ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information

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3 pages, 196 KiB

Open AccessEditorial

Climate Change Adaptation: The Role of Geospatial Data in Sustainable Infrastructures

by Cesar Casiano Flores and Joep Crompvoets

ISPRS Int. J. Geo-Inf. 2023, 12(2), 68; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijgi12020068 - 14 Feb 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1858

Abstract

Climate change is a challenging reality, making adaptation at local, national and international levels a crucial need [...] Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climate Adaptation: The Role of Geospatial Data in Sustainable Infrastructures)

Research

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14 pages, 4191 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Towards Integrated Land Management: The Role of Green Infrastructure

by Samanta Bačić, Hrvoje Tomić, Goran Andlar and Miodrag Roić

ISPRS Int. J. Geo-Inf. 2022, 11(10), 513; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijgi11100513 - 09 Oct 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1908

Abstract

Today, more than half of the world’s population lives in urban areas, and this percentage is increasing every day. Accelerated urbanization leads to overbuilding, air and environmental pollution, climate change, and various other environmental problems. One of the ways to solve these problems [...] Read more.

Today, more than half of the world’s population lives in urban areas, and this percentage is increasing every day. Accelerated urbanization leads to overbuilding, air and environmental pollution, climate change, and various other environmental problems. One of the ways to solve these problems is the planning of green infrastructure (GI). The development of GI brings a number of social, ecological, and economic benefits, and it is one of the ways to achieve sustainable development. Therefore, it is important to include GI in land management systems. This study used VOSviewer to analyze 4385 published papers in the field of GI and 110 studies on GI in combination with land management, land administration, LADM, and land use planning from the WoS database for the periods from 1995 to 2022 and from 2007 to 2022, respectively. The current research used the bibliometric method to see what the trends are in GI and how much GI has been researched for the purpose of land management. It was shown that researchers are giving more and more importance to GI, but GI in land management systems is still not sufficiently researched. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climate Adaptation: The Role of Geospatial Data in Sustainable Infrastructures)

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27 pages, 5725 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Research into the Optimal Regulation of the Groundwater Table and Quality in the Southern Plain of Beijing Using Geographic Information Systems Data and Machine Learning Algorithms

by Chen Li, Baohui Men, Shiyang Yin, Teng Zhang and Ling Wei

ISPRS Int. J. Geo-Inf. 2022, 11(10), 501; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijgi11100501 - 26 Sep 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1546

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to provide new ideas and methods for the sustainable use of groundwater in areas with serious groundwater overexploitation and serious groundwater pollution. Geographic information systems (GIS) were combined with machine learning algorithms, water resources optimization technology, and [...] Read more.

The purpose of this paper is to provide new ideas and methods for the sustainable use of groundwater in areas with serious groundwater overexploitation and serious groundwater pollution. Geographic information systems (GIS) were combined with machine learning algorithms, water resources optimization technology, and groundwater numerical simulation to optimize the regulation of the groundwater table and quality beneath the Daxing District in the southern plain of Beijing. By collecting local consumption and supply data and observations of the groundwater table and quality in the connected aquifer beneath Daxing for the years 2006–2020, the corresponding water demands and groundwater impact were extrapolated for the years 2021–2025 based on the basis of the existing development model. Through the combination of GIS and machine learning algorithms, the NO₃-N concentration of local groundwater monitoring points in wet years, normal years, and dry years were predicted. With respect to NO₃-N pollution, three new groundwater exploitation regimes were devised, which we numbered 1 to 3. The optimal allocation of water resources was then calculated for wet year, typical year, and dry year scenarios for the year 2025. By comparing the water shortage, groundwater utilization rate, and NO₃-N pollution under the new groundwater exploitation regimes, the optimal groundwater exploitation mode for the three different types of hydrological year was determined. The results indicate that NO₃-N pollution was greatly reduced after the adoption of the optimal regimes and that the groundwater table demonstrated rapid recovery. These results can be of great help in realizing the management, supervision, and regulation of groundwater by combining GIS with machine learning algorithms. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climate Adaptation: The Role of Geospatial Data in Sustainable Infrastructures)

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25 pages, 8585 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Climate Justice in the City: Mapping Heat-Related Risk for Climate Change Mitigation of the Urban and Peri-Urban Area of Padua (Italy)

by Valeria Todeschi, Salvatore Eugenio Pappalardo, Carlo Zanetti, Francesca Peroni and Massimo De Marchi

ISPRS Int. J. Geo-Inf. 2022, 11(9), 490; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijgi11090490 - 16 Sep 2022

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 3439

Abstract

The mitigation of urban heat islands (UHIs) is crucial for promoting the sustainable development of urban areas. Geographic information systems (GISs) together with satellite-derived data are powerful tools for investigating the spatiotemporal distribution of UHIs. Depending on the availability of data and the [...] Read more.

