Using geographic information systems (GIS) to determine land suitability for rice crop growing in the Tana delta
September 2011
This research gives an evaluation of Tana delta with regard to areas that are suitable for rice growing. The study area lies on the Eastern delta area of the Tana river of which 16000 hectares have been earmarked for commercial rice farming. The evaluation of land in terms of the suitability classes was based on the method as described in FAO guideline for land evaluation for rain fed agriculture. A land unit...
Analysis of urban expansion and land use changes in Akure, Nigeria, using remote sensing and geographic information system (GIS) techniques
September 2011
Akure has since it became the administrative headquarters of Ondo State in 1976 been witnessing rapid developmental changes in terms of physical landscape, city growth and urban sprawl. These agents of landuse landcover changes are capable of creating environmental and climatic problems. In view of this,We fulti temporal remote sensing data and geographic information system (GIS) techniques with field...
A resource survey for medicinal and edible plant species in the four ecological zones of rural Swaziland
September 2011
Increased and uncontrolled harvesting of non-timber forest products (NTFPs) often leads to disappearance of numerous plant species and ultimately forest degradation. The objective of this study was to conduct resource surveys to assess the condition and actual quantities of standing stock of species of edible and medicinal NTFPs, and to do an economic analysis of the value of the standing stock. The methods...
A methodology proposal for land cover change analysis using historical aerial photos
September 2011
The analysis of land cover change plays a key role in understanding a great variety of phenomena in several research fields and aerial photos represent the main existent database providing evidence of landscape changes with high detail. However, the extraction of information from aerial photos can be really harsh especially when dealing with historical photos and/or when involving areas with a complex...
Determination of desert areas in the view point of geomorphology using geographical information system: A case study of Ardestan, Isfahan
August 2011
Geomorphology mainly deals with the factor that affects the formation of earth crust, or in other words, it investigates the earth’s surface reliefs and studies the origin and main factor which affect their formation, and finally, it deals with the deposit that stems from them. In this research, in order to determine and discriminate the desert region realm in eight regions of Ardestan (Isfahan...
Demographic comparative in heritage texture of Isfahan City
August 2011
Attention to heritage area and old texture is very usual in Iran. Since last two decades, revitalization and renovation of historic cores has begun partly in some of the traditional Iranian cities. Historic centre of Isfahan is among the most important cases in central part of Iran. The aim of the conservation of heritage areas in this city is to revive the past image, restoring the ancient parts which still...
Applications of remote sensing (RS) and geographical information system (GIS) for urban land use change study in Ulaanbaatar City, Mongolia
August 2011
The aim of this study was to analyze the urban land use changes of Ulaanbaatar, the capital city of Mongolia, using very high resolution remote sensing (RS) and geographical information system (GIS) datasets. In this study, land use status in Ulaanbaatar before 1990 are compared with the land use changes that occurred after 1990 and the socio-economic reasons for the changes are described. For the basic...
Analysis of the impact of urban sprawl in altering the land-use, land-cover pattern of Raichur City, India, using geospatial technologies
August 2011
In this paper, an attempt was made to study the implications of urban sprawl on the land-use and land-cover pattern of a typical rural region, located in the State of Karnataka, India. Raichur quickly emerged as a city with the typical promises of an urban image. The GIS and remote sensing based assessment of the study area reveals that the city is still juvenile and there is some chance to save it from the...
Do Samaritan migrants really work for the development of local communities? Evidence from Cameroon in Central Africa
August 2011
The aim of this paper is to analyze how Samaritan migrants really work for the development of local communities in Cameroon. We have used the game theory approach that is based on the Samaritan’s Dilemma. The Samaritan Dilemma shows the superiority of collective responsibility on the individual or personal utility. Therefore, one of the solutions to development problem is to introduce and encourage...
Integrated approach to solid waste management in Pune City
August 2011
Solid waste is increasing in Pune City due to growth of population, urbanization, higher per capita income and standard of living, changing lifestyle and food habits. The solid waste created by the household units, shops, restaurant and commercial units are higher. Solid waste is inevitable task in urbanization process and it will increase in future. The collection, segregation, storage, transports and...
