Groundwater Resources from Eastern Romania under Human and Climatic Pressure

Groundwater resources from a region may be subject to complex human and climatic pressure. The present study tries to analyze the human and climatic pressure on the groundwater resources from the eastern part of Romania, between 1983 and 2017, for seven groundwater bodies. Two parameters, the groundwater exploitation index (GWEI) and the Standardized Groundwater Index (SGI) for identifying hydrogeological droughts, were used to assess human and climatic pressure. The high values of GWEI show a significant increase in human pressure on water resources in recent decades, in lower and more populated areas, from the south and north part of de region, amid increasing investment in agriculture. In the case of climate pressure, the SGI values show significant values for the years 1983, 2000, 2007, and 2012. However, the overlap of hydrogeological droughts with an increase in human pressure can have a significant impact on the groundwater resources from this region, with negative effects in the mid and long term, under the growing effects of the regional climate changes

A GIS-Based Model for Flood Shelter Locations and Pedestrian Evacuation Scenarios in a Rural Mountain Catchment in Romania

Shelter and evacuation-route planning represents the core of safe and efficient flood management. The methodology detailed in the present study includes an analysis of the suitability of areas for evacuation points, as well as an assessment of the degree of accessibility of those points during evacuation scenarios in small mountainous drainage basins. The analysis is based on water distribution and water-flow increase during the historic 2010 flooding of the Sucevița basin, when the discharge increased in merely 40 min. The proposed model considers the viability of pedestrian evacuation of the local population, as well as the degree of accessibility of nearby evacuation points. Thus, according to the results obtained for the mountain-based locality, 91.68% of the vulnerable population can be evacuated in 30 min, while 8.32% of the inhabitants require up to 54 min to reach an evacuation point. In the case of Marginea, located in a plateau area, the population under analysis can reach one of the evacuation points in approximately 36 min. The present study can support the implementation of non-structural flood management measures and decrease casualties through evacuation optimization

A GIS-Based Model for Flood Shelter Locations and Pedestrian Evacuation Scenarios in a Rural Mountain Catchment in Romania

Shelter and evacuation-route planning represents the core of safe and efficient flood management. The methodology detailed in the present study includes an analysis of the suitability of areas for evacuation points, as well as an assessment of the degree of accessibility of those points during evacuation scenarios in small mountainous drainage basins. The analysis is based on water distribution and water-flow increase during the historic 2010 flooding of the Sucevița basin, when the discharge increased in merely 40 min. The proposed model considers the viability of pedestrian evacuation of the local population, as well as the degree of accessibility of nearby evacuation points. Thus, according to the results obtained for the mountain-based locality, 91.68% of the vulnerable population can be evacuated in 30 min, while 8.32% of the inhabitants require up to 54 min to reach an evacuation point. In the case of Marginea, located in a plateau area, the population under analysis can reach one of the evacuation points in approximately 36 min. The present study can support the implementation of non-structural flood management measures and decrease casualties through evacuation optimization

Mapping over 80 years of wetland sensitivity to human intervention. The spatial dynamics of the lakes and wetlands of the Jijia-Iași Wetlands Ramsar Site in 1935–2018

Wetlands are at the top of the list in terms of valuable ecosystem services, at the same time being one of the most sensitive ecosystems that are subject to human-induced changes. The delicate balance between their ever-changing waterlogged and dry areas, together with the associated rich flora and fauna, are easily disturbed by human drivers, which are also responsible for long-term land use conversions. This paper aims to 1) document the spatial dynamics of the wetland areas and lakes in the Jijia-Iași Wetlands Ramsar Site, using historical cartographic materials and modern land use data, and 2) pinpoint the anthropic drivers that shaped these dynamics, via a literature review. This Ramsar Site constitutes an eloquent example of a wetland landscape that was mainly shaped by human intervention. A timeline is used to put into perspective the resulting maps and synthesised findings, and several inferences regarding the past, present, and future sensitivity of the wetlands in the study area are formulated. In 1935–2018, the two analysed elements followed opposite trends: while the wetland areas decreased from 10.61% of the study area to 4.79%, the lake features increased in size, from 0.68% of the Jijia-Iași Wetlands to 10.84%. In order to explain these changes, anthropogenic interventions were divided into three types of management (detrimental high human pressure, beneficial high human pressure, and beneficial low human pressure). In the long term scientific works, the unbalanced dynamics proved to be beneficial to the environment, as the construction of water collections determined a biodiversity boost and the designation of the study area as a Ramsar Site. This paper complements the scientific work focusing on “the Delta of Moldavia”, highlighting the practical implications of the management strategies applied during the reference period

Developing a Solution for Mobility and Distribution Analysis Based on Bluetooth and Artificial Intelligence

The purpose of this research was to develop a simple, cost-effective, but enough efficient solution for locating, tracking and distribution analysis of people and/or vehicle flowing, based on non-intrusive Bluetooth sensing and selective filtering algorithms employing artificial intelligence components. The solution provides a tool for analyzing density of targets in a specific area, useful when checking contact proximities of a target along a route. The principle consists of the detection of mobile devices that use active Bluetooth connections, such as personal notebooks, smartphones, smartwatches, Bluetooth headphones, etc. to locate and track their movement in the dedicated area. For this purpose, a specific configuration of three BT sensors is used and RSSI levels compared, based on a combination of differential location estimates. The solution may also be suited for indoor localization where GPS signals are usually weak or missing; for example, in public places such as subway stations or trains, hospitals, airport terminals and so on. The applicability of this solution is estimated to be vast, ranging from travel and transport information services, route guidance, passenger flows tracking, and path recovery for persons suspected to have SARS-COV2 or other contagious viruses, serving epidemiologic enquiries. The specific configuration of Bluetooth detectors may be installed either in a fixed location, or in a public transport vehicle. A set of filters and algorithms for triangulation-based location of detected targets and movement tracking, based on artificial intelligence is employed. When applied in the public transport field, this setup can be also developed to extract additional information on traffic, such as private traffic flowing, or passenger movement patterns along the vehicle route, improved location in absence of GPS signals, etc. Field tests have been carried out for determining different aspects concerning indoor location accuracy, reliability, selection of targets and filtering. Results and possible applications are also presented in the final section of the paper