Planning Unit Research Articles

Integrating Rangeland Fire Planning and Management: The Scales, Actors, and Processes

Research continually adds to our understanding of the ecological factors and biophysical processes driving frequent, large-scale fires on Great Basin rangelands in the western United States. Yet, even with advances in forecasting rangeland fire probabilities and likely ecological outcomes of fire, it remains difficult for individuals, communities, or organizations to coordinate their actions across jurisdictions and at an ecologically relevant scale to address collective wildfire risk. In this forum, we discuss current institutional arrangements that perpetuate scale mismatches in this system (i.e., institutional objectives, authorities, and capacities that limit coordinated actions to mitigate collective wildfire risk). We make a case for fireshed-scale coordination via rangeland Fireshed Councils, a proposed rangeland and fire planning and management unit that has both biophysical and social relevance to individuals and organizations engaged in fire risk mitigation. A rangeland Fireshed Council offers a venue for diverse group members to mix and match their respective rules and tools to navigate institutional barriers and capacity challenges in new ways. Operating in a collective arrangement at this scale aims to ensure that an individual's or entity's activities transcend traditional modes of planning (i.e., parcel-scale), complement concurrent management activities, and translate to fire-resilient landscapes and human communities. Rangeland Fireshed Councils will require resources and support from high governance levels for sustainability and legitimacy, as well as relative autonomy to determine how best to support local needs.

The differential impacts of social deprivation and social fragmentation on suicides: A lesson from Hong Kong

IntroductionLittle research has conducted to examine the association between social deprivation and social fragmentation, overall and method-specific suicide risk, and how these associations may change over time. This study investigated the association between social deprivation and social fragmentation with overall and method-specific suicide in Hong Kong from 1999 to 2018. MethodsSuicide death data of each small tertiary planning unit (STPU) was obtained from the Census and Statistics Department of Hong Kong. Socio-economic characteristics in STPU level were obtained from Census and Bi-census. Exploratory principal component analysis was used to construct the social deprivation (SDI) and social fragmentation indices (SFI) based on the socio-economic characteristics. Bayesian hierarchical modelling was conducted to explore the association between SDI and SFI with overall and method-specific suicide over time, controlling for population density and male-to-female ratio. ResultsHigher risk of suicide was generally observed around Kowloon Peninsula and some parts in the Northern, Northwestern and Southwestern areas depending on methods. The effect of SDI and SFI on suicide risk varied by years and methods. In 2014–2018, for every 10% increase in SDI, the suicide risk for overall, jumping, hanging, and charcoal burning elevated by 22% (95%Crl = 10%–37%), 26% (95%Crl = 12%–41%), 31% (95%Crl = 14%–51%), and 21% (95%Crl = 4%–42%) respectively. ConclusionSpatial variations and effects of SDI and SFI on overall and method-specific suicide risks varied by different periods. SDI was observed to be a stronger factor in the recent years. Situations should be monitored, and interventions should be implemented and adjusted accordingly to the changes.

Reasons given by women for discontinuing the use of progestogen implants at Koster Hospital, North West province.

In 2014, the South African National Department of Health introduced a new addition to the long-acting reversible contraceptive (LARC) options available in the country. This was a single rod subdermal progestogen implant (Implanon®NXT) which provided 3 years of effective contraception cover. However, the new contraceptive device uptake and general acceptance amongst women quickly diminished, with a slew of requests for its removal. The aim of this study was to explore the reasons given by women for discontinuing the use of their progestogen implants at Koster Hospital, North West province, South Africa. A qualitative study was conducted using semistructured interviews. Thirteen women were purposively selected and interviewed at Koster Hospital Family Planning Unit. The transcriptions of the audio-taped interviews were analysed thematically. The following themes emerged from the interviews as reasons the women discontinued their progestogen implants: side effects such as menstrual problems, arm discomfort and weight gain. Other themes were family or social factors and the desire to conceive. The reasons for discontinuation of Implanon by women at Koster Hospital were the undesirable side effects they experienced whilst using the contraceptive device. These side effects were mainly menstrual problems, arm discomfort and weight gain. Family and other social dynamics also influenced some of the participants' decision to discontinue their contraceptive implants.