Determinants of SMEs growth (wood enterprises): Infrastructure, technology and collective efficiency
August 2011
Economic development is said to be dependent on industrial development. Industrialization is seen as key in the promotion of sustainable development since it creates productive employment, generates value added capital and makes a significant contribution to economic and social development. However, the trend in the performance of the manufacturing sector in Kenya raises questions on the effectiveness of the...
Changes in population settlement pattern in urban system of Tehran province (1966 to 2006)
July 2011
Rapid suburbanization in urban system of Tehran province has been driven by the government’s policies in past decades, transport system development and land price differences between metropolises and Periphery area. Cities in Periphery area grew rapidly during 1966 to 1986 as families moved there in anticipation of jobs. The non-appearance of jobs resulted in poor social services, gridlocked freeways...
Socio-cultural and economic determinants of fertility differentials in rural and urban Cross Rivers State, Nigeria
July 2011
This study examines the socio-cultural and economic determinants of fertility differentials in rural and urban Cross River State, Nigeria with specific focus on Calabar and Bendi communities. Survey design was adopted and a sample of eight hundred and eighty respondents was drawn with the use of purposive, quota and systematic sampling techniques. The study elicited data via structure questionnaire and focus...
Municipal water supply planning in Oyo metropolis, Oyo State, South Western Nigeria
July 2011
The study attempted a municipal water supply planning in Oyo metropolis using a land based approach to prepare a long range forecast of water supply demand for Oyo metropolis with the aim of providing effective planning, development and operation of water supply and distribution networks which is one of the most essential compounds of urban infrastructure. The problem of water sector in Oyo metropolis was...
Modeling and measuring the economic success of farming families using remote sensing and GIS: An example from mountains of Nepal
July 2011
This paper presents the potential of integrating socioeconomic data into GIS that helps to explain spatial differentiation of resources availability, utility potential, market orientation and socioeconomic condition in an area. Socioeconomic data were gathered through the family survey and linked them to GIS by using house position, and continuous thematic raster layers were produced by interpolation....
A population based study on unintended pregnancy among married women in a district in Southern Ethiopia
July 2011
This study aims at examining the prevalence and risk factors for unintended pregnancies among selected married women in Damote Gale Woreda (a district in Southern Ethiopia). A multistage sampling technique was used to select women respondents in the reproductive age group of 15 to 49 years. Quantitative and qualitative data were obtained using structured questionnaires, focus group discussion and key...
Regional analysis of locations of public educational facilities in Nigeria: The Akure region experience
July 2011
One of the components of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) is achieving universal basic education for all boys and girls by the year 2015. The realization of this goal will remain a dream as long as there is imbalance in the distribution of educational facilities. It is in this context that this paper attempts to examine the distribution of public educational facilities in Akure region, Nigeria with a...
Analysis of the travels of public transport passengers (road) in Ikorodu, Lagos, Nigeria
July 2011
This paper investigated the travels of public transport passengers’ (road) from Ayangburen Taxi Park, Ikorodu, Lagos, Nigeria with a view toward identifying its challenges and contributions to travel demand. The sources of data used were the structured questionnaire and past literature. The primary data types used were on routes, schedules, travel cost, number of vehicles, number of vehicles’...
Literacy and work participation among Muslims in Uttar Pradesh
June 2011
India is a multi-ethnic, multi-cultural and multi-linguistic country; people belonging to many religious faiths live side by side. Muslims are the largest minority of the country. This paper attempts to present a demographic and socio-economic profile of the Muslims in Uttar Pradesh by focusing on the district wise distributional variation of Muslim concentration, their literacy, work participation rate...
A study of ferry service route network in Lagos Lagoon- Nigeria using graph theory
June 2011
Lagos State is endowed with international commerce, industry and infrastructure excellence drives. In Lagos State, traffic situation is chaotic and socio-economically unfriendly due to ills in multi-transportation modal functions. Urgent research and development attention is required to arrest total collapse of the entire modal system. In this study, a framework is developed for efficient utilization of Lagos...
