified by field sampling to establish the quality of data used. The decision maker's preferences were incorporated into the decision model by assigning weights of relative importance to the evaluation under consideration. These, together with the thematic layers, were integrated by using Multi-criteria Evaluation (MCE) and simple overlays to provide an overall assessment of possible alternatives. Finally, sensitivity analysis was performed to determine the model robustness. The integration, manipulations and presentation of the results by means of GIS-based models in this sequential and logical flow of steps proved to be very effective for helping the decision-making process of site selection in study. On the whole, this study revealed the usefulness of GIS as an aquaculture planning and management tool. Cage systems that can withstand harsh environments were found to be suitable for use over a broader area of Tenerife's coastline. Thus, the more robust self-tensioned cage (SeaStation®) could be used over a greater area than the weaker gravity cages (Corelsa®). From the 228 km2 of available area for siting cages in the coastal regions with depth of 50 m, the suitable area (sum of scores 6, 7 and 8) for siting SeaStation® cages was 61 km2, while the suitable area for SeaStation® and Corelsa® cages was 49 and 37 km2 respectively. Most of the variation between these three cage systems was found among the intermediate suitability scores. It was concluded that the biggest differences in suitable area among cage systems are between Corelsa® and SeaStation® systems, followed by differences between Corelsa® and OceanSpar® cages, and OceanSpar® and SeaStation® respectively. This variability was mostly located on the N and NNW of the island, where waves, both long and short-term, are higher

A Methodology Proposal for Selecting the Optimal Location for Small Hydropower Plants

The hydropower potential in the Republic of Serbia, as the most important renewable energy source, has been estimated at around 17000 GW·h per year, where approximately 2000 GW·h could be obtained from small hydropower plants (SHP). Small hydropower plants in Serbia currently produce 150 GW·h. Accordingly, the share of the electricity production from small hydropower plants in the total electricity production in Serbia is too small. The paper presents a model for the selection of optimal locations for small hydropower plants, which includes an ecological criterion, along with technical and economic criteria. The ecological criterion is eliminatory, i.e. those parts of the watercourse that border on or pass through protected natural assets are not taken into account when considering potential optimal locations for SHPs. All technical and economic criteria are included in the calculation of the weighted arithmetic mean with the aim of determining the optimal position for the construction of small hydropower plants. The model is implemented in the SHPOP software and its application is demonstrated on five watercourses in Southeastern Serbia

An integrative approach to assess urban riparian greenways potential: The case of Mapocho River in Santiago de Chile

