Nighttime light data offer a unique view of the Earth’s surface and can be used to estimate the spatial distribution of gross domestic product (GDP). Historically, using a simple regression function, ...the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program’s Operational Linescan System (DMSP/OLS) has been used to correlate regional and global GDP values. In early 2013, the first global Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (NPP) visible infrared imaging radiometer suite (VIIRS) nighttime light data were released. Compared with DMSP/OLS, they have a higher spatial resolution and a wider radiometric detection range. This paper aims to study the suitability of the two nighttime light data sources for estimating the GDP relationship between the provincial and city levels in Mainland China, as well as of different regression functions. First, NPP/VIIRS nighttime light data for 2014 are corrected with DMSP/OLS data for 2013 to reduce the background noise in the original data. Subsequently, three regression functions are used to estimate the relationship between nighttime light data and GDP statistical data at the provincial and city levels in Mainland China. Then, through the comparison of the relative residual error (RE) and the relative root mean square error (RRMSE) parameters, a systematical assessment of the suitability of the GDP estimation is provided. The results show that the NPP/VIIRS nighttime light data are better than the DMSP/OLS data for GDP estimation, whether at the provincial or city level, and that the power function and polynomial models are better for GDP estimation than the linear regression model. This study reveals that the accuracy of GDP estimation based on nighttime light data is affected by the resolution of the data and the spatial scale of the study area, as well as by the land cover types and industrial structures of the study area.
The comprehensive suitability of regional human settlements is of great significance to the development and spatial distribution of regional human settlements and regional social and economic ...development. In this study, based on the traditional evaluation of the natural suitability of the human settlements, this study adds humanistic indicators to comprehensively evaluate the suitability of the human settlements in Liaoning, China. In particular, we sought to uncover the spatial differentiation law of the comprehensive suitability of these settlements and its correlations with population density and GDP density and provide a theoretical basis for urban human settlements planning and governance. The main conclusions were as follows: (1) the natural suitability index in Liaoning Province presents the law of longitudinal spatial differentiation from northeast to southwest, which follows the direction of the mountains, (2) the highest to lowest humanistic suitability indexes were as follows: the central, eastern, and western regions, (3) the highest to lowest spatial differentiations of the comprehensive suitability of the human settlements were as follows: the central and coastal, eastern, and western regions, and (4) the spatial distribution of population–economy density in Liaoning Province was basically consistent with the spatial distribution of the comprehensive suitability index of human settlements. The population–economy is concentrated in the areas with the best and moderate human settlements. Ultimately, we found that the distributions of population–economy and human settlement suitability were relatively coordinated and that highly suitable land was already fully utilized. Analyze the natural and humanistic advantages or limitations of the development of the human settlements in each city, and plan the construction of the natural, humanistic and human settlements in each city direction.
Phase change material (PCM) coupled with night ventilation (NV) is regarded as a promising cooling strategy. The suitability of PCM coupled with NV in transition and hot seasons of 10 cities in ...Western China was investigated based on a non-air-conditioned office building. The optimum phase change temperature (PCT) and the cooling potential of PCM coupled with NV in transition and hot seasons were determined by numerical investigations using EnergyPlus. The results showed that the optimum PCT for the 10 selected cities varied from 23 °C to 29 °C. PCM coupled with NV was suitable for application in all of the selected cities, but the PCM strategy was the best choice for the transition season in cities in severe cold zone. Applying PCM coupled with NV strategy could reduce the discomfort hours in the transition season by at least 16% compared with NV alone. In addition, the favorable outdoor air dry-bulb temperature (Tout) for the application of PCM coupled with NV was obtained for the selected cities in Western China, which had the following characteristics: (1) the diurnal temperature difference (ΔT) exceeded 6.8 °C, (2) the average value (Tave) was close to 27 °C, (3) the minimum value (Tmin) was 2.7 °C lower than the optimum PCT and the maximum value (Tmax) was 1.7 °C higher than the optimum PCT.
•Climatic and seasonal factors considered on PCEs coupled with NV.•Optimal phase change temperature obtained by considering seasonal suitability.•Quantitative advantages of PCEs coupled with NV compared with only NV or PCEs.•Climatic characteristics obtained using a performance-based inverse design method.