Spatio-temporal changes in land uses and land cover due to human interference in Meghalaya, India: A case study of Wah Shella microwatershed
June 2011
Impact of human interference on the degradation of natural forests in the last three decades in Wah Shella microwatershed in Meghalaya (India), a hilly state of North-Eastern India has been reported. Remote Sensing and GIS data were applied to highlight spatial and temporal changes in land use and land cover. The present study is an excellent example of human induced land use changes and later the measures...
Social networks and rural non-farm enterprise development and implication for poverty reduction among rural households in Zimbabwe
June 2011
Poverty remains a greatest challenge for the rural households of the sub Saharan Africa and a number of interventions are proposed to alleviate poverty. Rural non-farm enterprises are seen as a possible partner to farm enterprises to reduce poverty as there are robust production linkages between the two. On the other hand social networks have been seen to play an important role in the development of...
Family planning service utilization in Mojo town, Ethiopia: A population based study
June 2011
This cross-sectional study aims at identifying the demographic and socio economic barriers to family planning services utilization in Mojo town, Oromiya region of Ethiopia. The study used data collected from 551 women respondents (age 15 to 49) selected through systematic random sampling techniques. Data were analyzed using both univariate and multi-variate (logistic regression)...
Mobile laser scanning for monitoring Polyethylene City infrastructure networks
June 2011
This research discusses a more efficient geospatial monitoring technique for city infrastructure networks. It will concentrate on polyethylene city infrastructure materials, where power, water and communication networks are covered or protected by polyethylene materials. A technical comparison is conducted between current and proposed geospatial monitoring techniques in order to develop an overall performance...
Application of system dynamic approach for water planning and decision making under water scarcity at Jwaneng diamond mine
May 2011
Business operations under water scarcity requires efficient water management to avoid disruptions to prolong lifespan of the water resources. One way to enhance effective water resource management is the use of approaches that study the system in holistically. One such approach is system dynamic approach. Thus, in this article, water use by mining sector in Botswana is assessed using system dynamic approach....
Landscape change (1930 – 2010) in a Mediterranean natural reserve
May 2011
Landscape diversity has declined in Europe during the recent (that is, post 1950) period of agricultural intensification with a tendency for the most progressive farmers to create the simplest landscapes. The object of this paper is to analyse the landscape of the Presidential estate of Castelporziano, a protected area located near Rome. In this territory, there are two SCI (Site of Community...
The Nigerian architecture: The trend in housing development
May 2011
This paper deals with the dynamics and challenges of Nigerian architecture in practice. The focus was on the trend and development of housing forms in Nigerian cities, the forces that have shaped and patterned their evolution overtime. Drawing on the divergent example of the transition from traditional to modern urban housing forms in post colonial Nigeria, the paper reveals that social changes, particularly...
Regional analysis of urban-rural differentials in literacy in Uttar Pradesh, India
May 2011
The present paper is an attempt to analyse the trends of differential in literacy rate, spatial patterns of urban-rural differential and the relationship between differential index and selected variables of development among the districts of Uttar Pradesh, India. The urban-rural differential index is found to be high in the south-eastern part and it tends to decline towards western part of the state. The...
Making youth voices count in development programming in Makhado municipality, Limpopo province
May 2011
In South Africa, there is an increasing realization of the need for engaging youth when developing programmes meant to positively nurture them. Current youth development practices fail to reflect youth aspirations because of dearth of appropriate approaches of engaging them. This exploratory study sought to fill this gap and obtain the perceptions of school-going and out of school youth in Makhado Local...
Global environmental change and food systems in Southern Africa: The dynamic challenges facing regional policy
April 2011
There is a growing concern that Global environmental change (GEC) will exacerbate the stress on Southern African food systems leading to increasing food insecurity, which is signified by rising levels of chronic and severe malnutrition and rates of stunting in children. The situation is further exacerbated by insufficient understanding on how the region’s food systems currently operate, in which ways...