The mitigation of urban heat islands (UHIs) is crucial for promoting the sustainable development of urban areas. Geographic information systems (GISs) together with satellite-derived data are powerful tools for investigating the spatiotemporal distribution of UHIs. Depending on the availability of data and the geographic scale of the analysis, different methodologies can be adopted. Here, we show a complete open source GIS-based methodology based on satellite-driven data for investigating and mapping the impact of the UHI on the heat-related elderly risk (HERI) in the Functional Urban Area of Padua. Thermal anomalies in the territory were mapped by modelling satellite data from Sentinel-3. After a socio-demographic analysis, the HERI was mapped according to five levels of risk. The highest vulnerability levels were localised within the urban area and in three municipalities near Padua, which represent about 20% of the entire territory investigated. In these municipalities, a percentage of elderly people over 20%, a thermal anomaly over 2.4 °C, and a HERI over 0.65 were found. Based on these outputs, it is possible to define nature-based solutions for reducing the UHI phenomenon and promote a sustainable development of cities. Stakeholders can use the results of these investigations to define climate and environmental policies. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climate Adaptation: The Role of Geospatial Data in Sustainable Infrastructures)

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21 pages, 8825 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Spatial Decision Support Approach for Flood Vulnerability Analysis in Urban Areas: A Case Study of Tehran

by Rasoul Afsari, Saman Nadizadeh Shorabeh, Mostafa Kouhnavard, Mehdi Homaee and Jamal Jokar Arsanjani

ISPRS Int. J. Geo-Inf. 2022, 11(7), 380; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijgi11070380 - 07 Jul 2022

Cited by 12 | Viewed by 2513

Abstract

Preparedness against floods in a hazard management perspective plays a major role in the pre-event phase. Hence, assessing urban vulnerability and resilience towards floods for different risk scenarios is a prerequisite for urban planners and decision makers. Therefore, the main objective of this [...] Read more.

Preparedness against floods in a hazard management perspective plays a major role in the pre-event phase. Hence, assessing urban vulnerability and resilience towards floods for different risk scenarios is a prerequisite for urban planners and decision makers. Therefore, the main objective of this study is to propose the design and implementation of a spatial decision support tool for mapping flood vulnerability in the metropolis of Tehran under different risk scenarios. Several factors reflecting topographical and hydrological characteristics, demographics, vegetation, land use, and urban features were considered, and their weights were determined using expert opinions and the fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (FAHP) method. Thereafter, a vulnerability map for different risk scenarios was prepared using the ordered weighted averaging (OWA) method. Based on our findings from the vulnerability analysis of the case study, it was concluded that in the optimistic scenario (ORness = 1), more than 36% of Tehran’s metropolis area was marked with very high vulnerability, and in the pessimistic scenario (ORness = 0), it was less than 1%was marked with very high vulnerability. The sensitivity analysis of our results confirmed that the validity of the model’s outcomes in different scenarios, i.e., high reliability of the model’s outcomes. The methodical approach, choice of data, and the presented results and discussions can be exploited by a wide range of stakeholders, e.g., urban planners, decision makers, and hydrologists, to better plan and build resilience against floods. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climate Adaptation: The Role of Geospatial Data in Sustainable Infrastructures)

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24 pages, 5463 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Hydrological Web Services for Operational Flood Risk Monitoring and Forecasting at Local Scale in Niger

by Tiziana De Filippis, Leandro Rocchi, Giovanni Massazza, Alessandro Pezzoli, Maurizio Rosso, Mohamed Housseini Ibrahim and Vieri Tarchiani

ISPRS Int. J. Geo-Inf. 2022, 11(4), 236; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijgi11040236 - 05 Apr 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2388

Abstract

Emerging hydrological services provide stakeholders and political authorities with useful and reliable information to support the decision-making process and develop flood risk management strategies. Most of these services adopt the paradigm of open data and standard web services, paving the way to increase [...] Read more.