Guiding wind energy sector growth through suitability analysis is a growing priority. We present in this work a logistic regression model that predicts suitable sites for state-level and nationwide ...wind energy development in the United States. The model's aggregation of publicly available data to 20 different grid cell resolutions, along with four predictor configurations, allows end-users to investigate commercial wind farm site suitability for their region, project size, and predictors of interest. Model performance maximizes at higher grid cell resolutions and when using a complete and/or refined predictor set. Validation of the model's performance against existing commercial wind farm locations demonstrates its ability to consistently diagnose over 75% of grid cell states correctly. As such, high suitability grid cells that currently lack wind farms could represent candidate locations for wind farm construction. This model and its aggregated datasets can be applied in other suitability analysis contexts, particularly solar energy development.
•We apply Logistic Regression to United States Wind Farm Site Suitability.•We aggregate predictor datasets to 20 nationwide hexagonal grid cell sizes.•Existing commercial wind farm locations allow for validation of model performance.•False positive grid cells can suggest future sites for wind energy development.•This model can perform suitability analyses of other renewable energy types.
•ENM/SDM in marine systems predominates at local scales and in the North Atlantic Ocean.•Most studies use correlative approaches to answer ecological or biogeographic questions.•Most studied groups ...have been fish, molluscs, and marine mammals.•There is a lack of clarity regarding the definitions of ENMs versus SDMs.•A third dimension is required to add precision and utility to marine models.
In recent years, the use of ecological niche models (ENMs) and species distribution models (SDMs) to explore the patterns and processes behind observed distribution of species has experienced an explosive growth. Although the use of these methods has been less common and more recent in marine ecosystems than in a terrestrial context, they have shown significant increases in use and applications. Herein, we provide a systematic review of 328 articles on marine ENMs and SDMs published between 1990 and 2016, aiming to identify their main applications and the diversity of methodological frameworks in which they are developed, including spatial scale, geographic realm, taxonomic groups assessed, algorithms implemented, and data sources. Of the 328 studies, 48 % were at local scales, with a hotspot of research effort in the North Atlantic Ocean. Most studies were based on correlative approaches and were used to answer ecological or biogeographic questions about mechanisms underlying geographic ranges (64 %). A few attempted to evaluate impacts of climate change (19 %) or to develop strategies for conservation (11 %). Several correlative techniques have been used, but most common was the machine-learning approach Maxent (46 %) and statistical approaches such as generalized additive models GAMs (22 %) and generalized linear models, GLMs (14 %). The groups most studied were fish (23 %), molluscs (16 %), and marine mammals (14 %), the first two with commercial importance and the last important for conservation. We noted a lack of clarity regarding the definitions of ENMs versus SDMs, and a rather consistent failure to differentiate between them. This review exposed a need to know, reduce, and report error and uncertainty associated with species’ occurrence records and environmental data. In addition, particular to marine realms, a third dimension should be incorporated into the modelling process, referring to the vertical position of the species, which will improve the precision and utility of these models. So too is of paramount importance the consideration of temporal and spatial resolution of environmental layers to adequately represent the dynamic nature of marine ecosystems, especially in the case of highly mobile species.
The absence of a landfill has increased the illegal waste disposal sites in Malaka Regency, which was established between 2013 and 2021. Therefore, this study aimed to analyze suitable and available ...land for the development of a landfill. The methodology used consisted of 2 analysis steps, namely land suitability and land availability. Land suitability was analyzed using a multi-criteria decision-making method, which included the slope, stone type/geology, lithology, soil type, soil texture, soil depth, soil drainage, distance from settlements, and water sources. The criteria were then weighted using the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) and geographic information system for overlaying. Furthermore, the results of the land suitability analysis were used to determine its availability with the aid of spatial and regional planning (RTRW), land use, and forest area maps. The results showed that the highly suitable (S1) and available terrain for the landfill in Malaka Regency covered an area of 203.37 ha or 1.73% of the regency. Also, the analysis results indicated that there was still adequate land available for the landfill.
Rapid urbanization and consequent haphazard growth of cities result in deterioration of infrastructure facilities, loss of agricultural land, water bodies, open spaces, and many micro-climatic ...changes. This unprecedented growth in city population put pressure on urban amenities and led to their uneven distribution. The Srinagar and Jammu cities witnessed alarming population growth rates in the last thirty years, thus resulted in various problems like pollution, traffic jam, leap-frog development, uneven provision of urban amenities etc. The present study attempted to find out the urban land suitability for the provision of urban amenities. Land use suitability assessment is a key determinant in any urban and suburban planning and decision-making process. The suitability assessment is carried out through AHP model using a set of criteria involving geo-physical and socioeconomic variables. The variables taken for the study are slope, altitude, land use/land cover and existing amenity status. The unit of study is a municipal ward. For better urban planning and suitable decision making, the study provided the information not only on the existing urban land use pattern and existing amenity status but also on suitability of land for the establishment of urban amenities in future.
