Requires Field Data Research Articles

Groundwater Quality Analysis In Sidomulyo Hamlet, Argomulyo Village, Kalaena District East Luwu County

The geographical condition of Kalaena District is one of the sub-districts in East Luwu Regency. Kalaena District is located at 2o 03' 00” – 2o 30' 31” South Latitude and 120 o 49’30” - 121 o 00’ 30” East Longitude with an area of 64.54 km2. Groundwater is part of the water that is below the surface of the ground, groundwater is a necessary need for the community, making the quality of groundwater very necessary to be maintained and maintained. The data collection stage is the activity of retrieving all the required field data. The data used in this study were obtained from the results of direct surveys in the field on several wells in Argomulyo village, taking water samples and then testing the pH value, color, taste, smell, turbidity, weather, well depth, water level, well diameter, citizen interview data and research documentation photos, then several samples were subjected to laboratory tests to find out the chemical content in the residents' wells. It is known that the results of the study show that the contents of TDS, DO, calcium, iron and chloride are still below the threshold, only turbidity has a value above the permitted threshold, the feasibility of shallow groundwater is based on Government Regulation of the Republic of Indonesia No.22 article 1 paragraph 37 of 2021 in the research area based on the results of chemical analysis and physical tests performed. fall into class 3 category.

A Spreadsheet Tool for Defining Dangerous Flow Ranges of Low-Head Dams

Low-head dams can be dangerous to recreational river users when a submerged hydraulic jump forms downstream, with recirculating surface flows that repeatedly carry trapped recreationists upstream into the high-velocity jet plunging over the dam crest. The flow endangers those who pass over the dam from upstream and can also entrap those who approach too closely from downstream. A national task force is using a range of methods to identify potentially dangerous structures, but definite determination requires field data and an analysis of the hydraulic conditions for each site’s range of likely flow rates. The spreadsheet tool described here determines the submergence created by site-specific tailwater levels and uses previous research results to estimate the associated magnitude of reverse flow velocities. The spreadsheet also determines the crucial tailwater level at which the jet passing over the dam stops plunging into the tailwater pool and instead flips to the surface, creating safer, downstream-directed velocities. The article describes application to specific sites and provides insight about the dangerous flow range of typical low-head dams.

Disaggregating geodetic glacier mass balance to annual scale using remote-sensing proxies

AbstractDecadal-scale, high-resolution geodetic measurements of glacier thinning have transformed our understanding of glacier response to climate change. Annual glacier mass balance can be estimated using remote-sensing proxies like snow-line altitude. These methods require field data for calibration, which are not available for most glaciers. Here we propose a method that combines multiple remotely-sensed proxies to obtain robust estimates of the annual glacier-wide balance using only remotely-sensed decadal-scale geodetic mass balance for calibration. The method is tested on Chhota Shigri, Argentière and Saint-Sorlin glaciers in the Himalaya and the Alps between 2001 and 2020, using four remotely-sensed proxies – the snow-line altitude, the minimum summer albedo over the glacier and two statistics of normalised difference snow index over the off-glacier area around the ablation zone. The reconstructed mass balance compares favourably with the corresponding glaciological field data (correlation coefficient 0.81 − 0.90, p < 0.001; root mean squared error 0.38 − 0.43 m w.e. a−1). The method presented may be useful to study interannual variability in mass balance on glaciers where no field data are available.

The life cycle assessment of subsurface drainage performance under rice-canola cropping system

