WebGIS Interface Research Articles

Remote Sensing for Maritime Traffic Understanding

The capability of prompt response in the case of critical circumstances occurring within a maritime scenario depends on the awareness level of the competent authorities. From this perspective, a quick and integrated surveillance service represents a tool of utmost importance. This is even more true when the main purpose is to tackle illegal activities such as smuggling, waste flooding, or malicious vessel trafficking. This work presents an improved version of the OSIRIS system, a previously developed Information and Communication Technology framework devoted to understanding the maritime vessel traffic through the exploitation of optical and radar data captured by satellite imaging sensors. A number of dedicated processing units are cascaded with the objective of (i) detecting the presence of vessel targets in the input imagery, (ii) estimating the vessel types on the basis of their geometric and scatterometric features, (iii) estimating the vessel kinematics, (iv) classifying the navigation behavior of the vessel and predicting its route, and, eventually, (v) integrating the several outcomes within a webGIS interface to easily assess the traffic status inside the considered area. The entire processing pipeline has been tested on satellite imagery captured within the Mediterranean Sea or extracted from public annotated datasets.

A new Wind Atlas to support the expansion of the Italian wind power fleet

AbstractAs a contribution to national strategic energy planning, recent developments in meteorological modeling and wind generation technologies have improved the representation of the spatio‐temporal features of wind. This paper describes an updated Italian Wind Atlas (Atlante EOLico ItaliANo [AEOLIAN]) released in the early 2000s. The objective of AEOLIAN is to guide future wind generation to accord with ambitious European greenhouse gas emission targets set for 2030 and 2050. AEOLIAN is the result of a collaboration effort between Ricerca sul Sistema Energetico (RSE) SpA and the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), which jointly developed a novel approach combining high‐resolution numerical weather modeling with the Analog Ensemble (AnEn) statistical technique. This paper uses dynamical model runs with hourly output for 1990–2019 with 4 km horizontal grid spacing. For 2015–2019, an inner grid nest with 1.33 km horizontal grid spacing is used. The AnEn is then employed to temporally extend the 5 years of high‐resolution runs back through 1990–2014 to create a 30‐year dataset for Italy and surrounding marine areas. A thorough verification is carried out using 104 observational stations homogeneously distributed throughout the territory. Compared with other state‐of‐the‐art products, AEOLIAN provides enhanced accuracy over complex terrain thanks to higher horizontal resolution and the assimilation of observational wind data over the domain, which result in a reduction of model bias on complex terrain and a better reconstruction of the wind distributions. Finally, a new WebGIS interface (https://atlanteeolico.rse-web.it/) to explore AEOLIAN data is described.

Principles of processing and three-dimensional modelling through lidar data for applied research of the urban environment

Introduction. The 3D modeling technology of the urban environment using LiDAR survey data expands the possibilities of urban research. With proper use of various methods, models and algorithms for processing and analyzing LiDAR data, they can significantly facilitate and open up new opportunities for many applications discussed in this paper. The main research objective of the paper is to review methods for analyzing LiDAR survey data in urban studies and to present individual elements of the author’s optimization of these methods. Results. LiDAR data obtained as a result of laser scanning of the earth's surface from a certain vehicle form a three-dimensional terrain model in the point cloud form of varying density degrees. The post-processing of such data can branch out into many applications, which are discussed in this paper. The building extraction from a cloud of LiDAR points is performed using complex computational operations, the essence of which is to calculate the points of separate planes of the buildings roofs and then extract these points for 3D building modeling. There are many approaches to building extraction that aim to either improve the quality and accuracy of the extracted models or to speed up the data processing. Finding the optimal solution for 3D modeling of the urban environment is an urgent task in this area of research. Tracking changes in urban buildings involves comparing digital models of urban areas for different time periods in order to obtain the changes volume for each building. In a similar fashion, LiDAR data is used to assess damage to buildings by creating random points on the buildings walls and comparing their displacements before and after the damage. The population estimate using LiDAR data is based on a comparison of population data for census tracts with data on the number, area and volume of buildings in the same tracts obtained from processed LiDAR data. As a result, the expected population in each individual building can be calculated. Roads extraction from LiDAR data is performed by creating an image of the LiDAR laser pulse intensity and then comparing this image with a digital surface model. The article provides an example of a scheme for such road extraction. In addition, methods for extracting and mapping power lines by filtering the corresponding points are also considered. The ability to determine the exact size, slope, and exposure of a building's roof plane also makes it possible to estimate the potential level of solar radiation received by the roof, which can contribute to the optimal placement of solar power plants. Such an assessment may cause some difficulties, which are discussed in the article. The article proposes various optimization solutions for the considered methods, which were partially implemented in the ELiT software. In addition to effective tools for automatic data processing, the ELiT Project also provides an environment for high-quality visualization of results in a standard web-GIS interface. Conclusions. LiDAR data, in combination with efficient algorithms for processing and filtering data, greatly facilitates the solution of a number of tasks related to area monitoring and urban planning. In the future, the high accuracy of LiDAR data and the possibility of their visualization in GIS will make it possible to analyze the urban development features in order to identify the urban geosystemic properties of the city.