HEADS OF DEPARTMENTS’ PERCEPTION OF THE CONSTRAINTS IN MEETING THE NATIONAL UNIVERSITIES COMMISSION’S STANDARDS FOR THE ACCREDITATION OF PROGRAMMES IN NIGERIAN UNIVERSITIES

The study investigated the perception of heads of departments on the constraints confronting universities in Nigeria in meeting NUC’s accreditation requirements. Two universities were purposively selected based on the fact that they were in session when the study was carried out. A total of 100 participants were also selected purposively premised on their position as either former or current heads of departments who had presented programs for NUC’s accreditation during their tenure. The instrument used for data collection is a self-developed instrument titled ‘‘Heads of Departments’ Perceived Constraints in Meeting NUC’s Accreditation Requirements’. Four research questions were answered in the study while the data were analyzed using frequency count, percentage, mean, standard deviation, t-test and Analysis of Variance. The study revealed that delay in releasing fund for accreditation, problem of getting qualified lecturers in the affected programs, poor funding, inadequate library resources, poor record keeping and inefficiency on the part of the members of staff in physical planning unit of the university are the major constrains facing universities in their bid to meet NUC’s accreditation requirements. There is no significant difference on the bases of gender and university ownership. However, there is a significant difference in their perception based on discipline. The researchers therefore recommend proper funding of university education in Nigeria as funding is the major barrier on which all other constrains are anchored.

Cognition‐inspired behavioural feature identification and motion planning ways for human‐like automated driving vehicles

AbstractHuman‐like automated driving strategies could have advantages in traffic safety and comfort. However, the primary features of human‐like driving behaviors are not clear yet. To deal with this problem, inspired by drivers’ cognition way, a simple method is proposed to identify the critical parameters for human‐like driving behaviors in extensive scenarios. Then with these parameters as terminal constraints, an interpretable motion planning method is developed in which the longitudinal and lateral planning units are coupled by some state information. With the driving data in the published literature, it is validated that the critical parameters match drivers’ behaviors well. With experiments on the simulation and real‐car platforms, it is validated that the motion planning method can generate diverse human‐like behaviors in multiple scenarios.

Urban heat island effect-related mortality under extreme heat and non-extreme heat scenarios: A 2010–2019 case study in Hong Kong

The urban heat island (UHI) effect exacerbates the adverse impact of heat on human health. However, while the UHI effect is further intensified during extreme heat events, prior studies have rarely mapped the UHI effect during extreme heat events to assess its direct temperature impact on mortality. This study examined the UHI effect during extreme heat and non-extreme heat scenarios and compared their temperature-mortality associations in Hong Kong from 2010 to 2019. Four urban heat island degree hour (UHIdh) scenarios were mapped onto Hong Kong's tertiary planning units and classified into three levels (Low, Moderate, and High). We assessed the association between temperature and non-external mortality of populations living in each UHIdh level for the extreme heat/non-extreme heat scenarios during the 2010–2019 hot seasons. Our results showed substantial differences between the temperature-mortality associations in the three levels under the UHIdh extreme heat scenario (UHIdh_EH). While there was no evidence of increased mortality in Low UHIdh_EH areas, the mortality risk in Moderate and High UHIdh_EH areas were significantly increased during periods of hot temperature, with the High UHIdh_EH areas displaying almost double the risk (RR: 1.08, 95%CI: 1.03, 1.14 vs. RR: 1.05, 95 % CI: 1.01, 1.09). However, other non-extreme heat UHI scenarios did not demonstrate as prominent of a difference. When stratified by age, the heat effects were found in Moderate and High UHIdh_EH among the elderly aged 75 and above. Our study found a difference in the temperature-mortality associations based on UHI intensity and potential heat vulnerability of populations during extreme heat events. Preventive measures should be taken to mitigate heat especially in urban areas with high UHI intensity during extreme heat events, with particular attention and support for those prone to heat vulnerability, such as the elderly and poorer populations.

