3D Geospatial modeling of accident scene using Laser Scanner data

The aim of traffic reconstruction is to recreate motor vehicle collision scenes in order to analyze the dynamics of the collision events, to provide evidence in court cases and allow the manufacturers to evaluate the vehicle’s design. However, at the scene of the accident it is not known exactly the amount of information that will be required for the analysis and often relevant data are missing. The emergence of terrestrial laser scanning has enabled the 3D documentation of accident events in a safer way, as information can be collected without any lane closures or traffic interruptions, and in a more flexible and faster way, as a single user can operate the instrument in complete darkness or direct sunlight. The notion of this paper is to model accident scene using terrestrial laser scanning data. With the intersection-related crashes making up a high proportion of total fatal crashes, there is a need for recording their current status in order to improve the design and operation of road intersections. Terrestrial laser scanning provides the capability of recording such infrastructures in a fast and reliable way, where a number of different information, including traffic control features, volumes, accident characteristics and detailed spatial data, can be easily obtained. This information can then be integrated within traffic management integrated systems and be used for accident prevention purposes. Keywords: Terrestrial laser scanner (TLS), Momentum, speed, Accuracy

Determination of verticality of reservoir engineering structure from laser scanner data

Terrestrial laser scanners (TLS) are used nowadays as Geomatics instruments for various applications. One of these applications is 3D survey and management of oil and gas facilities and other engineering structures. This recent attention is due to the fact that laser scanner has the ability to generate massive amounts of high resolution 3D coordinated cloud points from the surface of the structure. A structure may be scanned from several locations and when these scans are registered together, they will provide complete surface coverage. This paper outlines the use of laser scanner as applied in the determination of the verticality of Reservoir Engineering Structure. The results reveal that the Reservoir did not exceed the allowable tolerance.Keywords: TLS, Verticality, Reservoir, Georeferencing, Deviation. Scan station

Utilization of Kalman Filter Technique in Deformation Prediction of Above Surface Storage Tank

Kalman filtering is a multiple-input, multiple-output filter that can optimally estimate the states of a system, so it can be considered a suitable means for deformation analysis. The states are all the variables needed to completely describe the system behavior of the deformation process as a function of time (such as position, velocity etc.). The standard Kalman filter estimates the state vector where the measuring process is described by a linear system. While, in order to process a non-linear system an optimized aspect of Kalman filter is appropriate. Engineering Geodesy is the application of only geodetic methods for mapping certain geometric shape or of the topographic surface with respect to accurately define reference frame. Geodetic methods configure positions in Space with respect to the Earth and interpret the geodetic measurements in terms of a Euclidean Geometry. However Geodesy as discipline may unravel not only the geometric but also the kinematical and the physical nature of the Earth via geometric measures. At present, like in  other Earth disciplines, Geodesy measurements depend on the dynamical and physical features of the Earth. One of the main issues of Engineering Geodesy is accurate prediction of value of structural deformation. Above storage Tank is like other deformable structure whose shape, form and safety is of interest to Engineering fields. The main purpose of structural deformation monitoring scheme and analysis is to detect any significant movements of the structure. Presented here is geodetic methods of determination of Velocity and Acceleration of deformable object in Time domain and predict deformation value using Kalman Filter. Analysis of the result indicated that there are correlations between the observed and the predicted deformation value for year 2004, 2008, 2010 and 2012 respectively. Keywords:  Structural Deformation, Kinematic, Kalman Filte

Design and methods of Geoinformatics analyses of Engineering structure according to loading.

A tropical Engineering Structure that is subjected to loading and offloading is above surface vertical circular tanks. Cylindrical storage Tanks are commonly used in oil and gas industries for storing crude oil, petroleum products, etc. and for storing water in public water distribution systems. Such tanks require periodic surveys to monitor long-term movements and settlements of the foundation or short-term deflection, deformation of the structures and early warning. One of the most effective geometric parameters of circular vertical tanks is determining it’s out of roundness, distortion and the deformation as a result of age. To ensure the security of civil engineering structures, it is necessary to carry out periodic monitoring of the structures. The deformation monitoring scheme consist of measurements made to the monitored tank from several monitoring stations (occupied stations), which were established around the tanks. This paper attempts to evaluate the monitoring-performance of a reflectorless total station according to loading. For this purpose, the defining parameters of a plane are determined through a least squares estimation, by using 3-Dimensional coordinates derives by the application of the intersection technique. Keywords: Monitoring, deformation, diameter, oil volume, intersection, accuracy, oil tanks

Hydro-geophysical survey of groundwater development in Okha community (along Sapele road), Ikpoba Okha L.G.A. Edo state

This Research is based on geophysical survey of the ground water development of Okha community along Sapele Road in Benin City. The Schlumberger configuration was used for a total spread (L) of 400m. The location geographical coordinates in WGS84 is: N50 10’ 51.540’’ E6o 12’ 58.080’’ and with Ellipsoidal height of 37 m. The results indicate that seven sub layers were identified as reflected from the table. The result of data processing by the software package was integrated in order to arrive at the realistic composition and layering of the subsurface. The interpretation suggested that the area was underlain with substantive aquiferous formation but at a depth not exceeding 93.4 metres (306.43 ft). However, adequate borehole logging of the samples from well bore to enable the proper screening of the aquifer zones which are captured is recommended,Keywords: WGS84, Aquifer, formation, depth, logging, borehole

The Application of Remote Sensing Technique to Verify Changes in Landscape due to Exploration Activities.

