European Metropolitan Regions in Germany – a regional economic evaluation

For more than ten years the concept of European Metropolitan Regions is fixed in the German regional planning system. This article uses the shift-share-technique to assess the economic performance of the eleven German metropolitan areas based on a national comparison. Firstly, there is a clear differentiation of different sets of metropolitan regions. Secondly, four categories of regions are implemented to analyze intraregional growth patterns. Here the category of agglomerations around the metropolitan core is identified as the growth foci in German employment. The Hinterland of the metropolitan regions as kind of edge regions between agglomeration and rural areas is characterized by relatively low economic performance.metropolitan regions; employment growth; shift-share analysis; agglomeration economies

A methodology approach to delineate functional economic market areas: With an iterative three-step spatial clustering procedure

This paper proposes an iterative three-step spatial clustering procedure to define Functional Economic Market Areas (FEMAs) with an evolutionary computational approach using flow data on economic linkages. FEMAs are needed as basic observation units in disaggregated economic data analysis, since those have to be taken at the spatial level at which the markets operate. Only then can analyses provide accurate and consistent results and allow useful interpretations of variables and the measurement of spillover effects between markets. Therefore FEMAs should, besides their use as analysis regions, serve as basic areas for regional policy or coordination of these. Although functional markets are particularly used in regional science, the proposed concept with the spatial clustering procedure is transferable to other economic fields like business management and marketing research, network or competition analyses. The presented methodology approach is a generalized and ubiquitous, disjunctive and contiguous delineation extended application based on the suggestion in RUSCHE (2009) of a joint application of the AMOEBA clustering procedure by ALDSTADT/GETIS (2006) and an interaction indicator on flow data. The methodology will be illustrated with real-world applications on German commuting data. Also presented is a possible way of computation and illustration of fuzzy market borders (differentiated border densities) as an extension to the procedure

Explaining spatial variation in homeownership rates: Results for German regions

A wide range of aggregate data is used to examine the spatial variation in homeownership rates among a cross-section of 96 German planning regions. The analysis accounts for potential endogeneity of prices and affordability as well as for spatial dependence in homeownership levels. In addition to familiar demographic and socioeconomic variables, the regional price and affordability of owner-occupied housing, and the regional composition of the housing stock can be identified as important determinants of regional tenure choice patterns. At large, the above factors suffice to explain both the substantial disparities in homeownership rates between eastern and western Germany as well as between rural, urbanized and agglomerated locations. The results of this study offer some interesting implications for housing policy

Auswirkungen der Finanz- und Schuldenkrise auf den deutschen Eigenheimsektor

Die Auswirkungen der Finanz- und Wirtschaftskrise auf den Markt für selbst-genutzte Wohnimmobilien in Deutschland sind bislang kaum untersucht. Die-ser Beitrag analysiert die in Folge der Krise auf dem deutschen Eigenheim-markt stattfindenden Anpassungsmechanismen innerhalb eines theoretischen Modells und leitete Aussagen darüber ab, wie die wichtigsten Marktgrößen durch die Krise beeinflusst werden. Um die Aussagekraft der auf Basis des Modells getroffenen qualitativen Erkenntnisse zu überprüfen, werden die Mo-dellaussagen der tatsächlichen aktuellen Entwicklung ausgewählter Woh-nungsmarktindikatoren gegenübergestellt. Wie sich zeigt, ist die Finanzkrise nicht notwendigerweise mit negativen Auswirkungen auf den deutschen Ei-genheimsektor verbunden. Von Seiten des Kredit-, des Immobilienkapital- und des Neubaumarkts gehen Impulse aus, die die durch sinkende Einkommen und steigende Arbeitslosigkeit bedingte negative Beeinflussung der Nachfrage nach selbstgenutztem Wohnraum zumindest teilweise kompensieren

Auswirkungen der Finanz- und Schuldenkrise auf den deutschen Eigenheimsektor

Die Auswirkungen der Finanz- und Wirtschaftskrise auf den Markt für selbst-genutzte Wohnimmobilien in Deutschland sind bislang kaum untersucht. Die-ser Beitrag analysiert die in Folge der Krise auf dem deutschen Eigenheim-markt stattfindenden Anpassungsmechanismen innerhalb eines theoretischen Modells und leitete Aussagen darüber ab, wie die wichtigsten Marktgrößen durch die Krise beeinflusst werden. Um die Aussagekraft der auf Basis des Modells getroffenen qualitativen Erkenntnisse zu überprüfen, werden die Mo-dellaussagen der tatsächlichen aktuellen Entwicklung ausgewählter Woh-nungsmarktindikatoren gegenübergestellt. Wie sich zeigt, ist die Finanzkrise nicht notwendigerweise mit negativen Auswirkungen auf den deutschen Ei-genheimsektor verbunden. Von Seiten des Kredit-, des Immobilienkapital- und des Neubaumarkts gehen Impulse aus, die die durch sinkende Einkommen und steigende Arbeitslosigkeit bedingte negative Beeinflussung der Nachfrage nach selbstgenutztem Wohnraum zumindest teilweise kompensieren. --

Europäische Metropolregionen in Deutschland – eine regionalökonomische Evaluation

