Spatial Data Acquisition Essays - Geographic Information System

Spatial Data Acquisition Spatial data acquisition and system modeling: notes from the field and the lab. Name of Lecturer: Philip Graniero Department of Lecture: Earth Sciences Date and Time of Lecture: January 13th, 2000 at 4:30pm Purpose of Research Project: The primary purpose of the project is to use model simulations to forecast spatial patterns among various species in the environment. By comparing current situations with test results, Graniero hopes to have the ability to predict spatial patterns for species in the environment. This will give environmentalists and scientists alike the ability to prevent specie disaster and to study such areas as future habitat. Description of Research/Technology used: Graniero's first step involved measuring the earth's topography, under the bedrock of the surface. This experiment took place in Newfoundland, Canada. To do this he took a random sampling scheme. These schemes were tested at a density of 40 points per hectare. In order to bring the most precise and comprehensive data to the table, such technologies as mobile computers and GPS systems were used. The field in which was being tested proved to be very difficult to measure due to the changing system and the high demand of physical resource. His objective still remained the same though, to take this data and run a model that would enable him forecast spatial data on various species. The model he used was known as Cellular Automation (CA). The models properties were as follows: a finite set of discrete states and a state transition rule where the next state is determined by; current cell state, states of the nearest neighbours, and the state of other layers. The model worked in specific steps. First, a spatial structure was built. Second, data was collected from it. Third, the simulation of different collection agencies were put forth. Fourth, the model information was compared to the behaviour of actual systems. Fifth, the model was repeated with random initial conditions. Thousands of trials were done at this point. This model is often referred to as a "virtual lab". When the information was taken at the conclusion of each test, it was sent to processing units where it was studied in the form of a grid. These grids were then used to study the spatial patterns of various species. Such future models will be more complex and more specific, thus showing species habitats and migratory trends. Adjusting the variables in the model can allow scientists to measure such activities as the population density of a species. Through the experiment there were three experiment sets. These included populations, disturbances, and resource mapping. The resource spatial structure also varied from uniform, smooth, and "patchy" environments (soil and forest types). Conclusion: This information is very valuable to environmentalists and society in general due to the fact that it "looks-out" for species that may be in danger and monitors the move from one territory to another over a given time frame. Allowing scientists to predict the habitat and density of species in given areas with such models keeps humans aware of the impact they may have. This helps protect the future of species and insures that humans don't interfere with its habitat as well. In conclusion, the model is very useful and as it grows and becomes more sophisticated it should prove to be a valuable resource to environmental scientists.

Migrants Effects on Singapore Essay Example

Migrants Effects on Singapore Essay Example Migrants Effects on Singapore Essay Migrants Effects on Singapore Essay Singapore is one of the most economically prosperous country in the South East Asia region. There has been a influx of foreigners in the country in recent years. I think the foreigners bring about a positive impact in the economical area, however in other areas such as social and environmental area, foreigners may bring about a negative impact instead. Migrants bring about a positive impact in the economical aspect of Singapore. They provide for much cheap labour.Manual work and low status jobs are generally disliked by locals because of the social stigma attached and its low pay. For example, Chinese migrants are often employed in construction firms which are jobs despised by Singaporeans. When jobs such as these are taken up, jobs are more efficiently taken up and this will promote the economic growth of the country in the long run. Singapore will thus be likely to benefit from foreigners coming to Singapore economically.Migrants brought about a negative impact in the social aspect . Singapore, with its high percentage of foreigners in it population will inevitably face with social issues such as the erosion of the Singapore culture and racism. Over the years, many cases of racism, especially through online multimedia websites such as twitter has occurred. One example would be the recent case of a teenager tweeting on the train â€Å" the Indian beside me was extremely smelly† Such cases occur continuously in Singapore.The lack of any statistics on the internet regarding racism in Singapore further proves that the government was trying to cover it up. Whether this is true or not, it is doubtlessly agreeable that racism is a increasing issue in Singapore. Therefore, in the social aspect of Singapore, foreigners bring about an undesirable impact. Migrants also bring about a negative impact in the environmental aspect of Singapore. Singapore is a small country with an incredibly high population density, as such, public facilities are often sought after by both foreigners and locals.The influx of migrants means that locals and foreigners have to compete for space in the park or on the park and this results in overcrowding. Furthermore, foreigners may not be familiar with the environmental rules of Singapore, and may litter in public places as their home country may not be as stringent in the cleanliness aspect. Over time, this may affect the image of Singapore, a â€Å"clean and green† city. Thus, foreigners bring about a negative impact in the environmental aspect of Singapore as they compete for the use of public places and may also affect the cleanliness of Singapore.Overall, I believe that while migrants bring about a negative impact to Singapore. This is because migrants are only good to a certain extent and have to be more carefully moderated. Having a smaller amount of migrants in Singapore will definitely bring about an overall benefit to Singapore. However the large number of migrants in Singapore has also caused socia l and environmental problems in Singapore. I think the negatives out-weigh the positive. Thus, they bring about mainly negative impacts to the country.

Investigative report Assignment Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Investigative report Assignment - Research Paper Example There are a large number of details which are pouring in to certify that there has been attack on the protestors of Qhadafi and the fact that he has done intense murders to signify his position as the strong man in the State of Libya. â€Å"A three-member international panel arrived in Libya today to begin a United Nations-ordered inquiry into the violence and human rights abuses in the North African country since forces supporting Muammar al-Qadhafi began a crackdown against protesters earlier this year.† The team which belongs to the United Nations said that there are not enough numbers on the deaths of the people but it looks like that more than a hundred thousand have lost their lives and approximately seven hundred thousands fled Libya. It all began as a peaceful protest against the camp of Qhadafi turned into a violent armed conflict between the protestors and his people. There were a large number of people who were involved in the protest and it has come to the surprise of many Libyans that why the protest which started off so peacefully did has turned out to be violent in nature. One of the answers to this could be the fact that the Qhadafi camp was not willing to allow any kind of mass movements against its camp. It was however understood by the leadership that they should give it some time to boil down, as they anticipated that protest like these would eventually fade out without having any stake. However, that did not happen, instead, more and more people joined the protest which was a clear indication that people did not appreciate the functioning of Qhadafi and wanted and ouster of him and his camp from the establishment. After Qhadafi came to realise this aspect of the protest, he quickly turned to violent means to kill the protest which was keeping his position in the establishment in jeopardy. â€Å"The General Assembly suspended Libya’s membership in the Human Rights Council last month in the wake of the violent repression of the protesters, and the Security Council later authorized Member States to take â€Å"all necessary measures† to protect civilians.† This comes as a shock to Libya which is going under severe crisis due to the fight between the protestors and the established camp. Ethnic Cleansing and genocide in Tawergha: It is reported by the Human Rights Investigation that the people in the region of Tawergha have been ethnically cleansed by the establishment under heinous circumstances. â€Å"Human Rights Investigations has been following the situation of the Tawergha closely and here we draw the information together and find, based on the reports of witnesses, journalists and human rights workers, the situation of the Tawergha is not just one of ethnic cleansing but, according to the legal definition, genocide.† This is a prime case of genocide in the region and calls for drastic measures by the human rights organization to help the people of Tawergha from man slaughter. Let us look at the Genocide convention to understand the meaning of Human Rights violation: â€Å"any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group as such: 1. Killing members of the group; 2. Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the gr