scholarly journals An Exploratory Analysis of Expert and Nonexpert-Based Land-Scape Aesthetics Evaluations: A Case Study from Wales

Land ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 192
Author(s):  
Yi-Min Chang Chien ◽  
Steve Carver ◽  
Alexis Comber
Keyword(s):  
Landscape Assessment ◽  
Decision Making Process ◽  
Aesthetic Quality ◽  
Landscape Perception ◽  
Crowdsourced Data ◽  
Landscape Quality ◽  
Quality Assessments ◽  
Policy Shifts ◽  
Land Scape

The debate over the conceptual constructs of landscape aesthetics, specifically whether landscape quality is inherently related to landscape physical characteristics or is subjectively “in the eye of the beholder,” has continued for years. Solutions accommodating both the biophysical and perceptual aspects of landscapes are thus desirable for landscape planners and policymakers. In response to policy shifts that emphasise both expert and public landscape perspectives, this study investigates the relationships between formal and informal landscape evaluations. It analyses crowdsourced data describing landscape aesthetic quality (Scenic-Or-Not) and authoritative landscape quality assessments (the Landscape Assessment Decision Making Process (LANDMAP) of Wales). Some agreement was found regarding landforms most likely to be perceived as scenic or unattractive by experts and non-experts, which aligns with previous landscape perception studies. However, contested landscape typologies are identified formal and informal landscape aesthetic evaluations are compared. Several limitations and implications for current formal landscape assessment paradigms (GIS based and vertical) are discussed and several approaches for capturing on-the-ground perceptions are suggested including recent extensions to GIS derived viewsheds (e.g., vertical voxel viewsheds).

Did Groupthink or Polythink Derail the 2016 Raqqa Offensive?

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kasey Barr ◽  
Alex Mintz
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Group Dynamics ◽  
Decision Making Process ◽  
Islamic State ◽  
Study Analysis ◽  
Strategic Decisions ◽  
Case Study Analysis ◽  
The Us ◽  
Tactical Decisions

This chapter examines the effect of group dynamics on the 2016 decision within the administration of President Barack Obama to lead the international coalition in a mission to liberate Raqqa, Syria, from the Islamic State. The authors show that whereas the groupthink syndrome characterized the decision-making process of the US-led coalition’s decision to attack Raqqa, it was polythink that characterized the decision-making dynamics both in the US-led coalition and within the inner circle of Obama’s own foreign policy advisors. Through case-study analysis, the authors illustrate that groupthink is more likely in strategic decisions, whereas polythink is more likely in tactical decisions.

scholarly journals Evaluating Landscape Attractiveness with Geospatial Data, a Case Study in Flanders, Belgium

Land ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 703
Author(s):  
Astrid Vannoppen ◽  
Jeroen Degerickx ◽  
Anne Gobin
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Policy Development ◽  
Bare Soil ◽  
Geospatial Data ◽  
Soil Conditions ◽  
Landscape Indicators ◽  
Landscape Characteristics ◽  
Landscape Quality

Attractive landscapes are diverse and resilient landscapes that provide a multitude of essential ecosystem services. The development of landscape policy to protect and improve landscape attractiveness, thereby ensuring the provision of ecosystem services, is ideally adapted to region specific landscape characteristics. In addition, trends in landscape attractiveness may be linked to certain policies, or the absence of policies over time. A spatial and temporal evaluation of landscape attractiveness is thus desirable for landscape policy development. In this paper, landscape attractiveness was spatially evaluated for Flanders (Belgium) using landscape indicators derived from geospatial data as a case study. Large local differences in landscape quality in (i) rural versus urban areas and (ii) between the seven agricultural regions in Flanders were found. This observed spatial variability in landscape attractiveness demonstrated that a localized approach, considering the geophysical characteristics of each individual region, would be required in the development of landscape policy to improve landscape quality in Flanders. Some trends in landscape attractiveness were related to agriculture in Flanders, e.g., a slight decrease in total agricultural area, decrease in dominance of grassland, maize and cereals, a decrease in crop diversity, sharp increase in the adoption of agri-environmental agreements (AEA) and a decrease in bare soil conditions in winter. The observed trends and spatial variation in landscape attractiveness can be used as a tool to support policy analysis, assess the potential effects of future policy plans, identify policy gaps and evaluate past landscape policy.

