Mehmet Cetin

Using GIS analysis to assess urban green space in terms of accessibility: case study in Kutahya

It should be possible, for a city, to achieve a healthy environment, an active green space, and an urban distribution of the size of a systematic planning of functional and aesthetic qualities, and it will be possible with the development of an urban design concept. The adequacy of the standard value of green space is usually specified in the relevant legislation, and the current per capita of the city is identified by comparing it to the amount of green space. In this study, the distribution and amount of green space in Kutahya is examined as well as the distribution of green areas on a neighbourhood scale. Size and per capita rates are evaluated. Even distribution of the distance and accessibility of green areas throughout the city are closely related to the provision of recreational needs. Different sizes of green area, recreational activities, and accessibility standards vary depending on the city unit they serve. According to the digitization of parks composed of polygons in the ArcGIS attribute table for calculation, parks in the study area consist of 167 different parcels, 48 of which (28%) are 1500 m2 or less in area. Most small parklands were 306 m2; the largest urban park is at the southern entrance of the city, with an area of 109.214 m2. Parks in the study area cover a total area of 614.272 m2. Functionally linked, an integrated system of green spaces will allow the city to develop this natural potential in a sustainable way.

Evaluation of the sustainable tourism potential of a protected area for landscape planning: a case study of the ancient city of Pompeipolis in Kastamonu

From ancient civilisations to the present, the underground and aboveground sites at Pompeipolis have reflected the social, economic, and cultural characteristics of the surrounding region and been a marker of its archaeological and natural heritage. This area should be passed on to future generations of humanity; to promote the protection of this site, promotional activities should be planned that use it in the best way. In this study, I evaluate the potential for the caretakers of the ancient city of Pompeipolis within Kastamonu to establish modern conservation approaches, balance its conservation and use within the framework of cultural tourism, and determine problem areas and opportunities. This framework is intended to establish a continuity of forward-looking tourism. In the context of the Kastamonu archaeological sites and the data obtained from studies conducted in the immediate vicinity, and by evaluating research studies and the literature, I will demonstrate the problems and opportunities that may be encountered while preserving the original character of the area. This will ensure its protection, balance, and sustainability, as well as conducting landscape design and developing tourism activities in the area.

Sustainability of urban coastal area management: A case study on Cide

ABSTRACT The coast along an urban area, when it is healthy, can play a role in the city, affecting the urban identity, enriching the visual aspects of life there, and overall affecting the quality of life in a positive way. Management and planning recommendations for the coast of Cide are presented. Cide is feeling the effects of rapid changes in land use. Studies conducted with geographic information systems (GISs) in order to analyze this process have shown that the natural structure of the user area of a coast changes over time. In particular, change manifests itself in an increase in construction, forests, and people living there. As for coastal planning, research priorities in the Cide coastal area, including some external environmental factors such as the social and economic factors affecting coastal development, were investigated. A method based on land use classification has been developed in the GIS environment. The data were supported by surveys conducted with residents. Based on the GIS results, Cide’s valuable agricultural land in coastal sand dune fields and forests have been determined; that the dominant type of land use in the study includes 3,336 ha of forest, accounting for 74% of the total area.

A study on the determination of the natural park’s sustainable tourism potential

The surface site of Yesilyuva Nature Park encompasses natural, social, economic, and cultural characteristics and has become a marker of the region’s natural and cultural heritage. To support the preservation of this site, promotional activities should be planned. In this study, because of tourism and related opinions of residents and visitors alike in terms of their natural determination, an important cultural and historical feature is aimed at evaluating the tourism potential of Yesilyuva Nature Park. This framework is designed to establish prospective tourism sustainability. As a result, Yesilyuva Nature Park’s natural and cultural properties have been determined to be suitable for sustainable tourism activities using geographic information systems (GIS). This protection in the field, which balances sustainability and landscape design, will provide for the development of tourism activities. In the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) analysis and survey, residents and visitors reported that the most important feature of the Yesilyuva Nature Park was its natural beauty. Visitors often come to observe traditional and natural life and to engage in tourism activities. All the data, which includes maps derived from GIS, represents landscape planning for sustainable tourism areas in Yesilyuva Nature Park.

A Change in the Amount of CO2 at the Center of the Examination Halls: Case Study of Turkey

Abstract The performances of candidates during the exam period depend on several factors, such as the temperature in exam halls. The indoor amount of CO2 is over 1000 ppm, which in turn, could directly affect the performances of the candidates directly via headache, dizziness, fatigue, and a loss of concentration. In this study, changes in the indoor amount of CO2 in some central exam were examined, and certain evaluations were made. The findings of the present study indicate that the threshold value is usually exceeded within 10 minutes, following the start of exams, and when indoor CO2 amounts are higher than 1500 ppm, which is considered in most exams as the limit of harm to health, and circulating air in the hallways and keeping the doors of exam halls open throughout the exam period are not adequate for keeping the indoor CO2 amounts below 1000 ppm. Air circulation is a must in exam halls to ensure healthy exam environments.

