Georeferenced Maps Research Articles

Population Size vs. Age structure and Seasonalmovement pattern of African Elephants (Loxodontaafricana, Blumenbach, 1797:Elephantidae) in Babile Elephant Sanctuary, Eastern Ethiopia

The focus of this paper is to study the population size and age structure of elephants, and their seasonal movement patterns in Babile Elephant Sanctuary (BES), Eastern Ethiopia. The study was carried out between May 2019 and April 2020. The population size of the elephant was estimated indirectly from the dung droppings using line-transect methods within a 42 km2 area; of which, each 12 km2 area in riverine and woodland, and 18 km2 in bushland habitats. The total estimate of the elephant population for the sanctuary was (230+20) or between (210 and 250). Besides, Elephant numbers were also estimated directly from sightings. The maximum number observed in a herd was 75. There was a declining trend for the past 49 years in the elephant population. The observed density for the whole sanctuary was 0.033 elephants per km2. In the elephant age structure, there were more intermediate (47%) and very few sub-adults (2.6%) size classes identified. The movement pattern of elephants was studied based on footprints, dung piles, and feeding signs The GPS recorded routes were marked on a geo-referenced map of the area using a GIS program (Arc map10.8). The result revealed that the present wet and dry seasonal movement patterns of elephants were noted following almost the Erer and Gobele valley routes in the oromia region of the sanctuary. Based on the study results, the following inference is drawn: identifying and documenting up-to-date information on population size and age structure, and seasonal movement of African elephants (i.e., the migratory routes and foraging areas for complete protection to maintain the animal's natural migratory patterns without disturbance) in BES is important to build gaps in knowledge for conservationists to design plans for restoring the species and sustaining the elephant’s existence. Therefore, strengthening the capacity of management and enforcing laws can minimize intimidation and enhance opportunities.

A systematic review and meta-analysis of the potential non-human animal reservoirs and arthropod vectors of the Mayaro virus.

Improving our understanding of Mayaro virus (MAYV) ecology is critical to guide surveillance and risk assessment. We conducted a PRISMA-adherent systematic review of the published and grey literature to identify potential arthropod vectors and non-human animal reservoirs of MAYV. We searched PubMed/MEDLINE, Embase, Web of Science, SciELO and grey-literature sources including PAHO databases and dissertation repositories. Studies were included if they assessed MAYV virological/immunological measured occurrence in field-caught, domestic, or sentinel animals or in field-caught arthropods. We conducted an animal seroprevalence meta-analysis using a random effects model. We compiled granular georeferenced maps of non-human MAYV occurrence and graded the quality of the studies using a customized framework. Overall, 57 studies were eligible out of 1523 screened, published between the years 1961 and 2020. Seventeen studies reported MAYV positivity in wild mammals, birds, or reptiles and five studies reported MAYV positivity in domestic animals. MAYV positivity was reported in 12 orders of wild-caught vertebrates, most frequently in the orders Charadriiformes and Primate. Sixteen studies detected MAYV in wild-caught mosquito genera including Haemagogus, Aedes, Culex, Psorophora, Coquillettidia, and Sabethes. Vertebrate animals or arthropods with MAYV were detected in Brazil, Panama, Peru, French Guiana, Colombia, Trinidad, Venezuela, Argentina, and Paraguay. Among non-human vertebrates, the Primate order had the highest pooled seroprevalence at 13.1% (95% CI: 4.3–25.1%). From the three most studied primate genera we found the highest seroprevalence was in Alouatta (32.2%, 95% CI: 0.0–79.2%), followed by Callithrix (17.8%, 95% CI: 8.6–28.5%), and Cebus/Sapajus (3.7%, 95% CI: 0.0–11.1%). We further found that MAYV occurs in a wide range of vectors beyond Haemagogus spp. The quality of evidence behind these findings was variable and prompts calls for standardization of reporting of arbovirus occurrence. These findings support further risk emergence prediction, guide field surveillance efforts, and prompt further in-vivo studies to better define the ecological drivers of MAYV maintenance and potential for emergence.