Autonomy and Decision-making Ability among Gujjar Women of Kashmir: A Study of Khan Sahib Tehsil in District Budgam

2021 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 90-103
Author(s):  
Wasia Hamid ◽  
Tanveer Ahmad Khan ◽  
Mohmad Saleem Jahangir
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Employment Status ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
Decision Making Process ◽  
Kashmir Valley ◽  
Tribal Women ◽  
Size Type ◽  
Women In Decision Making ◽  
Case Study Methods

The present study investigates the level of empowerment among tribal women in terms of their participation in the decision-making process and to identify the factors that affect their level of participation. Fifty women from the Gujjar community of Kashmir Valley were selected through a purposive sampling technique. The interview and case study methods were employed for collecting data from the potential participants. The study revealed that tribal women’s right to make decisions was confined to minor household issues only. A significant positive correlation was also noted between family size, type of family, age, level of education, employment status and participation of the tribal women in decision-making.

Integration between knowledge management and business process management and its impact on the decision making process in the construction sector: a case study of Jordan

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sami Wasef Abuezhayeh ◽  
Les Ruddock ◽  
Issa Shehabat
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Knowledge Management ◽  
Business Process Management ◽  
Process Management ◽  
Business Processes ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Decision Making Process ◽  
Construction Sector ◽  
Content Type

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate and explain how organizations in the construction sector can enhance their decision-making process (DMP) by practising knowledge management (KM) and business process management (BPM) activities. A conceptual framework is developed that recognises the elements that impact DMP in terms of KM and BPM. The development of this framework goes beyond current empirical work on KM in addition to BPM as it investigates a wider variety of variables that impact DMP. Design/methodology/approach A case study is undertaken in the context of the construction industry in Jordan. A theoretical framework is developed and assessment of the proposed framework was undertaken through a questionnaire survey of decision-makers in the construction sector and expert interviews. Findings The outcomes of this research provide several contributions to aid decision-makers in construction organizations. Growth in the usage of KM and BPM, in addition to the integration between them, can provide employees with task-related knowledge in the organization’s operative business processes, improve process performance, promote core competence and maximise and optimise business performance. Originality/value Through the production of a framework, this study provides a tool to enable improved decision-making. The framework generates a strong operational as well as theoretical approach to the organizational utilization of knowledge and business processes.

Formalizing the Mapping of UML Conceptual Schemas to Column-Oriented Databases

2018 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 44-68 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fatma Abdelhedi ◽  
Amal Ait Brahim ◽  
Gilles Zurfluh
Keyword(s):  
Big Data ◽  
Data Warehouse ◽  
Relational Databases ◽  
Traditional Approach ◽  
Physical Models ◽  
Decision Making Process ◽  
Nosql Databases ◽  
Care Field ◽  
Sufficient Degree

Nowadays, most organizations need to improve their decision-making process using Big Data. To achieve this, they have to store Big Data, perform an analysis, and transform the results into useful and valuable information. To perform this, it's necessary to deal with new challenges in designing and creating data warehouse. Traditionally, creating a data warehouse followed well-governed process based on relational databases. The influence of Big Data challenged this traditional approach primarily due to the changing nature of data. As a result, using NoSQL databases has become a necessity to handle Big Data challenges. In this article, the authors show how to create a data warehouse on NoSQL systems. They propose the Object2NoSQL process that generates column-oriented physical models starting from a UML conceptual model. To ensure efficient automatic transformation, they propose a logical model that exhibits a sufficient degree of independence so as to enable its mapping to one or more column-oriented platforms. The authors provide experiments of their approach using a case study in the health care field.

scholarly journals Аn example of different AHP structuring in a forest management problem

2016 ◽  
pp. 127-137
Author(s):  
Milena Lakicevic ◽  
Bojan Srdjevic ◽  
Ivaylo Velichkov ◽  
Zorica Srdjevic
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Forest Management ◽  
Analytic Hierarchy Process ◽  
Evaluation Procedure ◽  
Decision Making Process ◽  
Management Problem ◽  
Consistency Check ◽  
Analytic Hierarchy ◽  
Hierarchy Process

The paper investigates how different hierarchy structuring in analytic hierarchy process (AHP) may affect the final results in the decision-making process. This problem is analyzed in a case study of the Rila monastery forest stands in Bulgaria. There were three similar and mutually overlapped hierarchies defined. A decision maker evaluated all of them and after analyzing final results and consistency performance, he selected and revised the most appropriate hierarchy structure. Consistency check assisted in detecting the judgments which have strongly violated evaluation procedure. These mistakes are interpreted as a consequence of a large number of required pair-wise comparisons. The paper emphases the importance of properly defining hierarchy structure and recommends using consistency analysis as a guide and not as a directive for the revision of judgments.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document