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The worldwide trend of migration from the peripheral rural areas ("rural exodus") to the central areas of a region raises the question of how to deal with it in some regions of Austria. On the one hand, the loss of population always represents a loss of importance for a municipality, whereas on the other hand, a strong influx puts a strain on the central areas and the increased land consumption poses a challenge for the environment and spatial planners. Depending on the region, this can have various causes, whereby specific pull factors of the central areas as well as a set of push factors of the surroundings are relevant. Within the framework of a study lasting several years and using a mix of selected methods, an attempt was made to work out or characterize those aspects of the female rural lifeworld that represent the decisive factors for shaping the further life paths of women. In this context, the economic structure and organization proved to be particularly important factors for successful economic and land use development, sufficient natural resources, and environmental quality for housing and quality of life as well as a potential for a leisure economy, good accessibility, and infrastructure in terms of transport development and information and telecommunication technologies (distance to the higher-level economic centers is a significant obstacle to development). Finally, cultural values, social trends, and human capital with the existing gender-specific role patterns also play a certain role in the consideration of migration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Unmanned aerial systems (UASs) offer a less invasive solution for accessing remote areas and sites, making them valuable in Architecture, Engineering, Construction, and Operation (AECO). Their ease of use, ability to reach previously inaccessible areas, and sensor integration provide new project perspectives. Augmented Reality (AR), which allows for the real-time insertion of virtual elements into physical spaces, is also being explored in the AECO industry. Recognizing the potential of these technologies, this research aims to integrate them for on-site building model visualization. This article presents the development of resources to visualize building design implementation in AR, which is supported by UASs through georeferencing. The system development process included establishing the software architecture, creating interface prototypes, and constructing the model. It was possible to visualize the building model in AR within the real world; however, limitations were identified regarding the UAS used and its Application Programming Interface, which affected the aircraft's programmed trajectory. The contribution of this paper lies in exploring the utilization of georeferenced AR enabled by UAS for visualizing architectural designs on site, detailing the steps and strategies employed to achieve this, highlighting the limitations of the chosen approach, and proposing potential solutions to the issues identified in the research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Remote sensing (RS) technologies are essential for safeguarding cultural heritage sites from geo-hydrogeological threats. Advances in RS methods have improved the accuracy and managing of 3D datasets, creating a growing need for efficient data analysis in geo-hazards prevention. This paper presents two archaeological sites where a geo-hazards assessment was conducted: Hegra (Al-Hijr / Madā> in Ṣāliḥ) and Dadan in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), AlUla region. Hegra is the KSA's first UNESCO World Heritage site, while Dadan is the most significant site in the country. These case studies confirm the key role of RS survey outputs in evaluating geo-hazards at rock-carved heritage sites. The integration of on-site surveys with RS methods, especially ALS, TLS and UAV-DP, quickly provides accurate point cloud data for geo-hazards assessment. Additionally, using explainable AI algorithms speeds up the classification of geometrical features, enhancing knowledge and enabling reliable, fast and repeatable monitoring in restoration planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we utilized a feature optimization method combining texture and topographical factors with the random forest (RF) approach to identify changes in the extent of the debris cover around the Tianshan Tomur Peak between 1989 and 2022. Based on Sentinel-1 image data, we extracted glacier flow velocities using an offset tracking method and conducted a long-term analysis of flow velocities in combination with existing datasets. The debris identification results for 2022 showed that the debris-covered area in the study region was 409.2 km2, constituting 22.8% of the total glacier area. Over 34 years, the area of debris cover expanded by 69.4 km2, reflecting a growth rate of 20.0%. Analysis revealed that glaciers in the Tomur Peak area have been decelerating at an overall rate of −4.0% per decade, with the complexity of the glacier bed environment and the instability of the glacier's internal structure contributing to significant seasonal and interannual variability in the movement speeds of individual glaciers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent research indicates that exposure to green space may have positive effects on the mental health of students, potentially mediated by factors such as environmental satisfaction and social cohesion. However, the specific impact of green space exposure on students' mental health during the COVID-19 campus lockdowns unexplored. To investigate this