Analysis of 200 years of change in ontario wetland systems

Following the establishment of European settlers, wetlands in southern Ontario have experienced an estimated loss of more than 68% due to development, agriculture, and other anthropogenic factors. Using georeferenced historic maps, historic and present-day wetland data, present-day anthropogenic activity, agricultural and population data, this study has explored the spatial and temporal relationships between anthropogenic activity and wetland loss in southern Ontario between the years 1800–2019. The findings of this study indicate that; (1) from 1800 to 1978 wetland loss is more substantially spatially correlated with roads and rail lines compared to municipalities, (2) by 1800 wetlands near Lake Ontario and Lake Erie were likely already being impacted by European settlers, (3) historic surges in wetland loss and fragmentation, attributed to agricultural expansion, likely occurred in the 1820s, between 1846 and 1867, and between 1882 and 1910, (4) from 1978 to 2019 agricultural tile drainage was spatially correlated with the greatest amount of wetland loss, roads continued to be spatially correlated with high levels of wetland loss and built-up areas were correlated with more wetlands lost in this time period compared to the 1800–1978 time period, and (5) there was greater wetland loss in area from 1800 to 1978 and greater wetland loss in number of wetland polygons from 1978 to 2019.

Spatial classification of urban land by speculative land value, and MSI satellite imagery using K-MEANS, in Huancayo, Perú

The city of Huancayo, like other intermediate cities in Latin America, faces problems of poorly planned land-use changes and a rapid dynamic of the urban land market. The scarce and outdated information on the urban territory impedes the adequate classification of urban areas, limiting the form of its intervention. The purpose of this research was the adoption of unassisted and mixed methods for the spatial classification of urban areas, considering the speculative land value, the proportion of urbanized land, and other geospatial variables. Among the data collection media, Multi-Spectral Imagery (MSI) from the Sentinel-2 satellite, the primary road system, and a sample of direct observation points, were used. The processed data were incorporated into georeferenced maps, to which urban limits and official slopes were added. During data processing, the K-Means algorithm was used, together with other machine learning and assisted judgment methods. As a result, an objective classification of urban areas was obtained, which differs from the existing planning.

Sustainable sites in two generations of city development using GIS-MCDM and LEED LT and SS categories

Generations of city development attempt better sustainable guidelines. This reflects on the number and areas of sustainable land plots therein. Nevertheless, city development goes without evaluating potential sustainable sites. This requires further spatial study to support sustainable site selection (SSS). Hence, this paper discusses SSS in new city development and locates potential land plots which comply with The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) credits' criteria in two categories: on the project level ‘Sustainable Sites’ (SS) and the context level, the ‘Location and Transportation’ (LT). This discusses two generations of city development in Egypt, taking a case study for each: the 10th of Ramadan city (first generation) and Badr city (second generation). This pilot study is based on reliable data obtained from the General Organization for the Physical Planning (GOPP) database in Egypt. A comparative Geographic Information System (GIS)-discrete Multiple-criteria decision-making (MCDM) method was adopted. This consisted of the following steps; 1) database layering and Geo-referencing maps were carried out using the GIS, 2) LEED credits' were used to populate the database to develop a weighted sum model (WSM) through a weighted-sum overlay technique, 3) a Land Suitability Index (LSI) was computed using GIS natural breaking classification to rank potential sites into ‘Yes’, ‘Maybe’ and ‘No’ scoring, 4) SSS raster maps were developed based on point-scoring contribution (PSC) of each city towards the environmental features described in each LEED credit. The result showed that Badr city (second generation) had more qualified sustainable sites compared to the 10th of Ramadan city (first generation). This was because the second generation of city planning guidelines provided more land plots with surrounding densities and diverse uses, access to quality transit, reduced parking footprint and more open spaces. Furthermore, land plots in both cities had more potential to obtain points under the SS category rather than the LT category due to missing sustainable local planning regulations. Also, the final weighted-sum overlay analysis showed that only 10% and 27% of total land areas in the 10th of Ramadan city and Badr city, respectively, were qualified to obtain points under both categories. The output interactive maps were made available for public use via a public domain website and the outcome of the study was tested among practitioners for validation. This showed major interest for planners and researchers, followed by investors and policymakers. Accordingly, this study can be replicated to create mapping criteria for sustainable sites in new development areas and consider it for a resilient urban planning policy.