An Integrated Monitoring System for Coastal and Riparian Areas Based on Remote Sensing and Machine Learning

Nowadays, coastal areas are exposed to multiple hazards of increasing severity, such as coastal floods, erosion, subsidence due to a combination of natural and anthropogenic factors, including climate change and urbanisation. In order to cope with these challenges, new remote sensing monitoring solutions are required that are based on knowledge extraction and state of the art machine learning solutions that provide insights into the related physical mechanisms and allow the creation of innovative Decision Support Tools for managing authorities. In this paper, a novel user-friendly monitoring system is presented, based on state-of-the-art remote sensing and machine learning approaches. It uses processes for collecting and analysing data from various heterogeneous sources (satellite, in-situ, and other auxiliary data) for monitoring land cover and land use changes, coastline changes soil erosion, land deformations, and sea/ground water level. A rule-based Decision Support System (DSS) will be developed to evaluate changes over time and create alerts when needed. Finally, a WebGIS interface allows end-users to access and visualize information from the system. Experimental results deriving from various datasets are provided to assess the performance of the proposed system, which is implemented within the EPIPELAGIC bilateral Greece-China project. The system is currently being installed in the Greek case study area, namely Thermaikos Gulf in Thessaloniki, Greece.

Systemic vulnerability of coastal territories to erosion and marine flooding: A conceptual and methodological approach applied to Brittany (France)

The attractiveness of the coasts tends to increase their exposure to erosion and marine flooding risks. This exposure is exacerbated by the effects of climate change, in particular sea level rise. To contribute to strategic thinking on the vulnerability of coastal areas, it is essential to develop, share and collectively maintain relevant knowledge on risks. This article will present the thinking behind the setting up of a coastal risks observatory in Brittany, a region located in north-western France. It relies on a conceptual approach to systemic vulnerability based on four components: hazards, assets, management, and social representations. Hazards and assets underpin the notion of risk and tend to increase the vulnerability, management tends to mitigate it, and representations can play a part in increasing or decreasing it depending on the context. To understand and analyse this system of vulnerability, our approach is based on the generation of a set of 62 indicators combined into different types of indices. A web-GIS interface was developed to navigate through and map this system of vulnerability. The difficulties associated with this type of synthetic approach will be discussed, whether they are related to data availability, to the links between scientific research and operational territorial management requirements, or to an understanding of the dynamics of all of the vulnerability components and their interactions. Ultimately, the approach developed has been successful in mobilising scientific and operational stakeholders around the co-construction of a diagnosis of territories with regard to their vulnerability to coastal risks.