Emerging hydrological services provide stakeholders and political authorities with useful and reliable information to support the decision-making process and develop flood risk management strategies. Most of these services adopt the paradigm of open data and standard web services, paving the way to increase distributed hydrometeorological services’ interoperability. Moreover, sharing of data, models, information, and the use of open-source software, greatly contributes to expanding the knowledge on flood risk and to increasing flood preparedness. Nevertheless, services’ interoperability and open data are not common in local systems implemented in developing countries. This paper presents the web platform and related services developed for the Local Flood Early Warning System of the Sirba River in Niger (SLAPIS) to tailor hydroclimatic information to the user’s needs, both in content and format. Building upon open-source software components and interoperable web services, we created a software framework covering data capture and storage, data flow management procedures from several data providers, real-time web publication, and service-based information dissemination. The geospatial infrastructure and web services respond to the actual and local decision-making context to improve the usability and usefulness of information derived from hydrometeorological forecasts, hydraulic models, and real-time observations. This paper presents also the results of the three years of operational campaigns for flood early warning on the Sirba River in Niger. Semiautomatic flood warnings tailored and provided to end users bridge the gap between available technology and local users’ needs for adaptation, mitigation, and flood risk management, and make progress toward the sustainable development goals. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climate Adaptation: The Role of Geospatial Data in Sustainable Infrastructures)

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30 pages, 3622 KiB

Open AccessArticle

EU Net-Zero Policy Achievement Assessment in Selected Members through Automated Forecasting Algorithms

by Cristiana Tudor and Robert Sova

ISPRS Int. J. Geo-Inf. 2022, 11(4), 232; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijgi11040232 - 31 Mar 2022

Cited by 11 | Viewed by 2710

Abstract

The European Union (EU) has positioned itself as a frontrunner in the worldwide battle against climate change and has set increasingly ambitious pollution mitigation targets for its members. The burden is heavier for the more vulnerable economies in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), [...] Read more.

The European Union (EU) has positioned itself as a frontrunner in the worldwide battle against climate change and has set increasingly ambitious pollution mitigation targets for its members. The burden is heavier for the more vulnerable economies in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), who must juggle meeting strict greenhouse gas emission (GHG) reduction goals, significant fossil-fuel reliance, and pressure to respond to current pandemic concerns that require an increasing share of limited public resources, while facing severe repercussions for non-compliance. Thus, the main goals of this research are: (i) to generate reliable aggregate GHG projections for CEE countries; (ii) to assess whether these economies are on track to meet their binding pollution reduction targets; (iii) to pin-point countries where more in-depth analysis using spatial inventories of GHGs at a finer resolution is further needed to uncover specific areas that should be targeted by additional measures; and (iv) to perform geo-spatial analysis for the most at-risk country, Poland. Seven statistical and machine-learning models are fitted through automated forecasting algorithms to predict the aggregate GHGs in nine CEE countries for the 2019–2050 horizon. Estimations show that CEE countries (except Romania and Bulgaria) will not meet the set pollution reduction targets for 2030 and will unanimously miss the 2050 carbon neutrality target without resorting to carbon credits or offsets. Austria and Slovenia are the least likely to meet the 2030 emissions reduction targets, whereas Poland (in absolute terms) and Slovenia (in relative terms) are the farthest from meeting the EU’s 2050 net-zero policy targets. The findings thus stress the need for additional measures that go beyond the status quo, particularly in Poland, Austria, and Slovenia. Geospatial analysis for Poland uncovers that Krakow is the city where pollution is the most concentrated with several air pollutants surpassing EU standards. Short-term projections of PM2.5 levels indicate that the air quality in Krakow will remain below EU and WHO standards, highlighting the urgency of policy interventions. Further geospatial data analysis can provide valuable insights into other geo-locations that require the most additional efforts, thereby, assisting in the achievement of EU climate goals with targeted measures and minimum socio-economic costs. The study concludes that statistical and geo-spatial data, and consequently research based on these data, complement and enhance each other. An integrated framework would consequently support sustainable development through bettering policy and decision-making processes. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climate Adaptation: The Role of Geospatial Data in Sustainable Infrastructures)