DAILY DATA VISUALIZATION OF PLANT III PT PETROKIMIA GRESIK VIA DASHBOARD UP DATE

Dashboard is a visual display, numbers and metrics containing all the data that aims to provide information and help users to make the right and fast decisions based on existing data. From here, the idea of a project Up To Date Dashboard "BODATE" came about. A dashboard designed with the concept of Less Input, More Output. The dashboard will continue to be updated and changed every day based on production data and existing field realizations. This dashboard includes an observation of the performance of achieving the production targets of each unit, realization, stock of raws materials and products as well as consumption of raw materials for each unit. The result of this "BODATE" Up To Date Dashboard is that it overcomes the difficulty of finding relationships between data, and the set of daily report numbers that are constantly changing every day just by turning it into a unique but still efficient data visualization display in terms of time. The purpose of this "BODATE" Up To Date Dashboard is to create fast and efficient data visualization in order to overcome problems that exist in the Department of Production Planning and Energy Management (PPPE) and can be implemented, especially in the Work Unit of Planning and Control (Rendal) Production Plant III PT Petrokimia Gresik.

Urban Planning in the 15-Minute City: Revisited under Sustainable and Smart City Developments until 2030

The 15-minute-city concept represents an increasingly popular urban policymaking and planning paradigm that seeks to shift attention to the neighborhood as a “place” rather merely a spatial and functional planning unit. The core premise of the concept is that critical urban services and amenities should be reachable within 15 min of walking or cycling from a residence. The urban-planning principles that enable the realization of the 15-minute city variably embody planning in mixed-use neighborhood units, proximity-based planning, planning for active transport, citizen participation in planning, and innovation and intelligence-driven planning. We revisit these urban-planning premises in the light of emerging social, physical, and structural developments through 2030, with a focus on European cases. The findings provide important additions and recommendations to the urban-planning principles of 15-minute cities along the themes of proximity-based planning, the use of land and urban form, urban governance and citizen participation, and inclusive digitalization. The paper moves the discussion on the 15-minute city forward and will be helpful for urban planners, policymakers, and scholars seeking to envision and create a more sustainable, inclusive, and vibrant future in cities.

Lighting Factor Analysis to Reduce Employee Eye Fatigue Using an Ergonomic Approach

PT Semen Gresik is a company that produces cement with various units, one of which is a production plan and control unit whose job is to plan and evaluate work processes. The problem that exists in the production plan and control office space is the intensity of the lighting in the office space is not under the SNI Lighting standard. 16-7062 2004 for an office space of 350 lux. This can cause eye fatigue which can affect the condition of employees at work. Measurement of eye fatigue using the Visual Fatigue Index (VFI) questionnaire. The subjects of this study were all employees of the production plan and control work unit of PT Semen Gresik. The results of the measurement of eye fatigue are 4 out of 5 employees who experience eye fatigue, and the results of the calculation of the need for lamps require 8 lamps with 36 watts of power and white/daylight color temperature to achieve room lighting standards.

Challenges and perspectives of the use of photovoltaic solar energy in Colombia

<p><span>This article quantifies the development of photovoltaic solar energy in Colombia and its current development prospects. The high demand for electricity in Colombia is increasing since there is a large population, industrial, and business increase, which brings a higher energy consumption and consequently economic, social, and environmental problems. Faced with this situation, a possible solution is proposed, using solar energy, to supply the increase in demand and mitigate the problems caused by current electricity generation because Colombia has high levels of solar radiation in almost the entire territory. The objective of this research is based on the analysis of the behavior of the projects on photovoltaic solar systems presented to the mining-energy planning unit (UPME) in the last 14 years until September 30, 2020, as well such as the study of the areas with the most effective implementation of this technology and their respective radiation indices. In addition, a synthesis is made of <span>the regulations, laws, and tax incentives that exist for the implementation of this technology and the different stages of execution of the projects approved</span> and in performance.</span></p>

Identifying the Leverage Points in the Household Solid Waste Management System for Harare, Zimbabwe, Using Network Analysis Techniques

