“The early days of GIS were very lonely. No-one knew what it meant.”
Roger Tomlinson, the Father of GIS Behind the mysterious abbreviation of GIS, which may sound familiar to some of you already, there are no dinosaurs or skeletons, or even giants.It actually stands for a sort of “formula”: geographic + information + system. If reading that you feel disappointed and irritated, while recalling that you’ve always hated geography, computers and unknown abbreviations, be fast to scroll the page and read some other nice blog posts with probably less catchy titles. For the rest of you it should be an interesting topic and I’ll continue. So, GIS. It can be defined through all the three components of the acronym. First, “geographic” means that it has something to do with maps, location on Earth and Google maps. Secondly, “information” in this case stands for objects of different kinds (buildings, natural landscape, whether stationary or in motion), coordinates and their features. System here means that geographic information can be collected, transformed, analyzed and applied. Rather broad definition, isn´t it? This is a common problem in describing what GIS actually is, and thus looking at the particular implementations and applications of this “beast” would be more useful than just a plain definition. A good field to use as a source for examples would be the environmental one. Normally, the most crucial tool in dealing with GIS is the computer program. Probably, it is because GIS’s main “alternative” and ancestor – drawing the contours of objects on a plastic film and then combining them as needed – is not the most efficient and convenient way, but does create a lot of dull jobs. There are several GIS computer programs, either commercial or open-source, user-friendly or user-hostile and other or’s, but the basic idea behind them is similar: the spatial information is presented in the form of an interactive map, on which objects, landscape features and other various information are shown. Where does the initial information come from? Well, this topic deserves another huge post, but in brief, it comes from digitizing available maps, remote sensing via aerial or satellite images, and land-based sensing and mapping. After the information in the form of a map is loaded into the computer program, the user can easily (or not so easily, it depends) edit it, analyze it, state questions and find the answers by means of so-called geospatial analysis tools. To get a bit more specific, let´s have a look at the actual applications of the GIS. Ready? Unfortunately we are not yet :) But the second blog post is underway, where we will be discussing several practical applications of GIS, which are used in environment sciences and engineering! Thank you for attention and see you in the next post! P. S. While waiting, you could actually check the karaoke-videos to the theme of our acquaintance with G-I-Yes! They are hilarious. G-I-Yes! and GIS Hip-hop Maksim Mandelshtam What's Happening? While people in U.S. and Europe are building and developing zero-energy houses, in China and United Arab Emirates, they are building sustainable cities. That’s right, sustainable cities, not just sustainable houses or small scale housing, but huge cities. Masdar Project Currently in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, there is a completely new city being constructed that will house 50000 inhabitants in an area of 6 square kilometers. After its construction, it will be the first completely carbon neutral and zero waste city in the world. One of the biggest goals of the project is to make Masdar City into the global leader for renewable energy research, development, implementation and investment. This is a great start. The success or failure of this project will determine how willing we will be to construct more of these grand scale eco-cities. Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-city Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-city is a cooperative project between Singapore and China to build a sustainable city in Tianjin, China. The area is located between Beijing and Tianjin, 50 km from Tianjin and 150 km from Beijing. When completed in 2020, the area will inhabit around 350000 residents. The project is based two sets of three principles: Three Harmonies and Three Abilities. The Three Harmonies are: people living in harmony with other people, people living in harmony with economic activities, and people living in harmony with the environment. The Three Abilities are: commercial viability, the project should be replicated in other place in China and around the world, and the size should be adaptable to any scale. The site was cleverly chosen to be built on a non-agricultural area. This means that no potential farm land was taken away. The site, however, is located in an area that receives very little rain water and has no viable freshwater sources nearby. This means that the only source of fresh water is to build a desalination plant. The Future These eco-cities are not being built just to show-off, but they are being built out of necessity. As your might have guessed, the countries who are taking the first steps are the ones who have the capital to try and fail. The United Arab Emirates have gotten very rich by exploiting their rich reserves of oil, but they also understand that the age of petroleum will come to an end and they have to start building for the future. Chinese economy is one of the largest in the world and they also have the largest population in the world and they are investing very heavily in new eco-cities. To build these cities we need to discover new materials, techniques and technologies. If the only thing standing in our way is our own lack of vision, then there shouldn’t be anything standing in our way. Timo Karjalainen Sources http://www.masdarcity.ae/en/27/what-is-masdar-city-/ http://www.tianjinecocity.gov.sg/bg_intro.htm Building for Future Generations Humanity is running up against