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21 pages, 8837 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Torrential Flood Water Management: Rainwater Harvesting through Relation Based Dam Suitability Analysis and Quantification of Erosion Potential

by Bilal Ahmad Munir, Sajid Rashid Ahmad and Raja Rehan

ISPRS Int. J. Geo-Inf. 2021, 10(1), 27; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijgi10010027 - 12 Jan 2021

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2865

Abstract

In this study, a relation-based dam suitability analysis (RDSA) technique is developed to identify the most suitable sites for dams. The methodology focused on a group of the most important parameters/indicators (stream order, terrain roughness index, slope, multiresolution valley bottom flatness index, closed [...] Read more.

In this study, a relation-based dam suitability analysis (RDSA) technique is developed to identify the most suitable sites for dams. The methodology focused on a group of the most important parameters/indicators (stream order, terrain roughness index, slope, multiresolution valley bottom flatness index, closed depression, valley depth, and downslope gradient difference) and their relation to the dam wall and reservoir suitability. Quantitative assessment results in an elevation-area-capacity (EAC) curve substantiating the capacity determination of selected sites. The methodology also incorporates the estimation of soil erosion (SE) using the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) model and sediment yield at the selected dam sites. The RDSA technique identifies two suitable dam sites (A and B) with a maximum collective capacity of approximately 1202 million m³. The RDSA technique was validated with the existing dam, Gomal-Zam, in the north of Sanghar catchment, where RDSA classified the Gomal-Zam Dam in a very high suitability class. The SE estimates show an average of 75 t-ha⁻¹y⁻¹ of soil loss occurs in the study area. The result shows approximately 298,073 and 318,000 tons of annual average sediment yield (SY) will feed the dam A and B respectively. The SE-based sediment yield substantiates the approximate life of Dam-A and Dam-B to be 87 and 90 years, respectively. The approach is dynamic and can be applied for any other location globally for dam site selection and SE estimation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climate Adaptation: The Role of Geospatial Data in Sustainable Infrastructures)

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22 pages, 1675 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Assessing the Governance Context Support for Creating a Pluvial Flood Risk Map with Climate Change Scenarios: The Flemish Subnational Case

by Cesar Casiano Flores and Joep Crompvoets

ISPRS Int. J. Geo-Inf. 2020, 9(7), 460; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijgi9070460 - 21 Jul 2020

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2835

Abstract

Climate change has increased pluvial flood risks in cities around the world. To mitigate floods, pluvial risk maps with climate change scenarios have been developed to help major urban areas adapt to a changing climate. In some cases, subnational governments have played a [...] Read more.

Climate change has increased pluvial flood risks in cities around the world. To mitigate floods, pluvial risk maps with climate change scenarios have been developed to help major urban areas adapt to a changing climate. In some cases, subnational governments have played a key role to develop these maps. However, governance research about the role of subnational governments in geospatial data development in urban water transitions has received little attention. To address this gap, this research applies the Governance Assessment Tool as an evaluative framework to increase our understanding of the governance factors that support the development of pluvial flood risk maps at the subnational level. For this research, we selected the region of Flanders in Belgium. This region is considered among the frontrunners when it comes to the creation of a pluvial flood risk map with climate change scenarios. Data have been collected through in-depth interviews with steering committee actors involved in the development process of the map. The research identified that the current governance context is supportive of the creation of the flood risk map. The government of Flanders plays a key role in this process. The most supportive qualities of the governance context are those related to the degree of fragmentation (extent and coherence), while the less supportive ones are those related to the “quest for control” (flexibility and intensity). Under this governance context, government actors play the primary role. The Flemish government led the maps’ creation process and it was supported by the lower governmental levels. As the provincial government was an important actor to increase local participation, collaboration with private and non-governmental actors in the steering committee was more limited. The financial resources were also limited and the process required a continuous development of trust. Yet, the Flemish Environmental Agency, with the use of technology, was able to increase such trust during the process. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climate Adaptation: The Role of Geospatial Data in Sustainable Infrastructures)

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