Open GIS Research Articles

The Hellenic Archaeological Cadastre: A Land Administration System Specifically Designed for the Documentation and Management of Cultural Heritage

How is land management related to cultural policy and how do these two different scientific fields contribute to cultural heritage protection? How may archaeological sites, immovable monuments, and state property be recorded in a specific Land Administration System? What are the records of the system in numbers? These questions will be answered in this publication, and the example of the Hellenic Archaeological Cadastre (HAC) will be analyzed in detail. The HAC project is one of the most important projects that has been designed, implemented, and launched within the last decade by the Hellenic Ministry of Culture. The transition of the whole public sector in the digital era and the urgent need for reliable and updated geospatial documentation of public parcels of land and constructions, archaeological sites, and immovable monuments were the two main factors that led to the compilation and implementation of the specific LAS. This study presents the available tools, administrative procedures, records, qualitative and quantitative data, and prominent examples of public parcels of land accessible online in the open access web GIS platform. A SWOT analysis is also performed for its evaluation.

ENHANCEMENT OF THE FIELD ASSESSMENT PROTOCOLS AND SUITABILITY MAPS FOR COCONUT

Abstract. The crop suitability assessment particularly in coconut planting has not been revisited in over two decades. An in-depth analysis of the various factors affecting coconut farming was conducted. This involved the utilization of local remotely-sensed data on elevation, slope, soil type, and land cover. Global gridded data on rainfall and land surface temperature were acquired to supplement the local data. Each factor was given its corresponding weight assignments upon consultation with the experts from the Philippine Coconut Authority. Variable factors such as rainfall (15%) and temperature (10%) were given with lower scores than the permanent or nearly unchanging factors on elevation (25%), slope (25%), and soil type (25%). These individual factors were processed for the final multi-criteria weighted overlay analysis. Finally, the land cover map was used to remove areas deemed unsuitable for coconut planting. Results showed that about 20 million hectares of the country’s total land area are suitable for coconut planting with varying levels of suitability. Of the total suitable areas, only 3.64 million hectares (18%) were planted with coconuts based on the PSA data for 2021. One important factor to consider is that most of the areas not planted with coconut are devoted to other important land cover types like forests, perennials, and annual crops. The utilization of the open source Quantum GIS (QGIS) software proves to be essential in this kind of enormous data processing and analysis, coupled with the generation of very detailed coconut suitability data and maps on a nationwide scale.

An open web-based GIS service for biomass data in Finland

Reliable, up-to-date biomass data are needed for climate change mitigation and resource efficiency. Therefore, a calculation and reporting tool with thematic maps and data was developed. A free web-tool, Biomass Atlas, collects the spatial distribution of biomasses in Finland. Over 300 data layers present land use, cultivation, residual biomasses from forest, crop production, animal husbandry, municipalities, and industry at 1 km2 spatial resolution. The service enables calculations of biomass amount in a defined geographical area of interest and examining the opportunities and restrictions to utilise biomasses. The service was evaluated with six test-users in laboratory tests and 20 voluntary pilot test-users. Biomass Atlas shows the regional potential of biomaterials, fertilizer products, and renewable energy, as well as potential targets for utilized, recyclable biomass. Other possible uses include monitoring plant cover on fields and assessing land use diversity. Application enables users with no experience in GIS or biomass assessments to analyse biomass resources, produce maps and data summaries for decision making.

Automatic Identification and Evaluation of Building Clusters for Optimal District Heating Networks Phasing

Considering future city changes when designing district heating networks can be tedious. This paper tackles this problem by automatically identifying potential future building clusters connections, and evaluating relevant financial and planning criteria. The methodology uses open GIS data for cluster identification and building heat demand estimation, and thermal-hydraulic models for simulating the network. On a neighbourhood scale, area characteristics such as total heat demand, distance to source, and road surface type mainly affect the decision of where to expand the network to. However, on a street scale, the sizing and location of the initial network mainly affect the network’s phasing.

