Land Cover Mapping for Namdapha National Park (Arunachal Pradesh), India Using Harmonized Land Cover Legends

Since last few decades RS-GIS is playing vital role in studying and mapping spatiotemporal responses of land cover, however, as a matter of fact, the mapping outputs largely depend on the expert's/user's preferences because location specific and people specific land cover classification systems are adopted autonomously for image classification in GIS. This may actually lead to an ambiguous definition of a particular land cover type when such different maps are compared at global level. In 1993, FAO and UNEP started efforts for development of a software tool know as LCCS which is a comprehensive standardized tool capable of providing land cover characterization to all possible land cover types in the world regardless of spatial relevance, mapping scale, data collection method etc. Adding to the global efforts of land cover legend harmonization and mapping, this study presents development of harmonized land cover legends for Namdapha National Park located in north-eastern Indian Himalayan region using LCCS and subsequent mapping. The potential of Remote Sensing (RS) and Geographical Information Systems (GIS) in forest/land cover mapping is very well recognized. Therefore, adopting the developed harmonized legends for the study area, land cover mapping was done using RS-GIS approach.     

Sea Level Variations and Geomorphological Changes in the Coastal Belt of Pakistan

The UNEP in its regional seas program in 1989 has included Pakistan in a group of countries which are vulnerable to the impact of rising sea level. If the present trend of sea level rise (SLR) at Karachi continues, in the next 50 years the sea level rise along the Pakistan Coast will be 50 mm (5 cm). Since the rising rates of sea level at Karachi are within the global range of 1-2 mm/year, the trends may be treated as eustatic SLR. Historical air temperature and sea surface temperature (SST) data of Karachi also show an increasing pattern and an increasing trend of about 0.67°C has been registered in the air temperature over the last 35 years, whereas the mean SST in the coastal waters of Karachi has also registered an increasing trend of about 0.3°C in a decade. Sindh coastal zone is more vulnerable to sea level rise than Baluchistan coast, as uplifting of the coast by about 1-2 mm/year due to subduction of Indian Ocean plate is a characteristic of Baluchistan coast. Within the Indus deltaic creek system, the area nearby Karachi is more vulnerable to coastal erosion and accretion than the other deltaic region, mainly due to human activities together with natural phenomena such as wave action, strong tidal currents, and rise in sea level. Therefore, The present article deals mainly with the study of dynamical processes such as erosion and accretion associated with sea level variations along the Karachi coast and surrounding Indus deltaic coastline. The probable beach erosion in a decade along the sandy beaches of Karachi has been estimated. The estimates show that 1.1 mm/year rise in sea level causes a horizontal beach loss of 110 mm per year. Therefore, coast eroded with rise in sea level at Karachi and surrounding sandy beaches would be 1.1 m during a period of next 10 years. The northwestern part of Indus delta, especially the Gizri and Phitti creeks and surrounding islands, are most unstable. Historical satellite images are used to analyze the complex pattern of sediment movements, the change in shape of coastline, and associated erosion and accretion patterns in Bundal and Buddo Islands. The significant changes in land erosion and accretion areas at Bundal and Buddo Islands are evident and appear prominently in the images. A very high rate of accretion of sediments in the northwestern part of Buddo Island has been noticed. In the southwest monsoon season the wave breaking direction in both these islands is such that the movement of littoral drift is towards west. Erosion is also taking place in the northeastern and southern part of Bundal Island. The erosion in the south is probably due to strong wave activities and in the northeast is due to strong tidal currents and seawater intrusion. Accretion takes place at the northwest and western parts of Bundal Island. By using the slope of Indus delta, sea encroachment and the land area inundation with rising sea level of 1 m and 2 m have also been estimated.     

Automatic Classification of Retail Spaces from a Large Scale Topographic Database

There is considerable interest in understanding the distribution patterns of different types of retail space, over time, and doing so at a national scale. Yet a lack of suitable data, coupled with poor classification schemas, has stymied efforts to create such a national perspective. This research reports on metrics and classification methodologies that have been applied to large scale topographic data, that afford a systematic classification of certain retail spaces potentially at the national coverage. By analysing the form, composition, extent and patterns of buildings within retail spaces, together with their degree of centrality and levels of access, we demonstrate that it is possible to classify different types of retail space. The research illustrates the utility of fine scale topographic data beyond mere mapping. The article compares three methodologies used for classification (Boolean, fuzzy logic and Bayesian modelling) and evaluates them through comparison with known locations of various retail types as a way of assessing the validity of these approaches. The quality of the results are good, though the work highlights the inconsistency in definitions that currently exist – reflecting, as much as anything, the shifting sands of definitions of various retail spaces that ebb and flow according to consumer needs, and the ambitions of urban planners.     