the limits of a finite planet. We are experiencing rapid global climate destabilization and the endangerment of entire ecosystems. A great percentage of the world’s population lives in cities and the amount keeps on growing. The use of cars and natural resources has skyrocketed and we are now at a point of great crisis with the way we live. These major life-threatening global environmental problems demand a reconstruction of our way of life. Seeing as the way we live is linked to the way we build and use resources, instead of trying to improve our outdated infrastructure, it needs to be redesigned to suit the finite capacity of our planet. Arcology is a combination of ecology and architecture. It is an architectural design for densely populated areas and is also known as an eco-city. Arcologies or eco-cities are cities that are ecologically healthy. The aim of the design of these cities is to have the smallest ecological footprint and pollute as little possible. The idea is to meet the needs of the present without sacrificing the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. It provides its citizens with food, water and power. Other important concepts to consider are: using land efficiently, composting used materials, recycling waste to produce energy and efficient water use. Ecological cities are achieved through various ways. They use various green technologies to ensure a clean footprint. The energy is acquired by using renewable energy sources, such as wind turbines, solar panels, geothermal energy and by using bio-gas created from sewage. The need for energy is reduced, for example, by reducing the need for air-conditioning, which is a massive energy demand. This is achieved by using proper insulation, natural ventilation systems, and green spaces which should cover at least 20% of the city’s surface. Green roofs are green spaces on the roofs of buildings, which create a natural insulation for the building and a habitat for wildlife. Eco-cities have an emphasis on the close proximity of things, thus reducing the need for vehicles. Also, improving public transport is an important issue to consider. The optimal solution would, of course, be car-free zones and zero-emission transport by using electric cars.
Changing already existing strong beliefs of how humanity should live and build is difficult. There is not one solution for all our problems; the solution requires experts from many fields to come together and create a practical vision for a sustainable and restorative human presence on this planet. Katja Räsänen At an ever-increasing rate, we are starting to realize that our rigid and mechanical approaches to everyday issues aren’t sustainable. Fossil fuel reserves are running out, agriculture is depleting the soils and lately we’ve been thinking that incinerating our waste is a good idea instead of reducing our waste output. We’ve become stuck, and the environment suffers from it. People have to see there is a bigger picture and work with it instead of blindly painting over it with fire and bulldozers. I think it is perfectly clear that our current ways of ‘dominating nature’ are what stands between us and a bright future for humanity and the planet. Fortunately, people are becoming more environmentally aware and there are many different fields of study that aim to find sustainable alternatives to our current unsustainable ways. Biomimicry is one of those fields, studying patterns in nature and imitating them in order to design more efficient and sustainable solutions to our problems. The essence of biomimicry is the idea that nature contains everything we need because organisms have, through millions of years of evolution, adapted and optimized themselves to live on this planet. The Romanesco broccoli is a visually striking example that showcases nature’s mathematical brilliance. It’s up to us now to tap into this brilliance and use it in creative ways. So what are some examples of products and technologies that take their inspiration from nature? One product that we undoubtedly all have used at some point in our lives is Velcro. This brilliant material with countless uses, ranging from shoe fasteners to astronaut equipment, was invented by Swiss electrical engineer George de Mestral. He was walking his dog in the Alps and he kept noticing the burrs of the burdock plant (see image on left) kept sticking to his clothes and dog’s fur. Examining the burrs under the microscope he learned that they have hundreds of small hooks that catch on to any material with some kind of loop structure. Of course, the burdock plant has developed this system because it greatly assists with seed dispersion and therefore reproduction. Sharks have also proven to be a major source of inspiration for technologies. Sharks can alter the texture of their skin to control the amount of friction during swimming, thereby optimizing their hunting prowess. Shark skin also has a specific surface structure (see image below) which makes it almost impossible for bacteria, algae and parasites to settle. Coatings inspired by shark skin have immensely varied applications in for example the naval, automobile and healthcare sectors. The streamlining effect can greatly increase fuel efficiency of crafts, while the antibacterial and organism-repellant property of the surface structure is an answer to the problem of biofouling. This is a phenomenon where bacteria and larger organisms, such as clams and barnacles, attach themselves to a surface and form a film. In the naval sector, biofouling slows moving ships down significantly, causing fuel to be wasted. By utilizing a coating inspired by shark skin, these organisms cannot settle and in turn there is no need to use toxic compounds to remove them from the hull of the ship. This is a great relief for the environment. In the healthcare sector, the coating could assist in the prevention of disease spread. Another positive effect is that this would reduce the need for disinfection methods.
