Copyright (c) 2009 All rights reserved. http://works.bepress.com/serwan_baban Recent documents in Serwan Baban en-us Mon, 07 Sep 2009 16:58:12 PDT 3600 http://works.bepress.com/serwan_baban/105 http://works.bepress.com/serwan_baban/105 Mon, 03 Aug 2009 16:59:10 PDT A team of specialists normally carries out the task of locating reservoir sites based on general guidelines, technical knowledge and experience. Consequently, the procedures used are not based on a defined criteria in addition to being time consuming and expensive. Furthermore, the failure of a number of dams and the increase in environmental awareness will require the inclusion ofenvironmental and social factors in the processes besides economy. In this study, a criteria was developed and implementedto locate potential sites for reservoirs in the Langkawi Island, Malaysia based on all relevant factors including: topography, geology, hydrology, land use/cover types and settlements. A satellite imagery and digitized geological and elevation maps were utilized to generate the necessary data layers for the developed criteria. Then IDRISI, a raster based GIS was employed to implement the criteria using the Boolean and the Weighted Linear Combination (WLC) methods. The Boolean method produced five reservoir sites with the 70 Mld water capacity, two of which corresponded well with a field-based study. Whilst theproposed site with the 90 Mld water capacity did not correspond with the field based study. The WLC method produced five sites with the 70 Mld water capacity, three of which matched those of the field study. Whilst for the 90 Mld water requirement, two potential sites were produced and both have matched those of thefield study. The outcomes indicated that the developed criteria were sensitive to physical, environmental and economical settingson the Langkawi Island. Furthermore, GIS and remote sensing can be useful tools for generating, manipulating and handling relevant data layers and ultimately providing management optionsfor decision makers. Serwan MJ Baban http://works.bepress.com/serwan_baban/103 http://works.bepress.com/serwan_baban/103 Sun, 03 May 2009 20:58:15 PDT Bheshem Ramlal http://works.bepress.com/serwan_baban/102 http://works.bepress.com/serwan_baban/102 Sun, 03 May 2009 20:58:13 PDT The region is currently experiencing an increase in water demand due to an expanding population, improvements in life quality and development activities. Consequently, Water Resource Managers and decision makers will be required to balance a dwindling supply with an escalating demand. These decision makers will need to use every aid available to them in order to identify management options for optimising the use of these limited water resources. The applicability of Geoinformatics as a water resources management tool in Southern Kurdistan and the relevance and the potential success of a range of applications, including water supply, hydrological catchment management, and managing sedimentation in reservoirs, floods and agriculture are examined. Based on the outcome of these assessments a Geoinformatics based hydrological management system is proposed. This management system will use Remote Sensing as an information source and GIS as an analytical tool within the management system. The system will enable decision makers to extrapolate, predict, update, plan, evaluate, compare, simulate and visualise various management actions and to anticipate the consequences of implementing each action over different periods of time in an objective manner, ultimately enabling them to optimise management decisions. Serwan MJ Baban http://works.bepress.com/serwan_baban/100 http://works.bepress.com/serwan_baban/100 Sun, 03 May 2009 20:58:08 PDT Identifying efficient pathways for linking potential reservoir sites to demand areas can be a difficult task in mountainous tropical regions. Options for locating optimum water pipe routes to link two proposed reservoir sites to future demand areas in the Langkawi Island, Malaysia, were developed and simulated. A basic water pipe locating criteria was developed based on land use, terrain, geological, and environmental factors. A raster based GIS, IDRISI was used to geographically associate this information with individual land use/cover types on the island. Then, a friction surface cost-value and a friction surface were created. Subsequently, two alternative scenarios were established and implemented. The results from both scenarios show that the paths will pass through the lowest friction surface value, i.e., grassland and mixed horticulture. The results from both scenarios were evaluated against straight-line paths. The analysis shows that a straight-line path may not necessarily be the cheapest distance in mountainous tropical environments. This study has demonstrated the advantages of using GIS in developing and simulating different options for finding optimum paths and providing reliable management options for decision makers. Serwan MJ Baban http://works.bepress.com/serwan_baban/99 http://works.bepress.com/serwan_baban/99 Sun, 03 May 2009 20:58:06 PDT Southern Kurdistan is experiencing a rapid rate of development, which is often associated with increased industrialization, population growth, economic development and urbanization. These events generally lead to continuous degradation of the environment and natural resources i.e. water, soil, air, natural habitats and biological diversity. These in turn, if not managed, could eventually slow down and threaten the pace of economic development. Consequently, there is a real need to understand and attempt to manage these events. This paper argues that the specific conditions in southern Kurdistan, the nature and unavailability of reliable information for decision making necessitates the use of Geoinformatics as an effective tool to sensibly utilise and conserve the environment and natural resources whilst furthering the development process. An overview of the likely environmental problems in Southern Kurdistan and the possible usage of Geoinformatics for achieving sustainable development has been discussed. Serwan MJ Baban http://works.bepress.com/serwan_baban/98 http://works.bepress.com/serwan_baban/98 Sun, 03 May 2009 20:58:04 PDT The land use/cover distribution on Langkawi Island, Malaysia was mapped using remote sensing and a Geographic Information System (GIS). A Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) satellite image taken in March 1995 was processed, geocorrected and analysed using IDRISI, raster-based GIS software. An unsupervised classification was performed based on spectral data from a composite image of the bands TM3, TM4 and TM5. Using this output, field data together with available secondary data