Integration of GIS and video surveillance

This paper discusses the integration of three-dimensional (3D) geographic information systems (GIS) and video surveillance systems using augmented reality (AR) techniques. The motivation for this integration is to overcome problems faced by conventional video surveillance systems. Explicit information concerning which camera currently monitors what area in such systems is missing; therefore, insight into the situation depends heavily on the operator’s training and experience. To ensure the complete coordination and monitoring of a situation in a system with multiple cameras, it is necessary to introduce a single reference system. GIS arises as a natural solution because it not only provides a solid ground truth but also provides semantic information that can be highly important in certain video surveillance applications. To integrate information into a GIS application, that information must be georeferenced. Based on our previous research regarding the addition of georeferencing information to surveillance video, this paper introduces models that can be applied to help integrate video and GIS. With an analogy to Milgram’s continuum between the real world and virtual reality, and analogous to the augmented reality and augmented virtuality in Milgram’s continuum, two models of integration are defined here: GIS-augmented video and video-augmented GIS. Then, we define the architecture of GIS-based video surveillance based on these proposed integration models, and finally, a prototype is implemented. The implemented prototype serves as a basis for analysing possible applications of real-world systems based on the integration of GIS and video.     

Removal of heavy metal ions from drinking water by alginate-immobilised <Emphasis Type="Italic">Chlorella sorokiniana</Emphasis>

This paper investigates the potential of alginate-immobilised Chlorella sorokiniana for removing Cu²⁺, Ni²⁺ and Cd²⁺ ions from drinking water solutions. The effects of initial metal concentrations, contact times and temperatures on the biosorptions and removal efficiencies of the tested metals were investigated at initial pH values of 5, and pH effects were studied within the range of 3–7. When studying the effects of initial metal concentrations, the highest experimental removal yields achieved for Cu²⁺, Ni²⁺ and Cd²⁺ ions were 97.10, 50.94 and 64.61 %, respectively. The maximum biosorption capacities obtained by the Langmuir isotherm model for the biosorptions of Cu²⁺, Ni²⁺ and Cd²⁺ ions by alginate-immobilised C. sorokiniana were found to be 179.90, 86.49 and 164.50 mg/g biosorbent, respectively. The experimental data followed pseudo-second-order kinetics. At an initial metal concentration of 25 mg/L, immobilised algae could be used in at least 5 successive biosorption–desorption cycles. SEM and EDS analyses revealed that the metals bonded to the biosorbent. Bi- and multi-metal systems of Cu²⁺, Ni²⁺ and Cd²⁺ were investigated at initial metal concentrations of 30, 50 and 100 mg/L. The removal of Cd²⁺ as well as Ni²⁺ in such systems was negatively affected by the presence of Cu²⁺. The removal efficiency for Cu²⁺ in multi-metal systems decreased by 5–7 %, whilst in the cases of Cd²⁺ and Ni²⁺ the efficiencies decreased by up to 30 %. Nevertheless, the results obtained show that alginate-immobilised C. sorokiniana can efficiently remove the metals tested from polluted drinking water sources.     

Geoarchaeological evidence on a Late Bronze Age earthquake,Ohrid Basin (North Macedonia)

Geoarchaeological investigations on the northeastern shore of Lake Ohrid revealed 3.5 m thick deepwater lacustrine sediments overlying terrestrial vegetation macrofossils, worked wood and abundant potsherds dated to the Late Bronze Age (LBA). Distinct contact of deepwater sediment with the sub-aerial weathered limestone bedrock point to a sudden increase in lake level. According to radiocarbon data, catastrophic flooding occurred shortly after 1214 yr bc. Because the area is located in a highly active seismic zone, we propose that this event was caused by tectonically induced, metre-scale coseismic subsidence related to faults bordering the Ohrid alluvial plain. Moreover, this event coincides well with a dramatic switch in the habitation and settlement strategy in the region. More important, however, is the finding that the age of the proposed massive tectonic event and change in habitation lies within the interval of the proposed ‘earthquake storm’ in the eastern Mediterranean dated to 1225–1175 bc. As the Ohrid-Korça zone belongs to the same tectonic province, a relationship between the abovementioned earthquakes and the proposed event can be expected. This research therefore might provide the first direct evidence of a large-scale earthquake event linkable to the LBA collapse of Europe's first urban civilisation in the Aegean.     

A case study of sewage discharge in the shallow coastal area of the Northern Adriatic Sea (Gulf of Trieste)

A case study was carried out in 2000 in the shallow coastal area of the Northern Adriatic Sea (Gulf of Trieste) where untreated domestic sewage and industrial wastes are discharged at rate of 5500 m³·day^?1. The sewage plume above the outfall was followed using faecal coliforms (FC) and overturning length scale (l_T). The latter was rejected as a marker as the discharge conditions prohibit following the turbulence of sewage water. Intermittent sewage discharge is reflected in the minimal effect of eutrophication. Increase of phytoplankton biomass is thus only minor compared with the unpolluted area regardless of elevated concentrations of sewage‐derived nutrients (confirmed by correlation coefficients between FC and NH₄⁺, TP, PO₄^3?: 0.78, 0.71 and 0.67, respectively). Deteriorated trophic status, determined by the TRIX index, was observed only in the surface layer (average TRIX: 5.67). High FC content well above the regulation limit (up to 2.6 × 10⁵ FC·100 ml^?1) represents, therefore, the major negative impact of the improperly treated waste for the risk to human health.     

Mesozooplankton spatial distribution and community structure in the South Adriatic Sea during two winters (2015, 2016)

Whereas the data on mesozooplankton in the epipelagic offshore Mediterranean Sea are extensive, less information is available about plankton in the deeper layers. The present study aims to describe the vertical and horizontal structure and distribution of mesozooplankton species and their associations down to 1,200 m in the water of the Southern Adriatic Sea. Zooplankton were sampled using a Nansen net of 200‐μm mesh size during two cruises in the winters of 2015 and 2016, extending from the coast to the open sea. In total, 203 zooplankton taxa were identified. The community was dominated by copepods, representing between 67% and 91% of the total abundance. The highest total densities were recorded in the upper layers where a high proportion (up to 36%) of appendicularians was also observed in the first sampled year. Five groups of samples were determined based on their community structure. In 2015 communities were distinct between the 0 and 50 m layer and the underlying one (50–100 m), whereas in 2016 epipelagic waters were inhabited by a more uniform mesozooplankton community. The mesopelagic and deep‐water fauna, especially copepods, showed a relatively stable composition in both sampling years Overall, our study confirms the oligotrophic character of the Southern Adriatic, with occasional density outbreaks of appendicularians under favourable conditions.