DEVELOPMENT OF THE MASDAN MOBILE APPLICATION AND WEB-BASED GIS INTERFACE FOR THE MONITORING AND MANAGEMENT OF THE MANILA BAY ENVIRONMENT

Abstract. This paper presents the development of MASDAN, an integrated platform consisting of a mobile application and a web-GIS interface for monitoring the Manila Bay environment. The MASDAN mobile application uses citizen science and Volunteered Geographic Information (VGI) to collect data on specific environmental issues. It also serves as an information, education, and communication (IEC) tool for its users. The MASDAN Monitoring Interface is a centralized citizen report assessment tool for local authorities and environmental agencies to validate and monitor environmental reports within their area of jurisdiction. These two components create a two-way flow of information between citizens and authorities, ensuring prompt and information-driven actions to environmental issues affecting the Manila Bay and linked environments.

WEB-BASED REPRESENTATION AND MANAGEMENT OF INFECTIOUS DISEASE DATA ON A CITY SCALE, CASE STUDY OF ST. PETERSBURG, RUSSIA

Abstract. In 2019–2020, we conducted a set of case studies devoted to the investigation and design of a methodology for GIS-based support of medical administration and planning on a city scale when accounting and controlling infectious disease. The studies were conducted for the administrative territory of St. Petersburg city (Russia), and were based upon the medical statistics data collected and accounted by St. Petersburg medical administration. The statistics included data on tuberculosis, human immunodeficiency virus and hepatitis infection. All the medical data used in the study are impersonalized. GIS-based MDMS prototype was developed upon the QGIS software.Moving forward in the previously formed study direction, now we are working on MDMS interface redesigning to facilitate its usability. Current activities are focussed on incorporation of the Web interface into previously developed MDMS prototype. The paper discusses development of the Web GIS interface prototype, and poses feature research and development aims. First feedback collected from medicals makes it possible to pose a Web-GIS-based MDMS as more flexible and easy to use, in comparison to the desktop-GIS-based.

A comprehensive system for semantic spatiotemporal assessment of risk in urban areas

AbstractRisk assessment of urban areas aims at limiting the impact of harmful events by increasing awareness of their possible consequences. Qualitative risk assessment allows to figure out possible risk situations and to prioritize them, whereas quantitative risk assessment is devoted to measuring risks from data, in order to improve preparedness in case of crisis situations. We propose an automatic approach to comprehensive risk assessment. This leverages on a semantic and spatiotemporal representation of knowledge of the urban area and relies on a software system including: a knowledge base; two components for quantitative and qualitative risk assessments, respectively; and a WebGIS interface. The knowledge base consists of the TERMINUS domain ontology, to represent urban knowledge, and of a geo‐referenced database, including geographical, environmental and urban data as well as temporal data related to the levels of operation of city services. CIPcast DSS is the component devoted to quantitative risk assessment, and WS‐CREAM is the component supporting qualitative risk assessment based on computational creativity techniques. Two case studies concerning the city of Rome (Italy) show how this approach can be used in a real scenario for crisis preparedness. Finally, we discuss issues related to plausibility of risks and objectivity of their assessment.

Web GIS for analysis of the past and future of the climate and hydrological conditions in the North-West of Russia

This paper discusses the development of a specialized web GIS (geoportal) dedicated to the analysis of changes in climate conditions and hydrological regime in the North-West of Russia. One of the main goals of geoportal is to provide a tool to answer simple questions about climate for wide range of users. For example, how has the climate and hydrology changed in a particular city over the past 70 years? What will it be like in 50 years? The main functionality, data and creation technologies are presented. Geoportal offers the tools that allow interactive processing of daily data time series on minimum, average, maximum air temperatures, precipitation and surface runoff, represented by both reanalysis data from 1950 and predictive data up to 2100. Information about actual observations at weather stations and hydrological posts is also available. Access to the geoportal is provided through the user’s web GIS interface and through the HTTP interface for developers, which opens up opportunities for integrating data into third-party services.

GeoAPEXOL, a web GIS interface for the Agricultural Policy Environmental eXtender (APEX) model enabling both field and small watershed simulation

Nonpoint source (NPS) pollution is a common problem faced in many places around the world. On-site evaluation of NPS pollution is helpful in deciding how serious the pollution is and where a controlling practice can potentially be implemented with the best effectiveness. In this study, a web GIS interface for the Agricultural Policy Environmental eXtender (APEX) model named GeoAPEXOL was developed. The interface serves as a tool to automatically setup the APEX model for a watershed or field and conduct a rapid evaluation of the NPS pollution. A background database including DEM, landuse, soil, climate, and agricultural management was prepared for automating the process of model setup. One important feature of the interface is that NPS pollution can be evaluated for a field boundary considering contribution from upstream areas, which may be located outside the field boundary and is generally ignored by traditional NPS evaluation methods at the field scale.