relationship, a survey was conducted via social media among 346 current students residing on a locked-down campus, assessing their mental well-being, green space satisfaction, social environment satisfaction, subjective exposure and objective exposure to green space. A structural equation model (SEM) was employed to examine the relationships among various dimensions of green space exposure, satisfaction and students' mental well-being. The findings indicate that subjective exposure to green space has a positive impact on mental well-being and indirectly through social environment satisfaction. Additionally, objective exposure could indirectly influence mental well-being through green space satisfaction and social environment satisfaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evidence from studies in the global north has shown the beneficial effects of green spaces (GS) for our psychological and physiological health. In this study, we examine whether the connection between GS, wellbeing, and restoration is also applicable to low/middle-income countries (LMICs), using Tanzania as a case study. During May–July 2021, an online survey was conducted among 108 students and/or staff of the University of Dar es Salaam. Information was provided regarding exposure to campus's green spaces (CGSs) measured by the NDVI and subjective questions relevant to accessibility/availability of CGS, duration and frequency of visits, as well as perceived greenness. Self-reported questions were also used for assessing the quality of CGSs and motives for using them. Mental wellbeing and restoration were measured with the Warwick–Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Short Scale ((S)WEMWBS) and the Restoration Outcome Scale (ROS), respectively, while the Nature Relatedness Scale (NR-6) was used to determine the feelings and thoughts of our participants towards nature. Generalized linear regression indicated a positive relationship between the need to be close to nature and relaxation as motivators for visiting CG; (S)WEMWBS (p < 0.05). The same correlation was observed for the ROS (p < 0.01). The ROS was also positively associated with the NDVI (p < 0.01), age group of 18–25 (p < 0.05), and employment status (full time p < 0.01, part time p < 0.05). Our findings confirm that GS can be considered an effective tool for promoting SDG 3 and SDG 11 in LMICs. More importantly, urban planners should focus on the motives for using such places in order to make them inclusive and multifunctional. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Jostedalsbreen is the largest ice cap in Norway and mainland Europe. Rapid retreat of many of its outlet glaciers since the 2000s has led to the formation of several glacial lakes. Processes causing the formation and expansion of glacial lakes and their interaction with a glacier and terminal moraine have not been widely addressed yet. In this study, we investigate the degradation of the front of the southeast‐facing outlet glacier Austerdalsbreen. Based on a variety of remotely sensed data (UAV‐based and airborne orthophotos and DEMs, satellite images), we analyze the coincident glacial and proglacial changes of Austerdalsbreen and quantify the evolution of this transition zone during the last decades. In particular, we focus on the short‐term evolution of the glacial lake since 2010, we examine the context of a glacier advance in the 1990s, and we report long‐term changes by utilizing 1960s imagery. We discuss the evolution and conditions of Austerdalsbreen compared to other outlet glaciers of Jostedalsbreen. Overall, the glacier terminus has experienced a recession in the last decades. The 1990s terminus advance was more restricted than at other nearby outlet glaciers due to glacier surface debris cover, which is a critical factor for the glacier and lake evolution. However, in the most recent period, since 2012, a distinct expansion of a glacial lake is quantifiable. Since the rates of glacier surface lowering also considerably increased since approximately 2017 and the glacier retreated since the beginning of the 2000s with a clear maximum length decrease in 2015, we interpret the recently formed glacial lake as a contributory factor of glacial changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In tectonically active mountain regions, the thinning of alpine glaciers due to climate change favors the development of debris covered glaciers. This debris layer significantly modifies a glacier's melt depending on the debris thickness and therefore modifies its evolution. Debris thermal conductivity is a critical parameter for calculating ice melt beneath a debris layer. The most commonly used method to calculate apparent thermal conductivity of supraglacial debris layers is based on an estimate of volumetric heat capacity of the debris and simple heat diffusion principles presented by Conway and Rasmussen (2000). The analysis of heat diffusion requires a vertical array of temperature measurements through the supraglacial debris cover. This study explores the effect of the temporal and spatial sampling interval, and method on the thermal diffusivity values derived using this method. Results show that increasing temporal and spatial sampling intervals increase truncation errors and therefore systematically underestimate values of thermal diffusivity. Also, the thermistor precision, the shape of the diurnal temperature cycle, and vertical thermistor displacement result in systematic errors. Overall these systematic errors would result in an underestimation of glacier ice melt under a debris layer. We have developed a best practice guideline to help other researchers