These are just some examples of brilliant solutions that have been inspired by nature. Some further reading will tell you there are many other biomimicked technologies, and fortunately more and more are being developed all the time. New ways of electricity generation, better energy efficiency and materials that can repair or heal themselves are just some of the many developments. I believe there is vast potential in nature that can, and hopefully will play a big role in our journey towards a sustainable future. Is there any pattern or system of nature you can think of that could potentially be of great use for humans? Michael Kloet When you start thinking about car races, the first thing that comes to mind as an environmental engineer is the huge amount of money spent on them, and the serious environmental impacts they have. A large number of cars and personnel are transported from country to country to races, only to damage more of our valuable and precious environment. Not to mention the amount of people who also travel to watch the race… However, could there still be some greater meaning for this? Something that we as regular people could actually learn from Formula 1? My opinion is that there is. Most people do not know what KERS, or ERS, or other abbreviations mean. KERS is short for Kinetic Energy Recovery Systems, which was introduced to the sport in 2009. KERS works so that it harnesses the waste energy that is created during the braking. Rather than letting it escape as heat it is transformed into energy. In an F1 engine the energy is stored in a flywheel or in a battery. This provides an additional 60 kilowatts of power up to 6.67 seconds. For readers that do not follow F1, this is a huge amount of power. This innovation could soon be available to ordinary drivers, too. Volvo has tested adding KERS with a flywheel into regular road cars. The results show that in a four cylinder set up with KERS, the fuel consumption can be reduced by 25 percent when compared to a similar car with a six cylinder setup. In addition, the technique gives additional power of 60 kilowatts, which makes the four cylinder setup car accelerate like a six cylinder setup car. In 2014, a new system was taken into use in F1 and it is called ERS, Energy Recovery Systems. ERS consists of two energy recovery systems: Motor Generator Unit- Kinetic (MGU-K) and Motor Generator Unit- Heat (MGU-H). In addition, Energy Store (ES) and control electronics are part of ERS. MGU-K works in similar way to KERS, by transforming kinetic energy into electricity. MGU- H then transforms the heat energy from exhaust gases into electrical energy. This energy can then be used for MGU- K or stored in the energy store. This means an addition of approximately 120 kilowatts for 33 seconds, when compared to 60 kilowatts for 6,67 seconds.
Moreover, the new regulations for 2014 in F1 have a 100 kilogram limit for fuel per race, when before 160 kilograms of fuel could be used. This means that more testing and optimising is needed to get the maximal benefit from the limited amount of fuel. Doesn’t this sound very energy efficient and energy saving? The hybrid techniques of energy saving and energy efficiency of the fuels can also be transferred into our own road cars; or at least the information gotten can be developed for further use. Therefore, making the formula cars faster and more efficient does not always mean waste of money and environmental degradation. For more information, check the references. Sanni Joensuu References: http://www.tekniikkatalous.fi/autot/uusin+hybriditekniikka+valloittaa+formula+1n+ndash++teho+tuplaantuu+vaikutusaika+5kertaistuu/a963128 http://www.tekniikkatalous.fi/innovaatiot/25++saasto+bensankulutuksessa++volvo+testasi+formuloista+tuttua+kersjarjestelmaa+henkiloautoissa/a899268 http://www.formula1.com/inside_f1/rules_and_regulations/technical_regulations/ http://www.williamsf1.com/AdvancedEngineering/Media/Videos/Williams-Hybrid-Power-Flywheel---How-it-Works/ The picture is borrowed from here: http://fi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kimi_Räikkönen |
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May 2019
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