The cities of the future should not only be smart, but also smart green, for the well-being of their inhabitants, the biodiversity of their ecosystems and for greater resilience to climate change. In a smart green city, the location of urban green spaces should be based on an analysis of the ecosystem services they provide. Therefore, it is necessary to develop appropriate information technology tools that process data from different sources to support the decision-making process by analysing ecosystem services. This article presents the methodology used to develop an urban green space planning tool, including its main challenges and solutions. Based on the integration of data from ALS, CLMS, topographic data, and orthoimagery, an urban green cover model and a 3D tree model were generated to complement a smart-city model with comprehensive statistics. The applied computational algorithms allow for reports on canopy volume, CO reduction, air pollutants, the effect of greenery on average temperature, interception, precipitation absorption, and changes in biomass. Furthermore, the tool can be used to analyse potential opportunities to modify the location of urban green spaces and their impact on ecosystem services. It can also assist urban planners in their decision-making process.
5 September 2025 in Sustainable Cities and Society
In this contribution, interpolation methods were assessed to build the bathymetry of 200 km of the Odra River in South Poland. The River Bed Mapping (RBM) was carried out surveying the depth of several reaches of the canalized part of the river using an Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) with an echo sounder as well as two navigation schemes. The values from the interpolation were compared with the data from a classical cross-sectional survey as part of the ISOK (Polish acronym for Information System of Country Protection Against Extraordinary Hazards) project. Two statistical errors between the interpolation values and the ISOK information were estimated, namely, the Mean Absolute Error (MAE) and the Root Mean Square Error (RMSE). Thanks to the presented analysis, it was possible to compare and analyze which interpolation method fits the best for the batymetric surveying of a shallow river. For this specific case study, the TIN (Triangular Irregular Network) and the NN (Natural Neighbor) methods generates the most accurate RBM.
Reintroduction of European bison into the natural environment is one of the most important conservation measures applied for this species. After creating a free herd of European bison, spatial monitoring is crucial. It allows for observation of the population, as well as the detection of potential threats and needs for intervention. In 2016, a new free herd of European bison was introduced to the Żednia District in Knyszyńska Forest. After a few months spent in the acclimation enclosure, the animals were released. The course of their acclimatisation was observed with GPS collars during the next 7 years. Thanks to telemetry monitoring, we could determine the moment when the herd stabilised its home range within available habitats. Monitoring performed for 7 years after the release of the herd confirmed the previously established home range. The fact that the animals remain close to the release site and that there is no damage to the winter crops confirms that the reintroduction site was well chosen.
This article presents the results of numerical simulations of seepage through the body of the dam and the reservoir bed. The purpose of this study was to analyse the seepage stability during a flood as well as the impact on seepage stability of the diaphragm wall and gravel columns, on which the dam body is founded in selected segments. Simulations were conducted for three different locations, and the following 3D models of the dum were prepared: – a model containing the front and right-bank part of the dam, for which no diaphragm wall, gravel columns and drainage ditch were provided for – a model of a segment of the right-bank dam including a diaphragm wall, drainage ditch and gravel columns under the dam (two variants with differing diaphragm wall lengths) – a model of the water dam segment accounting for gravel columns and a drainage ditch, but without a diaphragm wall. In the case of founding on gravel columns, the base was modelled as an anisotropic medium in terms of seepage properties, macroscopically equivalent to the actual soil medium. The numerical model utilises the finite element method. The geometry of the dam and geological substrate was defined in the GIS tools in the form of a 3D model of the terrain and geology of the substrate.