Managing household solid waste (HSW) has gone beyond what the Harare local government can handle. Inadequate knowledge of the interactions existing between issues that affect the efficient running of waste management systems is one of the major hindrances in waste management planning in developing countries like Zimbabwe. The complexity of the waste management system for a given municipal area needs to be identified and understood to generate appropriate and efficient waste management strategies. Network analysis (NA) is a methodology extensively used in research to help reveal a comprehensive picture of the relationships and factors related to a particular phenomenon. The methodology reduces the intricacy of large systems such as waste management to smaller and more understandable structures. In this study, NA, which was done mainly using the R software environment, showed a result of 1.5% for network density, thus signifying that for Harare, waste management strategies need to be ‘seeded’ in various parts of the system. The Pareto principle and the 3Rs (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) concept were applied to suggest the issues to prioritize and generate strategies that could potentially affect significant change to the city’s waste management system. The key issues identified, in their order of importance, are an increase in uncollected waste, low waste collection efficiency, increase in illegal waste dumping, the deteriorating country’s economy, reduced municipal financial capacity, reduced municipal workforce capacity, inadequate or unreliable waste data, increase in waste volume, increase in the number of street vendors, no waste planning and monitoring unit, no engineered landfills in the city, increase in waste collection pressure, low waste collection frequency, increase in the unemployment rate, reduced municipal technical capacity, few waste collection vehicles, limited vehicles maintenance, distinct socio-economic classes, high vehicles breakdown, and increase in population.

Decision-Making Support Framework for Electricity Supply in Non-Interconnected Rural Areas Based on FAHP

The implementation of electrification programs in non-interconnected rural areas in Colombia is a challenge for the country in order to reduce the social gap in these regions. This task is responsibility of the Mining and Energy Planning Unit (UPME), which has as challenges the implementation of renewable energy projects that allow diversifying the national energy matrix. For this reason, this paper proposes a support framework for multicriteria decision-making in the electricity supply of non-interconnected rural areas for the Colombian Caribbean Region. The multicriteria method of the Fuzzy Analytical Hierarchical Process (FAHP) was used, which allows the incorporation of a fuzzy triangular scale to improve the imprecision in the judgments made by experts. A hierarchical structure with 6 renewable energy alternatives, 4 criteria and 16 sub-criteria was designed, which allowed the implementation of a paired comparison survey that was answered by 10 experts from the region. The results obtained show the relevance of all alternatives, which is evidenced by a percentage difference of less than 5% between all the options. The best alternative was solar PV (20,27%). Regarding the criteria, the most relevant were economic (39,6%) and environmental (30,8%). The most relevant sub-criterion was the renewable fraction, related to the possible reuse of equipment (20,2%).

Propuesta de zonificación ambiental para cuencas hidrográficas: Aplicación en la Unidad de Planificación y Gestión de los Recursos Hídricos Afluentes del Bajo Paranaíba, Minas Gerais, Brasil

The growing – and almost always devoid of criterion – exploitation of natural resources raised the importance of initiatives related to environmental conservation. In this context, environmental zoning has become a fundamental instrument in territorial management. This article proposes a methodological procedure for environmental zoning specifically oriented for watersheds, with demonstrative application in the Water Resources Planning and Management Unit from Lower Paranaíba River Tributary Watersheds, state of Minas Gerais (Brazil). The proposal includes assessing vulnerability to soil loss, qualitative and quantitative vulnerability of surface waters, and the situation of legally protected areas. The methodology involves recognizing conflicts from the intersection of the above-mentioned vulnerabilities and legally protected areas with land use, constituting a zoning model capable of indicating areas for preservation, recovery, and management. The work is expected to be useful to managers and the model to be applied in similar territorial units.

Poverty Governance System in The Public Sector Administration Affairs in Malaysia

This manuscript attempts to determine the concept of governance, the practice of the poverty governance system and the good governance approaches that the public sector administration in Malaysia is applying. The paper is based heavily on the literature review and report from the Economic Planning Unit and National Audit Department. Empirical evidence has shown the public sector administration has been practicing good governance based on work ethics principles initiated by the National Institute of Public Administration. The Department of Social Welfare is selected as an institution that actively manages and administers any issue related to poverty and welfare services. However, the criticisms and complaints towards the public sector services, especially regarding working practices efficiency, remain to be heard. This has been highlighted as the biggest challenge to the public sector. This article implies the issue of poverty will be administered in a well-managed environment along with the good governance approaches but applying ‘good enough governance’ can be considered a realistic target for the governance system in the public sector. The main viewpoint is the quality and sustainability of public sector services are much more important rather than achieving good governance in its totality.

