Geospatial Technology for Landslide Susceptibility Mapping along the Vathalmalai Ghat road section, South India

Landslides are among the most prevalent and harmful hazards. Assessment of landslide susceptibility zonation is an important task in reducing the losses of lifeand properties. The present study aims to demarcate the landslide prone areas along the Vathalmalai Ghat road section (VGR) using remote sensing and GIS techniques. In the first step, the landslide causative factors such as geology, geomorphology, slope, slope aspect, land use / land cover, drainage density, lineament density, road buffer and relative relief were assessed. All the factors were assigned to rank and weight based on the slope stability of the landslide susceptibility zones. Then the thematic maps were integrated using ArcGIS tool and landslide susceptibility zonation was obtained and classified into five categories ; very low, low, moderate, high and very high. The landslide susceptibility map is validated with R-index and landslide inventory data collected from the field using GPS measurement. The distribution of susceptibility zones is ; 16.5% located in very low, 28.70% in low, 24.70% in moderate, 19.90% in high and 10.20% in very high zones. The R-index indicated that about 64% landslide occurences correlated with high to very high landslide susceptiblity zones. The model validation indicated that the method adopted in this study is suitable for landslide disaster mapping and planning.

GEOSPATIAL APPROACH FOR GEOLOGICAL INVESTIGATION AT DISTRICT OF MERSING

Effective geological information evaluation is essential for accurate site characterization. A major concern in geological mapping is to locate the accurate location of the geological information. The geoinformation approach such as precise GPS surveying and UAV mapping could be integrated with other geospatial information to augment the geological information. This research aims to integrate the geoinformation approach into geological structure mapping. To achieve the overall purpose of the study, the objective identified was the establishment of a high-precision control point by using Precise GPS measurement in the study area. Therefore, the establishment of GPS data observations involves the establishment of primary networks and several GPS controls points within the study area. Subsequently, the GPS positioning has been processed to produce a topographic information map and to support the collection of geological data in the study area. It is hoped that the integration of the geoinformation approach has been provided a significant increase in geological information at the district of Mersing.

Changes in GPS-Derived Community Mobility After Motor Skill Training in Older Adults

The study purpose was to identify the effects of a motor skill training intervention to improve gait speed on community mobility among community-dwelling older adults. The study included 249 participants randomized to standard physical therapy or a standard plus motor skill training program. Community mobility was measured using the Life Space Assessment (LSA) and GPS at baseline, 12 (post-intervention), 24 and 36 weeks. There were 124 participants (M age=77.4±6.7; 68.6% female; LSA: 76.2±17.6) randomized to the standard plus and 125 (M age=77.4±6.4; 62.4% female; LSA: 74.3±18.2) to the standard group. There was no significant between-group difference in pre- or post-intervention LSA scores and no significant pre- to post-intervention change over time in either group. GPS results are pending. While there were no differences in self-reported LSA, we anticipate objective GPS measurement of community mobility will better capture post-intervention changes and differences between groups.

Address Geocoding Services in Geospatial-based Epidemiological Analysis: A Comparative Reliability for Domestic Disease Mapping

Geographical information system (GIS) has been used for geospatial epidemiology. Through the process, it begins with geocoding, i.e. assigning geographic coordinates to an address on a map. This process is a bridge between spatial information and its attribute data. Fortunately, some open geocoding services are available. The paper aims to examine the mapping reliability of some online geocoding services to map the spread of tuberculosis (TB) in Sarawak, Malaysia towards practical implementation in the domestic health department. The features examined the common platforms, namely QGIS, Google Map, and ArcGIS Online, were selected and explored in terms of the following variables; positional quality, speed, cost, and coverage. Based on our exploratory experiment, ArcGIS Online offers relevant mapping features for the local geocoding services of the TB locations compared to the other two platforms. But the chosen geocoding methods or services may depend on the nature of the project, cost restrictions, and the experience of an analyst. Comparison of the positional accuracy with manual reference methods (e.g GPS measurement and manual digitizing) could be further studied.

