Production of semi real time media-GIS contents using MODIS imagery

[Abstract]: Delivering environmental disaster information, swiftly, attractively, meaningfully, and accurately, to public is becoming a competitive task among spatial data visualizing experts. Basically, the data visualization process has to follow basics of spatial data visualization to maintain the academic quality and the spatial accuracy of the content. Here, “Media-GIS”, can be promoted as a one of the latest sub-forms of GIS, which targets mass media. Under Media-GIS, “Present” or the fist component of three roles of data visualization takes the major workload compare to other two, “Analysis” and “Explore”. When present contents, optimizing the main graphical variables like, size, value, texture, hue, orientation, and shape, is vital with regard to the target market (age group, social group) and the medium (print, TV, WEB, mobile). This study emphasizes on application of freely available MODIS true colour images to produce near real time contents on environmental disasters, while minimizing the production cost. With the brake of first news of a significant environmental disaster, relevant MODIS (250m) images can be extracted in GeoTIFF and KLM (Keyhole Markup Language) formats from MODIS website. This original KML file can be overlayed on Google Earth, to collect more spatial information of the disaster site. Then, in ArcGIS environment, GeoTIFF file can be transferred into Photoshop for production of the graphics of the target spot. This media-friendly Photoshop file can be used as an independent content without geo-references or imported into ArcGIS to convert into KLM format, which has geo-references. The KLM file, which is graphically enhanced content with extra information on environmental disaster, can be used in TV and WEB through Google Earth. Also, sub productions can be directed into print and mobile contents. If the data processing can be automated, system will be able to produce media contents in a faster manner. A case study on the recent undersea oil spill occurred in Gulf of Mexico included in the report to highlight main aspects discussed in the methodology

MODIS data based semi-real time media GIS contents to support natural disaster mitigation

Natural disaster mitigation is a collective effort of; forecast, assessment, and encouraging the public participation in disaster mitigation. This study focused on the rarely addressed aspect, 'the value of public awareness' in natural disaster mitigation. The methodology used satellite data and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to produce semi-real-time 'Media GIS' contents. When deliver the content to the media with maximizing four related factors; speed, attractiveness, richness, and accuracy, Media GIS contents will help to increase the public awareness on the respective disaster. The methodology to produce Media GIS contents is based on; basic fundamentals of GIS, freely available satellite images, and information extracted from Google Earth. Hence, contents carry inherent characters of GIS and significantly different from conventional graphics in media. Also the graphical variables like, size, value, texture, hue, orientation, and shape, were optimized to match with target content users (age group, social group) and medium (print, TV, WEB, mobile), while minimizing the cost. With the news brakes of the disaster, MODIS (250m) satellite data can be extracted in GeoTIFF and KLM (Keyhole Markup Language) formats. The KML file can be overlayed on Google Earth, to extract more spatial information of the area of interest. Photoshop or any similar graphic software can be used to create the product while keeping the geometric character of the content. The final output (in TIFF/JPEG and KLM file) is the GIS media content for TV, WEB, mobile contents, and for print media, which support to increase the public awareness of the disaster. Two cases studies; disastrous flood occurred in Bangkok in 2011 and the severe drought recorded in eastern Sri Lanka in 2014, are presented in the study

Assisting mitigation of bushfire threat in regional Australia through MODIS imagery based media GIS

Bushfires have been part of the Australian environment since before human settlement of the continent. Some Australian flora and fauna has evolved to coexist with bushfires, and in the case of eucalypt forest, fire forms an integral part of its regeneration cycle. Today, bushfires have become the dominant phenomenon in Australian natural hazards. According to the Australian bureau of meteorology, the whole southern half of Australia is at fire risk in summer and autumn months. Australian bureau of Criminology published a bushfire damage recorded from 1967 to 1999, and estimated the cost as about $2.5 billion excluding forestry losses. The public attention to bushfire disasters reached to a new peak, after the disastrous Black Saturday bushfire in Victoria. The Black Saturday bushfires in 2009 killed 173 injured 500 more and cause over$2.5 billion in damages. Annually, fire authorities respond to an average 54,000 bushfires in Australia where up to 50% of these fires are deliberately lit or start in suspicious circumstances. This grave situation of bushfire damage encourages researches to explore various bushfire mitigation scenarios. The present study focuses on educating the rural communities by awakening their participation in fire mitigation efforts using semi-real time fire information. In Australia, fire prevention related agencies work extensively to make available various data sources for public and schools. However, the flow of information to rural communities is not smooth due to various technical and social reasons, though their participation is vital. 'I could see the real value of us educating the locals,' said Glenn O’Rourke, Deputy Captain and Community Safety Officer at the Wollombi Rural Fire Brigade. This study discusses an approach to educate rural communities through Media GIS contents based on daily MODIS imagery. These bushfire contents can be uploaded daily to local newspapers, TV, and to mobile subscribers to establish a participatory user cohort. Google functions such as placemarks will be used in KML environment to deliver media GIS contents as spot/image information. Collected Participatory GIS inputs will be used to enrich the GIS database to further enhancements of the communication process on bushfire developments