Identifying and assessing environmental awareness of hotel and restaurant employees’ attitudes in the Amasra District of Bartin

Environmental damage occurring on individual, institutional, and societal levels is one of the major problems in the world and results from mostly unconscious human behavior. This damage poses serious threats to human health and other habitats. The aim of this study is to determine the level of environmental awareness of hotel and restaurant employees in the Amasra District of Bartin, Turkey. For this purpose, a descriptive survey method is used to measure 16 items with a 5-point Likert scale. Data are obtained from 200 employees in the hotels and restaurants as of 2015. The reliability coefficient is found to be 0.74. This data reveals that only 43% of hotels and 72% of restaurants in Amasra have recycling bins. Males and Bachelor’s degree holders have more environmental awareness. Enterprises established after 2011 follow popular journals related to environment more than those before 2011. As a result, it is essential to organize educational meetings and seminars related to environmental awareness for hotel and restaurant employees in order to improve the tourism industry’s environmental impact. The results show that the legislation has resulted in general environmental awareness and that the organizations are willing to change their business processes and environmental strategies. Nevertheless, despite their actions, there is little awareness of the benefits that can result from cost reductions resulting from environmentally friendly practices. Those affected by their suppliers act to reduce waste but do not deploy formal environmental management systems or use environmental messages to market their goods or services.

The use of perennial needles as biomonitors for recently accumulated heavy metals

The measurement of heavy metal concentrations in plants is important both for determining their ability to remove these pollutants from the air to increase its quality, and for the monitoring of air quality. Previous studies have mostly focused on the use of annual leaves of broadleaved species as biomonitors. In this study, the aim was to determine the heavy metal accumulation of the perennial needles of some conifers. In almost all the species studied, concentrations of heavy metals were found to increase with the age of the tree, but this increase was not linear. There were significant differences between the species in terms of heavy metal accumulation. The highest concentrations were for Fe in Pinus nigra, Zn in Picea pungens, Pb in Pinus sylvestris, and for all the other heavy metals in Abies bornmülleriana. This study indicates that A. bornmülleriana is particularly useful as a biomonitor for many heavy metals, and also has the potential to remove heavy metals from the air.

Spatial data analysis with R programming for environment

ABSTRACT The use of open source software, which has been constantly evolving since the mid-2000s, has affected every research discipline. Disciplines using geographic information systems (GIS) and remote sensing (RS) data have been heavily affected owing to this evolution of technology. Researchers working on these data sets have begun to use open source software intensively. The analysis and visualization of spatial data with the help of open source software has caused the emergence of new different features, which are cost effective and editable by other users. In this study, eight sample points have been used for the analysis of water quality in the Mamasın dam in the 2209/A group project of “Assessment and Modeling with GIS and RS Data of the Land Use Effects on Water Quality of Mamasın Dam” supported by the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK) under its program to support graduate students. While visualizing spatial features of the points, QGIS Desktop 2.18.0 and Studio programs with open source code have been used. The RStudio program is an open source software that allows the use of the functions of the R programming language. This study is an ideal application for spatial analysis studies with the R programming language. The sample points used in the study were analyzed in the laboratories of Department of Environmental Engineering, Aksaray University. Spatial properties of the analyzed data were examined by coding in the Studio program that is free open source software. In the analysis process, first, the libraries, Leaflet(), Leaflet.extras(), rgdal(), sp(), raster(), and magrittr(), which are used in the study, have been uploaded. With the help of these libraries, the locations of the sample points are transferred to the OpenStreetMap using latitudes and longitudes of the geographic coordinate system as base map. The pH, conductivity, PO4-P, PO4, dissolved oxygen, and temperature information of each sample points are assigned to the variables. These variables are added as a feature for each point. The spatial characteristics of the sample points are visualized using the data variable packages and online maps as the base. After the visualization process is completed, the generated map is presented on the website created via Github.

Visibility analysis of fire lookout towers in the Boyabat State Forest Enterprise in Turkey

For a successful fire suppression, it is essential to detect and intervene forest fires as early as possible. Fire lookout towers are crucial assets in detecting forest fires, in addition to other technological advancements. In this study, we performed a visibility analysis on a network of fire lookout towers currently operating in a relatively fire-prone region in Turkey’s Western Black Sea region. Some of these towers had not been functioning properly; it was proposed that these be taken out of the grid and replaced with new ones. The percentage of visible areas under the current network of fire lookout towers was 73%; it could rise to 81% with the addition of newly proposed towers. This study was the first research to conduct a visibility analysis of current and newly proposed fire lookout towers in the Western Black Sea region and focus on its forest fire problem.

Assessing Potential Areas of Ecotourism through a Case Study in Ilgaz Mountain National Park

The changing demands of tourism provide greater benefits to tourists and generate competitive advantages that develop diversity in tourism. Elements of ecotourism fit within this context, and such tourism includes, but is not limited to, activities such as visiting natural and cultural resources without destroying nature, which are carried out with an aim toward sustainability. Ilgaz Mountain has a wealth of natural, cultural, historical, and recreational features, and its location near the Black Sea gives the area significant tourism potential. In order to evaluate the impact, potential, and possibilities of ecotourism in this protected area, we used geographic information systems (GIS) to determine the nature of protection required based on implementation availability. In this study, we used ecology-based identification of the natural and cultural values to characterize the features. The study consists of four parts: (1) the concept of ecotourism, (2) discussion of sustainable growth of tourism, (3) sustainability of ecotourism using GIS and how this is related to sustainable ecotourism in protected areas, such as in Turkey, (4) results and evaluation. By assessing these results, we aim to determine potential areas for ecotourism in terms of sustainable development, and we expect the results to provide useful ideas for further research.