Performance Assessment of Reference Modelling Methods for Defect Evaluation in Asphalt Concrete

The deterioration of road conditions and increasing repair deficits pose challenges for the maintenance of reliable road infrastructure, and thus threaten, for example, safety and the fluent flow of traffic. Improved and more efficient procedures for maintenance are required, and these require improved knowledge of road conditions, i.e., improved data. Three-dimensional mapping presents possibilities for large-scale collection of data on road surfaces and automatic evaluation of maintenance needs. However, the development and, specifically, evaluation of large-scale mobile methods requires reliable references. To evaluate possibilities for close-range, static, high-resolution, three-dimensional measurement of road surfaces for reference use, three measurement methods and five instrumentations are investigated: terrestrial laser scanning (TLS, Leica RTC360), photogrammetry using high-resolution professional-grade cameras (Nikon D800 and D810E), photogrammetry using an industrial camera (FLIR Grasshopper GS3-U3-120S6C-C), and structured-light handheld scanners Artec Leo and Faro Freestyle. High-resolution photogrammetry is established as reference based on laboratory measurements and point density. The instrumentations are compared against one another using cross-sections, point–point distances, and ability to obtain key metrics of defects, and a qualitative assessment of the processing procedures for each is carried out. It is found that photogrammetric models provide the highest resolutions (10–50 million points per m2) and photogrammetric and TLS approaches perform robustly in precision with consistent sub-millimeter offsets relative to one another, while handheld scanners perform relatively inconsistently. A discussion on the practical implications of using each of the examined instrumentations is presented.

“I show you my coast…”—a relational study of coastscapes in the North Frisian Wadden Sea

In recent years, there has been an upsurge in research on relational approaches in geography and in the study of cultural landscapes. Following these strands of research, the relationality of human beings with their natural environments has been highlighted, emphasising the various ways people engage with their lifeworlds. This development is motivated by the perceived need to analytically expand landscape research towards a more-than-representational point of view, challenging the still prevalent dichotomy of nature and culture. The paper takes these insights as a starting point and provides an insight into a more-than-representational understanding of coastscapes that is combined with a more-than-representational understanding of language. Its aim is threefold: to theoretically engage with a more-than-representational and enlanguaged understanding of coastscapes; to explore the relevance of mobile methods for such an approach; and to empirically illustrate the emotive and relational bonds coastal dwellers form with their littoral environs. To capture the dynamism of a more-than-representational understanding that coastal dwellers develop with their coastscape, walking interviews were conducted in the district of North Frisia (Germany). All interviews were examined following a grounded approach and refined by a linguistic in-depth investigation. The analysis revealed four prevailing interpretative repertoires reconfiguring the boundary between nature and culture. They exhibit what we call a coast-multiple that adds to coastal nature-society-mixes which might be of interest for future coastal management at the German Wadden Sea.

Diversification of energy supply to the agricultural sector in the conditions of Uzbekistan

At present, the power supply system of the agricultural sector consists only of centralized networks. There are no autonomous-stationary and mobile methods of supply. The current situation of energy consumption in horticulture, such as Beruni district, Karakalpakstan, and further diversification, is analyzed. A systematic approach is applied to the analysis of electrical installations and energy use during agricultural processes, and the corresponding calculation and analytical methods are used to ensure sufficient reliability of the results obtained. The energy balance is compiled in the context of agrotechnical and production processes in fruit and vegetable growing. The issues of central, local, and mobile power supply are studied based on the corresponding energy balance and schedules of electricity consumption. Economic experiments were carried out on a prototype of a mobile power plant “Sun-Wind,” with a capacity of 4.5-4.7 kW·h (in the daytime), 0.8-1.0 kW·h (in the evening). Based on the results obtained, the current and prospective ratios of all three power supply methods are justified. Based on the research results, a system of diversified electricity supply for fruit and vegetable farms was developed and proposed.

Domestic experience in organization of mobile construction

The stages of formation of the mechanism of mobile construction and its role in solving major economic problems are considered. The article analyzes the effectiveness of mobile units in agricultural and water management, transport construction. The author emphasizes a fundamentally new approach to mobile construction using the complete-block method of construction of buildings and structures. As an example, the author reveals the experience of construction of the Astrakhan gas processing plant, which illustrates the synthesis of mobile methods of work organization and industrial space-planning solutions in the form of large blocks of technological equipment devices and installations. At the same time, specific engineering solutions for the preparatory period of construction, characteristics and composition of the residential settlement built in the process of pioneer development of the territory are given.