Outdoor Urban Environment Research Articles

Ray-Tracing-Based Numerical Assessment of the Spatiotemporal Duty Cycle of 5G Massive MIMO in an Outdoor Urban Environment

In the near future, wireless coverage will be provided by the base stations equipped with dynamically-controlled massive phased antenna arrays that direct the transmission towards the user. This contribution describes a computational method to estimate realistic maximum power levels produced by such base stations, in terms of the time-averaged normalized antenna array gain. The Ray-Tracing method is used to simulate the electromagnetic field (EMF) propagation in an urban outdoor macro-cell environment model. The model geometry entities are generated stochastically, which allowed generalization of the results through statistical analysis. Multiple modes of the base station operation are compared: from LTE multi-user codebook beamforming to the more advanced Maximum Ratio and Zero-Forcing precoding schemes foreseen to be implemented in the massive Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) communication protocols. The influence of the antenna array size, from 4 up to 100 elements, in a square planar arrangement is studied. For a 64-element array, the 95th percentile of the maximum time-averaged array gain amounts to around 20% of the theoretical maximum, using the Maximum Ratio precoding with 5 simultaneously connected users, assuming a 10 s connection duration per user. Connection between the average array gain and actual EMF levels in the environment is drawn and its implications on the human exposure in the next generation networks are discussed.

There’s no place like home? The physiological and psychological effects of going outside from the indoor home environment to urban environments, a field experiment on women from two ethnic groups

Background: Previous field studies evaluated the effects of visit to different outdoor urban environments on short-term psychological, cognitive and physiological responses. Less is known on the effect of going outside from the indoor home environment to these urban environments. Aim: To evaluate whether visits to different urban and ethnic environments, in comparison to home indoor environment, leads to short-term responses and whether these are independent of ethnicity. Methods: The participants, 20-35 year-old healthy women (N=72, 48 Arab and 24 Jewish), started the experiment at their home and visited six different outdoor urban environments in predominantly ethnic Arab or Jewish cities, in Israel. First they visited intra-ethnic city and afterward inter-ethnic city environments. In each city they visited an urban park, a residential neighborhood and the city center. In each environment (including home) the following measures were evaluated: mood (measured as positive and negative emotions, cheerfulness, relaxed, natural and discomfort feelings), working memory (measured with backwards digit-span task) and autonomic nervous system (assessed using heart rate variability (HRV)). Several potential mediators were measured: carbon monoxide (CO), heat, noise, social aspects, and the self-perceived restoration scale. Results: Going outside from home, to both intra and inter-ethnic parks, was associated with beneficial psychological, physiological, and cognitive responses, and the strongest effects were found for the intra-ethnic park. The results for the other urban environments were different between Jewish and Arab women. The self-perceived restoration, the social aspects and reduced CO, heat and noise exposures during the visits did not explain the observed changes between the outdoor environments and home. Conclusions: Visits to urban parks compared to the home demonstrated short-term beneficial changes in the outcomes that could not be attributed to the investigated mediators. Women should be encouraged to go outdoors and specifically visit parks to improve their psycho-physiological health.

Thermal Environment of Urban Schoolyards: Current and Future Design with Respect to Children’s Thermal Comfort

Urban outdoor thermal conditions, and its impacts on the health and well-being for the city inhabitants have reached increased attention among biometeorological studies during the last two decades. Children are considered more sensitive and vulnerable to hot ambient conditions compared to adults, and are affected strongly by their thermal environment. One of the urban outdoor environments that children spend almost one third of their school time is the schoolyard. The aims of the present manuscript were to review studies conducted worldwide, in order to present the biophysical characteristics of the typical design of the urban schoolyard. This was done to assess, in terms of bioclimatology, the interactions between the thermal environment and the children’s body, to discuss the adverse effects of thermal environment on children, especially the case of heat stress, and to propose measures that could be applied to improve the thermal environment of schoolyards, focusing on vegetation. Human thermal comfort monitoring tools are mainly developed for adults, thus, further research is needed to adapt them to children. The schemes that are usually followed to design urban schoolyards create conditions that favour the exposure of children to excessive heat, inducing high health risks to them. The literature survey showed that typical urban schoolyard design (i.e., dense surface materials, absence of trees) triggered high surface temperatures (that may exceed 58 °C) and increased absorption of radiative heat load (that may exceed 64 °C in terms of Mean Radiant Temperature) during a clear day with intense solar radiation. Furthermore, vegetation cover has a positive impact on schoolyard’s microclimate, by improving thermal comfort and reducing heat stress perception of children. Design options for urban schoolyards and strategies that can mitigate the adverse effects of heat stress are proposed with focus on vegetation cover that affect positively their thermal environment and improve their aesthetic and functionality.