The life cycle assessment (LCA) concept is a widely used tool to assess the environmental aspects of any activity throughout its life cycle. This study is the first application of LCA for assessing the agro-environmental sustainability of subsurface drainage systems under rice-canola cropping rotation. The systems included D0.65L15, D0.65L30, and D0.9L30, consisting of two depths (D=0.65 and 0.9 m) and two spacing (L= 15 and 30 m) and a bi-level drainage system with alternate depths of 0.9 and 0.65 m with 15 m spacing (Bilevel). A paddy plot with conventional surface drainage and similar cropping system was considered as control (Control). Two water management strategies, including mid-season drainage (MSD) and alternate wetting and drying (AWD), were practiced during rice-growing period. Free drainage (FD) was adopted during canola-growing period. Required field data were collected during 2011–2016, including four rice-canola-growing cycles (two MSD-FD cycles and two AWD-FD cycles). Using the LCA concept, the effectiveness of different drainage systems were assessed under the cycles of MSD-FD and AWD-FD. The AWD-FD system showed 7% less environmental impacts than MSD-FD. Also, AWD-FD reduced human health, climate change, and resource depletion indicators by 7.7%, 9.9%, and 8.4%, respectively, compared with MSD-FD, which improved the ecosystem quality index by 7.2%. The Bilevel, D0.9L30, D0.65L30, and D0.65L15 drainage systems, respectively, reduced the environmental impacts by 11.8%, 11.1%, 2.6%, and 5.9% under AWD-FD and 25.4%, 17.6%, 25.1%, and 14.1% under MSD-FD compared with Control. On average, Bilevel reduced the environmental impacts by 18.6% compared with the conventional surface drainage system. Based on the results, the LCA concept can be used as a suitable tool to evaluate the performance of subsurface drainage systems before implementation on a large scale.

Signalized Corridor Timing Plan Change Assessment Using Connected Vehicle Data

Updates to traffic signal timing plans are expected to either improve operations or mitigate the effects of increased volumes. Longitudinal before-after studies are important when validating changes to traffic signal systems, but they have historically required field data collection as well as deployment of extensive detection and communication equipment. These infrastructure-based techniques are costly and hard to scale. This study utilizes commercially available connected vehicle (CV) trajectory data to assess the change in performance between August 2020 and August 2021 on a 22-intersection corridor associated with the implementation of a semi-automated adaptive control system. Approximately 1 million trajectories and 13.5 million GPS points are analyzed for weekdays in August 2020 and August 2021. The vehicle trajectory data is used to compute corridor travel times and linear referenced relative to the far side of each intersection to generate Purdue Probe Diagrams (PPD). Using the PPDs, operational measurements such as arrivals on green (AOG), split failures (SF), and downstream blockage (DSB) are calculated. Additionally, traditional Highway Capacity Manual (HCM) level of service (LOS) is estimated. Even though there was a 35% increase in annual average daily traffic (AADT), the weighted average vehicle delay only increased by two seconds, LOS did not change, AOG improved by 1%, and SF and DSB remained the same. Based on the small changes in operational performance and considering the increase in traffic volume it is concluded that the implementation of the semi-automated adaptive control system had a significant positive impact in the corridor. The presented framework can be utilized by agencies to use CV data to perform before-after studies to evaluate the impact of signal timing plan changes. The presented methodology can be applied to any location where CV trajectory data is available.

Geospatial Location Based Study for Establishment of New Public Health Centers: A Case of Adama City, Oromia, Ethiopia

This study focuses on establishing adequate public healthcare centers to reduce disease spread and untimely death of human lives in Adama City, Ethiopia. There is considerable evidence, owing to poor geographical accessibility, the primary healthcare facility is not reaching the majority of the population in developing nations. This case study has been carried out to identify and prioritize the suitable areas to develop healthcare centers using a Geographic Information System (GIS). Thematic maps and ancillary data are used to analyze location-allocation analysis in ArcGIS-10.4. Required field data was collected using GPS in Adama, Oromia, Ethiopia, and required supporting data from the Municipality of the City. The density of population is the significant input in calculating the standards for services-based location-allocation. Therefore, road networks, existing healthcare facilities, and population density are the critical parameters considered to identify the new healthcare centers to be established to cater to the people's needs. In addition, land use/cover classes and settlement location, proximity to the existing healthcare centers are also considered in GIS analysis for better results. The study identified eight suitable sites to develop healthcare centers in the city. Therefore, the government can utilize the recommendations for infrastructure development planning to improve healthcare facilities based on the accessibility.