Low-Cost Geographic Information System for Municipal Road Signs Management in Depopulated and Low-Density Areas

The current national and regional economical conjuncture in many countries, requires a sustainable management of different urban infrastructures, including road signs. From the set of possible solutions to improve the existing infrastructure’s management, analysis and spatial representation, Geographic Information Systems (GIS) have proved to be an essential tool for the functional competencies of local administration (municipalities), managers of municipal road networks. This study presents a framework of existing national regulations on road signs, as well as the shortcomings in the definition of methodologies for GIS-based management systems implementation. The paper continues with the critical assumptions considered in their definition and the municipalities specific competences needed for their implementation. A low-cost methodology is proposed and applied to a case study in a small Portuguese village: Belmonte. The results have shown the potential of these low-cost systems, revealing relevant time and economical gains, providing municipalities with fundamental information for the definition of realistic and well-founded strategic plans and budgets, and allowing better information to their citizens. The gathered information can help in inventory, inspections, maintenance and replacement allowing detailed reports and geo-referenced electronic database and maps of a municipality's road signs at reasonable costs. These maps and reports are the starting point to forecast the projected lifespan of the municipality's signage allowing more accurate project sign management budgets for future years. Aspects that need further development in order to improve the proposed system are also addressed.

Climate change in a typical Apulian region for table grape production: spatialisation of bioclimatic indices, classification and Future Scenarios

The present research focused on the characterisation of climate evolution in a typical Apulian region for table grape production under the protected geographical indication, “Uva di Puglia I.G.P.”Two thirty-year time window period (TW) were analysed: 1961-1990 and 1991-2020. Georeferenced maps for both TWs were produced to delimit homogeneous zones and to evaluate the climate variability within the investigated area by means of the two bioclimatic indices, Heliothermal Index (HI) and Winkler Index (WI). Spatial analysis of HI and WI was performed using the regression-kriging (RK) interpolation method and the Digital Elevation Model/DEM (10 x 10 m) as a prediction attribute.An increase in both the minimum and maximum temperatures was observed, and locations above 300 m a.s.l. shifted from HI+1 “temperate warm” to HI+2 “warm” according to the Geoviticulture Multicriteria Climatic Classification System. WI values similarly increased between the periods 1961–1990 and 1991–2020, shifting all the sites grouped in the Elevation Classes defined as being below 300 m a.s.l. from Region IV to Region V of the Winkler Classification.According to HI and WI, presumed maturity was calculated as being reached 9 to 15 (HI) and 12 to 28 days (WI) earlier in 1991–2020 than in 1961–1990, taking into account the heat requirements of cv. Italia table grape (representative of Apulian table grape production), were set at 2200 for both indices on the basis of literature data.Moreover, three table grape vineyards, located in the three main producing provinces of Apulia (Bari, Taranto and Barletta-Andria-Trani (BAT)), were considered for future scenarios analysis on the basis of two different Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs), 4.5 and 8.5, and classified according to the Geoviticulture Multicriteria Climatic Classification System (MCC). Future scenarios scored WI values that exceeded the threshold of 2700 in the BAT and TA provinces in the 2061–2090 time window period for RCP 8.5. In contrast, RCP 4.5 led to a mitigating effect, which was not noticeable until 2040, with a consequent reclassification of the investigated areas on the basis of HI and Cool Night Index (CI).These findings suggest that in order to prevent or overcome heat stress, it will be necessary to implement strategies, such as vineyard relocation to unexplored elevations or latitudes and/or the exploitation of new table grape varieties able to fulfill the optimal maturity parameters, even when the duration of the phenological phases is shorter.