Effect of the abiotic factor on Schleichera oleosa chlorophyll level

Chlorophyll in Schleichera oleosa is important to observe because S.oleosa is a tree plant that is often found on the road as a green plant. This role requires sufficient chlorophyll to maximize plant function for photosynthesis. Photosynthesis is supported by environmental factors. There are several environmental factors needed to maximize photosynthesis, namely altitude, humidity, ambient temperature, and light intensity. This study wanted to determine the effect of altitude, air humidity, ambient temperature, light intensity with chlorophyll content in S. oleose in several places. Altitude is measured using GPS. Measurement of air temperature and wind speed were measured using the Altimeter sights ler application version 2.0. Light intensity is measured using a lux meter. Soil moisture and soil pH were measured using a soil tester. Chlorophyll levels were measured using a spectrophotometer with a wavelength of 665 and 649, chlorophyll was calculated using the Wintermans and De Mots formula (1965). The results showed that chlorophyll content increased with increasing altitude. At the highest altitude of 833.6 m asl, the chlorophyll content is 53,770 with an ambient temperature of 270C which decreases at an altitude of 833.6 m asl.

Correction to: Identifying resting locations of a small elusive forest carnivore using a two-stage model accounting for GPS measurement error and hidden behavioral states

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via the original article.

Identifying resting locations of a small elusive forest carnivore using a two-stage model accounting for GPS measurement error and hidden behavioral states

Background Studies of animal movement using location data are often faced with two challenges. First, time series of animal locations are likely to arise from multiple behavioral states (e.g., directed movement, resting) that cannot be observed directly. Second, location data can be affected by measurement error, including failed location fixes. Simultaneously addressing both problems in a single statistical model is analytically and computationally challenging. To both separate behavioral states and account for measurement error, we used a two-stage modeling approach to identify resting locations of fishers (Pekania pennanti) based on GPS and accelerometer data. Methods We developed a two-stage modelling approach to estimate when and where GPS-collared fishers were resting for 21 separate collar deployments on 9 individuals in southern Oregon. For each deployment, we first fit independent hidden Markov models (HMMs) to the time series of accelerometer-derived activity measurements and apparent step lengths to identify periods of movement and resting. Treating the state assignments as given, we next fit a set of linear Gaussian state space models (SSMs) to estimate the location of each resting event. Results Parameter estimates were similar across collar deployments. The HMMs successfully identified periods of resting and movement with posterior state assignment probabilities greater than 0.95 for 97% of all observations. On average, fishers were in the resting state 63% of the time. Rest events averaged 5 h (4.3 SD) and occurred most often at night. The SSMs allowed us to estimate the 95% credible ellipses with a median area of 0.12 ha for 3772 unique rest events. We identified 1176 geographically distinct rest locations; 13% of locations were used on > 1 occasion and 5% were used by > 1 fisher. Females and males traveled an average of 6.7 (3.5 SD) and 7.7 (6.8 SD) km/day, respectively. Conclusions We demonstrated that if auxiliary data are available (e.g., accelerometer data), a two-stage approach can successfully resolve both problems of latent behavioral states and GPS measurement error. Our relatively simple two-stage method is repeatable, computationally efficient, and yields directly interpretable estimates of resting site locations that can be used to guide conservation decisions.

High-precision GPS measurement method without geographical restrictions using crowd-sensing technology

In order to improve the flexibility of GPS measurement, a high-precision GPS measurement method that is not restricted by the geographical location under crowd-sensing technology was proposed. The performance of the crowdsensing network was improved through a regular hexagon-based crowd-smart big data sensing network deployment mechanism. The GPS /SINS/DR fast and high-precision combined measurement methods were used to achieve high-precision measurement without geographical restrictions. It has been verified that the proposed method in this paper has much better stability in the deployment strategy of a regular hexagon than that of the square. The proposed method can achieve fast acquisition of satellite signals and high-precision positioning, and its measurement accuracy in the low-latitude city and high-latitude city is higher than the online measurement method based on Google Earth, indicating that it has significant application value.

Pliocene - present tectonics and strain rate in Ninh Thuan region and surrounding continental shelf

In this paper, we present detail data of Pliocene - present tectonics and strain rate from GPS measurement and seismic interpretation. Using international reference frame ITRF08, we revealed absolute tectonic velocities of GPS sites with the slip rate to the east between 22 to 25 mm/year, to the south between 4 to 8 mm/year. The present strain rate was determined from present tectonic velocities that were consistent with the recent strain rates determined from seismic profiles, thickness of Pliocene - Quaternary sediments. Present day strain rate varying from 10 to 30 nano per year indicated that the region has been deformed weakly, in a stable tectonic regime.