Remote Sensing for Maritime Prompt Monitoring

The main purpose of this paper is to describe a software platform dedicated to sea surveillance, capable of detecting and identifying illegal maritime traffic. This platform results from the cascade pipeline of several image processing algorithms that input Radar or Optical imagery captured by satellite-borne sensors and try to identify vessel targets in the scene and provide quantitative descriptors about their shape and motion. This platform is innovative since it integrates in its architecture heterogeneous data and data processing solutions with the goal of identifying navigating vessels in a unique and completely automatic processing streamline. More in detail, the processing chain consists of: (i) the detection of target vessels in an input map; (ii) the estimation of each vessel’s most descriptive geometrical and scatterometric (for radar images) features; (iii) the estimation of the kinematics of each vessel; (iv) the prediction of each vessel’s forthcoming route; and (v) the visualization of the results in a dedicated webGIS interface. The resulting platform represents a novel tool to counteract unauthorized fishing and tackle irregular migration and the related smuggling activities.

Landslide early warning system prototype with GIS analysis indicates by soil movement and rainfall

The aim of this paper is developing and testing of landslide early warning system. The early warning system uses accelerometersas ground movement and tilt-sensing device and a water flow sensor. A microcentroller is used to process the input signal and activate the alarm. An LCD is used to display the acceleration in x,y and z axis. When the soil moved or shifted and rainfall reached 100 mm/day, the alarm rang and signal were sentto the monitoring center via a telemetry system.Data logging information and GIS spatial data can be monitored remotely as tables and graphics as well as in the form of geographical map with the help of web-GIS interface. The system were tested at Kampung Gerendong, Desa Putat Nutug, Kecamatan Ciseeng, Kabupaten Bogor. This area has 3.15 cumulative score, which mean vulnerable to landslide. The results show that the early warning system worked as planned.

An oil risk management system based on high-resolution hazard and vulnerability calculations

A new oil risk management system is proposed herein. Risk is computed in a quantitative way, combining a detailed hazard maps generated with a process-based oil spill model over an unstructured computational grid, and a spatially detailed methodology for vulnerability analysis. The system has a web interface that serves as a single point of access to both emergency-driven and risk-management products. The system's products are made available to decision makers and emergency response agents through a WebGIS portal. The paper describes the methodological bases and application of a risk-assessment tool that provides hazard, vulnerability and risk assessment maps for oil spills in coastal areas.The system is demonstrated in the Aveiro lagoon. The hazard maps are obtained from the analysis of an oil spill scenarios database, generated for the climatological conditions most prone to the occurrence of an oil spill event in the study region. Several vulnerability indexes are considered (namely physical, socio-economical, biological and global vulnerability indexes) and adapted to consider the intertidal areas, instead of the commonly-used coastline representation of the vulnerability indexes usually found in the literature. This new feature was possible due to the capability of the oil spill model to represent the process of oil retention and re-suspension in the intertidal zones.The methodology and the risk management system and its WebGIS interface are of generic nature and can be applied to other hazards in coastal zones.

A local-scale approach to estuarine flood risk management

New challenges in flood risk management are raised by climate change and land-use development. These challenges are particularly complex in estuarine and coastal systems, where different hazard sources interact in a dynamic socio-economic context. This paper presents an innovative approach to support flood risk management in estuaries. The approach, developed at a local-scale basis, is applied in the case study of the Tagus estuary (Portugal). The methodology is supported by the regional framing of the study area and integrates hazard, exposed elements, territorial vulnerability and risk assessments considering different climate scenarios. Through the involvement of the various risk management dimensions, the results allow the definition of a new decision-making supporting framework for emergency and land-use planning. At the emergency level, the results include a WebGIS interface providing an early warning system for the locations with highest risk of flooding and the definition of emergency planning guidelines. A set of flood adaptation actions based on land-use and occupation measures are recommended to increase resilience in face of flooding and future sea level rise. The institutional capacity-building is achieved through the availability of information and tools that can effectively support decision-making. Additionally, the outcomes contribute to better understand flood risk in estuaries and to strengthen its prevention, preparedness and response, priorities defined in the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030.

