João Paulo Moura

Model of management and decision support systems in the distribution of water for consumption

ABSTRACT The sustainable use of the water is a priority at the planetary level, being, therefore, critical to plan and to manage the water resources on a sustainable basis. The Water Framework Directive aims at regulating and establishing guidelines. With the data spatially collected, two scenarios have been simulated, verifying the hydric availability/need associated to each scenario. Therefore, an increase of the population to be supplied by this basin is to be expected, as well as the glimpse of the water resources in the year 2070, in view of the expected climatic changes. With the data obtained, it is verified that, with the growth of the population to be served, the water availability will not fulfill the needs, and with the rainfall decrease over the years more serious results in the hydric availability are signaled, and catastrophic deficits in the hydric balance of this hydrographical basin.

Rainwater harvesting in catchments for agro-forestry uses: A study focused on the balance between sustainability values and storage capacity

Rainwater harvesting (RWH) is used to support small-scale agriculture and handle seasonal water availability, especially in regions where populations are scattered or the costs to develop surface or groundwater resources are high. However, questions may arise as whether this technique can support larger-scale irrigation projects and in complement help the struggle against wildfires in agro-forested watersheds. The issue is relevant because harvested rainwater in catchments is usually accumulated in small-capacity reservoirs created by small-height dams. In this study, a RWH site allocation method was improved from a previous model, by introducing the dam wall height as evaluation parameter. The studied watershed (Sabor River basin) is mostly located in the Northeast of Portugal. This is a rural watershed where agriculture and forestry uses are dominant and where ecologically relevant regions (e.g., Montezinho natural park) need to be protected from wildfires. The study aimed at ranking 384 rainfall collection sub-catchments as regards installation of RWH sites for crop irrigation and forest fire combat. The height parameter was set to 3m because this value is a reference to detention basins that hold sustainability values (e.g., landscape integration, environmental protection), but the irrigation capacity under these settings was smaller than 10ha in 50% of cases, while continuous arable lands in the Sabor basin cover on average 222ha. Besides, the number of sub-catchments capable to irrigate the average arable land was solely 7. When the dam wall height increased to 6 and 12m, the irrigation capacity increased to 46 and 124 sub-catchments, respectively, meaning that more engineered dams may not always ensure all sustainability values but warrant much better storage. The limiting parameter was the dam wall height because 217 sub-catchments were found to drain enough water for irrigation and capable to store it if proper dam wall heights were used.

Accurate modelling of Roman lamps in conimbriga using high dynamic range

The Human Visual System has a remarkable ability to acquire colour and contrast of all the things that surround us. This is particularly evident in extreme lighting conditions such as bright light or dark environments. However, it is simply not possible to represent such a range of lighting on a typical display today. This is about to change. The field of High Dynamic Range (HDR) imagery allows us to capture and display the full range of human vision. The use of technologies in the preservation and dissemination of cultural heritage can play an important role in the representation and interpretation of our past legacy. A major field of application is virtual reconstructions of ancient historical environments. In this domain, the way we see such (reconstructed) environments is particularly important in order to establish a correct interpretation of that historical setting. In this paper we present a case study of the reconstruction of a Roman site. We generate HDR images of mosaics and frescoes from one of the most impressive monuments in the ruins of Conimbriga, Portugal, an ancient city of the Roman Empire. We show that the HDR viewing paradigm is well suited for archaeological interpretation, since its high contrast and chromaticity can disclose and present us an enhanced viewing experience, closer to how the artefacts may have been perceived in the past. To achieve the requisite level of precision, in addition to a precise geometric 3D model, it is crucial to integrate in the virtual simulation authentic physical data of the light used in the period under consideration. Thereby in order to create a realistic physical based environment we use in our lighting simulations real data obtained from Roman luminaries of that time.

A non-destructive method based on digital image processing for calculate the vigor and the vegetative expression of vines

Vigor and vegetative expression are parameters of great interest in viticulture.Traditionally these parameters are estimated using a destructive method.We present a new method that determines these parameters based on an image.The method consists on a digital image processing of an on-field acquiring image. The vigor and the vegetative expression of vines are parameters of great interest in viticulture since they are indicative of the entire guidance system state. Traditionally these parameters are estimated and obtained using a destructive method by cutting the sticks, weighing them and finally obtain the medium weight of pruning sticks. This paper presents a non-destructive method that successfully determines the vine vigor based on a digital image processing. The method consists of acquiring a digital image of vines and applying a software to those images to determine vigor and vegetative expression. This application can be divided in two independent phases: the first one consists in a digital image processing, that isolate the vine sticks and determines the mean area per stick of the vine; the second one determines the vine vigor and vegetative expression based on a polynomial relationship between mean area and mean weight of stick. The software application was tested on thirty vines (Vitis vinifera cv. Touriga Nacional) characterized by low, medium and high vigor and selected during a three-year study. Since the mean weight of stick obtained using the mathematical expression and the values calculated using the real sticks present a 0.998 correlation, we can conclude that this new methodology successfully determines the vigor and the vegetative expression of vines. With this new methodology it is unnecessary determinate the pruning mass and the number of sticks per plant in the vineyard. Its a simple use application that determines vigor and vegetative expression, based on a digital image of the vine and independent of the pruning date. This new method has a patent register in Portugal, with the reference number 105163.

DRASTIC and GOD vulnerability maps of the Cabril River Basin, Portugal

The main purpose of this study is to compare two methodologies, DRASTIC and GOD, applied to the basin of the Cabril River in determining groundwater vulnerability to pollution. The justification for the research work in this area relates to the fact that we are facing a basin adjoining the town of Vila Real (Portugal), with a propensity to expand into this area, and where there are many springs, both near the base of the basin and in hillside areas. As a result of the application, the GOD and DRASTIC maps were obtained. To better com-pare these final vulnerability maps, the conversion of the ranges of DRAS TIC indices to a normal-ized scale from 0.0 to 1.0 value was performed, staying in the same rating scale as the GOD meth-od. It was observed, through the GOD method, that the area of the basin has mostly low or negligi-ble vulnerability, related to the high depth of the groundwater level and also to the low degree of confinement. Moreover, the results of the DRASTIC method indicate that most of the basin pre-sents medium to low vulnerability, especially in areas of higher altitude. However, both methods make high vulnerability correspond to areas covered by alluvium. It may be concluded from this study that the production of results using different methods of analysis, although with similar objectives, may differ in certain locations. Thus, the outlook for the future is that the vulnerability mapping techniques ought to include physical methods, improving the credibility of these studies.