Automation process in data collection for representing façades in building models as part of the renovation process

A key barrier in building-facade renovation processes is that, contrary to new designs, an initial building model where the design process is based rarely exists, and the technologies usually employed to create it (e.g., based on point cloud scanning) are costly or require modeling skills. This situation is a clear limitation, especially in early decision stages, where the level of detail required is not very high, and the analysis and studies to consider the renovation plan (e.g., simplified energy simulations and renovation potential, or estimation of the number, types, and dimensions of the prefabricated modules incorporating solar panels) highly depend on such digital models. This paper introduces a process that, based on freely available data such as open GIS sources (local Cadasters, OpenStreetMap…) and façade images, can semi-automatically generate the 3D building model of the existing conditions, and in a second step also suggests the prefabricated facades module layout for building upgrades. Additionally, no onsite visit is needed. When the upgrade is focused on the façade, a big opportunity is identified for generating the building model and a realistic representation of its envelope, only using online data sources as input. The process developed consists of a set of easy-to-use software tools that can be used independently or combined in a workflow, depending on the available data and starting conditions. Time saving is very clear and costs can be reduced.

Assessment of the solar energy–agriculture–water nexus in the expanding solar energy industry of India: An initiative for sustainable resource management

The rapid expansion of solar energy in India poses challenges in the context of cropland encroachment and water-resource scarcity. To help address these challenges, we used open access satellite observations and GIS technologies over Earth Engine platform to devise the Solar Panel Index (SPI) for efficient detection of solar farms, achieving a Land use/Land cover classification accuracy of 89 %. We have used cropland, water availability, power grid and land surface temperature data-sets for generation of land suitability map. Sentinel-2 data-sets along with SPI were used to develop solar farm locations and their estimated installed capacity within the study area. The outcomes from the study depicted that over 40 % of all solar farms in the country are located on agricultural land, with the highest seen in Karnataka (73.55 %) followed by Tamil Nadu (68.81 %). Furthermore, high installed capacity coincides with low groundwater depths, exacerbating local water strain. Madhya Pradesh was found to have almost no power plant located within 5 km of surface water bodies. Our findings emphasize the significance of the solar-agriculture-water (SAW) nexus for sustainable development. Using high-resolution Land Suitability Map (LSM) as a decision-making criteria for allocating land for power generation reveals that Rajasthan holds the highest potential for solar energy installation. Our integrated approach considering the interplay between solar-energy production, agriculture, and water-resource management contributes to the sustainable growth of the solar-energy sector and regional development.

Spatiotemporal multiscale diagnosis model to proactively respond to the multi‐country monkeypox virus outbreak in 2022

AbstractThis research analyzes the spatiotemporal trend of 23,121 monkeypox virus cases in the multi‐country outbreak that affected 82 countries from January 2022 to July 2022. The spatiotemporal trends analysis is developed using open data and GIS to model 3D bins and emerging hot spots globally (data by country) and nationally (data by region) for hardest hit countries, like the USA and Spain. The implemented methodology distinguishes between problem areas —as significant hot spots— and countries with no pattern. Results show consecutive hot spot patterns in Western Europe and high location quotients in North America. Factually, the countries with consecutive patterns record 16,494 cases, that is, 71.34% of the cases, where 7.63% of the world population live. At the national level, in the analysis of the USA and Spain, the results reveal regional differences with significative hot spots in California and on the East Coast of the USA and the Mediterranean coast of Spain. The proposed methodology facilitates the monitoring of the spatiotemporal evolution of monkeypox cases and is scalable and replicable using non‐arbitrary and statistical parameters. The findings indicate problematic zones in real‐time, enabling policymakers to develop focused interventions and proactive strategies to mitigate the future risk of monkeypox.