Vegetation dynamic in semi arid Butana plain, Sudan
April 2011
Natural vegetation of the western Butana plain of Sudan, at 14 to 16°N and 33 to 35’E, which is composed mostly of Acacia of the Mimosaceane family, has undergone dynamic changes during the last decades as demonstrated by a survey carried out in 2005. The majority of the vegetation is of Acacia trees, shrubs and grasses which are differing spatially, by soil type and in cover; frequency; abundance...
The qualities of Tabriz historical bazaar in urban planning and the integration of its potentials into megamalls
April 2011
The bazaar world of Tabriz, as the largest traditional, attached, roofed bazaar in the world with the finest art and Islamic architecture, and with it being located on Silk Road, has played various economic, social, religious, communicational, political and cultural roles during history, in which the bazaar spirit is affected by the roles and their suitable integration. In this research, which is a...
Natural and eco-environmental vulnerability assessment through multi-temporal satellite data sets in Apodi valley region, Northeast Brazil
April 2011
The objective of this study was to improve our understanding of vulnerability and environmental change; its causes basically show the intensity, its distribution and human-environment effect on the ecosystem in the Apodi Valley Region, This paper identify, assess and classify vulnerability and environmental change in the Apodi valley region using a combined approach of landscape pattern and ecosystem...
Infrastructure support and new plant formation: A factor analysis approach
April 2011
This study is aimed to explore the result of a questionnaire survey on the plant locations of Japanese manufacturing industries from 1997 to 2003 and the objective is to investigate the impact of infrastructure support on the incubation of new manufacturing plants and to identify the regional variety of the impact. The major finding is that there is a location factor consisting of various infrastructure...
Perceptions of tourists on trail use and management implications for Kakamega Forest, Western Kenya
April 2011
The study aimed at providing Kakamega Forest Management with empirical information that can be used to make judicious trail and visitor management decisions. This is important because trails form the main means for accessing visitor facilities and attractions in protected areas. However, most of the methods that have been used to asses trail use impacts have involved elaborate field measurements and...
Environmental implications of oil exploration and exploitation in the coastal region of Ondo State, Nigeria: A regional planning appraisal
March 2011
Oil exploration and exploitation in Nigeria have evolved through a long history. However, they have left trail of woes in their path with so much damage to the ecosystem and problems to human life in the exploration region. In the light of this, the paper appraises the implications of oil exploration and exploitation in the coastal region of Ondo State. Data used in the paper were obtained...
The logarithmic relationship between collective efficiency and technology development in wood enterprises in Kenya
March 2011
Small Manufacturing Enterprises (SMEs) contribute to economic dynamism, entrepreneurship and have potentials to contribute to sustainable industrial development in less developed countries (LDCs). They are however handicapped since they lack the capacity to develop infrastructure and acquire technologies that give them a competitive advantage in the global market. This paper explores collective efficiency as...
Evaluating rework cost- A study of selected building projects in Niger State, Nigeria
March 2011
Rework represents a new terminology in construction dictionary and it becomes essential when an element of building works fails to meet customer’s requirement or when the completed work does not conform to the contract documentation. Reworks contribute to time and cost overruns in project. Thus, to enhance efficient project delivery processes the research work evaluated rework cost on elemental basis in...
Detection and geographical distribution of clearing areas in the savannas (‘lavrado’) of Roraima using Google Earth web tool
March 2011
The objective of this study was to detect clearing areas (anthropogenic disturbance) and evaluate the geographical distribution of different land uses in the savannas (lavrado) of Roraima, Brazilian Amazonia. Data were obtained from visual interpretation of very high (Ikonos and QuickBird - 2001 to 2007) to high (Landsat TruEarth® - Mosaic 1999 to 2002) resolution images offered by Google...
Study on spatial distribution and integration of Rwandan Cities
March 2011
The primary purpose of this research work was to investigate and analyze the spatial distribution and the integration of Rwandan Cities. The results revealed that the economy of Rwandan Cities is subordinated to Kigali City in which the intensity of economic is very little higher than others. The analysis of their spatial distribution using the distribution of neighbor proximity analysis...