Assessing land use of lower Mekong basin using multi-temporal MODIS imagery

Among rice producing regions of the world, Lower Mekong Basin (LMB) can be ranked as the most important region due to the huge population it feeds. About 60 million people are engaged in agriculture and freshwater fishing activates in LMB where produce enough food for over 300 million people annually. Food consumption in LMB is also increasing and studies have found it to be doubled by 2050. This socio-economic background has attracted many researchers to work on various aspects of the LMB. To collaborate with these research interests, the present study is designed to assess the land use conditions of the massive LMB, using multitemporal MODIS imagery. The authors have previously produced the land cover map of LMB in 2005 (edited in 2008) using MODIS data at 250m spatial resolution. The present land use assessment will be used the old map and a new map produced in 2014 using the same land cover classification. The investigation on land use conditions is based on the trends on land cover changes, with a focus on food production aspects of the basin, in order to supply a GIS database for food production assessment studies. Annual devastating floods in south and frequent droughts in central regions are also counted in the assessment. The expected results of the study will be GIS data layers of the basin in raster format comprising old and new land cover data, natural disaster hotspots, together with an assessment of the land use

Impact of climate change on water resources in MENA countries: an assessment of temporal changes of land cover/land use and water resources using multi-temporal MODIS and Landsat data and GIS techniques

Water resources are crucial to food security and rural livelihood. Global climatic variation, particularly global warming and changes of precipitation patterns greatly affect the agricultural production and food security. The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) includes countries with poor economies and resources (e.g. Morocco, Yemen) as well as oil-rich economies of Gulf countries (e.g. Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia). Water resources are being increasingly scarce in the MENA countries and have great impact on the standard of living particularly in countries with poor economies. In addition to water scarcity, poor water management has also been contributing to the water issues. For example, the countries with the highest per capita water consumption (e.g. UAE) in the world are also found in the MENA countries while in some countries (Jordan, Syria) agriculture consumes more than 85% of water. Mapping water resources, monitoring the temporal changes of land cover and land use are the main ingredients in managing water resources. There are no better technologies than GIS and remote sensing to generate this information. Geospatial technologies, particularly GIS and remote sensing can be used to identify changes, vulnerable areas and potential areas for watershed development. Satellite data are available at varying level of detail ranging from 1km to 0.6m pixel size in spatial resolution supporting studies at global, regional and local levels. Once the vulnerable watersheds are identified, high resolution satellite and GIS data can be used to develop action plans at local levels. The purpose of this paper is to map and monitor water resources and land cover/use to identify vulnerable areas in the MENA region using two countries (Morocco and Yemen) for a comparative assessment. Both Morocco (North African country) and Yemen (Middle-East country) are poor countries and characterize water scarcity, poor water management, desertification and growing food security issues. The objectives are to: * Map water resources and catchments * Map land use and land cover in the region * Identify and map areas of potential hotspots or vulnerable areas The methods include developing a data base including satellite imagery and GIS data (e.g. elevation, climate, socio-economic data), use image processing techniques to extract land cover, land use and catchment information, and use GIS techniques to analyse data and modelling vulnerability. The outcome of the paper are useful in understanding the current status of water resources, production of an inventory of resources, understanding the potential areas of water resources as well as identifying vulnerable areas in selected countries

A Combined Approach of Remote Sensing, GIS, and Social Media to Create and Disseminate Bushfire Warning Contents to Rural Australia

Bushfires are an integral part of the forest regeneration cycle in Australia. However, from the perspective of a natural disaster, the impact of bushfires on human settlements and the environment is massive. In Australia, bushfires are the most disastrous natural hazards. According to the records of the Parliament of Australia, the recent catastrophic bushfires in NSW and Victoria burnt out over 10 million hectares of land, a figure more significant than any previous bushfire damage on record. After the deadly 2009 Black Saturday bushfires, which killed 173 people in Victoria, public attention to bushfires reached a new peak. Due to the disastrous consequences of bushfires, scientists have explored various methods to mitigate or even avoid bushfire damage, including the use of bushfire alerts. The present study adds satellite imagery and GIS-based semi-real-time bushfire contents to various bushfire warnings issued by government authorities. The new product will disseminate graphical bushfire contents to rural Australians through social media, using Google Maps. This low-cost Media GIS content can be delivered through highly popular smartphone networks in Australia through social media (Facebook and Twitter). We expect its success to encourage people to participate in disaster mitigation efforts as contributors in a participatory GIS network. This paper presents a case study to demonstrate the production process and the quality of media GIS content and further discusses the potential of using social media through the mobile network of Australia while paying attention to mobile blackspots. Media GIS content has the potential to link with the public information systems of local fire management services, disseminate contents through a mobile app, and develop into a fully automated media GIS content system to expand the service beyond bushfires