Land suitability assessment is an essential step for land use planning and development. Over the last decade, many researchers, organizations, research institutes and governments have tried to ...provide a comprehensive procedure for the optimal use of agricultural land, but have failed to balance competing issues in a systematic way. Matter element is a multiple criteria decision analysis (MCDA) technique which has shown high potential for solving complicated issues. The use of MCDA techniques such as matter element and analytic hierarchy process (AHP) based on remote sensing (RS) and GIS is a flexible and effective framework to assess and map several different criteria for the strategic placement of cropping. We used data from 167 soil profiles covering 12,000 ha of land located in Ardabil province, northwest of Iran to assess criteria using MCDA techniques that may limit barley production under irrigation. After soil sampling and analysis, 24 soil series (all Aridisols) and 66 land units were identified and separated in the study area. Several criteria were limiting, but the most limiting criteria included: soil depth, slope, climate characteristics, pH, electrical conductivity, exchangeable sodium percentage, calcium carbonate equivalent and gypsum content. Combining and analyzing criteria in an AHP-matter element model generated a land suitability map for barley production. The coefficient of determination (R2) between land suitability index and observed barley yield was 0.947 for AHP-matter element hybrid model. Modeled estimates were compared and showed that the hybrid approach of AHP and matter element techniques was more accurate than the storie and square root methods in selecting the most suitable areas for barley production. The AHP-matter element hybrid method can therefore improve planning and decision making regarding land which is suitable for barley cultivation. This approach may also be suitable other crops.
•Matter element, AHP and GIS were used to assess land suitability for barley production.•AHP-matter element model had higher accuracy than conventional methods.•The proposed model was found reasonably useful for land suitability assessment.•The hybrid model of this research is an effective and powerful system for land assessment.•The findings facilitate the land allocation and management for barley production.
As the need for sensors increases with the inception of virtual reality, augmented reality and mixed reality, the purpose of this paper is to evaluate the suitability of the two Kinect devices and ...the Leap Motion Controller. When evaluating the suitability, the authors' focus was on the state of the art, device comparison, accuracy, precision, existing gesture recognition algorithms and on the price of the devices. The aim of this study is to give an insight whether these devices could substitute more expensive sensors in the industry or on the market. While in general the answer is yes, it is not as easy as it seems: There are significant differences between the devices, even between the two Kinects, such as different measurement ranges, error distributions on each axis and changing depth precision relative to distance.
Enzyme-induced carbonate precipitation (EICP) is a promising technique for soil reinforcement. To select a suitable calcium source and a suitable solution amount for aeolian sand stabilization using ...EICP, specimens treated with different solution amounts (1.5, 2, 2.5, 3, and 3.5 L/m2). Surface strength, crust thickness, calcium carbonate content (CCC) and water vapor adsorption tests were performed to evaluate the effect of two calcium sources (calcium acetate and calcium chloride) on aeolian sand solidification. The plant suitability of solidified sand was investigated by the sea buckthorn growth test. The suitable calcium source was then used for the laboratory wind tunnel test and the field test to examine the erosion resistance of solidified sand. The results demonstrated that Ca(CH3COO)2-treated specimens exhibited higher strength than CaCl2-treated specimens at the same EICP solution amount, and the water vapor equilibrium adsorption mass of Ca(CH3COO)2-treated specimens was less, indicating that Ca(CH3COO)2-solidified sand was more effective and had better long-term stability. In addition, plants grown in Ca(CH3COO)2-treated sand had greater seedling emergence percentage and higher average height, which indicated that calcium acetate is a more suitable calcium source for EICP treatment. Furthermore, the surface strength and crust thickness of solidified sand increased with increasing the solution amount. For sand treated with 3 L/m2 of solution, the excessive strength and thickness of the crust made plants growth difficult, and the performance of sand treated with more than 2 L/m2 of solution significantly improved. Thus, the solution amount of 2–3 L/m2 is suggested for engineering applications. The sand solidified using EICP in the field could effectively mitigate wind erosion and facilitate the growth of native plants. Therefore, EICP can be combined with vegetative method to achieve long-term wind erosion control in the future.
•Calcium acetate is a more suitable calcium source for aeolian sand solidification using EICP.•The EICP solution amount of 2–3 L/m2 is suggested for engineering applications.•EICP can be combined with vegetative method to achieve long-term wind erosion control.
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