An open GIS based 3D simulation software to predict cooling tower drift diffusion

This paper developed XJCT-3D, a simulation software for cooling tower wet plume dispersion. By coupling it with the Open GIS component Dotspatial, we have achieved geospatial visual representation of the calculation results, which has solved the problems of low calculation efficiency and insufficient visual representation of the traditional CFD software in the calculation of cooling tower wet plume dispersion. In order to verify the validity of the XJCT-3D software simulation results, we have conducted tracer experimental data from the ChalkPoint power plant. XJCT-3D accurately models wet plume deposition during cooling tower operation. From the XJCT-3D calculation results, we have observed that the maximum value of the cooling tower thermal plume wet deposition occurs near 610 m with a maximum value of 6.9E−07 kg/m2 s. This finding suggests that the cooling tower emissions carry a significant load of particles or droplets that have settled on surfaces at this particular altitude. It provides insights into potential environmental and human health impacts and helps in identifying and assessing areas at relatively higher risk of deposition, such as nearby ecosystems, farmland, or urban areas. This information can contribute to the development of effective mitigation strategies and the implementation of appropriate measures to minimize the impact of cooling tower emissions.

Urban microclimate simulations based on GIS data to mitigate thermal hot-spots: Tree design scenarios in an industrial area of Florence

Surface thermal hot-spot areas, and especially industrial and commercial areas, mainly characterized by high artificial surfaces and low vegetation coverages, consistently affect the livability in urban areas. In this study, one of the warmest areas of Florence (Italy), the main agri-food market was selected to perform three tree design mitigation scenarios: a) mitigation intervention by using 5-m high trees (T5), b) intervention with 10-m high trees (T10) and c) intervention alternating 5- and 10-m high trees (T5-10). The methodology was based on the microclimate monitoring and simulation by urban characterization, involving open GIS data from different data sources by using spatial software tools (QGIS and the ENVI-met software). Thermal patterns (air Temperature, AT; Mean Radiant Temperature, MRT; Surface Temperature, ST; Universal Thermal Climate Index, UTCI) were simulated at 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. by the three scenarios and were then compared through a non-parametric statistical test with the ex-ante thermal situation. The results revealed that a 10% increase in the tree canopy on road surfaces had a significant impact on the thermal environment, showing the greatest effect at the surface level. The greatest cooling impact was observed during the afternoon (3 p.m.) considering the T10 three design scenario: MRT, ST and UTCI decreased by 6.0 °C, 4.1 °C and 1.7 °C respectively when compare to the ex-ante situation. These findings provide very useful information for urban planners and landscape architects to plan targeted interventions aimed at mitigating urban thermal anomalies in industrial areas.

Incorporating Heat Vulnerability into Local Authority Decision Making: An Open Access Approach

High temperatures and heatwaves are becoming more frequent, but heat vulnerability is rarely considered within local authority city design and statutory land-use planning processes. Here, we describe an approach to assess heat vulnerability in Birmingham, the second largest city in the UK. The approach uses open access data and GIS techniques that are available for built environment practitioners. Heat vulnerability is assessed by combining four datasets: surface temperatures, Local Climate Zones, green space, and Indices of Multiple Deprivation. The assessment shows that central and eastern areas of Birmingham that have the most compact urban form, least green space, and highest levels of deprivation are most vulnerable to heat. We evaluated the approach against previous climate research, examined the approach and datasets at the local scale, and described how heat vulnerability can be (and is being) incorporated into decision making. This project combines three key innovations: (1) the decision-centric process that focuses the method on the decision that needs to be made, minimizing inertia related to scientific or modeling uncertainty and reducing resource-intensity; (2) the co-creation process with Birmingham City Council, who have statutory powers for planning within the city, thereby ensuring that heat vulnerability is embedded within decisions on the suitability, design, and location of sites for future development; and (3) the open access and technically appropriate methodology which can be applied to any urban area in the UK, using the open access datasets described here, or globally, using locally applicable data sources.