Distribution patterns and conservation status of Crocus species in Iran, one of the diversity centers of Crocus in the Middle East

Abstract Assessing distribution patterns of valuable taxa plays an important role in the biodiversity conservation of these taxa. The genus Crocus L. (Iridaceae) comprises about 100 species that are distributed mainly in the Mediterranean region and western Asia. The present study purposed to assess the distribution patterns of Iranian Crocus species (including C. sativus L. and 8 wild species) and their conservation status in Iran as one of diversity centers of Crocus in the Middle East. A set of geographic distribution data was compiled through field studies, and reviews of herbarium specimens, iNaturalist, and various Flora. Localities were marked on geo-referenced maps (1/106) of Iran using ArcView version 3.2 (Esri, 2000). The distribution patterns of the taxa were mapped per 0.25° × 0.25° universal transverse Mercator grid cells (25 km2 with the exception of boundary area). Based on the species distribution (SDI) (33%) and species specialization (SSI) (44%) indices, those Iranian Crocus species that are threatened are mainly distributed in Irano-Turanian region. The mountainous ecosystems of Almeh and Western Alborz are important distribution centers of these taxa. Iranian Crocus species with SSI < 0.5 (C. almehensis, C. gilanicus, C. michelsonii, and C. caspius) have the highest conservation value.

Spatial characterization of non-material values across multiple coastal production landscapes in the Indian Sundarban delta

The paper narrates an empirical study of participatory mapping and spatial characterization of six non-material landscape values across multiple coastal production landscapes in the Indian Sundarban delta. The methodology relies on an inexpensive rapid rural appraisal technique that integrates the conventional notion of place preference and participatory mapping. 168 respondents living in the study area were provided six georeferenced maps with 30 pre-identified landmarks, and were asked to mark and rank at least three preferred locations (with no upper limit) for each of the six non-material landscape values category (i.e. spiritual, recreational, heritage, aesthetic, educational, and negative values). A total of 65 locations, depicting all the six landscape values, were identified from the survey. Corresponding scores against these points were calculated by multiplying the frequency of occurrence and assigned preference weights. We thereafter conducted a series of statistical and spatial analysis to understand the demographic patterns in the observed intangible values and their spatial association with different production landscapes. Regression modeling revealed significant influence of the age and educational profile of the respondents on the number of points marked viz.-a-viz. appreciation for non-material landscape values. Also, the Spearman correlation revealed a strong positive pairwise association between recreational and aesthetic values, spiritual and heritage as well as educational and heritage values. Finally, we computed landscape-wise availability of non-material values using a recent land use map of the delta, and found that agriculture/cultivated areas, rural settlements, and mudflats/beaches were associated with high non-material values, while aquaculture was minimally attributed to non-material landscape values. As such, the study facilitates a comparative understanding of non-material benefits from multiple rural production landscapes/waterscapes, besides providing valuable spatial information for policy-planners and administrative officials.

Evaluation metrics and validation of presence-only species distribution models based on distributional maps with varying coverage

We examine how different datasets, including georeferenced hardcopy maps of different extents and georeferenced herbarium specimens (spanning the range from 100 to 85,000 km2) influence ecological niche modeling. We check 13 of the available environmental niche modeling algorithms, using 30 metrics to score their validity and evaluate which are useful for the selection of the best model. The validation is made using an independent dataset comprised of presences and absences collected in a range-wide field survey of Carpathian endemic plant Leucanthemum rotundifolium (Compositae). Our analysis of models’ predictive performances indicates that almost all datasets may be used for the construction of a species distributional range. Both very local and very general datasets can produce useful predictions, which may be more detailed than the original ranges. Results also highlight the possibility of using the data from manually georeferenced archival sources in reconstructions aimed at establishing species’ ecological niches. We discuss possible applications of those data and associated problems. For the evaluation of models, we suggest employing AUC, MAE, and Bias. We show an example of how AUC and MAE may be combined to select the model with the best performance.

