1,721,064 research outputs found
Impact of land-use change and soil erosion on cultural landscapes: the case of cultural paths and sites in Paphos district, Cyprus
No full textIn 2006 UNESCO report has identified soil loss as one of the main threats of climate change with possible impact to natural and cultural heritage. This study illustrates results of applied geomatics approach, undertaken in order to identify the portions of the ancient Hellenistic-Roman Road network in Paphos district in Cyprus, that are undergoing major pressure caused by soil erosion and soil loss. In particular, Earth Observation methods were applied for identification, mapping and estimation of the possible soil loss caused by soil erosion in the period of the past 30 years. Special attention was given to the land use/land cover factor (C) and its impact on the overall estimation of the soil-loss. Cover factor represents the effect of soil-disturbing activities, plants, crop sequence and productivity level, soil cover and subsurface bio-mass on soil erosion. Urban areas have a definite role in retarding the recharge process, leading to increased runoff and soil loss in the broader area. On the other hand, natural vegetation plays a predominant role in reducing water erosion. Cover factor was estimated, classified and observed in years 1987 and 2016 in the District of Paphos and more specifically over Hellenistic-Roman Roads network corridors. The variance of the values between two years was then calculated in order to identify the areas under major pressure of soil erosion caused by the changes in land use and land cover
Contribution of earth observation and geospatial information for urban planning of historic cities’ centres: The case study of Nicosia, Cyprus
Full text linkThe Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations state that cities and human settlements need to be more inclusive, safe and resilient. In Europe cities have experienced dramatic physical, social and economic changes during the last decades while historic centres of European cities, among the most important assets of the European cultural heritage, are living paradoxes. They are defined as “a collection of beauty, icon of well-being, model of sustainability, but abandoned”. This study investigates the changes in the urban landscape of Nicosia, a particular historical centre in the Mediterranean region (Cyprus). The city centre is characterised by excep-tionally well-preserved Venetian fortifications. Due to political circumstances, the capital of Cyprus, Nicosia, is still divided and has been ruled by two different administrations for several decades. This study used optical multi-spectral satellite datasets processing, like the Landsat and the most recent Sentinel-2 products, to detect, identify and characterise significant morphological transformations within the walled city and around it. This paper’s central thesis promotes a more systematic use of earth observation products and derivatives in decision-making processes that regard planning, use and management of urban resources in Europe, especially in support of urban planning strategies of historic cities
The use and evaluation of a simulation game to teach professional practice skills to undergraduate Architecture students
No full textArchitects are currently grappling to exploit new forms of communication made possible with developments in internet communication. At the same time, the construction industry is in a state of flux as novel project management systems are being introduced. Students need to understand the first principles of project management within the context of our changing environment. One of the best ways for students to learn about the legalities of the construction process is through role play and simulation, but there is a Catch 22. Unless students have a basic understanding of project management, the contractual process can be confusing and intimidating. Even fifth and sixth year architecture student are reluctant to ask practitioners questions, for fear of appearing ignorant. This paper describes the use of a web-based simulation game to deliver the Management, Practice and Law syllabus to Architecture Students. The web-based game allows students to critically observe the transformation of designs into buildings through the exploration of the contract management process. A questionnaire survey was used to assess the efficacy of the simulation game as a learning tool, and in particular the effectiveness of the web-based simulation in facilitating the development of professional practice skills in undergraduate Architecture students. The initial results of the assessment indicate that the simulation game is both a useful and complementary adjunct to traditional teaching and learning methods, as observed through the evaluation of outcomes, and helpful in developing generic professional practice skills of undergraduate students. Further game development will require more formal evaluation over a series of uses
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Full text linkWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
Integrated method for tracking changes in archeolandscapes using remote and close-range technologies: Monitoring of change and risk assessment methodologies
No full textThe importance of visible built heritage and archeolandscapes for preservation of collective memory and identity is widely acknowledged across disciplines regarding heritage protection and valorisation. The complex analysis of archaeolandscape transformations through time needs multilevel geospatial information. To this purpose, it is necessary to consider different domains of technological tools but also an appropriate geospatial framework, applying a multi-scale, multitemporal and multi-sensor approach. In this way, the capabilities of new technologies can be further expanded aiming towards to an effective integration and improvement of preservation strategies and protection methodologies for cultural heritage sites. This paper illustrates the integration of in situ surveying campaigns, close range photogrammetry, aerial and satellite remote sensing imagery for identify change detection at the “Nea Paphos”, a UNESCO protected archaeological site of Cyprus. In particular, this paper examines the evolution of a buried archaeological feature (amphitheatre?) which is already known to experts but has not yet been excavated. Changes of shape and size have been documented, interpreted and mapped using resources covering a temporal arch of circa last 50 years. While soil and vegetation marks of the buried feature are very clear in the historic aerial imagery, these traces are disturbed on the recent images. An integrated method of detecting natural and physical consequences for evolving landscapes, using remote sensing techniques, airborne, and 3D photogrammetric models developed using open-source tools has been applied. Such integration is envisaged to (1) provide new kind of information and possible scenarios for retrieving geospatial knowledge of evolving archeolandscapes and their multiple layers of history and to (2) enable archaeologists, public administration and conservation professionals to pursue specific tailored-made preservation strategies of- specific archaeological sites and to support them in more informed decision making
Dispelling the Myths Behind First-author Citation Counts
Full text linkWe conducted a full-scale evaluative citation analysis study of scholars in the XML research field to explore just how different from each other author rankings resulting from different citation counting methods actually are, and to demonstrate the capability of emerging data and tools on the Web in supporting more realistic citation counting methods. Our results contest some common arguments for the continued
use of first-author citation counts in the evaluation of scholars, such as high correlations between author rankings by first-author citation counts and other citation
counting methods, and high costs of using more realistic citation counting methods that are not well-supported by the ISI databases. It is argued that increasingly available digital full text research papers make it possible for citation analysis studies to go beyond what the ISI databases have directly supported and to employ more
sophisticated methods
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