Santiago is the 7th largest major city of Latin America with almost 8 million inhabitants and is situated in a fairly closed watershed, surrounded on the eastern side by the high Andean mountain chain with altitudes of 5,000 m. From the Andean mountains, the Mapocho River and a set of large and small streams transport -often torrentially- water and sediment. In thirty years, Santiago has increased its size two fold, replacing previous agricultural lands, native forests and shrubs with urban land uses, and occupying rivers beds and streams. These land use and cover changes have had dramatic environmental consequences. The mentioned urban dynamic has produced a city in constant collision with the natural system. This structural disarticulation produces many environmental problems such as an increase in city’s surface and air temperatures, an accelerated disappearance of vegetation, a major interruption in wind, sediment and water flows, and finally, increasing people’s exposure to environmental hazards. Since streams, canals and rivers are structural components of Santiago’s landscape, they can function as key links between the urban-social and natural system and provide multiple ecosystem services, helping to reduce environmental problems and ensure long-term urban sustainability. Traditionally, the analysis of river and streamsides has been focused on rural and natural landscapes as well as on environmental protection and nature conservation. Nowadays, there is an increasing interest and necessity to understand the environmental status, functions and possibilities of riparian zones in urban environments in order to delineate and plan greenways, which provide social and ecological benefits. Green infrastructure such as urban greenways is a key component of sustainable cities. Few studies have been conducted to evaluate the socio-ecological status of urban riparian zones and even fewer to assess these areas in terms of their potential as multifunctional greenways. New efforts should be conducted to develop analytical application-oriented frameworks in the green infrastructure field. This research elaborates and proposes a transferable conceptual-methodological framework for evaluating the potential for multifunctional riparian greenway development. An analytical application-oriented framework to assess the potential for multifunctional green infrastructure development is proposed by articulating and improving three analyses hitherto used separately: multicriteria, least cost path and opportunities-challenges. The Mapocho River was selected for the application and testing of the proposed conceptual-methodological framework to contribute to multifunctional green infrastructure planning in Santiago as a city representative of the structure and processes of megacities in Latin America. First, the main ecological and social characteristics of the Mapocho’s riparian zone are analyzed, making a synthesis of the socio-ecological status. Second, the suitability to provide multiple ecosystem services of the riparian zone is spatially explicitly modelled, first separately, as mono-functional suitability, and then, integrated into a multifunctional suitability evaluation. Third, the opportunities and challenges perceived by government actors are identified and analyzed as well as those derived from an institutional and regulatory analysis. Finally, the assessment phase concludes with a discussion on the main potential for the development of a greenway, resulting from the synthesis and integration of the most relevant findings of the suitability and opportunities analysis The socio-ecological status of the riparian zones is characterized by being highly altered in ecological terms, diverse in social terms, and highly used by the metropolitan transport infrastructure with a concentration of green areas in a few municipalities. This means that the riparian zone provides limited physical support for important social and ecological functions characteristic of these zones in urban environments: habitat, aesthetic, cooling, transport route and flood mitigation. The results reveal a significant east-west gradient in the socio-ecological status of riparian zone, which gradually decreases from east to west. The riparian zone of the Mapocho River in Santiago has good suitability as a wind corridor, providing a cooling effect and to mitigate flood hazards. The main challenges for the development of a multifunctional urban greenway in the Mapocho River corresponds to low levels of inter-jurisdictional and inter-sectoral coordination and cooperation, maintenance costs and the existence of urban highways in the zone. On the contrary, the main opportunities are the existence of important sectors of vacant land, increased political and social importance of urban green areas and the existence of a set of consolidated riparian parks. In synthesis, the assessment developed in the Mapocho River identifies the most important aspects to be considered and the greatest potentialities to capitalize in planning a multifunctional greenway along the Mapocho River. This is key when thinking about a possible master plan for the Mapocho River that returns the river to the city and values it as an axis for urban integration. The development of a multifunctional greenway in Santiago can considerably contribute to the social and ecological connectivity and thereby mitigate the socio-ecological segregation and disconnection characteristic of cities in the region. It may also contribute significantly to reconcile urban growth with ecological health and people’s quality of life, maintaining functions and key ecosystem services and mitigating the negative effects of urbanization

Mobile Ad Hoc Networks

Guiding readers through the basics of these rapidly emerging networks to more advanced concepts and future expectations, Mobile Ad hoc Networks: Current Status and Future Trends identifies and examines the most pressing research issues in Mobile Ad hoc Networks (MANETs). Containing the contributions of leading researchers, industry professionals, and academics, this forward-looking reference provides an authoritative perspective of the state of the art in MANETs. The book includes surveys of recent publications that investigate key areas of interest such as limited resources and the mobility of mobile nodes. It considers routing, multicast, energy, security, channel assignment, and ensuring quality of service. Also suitable as a text for graduate students, the book is organized into three sections: Fundamentals of MANET Modeling and Simulation—Describes how MANETs operate and perform through simulations and models Communication Protocols of MANETs—Presents cutting-edge research on key issues, including MAC layer issues and routing in high mobility Future Networks Inspired By MANETs—Tackles open research issues and emerging trends Illustrating the role MANETs are likely to play in future networks, this book supplies the foundation and insight you will need to make your own contributions to the field. It includes coverage of routing protocols, modeling and simulations tools, intelligent optimization techniques to multicriteria routing, security issues in FHAMIPv6, connecting moving smart objects to the Internet, underwater sensor networks, wireless mesh network architecture and protocols, adaptive routing provision using Bayesian inference, and adaptive flow control in transport layer using genetic algorithms

Valuing Environmental Decay : Quantitative Policy-oriented Studies on Urban and Rural Environments

By filling the gaps in research, the studies described in this thesis focus on a number of open policy issues in the context of urban and rural environments. With a retrospective look at the process of economic valuation and its integration within environmental decision making, this thesis brings us from the theory to the empirics of valuation, in order to provide methodological innovation based on experimentation. Firstly, the thesis refers to the wide- ranging impacts caused by urban mobility, and focuses on two challenging open issues. On one side, it introduces the problem of noise pollution due to rail transport infrastructure; while, on the other side, it looks at the phenomenon of urban “sprawl” and at its implications in terms of collective impacts. Next, it presents the research challenges that valuation can address when looking at the impacts and risks of agriculture on ecosystems and human health. In this connection, it identifies pesticide risk valuation as a relevant research area.Nijkamp, P. [Promotor]Camagni, R. [Copromotor]Florax, R.J.G.M. [Copromotor