UAV-Based Heating Requirement Determination for Frost Management in Apple Orchard

Frost is a natural disaster that can cause catastrophic damages in agriculture, while traditional temperature monitoring in orchards has disadvantages such as being imprecise and laborious, which can lead to inadequate or wasteful frost protection treatments. In this article, we presented a heating requirement assessment methodology for frost protection in an apple orchard utilizing unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)-based thermal and RGB cameras. A thermal image stitching algorithm using the BRISK feature was developed for creating georeferenced orchard temperature maps, which attained a sub-centimeter map resolution and a stitching speed of 100 thermal images within 30 s. YOLOv4 classifiers for six apple flower bud growth stages in various network sizes were trained based on 5040 RGB images, and the best model achieved a 71.57% mAP for a test dataset consisted of 360 images. A flower bud mapping algorithm was developed to map classifier detection results into dense growth stage maps utilizing RGB image geoinformation. Heating requirement maps were created using artificial flower bud critical temperatures to simulate orchard heating demands during frost events. The results demonstrated the feasibility of the proposed orchard heating requirement determination methodology, which has the potential to be a critical component of an autonomous, precise frost management system in future studies.

Методика построения ортофотопланов местности с помощью беспилотного квадрокоптера, оснащенного навигационным геодезическим приемником

The article proposes a method allowing to obtain aerial photographs that are used afterwards to build a georeferenced orthophoto map of the area. The method is applicable to the DJI Phantom 4 Pro unmanned aerial vehicle with an integrated Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) on board to obtain precise coordinates of the aerial photographs centers. The proposed method provides sufficient quality of the initial materials obtained (aerial photographs, satellite observation data) for their further use in constructing a georeferenced orthomosaic map of the area corresponding to a scale of 1: 500.

The amazing travels of a great naturalist to Sarawak (Malaysia): Odoardo Beccari’s wanderings in Borneo, 1865–1868

ABSTRACT Odoardo Beccari (1843–1920) is considered to be one of the more important Italian naturalists of the nineteenth century, in particular for his pioneering explorations of the Malaysian Archipelago. During this period, he collected many thousands of botanical, zoological and ethno-anthropological specimens which are now conserved in natural history museums. Based on this conserved material, hundreds of species new to science have been described. In this study, we accurately reconstruct the travel itineraries of Beccari’s first trip to Borneo (Sarawak, 1865–1868). We link modern locations to the names he used, which were Italian transliteration of the local names of the time. We place these locations in time sequence on up-to-date georeferenced topographic maps. We expect our study to be useful to botanists, zoologists, anthropologists, curators of natural history museums and to nature conservators, as it provides precious information on the fauna and flora of Sarawak in the 1860s.

Avaliação da Técnica de Krigagem Ordinária Utilizando o Modelo Geoestatístico Estável no Preenchimento de Falhas de Séries de Precipitação Pluviométrica nas Sub-bacias Hidrográficas Localizadas em Regiões de Classificação Climática Distintas no Estado do Paraná

