Using AMOEBA to Create a Spatial Weights Matrix and Identify Spatial Clusters

The creation of a spatial weights matrix by a procedure called AMOEBA, A Multidirectional Optimum Ecotope-Based Algorithm , is dependent on the use of a local spatial autocorrelation statistic. The result is (1) a vector that identifies those spatial units that are related and unrelated to contiguous spatial units and (2) a matrix of weights whose values are a function of the relationship of the ith spatial unit with all other nearby spatial units for which there is a spatial association. In addition, the AMOEBA procedure aids in the demarcation of clusters, called ecotopes, of related spatial units. Experimentation reveals that AMOEBA is an effective tool for the identification of clusters. A comparison with a scan statistic procedure (SaTScan) gives evidence of the value of AMOEBA. Total fertility rates in enumeration districts in Amman, Jordan, are used to show a real-world example of the use of AMOEBA for the construction of a spatial weights matrix and for the identification of clusters. Again, comparisons reveal the effectiveness of the AMOEBA procedure.     

Using GIS as an Aid to Understanding Urban Consolidation

Major initiatives to encourage urban consolidation in Sydney have been undertaken by the New South Wales Government in the last twenty years. The contribution of the research described in this article is to show the central importance of GIS in the methodology of analysing the policies, processes and outcomes of this urban consolidation activity. While the use of GIS to interrogate data from the Population Censuses conducted by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) to describe spatial distributions and characteristics is reasonably common, it can be used with local records to build up a picture of the character and impact of building the different kinds of dwellings defined as constituting urban consolidation. In this way ABS data can be used as a context within which to place GIS analysis of the registers of development applications as indicated in studies of three local councils in the south and south–west of Sydney. This approach shows the usefulness of using similar but not completely congruent data sets to investigate complex phenomena such as urban consolidation. It also highlights the importance of classifying and recording local information about urban development and change in a form that enables more proactive programs of policy formulation and operation.     

Holocene Elevated Sea Levels on the North Coast of Vietnam

We present evidence of elevated Holocene sea levels on the north coast of Vietnam, comprising radiocarbon dating of raised coastal geomorphological and palaeobiological features at localities on the margins of the Bac Bo (Red River) Plain. This evidence indicates that by ca. 5500 cal yr B.P. mid‐tide lay approximately 5.4 m above national datum, that is 3.25 m above present local mid‐tide. By c. 3500 cal yr B.P., sea level was lowering and, by ca. 2000 cal yr B.P., mid‐tide lay at or above 1.5 m above present local mid‐tide. It is not yet possible to infer patterns of sea‐level fluctuation other than an overall lowering of elevation, although the separation of the raised and modern erosion notches does suggest two dominant mid to late Holocene periods of erosion — probably periods of sea‐level still‐stand or relatively slow sea‐level change. The intervening period of relatively rapid sea‐level change and associated reduced erosion probably dates to after ca. 2000 cal yr B.P..     

以"体验经济"理论引导餐饮业发展

本文认为,以体验经济理论引导餐饮产品和服务的创新,营造独特的企业文化和品牌,是目前餐饮市场竞争中餐饮企业获得消费者满意,求得长久发展的有效方法之一。     

On-Site Recording of Excavation Data Using Mobile GIS

Abstract

Archaeologists have embraced new technologies in many aspects of research, but reliance on paperbased recording has impeded development of excavation recording methods. The digital recording of spatial provenience for artifacts and features, together with complex attributes during excavation, while not problem-free, provides a streamlined recording process. This article describes a digital interface that links precise spatial provenience with digital forms and geo-referenced photographs during excavation at a colonial site in highland Peru. A customized version of ESRI ArcPad provides the means to create and to explore spatial and attribute data in the field and laboratory as GIS data, which in turn can be integrated with ArcGIS for post-field visualization and analysis.     

Using Multibeam Echo‐Sounder Data to Identify Shipwreck Sites: archaeological assessment of the Joint Irish Bathymetric Survey data

This paper describes Phase 1 of the project ‘Archaeological Applications of the Joint Irish Bathymetric Survey (JIBS) Data’, analysing bathymetric and backscatter data derived from multibeam surveys off the north coast of Ireland. In particular, the usability of the data for shipwreck detection, identification and site characterization is explored. In Phase 1, the data was screened for anomalous sea‐bed features, which were subsequently described, catalogued and categorized according to their archaeological potential and cross‐referenced against existing records. A planned second phase of this project will examine each anomaly in greater detail together with the local and regional hydrodynamic conditions. © 2010 The Authors     

浅析文物鉴定的有效方法

目前文物鉴定的方法主要有传统鉴定法和现代科学技术鉴定法两种。传统鉴定法包括分类法、比较鉴定法、辨别鉴定法和综合考察法,现代科学技术鉴定法包括运用现代科技对文物进行年代测定、成分分析鉴定和对文物、史迹的调查分析。     

Environmental Justice and the Allocation Of Risk: The Case of Lead and Public Health

This paper examines conceptual and methodological issues in the analysis of environmental justice through use of the case of lead-exposure health risks. Researchers face important obstacles in measuring variable risks among population subgroups. The case of lead exposure, however, illustrates the dramatic potential where adequate data exist for identifying and correcting significant inequities in risk exposure. Despite sharp reductions in the general population's exposure to lead since the 1970s, substantial numbers of minority and low-income children continue to exhibit unacceptably high blood-lead levels due primarily to exposure to lead-based paint. Resolving environmental inequities in this and similar instances requires solid documentation of the risk and better integration of equity issues with other policy demands such as the call for cost-effective environmental policy.     

