Manoel do Couto Fernandes

Variáveis Condicionantes na Susceptibilidade de Incêndios Florestais no Parque Nacional do Itatiaia

The large number of wildfires which hits the National Park of Itatiaia (PNI) is a reason of preoccupation, because they change the landscape and cause flora and fauna lost. Thus, it becomes important to create a methodology that helps to identify factors that influence wildfire susceptibility. The objective of this work is to evaluate geomorphological variables (slope curvature, global solar radiation, slope and altitude) and weather (rainfal) in the wildfire events. To reach the objective a Digital Elevation Model (DEM) generated from topographic maps was used, and rainfall data from three weather stations present in PNI or around. This DEM enabled the creation of geomorphological variables, and rainfall data enabled the calculation of the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI). The values obtained were compared with the Reports of Fire Occurrence (ROI), and the results show that most significant geomorphologies variables were the slope curvature and global solar radiation. The SPI index introduced new temporal indicative to better understand the behavior of the occurrence of wildfires in PNI.

Relationship Between Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) and the Fire Occurrence Reports (FOR) in Itatiaia National Park

We evaluated fire foci data via environmental satellites, from Frontal Systems (FS) and South Atlantic Convergence Zone (SACZ) together with Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) and Fire Occurrence Reports (FOR) in Itatiaia National Park (INP). SPI were computed with rainfall data from three stations in INP. SF and SACZ data were obtained via Climanálise. We applied independent multiple regression to FOR, SPI, SF and SACZ. Largest FOR occurred category in C class (81%), highest percentages during winter (57.2%) and spring (35.1%). The critical months to fire foci were July (17%), September (23.2%) and August (31.9%). Regardless of the season, FS (R2 = 0.75) were highlighted to SACZ (R2 = 0.43). SF conditioned 80% of variations between FOR and annual SPI index, while only 40% were due to SACZ.

Historical-Toponymic Analysis of the 1823 Carta Geographica of the Rio de Janeiro Province

The Carta Geographica of the Province of Rio de Janeiro, copied and published by the Real Archivo Militar de Lisboa (Lisbon Royal Military Archive), in 1823, is a cartographic document that has certain characteristics that are both curious and incentives to research. This chapter analyzes the information in the document as a historical map, highlighting its cartographic qualities relating to map projection, scale, cartographic quality, and accuracy, whether internal or external, as well as the study of the toponymy in three main aspects: settlements nuclei, hydrographic, and orographic elements. The used methodology for map evaluation is the one used by the Cartography Laboratory, GeoCart, of the Geography Department, of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ). Initially, its structure of coherence with the historic context of the time was checked, considering the boundaries of the Province right after Brazil’s independence. The pertinent information was surveyed to put the cartographic structure into context, based on the adopted map projection, coordinates system, and orientation. The cartographic quality was appraised based on the scale and on the comparison between distances and angles between known points. Finally, the existing toponymy was extracted and broken down into the described categories in a quantitative and qualitative way. A comparative check was done, taking in account the existing toponymy already researched in previous periods (1777, 1732), verifying their positioning and changes, as well as if toponymy additions occurred. A curious aspect of this map is the existence of a toponym indicating the “Mar do Brasil” (“Sea of Brazil”), the only known name of its kind, referring to the Ocean in front of the State.

Cartographic Memory Preservation of the Petrópolis City in Brazil: Koeler Map Scanning Using Photographic Survey

Historical cartographic documents have been increasingly essential to several studies, especially when understanding how the current forms of a landscape are structured. In this regard, these documents, along with the assistance of new digital technologies, are preserved and made available to the public. This research focused on investigating the Koeler Plan, a document providing guidance on urban planning for the development of the city of Petropolis. The plan’s milestone is the Petropolis Map (1846), which became known as Koeler Map , in honor of its creator. The map was made at a scale of 1:5,000 and contains different cartographic elements such as hydrography, public parks, streets, blocks, and land reserved for public and religious buildings. This research aims to digitally reproduce this map, since its restoration and further use are quite difficult due to its current conditions. The methodology comprises photographic survey techniques using a high resolution digital camera and a track system which moves the camera vertically and horizontally. Several tests were made using multiple georeferencing algorithms to check which of them would better adjust into a mosaic the 191 photographs taken and preserve the features for the digital map generation. The process was developed in five pairs of photographs distributed along the map area, using ArcGIS 10.1 software with different transformations: Zero Order Polynomial, 1st Order Polynomial (Affine), 2nd Order Polynomial, 3rd Order Polynomial, Adjust, Projective Transformation, and Spline. After georeferencing these pairs, a test was made based on the distortions produced in area and length, in addition to the RMS for each transformation. From these results, it was found that the 1st Order Polynomial (Affine) transformation had lower distortion values for the photographs, which allowed a highest quality photo mosaicking.