The effect of music on the perception of outdoor urban environment.

Music may modify the impression of a visual environment. Most studies have explored the effect of music on the perception of various service settings, but the effect of music on the perception of outdoor environments has not yet been adequately explored. Music may make an environment more pleasant and enhance the relaxation effect of outdoor recreational activities. This study investigated the effect of music on the evaluation of urban built and urban natural environments. The participants (N = 94) were asked to evaluate five environments in terms of spatio-cognitive and emotional dimensions while listening to music. Two types of music were selected: music with a fast tempo and music with a slow tempo. In contrast with a previous study by Yamasaki, Yamada & Laukka (2015), our experiment revealed that there was only a slight and not significant influence of music on the evaluation of the environment. The effect of music was mediated by the liking of music, but only in the dimensions of Pleasant and Mystery. The environmental features of the evaluated locations had a stronger effect than music on the evaluation of the environments. Environments with natural elements were perceived as more pleasant, interesting, coherent, and mysterious than urban built environments regardless of the music. It is suggested that the intensity of music may be an important factor in addition to the research methodology, individual variables, and cultural differences.

PREDICTIVE MODEL FOR THE ASSESSMENT OF VOCS EMISSION IN OPEN DUMPSITE USING GENERALIZED LINEAR MODEL

Ambient air quality assessment and regulations plays an important role in air quality management. Forty-five (45) air samples were collected for both wet and dry season of the year (October 2016- September 2017). The air samples were collected by passive sampler (Drager ORSA 5). The samples were analyzed for VOCs, PM2.5 and some elements according to standard methods. In this study, a method to predict aromatic VOCs concentrations in the urban outdoor environment was developed based on the Generalized Linear Models (GLM). The method is based on the relationship developed between atmospheric concentrations of air pollutants and meteorological variables (i.e. ambient temperature, relative humidity and wind speed). The developed GLM model considers VOCs concentrations as a dependent variable, and PM2.5 pollutants and meteorological parameters as explanatory independent variables. A comparison of obtained prediction with observed values showed that the developed model indicated good performance in estimating VOCs concentration. It should be mentioned that the puissance of the model developed is a function of the covariates. This observation suggest that the model with predicted meteorological variables can be engage in environmental management system were data are not readily available. Keywords: VOC, Generalized Linear Models (GLM), Open Dumpsite, Benin City

The association between natural outdoor environments and common somatic symptoms.

There is growing evidence that urban natural outdoor environments (NOE) may positively impact health by reducing stress and stress-related symptoms. However, there is limited research investigating this link across a range of NOE indicators. This cross-sectional study investigated the association between neighbourhood NOE (availability, use, and satisfaction with NOE) and common somatic symptoms and the role of potential mediators. Data were analysed from 3481 adults from Barcelona (Spain), Doetinchem (Netherlands), Kaunas (Lithuania) and Stoke-on-Trent (United Kingdom). NOE data were obtained through self-reported data and environmental measurements. Common somatic symptom data were self-reported. Mixed effects regression models were used for analysis, with models adjusted for potential sociodemographic confounders. Higher satisfaction with neighbourhood NOE was associated with lower prevalence of common somatic symptoms (exp(β) 0.97; 95% CI 0.96, 0.98); an association partially mediated by mental health, social cohesion and air quality concern. A longer time spent in NOE was associated with lower prevalence of common somatic symptoms in low socioeconomic status neighbourhoods (exp(β) 0.98; 95% CI 0.96, 1.00). A higher number of neighbourhood green spaces (300m buffer) was associated with higher prevalence of common somatic symptoms (exp(β) 1.03; 95% CI 1.00, 1.05). No statistically significant associations were found for other NOE indicators. Study findings suggest that higher satisfaction with NOE may be associated with lower prevalence of common somatic symptoms, with mental health, social cohesion and concern about air quality playing partial mediating roles. Little evidence was found of an association between objective NOE measurements and common somatic symptoms, underlining the importance of perceptions of NOE for conferring health benefits.

