Mapping the spatial distribution of shade provision of street trees in Boston using Google Street View panoramas

Street trees provide shade and increase human thermal comfort during hot summer. In this study, we investigated the spatial distribution of shade provision of street trees in Boston, Massachusetts. The sky view factor (SVF), which influences the solar radiation to the ground and affects human thermal comfort, was used to indicate the contribution of street trees on shade provision. Google Street View (GSV) panoramas were used to calculate the photographic method based SVF (SVF_P), with the consideration of all kinds of obstructions within street canyons. A building height model was used to calculate the simulation based SVF (SVFs), with consideration of obstruction of building blocks only. Considering the fact that street trees and building blocks are the two major obstructions of radiation within street canyons, therefore, the difference between the two SVF estimation results can be considered as the shade provision of street trees. The results show that street trees help to decrease the SVF by 24.61% in Boston, Massachusetts. The shading level varies spatially in the study area. Generally, the southwestern area has much higher shading level than the north and the east. We further explored the shading variation among different socioeconomic groups in the study area. Result shows that Hispanics tend to live in neighborhoods with lower shading level. This study can help to provide a reference for future urban greening projects for global climate change adaption.     

不拘于形，不役于物——欧阳修的园林活动与园林书写

欧阳修自幼与园林结缘，仕宦四十年，所到之处植花造园，笔耕不辍，留下数座园林景观、二十多篇园亭记及百余首园林诗词，撰写了现存最早的牡丹专著《洛阳牡丹记》，为后人研究园林提供了珍贵的史料。欧阳修的园林活 动和园林书写与其宦海沉浮、文学创作紧密相关。欧阳修热爱但不耽溺于园林，其崇尚自然、开放自适，不拘于形，不役于物的园林观，拓宽了园林审美的视域，启发了后人对“物”的审美思考，为园林理论注入了新鲜血液。欧阳修进一步打开了园林的大门，推动了园林的开放，为园林的繁荣与普及做出贡献。     

城市空间形态定量化研究进展

对国内外学者有关城市空间形态定量化的研究方法作了回顾与总结,主要介绍了基于GIS的定量分析法和分形维数法,并简要地对各种方法作了评论,使读者对目前在这一方面的研究情况有所了解,以便明确进一步深入研究的方向.     

GIS在生态土地分类中的作用

This paper depicted the physiographic landscape features and natural vegetation situation of study area (the eastern Jilin Province), and expatiates the definition, basic characters and its development of Ecological Land Classification (ELC). Based on the combination of relief map, satellite photography for study area and vegetation inventory data of 480 sample sites, a 5-class and a 15-class ecological land type map was concluded according to 4 important factors including slope, aspect, vegetation and elevation. Ecological Classification System (ECS) is a method to identify, characterize, and map ecosystems. The Ecological Land Type (ELT) was examined and applied initially in eastern Jilin Province. Foundation item: This paper was supported by Chinese Academy of Sciences “100 people” project and the Open Research Station of Changbai Mountain Forest Ecosystem. Biography: XIAO Bao-ying (1974-), female, postgraduate in Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016, P. R. China Responsible editor: Zhu Hong     

Study on Site-specific Nutrient Management in Cotton Field

The study on the characteristics of spatial variability of soil nutrients and fertilizer recommendations in cotton field under certain conditions of agricultural management was conducted with GIS and systematic approach for soil nutrient constrains. The results showed that of the spatial variability of soil nutrient was greatly related to the management condition of previous crops. Grid sampling and variable rate application technology (VRAT) were the tools that would hopefully increase fertilizer efficiency. The fertilizers were applied where they were needed and at proper rate. Balance fertilization demonstration showed that fertilizer recommendations according to the available nutrient level in soil could decrease fertilizer cost with 657.4 yuan / ha and increase seed cotton yield by 19.8%. A net profit of the balanced fertilization was 5314.9 yuan / ha higher than that of local fertilization practice.     

The Application of GIS in Small Watershed Classification in Loess Plateau

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森林资源GIS数据采集过程中质量控制方法的探讨

结合湖南省森林资源管理系统GIS数据采集的实践,探讨了森林资源GIS数据采集过程中影响数据质量的主要因素,以及数据质量的检验、评价方法和工艺流程等,并给出了影响森林资源GIS数据采集质量的主要因素及其权重.     

Landscape-ecological mapping of the Netherlands

The Landscape-ecological Mapping of the Netherlands project (LMN project) started in 1983 with the aim of establishing a landscape-ecological database for use in developing and evaluating national land-use plans. The project, working with grid cells of 1 km², has four working objectives: a) development of mapping potential for basic landscape-ecological data, b) assessment of susceptibility to interventions, c) evaluation of significance for nature conservation and d) production of vulnerability maps, as a combination of susceptibility and significance. In addition to information on soil, groundwater, ecotopes, flora and fauna, the database also incorporates information on physiographical features and entire landscapes. The resulting database is a geographic information system (GIS). This article describes the second phase of the project (1985–1989), covering the Randstad area, and focusses on the methods and the applications potential of the database.     

Designating a greenbelt around the city of Riga, Latvia

Latvian legislation demands that forest protection belts are established around all cities and towns. The main goal of a protection belt is to provide suitable opportunities for recreation to urban dwellers and to minimise any negative impacts caused by urban areas on the surrounding environment. Legislation states the main principles to be adopted, which include the maximum area of protection belts, their integration in territorial development plans and restrictions placed on forest management activities. The largest part of the forest area around Riga is owned by the municipality of Riga, which, as a result, has two competing interests: to satisfy the recreational needs of the inhabitants of Riga, and to maximise the income from its property. In order to compile sufficient background information to solve this problem, the Board of Forests of Riga Municipality initiated the preparation of a proposal for the designation of a new protection belt.The proposal was based on the development and application of a theoretical framework developed during the 1980s. The analysis of the recreational value of the forest (5 classes of attractiveness) was carried out based on categories of forest type, dominant tree species, dominant age, stand density, distance from urban areas and the presence of attractive objects. Information was derived from forest inventory databases, digital forest maps and topographic maps. Additional information was digitised and processed using ArcView GIS 3.2. Local foresters were asked about the recreation factors unique to different locations, such as the number of visitors and the main recreation activities. From a recreational point of view and taking into account legal restrictions and development plans for the Riga region, it was proposed to create three types of zones in the forest: a protection belt, visually sensitive areas and non-restricted areas.     

Does matrix resistance influence Red squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris L. 1758) distribution in an urban landscape?

In determining isolation effects in fragmented populations, the landscape matrix is not often considered. Usually simple distance measures are used to quantify degree of isolation. We tested the effect of the matrix on the presence of red squirrels in 354 wooded patches in the Brussels Region, by comparing several isolation measures. These were 1) distance to the nearest source patch, 2) the Hanski-measure (a combination of distance to and size of all possible sources), 3) effective distances calculated from different least cost models using the ArcView grid extension ‘Cost Distance’ (a combination of distance and resistance of the landscape, with different resistances for different landscape types) and 4) some combinations of the Hanski-measure and the effective distances. Size and quality of the target patches were always included in the tests of the predictive power of different isolation measures on squirrel presence/absence. All variables examined (patch size, quality and isolation) significantly influenced squirrel presence. Models using the effective distances gave the best results. Models including the Hanski-measure improved significantly when Euclidean distance was replaced by effective distance, showing that parameterisation of matrix resistance added significant additional explanatory power when modelling squirrel presence. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.