to investigate the effect of the sampling interval on their calculated sub-debris ice melt and better plan future measurement campaigns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Distributed and collaborative CAD recently gained great attention as a digital geodesign information exchange and management ecosystem, operating in a reliable, transparent, and secure way (CAD-Blockchain integration). Temporal-sensitive tree simulation, in collaborative design environments, offers advantages in the context of smart planning for virtual parks and forests, while DLT/Blockchain technology significantly reduces overhead and tree-modeling transaction costs, eliminates the need for third parties or middlemen to verify transactions, and provides data integrity and information confidence. A proof-of-concept 2.5D tree architecture and Blockchain integration technique was presented as a low-cost distributed and collaborative engineering case study that affects the digital landscape architecture design and monitoring infrastructure. As important findings were recorded, the add-in planning intelligence, the superior data integrity, and confidence, the superiority in terms of time and cost, as well as the satisfactory tree modeling accuracy for smart forest and landscape architecture applications, compared to traditional 3D tree modeling methods (laser scanning, close-range photogrammetry, etc.). The tree-model engineering added new value to the CAD-Blockchain integration industry because a simple and scalable "Blockchain/Merkle hash tree" temporarily tracks tree-geometry-growth and texture change with simple parametric transactions. Hence, decentralized, autonomous, coordinated, and parallel design; same-data sharing; data validation; smart forest distributed surveillance; and contractual collaborative frameworks are effectively supported. Stratification based on forest types improved woody above-ground biomass estimation, especially when biomass was greater than 350 Mg/ha, using the proposed "Internet-of-tree-images" technique. Therefore, this research provides new insight into the woody above-ground biomass modeling and monitoring. Finally, performance evaluation testing validates the technique's robustness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Indian mapping agency, Survey of India (SOI), is ambitiously implementing nation-wide network of Continuously Operating Reference Stations (CORS) to improve the accuracy of derived three-dimensional relative positions of the Global Navigational Satellite System (GNSS) over the regions. However, it does not only improve the accuracy but also reduce the cost of reliable data acquisition. Recently, SOI has established a number of CORS networks and continues to cover the entire India for its suitability in the infrastructure projects and in the generation and updating of revenue maps. The present article attempts to measure the accuracy of a single baseline static survey carried out using the CORS network by studying fifteen stations established in different parts of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. To study the accuracy using the established CORS network, 7 days of continuous observed data from fifteen stations of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh have been processed. The study has been done taking a base–rover combination with varying distance (D) from 30 to 160 km and the time duration (T) at 20 min, 1 h, 2 h, 4 h, 8 h, 12 h, and 24 h using observational CORS data (including both GPS and GLONASS). The present study shows that (i) dependence of accuracy on distance (D) up to 160 km is almost negligible when final ephemeris data of GPS satellite orbit (International GPS Service) have been used and (ii) the positional accuracy improved with an increase in observation duration. Finally, regression analysis has been done to establish the relationship between distance (D), duration (T), and accuracy for the given CORS network. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Society's demographic development holds great importance for all social processes: economy, education, science, culture, and others. Therefore, it is important to evaluate the various factors influencing the formation of demographic trends and understand their significance. This paper considers a range of sources influencing the formation of young people's attitudes toward family values, namely: the immediate environment, mass media, media content, literature, social surveys, social advertising, and propaganda, as well as bloggers as a modern element of media communications that has a fairly large influence on the young audience. The paper analyzes Russia's policy of the demographic problem, which is associated with the currently being implemented Concept of the State Family policy in the Russian Federation until 2025 (The Concept) aimed at strengthening and protecting the family as the fundamental basis of the Russian society. The paper presents the results of mass surveys among the Rostov region youth: (1) on the key points of the Concept the sample included 450 young people aged 20-29 and (2) on the youth's preferences for various types of mass media with a sample of 634 respondents aged 16-25. It was revealed that the core foundations of the family culture are sufficiently established in the Russian Federation with the dominance of the marriage relations as free, voluntary, and equal association of men and women, which is consistent with the state policy of support and development of family values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