O monitoramento hidroclimatológico é de grande relevância nos problemas que envolvem questões socioeconômicas e ambientais. Nesse contexto, a precipitação pluviométrica é um fator impactante no inter-relacionamento entre clima e hidrografia, sendo importante a avaliação de suas características locais e distribuição espaço-temporal que auxilia no planejamento territorial urbano. Esta pesquisa objetivou avaliar a técnica de krigagem ordinária, utilizando o modelo geoestatístico estável no preenchimento de falhas em séries mensais de precipitação, bem como analisar sua espacialização nos períodos sazonais e anual nas sub-bacias hidrográficas do Alto Rio Tibagi e do Baixo Rio Ivaí, localizadas em regiões climaticamente distintas no Estado do Paraná. Foram utilizados dados mensais de postos pluviométricos pertencentes ao Instituto Águas Paraná, INMET e IAPAR no período de 1974-2018. O software ArcGis foi usado para interpolação e geração dos mapas georreferenciados e, uma análise estatística para verificação da eficiência da modelagem foi conduzida por meio do teste de Wilcoxon a 5% e das estatísticas EMA, REQM, índices r, d (Willmott) e NS (Nash-Sutcliffe). De maneira geral, as classes de precipitação foram representadas similarmente nos mapas gerados com os dados observados e preenchidos pelo modelo estável. A análise estatística apontou uma boa eficiência da modelagem nos períodos sazonais e anual, mostrando valores relativamente baixos de EMA e REQM, assim como valores expressivos dos índices r, d e NS, principalmente, na sub-bacia do Alto Rio Tibagi. Apesar das sub-bacias estarem em regiões climáticas distintas, não foram constatadas anomalias motivadas por fatores locais no processo de modelagem e espacialização dos dados. Assessment of the ordinary kriging technique using the stable geostatistical model in filling gaps of rainfall series in hydrographic sub-basins located in different climate classification regions in the state of ParanaA B S T R A C THydroclimatological monitoring is of great relevance in problems involving socioeconomic and environmental issues. In this context, rainfall is an impacting factor in the interrelationship between climate and hydrography, and it is important to evaluate its characteristics and spatiotemporal distribution that help in urban territorial planning. This research aimed to assess the ordinary kriging technique, using the stable geostatistical model in filling gaps in monthly rainfall series, as well to analyze its spatialization in seasonal and annual periods in the hydrographic sub-basins of the Upper Tibagi River and the Lower Ivaí River, located in climatically distinct regions in the State of Parana. Monthly data of rainfall stations belonging to the Instituto Aguas Parana, INMET and IAPAR from 1974 to 2018 were used. ArcGis software was used for interpolation and generation of georeferenced maps, and a statistical analysis to verify the efficiency of the modeling, was conducted using the Wilcoxon test at 5% and EMA, REQM, r, d (Willmott), NS (Nash-Sutcliffe) statistics. In general, the rainfall classes were similarly represented in the maps generated with observed data and filled by the stable model. The statistical analysis showed a good efficiency of the modeling in the seasonal and annual periods, presenting relatively minimum values of EMA and REQM, as well as expressive values of the indexes r, d and NS, mainly, in the sub-basin of the Upper Tibagi River. Although the sub-basins are located in different climatic regions, anomalies due to local factors were not found in the data modeling and spatialization process.Keywords: water resources, geostatistics, hydroclimatology, spatialization of data rainfall.

Silk Roads to Riches: Persistence Along an Ancient Trade Network

The Silk Roads were a decentralized network of trade routes that connected ancient cities across Eurasia. Goods, ideas, people, and technology moved along the roads for over 1,500 years. Using a detailed georeferenced map of the entire trade network, this paper finds that areas within 50 KM of the historic location of the Silk Roads have higher levels of economic activity today. The persistent effect of proximity to the ancient trade network is associated with increased access to modern transportation infrastructure and the historical diffusion of technology along the routes but cannot be explained by differences in contemporary or historical levels of population density. This analysis is complemented by individual-level data from 22 countries; we find that districts with populations closest to the Silk Roads have higher rates of inter-group marriage, suggesting a weakening of social boundaries between groups that might possess differential technological knowledge.

