Geospatial Technology in Urban Forest suitability: Analysis for Ranchi, Jharkhand, India

Changes in the landscape patterns have limited the range of greenery in the urban vicinity. Although urban forestry is  widely recognized and practiced in developed countries, it is less known in developing countries. It is an integral part that cannot  be overlooked because it enhances the quality of life and the environment for urban inhabitants and ensures the sustainable urban  development.  Geospatial technology has the potential to analyse and delineate suitable sites for urban forestry. For the present study we have selected  one of the Indian cities, Ranchi, where rapid urbanization has altered the climate of the city by increasing the summer heat,  air and noise pollution. In addition, the development of infrastructure has left very little space for the development of greenery. The  study utilized Landsat OLI satellite data (30 m resolution; 2015) and analysed it for suitable locations in open spaces after digital  processing. A radius of 30 km from the city centre, Firayalal chowk was analysed. Ancillary data, like an ASTER DEM (resolution  30 m) wetness map, slope, soil carbon, a drainage and urban buffer were incorporated in the GIS domain for Multi Criteria Analysis  (MCA). The land surface temperature was also computed using thermal bands of Landsat 8 OLI. A suitability map which identified  potential area (27% as highly suitable, 38% as moderately suitable and 35% as least suitable sites within the existing open spaces).  Highly potential sites are located along the Kanke reservoir, the Harmu River, near Khelgaon and the airport.  High temperatures (low vegetation and high settlement concentration) were noted within the 0-10 km buffer zone close to the city  centre. Whereas low temperatures (high vegetation and low settlement concentration) were noted within the 20-30 km buffer zone,  far from the city centre.  Therefore, integrating satellite remote sensing data in the GIS domain helps in analysing, identifying and locating suitable sites for  urban forest development and management. The high

Analysis of Urban Sprawl Dynamics Using Geospatial Technology in Ranchi City, Jharkhand, India

The availability of remote sensing satellite data at various spatial, temporal and spectral resolutions provides enormous opportunity to map the urban sprawl. When coupled with Geographic Information System (GIS) it is possible to evaluate, analyse and integrate large data. We need to understand and quantify the urban sprawl on spatial and temporal scales which forms a basis for better planning and sustainable management of cities and towns. The city of Ranchi has witnessed unprecedented urban growth after assuming the status of a capital of Jharkhand state, India in 2000. The increasing population has put pressure on the natural resources of the city. The urban growth has been in a haphazard manner at the cost of agricultural lands, forest land and open green spaces such as park, garden and recreational forestry.The present study analysed the urban sprawl in Ranchi city, using Landsat data from 1976, 2002 and 2015. The study revealed that the annual urban growth rate was 1.76 ha/yr over the period from 1976 to 2002 whereas the annual growth rate was 2 ha/yr over the period from 2002 to 2015. The northern side of the city has witnessed more expansion in 2002 when compared with the growth in 1976. Increase in urban density was seen at the distances of 3, 4,5,6,7 and 8km between 1976 and 2015 and the rate was higher than 25%.The driving factors of the development were infrastructure, educational and business expansion. Thus, spatial analyses of urban sprawl are a prerequisite for curbing the unplanned urban growth and ensure sustainable living

Forest cover change analysis of dry tropical forests of Vindhyan highlands in Mirzapur district, Uttar Pradesh using satellite remote sensing and GIS

The present study analysed the changes taking place in land use/ land cover and forest cover using multispectral satellite remote sensing data (LANDSAT TM, 2010, and LANDSAT OLI, 2013) around the Patehra, Danti, Mirzapur and Madihan forest ranges in Mirzapur district of Uttar Pradesh, India. Satellite data was visually interpreted to delineate land use and land cover classes. Post classification comparative analysis for both time periods showed agricultural expansion, urbanization and increase in open forests drastically. Further, forest area was extracted from false colour composite (FCC) (using a mask generated from LULC map) and ten forest cover classes were delineated spectrally using digital classification technique. Area statistics were computed and compared for change analysis for the time period (2010-2013). There was a marginal increase in dense mixed forests due to plantation activities, followed by increase in open mixed forest and degraded forest. A remarkable increase in area of grassland and scrubland was also noticed. Rate of change was also quantified. Higher rate of change was observed in case of degraded, fragmented and open scrub, scrubland and grassland. Thus, the forests are getting fragmented at a very fast pace. Results obtained from satellite data analysis can be effectively utilized for monitoring the changes taking place and help in establishing better management practices to conserve these forests

Spatial analysis of Fire Characterization along with various gradients of Season, Administrative units, Vegetation, Socio economy, Topography and Future climate change: A case study of Orissa state of India

Fire events are an increasing phenomenon these days due to the climate change. It is responsible for forest degradation and habitat destruction. Changes in ecosystem processes are also noticed. The livelihood of tribal population is also threatened. Geospatial technologies along with Remotely Sensed data have enormous capability to evaluate the various diversified datasets and to examine their relationship. In this analysis, we have utilized the long term fire events at district level for the Orissa state ofIndiaand forest fire hotspots were identified. The fire pattern was analyzed with respect to the existing vegetation types, tribal population and topography to understand its association/relationship. Furthermore, it was evaluated with future climate change data for better comprehension of future forest fire scenario. The study reveals that Kandhamal, Raygada and Kalahandi district have highest fire frequency representing around 38% of the total Orissa fire events. The vegetation type “Tropical mixed deciduous and dry deciduous forests” and “Tropical lowland forests, broadleaved, evergreen, <1000m” occupy the geographical area roughly 43% whereas they retain fire percent equivalent to 70%. Approximately 70% of forest fire occurred in the area where tribal population was high to very high. The 60% of forest fire occurred where elevation was greater than500 meterswhereas 48% of fire occurred on moderate slopes.            Our observation of future climate change scenario for the year 2030 reflects the increase in summer temperature and irregular rainfall pattern. Therefore, forest fire intensity will be more in future in the state of Orissa whereas it’s intensity will be more severe in few of the district such as Kandhamal, Raygada, Kalahandi and Koraput which have significantly high forest fire events in present scenario.The outcomes of the present study would certainly guide the policymakers to prepare more effective plan to protect the forest which is main source of livelihood to the tribal population keeping in mind of future climate change impact for prioritization of various districts of state of Orissa suffering from forest fires

