The Sun is the main energy source of the life on the Earth. Thus, solar radiation energy data and models are important for many areas of research and applications. Many parameters influence the ...amount of solar energy at a particular standing point of the Earth's surface; therefore, many solar radiation models were produced in the last few years. Solar radiation energy depends mostly on incidence angle, which is defined by astronomical and surface parameters. Our solar radiation model is based on defining incidence angle by computing normal-to-the-surface tangent plane and direction of the Sun. If a part of the surface is in the shadow, it receives lesser energy than sunny areas. That is why shadow determination is an important part of the model. The sky is usually not completely clear, so meteorological parameters had to be integrated into the model. Meteorological model distinguishes among direct and diffuse Sun radiation. The model was tested and implemented for the whole Slovenia and it was also compared with previous studies. Case study surface data were calculated from the DEM with a 25
m resolution. The astronomical data, which were required for virtual Sun motion simulation around the Earth, were derived from the astronomical almanac. Meteorological data were acquired from observed mean values on 24 meteorological stations between 1961 and 1990. All calculations were made for hours and decades and finally, the annual quasiglobal radiation energy, which is the energy received by inclined plane from the Sun in one year, was calculated from the sum of all the energies of all the decades.
The objective of this contribution is analyzing, visualizing, interpreting and discussing the impacts of anthropogenic influences on karst geomorphology through various geomorphologically based ...environmental indicators. The primary data sources are digital terrain models (DTMs) as continuous surface data, supported by aerial photographs, satellite images, topographic maps and databases of natural and anthropogenic features. The sources are supplemented by written information about surface changes and in situ inspections. Spatial analyses as quantitative methods in combination with enhanced visualizations as qualitative methods performed in a geographical information system (GIS) on different data sets are introduced as an important methodology. This enables explaining many anthropogenic influences on the terrain surface (landform), which were not perceived before by classical surveying techniques and verifications. (PUBLICATION ABSTRACT)
This paper describes in detail the development of a ground-penetrating radar (GPR) model for the acquisition, processing and visualisation of underground utility infrastructure (UUI) in a controlled ...environment. The initiative was to simulate a subsurface urban environment through the construction of regional road, local road and pedestrian pavement in real urban field/testing pools (RUTPs). The RUTPs represented a controlled environment in which the most commonly used utilities were installed. The accuracy of the proposed kinematic GPR-TPS (terrestrial positioning system) model was analysed using all the available data about the materials, whilst taking into account the thickness of the pavement as well as the materials, dimensions and 3D position of the UUI as given reference values. To determine the reference 3D position of the UUI, a terrestrial geodetic surveying method based on the established positional and height geodetic network was used. In the first phase of the model, the geodetic network was used as a starting point for determining the 3D position of the GPR antenna with the efficient kinematic GPR surveying setup using a GPR and self-tracking (robotic) TPS. In the second phase, GPR-TPS system latency was quantified by matching radargram pairs with a set of fidelity measures based on a correlation coefficient and mean squared error. This was followed by the most important phase, where, by combining sets of “standard” processing routines of GPR signals with the support of advanced algorithms for signal processing, UUI were interpreted and visualised semi-automatically. As demonstrated by the results, the proposed GPR model with a kinematic GPR-TPS surveying setup for data acquisition is capable of achieving an accuracy of less than ten centimetres.
While some Inka structures and motifs align with astronomical and horizon markers, a significant portion of their constructions exhibit different patterns. We examined the potential correlation ...between the orientation patterns of the Inka walls and Andean geomorphology, aiming to uncover the extent to which the physical landscape guided these ancient architectural design methodologies. Using geospatial technology and specially developed peak detection and recognition software, we extensively and meticulously analyzed over 40,000 m of surveyed Inka walls and 20,000 mountain peaks across 11 distinct geographical areas. The analysis revealed a significant correlation between key wall orientations and the parallel peak alignment of the Andean Mountain Range. This suggests a purposeful encoding of landscape orientations into Inka architecture. These findings propose a novel perspective on the intricate relationship between Inka culture and the Andean highlands’ topography. Furthermore, this research introduces a distinctive methodological approach to exploring the impact of natural landscapes on architectural planning, establishing a foundation for comparative studies among other ancient civilizations.
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