Importance of non-timber forest products in native household economy
March 2011
Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFPs) have an important role in the household economy of forest fringe dwellers living in the dry-deciduous forests of Purulia, Bankura and West Midnapur districts of West Bengal, India. Due to the lack of agricultural land and industrial activities, forest fringe people collect forest products in regular basis for their livelihoods. They also make some value-added products to...
Measurement of resources allocation efficiency in the Jordanian municipalities (Case study: Greater Irbid municipality)
February 2011
The study aims at measuring the efficiency of allocating resources for the road sector in The Greater Irbid Municipality, located in the northern part of Jordan. This issue is of high importance to both academics and professionals working in the planning fields. The study seeks to enrich the planning theories through an empirical case study by testing the weights assigned for resource allocation criteria...
Effects of positive and negative rural tourism (case study: Rural Semnan Province)
February 2011
The most important purpose of tourism development is economic and social development of the tourism areas. Although a minor part of tourism includes rural tourism and plays an important role in economics of rural areas of developed countries, but other advantages and even received harms through these activities in rural areas should not be neglected. As some benefits may be obtained from tourist development,...
Mapping locations of nesting sites of the Indian house crow in Mombasa
February 2011
The location of nesting sites of Indian house crows is related with the food availability within an area. Nesting sites are located close to food sources especially areas with poor sanitation. A Google image of the area was zoomed in to visually identify tree clusters and planning of residential areas. Ground observations of the tree clusters identified from the image for nesting and the conditions around...
Assessing land use changes in Ardakan area using remote sensing
February 2011
More than one-third of the land worldwide is located in areas with arid and semiarid climates. Desertification has been increased in these areas during the recent decades. About 80% of that of Iran is located in the arid and semiarid areas. Sand dunes, as an indicator of desert land, cover an area of about 32 million hectares, out of which 12 million hectares have not been stabilized yet. Advancing sand dunes...
Factors influencing the quality of rail transport services in metropolitan Lagos
February 2011
This paper presents user’s opinion on the factors influencing the quality of rail transport service passengers’ operation and also evaluates the relationships between the adopted factors (variables of the quality of rail passengers’ services in metropolitan Lagos). Data collection was through the administration of structured questionnaires on the quality of rail service in Lagos....
An assessment of the response to the HIV/AIDS pandemic in Taraba State, Nigeria
February 2011
Taraba state has one of the highest HIV/AIDS prevalence rate in north eastern Nigeria. It has many high risk settings and increasing behavioural attitudes that enhance the spread of the virus. This study evaluates the response of the State Government to the HIV/AIDS pandemic and how the conceptualization of the problem impacts on the government’s response in the State. The finding shows that the high risk settings...
Some of the major environmental problems relating to land use changes in the coastal areas of Bangladesh: A review
January 2011
The present paper is a review to describe the causes of major changes in land use pattern of the coastal zone of Bangladesh and identify the effects on the environmental degradation obviously considered as a man-made disaster in the area. The paper shows that the way of using the lands in the coastal areas are gradually changing, that is, diverse, competitive and alarming. The land use of coastal areas is...
Urban agriculture in metropolitan Lagos: An inventory of potential land and water resources
January 2011
The research examines how urban agriculture as an individual household micro level strategy can directly influence the financial empowerment of urban poor within the Lagos metropolis, positively. Using secondary data collected from government agencies (satellite image, hydrology map, statistical data etc) and primary data collected from field observation and reconnaissance survey; the paper takes inventory of...
Spatial distribution of women informal economic activities in the rural areas of Imo State, Nigeria
January 2011
Utilizing a feminist perspective, the paper examines the spatial distribution of informal economic activities engaged in by women in the rural areas of Imo state and ascertains if there is spatial variation in the type of informal economic activities executed by these rural women. For the study, data were collected at household and institutional levels. Field observation and the focus group discussion method...
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