Strategic Planning in the Old Towns’ Preservations. A Valuation-generative Pattern for the Urban Fabric Rehabilitations

The old town of Ragusa is getting through a process of progressive enhancement in some different directions. Its differently valued parts need to be comprised in a whole valorization strategy connecting the decision making process with functional and symbolic values. In such a multi-layered urban sub-system, the architectural unit can play the role of main information/value units which the valuation/decision making pattern starts from. The pattern works as an impact assessment tool, which generates a great number of intervention strategies in order to maximize different and conflicting objectives and provides for each of them an axiological profile aimed at defining a trade-off scheme between them. Some GIS tools and a WebGIS interface allow the real-time control of the different scenarios envisaged in the decision making process.

An interactive web-GIS tool for risk analysis: a case study in the Fella River basin, Italy

Abstract. This paper presents a prototype of an interactive web-GIS tool for risk analysis of natural hazards, in particular for floods and landslides, based on open-source geospatial software and technologies. The aim of the presented tool is to assist the experts (risk managers) in analysing the impacts and consequences of a certain hazard event in a considered region, providing an essential input to the decision-making process in the selection of risk management strategies by responsible authorities and decision makers. This tool is based on the Boundless (OpenGeo Suite) framework and its client-side environment for prototype development, and it is one of the main modules of a web-based collaborative decision support platform in risk management. Within this platform, the users can import necessary maps and information to analyse areas at risk. Based on provided information and parameters, loss scenarios (amount of damages and number of fatalities) of a hazard event are generated on the fly and visualized interactively within the web-GIS interface of the platform. The annualized risk is calculated based on the combination of resultant loss scenarios with different return periods of the hazard event. The application of this developed prototype is demonstrated using a regional data set from one of the case study sites, Fella River of northeastern Italy, of the Marie Curie ITN CHANGES project.

HOTVOLC: a web-based monitoring system for volcanic hot spots

Abstract Infrared (IR) satellite-based sensors allow the detection and quantification of volcanic hot spots. Sensors flown on geostationary satellites are particularly helpful in the early warning and continuous tracking of effusive activity. Development of operational monitoring and dissemination systems is essential to achieve the real-time ingestion and processing of IR data for a timely response during volcanic crises. HOTVOLC is a web-based satellite-data-driven monitoring system developed at the Observatoire de Physique du Globe de Clermont-Ferrand (Clermont-Ferrand), designed to achieve near-real-time monitoring of volcanic activity using on-site ingestion of geostationary satellite data (e.g. MSG-SEVIRI, MTSAT, GOES-Imager). Here we present the characteristics of the HOTVOLC system for the monitoring of effusive activity. The system comprises two acquisition stations and secure databases (i.e. mirrored archives). The detection of volcanic hot spots uses a contextual algorithm that is based on a modified form of the Normalized Thermal Index (NTI*) and VAST. Raster images and numerical data are available to open-access on a Web-GIS interface. Tests are carried out and presented here, particularly for the 12–13 January 2011 eruption of Mount Etna, to show the capability of the system to provide quantitative information such as lava volume and time-averaged discharge rate. Examples of operational application reveal the ability of the HOTVOLC system to provide timely thermal information about volcanic hot spot activity.