Evaluation of Acceleration Noise Parameter as a Traffic Flow Performance Indicator for Multi-Lane Urban Highways

This study was conducted to use acceleration noise as an alternative measure to the level of service on multi-lane urban highways located within Kirkuk City. The study provides a simplified and easy way to evaluate the level of service (LOS) instead of the extended methodology proposed by the Highway Capacity Manual (HCM-2010). Ten (10) multi-lane urban segments were chosen within the study area for collecting the required field data. Moving Vehicle Method (MVM) with a digital camera equipped with a built-in GPS receiver were utilized to collect field data. Acceleration noise takes the form of an exponential function (y = ex) when associated with traffic flow variables (traffic volume, density, and speed). Final results have revealed that acceleration noise could be used as a surrogate measuring the level of service for multi-lane urban highways within the ranges of the level of service LOS A-LOS C.

Plant communities and landform relationships delineate the components of soil complexes subject to whole‐tree harvest restriction

AbstractWhole‐tree harvesting practices are often restricted on soils with intrinsically low soil nutrients. Delineating restricted soil components from nonrestricted components presents a challenge for forest practitioners working with glaciofluvial parent materials. We investigated a suite of biological and edaphic factors to assess if restricted soil components are functionally distinct from nonrestricted soil components in partially restricted soil complexes across northern Wisconsin, USA. This study tested repeatable methods for soil delineation based on soil particle size, varying in spatial extent, and are independent of county boundaries or discrepancies across soil survey areas. Habitat type provided the most robust tool to distinguish the soil components and is the recommended approach. Habitat typing currently requires field data collection, since it does not exist as a geographic information system product in Wisconsin. Timber sale establishment often occurs during the off‐season when habitat typing is not possible. In this case, an additional decision tree including habitat type and deviation from mean elevation (DEV) model is provided to estimate soil components remotely and verify the results when habitat typing is feasible. The 1,300‐m radius DEV performed best with a 10‐m digital elevation model, and reflects the differences between moraines and outwash plains landforms. These findings suggest that the utility of the DEV model and spatially explicit soil textural information in delineating restricted series from soil complexes has promise in light of improved remotely sensed information and geographic information system technologies that can be field‐validated by habitat type.

SENSORS TO QUANTIFY COASTAL SCHEME FLOOD RESISTANCE AND RESILIENCE

In England about 5 million properties are at risk of flooding. Socio-economic growth, rising sea levels and extreme weather will exacerbate this issue in the next 100 years. Building coastal resilience is vital worldwide to save people from the impact of flooding and the costs of damage and insurance. In Australia the use of mussel reefs and mangrove forests combined with man-made structures are being trialed to see how well they protect shorelines. Ways to measure the evolving effectiveness of nature-based hazard management are now required to determine the cost-benefit over various management epochs. Using capacitance-wire technology we have developed innovative systems to measure the required field data: overtopping, wave, water level and inundation conditions at the land-sea interface.Recorded Presentation from the vICCE (YouTube Link): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9IpZpOPW3I&feature=youtu.be

Framework for Validation of Permanently Installed MEMS-Based Acquisition Devices Using Soft Sensor Models

Asset integrity and predictive maintenance models require field data for an accurate assessment of an asset’s condition. Historically these data collected periodically in the field by technicians using portable units. The significant investment in inexpensive microelectromechanical (MEMS) sensors mounted on untethered (energy-harvesting or battery-powered) microprocessors communicating wirelessly to the cloud is expected to change the way we collect asset health data. Permanently installed MEMS-based sensing units will enable near-real time data collection and reduce the safety exposure of technicians by eliminating the need to manually collect field data. With hundreds of MEMS-based sensing units expected to be installed at a single site it is vital to assure the data they produce and maintain them cost effectively. An asset management framework for validation of MEMS-based sensing units for condition monitoring and structural integrity (CM&SI) applications is proposed. An integral part of this framework is the proposed use of soft sensor models to replace technician inspections in the field. Soft sensor models are used in the process industry to stabilize product quality and process operations but there are few examples in asset management applications. The contributions of this paper are twofold. Firstly, we use an interdisciplinary approach drawing on electronics, process control, statistics, machine learning, and asset management fields to describe the emerging field of permanently installed MEMS-based sensing units for CM&SI. Secondly, we development a framework for assuring validation of the data these sensing units generate.

