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The affordable DIY Mandeye LiDAR system for surveying caves, and how to convert 3D clouds into traditional cave ground plans and extended profiles
No full textThe paper examines the potential use of low-cost LiDAR for cave surveying. Mobile mapping using LiDAR complements traditional speleological surveying using a polygonal traverse. These methods assist each other, with one serving as an independent control measurement for the other, ultimately resulting in a more accurate 3D model. The testing results show that achieving high accuracy and detailed cave representation is possible using open hardware and open-source software. Both spacious and well-indented cave sections and narrow passages barely passable by humans were successfully mapped. The surveying process is significantly faster than traditional cave mapping, as drawing cave sketches by hand is unnecessary, being the most time-consuming task on site. This paper also presents a procedure for automated ground plan generation and profile generation from 3D point clouds, further expediting and simplifying the work for speleologists using scanning systems. Also, it is confirmed that the results are reproducible and do not depend on the subjective interpretation of the cartographer, as is the case with traditional speleological drawings
USF Libraries’ Digital Initiatives: From Enhancement Planning to Future Proofing, Business Plan Proposal, 2025-2028
No full textSecurity Conditionality: Evidence and Effectiveness
No full textConditionality, the practice of attaching conditions to aid, loans, or grant assistance, has become a ubiquitous feature of security assistance. Conditionality is predicted on its deterrent or motivational effects with the ultimate goal being to incentivize and influence the behavior of recipient countries to align with the strategic interests and values of the provider country. While lauded for its potential to promote reforms and good governance, conditionality has also been criticized for its intrusiveness, ineffectiveness, and potential to undermine national sovereignty. This paper argues that security conditionality in the emerging multiplex system will have no influence on recipient behavior. Middle and small power countries, those who should be most susceptible to conditionality, will seek less burdensome security guarantees thus aligning themselves with other great powers. This paper examines three theoretical constructs and tests conditionality using case studies based on Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso. Far from aligning recipients with donor countries’ strategic interest, this could contribute to change in the international system
American Extremism: An Evolutionary Process
No full textThis article critically examines the historical definitions of American right-wing extremism as utilized by the media, political community, academia, and the government. We suggest that the historical definitions of the right wing are inadequate and fail to describe extremism accurately and consistently. Using evolutionary game theory, this article further argues that right-wing extremism (and left wing) is based on an evolutionary process to secure social existence and will rise as predators challenge historical hierarchical systems