Urban footprint of Mumbai - the commercial capital of India

Urban footprint refers to the proportion of paved surface (built up, roads, etc.) with the reduction of other land use types in a region. Rapid increase in the urban areas is the major driver in landscape dynamics with the significant erosion in the quality and quantity of the natural ecosystems. The urban expansion process hence needs to be monitored, quantified and understood for effective planning and the sustainable management of natural resources. Cities and towns have been experiencing considerable growth in urban area, population size, social aspects, negative environmental and geographical influence, and complexity. Mumbai, the commercial capital of India, has experienced a spurt in infrastructural and industrial activities with globalization and opening up of Indian markets. Unplanned urbanization has resulted in dispersed growth inperi-urban pockets due to socio-economic aspects with the burgeoning population of the city. Consequent to this, there has been an uneven growth pattern apart from the increase in slums in and around the city. This has necessitated the understanding of the urbanization pattern and process focusing especially on the expanding geographical area, its geometry and the spatial pattern of its development. This communication discusses the urban footprint dynamics of Mumbai using multi-temporal remote sensing data with spatial metrics. Land use analysis indicated a decrease of vegetation by 20% with an increase in urban extent by 155% during the last three decades. Landscape metrics aided in assessing the spatial structure and composition of the urban footprints through the zonal analysis by dividing the region into four zones with concentric circles of 1 km incrementing radius from the city centre. The study reveals a significant variation in the composition of the urban patch dynamics with increasing complexity and aggregation of urban area at the centre and sprawl at the outskirts. Shannon's entropy further confirms of sprawl with time. Further zoning with the circular gradients aided in understanding the transition process of land use categories into urban patch

Power Generation System by using Piezo Sensors for Multiple Applications

Generally there is huge demand for power production. So going for alternative energy source is the best way to harvest electricity. We have proposed that piezo sensors produce electricity when pressure is applied on them. These sensors are then connected in series and parallel combination and placed in a tile like structure. This tile can be used in any place wherever pressure is applied. The harvested power can be stored in a battery and used for AC or DC loads and also voltage generated by a single tile can be displayed on display devices like LCD located at a different location using zigbee technology for smart analysis. DOI: 10.17762/ijritcc2321-8169.16041

Conservation Status of the Indian Peafowl Pavo cristatus (Aves: Galliformes: Phasianidae) in Bangalore University Campus, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India

The Indian Peafowl, Pavo cristatus was abundant in Bangalore University Campus (BUC) during 1970-80. However, the peafowl population declined alarmingly in the BUC region after 1990. The present paper deals with the abundance, sex ratio of peafowls and their conservation methods in the Biodiversity Park (Bio-Park) of BUC, which had been established in 2006. A total of 117 peafowls was recorded in the BUC region in which the females outnumbered the males. The increased abundance of the peafowl population in the campus could be mainly due to the availability of suitable roosting, foraging and nesting sites. The peafowls have used 18 species of plants and trees for perching and roosting in BUC. The peafowl population increased in the BUC region due to habitat rejuvenation and protection, availability of food sources and breeding/nesting sites. The results of the present investigation constitute the baseline data for the further understanding of the ecological community of national bird in the protected habitats as hotspots for biodiversity of urban ecosystem. Conservation of microhabitats through the proper restoration of ponds, streams and water check-dams including vegetation in the BUC is responsible for the existence of peafowl population

Conservation Status of the Indian Peafowl Pavo cristatus (Aves: Galliformes: Phasianidae) in Bangalore University Campus, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India

The Indian Peafowl, Pavo cristatus was abundant in Bangalore University Campus (BUC) during 1970-80. However, the peafowl population declined alarmingly in the BUC region after 1990. The present paper deals with the abundance, sex ratio of peafowls and their conservation methods in the Biodiversity Park (Bio-Park) of BUC, which had been established in 2006. A total of 117 peafowls was recorded in the BUC region in which the females outnumbered the males. The increased abundance of the peafowl population in the campus could be mainly due to the availability of suitable roosting, foraging and nesting sites. The peafowls have used 18 species of plants and trees for perching and roosting in BUC. The peafowl population increased in the BUC region due to habitat rejuvenation and protection, availability of food sources and breeding/nesting sites. The results of the present investigation constitute the baseline data for the further understanding of the ecological community of national bird in the protected habitats as hotspots for biodiversity of urban ecosystem. Conservation of microhabitats through the proper restoration of ponds, streams and water check-dams including vegetation in the BUC is responsible for the existence of peafowl population