Building a Cadastral Map of Europe through the INSPIRE and Other Related Initiatives

Digital cadastral maps with accompanying land-related attributes have become a fundamental dataset for many application fields, e.g., spatial planning and development, protecting state lands, securing of land tenure, facilitating land reforms, agriculture, forestry, land management, taxation, etc. In order to fulfil its main objectives, cadastral data needs to be available and accessible, which is, among the others, emphasized also within the United Nations Framework for Effective Land Administration (FELA). This is not only important on the national level but also beyond, including at the European level where use cases and consequently demand for pan-European data sets have evolved in recent years. In order to satisfy these needs, several initiatives regarding cadastral and other geospatial data have been launched in the last 20 years. It started with the Permanent Committee on Cadastre in the European Union, the European Land Information Service, INSPIRE, UN-GGIM Europe and recent European policies on open data and high-value datasets. Our main question is, did those initiatives result in the possibility of building a cadastral map of Europe or not? Is it possible to create a cadastral map of Europe on the desktop or an open online GIS application? Within the paper, we take the opportunity to reflect on the development and implementation of European spatial data infrastructure (INSPIRE) with the main focus on the availability and accessibility of cadastral data. We also take into consideration other European initiatives related to cadastral data. The overall findings show that there is still work to be carried out. Technological developments and recent policy initiatives will certainly be drivers for future improvement.

The lure of the big city: smaller Danish rookeries are increasingly associated with urban land cover

Rooks Corvus frugilegus are common and widespread in urban and agricultural habitats in Denmark. Large numbers are killed annually by derogation shooting to control population growth to reduce noise near populated areas and prevent agricultural damage. Responding to increasing public complaints about noise nuisance from urban rookeries, we investigated changes in extent of urban and agricultural habitats within 500 m, 1000 m and 2000 m of all known breeding rook colonies (rookeries) in eastern Jutland, Denmark in 1991 compared to 2021 based on open access land cover GIS layers in 1990 and 2019. Numbers of rookeries increased by 40% from 95 (1991) to 133 (2021) but nest abundance increased only by 6% from 10,299 to 10,887 due to more and significantly smaller rookeries, increasingly associated with urban sites. In both years, the proportion of urban area within distance classes of rookeries was significantly higher, and the area of agriculture significantly lower, than at randomly chosen points in the same region. The proportion of urban area around each rookery decreased with increasing distance, whereas the proportion of agricultural land cover increased. The proportional area of urban land use within the distance classes increased between 1991 and 2021 whereas agricultural land cover decreased. Given no simultaneous major change in overall land use, our results indicate an increasing selection by rooks for smaller urban rookeries over agricultural landscapes, where rookeries have declined. We consider these trends, especially the proliferation of smaller rookeries in urban areas, as a potential explanation for the upsurge in public complaints about rookery noise in residential areas. We urge further research to explain the causes behind these trends before we can provide science-based solutions to resolve such conflicts effectively.

Geomatics Methods and Soft Computing Techniques for the Management of Public Transport and Distribution of Medical Goods

Initially used exclusively for military scopes, RPAS (Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems) have become increasingly common and versatile thanks to continuous technological innovations and today they find applications in many other fields. Two of the most interesting applications of drones concern the transport of goods and the monitoring/control of crowding in public transport for the management of the LPT (Local Public Transport). In the first case, drones can be used to deliver goods in different areas with the advantage of saving costs and delivery times; in the second case, drones can be used to monitor and control the flow of people inside public transport, to detect any situations of overcrowding and take prompt action to ensure the safety and comfort of passengers. This research aims to propose an innovative automatic management system for a group of RPAS used for the transport of essential medicines and for monitoring the crowding of people in relation to the use of Local Public Transport. This was possible through the creation of an experimental system for recharging drone batteries and above all the implementation of different soft computing algorithms and tools such as YOLO (You Look Only Once), SORT, and MAC address. All the information obtained in real-time and continuously updated, are transmitted to an Open GIS studied and programmed by us.

