Application of GIS and multicriteria evaluation in locating sustainable boundary between the tunari National Park and Cochabamba City (Bolivia)

Socio-Environmental Vulnerability Index: An Application to Rio de Janeiro-Brazil

Objectives: The concept of vulnerability has been used more frequently in several studies, in an attempt to better understand the specificities and needs of different population groups, both in environmental and socio-economical terms. The aim of this study is to identify, characterize and analyze populations in situations of socio-environmental vulnerability in the city of Rio de Janeiro, based on social, economic, environmental and public health indicators organized into a summary index – the Socio-Environmental Vulnerability Index.

Methods: The methodology integrated 15 indicators in a Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis into a Geographic Information System.

Results: According to our results, socio-environmental vulnerability in Rio de Janeiro is aggravated by at-risk situations and environmental degradation. These aspects are jeopardized by the population density in slum areas, where the most disadvantaged groups live in a process of environmental and urban exclusion.

Conclusion: The study concludes about the importance of these tools in guiding resource allocation and their contribution to formulating and implementing more effective public policies.

Delving into the Divisive Waters of River Basin Planning in Bolivia: A Case Study in the Cochabamba Valley

River basin planning in Bolivia is a relatively new endeavor that is primed for innovation and learning. One important learning opportunity relates to connecting watershed planning to processes within other planning units (e.g., municipalities) that have water management implications. A second opportunity relates to integrating watershed management, with a focus on land-based interventions, and water resources management, with a focus on the use and control of surface and groundwater resources. Bolivia’s River Basin Policy and its primary planning instrument, the River Basin Master Plan (PDC in Spanish), provide the relevant innovation and learning context. Official guidance related to PDC development lacks explicit instructions related to the use of analytical tools, the definition of spatially and temporally dis-aggregated indicators to evaluate specific watershed and water management interventions, and a description of the exact way stakeholders engage in the evaluation process. This paper describes an effort to adapt the tenets of a novel planning support practice, Robust Decision Support (RDS), to the official guidelines of PDC development. The work enabled stakeholders to discern positive and negative interactions among water management interventions related to overall system performance, hydrologic risk management, and ecosystem functions; use indicators across varying spatial and temporal reference frames; and identify management strategies to improve outcomes and mitigate cross-regional or inter-sectorial conflicts.

Application of Multicriteria Decision Making and Multi-Objective Planning Methods for Evaluating Metropolitan Parks in Terms of Budget and Benefits

Urbanization is inevitable in developed countries. This study investigated the design of metropolitan parks, which are essential for sustainable cities. The developed model examined the suitability of parks in Taichung City, Taiwan, and explored the three aspects of ecological, economic, and social indicators for park design using De Novo planning tools and the Decision Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory-based Analytic Network Process. Because the De Novo programming method can redesign budget restrictions, this method can help managers arrange budget programming and reduce the impact of excessive investment on resource utilization in specific projects. After obtaining each factor’s price, the De Novo planning approach can reduce economic and ecological resource input and improve benefits relative to existing resource utilization methods. When assuming a fixed investment of resources, the De Novo planning method moves resources from the economic and ecological aspects of leisure and recreation, thus increasing the total benefit of metropolitan parks. Multicriteria decision-making and multi-objective planning methods can provide an effective solution for evaluating metropolitan parks.

[Socio-environmental vulnerability index: a methodological proposal based on the case of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil]

The term vulnerability has been more frequently used in several studies, striving to better understand the specificities and needs of different population groups. The scope of this study was to identify, characterize and analyze populations in situations of socio-environmental vulnerability in Rio de Janeiro city, consolidating social, economic, environmental, health and public security indicators in a synthesis index - the Socio-Environmental Vulnerability Index. The data sources used were the IBGE-2010 Demographic Census, the Geo-Rio Foundation and the Public Security Institute of the state of Rio de Janeiro. The methodology integrated Multicriteria Decision Analysis into a Geographic Information System. According to our results, the socio-environmental vulnerability in Rio de Janeiro city is aggravated by risk situations and environmental degradation. Those aspects are accentuated by the population density in shantytown areas, where the most disadvantaged strata exist in a process of environmental and urban exclusion. The study makes it possible to locate spatially vulnerable areas, emphasizing the importance of these tools to guide resource allocation, formulation and implementation of more effective public policies.

