Sue Nichols

Toward a 3D marine cadastre in support of good ocean governance: a review of the technical framework requirements

Abstract Jurisdictions that are contemplating the development of 3D Cadastres cannot afford to ignore the marine 1 environment. Apart from its extreme importance as a resource, the marine environment and its use is volumetric by nature and involves the exercising of rights to the surface, water column, seabed, and subsoil. This paper highlights the value of the marine cadastre 2 in providing support for effective and efficient decision making associated with good ocean governance. Its primary focus is the technical framework of a marine cadastre as part of the marine property rights information infrastructure. The paper begins by outlining the importance of coastal and marine areas. This importance is then linked to the three-dimensional mosaic of private and public rights and interests found in marine spaces, showing how this complexity affects ocean governance. The paper then outlines how information on property rights is crucial to ocean governance, and how the technical framework for the marine property rights information infrastructure can be built (by reviewing the various components of a marine cadastre). The paper then concludes by outlining other issues that need to be considered in developing a marine cadastre.

Review and evaluation of remote sensing methods for soil-moisture estimation

Soil-moisture information plays an important role in disaster predictions, environmental monitoring, and hydrological applications. A large number of research papers have introduced a variety of methods to retrieve soil-moisture information from different types of remote sensing data, such as optical data or radar data. We evaluate the most robust methods for retrieving soil-moisture information of bare soil and vegetation-covered soil. We begin with an introduction to the importance and challenges of soil-moisture information extraction and the development of soil-moisture retrieval methods. An overview of soil-moisture retrieval methods using different remote sensing data is presented-either active or passive or a combination of both active and passive remote sensing data. The results of the methods are compared, and the advantages and limitations of each method are summarized. The comparison shows that using a statistical method gives the best results among others in the group: a combination of both active and passive sensing methods, reaching a 1.83% gravimetric soil moisture (%GSM) root-mean-square error (RMSE) and a 96% correlation between the estimated and field soil measurements. In the group of active remote sensing methods, the best method is a backscatter empirical model, which gives a 2.32-1.81%GSM RMSE and a 95-97% correlation between the estimated and the field soil measurements. Finally, among the group of passive remote sensing methods, a neural networks method gives the most desirable results: a 0.0937%GSM RMSE and a 100% correlation between the estimated and field soil measurements. Overall, the newly developed neural networks method with passive remote sensing data achieves the best results among all the methods reviewed.

Cadastro Territorial Multifinalitário: dados e problemas de implementação do convencional ao 3D e 4D

O cadastro territorial multifinalitario e considerado uma ferramenta eficaz para o ordenamento territorial. Com o passar dos tempos, sua aplicacao deixa de ser apenas fiscal e passa a ser mais direcionado a gestao territorial, a protecao ambiental e ao desenvolvimento sustentavel. Num contexto mais amplo, a implementacao do cadastro multifinalitario traz beneficios gerenciais e de planejamento para as organizacoes governamentais e para o setor privado. Alem disso, proporciona beneficios diretos aos cidadaos, melhoria no acesso as informacoes territoriais, mais precisao na avaliacao da propriedade em casos de compra ou venda, identificacao da localizacao de servicos basicos, entre outros. Considerando esses aspectos, este artigo tem como finalidade descrever de uma forma geral, os componentes do cadastro territorial multinalitario e apresentar algumas reflexoes acerca dos beneficios da sua implementacao. Descreve, ainda, os Cadastros 3D e 4D e discute alguns problemas sobre a implantacao do cadastro multifinalitario no Brasil.

The convergence of HIV/AIDS and customary tenure on women's access to land in rural Malawi

Abstract This paper examines the convergence of HIV/AIDS and the social processes through which women access customary land in rural Malawi. Data were collected from focus group discussions with women in patrilineal and matrilineal communities. Womens land tenure is primarily determined through kinship group membership, customary inheritance practices and location of residence. In patrilineal communities, land is inherited through the male lineage and women access land through relationships with male members who are the rightful heirs. Conversely in matrilineal matrilocal communities, women as daughters directly inherit the land. This research found that in patrilineal communities, HIV/AIDS, gendered inequalities embedded in customary inheritance practices and resource shortages combine to affect womens access to land. HIV/AIDS may cause the termination of a womans relationship with the access individual due to stigma or the individuals death. Termination of such relationships increases tenure insecurity for women accessing land in a community where they do not have inheritance rights. In contrast to the patrilineal patrilocal experience, research on matrilineal matrilocal communities demonstrates that where women are the inheritors of the land and have robust land tenure rights, they are not at risk of losing their access to land due to HIV/AIDS.