EDGE OF THE SEA: KHALEEJ SALMAN BEACH DEVELOPMENT

Khaleej Salman Beach is one of the natural and beautiful beaches at Jeddah but has limited activities on its side. This study proposes a development project at Khaleej Salman Beach in making Jeddah more suitable environment for tourism, living, holding huge events and for development in different way of life. Some similar case studies were reveals the close concept of the project. The space program of the proposed project was defined according to the selected site. The space program is located for six main zones namely activity building, events building, amenities, administration building, shelter unit and services unit. The selected site was evaluated based on the criteria of the accessibility, utilities, security and safety, visual quality, future development, demographic pattern and its surrounding. The selected site for this project is at Khaleej Salman beach, near to Prince Salmon Palace. This project creates a vibrant outdoor urban environment and offers the community exciting recreational facilities and adding some beauty to Jeddah sea line.

There's no place like home? The psychological, physiological, and cognitive effects of short visits to outdoor urban environments compared to staying in the indoor home environment, a field experiment on women from two ethnic groups

BackgroundThe home environment is regarded as a safe, comfortable environment, however, home can also be a stressful place. Compared to staying in the indoor home environment, the effects of short visits to outdoor urban environments on short-term psychological, physiological and cognitive responses were not studied previously. AimTo evaluate whether visits to different urban and ethnic environments, in comparison to staying in the home indoor environment, leads to short-term changes in psychological, physiological and cognitive responses and whether these responses are independent of ethnicity. MethodsThe participants, 20-35 year-old healthy women (N = 72, 48 Arab and 24 Jewish), started the experiment at their home and visited six different outdoor urban environments in predominantly ethnic Arab or Jewish cities, in Israel. First they visited intra-ethnic city and afterward inter-ethnic city environments. In each city they first visited an urban park and afterward, in a random order, a residential neighborhood and the city center. In each environment (including home) the following measures were used to evaluate psychological, physiological and cognitive effects: mood (measured as positive and negative emotions, cheerfulness, relaxed, natural and discomfort feelings), autonomic nervous system balance (assessed using heart rate variability (HRV)) and working memory (measured by a backwards digit-span task). Several potential mediators were measured: carbon monoxide (CO), heat, noise, social aspects, and the self-perceived restoration scale. ResultsCompared to staying in the indoor home environment, short visits to outdoor urban environments, specifically intra and inter-ethnic parks, were associated with beneficial psychological, physiological, and cognitive responses, and the strongest effects were found for the intra-ethnic park. The results for the other urban environments were different between Jewish and Arab women. The self-perceived restoration, social aspects and reduced CO, heat and noise exposures during the visits did not explain the observed changes between the outdoor environments and home. ConclusionsVisits to urban parks compared to staying in the home environment had beneficial short-term changes in psychological, physiological, and cognitive responses, regardless of ethnicity. The changes could not be attributed to the investigated mediators. Women should be encouraged to go outdoors and specifically visit parks to improve their psychological and physiological health.

Leaving lights on – A conscious choice or wasted light? Use of indoor lighting in Swedish homes

Promoting resource- and energy-efficient home lighting through technology and behaviour change requires an understanding of how residents currently use lighting and what they want from it. However, users' needs and desires relating to lighting in homes are poorly understood, as research is still limited. This paper aims to provide a fuller picture of residents' experiences with their home lighting. Interviews about how residents perceive the character of lighting and luminaires and lighting use suggest that home lighting has nine capabilities: to enable vision; to facilitate visual tasks; to display objects; to send a message; to support a particular atmosphere; to shape the architectural space; to offer a visual aesthetic experience; to maintain or change rhythmicity; and to evoke memories. Secondary data confirmed five of them. The identified capabilities relate to behavioural goals, psychological wellbeing and social needs. We conclude that seemingly wasted light in people's homes, i.e. lights left on in unoccupied rooms, can serve a purpose for the residents, such as avoiding visual or aesthetic discomfort, making the home inviting, benefitting people outside and providing safety. Findings have implications for the further development of new lighting technologies and design, energy-saving campaigns targeting residents and for urban outdoor environments.

Guidance and surroundings awareness in outdoor handheld augmented reality.