Digital methods in cartographic source editing

Abstract The following article discusses current trends in digital methods used in historical cartographic source editing. Maps are often used not only by scholars interested in spatial history, but also by the general public. Due to increasing popularity of ‘maps online’, it is crucial to discuss, evaluate and classify current solutions and applications used in cartographic source editing. In the article the ‘edition’ is understood as the ‘critical representation of a historical documents’, and many types of map editions are considered. The level of map transformation: from raw image, through georeferenced map to spatial database constitutes the main axis of the division between various types of editions. On the very basic level (maps as images: digital libraries and collections), we only have a raster representation of a historic map, often supplemented by bibliographic metadata and the possibility to download it. The second level is geoportals with georeferenced maps, i.e. with spatial adjustment to modern geographic coordinates. The third, most complex level, includes elaboration of the spatial database with most important features (e.g. settlements, roads, land cover, etc.), which serves as the geographic index. The higher the map transformation level, the more useful the edition becomes. Nevertheless, more complex methods in map processing also should include more documentation about this process which is not always present within discussed projects. The main result of the article, apart from classifying existing applications and proposing their general types is to identify functionality and components of the so-called model edition of a historic map.

Consistent behavioural responses to heatwaves provide body condition benefits in rangeland sheep

Species are increasingly confronted with extreme climatic conditions such as heatwaves. Behavioural changes are an important response to changed environmental conditions. We investigated how free-ranging sheep (Ovis aries) in large rangeland paddocks respond to heatwave conditions in the arid zone of Australia. We defined heatwaves as a three-day period with each day’s maximum temperature exceeding 40 °C, and its minimum temperature remaining above 25 °C. Hence, the daily maximal temperature exceeded the upper limit of the thermal neutral zone in sheep. We equipped 48 sheep with GPS collars and combined the detailed locational data with georeferenced maps of water locations and tree areas, representing shade. We measured shade use as time spent within areas with trees. We show that individuals were consistent in their shade use behaviour between two separate heatwaves, while there was variation among individuals. Furthermore, shade use was positively related with body condition change between the start and the end of the study. In sheep body condition affects reproductive success, which suggests that shade use behaviour may have flow-on effects on reproductive benefits. We also compared shade use, water use and movement activity between the two heatwaves and two periods of typical ambient conditions. During heatwaves sheep spent on average 14.7 times longer in the shade during the midday interval and 2.0 times longer before dusk than during typical periods. Time spent near the water was high during the midday interval but did not differ between conditions, although, it was greater after dawn and before dusk during heatwaves. Such behavioural changes would assist in avoiding hyperthermia and dehydration. Sheep moved half the distance (which would include grazing) during the midday interval, which they seemed to offset to some extent through increased movement activity before and after dawn and dusk. Our study indicates that shade, and water use behaviours during hot ambient conditions upscale from small yards to large paddocks. Furthermore, it provides deep insight into the behavioural strategies that will allow a free-ranging arid zone ungulate to cope with the challenging ambient conditions that will become more prevalent with a changing climate.

Factors associated with chikungunya prevalence in northeastern Thailand in 2016–2017

Background: Chikungunya (CHIK) fever is a self-limited acute febrile illness associated with polyarthritis. CHIK virus is transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes in which Aedes aegypti is regarded as the primary vector. Many factors can be attributed to the expansion of CHIKV infection, consisting of the increased number of travelers, spread of competent mosquitoes, adaptation of a new CHIKV strain with Aedes albopictus mosquitoes as well as the climate changes. Our previous research in the northeastern region of Thailand showed a risk of CHIKV outbreaks since the virus was circulating in human and mosquito populations. The aim of the current study was to investigate the effect of mosquito density, monthly climate variability and other factors on the prevalence of CHIKV infection in the same part of Thailand during 2016–2017. Methods and materials: Patients with a fever presenting at sub-district hospitals during a 2-year collection period were included in the study and their ages, gender, and location recorded. Climate variables as well as the disease's seasonal pattern were descriptively analyzed. Geo-referenced maps showing the distribution of observed chikungunya cases and mosquito density by sub-district in 2016 and 2017 were created using GIS and spatial statistics analysis (hot spot analysis). Results: The highest proportion of anti-CHIKV IgG (41.4%), indicating the long-term neutralizing antibodies, was in the 24–64 year-age group while active infection (anti-CHIKV IgM) was only present in the <15 age group. The recent circulation of CHIKV infection was evenly distributed among sub-districts based on participating hospitals and associated with the high density of the mosquito populations. Abundance of mosquitoes was affected by rainfall but not by the monthly temperature and humidity, which also related with the high proportion of CHIKV positive cases. Conclusion: Long-term anti-CHIKV antibodies were relatively abundant in older age-groups indicating silent circulation of CHIKV in the region and potential for outbreaks. The prevalence of CHIKV infections was seasonally distributed and associated with rainfall. The high density of mosquitoes increases the chance of CHIKV infections and transmission. Further analysis on vector indices and genetic characterization is needed for the public health prevention and mitigating the threat of CHIKV outbreaks.