Lifestyle and occupation risk factors for poor semen quality: a cross sectional study in Sri Lanka

Background: Infertility is a major problem all around the world. According to WHO, the rate of infertility is approximately 15% worldwide and it differ from geographical location, ethnicity and social status. Lifestyle habits, environmental and occupational hazards, physical parameters can be recognized as major risk factors which may affect male infertility. The objective of this study was to determine factors associated with male infertility in Sri Lankan context.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 299 individuals participated for an infertility clinic at Castle Street Teaching Hospital, Colombo, Sri Lanka. Socio-demographic, occupational and environmental characteristics were collected using interviewer administered questionnaire. Semen samples were collected from each participant for laboratory investigations. Sperm concentration and motility were measured.Results: Out of total participants, 30.1% of participants had a sperm concentration of <15×10⁶ and the sperm motility was <32% in 34.7% participants.  Older age, tobacco smokers, using tight under wears and individuals exposed to either heat or chemical hazards were identified as risk groups with low sperm concentration and low semen volume. In addition, older age, individuals using tight under wears and individuals exposed to either heat or chemical hazards were significantly associated with low or abnormal sperm mortality. Individuals having diabetes showed a significantly higher non-motility rate of sperms. Alcohol usage, betel chewing, mumps, special radiation exposure, body mass index and waist circumference were not significantly associated with semen parameters in study population.Conclusions: Older age, tobacco smoking, wearing tight underwear, occupational exposures, and diabetes mellitus has shown a risk for the generation of poor semen parameters, which can lead to male infertility. Furthermore, it is very important to carry out extended studies regarding this problem to establish the effect of above factors

Antimicrobial resistance among migrants in Europe: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Rates of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) are rising globally and there is concern that increased migration is contributing to the burden of antibiotic resistance in Europe. However, the effect of migration on the burden of AMR in Europe has not yet been comprehensively examined. Therefore, we did a systematic review and meta-analysis to identify and synthesise data for AMR carriage or infection in migrants to Europe to examine differences in patterns of AMR across migrant groups and in different settings. METHODS: For this systematic review and meta-analysis, we searched MEDLINE, Embase, PubMed, and Scopus with no language restrictions from Jan 1, 2000, to Jan 18, 2017, for primary data from observational studies reporting antibacterial resistance in common bacterial pathogens among migrants to 21 European Union-15 and European Economic Area countries. To be eligible for inclusion, studies had to report data on carriage or infection with laboratory-confirmed antibiotic-resistant organisms in migrant populations. We extracted data from eligible studies and assessed quality using piloted, standardised forms. We did not examine drug resistance in tuberculosis and excluded articles solely reporting on this parameter. We also excluded articles in which migrant status was determined by ethnicity, country of birth of participants' parents, or was not defined, and articles in which data were not disaggregated by migrant status. Outcomes were carriage of or infection with antibiotic-resistant organisms. We used random-effects models to calculate the pooled prevalence of each outcome. The study protocol is registered with PROSPERO, number CRD42016043681. FINDINGS: We identified 2274 articles, of which 23 observational studies reporting on antibiotic resistance in 2319 migrants were included. The pooled prevalence of any AMR carriage or AMR infection in migrants was 25·4% (95% CI 19·1-31·8; I2 =98%), including meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (7·8%, 4·8-10·7; I2 =92%) and antibiotic-resistant Gram-negative bacteria (27·2%, 17·6-36·8; I2 =94%). The pooled prevalence of any AMR carriage or infection was higher in refugees and asylum seekers (33·0%, 18·3-47·6; I2 =98%) than in other migrant groups (6·6%, 1·8-11·3; I2 =92%). The pooled prevalence of antibiotic-resistant organisms was slightly higher in high-migrant community settings (33·1%, 11·1-55·1; I2 =96%) than in migrants in hospitals (24·3%, 16·1-32·6; I2 =98%). We did not find evidence of high rates of transmission of AMR from migrant to host populations. INTERPRETATION: Migrants are exposed to conditions favouring the emergence of drug resistance during transit and in host countries in Europe. Increased antibiotic resistance among refugees and asylum seekers and in high-migrant community settings (such as refugee camps and detention facilities) highlights the need for improved living conditions, access to health care, and initiatives to facilitate detection of and appropriate high-quality treatment for antibiotic-resistant infections during transit and in host countries. Protocols for the prevention and control of infection and for antibiotic surveillance need to be integrated in all aspects of health care, which should be accessible for all migrant groups, and should target determinants of AMR before, during, and after migration. FUNDING: UK National Institute for Health Research Imperial Biomedical Research Centre, Imperial College Healthcare Charity, the Wellcome Trust, and UK National Institute for Health Research Health Protection Research Unit in Healthcare-associated Infections and Antimictobial Resistance at Imperial College London

