The Square Kilometre Array: An International Engineering Perspective

The pace of the international Square Kilometre Array (SKA) project is accelerating, with major concept reviews recently completed and a number of technology demonstrators well underway. First-round submissions to host the telescope were lodged by six countries. The SKA timeline currently shows a site decision in 2006, and one or more technology concepts chosen in 2008. The telescope is expected to be operational, in various phases, in the period 2015–2020. This paper gives a status review of the project, and outlines engineering concept development and demonstration projects.     

小型私有云环境在智慧城市中的应用

当前智慧城市建设如火如荼,各部委、各地市纷纷开展智慧城市建设,云计算是智慧城市建设的主要内容之一,私有云环境建设为云计算提供基础环境,如何根据各地市的实际情况,布设私有云环境,是智慧城市建设面临的重大课题。本文通过对比多种私有云环境建设方法,为中小城市开展云环境搭建,提供技术参考。     

面向智慧城市建设的居民公共服务需求研究——以河北省石家庄市为例

以人为本的公共服务是智慧城市建设的首要内容。本文以快速城镇化进程中的石家庄市智慧城市建设为例,结合671份有效调查问卷,从分析城市居民现实需求入手,研究城市公共服务存在的问题,为确定智慧城市建设方向和重点提供决策依据。结果显示,交通出行和空气治理是城市公共服务智慧化亟需改善的内容,食品安全则需加强重点环节监管和全过程信息采集,医疗教育、社会保障应加强信息资源的整合共享和均衡配置,无线网络全城覆盖和网上远程服务是公众的期盼。研究结果表明:石家庄智慧城市建设还处在初期阶段,公共服务水平距离居民需求还存在不小差距,在政府统筹的引导机制、市场导向的动力机制和社会公众的参与机制等方面还不健全,应从优化顶层设计、整合信息资源、推进数据决策、强化社会参与等方面不断完善智慧城市公共服务建设管理。     

浅层地震技术在济南地下空间探测中的应用

浅层地震作为城市地下空间探测中必不可少的一种手段,其勘探效果受到很多方面的影响,如激发、接收因素、采集参数以及处理方法等,因此需要根据地质任务进行系统科学的论证、选取.笔者以济南地下空间探测项目为例,探讨提高浅层地震勘探分辨率的方法,通过综合分析研究区的资料建立合理的地震地质模型,基于该模型进行地震采集参数波动方程正演...     

欧洲经济地理学区域创新政策研究进展

区域创新政策对创新驱动增长和经济结构转型升级至关重要。20世纪90年代以来,基于对新古典主义经济学“空间中性”的创新政策的反思,欧洲经济地理学提出“基于空间”的区域创新政策,至今已被欧盟委员会和经济合作与发展组织等组织所采用。本文对这一时期欧洲经济地理学区域创新政策的发展背景、主要任务、理论基础和政策建议等方面进行梳理,研究发现：第一,欧洲经济地理学区域创新政策的主流框架有3个,分别是区域创新系统、精明专业化和可持续转型地理理论;第二,3个框架各有侧重,区域创新系统侧重解决系统失灵问题,精明专业化聚焦优先发展领域的选择问题,可持续转型地理理论则强调转型失灵问题;第三,针对上述问题,3个框架均给出“基于空间”的区域创新政策建议,其中,区域创新系统和精明专业化是基于区域资源禀赋差异的视角,可持续转型地理理论则从技术的空间粘性角度出发。最后,提出中国经济地理学未来区域创新政策研究的几个重点研究方向。     

高分辨率对地观测技术在智慧城市中的应用

从智慧城市的概念和发展历程出发,提出数字城市、物联网、云计算等智慧城市建设的关键技术,探讨了高分辨率对地观测技术在智慧城市建设中的应用,列举了智慧城市的典型应用,指出了从数字城市发展到智慧城市的必然趋势,并展望智慧城市的挑战和美好前景。     

Mobile GIS occupancy audit of Ulana informal settlement in Ekurhuleni municipality,South Africa

