Environmental change and human mobility in the digital age

This intervention argues for the need of research to examine how information and communication technologies (ICTs) shape human mobility in the context of environmental change. ICTs are becoming increasingly central in the daily lives of migrants and communities at risk of environmental events. There is a lack of research, however, exploring how access to and the use of ICTs influences practices and dynamics of human mobility in the face of environmental change. I will outline this research gap and highlight areas for further research. I will do so by bringing together literature from human geography and environmental studies on migration and social resilience, and from sociology on the influence of our mobile and network society. In conceptualizing the role that ICTs play, I argue that the use of ICTs shapes human mobility through its impact on social network activities and relations. In this manner, this intervention builds on a growing body of research conceptualizing social networks – and related dynamics of power, access, in/exclusion – as shaping migration trajectories and abilities to cope with environmental events.     

Power and privilege in alternative civic practices: Examining imaginaries of change and embedded rationalities in community economies

Community economies can be considered as examples of the diverse economies growing outside common capitalist logics of private accumulation and profit, seeking to bypass or reconfigure dominant global trends of societal and economic organization. Yet, these communities seem to fit quite well under a neoliberal program in which responsibilities are shifting downwards, favoring multi-level governance over State intervention and accountability. This binary character makes imperative an open and critical discussion on the development of community initiatives, including on the motivations and visions of citizens practicing alternative ethical consumption. This article explores the neoliberal rationalities embraced by community members within the imaginaries of change they frame and examines how these rationalities contribute to (re)producing neoliberal conditions and forms of governance. Our analysis builds on semi-structured interviews conducted among the members of 11 initiatives in 5 EU countries and on participant observation. We argue here that communities articulate an “alternative imaginary” of change that appears imprinted by core neoliberal rationalities around questions of individual responsibility, the role of the State, and civic participation and equity. It is an imaginary related to the construction of CBEs to by-pass existing socio-political and economic configurations. This imaginary more often than not responds to neoliberal promises of individual freedom and autonomy and seems to undermine CBEs' more radical possibilities at the same time obscuring more diverse voices of transformation.     

Escape the lion cage: Social networks by catch zones of small-scale fisheries in the oil settlement of Lobitos (Peru)

Artisanal fishing communities are often in conflict with the interests of the oil extraction industry, industrial fishing fleets and tourism. This paper considers Lobitos, a fishing enclave in northern Peru, where the oldest oil settlement in Latin America was established. The primary focus is community organization and development of the fisheries. Using a mixed methods approach, intensive ethnographic observation and analysis of the social networks of the skippers of small-scale fishing vessels was conducted by in-depth interviews with 30 artisanal fishermen, together with a social network survey involving 43 boat captains in Lobitos. The results showed the mistrust and negative attitudes of fishermen towards oil companies and the industrial fishing fleet. However, they expressed positive expectations regarding tourism development, as well as favorable attitudes towards the diversification of fishing activity through tourist services. The networks of acquaintances, social support and exchange of ecological information allowed us to identify three different groups of fishermen according to preferential fishing zones. The skippers of vessels that prefer to fish in intermediate zones have a prominent role, both in terms of local leadership and through the connection with boats belonging to other bays near Lobitos. This subgroup acts as an intermediary in the networks a whole and has an integrated vision of the coastal ecosystem. Network measures and preferential fishing zones can be used as indicators to assess the degree of availability and preparation for the implementation of new uses in the fisheries sector associated with tourism and heritage.     

Application of Artificial Neural Networks to Rainfall Forecasting in Queensland, Australia

In this study,the application of artificial intelligence to monthly and seasonal rainfall forecasting in Queensland,Australia,was assessed by inputting recognized climate indices,monthly historical rainfall data,and atmospheric temperatures into a prototype stand-alone,dynamic,recurrent,time-delay,artificial neural network.Outputs,as monthly rainfall forecasts 3 months in advance for the period 1993 to 2009,were compared with observed rainfall data using time-series plots,root mean squared error(RMSE),and Pearson correlation coefficients.A comparison of RMSE values with forecasts generated by the Australian Bureau of Meteorology’s Predictive Ocean Atmosphere Model for Australia(POAMA)-1.5 general circulation model(GCM) indicated that the prototype achieved a lower RMSE for 16 of the 17 sites compared.The application of artificial neural networks to rainfall forecasting was reviewed.The prototype design is considered preliminary,with potential for significant improvement such as inclusion of output from GCMs and experimentation with other input attributes.     