Identifying the High-Risk Population for COVID-19 Transmission in Hong Kong Leveraging Explainable Machine Learning.

The worldwide spread of COVID-19 has caused significant damage to people’s health and economics. Many works have leveraged machine learning models to facilitate the control and treatment of COVID-19. However, most of them focus on clinical medicine and few on understanding the spatial dynamics of the high-risk population for transmission of COVID-19 in real-world settings. This study aims to investigate the association between population features and COVID-19 transmission risk in Hong Kong, which can help guide the allocation of medical resources and the implementation of preventative measures to control the spread of the pandemic. First, we built machine learning models to predict the number of COVID-19 cases based on the population features of different tertiary planning units (TPUs). Then, we analyzed the distribution of cases and the prediction results to find specific characteristics of TPUs leading to large-scale outbreaks of COVID-19. We further evaluated the importance and influence of various population features on the prediction results using SHAP values to identify indicators for high-risk populations for COVID-19 transmission. The evaluation of COVID-19 cases and the TPU dataset in Hong Kong shows the effectiveness of the proposed methods. The top three most important indicators are identified as people in accommodation and food services, low income, and high population density.

How to improve urban transportation planning in big data era? A practice in the study of traffic analysis zone delineation

Traffic analysis zone (TAZ) is the basic unit of urban transportation planning. The appropriateness of TAZ delineation will affect the rationality of transportation planning and the accuracy of transportation analysis, and thus affect the final planning decision-making. However, in the big data era, there is still a lack of methods to integrate multi-source data for TAZ delineation. How to effectively fuse multi-source heterogeneous data in the TAZ delineation process is still an unsolved technical difficulty. To fill this gap, this paper designs a multi-source data-driven stepwise strategy to solve the TAZ delineation problem by creating a zoning system with zones showing homogeneous mobility behaviors and containing homogeneous land use characteristics. Firstly, mining the spatial-temporal travel features and land use information of transit stations and parcels from multi-source data, including transit smart card data, ride-hailing data, bike-sharing trip data, and point-of-interest (POI) data. Then, a core parcel determination algorithm which mainly consists of Fuzzy C-Means station clustering and a constructed parcel core degree function is proposed to generate the core parcels of each potential TAZ. After that, parcels are clustered around the core ones into TAZs through a multi-feature driven clustering algorithm, in the process of which the homogeneity within TAZs is guaranteed. Finally, the optimal zoning system is obtained by comparing the information loss calculation result of multiple zoning schemes. Taking Beijing as a case study area, 624 TAZs are obtained by applying the proposed method. The delineation result is comparatively analyzed with TAZs obtained by the traditional delineation method and a baseline method by applying multi-indicator measurement. The result reveals that the presented approach can promote the rationality of TAZ delineation.

Determination of priority areas for amphibian conservation in Guerrero (Mexico), through systematic conservation planning tools

Guerrero is one of the most diverse states of Mexico, containing a large number of endemic and endangered amphibian species. However, it is one of the less protected and studied states of the country. Here, we determined the potential distribution of all amphibian species in a risk category present in Guerrero and defined priority areas for amphibian conservation in the state. We modelled the potential distribution of 32 species using the maximum entropy modelling algorithm. These models were used to define priority areas through systematic conservation planning tools. The most important variables explaining species’ potential distribution were measures of climate variability, particularly temperature seasonality. The priority areas for amphibian conservation identified covered a total area of 12,212.72 km2 and contained an important proportion (almost a third) of the cloud mountain forests of the state. The most important planning units for meeting species targets and the most important planning units in terms of biodiversity overlapped in approximately the same planning units, located in the biogeographic regions of the Sierra Madre del Sur and the Pacific Coast. Finally, from the total priority areas identified, only 0.31% (38.17 km2) is currently protected within the existing natural protected areas in Guerrero. Thus, we consider that it is essential to protect additional natural areas in the state. Areas Voluntarily Destined for Conservation (ADVC) may be a good option; however, action must be taken to ensure the legitimacy of the processes by the local people and to avoid privileging only certain members of the community.

