Articles
-
Evolution in the law of transport noise in England
October 1, 2021
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trd.2021.103050This article tracks the evolution of the regulatory framework in relation to transport noise in England from private and public nuisances in common law to the defence of statutory authority. The article looks at the evolution of transport noise law focusing primarily on the emergence of turnpike roads in the eighteenth century, railways in the nineteenth century, the extension of road motor vehicles in the verge of the twentieth century and, lastly, the introduction of jet aircraft after World War II. The introduction of these noise sources shaped the current noise regulatory framework in England. Traffic noise in England enjoys protection against nuisance claims. Nowadays, the British Parliament is reluctant to remove citizen’s private rights, and express statutory authority has appeared in very few legislative provisions, save when these have been juxtaposed with some form of statutory remedy —which was not present in early English jurisprudence on transport noise.
-
Identification of a set of variables for the classification of páramo soils using a nonparametric model, remote sensing, and organic carbon
August 23, 2021
https://doi.org/10.3390/su13169462Páramo ecosystems harbor important biodiversity and provide essential environmental services such as water regulation and carbon sequestration. Unfortunately, the scarcity of information on their land uses makes it difficult to generate sustainable strategies for their conservation. The purpose of this study is to develop a methodology to easily monitor and document the conservation status, degradation rates, and land use changes in the páramo. We analyzed the performance of two nonparametric models (the CART decision tree, CDT, and multivariate adaptive regression curves, MARS) in the páramos of the Chambo sub-basin (Ecuador). We used three types of attributes: digital elevation model (DEM), land use cover (Sentinel 2), and organic carbon content (Global Soil Organic Carbon Map data, GSOC) and a categorical variable, land use. We obtained a set of selected variables which perform well with both models, and which let us monitor the land uses of the páramos. Comparing our results with the last report of the Ecuadorian Ministry of Environment (2012), we found that 9% of the páramo has been lost in the last 8 years.
-
Detection of irrigation inhomogeneities in an olive grove using the NDRE vegetation index obtained from UAV images
January 19, 2019
https://doi.org/10.1080/22797254.2019.1572459We have developed a simple photogrammetric method to identify heterogeneous areas of irrigated olive groves and vineyard crops using a commercial multispectral camera mounted on an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). By comparing NDVI, GNDVI, SAVI, and NDRE vegetation indices, we find that the latter shows irrigation irregularities in an olive grove not discernible with the other indices. This may render the NDRE as particularly useful to identify growth inhomogeneities in crops. Given the fact that few satellite detectors are sensible in the red-edge (RE) band and none with the spatial resolution offered by UAVs, this finding has the potential of turning UAVs into a local farmer’s favourite aid tool.