InSARTrac is an innovative method for 3D displacement monitoring that combines terrestrial interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) and computer vision-based feature tracking. The 3D measurements obtained are considered far superior to 1D or 2D data and facilitate evaluations concerning the mechanisms controlling kinematics. This study presents the results of InSARTrac measurements at the Mölltal Glacier in Carinthia, Austria. The duration of glacier monitoring was four weeks and involved two instrument setup positions to obtain comparative measurements of supraglacial rock debris from different angles without utilizing retroreflectors. The mean displacement rate of the resultant vector is 22 mm/day and includes ~11 mm/day in the downgradient ice surface direction and 6 to 18 mm/day vertically downward. Additionally, the entire glacier surface was measured three times using a LIDAR-equipped UAV, revealing mean vertical displacements of 16 mm/day. The measurements indicate an InSARTrac accuracy of 4.2 ppm, which is 27% lower than in the initial controlled tests utilizing retroreflectors. The field test demonstrates the capability of InSARTrac to provide meaningful 3D displacement measurements of supraglacial rock debris. The material monitored has texture and reflectivity similar to certain classes of landslides, rock glaciers, and other alpine processes, indicating that InSARTrac has promising applications for monitoring a variety of geologic phenomena. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to promote an efficient and reliable collection of deformation data for earthen slopes by comparing the Total Station (TS), Distributed Strain Sensing (DSS), and Uncrewed Aerial System (UAS)-based deformation measurement methods. The TS-based method was a two-person task with a longstanding "tried and true" reputation, and it provided acceptable results. However, it included a major portion of manual work in the field, potentially consuming extended time to obtain high-resolution data. The DSS-based method was a fiber optic cable-based one-person work, and it showed substantially faster and easier measurement. This method possessed the capability of collecting unattended measurements. The method also required anchor posts to measure deformation in segmented sections; some anchor posts became loose from shrinkage cracks and resulted in invalid measurements, particularly for soils of high plasticity. The UAS-based method was an aerial photogrammetric method. It provided an extremely high-resolution deformation profile but required a manual survey for an elevation check at reference points, although the surveying took a short amount of time by utilizing a Global Navigational Satellite Survey (GNSS) technique. This method required one operator and an assistant. From a comparison of the characteristics of the three different methods, it was found that each technique has its pros and cons, and the combination of different methods may greatly enhance the accuracy and convenience of the measurement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Applied & Regional Geology / Zeitschrift der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Geowissenschaften (ZDGG) is the property of E. Schweizerbart'sche Verlagsbuchhandlung and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

In April 2001 a rock fall at the Lärchberg-Galgenwald with boulders of several cubic meters in size did occur, which reached until the 50 to 70 m wide apron of the Federal Highway B96. This event triggered the installation of a fivemeter-high protective dam and the start of a geodetic monitoring program based on rope extensometer measurements and a geodetic survey. This study area is used to test further methods of image processing-based monitoring and to show the advantages and disadvantages with the focus on the main area of the landslide. The two technologies used are structure-from-motion (SfM) and terrestrial laser scanning technology. Both systems work through contactless data acquisition by active and passive recording processes. A data set in the form of a point cloud and a digital surface model with a grid size of 10 cm, which are checked for accuracy on the basis of measured control points, was created across all methods. As a further approach, the fusion of the point clouds from the flight using an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and the laser scan point clouds was carried out. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-quality urban green space (UGS) is an integral part of a livable city. The scientific evaluation of UGS has great value for improving the quality and efficiency of green spaces. In this study, we integrated the water and walking networks into the existing green index model and proposed a new green index: the building blue–green index (BBGI). Using this method, we analyzed the quality of green spaces within 300 m of 2138 buildings located in 13 communities in the Mochou Lake subdistrict in Nanjing, China. The results revealed that the green-space quality of high-rise, low-density buildings was greater than that of low-rise, high-density buildings. In addition, buildings close to water had higher green-space quality, while impervious surfaces reduced green-space quality. Furthermore, the connectivity and orientation of the road network indicated that even if a community was close to large parks and water bodies, there would still be lower green-space quality. This study's findings highlight the usefulness of evaluation methods for green-space quality that combine blue and green spaces. We also propose feasible measures for improving neighborhood green-space planning and land management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]