Geographic Accuracy Assessment of Geometric Corrections of world view-3 Satellite Images Using Polynomial Model (Dept.C)

Updating large-scale maps is one of the main problems in Egypt. These maps can be either many years out of date or even non-existent. On the other hand, the recent enhancements that have been made to the spatial resolution of remote sensing imagery have more accurately enabled the modeling of the Earth's surface features at short intervals. So, if the current High-Resolution Satellite Images (HRSI) are corrected from available geo-referenced topographic maps, digital layers for different applications will be available, as well as rationalization of national budget that are spent on their updating will be offered. In the current research, high resolution satellite images of world view-3 dated 2018, have been corrected geometrically using polynomial model. This model depend on the selection of several ground control points (GCPs) on the distorted image and map them to their true locations in ground coordinates measured from geo-referenced topographic maps. The geometric corrections accuracy of resulted image had been assessed quantitatively and qualitatively. The suitable scale for producing GIS layers from HRSI was also determined. The final result of the experimental works of geometric correction of HRSI using eight ground control points was calculated (Average of RMS error of image = 0.27m), and also the result of the positioning errors using eleven check points available for accuracy quantitative assessment was calculated as (2.59m). The output suitable scale maps for layers production is 1:5000, calculated depending on planimetric allowable accuracy (RMS), taking into consideration the standards of 0.5 mm of map scale.

Land system diversity, scaling laws and polygons map analysis

AbstractNumerous lines of evidence have been presented in the literature that show the patterns of pedodiversity and biodiversity are very similar. One of the most corroborated patterns lies in the fits of the relationships between biodiversity and soil diversity to power laws according to the increase in study area. Several authors have analysed the presence of fractal and multifractal features in pedodiversity and biodiversity analyses. Similarly, it has also been found that valuable information can be extracted from the polygons of soil and vegetation maps, which also have surprising similarities. These approaches concern information on the spatial distribution of natural resources. However, other more artificial but interesting maps and their comparison have been neglected by such studies. Land systems maps and their georeferenced databases fall into this latter category, and they include most of the soil‐forming factors. In this paper a georeferenced land system database and map were analysed and the results compared with those obtained in previous pedodiversity and biodiversity studies, primarily the spatial patterns of the polygons. The results showed that the analysed land system map units followed the same patterns that were previously found in pedodiversity and biodiversity studies; that is, the power law concerning richness–area relationships. The same patterns occur with the number of polygons. Some geographers claim there is a “law” that states that there are far more small things/objects than larger ones across several orders of magnitude in geographic space and thus this regularity conforms to scaling laws, independent of the resource involved. The results obtained corroborate this conjecture irrespective of whether natural resources or artificial cartographies were analysed. This paper represents a first test of land use maps; additional work in this area is needed.Highlights Spatial patterns detected in natural and land system maps seem to be similar Composite GIS maps have the same spatial patterns as their base maps. Soil and land system units conform to long‐tail or heavy tail distributions. Soil maps and land system maps conform to power laws, fingerprints of fractal structures There are more small polygons than large ones across several magnitude orders on choropleth maps.