consisting of topography, land use and soil maps were used to perform a maximum likelihood supervised classification. The overall accuracy of the output image was 90% and individual class accuracy ranged from 74% for rubber to 100% for paddy fields. The classified areas on the image were mainly confined to the mountainous and hilly regions on the island. A shaded relief map, simulating sunshine conditions, showed that the unclassified areas are located in the shadowed slopes, i.e. the slopes facing west. Consequently, the imagery was subdivided on the basis of slope aspect and a stratified classification was performed. As a result of this procedure, the overall accuracy increased to 92% and the individual class accuracy for the inland forest class increased by 9% to 90% . Using IDRISI, individual class areas as well as percentages were calculated. The kappa coefficient for the classified image was 0.90. Qualitative analysis indicates that topography is the main control on the spatial distribution of land use/cover types on the island. As Langkawi Island has been developing rapidly over the last decade, successful planning will require reliable information about land use/cover distribution and change. This study illustrates that remote sensing and GIS techniques are capable of providing such information. Serwan MJ Baban http://works.bepress.com/serwan_baban/97 http://works.bepress.com/serwan_baban/97 Sun, 03 May 2009 20:58:01 PDT Serwan MJ Baban http://works.bepress.com/serwan_baban/95 http://works.bepress.com/serwan_baban/95 Fri, 01 May 2009 23:59:25 PDT The study aims to examine the usage as well as the potential future use of Geographical Information Systems (GIS), remote sensing, and the World Wide Web (WWW) for teaching and learning the Geosciences in higher education institutions in the U.K. via information gathered through a questionnaire. The questionnaire was sent to all geography departments in the U.K.. Forty-one departments returned it, giving a response rate of 51.2 percent. All institutions were ranked based on their use of each technology; an overall usage ranking was calculated as well. Institutions achieving the highest scores for remote sensing were Southampton, Swansea and Edinburgh Universities. For GIS they were Leeds and Edinburgh Universities and for the WWW it was Southampton University which was also the highest overall ranking institution. A large proportion of the institutions surveyed were not fully aware of the variety and depth of information accessible via the WWW and of the potential of its use. The analysis revealed that there is a correlation between the individual use of these technologies within each institution and an overall expectation for increasing the usage of all technologies in the future. Traditional universities had the highest ranking for each technology as well as the highest overall usage of all three technologies. Serwan MJ Baban http://works.bepress.com/serwan_baban/82 http://works.bepress.com/serwan_baban/82 Wed, 01 Apr 2009 16:02:36 PDT Water resources can play a vital role in the economic development of a country. In Jordan, water resources are scarce and decreasing, and groundwater is considered the major water resource. The Azraq is one of the largest groundwater basins in Jordan, and it is currently facing an over-extraction problem. This study attempts to assess and map groundwater resources in the Azraq Basin using ARCVIEW GIS software. The relationship between land topography and depth-to-water surface was found to be statistically significant, while there was no significant association between land topography and groundwater level. Two essential thematic layers were created--depth to groundwater and groundwater level and the slope of groundwater level was mapped. The majority of the study area has a slope of less than four degrees with smaller scattered areas were the slope could rise up to 8.6 degrees. The results indicate that, due to the nature of the data involved and the analysis required, GIS could facilitate the necessary spatial digital analysis. Subsequently, its outcomes can be used for future groundwater planning and monitoring. Rida Al-Adamat http://works.bepress.com/serwan_baban/79 http://works.bepress.com/serwan_baban/79 Wed, 03 Dec 2008 14:57:13 PST Water consumption in Jordan already exceeds renewable freshwater resources by more than 20% and, after the year 2005, freshwater resources are likely to be fully utilised. Over 50% of supply derives from groundwater and this paper focuses on a small part of the northern Badia region of Jordan that is underlain by the Azraq groundwater basin where it has been estimated that annual abstraction stands at over 100% of the projected safe yield. While water supply is a crucial issue, there is also evidence to suggest that the quality of groundwater supplies is also under threat as a result of salinisation and an increase in the use of agrochemicals. Focusing on this area, this paper attempts to produce groundwater vulnerability and risk maps. These maps are designed to show areas of greatest potential for groundwater contamination on the basis of hydro-geological conditions and human impacts. All of the major geological and hydro-geological factors that affect and control groundwater movement into, through, and out of the study area were incorporated into the DRASTIC model. Parameters included; depth to groundwater, recharge, aquifer media, soil media, topography, and impact of the vadose zone. The hydraulic conductivity of the aquifer was not included in calculating the final DRASTIC index for potential contamination due to a lack of sufficient quantitative data. A Geographical Information System (GIS) was used to create a groundwater vulnerability map by overlaying the available hydro-geological data. The resulting vulnerability map was then integrated with a land use map as an additional parameter in the DRASTIC model to assess the potential risk of groundwater to pollution in the study area. The final DRASTIC model was tested using hydrochemical data from the aquifer. Around 84% of the study area was classified as being at moderate risk while the re mainder was classified as low risk. While the analysis of groundwater chemistry was not conclusive, it was encouraging to find that no well with high nitrate levels was found in the areas classified as being of low risk suggesting that the DRASTIC model for this area provided a conservative estimate of low risk areas. It is recognised that the approach adopted to produce the DRASTIC index was limited by the availability of data. However, in areas with limited secondary data, this index provides important objective information that could be used to inform local decision making. Rida Al-Adamat