Alexander G. Keul

The Salzburg Quality of Urban Life Study with GIS Support

The chapter describes a two-part study that uses household surveys and GIS technology to examine aspects of quality of urban life in Salzburg, Austria. In the first part, a 1-km2 test area of the city was selected and within it, 55 ha grid cells containing at least 30 residents were identified. For each grid cell, GIS data covering urban conditions were recorded. At the same time, face-to-face interviews were conducted with a sample of residents in each cell. Respondents were asked about their quality of urban life (QOUL). Findings indicate that a positive QOUL was associated with detached housing, low population density, greenery, friendly neighbors and a safe environment. The second part of the study extended the approach to six of Salzburg’s 24 districts where differences in subjective QOUL assessments are explored.. Again, GIS is used to test hypotheses relating to the impact of environmental factors on subjective assessments of QOUL.

The Ball Lightning Controversy: Empirical Case Studies

The term Ball Lightning (BL) has been used since Arago (1837) for an unexplained class of metastable luminous phenomena in atmospheric electricity. BL seemingly appears at random in time and space, and lasts only for seconds, vanishing with or without traces. BL causes epistemological problems in case classification, analysis of residue, and laboratory simulation. After about 400 years of BL report history and over 150 years of scientific efforts, most of the incoming material is still anecdotal, and theoretical discussions still outnumber critically assessed field investigations. BL also has a psychological level with different mental models, lay theories, and working paradigms creating a difficult pattern for witnesses, scientists, the media, and the public. The author – meteorologist and psychologist, involved in BL case studies since 1974 – explains the near-forensic examination of witness reports and alleged evidence (including an Austrian photograph and a German video), highlights European and international BL case statistics, and outlines obstacles and chances for a potential scientific solution to this long-time controversy.

Public lightning protection behavior in Central Europe — Mission accomplished?

The paper gives a short overview on evaluation of lightning protection information of the general population in Central Europe. Survey work took place in the projects COST P-18 and REBLAUS. Whereas the general level of lightning knowledge seems to be high in the Austrian and Bavarian (southern Germany) questionnaire surveys, free reports show weak points, and a mere knowledge test is no valid predictor for behavior in reality. As the probability for the general population to encounter a critical situation is low, behavior trainings should be focused on high-risk groups like alpine workers, peasants, mountaineers or water sports participants.

Multi-hazard weather risk perception and preparedness in eight countries

ABSTRACTWeather risk perception research lacks multihazard and transcultural datasets. This hypothesis-generating study used a cognitive behavioral approach and Brunswik’s lens model for subjective...

Städtische Lebensqualität: Zur Systematik objektiver und subjektiver Deskriptoren

Im Feld Stadtische Lebensqualitat (QOL) greifen wie im Rubik-Wurfel objektive GIS-Daten und subjektives Wohlbefinden ineinander. Die Diskursgeschichte zeigt Variablenvielfalt, Mangel an organisierenden Theorien und fortlaufende Versuche, die Phanomene mit Mixed Methods zu fassen. Ein QOL-Projekt in Salzburg Stadt, Osterreich, untersuchte 16 Stadtbezirke mithilfe von 802 geocodierten Datensatzen. Es stellte urbanen Stress (z.B. Dichte) Erholung (z.B. via Grunraum) gegenuber und verwendete QOL-Items der Detroit Area Study zusammen mit GIS-Daten der Stadtplanung. Der erste Schritt lieferte ein zuverlassiges psychologisches QOL-Konstrukt (Umwelt-/Sozialqualitat, soziale Verwurzelung, subjektive Infrastruktur). Stadtteilunterschiede zeigten die Bedeutung soziokultureller Mikrosysteme auf. Im zweiten Schritt wurde gepruft, ob die psychologischen Deskriptoren nur stadtspezifisch oder generalisierbar sind. Subjektive QOL-Daten zu Salzburg wurden mit Daten aus Wien, Osterreich (N=150) und Timisoara, Rumanien (N=90) verglichen. Die Replikation ergab stabile faktoren- und itemanalytische Ergebnisse und unterstutzte damit den psychologischen Unterbau urbaner Lebensqualitat.

Zur Psychologie des Geldes — Sicherheit und Illusion

Der hiermit charakterisierte zeitpsychologische Zug, der sich in so entschiedenen Gegensatz zu dem mehr impulsiven, auf das Ganze gehenden, gefuhlsmasigen Wesen fruherer Epochen stellt, scheint mir in enger kausaler Verbindung mit der Geldwirtschaft zu stehen. Sie bewirkt von sich aus die Notwendigkeit fortwahrender mathematischer Operationen im taglichen Verkehr. Das Leben vieler Menschen wird von solchem Bestimmen, Abwagen, Rechnen, Reduzieren qualitativer Werte auf quantitative ausgefullt. … Erst die Geldwirtschaft hat in das praktische Leben … das Ideal zahlenmasiger Berechenbarkeit gebracht. Georg Simmel (1900).