How equal is accessibility to cycling infrastructure? A ranking to compare territories in Lisbon, Portugal

This study develops a set of indicators regarding the accessibility of Lisbon's cycling network throughout time, considering the significant changes concerning infrastructure development that have occurred since 2008. We measured the access to cycling infrastructure and equipment in 24 Lisbon districts with open data and GIS methods to calculate accessibility metrics in four time periods (2008, 2016, 2018, and 2021). From the estimated indicators, it was possible not only to provide an overview of the implementation of the cycling network over time and in various aspects, but also to simulate and evaluate the impact of the expansion of the cycling network planned in a systematic way, also ensuring that the performance of the cycling network between the regions of the city occurs in an equitable manner.

Canopy Assessment of Cycling Routes: Comparison of Videos from a Bicycle-Mounted Camera and GPS and Satellite Imagery

Many studies have proven that urban greenness is an important factor when cyclists choose a route. Thus, detecting trees along a cycling route is a major key to assessing the quality of cycling routes and providing further arguments to improve ridership and the better design of cycling routes. The rise in the use of video recordings in data collection provides access to a new point of view of a city, with data recorded at eye level. This method may be superior to the commonly used normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) from satellite imagery because satellite images are costly to obtain and cloud cover sometimes obscures the view. This study has two objectives: (1) to assess the number of trees along a cycling route using software object detection on videos, particularly the Detectron2 library, and (2) to compare the detected canopy on the videos to other canopy data to determine if they are comparable. Using bicycles installed with cameras and GPS, four participants cycled on 141 predefined routes in Montréal over 87 h for a total of 1199 km. More than 300,000 images were extracted and analyzed using Detectron2. The results show that the detection of trees using the software is accurate. Moreover, the comparison reveals a strong correlation (>0.75) between the two datasets. This means that the canopy data could be replaced by video-detected trees, which is particularly relevant in cities where open GIS data on street vegetation are not available.

APPLICATION OF GEOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION SYSTEM IN THE TRAINING OF FUTURE GEOGRAPHY TEACHERS

The most important condition for training specialists in modern higher education institutions is the possession of information systems and technologies. The article highlights the relevance of training future teachers of geography via using modern geographic information systems. Informatization of society ensures the future development of science, education, production, forms a reality.
 For future teachers of geography it is important to be able to apply modern methods of information processing, use databases to develop projects based on modern geographical information systems.
 The article analyzed the importance of using software in the educational process on the example of open GIS SAGA and QGIS, the use of resources of EO Browser, Giovanni, Google (GoogleEarth). The specifics of the work of students of geographical specialties is the ability to operate with data that have geo-referenced objects, their mutual location in the territory, consistency between many factors of territorial organization. The result of such activities is a developed geographical map or system project. They demonstrate the patterns of distribution of objects or processes in the territory.
 The article identifies competency-oriented approaches in teaching future geography teachers in an information-modernized educational space. Working with open GIS SAGA during the implementation of practical tasks allows you to form general and professional competencies, soft skills – the ability to act collectively and teamwork skills.
 The importance of geographic information systems makes it necessary to increase the number of hours in student curricula. The curriculum for the training of specialists is constantly being improved by making suggestions by students, teachers, and stakeholders.

Towards geospatial blockchain: A review of research on blockchain technology applied to geospatial data

Abstract. In recent years, geospatial big data has been generated at a very high speed, and the data volume is becoming increasingly massive. In order to realize the full potential of geospatial big data, there has been a strong requirement and push to embrace the value of open science. However, it is still challenging to preserve the privacy and integrity of geospatial data in data sharing and management. Blockchain as d distributed ledger technology has a series of good characteristics, such as decentralization, trust-free, transparency, tamper-free, consensus and security, etc. These characteristics of blockchain are beneficial for facilitating geospatial data sharing and management, and hence promoting the development of open GIS. In this paper, we provide a comprehensive review on the literature that involves how blockchain technology is applied to geospatial data, especially in geospatial data privacy and integrity preservation. First, the background knowledge on geospatial data privacy and blockchain technology are introduced. Then, we reviewed how blockchain technology is applied to geospatial data, followed by the conclusion of the topic. This review is beneficial for understanding how blockchain technology can be applied to geospatial domain by integrating geospatial technologies like GIS and remote sensing.