For more than ten years the concept of European Metropolitan Regions is fixed in the German regional planning system. This article uses the shift-share-technique to assess the economic performance of the eleven German metropolitan areas based on a national comparison. Firstly, there is a clear differentiation of different sets of metropolitan regions. Secondly, four categories of regions are implemented to analyze intraregional growth patterns. Here the category of agglomerations around the metropolitan core is identified as the growth foci in German employment. The Hinterland of the metropolitan regions as kind of edge regions between agglomeration and rural areas is characterized by relatively low economic performance

Europäische Metropolregionen in Deutschland – eine regionalökonomische Evaluation

For more than ten years the concept of European Metropolitan Regions is fixed in the German regional planning system. This article uses the shift-share-technique to assess the economic performance of the eleven German metropolitan areas based on a national comparison. Firstly, there is a clear differentiation of different sets of metropolitan regions. Secondly, four categories of regions are implemented to analyze intraregional growth patterns. Here the category of agglomerations around the metropolitan core is identified as the growth foci in German employment. The Hinterland of the metropolitan regions as kind of edge regions between agglomeration and rural areas is characterized by relatively low economic performance

Optimizing the distribution of tie points for the bundle adjustment of hrsc image mosaics

For a systematic mapping of the Martian surface, the Mars Express orbiter is equipped with a multi-line scanner: Since the beginning of 2004 the High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC) regularly acquires long image strips. By now more than 4, 000 strips covering nearly the whole planet are available. Due to the nine channels, each with different viewing direction, and partly with different optical filters, each strip provides 3D and color information and allows the generation of digital terrain models (DTMs) and orthophotos. To map larger regions, neighboring HRSC strips can be combined to build DTM and orthophoto mosaics. The global mapping scheme Mars Chart 30 is used to define the extent of these mosaics. In order to avoid unreasonably large data volumes, each MC-30 tile is divided into two parts, combining about 90 strips each. To ensure a seamless fit of these strips, several radiometric and geometric corrections are applied in the photogrammetric process. A simultaneous bundle adjustment of all strips as a block is carried out to estimate their precise exterior orientation. Because size, position, resolution and image quality of the strips in these blocks are heterogeneous, also the quality and distribution of the tie points vary. In absence of ground control points, heights of a global terrain model are used as reference information, and for this task a regular distribution of these tie points is preferable. Besides, their total number should be limited because of computational reasons. In this paper, we present an algorithm, which optimizes the distribution of tie points under these constraints. A large number of tie points used as input is reduced without affecting the geometric stability of the block by preserving connections between strips. This stability is achieved by using a regular grid in object space and discarding, for each grid cell, points which are redundant for the block adjustment. The set of tie points, filtered by the algorithm, shows a more homogenous distribution and is considerably smaller. Used for the block adjustment, it yields results of equal quality, with significantly shorter computation time. In this work, we present experiments with MC-30 half-tile blocks, which confirm our idea for reaching a stable and faster bundle adjustment. The described method is used for the systematic processing of HRSC data.DLR/50 QM 1601BMWi/50 QM 160

An Assemblage of Lava Flow Features on Mercury

In contrast to other terrestrial planets, Mercury does not possess a great variety of volcanic features, its history of volcanism instead largely manifest by expansive smooth plains. However, a set of landforms at high northern latitudes on Mercury resembles surface flow features documented on Earth, the Moon, Mars, and Venus. The most striking of such landforms are broad channels that host streamlined islands and that cut through the surrounding intercrater plains. Together with narrower, more sinuous channels, coalesced depressions, evidence for local flooding of intercrater plains by lavas, and a first-order analysis of lava flow rates, the broad channels define an assemblage of flow features formed by the overland flow of, and erosion by, voluminous, high-temperature, low-viscosity lavas. This interpretation is consistent with compositional data suggesting that substantial portions of Mercury's crust are composed of magnesian, iron-poor lithologies. Moreover, the proximity of this partially flooded assemblage to extensive volcanic plains raises the possibility that the formation of these flow features may preface total inundation of an area by lavas emplaced in a flood mode and that they escaped complete burial only due to a waning magmatic supply. Finally, that these broad channels on Mercury are volcanic in nature yet resemble outflow channels on Mars, which are commonly attributed to catastrophic water floods, implies that aqueous activity is not a prerequisite for the formation of such distinctive landforms on any planetary body

The BepiColombo Laser Altimeter (BELA) during Near-Earth Commissioning Phase (NECP)

The ESA/JAXA joint mission BepiColombo to Mercury was launched successfully on October 20, 2018 (UTC) from Kourou, French Guiana. Currently BepiColombo is on its nominal 7-years cruise to the innermost planet. BepiColombo consists of two spacecraft, the Mercury Planetary Orbiter (MPO) and the Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter (MMO), both targeted for different orbits around Mercury after arrival in December 2025. The BepiColombo Laser Altimeter (BELA) is one of ten payloads on the MPO. After launch the spacecraft and the instruments entered the Near-Earth Commissioning Phase (NECP), including a first switch-on of BELA on November24, 2018. Here we report on the status of the instrument based on the analysis of NECP data and on data from a second switch-on, planned for June 2019