Buying and Borrowing in Adelaide: Mortgage Commitments of Home Buyers, 1986

In April 1986 housing finance allocation procedures were deregulated. The impact of this decision on levels of finance borrowed by households was assessed for 2562 buyers of houses and home units in the Adelaide Statistical Division during May and June 1986. Sales price and mortgage data suggest two tendencies influencing the relationship between price and mortgage. Firstly, low price purchasers have small deposits and borrow heavily to effect their purchase. Secondly, high price buyers, with large deposits, are nevertheless taking out large loans to finance housing. Levels of gearing show market socio-economic bias, low cost buyers being more likely to be overcommitted.     

Rudston 'Cursus A'– Engaging with a Neolithic Monument in Its Landscape Setting Using GIS

Summary. Cursus monuments are one of the most functionally enigmatic of prehistoric structures. Surrounding Rudston, East Yorkshire, a cluster of at least four cursuses converges on a bend in the Great Wold Valley. Of these monuments, Cursus A, or the ‘Woldgate Cursus’, is particularly unusual, with a curving morphology that forms a ‘dogleg’ plan. The unique shape of this structure provides an opportunity for studying cursus morphology with the aim of interpreting its function – essentially, why does the structure curve in this way? A GIS‐based approach is used which demonstrates a compelling visual relationship between the area enclosed by the cursus and the positions of two long barrows lying on its western horizon. The results of this study are considered in relation to the broader question of cursus function.     

Effectiveness of Local Biodiversity Action Plans to Identify Locally Rare and Endangered Fish in Scotland

Biodiversity loss is an important environmental issue globally. Local Biodiversity Action Plans (LBAPs) provide an important conservation tool and should represent national priority species where they are present. Although much effort has gone in to developing LBAPs, their value as a conservation tool has been questioned. Here the effectiveness of the LBAP system to raise awareness of the freshwater fishes of national and international priority in Scotland is tested. Inclusion of freshwater fish in the LBAP suite was evaluated using current distribution data taken from available literature sources. Of the 25 examined LBAPs in Scotland, there were 79 LBAP entries for the 12 priority freshwater fishes found in Scotland. This contrasts with an expectation of 139 entries. Nineteen authorities failed to represent all priority freshwater fish species extant in their geographical boundary. Fourteen authorities provided cover for 50% or less for the species distributed in their area and five authorities included no rare freshwater fish species where one or more was expected. Possible underlying reasons for this mismatch include: frequently changing conservation status and taxonomic blindness of this group. It is plausible to suggest that this low rate of inclusion will have a detrimental effect on the allocation of limited conservation resources.     

A Multiobjective Approach to Locate Emergency Shelters and Identify Evacuation Routes in Urban Areas

Evacuation planning is an important component of emergency preparedness in urban areas. The number and location of rescue facilities is an important aspect of this planning, as is the identification of primary and secondary evacuation routes for residents to take. This article introduces a multiobjective approach to identify these aspects of evacuation planning. The approach incorporates a multiobjective model into a geographical information systems–based decision support system that planners can access via the Internet. The proposed approach is demonstrated with a case study for the City of Coimbra, Portugal, for evacuation during major fires. Although presented in this context, this approach is applicable to other emergency situations such as earthquakes, floods, and acts of terrorism.     

Order in movement: a GIS approach to accessibility

The aim of this paper is to extend the range of current analytical procedures that archaeologists use to understand movement. In particular, how a landscape becomes ordered by simply defining a destination. More specifically, this study proposes the derivation of a focal mobility network, i.e. the network of most likely paths towards a given destination, and explores several of its applications within a landscape archaeology framework. The suggested extensions are based on existing standard procedures within most GIS. A series of synthetic control surfaces and an archaeological study focused around Iron Age hillforts in Galicia (NW Spain) are used as case studies to illustrate different analytical possibilities.     

Exposure to Cadmium and Lead in an Agropastoral Iron Age Population

Metals present in the environment (soil, water and atmosphere) can affect food safety and human health through bio‐accumulation and bio‐magnification phenomena. Human exposure to the metals may take place through the environment and by ingesting contaminated food (including water), determining harmful effects usually detectable over the long term. Starting with the Industrial Revolution, local occurrence and concentration of metallic contaminants in the environment have been exponentially increasing: it has been assessed that, nowadays, daily absorption of lead, by North American people, is noticeably greater than that during prehistoric times. In this study, we measured concentrations of cadmium, lead and zinc in 153 bone samples (femurs) of Iron Age inhabitants of Central Italy (Abruzzo): the Samnites from the Alfedena Necropolis (2600–2400 bp ). The data found are in agreement with the results of similar published studies. Heavy metal concentrations varied widely among samples with the exception of zinc. A significant difference (p same Mann–Whitney test <0.05) in cadmium bone levels was found between male (0.08–1.8 mg/kg, median 0.31 mg/kg) and female samples (0.05–1.3 mg/kg, median 0.53 mg/kg). Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Using GIS in an Earth Sciences field course for quantitative exploration,data management and digital mapping

Field courses are essential for subjects like Earth Sciences, Geography and Ecology. In these topics, GIS is used to manage and analyse spatial data, and offers quantitative methods that are beneficial for fieldwork. This paper presents changes made to a first-year Earth Sciences field course in the French Alps, where new GIS methods were introduced. Students use GIS in preparation to explore their research area using an elevation model and satellite images, formulate hypotheses and plan the fieldwork. During the fieldwork, a pilot group managed their field-observations using GIS and made digital maps. Students praise the use of quantitative digital maps in the preparation. Students made use of the available techniques during the fieldwork, although this could be further intensified. Some students were extra motivated due to the technical nature as well as the additional analytical possibilities. The use of GIS was experienced as a steep learning curve by students, and not all staff members are confident in supervising students using GIS, which calls for a sufficient preparation and training of both students and staff. The use of GIS adds abstract analyses and quantitative assessment, which is a complementary learning style to fieldwork that mostly focuses on practical skills.