Assessing water and nitrate‐N losses from subsurface‐drained paddy lands by DRAINMOD‐N II

AbstractIn this study, the effects of various drainage systems on water and nitrate‐N losses were investigated using DRAINMOD‐N II. Required field data were obtained during three growing seasons of canola in a subsurface drainage pilot in Mazandaran Province, northern Iran. The calibrated model was used to assess the effects of different drain depths (D = 0.10–0.90 m with 0.10 m intervals) and spacing (L = 10–90 m with 10 m intervals) on seasonal drainage water and NO3−‐N concentration in drainage effluents. DRAINMOD‐N II performance was assessed using different criteria including absolute deviation (AD), root mean square error (RMSE) and determination coefficient (R2). The simulated and observed drainage discharges (0.97 vs 0.96 mm day−1) and NO3‐N concentrations (9.1 vs 14.1 mg l−1) were in good agreement in the calibration process. The model performance was also acceptable in the validation process (AD = 0.59–0.79 mm day−1; RMSE = 1.01–1.28 mm day−1; R2 = 0.59–0.79 for drainage discharge and AD = 8.3–16.3 mg l−1; RMSE = 12.4–27.6 mg l−1; R2 = 0.4 for NO3‐N). Based on the scenario analyses, the D0.40L50 drainage system was the best one, resulting in fewer environmental effects from the nitrate‐N and water loss viewpoints. © 2020 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Impact of Irrigation Water Shortage on Yield, Income and Employment of Farm Households in Tungabhadra Command Area of Karnataka

The study examined the impact of irrigation water shortage on yield, income and employment of farm households in Tungabhadra command area in Gangavathi taluk of Karnataka. Based on the extent of net irrigated area under canal, Gangavathi taluk of Koppal district was selected for the study. A total of 120 households among which 40 respondents from each water access regimes (head reach, mid reach and tail-end reach) were selected. The required field data pertaining to the year 2016-17 was collected through personal interview. The average gross annual household income of head reach farmers before and after water shortage (2015) was INR 6,35,293 and INR 5,59,970, respectively. Whereas, in tail-end reach, the average gross annual household income before and after water shortage was INR 5,66,263 and INR 4,19,895, respectively. The annual household employment in all the three regimes was affected due to irrigation water deficits but it was more significant in middle-reach regime. Bore wells and ponds acted as a supplementary source of irrigation in periods of water shortages. A good coordination should be built between different line departments in managing the water resources in the Tungabhdra basin and it should be coordinated in proper direction. There is a need for common vision and plan for water management based on administrative boundaries.

Analysis of the Effects of the Guide Plans on the Modernization of Lifestyles in Rural Households (Case Study: Central District of Darab County, Iran)

Purpose- In recent decades, several activities have been carried out in the form of development projects to develop rural settlements in Iran. One of the most important of these is the implementation of the guide plans. This plan, with its various actions, has caused widespread changes in various dimensions of rural life. The present study investigated the effects of this project on the changes in the lifestyle of the rural community in the central district of Darab county. Design/methodology/approach- The present research is descriptive in terms of describing the characteristics of the society studied and analytical in terms of investigating the relationship between the actions level of guide plans and the lifestyle. In this respect, the required field data are provided using observations, interviews, and questionnaires. To analyze the data, descriptive statistics, inferential statistics, spatial analysis and SAW model, and Expert Choice, SPSS and ArcGIS software are used. Findings- The results of the research confirmed that there are significant differences between the level of changes in different dimensions of lifestyle, and the greatest changes are in the style of construction. On the other hand, the results of a Pearson correlation showed a positive relationship between the actions level of all executive components of the guide plans with a modernization level of the villagers’ lifestyle. Based on the results of the linear regression test, it was found that approximately 41% of the total changes in modernization can be predicted through the action level of the guide plan. Research limitations / implications- Owing to the different effects of the guide plans on lifestyle changes in different age groups and genders, the attention of researchers to the needs of different villagers is necessary. Practical implications- It is imperative to pay more attention to the efficiency of the environment being built in order to respond appropriately to the lifestyles of the present and future generations and more attention is required on the part of designers and conductors of guide plans to create a suitable platform for the development of communication technology in the villages, which will create a variety of changes in the modernization of the lifestyle of the households residing in them. Originality/value- This research will be important to provide guidance for good feedback, and to make plans for problems. Because it can take positive steps in making future projects as good as possible and such an approach will be effective to recognize prior strategies and design future policies.