Assessing regional environmental quality by integrated use of remote sensing, GIS, and spatial multi-criteria evaluation for prioritization of environmental restoration

This study was an attempt to analyse the regional environmental quality with the application of remote sensing, geographical information system, and spatial multiple criteria decision analysis and, to project a quantitative method applicable to identify the status of the regional environment of the study area. Using spatial multi-criteria evaluation (SMCE) approach with expert knowledge in this study, an integrated regional environmental quality index (REQI) was computed and classified into five levels of regional environment quality viz. worse, poor, moderate, good, and very good. During the process, a set of spatial criteria were selected (here, 15 criterions) together with the degree of importance of criteria in sustainability of the regional environment. Integrated remote sensing and GIS technique and models were applied to generate the necessary factors (criterions) maps for the SMCE approach. The ranking, along with expected value method, was used to standardize the factors and on the other hand, an analytical hierarchy process (AHP) was applied for calculating factor weights. The entire process was executed in the integrated land and water information system (ILWIS) software tool that supports SMCE. The analysis showed that the overall regional environmental quality of the area was at moderate level and was partly determined by elevation. Areas under worse and poor quality of environment indicated that the regional environmental status showed decline in these parts of the county. The study also revealed that the human activities, vegetation condition, soil erosion, topography, climate, and soil conditions have serious influence on the regional environment condition of the area. Considering the regional characteristics of environmental quality, priority, and practical needs for environmental restoration, the study area was further regionalized into four priority areas which may serve as base areas of decision making for the recovery, rebuilding, and protection of the environment.

Modeling approaches for characterizing and evaluating environmental exposure to engineered nanomaterials in support of risk-based decision making

As the use of engineered nanomaterials becomes more prevalent, the likelihood of unintended exposure to these materials also increases. Given the current scarcity of experimental data regarding fate, transport, and bioavailability, determining potential environmental exposure to these materials requires an in depth analysis of modeling techniques that can be used in both the near- and long-term. Here, we provide a critical review of traditional and emerging exposure modeling approaches to highlight the challenges that scientists and decision-makers face when developing environmental exposure and risk assessments for nanomaterials. We find that accounting for nanospecific properties, overcoming data gaps, realizing model limitations, and handling uncertainty are key to developing informative and reliable environmental exposure and risk assessments for engineered nanomaterials. We find methods suited to recognizing and addressing significant uncertainty to be most appropriate for near-term environmental exposure modeling, given the current state of information and the current insufficiency of established deterministic models to address environmental exposure to engineered nanomaterials.

A GIS-based decision-making structure for managing the impacts of feral camels in Australia

Feral camels have severe negative impacts on key environmental economic and social/cultural assets across a wide area in Australia and their population is increasing. In this paper we utilised Multicriteria Evaluation (MCE) within a Geographic Information System (GIS) to create a decision tool for their management. Six management methods which are currently used for managing feral camels and their impacts: aerial culling, ground culling, exclusion fencing, and commercial extraction for live export, pet meat, or human consumption, were considered in the development of the tool. The decision tool used GIS-based MCE to determine the suitability of each of the management methods across the range of feral camels in Australia. A range of method-dependent criteria and factors served as inputs to the GIS-based MCE, which produced a suitability map or surface for each of the management methods. The broad-scale nature, Australia wide, of the work resulted in the suitability maps generated being of limited value in identifying fine-scale priority locations for management. The suitability maps did serve to identify broad-scale, cross-jurisdictional management zones where one or more of the management methods may be applicable. Geographic Information System-based MCE was concluded to have the potential to identify the appropriate areas for the application of specific feral camel management methods. Four management zones were then defined within the area of Australia in which feral camels are present.

Application of spatial multi-criteria analysis to site selection for a local park: a case study in the Bergamo Province, Italy

This contribution discusses a site selection process for establishing a local park. It was supported by a value-focused approach and spatial multi-criteria evaluation techniques. A first set of spatial criteria was used to design a number of potential sites. Next, a new set of spatial and non-spatial criteria was employed, including the social functions and the financial costs, together with the degree of suitability for the park to evaluate the potential sites and to recommend the most acceptable one. The whole process was facilitated by a new software tool that supports spatial multiple criteria evaluation, or SMCE. The application of this tool, combined with a continual feedback by the public administration, has provided an effective methodology to solve complex decisional problem in land-use and urban planning.