Handheld and wearable devices are becoming ubiquitous in our lives and augmented reality technology is stepping out of the laboratory environment and becoming ready to be used by anyone with portable devices. The success of augmented reality applications for pedestrians depends on different factors including a reliable guidance system and preventing risks. We show that different guidance systems can be supplementary to provide directions to a point of interest and offer clues that help the user find the augmented data when they get close to the location they have to visit. We tested the helpfulness of a map with the points of interest, an image preview of the next point of interest to visit, and an arrow showing the direction to it. The results show that the effectiveness of these guidance systems depend on the distance to the point of interest and the accuracy of the data obtained from the Global Positioning System. We also measured the total time that participants spent looking at the screen, as well as the perceived elapsed time as a measurement of real world dissociation. Finally, we discuss preliminary results to minimize the risk of accidents when using augmented reality applications in an outdoor urban environment.

The influence of anisotropic diffuse shortwave radiation on mean radiant temperature in outdoor urban environments

During clear weather conditions the main part of the shortwave irradiance derives from sun direct-beam radiation. However, part of the shortwave radiation also originates from all-sky diffuse radiation (D), with a large part being circumsolar in origin. Many radiation models considers the sky as isotropic when estimating D. Here we implement an anisotropic model for D into the SOLWEIG model to examine the spatial patterns of D in a built-up environment, as well as its influence on mean radiant temperature (Tmrt), a variable essential for estimating outdoor human thermal comfort. Comparisons between the anisotropic and the isotropic models indicates that the D in the isotropic model is overestimated in shaded areas and underestimated in areas close to sunlit walls. This is explained by the circumsolar origin of D during clear and semi-cloudy conditions and solar altitude. These over- and underestimations, consecutively, have implications for Tmrt, which can differ by up to 3 °C. The deviations in D thus signify the importance of using an anisotropic model when estimating D and Tmrt, especially since the areas with the highest reported radiant loads receive even more radiation considering an anisotropic diffuse sky, i.e. the hottest areas are even hotter than previously reported.

Fire detection using video sequences in urban out-door environment

Fire detection using video sequences in urban out-door environment

Towards depth estimation in a single aerial image

ABSTRACT Nowadays, depth estimation from a single image is a task that has been successfully addressed by Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) architectures. In this regard, several authors have taken advantage of depth datasets publicly available to the scientific community to train their CNN-based methods. From a project of Karlsruhe Institute of Technology and Toyota Technological Institute at Chicago has emerged KITTI (acronym derived from the institutions' names) as one of the most popular public datasets providing depth estimates associated to RGB (Red, Green, Blue) images. Regarding the depth data in KITTI and typically in many other datasets, these include monocular or stereo RGB images associated with depth images obtained via laser, stereo cameras or a combination of both. These images and depth data have been collected by driving around outdoor urban environments with cameras looking forward to the horizon. In contrast, in this work, we are interested in CNN-based depth estimation in a single aerial image for which depth datasets are not available. In addition, popular CNN architectures for depth estimation in a single-image struggle to estimate depth in aerial scenes due to the fact that the camera angle and object appearance in aerial imagery are significantly different. Nevertheless, we propose to harvest the depth information available in KITTI in order to tackle the problem of depth estimation in a single aerial image. To this end, our approach is a two-step methodology based on patch processing that is later used as input for a set of proposed CNN architectures. Our results indicate that this approach is promising, and those datasets such as KITTI may indeed be exploited in other domains, especially where the data acquisition may be expensive or difficult to be carried out such as for aerial scenes.

A field-based modeling study on ecological characterization of hourly host-seeking behavior and its associated climatic variables in Aedes albopictus