Surgical site infection after gastrointestinal surgery in high-income, middle-income, and low-income countries: a prospective, international, multicentre cohort study

Background: Surgical site infection (SSI) is one of the most common infections associated with health care, but its importance as a global health priority is not fully understood. We quantified the burden of SSI after gastrointestinal surgery in countries in all parts of the world. Methods: This international, prospective, multicentre cohort study included consecutive patients undergoing elective or emergency gastrointestinal resection within 2-week time periods at any health-care facility in any country. Countries with participating centres were stratified into high-income, middle-income, and low-income groups according to the UN's Human Development Index (HDI). Data variables from the GlobalSurg 1 study and other studies that have been found to affect the likelihood of SSI were entered into risk adjustment models. The primary outcome measure was the 30-day SSI incidence (defined by US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention criteria for superficial and deep incisional SSI). Relationships with explanatory variables were examined using Bayesian multilevel logistic regression models. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT02662231. Findings: Between Jan 4, 2016, and July 31, 2016, 13 265 records were submitted for analysis. 12 539 patients from 343 hospitals in 66 countries were included. 7339 (58·5%) patient were from high-HDI countries (193 hospitals in 30 countries), 3918 (31·2%) patients were from middle-HDI countries (82 hospitals in 18 countries), and 1282 (10·2%) patients were from low-HDI countries (68 hospitals in 18 countries). In total, 1538 (12·3%) patients had SSI within 30 days of surgery. The incidence of SSI varied between countries with high (691 [9·4%] of 7339 patients), middle (549 [14·0%] of 3918 patients), and low (298 [23·2%] of 1282) HDI (p < 0·001). The highest SSI incidence in each HDI group was after dirty surgery (102 [17·8%] of 574 patients in high-HDI countries; 74 [31·4%] of 236 patients in middle-HDI countries; 72 [39·8%] of 181 patients in low-HDI countries). Following risk factor adjustment, patients in low-HDI countries were at greatest risk of SSI (adjusted odds ratio 1·60, 95% credible interval 1·05–2·37; p=0·030). 132 (21·6%) of 610 patients with an SSI and a microbiology culture result had an infection that was resistant to the prophylactic antibiotic used. Resistant infections were detected in 49 (16·6%) of 295 patients in high-HDI countries, in 37 (19·8%) of 187 patients in middle-HDI countries, and in 46 (35·9%) of 128 patients in low-HDI countries (p < 0·001). Interpretation: Countries with a low HDI carry a disproportionately greater burden of SSI than countries with a middle or high HDI and might have higher rates of antibiotic resistance. In view of WHO recommendations on SSI prevention that highlight the absence of high-quality interventional research, urgent, pragmatic, randomised trials based in LMICs are needed to assess measures aiming to reduce this preventable complication

Search for new particles in events with energetic jets and large missing transverse momentum in proton-proton collisions at root s=13 TeV

A search is presented for new particles produced at the LHC in proton-proton collisions at root s = 13 TeV, using events with energetic jets and large missing transverse momentum. The analysis is based on a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 101 fb(-1), collected in 2017-2018 with the CMS detector. Machine learning techniques are used to define separate categories for events with narrow jets from initial-state radiation and events with large-radius jets consistent with a hadronic decay of a W or Z boson. A statistical combination is made with an earlier search based on a data sample of 36 fb(-1), collected in 2016. No significant excess of events is observed with respect to the standard model background expectation determined from control samples in data. The results are interpreted in terms of limits on the branching fraction of an invisible decay of the Higgs boson, as well as constraints on simplified models of dark matter, on first-generation scalar leptoquarks decaying to quarks and neutrinos, and on models with large extra dimensions. Several of the new limits, specifically for spin-1 dark matter mediators, pseudoscalar mediators, colored mediators, and leptoquarks, are the most restrictive to date.Peer reviewe