Analysis of urban sprawl dynamics using geospatial technology in Ranchi city, Jharkhand, India

The availability of remote sensing satellite data at various spatial, temporal and spectral resolutions provides enormous opportunity to map the urban sprawl. When coupled with Geographic Information System (GIS) it is possible to evaluate, analyse and integrate large data. We need to understand and quantify the urban sprawl on spatial and temporal scales which forms a basis for better planning and sustainable management of cities and towns. The city of Ranchi has witnessed unprecedented urban growth after assuming the status of a capital of Jharkhand state, India in 2000. The increasing population has put pressure on the natural resources of the city. The urban growth has been in a haphazard manner at the cost of agricultural lands, forest land and open green spaces such as park, garden and recreational forestry

Climate Smart Agriculture, need for 21st century to achieve socioeconomic and climate resilience agriculture in India: A geospatial perspective

Climate change is now widely recognized as the major environmental threatoccurring mainly due to increasing greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and causing theextinction of biodiversity and enhances disruptions to ecosystems. Climate change risks arefound to be very significant and would have a profound impact on the livelihoods of millionsof poor people in India. In the present study, we have analyzed datasets of agricultureGreenhouse gases (GHGs) emission (1990-2016), poverty, anthropogenic biomes, agriculturecrop production scenario (2008-2017), seasonal soil moisture status present (2006-2015) anddeficit (compared with 20 years’ time periods), present (1970-2000) annual mean, future(2050) precipitation and temperature scenario of India and investigated the spatial pattern andrelationship incorporating in remote sensing and GIS for the better comprehension of theimpact of climate changes on the socio-economic dimension of the people. The total GHGsemissions (CO2 equivalent) from agriculture in India were showing the increasing trend(approximately 1% annually) whereas the increasing trend has decreased notably in the lastfive years. The states of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Assam, Punjab, and Tamil Naduand Andhra Pradesh of India were found producing higher GHGs emissions from agriculture.The present soil moisture and the deficit during the Kharif, Rabi, and Zaid seasonsvary geographically whereas soil moisture deficit during the Kharif season was found verysignificant over most of the districts of Ganga and Brahmaputra basin. The present meanannual temperature and precipitation patterns were found very significant in arid and semiaridregions which are known as the farmer’s suicide hotspot and are predicted to threatenmore in the future (2050). The evaluation highlights the need for synergic approaches such asclimate-smart agriculture (CSA) to address the impact of climate change in food productionand farmers’ livelihood. Such an investigation gives a solid understanding of a paradigm shiftin the adaptation of CSA an approach in prevailing new climate change reality at country orregional levels for achieving socio-economic and climate resilience agriculture in India

Pan-Cancer Analysis of lncRNA Regulation Supports Their Targeting of Cancer Genes in Each Tumor Context

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are commonly dys-regulated in tumors, but only a handful are known toplay pathophysiological roles in cancer. We inferredlncRNAs that dysregulate cancer pathways, onco-genes, and tumor suppressors (cancer genes) bymodeling their effects on the activity of transcriptionfactors, RNA-binding proteins, and microRNAs in5,185 TCGA tumors and 1,019 ENCODE assays.Our predictions included hundreds of candidateonco- and tumor-suppressor lncRNAs (cancerlncRNAs) whose somatic alterations account for thedysregulation of dozens of cancer genes and path-ways in each of 14 tumor contexts. To demonstrateproof of concept, we showed that perturbations tar-geting OIP5-AS1 (an inferred tumor suppressor) andTUG1 and WT1-AS (inferred onco-lncRNAs) dysre-gulated cancer genes and altered proliferation ofbreast and gynecologic cancer cells. Our analysis in-dicates that, although most lncRNAs are dysregu-lated in a tumor-specific manner, some, includingOIP5-AS1, TUG1, NEAT1, MEG3, and TSIX, synergis-tically dysregulate cancer pathways in multiple tumorcontexts

Pan-cancer Alterations of the MYC Oncogene and Its Proximal Network across the Cancer Genome Atlas

Although theMYConcogene has been implicated incancer, a systematic assessment of alterations ofMYC, related transcription factors, and co-regulatoryproteins, forming the proximal MYC network (PMN),across human cancers is lacking. Using computa-tional approaches, we define genomic and proteo-mic features associated with MYC and the PMNacross the 33 cancers of The Cancer Genome Atlas.Pan-cancer, 28% of all samples had at least one ofthe MYC paralogs amplified. In contrast, the MYCantagonists MGA and MNT were the most frequentlymutated or deleted members, proposing a roleas tumor suppressors.MYCalterations were mutu-ally exclusive withPIK3CA,PTEN,APC,orBRAFalterations, suggesting that MYC is a distinct onco-genic driver. Expression analysis revealed MYC-associated pathways in tumor subtypes, such asimmune response and growth factor signaling; chro-matin, translation, and DNA replication/repair wereconserved pan-cancer. This analysis reveals insightsinto MYC biology and is a reference for biomarkersand therapeutics for cancers with alterations ofMYC or the PMN

Genomic, Pathway Network, and Immunologic Features Distinguishing Squamous Carcinomas

This integrated, multiplatform PanCancer Atlas study co-mapped and identified distinguishing molecular features of squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs) from five sites associated with smokin