ABSTRACT

Relocating people in informal settlements and upgrading the lives of those people require consistent commitment, good strategies, and supporting systems. In South Africa, in order to allocate subsidized housing to beneficiaries of an informal settlement, beneficiary administration needs to determine the number of people who qualify for subsidized houses. Without geo-spatial data-based technical verification, conventional methods of occupancy audits are often cumbersome, are unreliable, and do not promote smart and evidence-based decision making. Accordingly, the aim of this study is to propose and develop an Oracle-based mobile GIS tool to conduct an occupancy audit for Ulana, an informal settlement in Ekurhuleni Municipality in South Africa. Android-based tablets were used to collect the geographic and socio-economic attributes of the informal dwelling units (DU). Spatial analysis (in ArcGIS software and geo-spatial modeling environment) and statistical analysis were conducted to produce the occupancy audit. The results indicated that the use of mobile GIS provides up-to-date, accurate, comprehensive, and real-time data so as to facilitate the development of smart and integrated human settlements. The results of this audit also indicated that only 57% of the households residing in Ulana could potentially benefit from receiving a subsidized house. Accordingly, the occupancy audit enables planners to plan appropriate upgrading and housing development strategies for informal settlement. This study demonstrates that successful planning of housing delivery for post independent integrated neighborhoods is not a mere political rhetoric but is viable when it is based on reasonable geo-spatial techniques and information. The use of mobile GIS therefore needs to be extended to other informal settlement upgrading projects in South Africa as well as other cities in the global south. However, proper professional training is required to ensure the successful usage of smart mobile GIS tools.     

Beyond density: municipal expenditures and the shape and location of development

A clear understanding of the relationship between development patterns and municipal expenditures is complicated by how one chooses to quantify these patterns. Extant literature often employs a single density measure to capture the low-density nature of sprawl. While density provides an intuitive link to economies of scale and congestion costs, it fails to capture other spatial characteristics of sprawl related to centrality, connectedness, and mixed use that may influence municipal expenditures according to Smart Growth and New Urbanism advocates. This study uses Massachusetts orthoimagery data to construct multidimensional measures of residential and commercial land use patterns. Municipal expenditures associated with public works, fire, and police are regressed on multidimensional measures of land use as well as a number of demand controls. Findings indicate that economies and diseconomies do exist with respect to the multidimensional metrics considered. Support is mixed for development patterns emphasized by Smart Growth and New Urbanism advocates.     

Factors Influencing Water Consumption in Multifamily Housing in Tempe,Arizona

Central to the Smart Growth movement is that compact development reduces vehicle miles traveled, carbon emissions, and water use. Empirical efforts to evaluate compact development have examined residential densities but have not distinguished decreasing lot sizes from multifamily apartments as mechanisms for compact development. Efforts to link design features to water use have emphasized single-family at the expense of multifamily housing. This study isolates the determinants of water use in large (more than fifty units) apartment complexes in the city of Tempe, Arizona. In July 2007, per bedroom water use increased with pool area, dishwashers, and in-unit laundry facilities. We are able to explain nearly 50 percent of the variation in water demand with these variables. These results inform public policy for reducing water use in multifamily housing structures, suggesting strategies to construct and market “green” apartment units.     

Resolution of GPR bowtie antennas: An experimental approach

Since target reflections directly depend on the emitted pulse characteristics, a key factor for carrying out a successful GPR survey is to know as much as possible about the transmission features of the antennas used. This information is very important in order to choose the right antennas and set the appropriate configuration parameters for a specific survey. With this in mind this paper deals with the development of a set of laboratory experiments on the resolution capabilities of three bowtie antennas at frequencies of 500, 800 and 1000 MHz. Results from these measurements give a first estimation of the resolution of the antennas under test, showing the advantage of performing experiments rather than relying only on theoretical assumptions. The results are also expressed in terms of the central wavelength for each antenna and compared with some theoretical estimations proposed in the specialized bibliography.