Clustering-based disaster resilience assessment of South Korea communities building portfolios using open GIS and census data

Disaster resilience is one of the essential capabilities of communities to minimize the negative impact of disasters. Because of its importance and multidimensional characteristics, disaster resilience has been investigated in various research fields including natural science, engineering, and social science. However, despite the extensive studies on community disaster resilience, the gap between the developed methodologies and the available databases still makes it challenging to assess the disaster resilience of communities. To overcome this issue and make the most of the available open databases, this paper proposes a community disaster resilience clustering (CDRC) method. To assess the disaster resilience of community building portfolios, The CDRC separately evaluates the physical vulnerability using open GIS building databases and socioeconomic recoverability using census database. The method then integrates the two measures through clustering to characterize the disaster resilience of the community in terms of physical vulnerability and socioeconomic recoverability. To demonstrate the concept and advantages of CDRC, the proposed method was compared with other existing approaches using a virtual community example. Next, the CDRC method was applied to a real community example using the GIS database and the census data of South Korea. The results indicate that the CDRC method successfully categorizes communities in terms of disaster resilience and provides useful insights for resilience planning.

Потенціал водної ерозії річки Конго в затоці Стенлі-пул

In this paper, a scientific study on the understanding of the erosion and transfer processes of suspended solids or sediments from the Congo River into the Stanley-Pool Bay was conducted. For this purpose, a treatment of rainfall data over three decades (1990-2020), parameters influencing the process of erosive dynamics leading to the realization of the water erosion map using the Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE), was done. Using open access spatial data and GIS, this USLE model allowed quantifying the rate of material transported over the three decades: a spatialization of erosion risks on the right bank of the Congo River, notably in the Stanley-Pool Bay, a topography dominated by steep slopes up to 10%, a high erosivity and erodibility and a low soil protection were revealed. Finally, the results of the study show that about 40% of the study area is subject to soil loss. The erosion risk is very severe despite the vegetation cover.

Hydrological behavior of natural springs/streams in mid hills of Chakrata Himalaya, India

<p>The present study was carried out to understand the hydrological behavior of natural springs/streams in Semalta watershed, Kalsi block, Dehradun. The surface catchment areas of springs/streams were delineated using Survey of India Toposheet (1:50,000 scale) whereas drainage, slope, and land use maps of the watershed were prepared using open source ILWIS GIS software. The drainage map of the watershed indicated the ephemeral, intermittent and perennial nature of streams and the slope map of the watershed indicated that the majority of the area falls under scrubland. The discharge trend at different gauging sites from October 2015 to March 2016 indicated that the flow rate of the stream gradually decreased from post-monsoon to pre-monsoon period. The geohydrological and geomorphological study indicated that most of the springs/streamflow were controlled by fracture/joints with slate/phyllite/limestone/quartzite as country rock. The pH of most of the stream water was mildly alkaline (7.85-8.82) whereas EC was non-saline (0.087-0.425) and temperature varied from 14-23°C. Results on major ions indicated that a higher percentage of NH4+ together with NO3- was possible because of anthropogenic influence. In addition, the higher percentage of SO4- and F- was due to lithological pyrite whereas the higher percentage of HCO3- was due to pyrite weathering of slate. Results on the isotopic variation of δ18O showed that samples were collected with a total height difference of 700 m with a variation of -0.21‰ per 100 m for stream water and -0.5‰ for rainwater. On higher altitudes mainly narrow subsurface pathways are found and therefore only small size of structures are required for recharging and vice versa for the recharge of springs located in lower altitudes. The present study discusses various sampling techniques to ascertain the altitude of recharge of springs which would form the basis for taking appropriate on field activities for spring/stream rejuvenation.</p>