New additions to Turkish Helotiales and Orbiliales

Aim of study: Though hundreds of studies were conducted on the biodiversity of Turkish fungi, the mycobiota has not been determined yet. Probably thousands of researches are required to determine the overall mycobiota of Turkey. This study were also carried out upon this purpose and aims to make a contribution to the mycobiota of Turkey by adding new genera and species records.Area of study: This study was carried out within the boundaries of İslahiye, Nurdağı and Şehitkamil districts of Gaziantep province.Material and Methods: The macrofungi samples were collected from İslahiye, Nurdağı and Şehitkamil districts in the years 2014 and 2015. After obtaining required field data, they were transferred to the fungarium and investigated in terms of macroscopy and microscopy. Then they were identified with the help of relevant literature.Main results: Five ascomycetous fungi species; Bisporella sulfurina (Quél.) S.E. Carp. (Helotiaceae Rehm), Lachnum fuscescens (Pers.) P. Karst. (Lachnaceae Raitv.), Cyclaneusma niveum (Pers.) DiCosmo, Peredo & Minter (Marthamycetaceae H.O. Baral, G. Lantz, Hustad & Minter), Hyalorbilia inflatula (P. Karst.) Baral & G. Marson and Orbilia aristata (Velen.) Velen. (Orbiliaceae Nannf.), within the orders Helotiales and Orbiliales were determined. Tracing the current literature the taxa were found to be new for the mycobiota of Turkey. Research highlights: Macrofungal biodiversity studies are necessary to be able to determine the mycobiota of Turkey.

Characterizing flood hazard risk in data-scarce areas, using a remote sensing and GIS-based flood hazard index

The frequency in occurrence and severity of floods has increased globally. However, many regions around the globe, especially in developing countries, lack the necessary field monitoring data to characterize flood hazard risk. This paper puts forward methodology for developing flood hazard maps that define flood hazard risk, using a remote sensing and GIS-based flood hazard index (FHI), for the Nyamwamba watershed in western Uganda. The FHI was compiled using analytical hierarchy process and considered slope, flow accumulation, drainage network density, distance from drainage channel, geology, land use/cover and rainfall intensity as the flood causative factors. These factors were derived from Landsat, SRTM and PERSIANN remote sensing data products, except for geology that requires field data. The resultant composite FHI yielded a flood hazard map pointing out that over 11 and 18% of the study area was very highly and highly susceptible to flooding, respectively, while the remaining area ranged from medium to very low risk. The resulting flood hazard map was further verified using inundation area of a historical flood event in the study area. The proposed methodology was effective in producing a flood hazard map at the watershed local scale, in a data-scarce region, useful in devising flood mitigation measures.

A method to estimate aquifer artificial recharge from a hill dam in Tunisia

In arid and semi-arid areas, artificial recharge is a key technology in groundwater resources management, and a reliable estimate of artificial recharge is necessary to its sustainable development. Several methods are available to estimate the artificial recharge; however, most of them require field data or model parameters, thus limiting their applications. To overcome this limitation, we presented an analytical method to estimate the artificial recharge through monitoring the water release by piezometer and analysing the controlling factors of the artificial recharge from a hill dam in Tunisia. A total of 97 measurements of water flow in the streambed recorded from 4 gauging stations were analysed. Results indicated that the average infiltration velocity ranged from 0.043 to 0.127 m/d and the infiltration index varied from 7.6 to 11.8 L/(s•km). Pearson’s correlation coefficient analysis shows that the infiltration index, the stream gradient, the thickness of unsaturated zone, the number of infiltration pond, the stream geometry, and the water flow rate were found to be the main factors in determining the infiltration. The high correlation coefficients (0.908 for the number of infiltration pond and 0.999 for the stream geometry) mean that the number of infiltration pond and the stream geometry are the most influential factors. Time variations of groundwater level were used to analyze the recharge effects on the piezometry of aquifer. The analysis showed that during the artificial recharge, the water table increased at a rate of 5 mm/d and that the increase was limited to the area surrounding the recharge site. Based on the results of the study, building infiltration ponds along streambed and improving the potential of rainwater harvesting over the study area are recommended.