基于神经网络方法的不确定非线性微分-代数子系统的鲁棒反推镇定控制

对于指数1且关联可测的不确定非线性微分-代数子系统,将反推方法和神经网络相结合,研究了其鲁棒渐近镇定控制问题.基于反推方法来构造镇定控制器,利用3层的神经网络来逼近每一步控制器构造过程中的不确定项.提出一种新的自适应算法对神经网络权值进行在线调节,并适当选取每一步虚拟控制器的参数,最终得到的控制器使得闭环系统是渐近稳定的.     

人工智能神经网络在岩性识别、孔隙度和渗透率预测中的应用——以十红滩铀矿床为例

分析了传统测井解释方法的局限性。从神经网络的机理、特点出发,提出了一种基于人工智能神经网络技术的岩性识别、孔隙度和渗透率预测方法。首先选取适当的测井资料向量组成一个训练模式对,由多个训练模式对构成一个学习样本集。通过神经网络的学习,使网络记住这些特征并形成预测模型,最后根据预测模型计算相应参数。以十红滩地区的找矿目的层为对象,进行了岩性分析与对比,预测了孔隙度与渗透率,并与实测值进行了对比。上述实例分析表明,该方法用于砂岩型铀矿预测岩性、孔隙度和渗透率具有一定的可行性。与传统方法相比,该方法不需要建立具体的解释模型和计算公式,有较好的适应性和预测精度。基于人工智能神经网络技术的岩性识别、孔隙度和渗透率预测方法具有较高的实用价值。     

Macroregional economic integration in Southeast Asia: AFTA and the automobile industry from a Thai perspective

Cross‐border automobile production and trade is still subject to regulations and restrictions in developed as well as developing political economic spaces. Although global production networks are within this industrial sector are significantly underpinned by political economies at national scales, macro‐scale regulation increasingly influences how and where lead firms operate within the global economy. Within this changing context, this paper outlines the recent regulatory changes in the regional political economy of Southeast Asia with the introduction of the ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA). Drawing on empirical evidence from the Thai industry, and how macroregional automobile production networks are established, the paper focuses on the changes of this free trade policy for component as well as vehicle trade.     

Strong growth in weakly-developed networks: Producer-user interaction and knowledge brokers in the Greater Shanghai chemical industry

This paper investigates the developing spatial and social division of labor in the Greater Shanghai chemical industry. This industry experienced strong growth after the Asian financial crisis, when policy support was extended beyond “new economy” industries to include traditional manufacturing sectors. Based on a conceptualization that emphasizes the role of producer-user networks and interactive learning as a basis for ongoing innovation and business success, an explorative study was designed to investigate the supplier and customer linkages in different locations of the Greater Shanghai region. The results suggest that inter-firm networks are not extensive and often involve limited producer-user interaction. Important chemical firms in the region concentrate on business with their established international customer basis, use state-controlled distribution channels or rely on intermediaries that act as knowledge brokers. Neither of these practices of market interaction includes intensive information exchange and feedback on products, customer experience and demand changes. As such, these practices do not provide a sound basis for self-sustained growth or innovation in the future. The paper concludes that regional policy needs to support the establishment of combined “bonding” and “bridging” relations between chemical producers and their user industries.     

地方生产网络空间结构演化过程与机制研究——以潮汕纺织服装行业为例

采用社会调查法,借助社会网络分析软件,运用演化经济地理学核心概念,对中国潮汕地区的纺织服装生产网络进行了案例研究。结果表明:①改革开放后,潮汕地方生产网络内部空间结构不断演变,从多点集聚向多个孤立集群网络演进,再向跨集群地方网络发展;②网络演化本质上是企业关系的变化,企业间关系是在外部环境作用下企业根据自身能力做出的战略选择,地理临近与路径依赖使潮汕集群网络结构得以保持(即"遗传"),企业创新需求作用下的路径创新推动了集群间联系的发展(即"变异");③生产网络演化机理的研究还应加强对路径创新与地方产业升级的研究。     

知识引导下的城区LiDAR点云高精度三角网渐进滤波方法

针对城区LiDAR点云特点,提出一种基于知识的三角网渐进滤波方法：①对格网内插后的栅格数据进行面向对象分割;②采用迭代Otsu聚类手段对地面对象与非地面对象自动分离;③针对分类结果构建初始三角网,并自适应调整地面点判据参数,达到提高滤波质量目的。选用ALS50系统真实数据进行滤波实验,并与传统方法滤波结果进行精度评价,评价结果表明：基于知识的滤波方法能进一步提高点云滤波质量。