Samuel Van Ackere

Data Extraction Algorithm for Energy Performance Certificates (EPC) to Estimate the Maximum Economic Damage of Buildings for Economic Impact Assessment of Floods in Flanders, Belgium

Floods cause major disruptions to energy supply and transportation facilities and lead to significant impacts on the society, economy, and environment. As a result, there is a compelling need for resilience and adaptation against extreme flood events under a changing climate. An accurate focal priority analysis of how societies can adapt to these changing events can provide insight into practical solutions. Besides the social, ecological, and cultural impact assessments of floods, an accurate economic impact analysis is required to define priority zones and priority measures. Unfortunately, studies show that economic impact assessments can be highly inaccurate because of the margin of error in economic value estimation of residential and industrial buildings, as they account for a large part of the total economic damage value. Therefore, tools that can accurately estimate the maximum economic damage value (or replacement value) of residential and industrial buildings are imperative. This paper outlines a methodology to estimate the maximum economic value of buildings by using a data extraction algorithm for Energy Performance Certificates (EPC), through which the replacement value can be calculated for all of the buildings in Flanders, and in addition, across Europe.

Preservation of the archaeological heritage of the North Sea using webGIS

The submerged coastal heritage forms an important aspect of our cultural and archaeological patrimony and offers huge possibilities for scientific and (inter-) cultural purposes. Since the knowledge of this heritage is limited, gathering more data is one of the main objectives of the multidisciplinary project SeArch (Archaeological heritage in the North Sea, www.sea-arch.be). Additionally, these data will be used as a basis for a sustainable management by government agencies. To share, integrate and visualize the gathered archaeological and environmental data and information in a user-friendly way, an interactive web-based Geographical Information System/Service is created. By implementing this webGIS, the benefits of standard map reading (such as providing insight) are combined with facilities such as easy accessible spatial analysis and feature querying in an interactive environment, which is accessible worldwide. To create an interactive webGIS-platform, a good structured spatial database is needed. This paper provides more information about the configuration of the spatial database and the application of the software package GeoServer. The development of a fully functional spatial data infrastructure (SDI) using the most novel, reliable and powerful technological components is described. The objective of this SDI is to increase the accessibility and interoperability of spatial data for a wide range of users.