Predicting the construction duration of building projects using artificial neural networks

The accurate prediction of the duration of a construction project represents a critical factor for the feasibility study of this project. Employers are in an urgent need for reliable information about the construction duration in this early stage of the project. Such information can materially help project managers create a cash and material flow plan in a pre-set time. This paper aims to develop an artificial neural network (ANN) model for predicting the expected construction duration of building projects in its early stage, where no detailed planning is available. The MATLAB program was used as a suitable environment for developing the proposed model. The required field data was collected from 130 building projects in Egypt, which fall within the appropriate sample size. Testing the validity of the model clearly showed that it has a good prediction capability with a maximum error of 14%.

Environment and ryegrass genetics - multisite trial of advanced breeding populations

Developing a genomic selection (GS) strategy for ryegrass requires field data for training GS models and to gain insight into how ryegrass agronomic performance varies, within and among populations and across locations. Families from five perennial ryegrass breeding populations are being evaluated in eight trials in Northland, Waikato, Hawke's Bay, Manawatu and Canterbury to establish a data set for development of a genomic selection model. Statistically robust variances are evident among families within populations, both for visual scoring of herbage bulk and dry matter measurements. Multi-trial analysis of data showed significant (P

Driving simulator validation of driver behavior with limited safe vantage points for data collection in work zones

IntroductionThis study is aimed at validating a driving simulator (DS) for the study of driver behavior in work zones. A validation study requires field data collection. For studies conducted in highway work zones, the availability of safe vantage points for data collection at critical locations can be a significant challenge. A validation framework is therefore proposed in this paper, demonstrated using a fixed-based DS that addresses the issue by using a global positioning system (GPS). MethodsThe validation of the DS was conducted using objective and subjective evaluations. The objective validation was divided into qualitative and quantitative evaluations. The DS was validated by comparing the results of simulation with the field data, which were collected using a GPS along the highway and video recordings at specific locations in a work zone. The constructed work zone scenario in the DS was subjectively evaluated with 46 participants. ResultsThe objective evaluation established the absolute and relative validity of the DS. The mean speeds from the DS data showed excellent agreement with the field data. The subjective evaluation indicated realistic driving experience by the participants. Practical applicationsThe use of GPS showed that continuous data collected along the highway can overcome the challenges of unavailability of safe vantage points especially at critical locations. Further, a validated DS can be used for examining driver behavior in complex situations by replicating realistic scenarios.

Comparison of steady- and unsteady-state drainage equations for determination of subsurface drain spacing in paddy fields: a case study in Northern Iran

In Northern Iran paddy fields, waterlogging is a serious problem. Provision of subsurface drainage seems to be a prerequisite for optimal crop production. Considering specific characteristics of the paddies, application of a suitable equation for planning of subsurface drainage systems is of great importance. In this study, five steady-state equations including Hooghoudt, Kirkham, Dagan, Ernst, and Ernst–Hooghoudt; and three unsteady-state equations including Glover–Dumm, Van-Shilfgard, and De-zeeuw–Hellinga were implemented to compute drain spacing. Required field data were obtained from 52 ha of paddy fields of “Haraz Human-Agriculture Resources Development Center,” located in Mazandaran province of Iran. The computed drain spacings were evaluated using dynamic equilibrium concept and DRAINMOD model. The minimum and maximum drain spacings were found to be 26 and 63 m corresponding to Glover–Dumm and Ernst equations, respectively. Based on the dynamic equilibrium concept, the averages of the computed water table depths for the drain spacings obtained by the unsteady-state equations were 0.5–0.63 m as compared with those obtained by the steady-state methods which were in the range of 0–0.43 m. According to the DRAINMOD model simulations, the maximum relative yield was 80.2 % which was obtained when the drain spacing was 26 m and it reduced to 73.5 % when the drain spacing was increased to 63 m. The computed drain spacings suggested by the unsteady-state equations were found to be more suitable than those obtained from the steady-state equations for the study area.