BackgroundThe global spread of mosquito-borne diseases (MBD) has presented increasing challenges to public health. The transmission of MBD is mainly attributable to the biting behaviors of female mosquitoes. However, the ecological pattern of hourly host-seeking behavior in Aedes albopictus and its association with climatic variables are still not well understood, especially for a precise requirement for establishing an effective risk prediction system of MBD transmission.MethodsMosquito samples and data on mosquito hourly density and site-specific climatic variables, including temperature, relative humidity, illuminance and wind speed, were collected simultaneously in urban outdoor environments in Guangzhou during 2016–2018. Kernel regression models were used to assess the temporal patterns of hourly host-seeking behavior in mosquito populations, and negative binomial regression models in the Bayesian framework were used to investigate the associations of host-seeking behavior with climatic variables.ResultsAedes albopictus was abundant, constituting 82% (5569/6790) of the total collected mosquitoes. Host-seeking behavior in Ae. albopictus varied across time and was significantly influenced by climatic variables. The predicted hourly mosquito densities showed non-linear relationships with temperature and illuminance, whereas density increased with relative humidity but generally decreased with wind speed. The range of temperature estimates for female biting was 16.4–37.1 °C, peaking at 26.5 °C (95% credible interval: 25.3–28.1). During the favorable periods, biting behavior of female Ae. albopictus was estimated to occur frequently all day long, presenting a bimodal distribution with peaks within 2–3 h around both dawn and dusk (05:00–08:00 h and 16:00–19:00 h). Moreover, a short-term association in hourly density between the females and males was found.ConclusionsOur field-based modeling study reveals that hourly host-seeking behavior of Ae. albopictus exhibits a complex pattern, with hourly variation constrained significantly by climatic variables. These findings lay a foundation for improving MBD risk assessments as well as practical strategies for vector control. For instances of all-day-long frequent female biting during the favorable periods in Guangzhou, effective integrated mosquito control measures must be taken throughout the day and night.

Effect of birdsongs and traffic noise on pedestrian walking speed during different seasons.

Many studies have explored the effects of auditory and visual stimuli on the perception of an environment. However, there is a lack of investigations examining direct behavioral responses to noise in specific environments. In this study, a behavioral variable, walking speed, was analyzed, as a response to the sounds and visual features of a specific environment. The study examined the effects of birdsongs compared to traffic noise on walking speed in a real outdoor urban environment. It was supposed that the interaction of audition and vision in the perception of an environment may also be shaped by the perceived congruence of the visual and auditory features of the environment. The participants (N = 87 and N = 65), young university students, walked along a 1.8-km urban route. They listened to a soundtrack of crowded city noise or birdsongs, or they walked in the real outdoor environment without listening to any acoustic stimuli. To investigate the effect of the congruence between acoustic and visual stimuli, the experiment was conducted in two different seasons (fall and spring). The results did not show significant differences between the crowded city noise condition and the real outdoor condition. Listening to the soundtrack with birdsongs decreased walking speed, but this effect was significant only in the experiment conducted in spring. These findings can be explained in terms of the congruence between the sounds and the visual environment. The findings raise questions regarding the restorative function of urban greenery during different seasons.

Effect of Landscape Microclimates on Thermal Comfort and Physiological Wellbeing

Global climate change and intensifying heat islands have reduced human thermal comfort and health in urban outdoor environments. However, there has been little research that has focused on how microclimates affect human thermal comfort, both psychologically and physiologically. We investigated the effect of a range of landscape microclimates on human thermal comfort and health using questionnaires and physiological measurements, including skin temperature, skin conductance, and heart rate variability, and compared the results with the effect of prevailing climate conditions in open spaces. We observed that in landscape microclimates, thermal sensation votes significantly decreased from 1.18 ± 0.66 (warm–hot) to 0.23 ± 0.61 (neutral–slightly warm), and thermal comfort increased from 1.18 ± 0.66 (uncomfortable–neutral) to 0.23 ± 0.61 (neutral–comfortable). In the landscape microclimates, skin temperature and skin conductance decreased 0.3 ± 0.8 °C and 0.6 ± 1.0 μs, respectively, while in the control, these two parameters increased by 0.5 ± 0.9 °C and 0.2 ± 0.7 μs, respectively. Further, in landscape microclimates, subject heart rate variability increased significantly. These results suggest landscape microclimates improve human thermal comfort and health, both psychologically and physiologically. These findings can provide an evidence base that will assist urban planners in designing urban environments for the health and wellbeing of residents.