Web GIS Development for National COVID-19 Immunization Programme

Sustainable coordination and certainty of delivery are essential to achieving holistic COVID-19 vaccination, which covers the whole country. On November 4th 2020, the National Security Council (NSC) has structured the COVID-19 Risk Area Geo-Data Working Group, which consists of the Ministry of Health Malaysia (MOH), Malaysian Administrative Modernisation and Management Planning Unit (MAMPU), Department of Survey and Mapping Malaysia (JUPEM), Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM), PLAN Malaysia and Malaysian Space Agency (MYSA). As of February 2021, Malaysia has access to 66.7 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines supplied through the COVAX Facility and initial purchases from 5 vaccine manufacturers. Vaccination for COVID-19 is voluntary and will be provided free of charge to all Malaysian citizens and non-citizens in three phases. JUPEM through the Defence Geospatial Division (BGSP) has been entrusted to develop a Web GIS application, after a string of successes in developing Joint Common Operation Picture (JCOP) in the early stages of transmission of COVID-19. BGSP has developed Web Applications and Dashboards to provide an overview that can help in the planning, implementation and operation of vaccination centres for the National COVID-19 Immunization Programme (PICK) in Malaysia.

Stakeholders prioritization of key performance indicators on public and private tertiary educational projects in Osun State, Nigeria

PurposeThe study assessed the stakeholders prioritization of key performance indicators (KPIs) on public and private tertiary educational projects in Osun State, Nigeria intending to enhance their performance.Design/methodology/approachThe study used a total enumeration survey to purposively select built environment professionals working in the Physical Planning and Development Unit (PPDU) and procurement units of 17 tertiary educational institutions (7public and 10 private) in Osun State Nigeria for data collection. A quantitative research approach was adopted for the study using a questionnaire. A total of 102 questionnaires were retrieved from the respondents and used for analysis. Analysis of data was done using frequency, percentile, mean score (MS), Cronbach's Alpha coefficient, t-test, and Analysis of variance (ANOVA).FindingsThe study found that in the overall opinion of the respondents the most prioritized KPIs for tertiary educational projects are for the project to meet specifications (MS = 4.17), the project must be on time (MS = 4.01), and efficient use of resources (MS = 3.96). The important KPIs for the public tertiary educational projects is that the project should meet specifications (MS = 4.08), deliver the projects on time (MS = 3.96), and be under cost (MS = 3.84). While, the most prioritized KPIs for private tertiary educational projects are for the project to meet specifications (MS = 4.25), efficient use of resources (MS = 4.14), on time, and doing the right thing (effectiveness) (MS = 4.06) each. More findings indicated that there is no significant difference in the manner built environment professionals prioritized KPIs. However, there is only a 7% significant difference in the manner professionals working in the public and private tertiary educational institutions in Nigeria ranked KPIs.Practical implicationsThere is a significant difference in the ways and manner built environment professionals working with the public and private tertiary educational institutions in Nigeria view resource utilization on their projects. As such, working environment either as public or private has a significant impact on resource utilization for tertiary educational construction projects.Originality/valueThe study compared opinions of professionals working with public and private tertiary educational institutions on KPIs to enhance project performance.

Local scale prioritization of cost-efficient protection within the National Park Thy

This study applied MARXAN to identify cost-efficient areas for biodiversity protection, within the Thy National Park in Denmark. Public authorities have requested a more systematic approach to managing public land, which identifies cost-effective solutions and potential trade-offs between economic cost and biodiversity benefits. The aim of this study was to support the local management staff in setting conservation targets and prioritizing their management efforts. This was addressed through the creation of two primary scenarios: i) applying uniform conservation targets to all biodiversity features, and ii) heterogeneous targets addressing various degrees of conservation importance. Four sub-scenarios were established for each primary scenario to investigate the implications of various conservation targets on conservation cost. Local data on red-listed species and habitat types were used to assess biodiversity benefits. Detailed cost estimates of required conservation actions were included. The results indicated that scenarios with uniform conservation targets provided more flexible networks of protected areas but contributed less to target achievement and a smaller share of selected planning units overlapped with current protected areas. Applying heterogeneous targets based on threat status resulted in a higher degree of target achievement and compactness, but provided less flexible networks. However, these networks may be more suitable for efficient management due to a higher level of clustering and spatial overlap with threatened species distributions.