Detecting and analysing landscape changes is of great values firstly for environmental monitoring and secondly for huge administrative purposes. This study, gives an insight on how remote sensing can be used to ascertain the extent of mineral exploration in the said locality. Many remote sensing methods are presently adopted for analysing multi-temporal changes but the approach used here is simple and could be interpreted by anyone. The first approach is visual interpretation of two remotely sensed images after all correction and enhancement supported by manual digitized polygons and the second is the variations in the spectral attributes of selected features after image sharpening. The last approach used is the unsupervised classification of the selected features whose result is in consonance with the initial analysis conducted. The result shows that remote sensing is not merely scientific manipulations but also it is the realities of our daily human activities. Keywords: Structural Deformation, Kinematic, Kalman Filte

An Evaluation of GNSS code and phase solutions

Global Navigation satellite System (GNSS) has become an important tool in any endeavor where a quick measurement of geodetic position is required. GNSS observations contain both Systematic and Random errors. Differential GPS (DGPS) and Real Time Kinematic (RTK) are two different observation techniques that can be used to remove or reduce the errors effects arising in ordinary GNSS. This study has utilized procedure to compare DGPS with code and phase solutions. Key words: GNSS, Code and Phase solution, RTK

Self-medication with antibiotics among Nigerian Dental Students

Introduction: Health workers are societal role models. Self-medication by health workers could result in an extraordinarily negative impact in the society. Objective: To determine the prevalence of self medication with antibiotics among Nigerian dental students. Materials and Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional survey of 200 dental students of University of Benin, Nigeria was performed between April and June, 2009. A self-administered questionnaire was used to enquire on self-medication by antibiotics. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 15.0. Associations were tested using Chi square, significance set at P<0.05. Results: Response rate was 96.2%. The age range of the respondents was 16 to 35 years and Female: male ratio was 1:1.9. The prevalence of self medication with antibiotics in the 6 months preceding the survey was 53.5%. Amoxicillin was the most commonly self medicated antibiotics. The main factors influencing the choice of antibiotics were previous experience with the same illness and advice from pharmacy staff. Diarrhea, sore throat and common cold were the major reasons for self-medication with antibiotics. The predominant reason for self-medication among the respondents was previous experiences with similar ailments. Conclusion: The prevalence of self-medication with antibiotics among Nigerian dental students was high and amoxicillin was the most commonly self medicated antibiotics.Keywords: Self-medication, antibiotics, Dental student

Misconceptions about oral health among a group of Nigerian primary school teachers

Objective: To identify the various misconceptions that still exist among teachers about oral health practices and their incorrect ideas about dental conditions. Method: The study was a descriptive cross-sectional study carried out between May and September 2008 among 640 primary school teachers in Oredo Local Government area of Benin City, Nigeria. Data collection was by the use of self –administered questionnaire. Result: More than a third of the respondents (39.6%) felt that tooth decay is caused by worms, 0.3% felt it is caused by black magic. While 11.9% felt gingival bleeding is caused by worms. Tooth loss was considered a natural process by 43% of the respondents and 53.1% did not feel it is possible to keep all the teeth in the dentition for life. In addition, 23.2% did not consider tooth loss a serious health problem. Traditional medicine was used for toothache and gingival bleeding in 5.0% and 2.6% of cases respectively, while 6.5% reported self medication. Improvement of oral hygiene by toothbrushing was considered ineffective in the prevention of gum disease by 15.3% of the respondents. Conclusion: This survey revealed that a few misconceptions still exist among teachers about what constitutes appropriate oral health practices and correct knowledge of oral diseases and remedies. These misconceptions should be corrected to prevent the teachers form impacting incorrect knowledge on the children they teach. In service training of the teachers in the area of oral health is therefore recommended.Keywords: Oral health, misconception, teachersNig Dent J Vol 20 No. 1 Jan - June 201

Oral Assessment and Nursing Interventions among Nigerian Nurses-Knowledge, Practices and Educational Needs

Background: Assessment of oral condition, oral care, and informing the attending doctor of unusual oral findings for possible consultation or referral to a dentist are the advocated roles of hospital nurses. The objective of the study was thus to assess the roles of Nigerian nurses in the assessment of oral conditions of hospitalized patients.Methods: This questionnaire-based cross-sectional survey of all nurses caring for hospitalized patients in the University of Benin Teaching Hospital was conducted in the first half of 2010.Results: Of the 384 studied participants, 94.3% considered oral care as an important aspect of nursing care and 73.4% had oral health component in their nursing school curriculum. A total of 80.7% reported suspicious and abnormal findings in hospitalized patients to the attending doctor. Amongst the respondents, 38.0% reported ability to conduct good oral tissue examination. Only 28.1% demonstrated good knowledge of common oral diseases. Three-quarters (73.4%) thought that it is compulsory for nurses to assess the oral condition of hospitalized patients. The 67.7% and 21.9% of the respondents did the assessment on admission and discharge respectively. The majority (90.1%) desired training on oral care of hospitalized patients.Conclusion: There is a need to improve the skill and competence of nurses in the assessment of oral condition to make them a substantive partner in the oral care of hospitalized patients.Keywords: hospitalized patients, nurses, oral condition, role