Assessment of Project Monitoring and Control Techniques in Ondo State Agency for Road Maintenance and Construction (OSARMCO)

Monitoring and control is an essential process in construction project management and delivery. It is therefore imperative for construction companies to employ the usage of the most effective monitoring and control techniques available to meet project objectives. This study examined project management techniques employed by Ondo State Agency for Road Maintenance andConstruction, a construction company in Ondo State, Nigeria.The research design that was used for this study is the survey method where copies of a well-structured questionnaire were distributed to elicit appropriate information from respondents. The results showed thatthere is a relationship existing between the type of project monitoring and control technique used by aconstruction company and project delivery/success and that the use of Program Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT) for time/schedule control and Earned Value Management (EVM) (alongside other monitoring and control techniques) for cost control as used by the company are very effective in meeting set project objectives.Based on the findings, a number of recommendations were made. Among these are, that monitoring and control units should be established withinconstruction companies and welltrained workers/professionals should be put in charge of handling these units and the techniques and tools used therein

Assessing the Capabilities of Three Regional Climate Models over CORDEX Africa in Simulating West African Summer Monsoon Precipitation

This study evaluates the ability of three Regional Climate Models (RCMs) used in Coordinated Regional Climate Downscaling Experiment (CORDEX) to simulate the characteristics of rainfall pattern during the West Africa Summer Monsoon from 1998 to 2008. The seasonal climatology, annual rainfall cycles, and wind fields of the RCMs output were assessed over three homogenous subregions and validated using precipitation data from eighty-one (81) ground observation stations and TRMM satellite data. Furthermore, the ability of the RCMs to simulate response to El Nino and La Nina events was assessed. Results show that two of the RCMs (RCA and REMO) simulated the main features of the rainfall climatology and associated dynamics over the three subregions (Guinea Coast, Savannah, and Sahel) of West Africa. The RCMs also capture the African Easterly Jet (AEJ) and Tropical Easterly Jet (TEJ) with little variations in position and intensity. Analysis shows significant biases in individual models depending on subregion and season under consideration which may be attributed to strong cyclonic circulation observed at 850 mb pressure level. In general, the study shows RCA and REMO fairly simulate West Africa rainfall adequately and can therefore be used for the assessment of West African Summer Monsoon and future climate projections

Análise da frequência anual das condições de céu em Botucatu, São Paulo Analysis of the annual frequency of the sky conditions in Botucatu, São Paulo

Este trabalho apresenta uma análise da frequência das condições de céu em Botucatu. A classificação das condições de céu foi feita com base no índice de claridade (K T), calculado a partir de uma base de dados de 10 anos de radiação global diária. Em Botucatu há, ao longo do ano, predominância de dias com condição de céu claro, em média 114 dias. Para a condição de céu nebuloso a frequência média é de 61 dias e, em referência às duas condições de céu intermediárias, a frequência de céu parcialmente nebuloso com dominância para o difuso, é de 94 dias e a com dominância para o claro é de 96 dias. Os principais fatores influentes sobre as condições de céu em Botucatu são as entradas de frentes frias e a formação da Zona de Convergência do Atlântico Sul, as quais respondem principalmente pela alteração da condição de céu claro para a de céu nebuloso ou para a de céu parcialmente nebuloso com dominância para o difuso. Os aerossóis resultantes das queimadas em lavouras de cana-de-açúcar respondem pela alteração da condição de céu claro para a de céu parcialmente nebuloso com dominância para o claro.<br>This paper presents an analysis of the frequency of the sky conditions in Botucatu. The classification of sky conditions was made based on the clearness index (K T), calculated from a database with 10 years of measured daily global solar radiation. Throughout the year in Botucatu, there is a predominance of days with clear sky condition, on average 114 days. For cloudy sky condition, the average frequency is 61 days. About the two intermediate sky conditions, the frequency of the sky partially cloudy with dominance for the diffuse is 94 days and the one with dominance for the clear is 96 days. The main influential factors on the sky conditions in Botucatu are the inputs of cold fronts and the formation of the South Atlantic Convergence Zone. They respond primarily by altering the sky condition of clear to cloudy or partially cloudy with dominance to diffuse. The aerosols resulting from burning in sugarcane fields respond by altering the sky condition from clear to partly cloudy with dominance for the clear