Redesigning the exterior lighting as part of the urban landscape: The role of transgenic bioluminescent plants in mediterranean urban and suburban lighting environments

Abstract This research discusses the feasibility of replacing or supporting artificial lighting with Transgenic Bioluminescent Plants (TBP), as a means of minimizing light pollution, reducing electrical energy consumption and de-carbonizing urban and suburban outdoor environments, creating sustainable conditions and enriching the quality of life. Until now, no information is given about the light output of any TBPs and the question “Are the TBPs capable of producing the necessary lighting levels for exterior lighting?” is unanswered. For this reason, a new methodology is proposed for selecting and analyzing the lighting output potential of transgenic plants ted for specific climatic conditions. This methodology considers growth and reduction factors, as well as a formulae for estimating the plants’ luminous output by performing light measurements. Results show that transgenic plants in medium growth can emit a median luminous flux of up to 57 lm, a value that can definitely support low lighting requirements when used in large numbers of plants. From the lighting measurements and calculations performed in this research, the light output of the TBPs for a typical road with 5m width was found equal to 2lx. The amount of plants required was 40 at each side of the road for every 30m of streets with P6 road class. The results show that the use of bioluminescent plants can actually contribute to the reduction of energy consumption, concerning only the lighting criterium, thus creating an enormous opportunity for a new state-of- the-art market and research that could potentially minimize CO2 emissions and light pollution, improve urban and suburban microclimate, mitigate the effects of climate change, as well as provide an alternative means of lighting affecting both outdoor lighting design and landscape planning in suburban and urban settings. Moreover, further research should be applied considering also other possible ecological impacts before applying TBPs for exterior lighting applications.

Effectively modeling surface temperature and evaluating mean radiant temperature in tropical outdoor industrial environments

Radiant heat gain severely endangers thermal comfort and dramatically increases building energy consumptions in a tropical outdoor urban environment. To rapidly evaluate outdoor thermal features, this paper presents a three-dimensional integrated numerical model to assess building surface temperature and mean radiant temperature (MRT) in typical outdoor industrial environments of Singapore. For proper accounting of solar irradiance and radiant heat fluxes, Perez all-weather model and finite volume discrete ordinates method (fvDOM) are integrated into numerical code. Under the climate conditions of Singapore, i.e., light wind and intense solar irradiance, the model adopts a daily-average convection coefficient to simplify air dynamics to solve the surface energy balance equation so that the model efficiency can be significantly improved. Surface thermal load computed using the model has been validated by the on-site measurement for a contemporary and a matured industrial building on two sunny days. By comparing simulated and measured results, the corresponding coefficient of determination (R2) and the refined index of agreement (RIA) are respectively > 0.99 and > 0.8 to indicate that the model agrees well with the measurement. Also, the model is used to predict the MRT map around the industrial environment and to demonstrate that tree shading reduces mean MRT of 6.3 °C for daily-average and 13.29 °C at noon in a street canyon under a 25% greenery coverage ratio.

Combined GPS and motion-tracker data for activity levels and various route selections in everyday travel

Abstract. This study used location and physical-activity data to test hypothesis that Tokyo’s residents exercise more because they walk to and from public transit stations for daily trips. An activity tracker and a mobile app were used by ten subjects over 48 days to collect data. Analysis of the dataset showed that on an average, all subjects walked over 10,000 steps per day and ∼40% of trips were taken in outdoor urban environments. Results also revealed that the subjects did not always take the shortest path between the origin and destination of a walking trip. These results suggest that urban residents choose routes of travel based on both internal and external factors, including the subjective effects of street design and personal preference.

시각 장애인 가상현실 체험 환경을 위한 딥 러닝을 활용한 몰입형 보행 상호작용 설계

In this study, a novel virtual reality (VR) experience environment is proposed for enabling walking adaptation of visually impaired people. The core of proposed VR environment is based on immersive walking interactions and deep learning based braille blocks recognition. To provide a realistic walking experience from the perspective of visually impaired people, a tracker-based walking process is designed for determining the walking state by detecting marching in place, and a controller-based VR white cane is developed that serves as the walking assistance tool for visually impaired people. Additionally, a learning model is developed for conducting comprehensive decision-making by recognizing and responding to braille blocks situated on roads that are followed during the course of directions provided by the VR white cane. Based on the same, a VR application comprising an outdoor urban environment is designed for analyzing the VR walking environment experience. An experimental survey and performance analysis were also conducted for the participants. Obtained results corroborate that the proposed VR walking environment provides a presence of high-level walking experience from the perspective of visually impaired people. Furthermore, the results verify that the proposed learning algorithm and process can recognize braille blocks situated on sidewalks and roadways with high accuracy.