Prototype of a Web-based Participative Decision Support Platform in Natural Hazards and Risk Management

This paper presents the current state and development of a prototype web-GIS (Geographic Information System) decision support platform intended for application in natural hazards and risk management, mainly for floods and landslides. This web platform uses open-source geospatial software and technologies, particularly the Boundless (formerly OpenGeo) framework and its client side software development kit (SDK). The main purpose of the platform is to assist the experts and stakeholders in the decision-making process for evaluation and selection of different risk management strategies through an interactive participation approach, integrating web-GIS interface with decision support tool based on a compromise programming approach. The access rights and functionality of the platform are varied depending on the roles and responsibilities of stakeholders in managing the risk. The application of the prototype platform is demonstrated based on an example case study site: Malborghetto Valbruna municipality of North-Eastern Italy where flash floods and landslides are frequent with major events having occurred in 2003. The preliminary feedback collected from the stakeholders in the region is discussed to understand the perspectives of stakeholders on the proposed prototype platform.

Technical Note: An operational landslide early warning system at regional scale based on space–time-variable rainfall thresholds

Abstract. We set up an early warning system for rainfall-induced landslides in Tuscany (23 000 km2). The system is based on a set of state-of-the-art intensity–duration rainfall thresholds (Segoni et al., 2014b) and makes use of LAMI (Limited Area Model Italy) rainfall forecasts and real-time rainfall data provided by an automated network of more than 300 rain gauges. The system was implemented in a WebGIS to ease the operational use in civil protection procedures: it is simple and intuitive to consult, and it provides different outputs. When switching among different views, the system is able to focus both on monitoring of real-time data and on forecasting at different lead times up to 48 h. Moreover, the system can switch between a basic data view where a synoptic scenario of the hazard can be shown all over the region and a more in-depth view were the rainfall path of rain gauges can be displayed and constantly compared with rainfall thresholds. To better account for the variability of the geomorphological and meteorological settings encountered in Tuscany, the region is subdivided into 25 alert zones, each provided with a specific threshold. The warning system reflects this subdivision: using a network of more than 300 rain gauges, it allows for the monitoring of each alert zone separately so that warnings can be issued independently. An important feature of the warning system is that the visualization of the thresholds in the WebGIS interface may vary in time depending on when the starting time of the rainfall event is set. The starting time of the rainfall event is considered as a variable by the early warning system: whenever new rainfall data are available, a recursive algorithm identifies the starting time for which the rainfall path is closest to or overcomes the threshold. This is considered the most hazardous condition, and it is displayed by the WebGIS interface. The early warning system is used to forecast and monitor the landslide hazard in the whole region, providing specific alert levels for 25 distinct alert zones. In addition, the system can be used to gather, analyze, display, explore, interpret and store rainfall data, thus representing a potential support to both decision makers and scientists.

GEOBASI: The geochemical Database of Tuscany Region (Italy)

In this study the new Regional Geochemical Database (RGDB), called GEOBASI, is presented and illustrated in the framework of a joint collaboration among the three Tuscan universities (Florence, Pisa and Siena), CNR-IGG (Institute of Geosciences and Earth Resources of Pisa), ARPAT (Regional Agency for the Environmental Protection), LAMMA (Environmental Modelling and Monitoring Laboratory for Sustainable Development) Consortium and S.I.R.A. (Territorial and Environmental Informative System of Tuscany). The database has permitted the construction of a repository where the geochemical information (compositional and isotopic) has been stored in a structured way so that it can be available for different groups of users (e.g. institutional, public and private companies). The information contained in the database can in fact be downloaded freely and queried to correlate geochemistry to other non compositional variables. The first phase of the project was aimed at promoting the use of the geochemical data already available from previous investigations through a powerful Web-GIS interface to implement the exploratory statistics graphical-numerical tools used to: 1) analyse the spatial variability of the investigated context, 2) highlight the geographic location of data pertaining to classes of values or single cases, 3) compare the results of different analytical methodologies applied to the determination of the same element and/or chemical species, 4) extract the geochemical data related to specific monitoring plans and/or geographical areas, and finally 5) recover information about data below the detection limit to understand their impact on the behaviour of the investigated variable. Developments of this project will be focused on the definition of rules and standardized methods in a way that external users could also interactively pursue the RGDB. Furthermore, a detailed investigation of the Scarlino-Follonica plain will permit the improvement and test of statistical and geostatistical methods, using open source software (QGIS and R) to support the process of evaluation of the geochemical baseline.