In recent years, many scientific institutions have digitized their collections, which often include a large variety of topographic raster maps. These maps provide accurate (historical) geographical information but cannot be integrated directly into system (GIS) due to lack metadata. Additionally, the text labels on map are usually not annotated, making it inefficient query for specific toponyms...

Human activity has become a significant geomorphic force in modern times, resulting in unprecedented movements of material around Earth. An essential constituent of this material movement, the major industrial metals aluminium, copper, iron, and zinc in the human-built environment are mapped globally at 1-km nominal resolution for the year 2000 and compared with the locations of present-day in-...

Appropriate information on solar resources is very important for a variety of technological areas, such as: agriculture, meteorology, forestry engineering, water resources and in particular in the designing, sizing and monitoring of solar energy systems. Solar radiation is observed by means of networks of meteorological stations. However, the availability of observed solar radiation measurement...

Cyprus plans to drastically increase the share of renewable energy sources from 13.9% in 2020 22.9% 2030. Solar can play a key role effort fulfil this goal. The potential for production solar over island is much higher than most European territory because low latitude and nearly cloudless summers. In study, high quality fine resolution satellite retrievals aerosols dust, newly developed MIDAS c...

This paper develops techniques to improve the concept of ‘solar envelopes’ and tests them on the Milan Trade Fair site, one of the largest real estate developments currently being carried out in Europe. The techniques are based on the image processing of very simple raster models of urban forms, called Digital Elevation Models (DEMs). Two questions are asked: could the new techniques simplify s...

How tropical trees flower synchronously near the equator in the absence of significant day length variation or other meteorological cues has long been a puzzle. The rubber tree (Hevea brasiliensis) is used as a model to investigate this phenomenon. The annual cycle of solar radiation intensity is shown to correspond closely with the flowering of the rubber tree planted near the equator and in t...

Though one of the most significant driving forces behind ecological processessuch as biogeochemical cycles and energy flows, solar radiation data are limited or non-existent by conventional ground-based measurements, and thus, often estimated from othermeteorological data through (geo)statistical models. In this study, spatial and temporalpatterns of monthly average daily solar radiation on a h...