Version 4 of the CRU TS monthly high-resolution gridded multivariate climate dataset

CRU TS (Climatic Research Unit gridded Time Series) is a widely used climate dataset on a 0.5 degrees latitude by 0.5 degrees longitude grid over all land domains of the world except Antarctica. It is derived by the interpolation of monthly climate anomalies from extensive networks of weather station observations. Here we describe the construction of a major new version, CRU TS v4. It is updated to span 1901-2018 by the inclusion of additional station observations, and it will be updated annually. The interpolation process has been changed to use angular-distance weighting (ADW), and the production of secondary variables has been revised to better suit this approach. This implementation of ADW provides improved traceability between each gridded value and the input observations, and allows more informative diagnostics that dataset users can utilise to assess how dataset quality might vary geographically

Experiences of using mobile technologies and virtual field tours in Physical Geography: implications for hydrology education

Education in hydrology is changing rapidly due to diversification of students, emergent major scientific and practical challenges that our discipline must engage with, shifting pedagogic ideas and higher education environments, the need for students to develop new discipline specific and transferrable skills, and the advent of innovative technologies for learning and teaching. This paper focuses on new technologies in the context of learning and teaching in Physical Geography and reflects on the implications of our experiences for education in hydrology. We evaluate the experience of designing and trialling novel mobile technology-based field exercises and a virtual field tour for a Year 1 undergraduate Physical Geography module at a UK university. The new exercises are based on using and obtaining spatial data, operation of meteorological equipment (explained using an interactive DVD), and include introductions to global positioning systems (GPS) and geographical information systems (GIS). The technology and exercises were well received in a pilot study and subsequent rolling-out to the full student cohort (∼150 students). A statistically significant improvement in marks was observed following the redesign. Although the students enjoyed using mobile technology, the increased interactivity and opportunity for peer learning were considered to be the primary benefits by students. This is reinforced further by student preference for the new interactive virtual field tour over the previous "show-and-tell" field exercise. Despite the new exercises having many advantages, exercise development was not trivial due to the high start-up costs, the need for provision of sufficient technical support and the relative difficulty of making year-to-year changes (to the virtual field tour in particular). Our experiences are highly relevant to the implementation of novel learning and teaching technologies in hydrology education

Evidence base prioritisation of indoor comfort perceptions in Malaysian typical multi-storey hostels

This study focuses on assessing the effects of the indoor climate in typical multi-storey hostels in Malaysia on student occupants through objective, subjective and evidence based prioritisation measurements. The objective measurements consisted of operative temperature; daylight ratio; luminance and indoor noise level. The subjective measurements were sampled from the student occupants' thermal, visual, acoustics and overall indoor comfort votes. The prioritisation measurement using Multiple Linear Regression and Friedman Tests assessed the relationship between physical indoor thermal, visual and acoustics conditions and students' overall indoor comfort perception vote. Findings suggest that subjective sensor ratings were significantly more reliable than objective measurements at predicting overall indoor comfort. Moreover, students living in hostel rooms with projected balconies voted that they were more satisfied with their indoor condition than the ones living in rooms without projected balconies. The results of this study also provide evidence that student occupants were more concerned with their rooms' thermal condition then followed by acoustics and finally visual conditions

The Evolution and Environmental Benefits of the All Wales Stroke Meeting (AWSM), a Video Conference Multidisciplinary Meeting for Stroke Physicians

Background: The All Wales Stroke Meeting (AWSM) is a multidisciplinary stroke meeting. Stroke clinicians can present cases to review the neuroradiology and discuss the clinical story to further clinical care, seek consensus views on the management in specific rare or complex cases or provide an educational opportunity for the group centred around a rare case or specific feature of the case. Methods: The meeting was created to pool the knowledge of clinicians working across Wales to benefit patient care throughout the country. Here we describe the development, structure and personnel involved in the meeting. There is a focus on the technological requirements of the meeting and how utilising newly introduced IT solutions further improved the meeting’s accessibility. Results: There is a positive economic and environmental impact of delivering multidisciplinary meetings through videoconference technology. The AWSM is estimated to annually save 97.16 days of clinician time and £13,087.18 in travel expenses. We estimate a reduction of carbon footprint of 15,792.38–19,722.44 kg CO2. Conclusion: The AWSM has been an invaluable component of stroke healthcare in Wales since 2009. We think this is an example of where collaborative working and innovative use of technologies can benefit clinicians, patients, NHS services and the environment. Keywords: Stroke, Stroke evaluation, Video conference, Neuroradiology, Continued professional development, Education, Multidisciplinary meetin