Analytical study of thermonuclear reaction probability integrals

An analytic study of the reaction probability integralscorresponding to the various forms of the slowly varyingcross-section factor S(E) is attempted. Exact expressions forreaction probability integrals are expressed in terms ofthe extended gamma functions.     

A computerized approach to select the most cost-effective telemetry system

Large water utilities adopt various levels of automation involving digital computer technology and modern instrumentation that provide the capability of controlling most operations in the water treatment and distribution system. One of the major components of water system automation is telemetering of information to and from a central control centre.Most water utility systems currently use leased telephone lines for telemetry requirement. An alternative approach is microwave telemetry. Concern about recent increases in leased-line tariff rates, the apparent tendency for further increases, and the degree of service provided by local telephone systems led to a study which showed that overall water distribution system telemetry cost can be minimized by adopting a hybrid telemetry system composed of both radio links and telephone links.A need arises to determine the transmission links for which each alternative method is economically more suitable. This paper presents an interactive computer program which performs an economic analysis of the transmission links in a water distribution system to determine the hybrid configuration of radio and leased phone lines that provide the most cost-effective telemetry system. A typical phone tariff structure is presented. The set of input variables can be altered interactively, and the effect of the change on system telemetry cost can be examined, allowing a resolution of a series of ‘what if’ questions of interest to a water utility manager. A case example is presented.     

Similarity theory of diffusion and the observed vertical spread in the diabatic surface layer

The extension of Lagrangian similarity theory of diffusion to stratified flow is examined, to improve its prediction of the vertical spread of a passive substance. In the basic equation, where is the average height of a cluster of particles,u _* is the friction velocity andL is Monin-Obukhov length. It is shown theoretically, under the assumption of an equivalence between the diffusivities of heat and matter, that the unspecified function is the reciprocal of a more familiar meteorological parameter _n , the dimensionless temperature gradient. The universal constantb is found to be approximately equal to von Karman's constant for various stability conditions. The predicted effect of stability on vertical spread shows excellent agreement with that of the published data from the O'Neill experiments.     

Ground Water Remediation Using an Extraction, Treatment, and Recharge System

Ground water remediation of volatile organic compound (VOC) contamination at a site in Michigan was initiated as a result of a consent agreement between the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) and the responsible party. Under the direction of the MDNR, the responsible party conducted a remedial investigation/feasibility study using federal guidelines to define the extent of contamination at the site and to select a response action for site remediation. The selected alternative included a combination of ground water extraction, treatment, and recharge, and soil flushing. The extraction system withdraws ground water from various depths in heavily contaminated areas. The ground water is treated using an air stripper. A spray distribution system spreads effluent from the stripper over a recharge basin constructed over the most contaminated areas. Additional contaminant removal is achieved by volatilization from the spray and percolation through the gravel bed. Recharge water moves downward through the contaminated soils, thus flushing residual soil contaminants. The initial operating data demonstrated that the system can effectively remove trichloroethylene (TCE) from ground water (approximately 95 percent overall removal efficiency). The annualized capital and operation and maintenance (O & M) costs of the remedial action were estimated for several operating periods (15, 20, and 30 years).     

Snow and forest cover assessment of uttaranachal state using irs 1c wifs data

In this study, IRS 1C WiFS data have been used for the assessment of two natural resources i.e. forest cover and snow cover. These two resources have a great role to play in various hydrological studies such as floods, soil erosion and water pollution etc. Therefore their assessment is very useful in various hydrological studies and management of these resources. The assessment of snow and forest cover have been made on the basis of multispectral classification and classification of NDVI images. Newly created Uttaranchal state has been taken as the study area. These two resources have been estimated for all the thirteen districts of the state separately. The forest cover area estimated in this study is compared with the available data sets of Forest Survey of India (FSI). The estimated forest is 52%, whereas the forest cover reported by the FSI is 44.5% of the total geographical area of the state. The snow cover is estimated for the period after winter season i.e. maximum snow cover and before next winter season i.e. minimum snow cover. It is found that one quarter of the state is under snow cover covering six districts of the state. As such no estimate of snow cover at regional scale has been made so far therefore comparison of the present assessment could not be made.