Presentations

This study aims to map the spatial structure of urban ecosystems and to value the ecosystem services of trees with GIS. A multi-scale approach to map the spatial structure of ecosystems as ecomaps in a wide urban region is proposed with satellite images, thematic maps and field surveys. Regardless of the scales, the ecomaps produced provides three basic functions: inventorying the spatial elements of ecosystems, analyzing the spatial structures and valuing the ecosystem services such as the sequestration fixation of carbon dioxide and filtration of atmospheric pollutants etc. Yokohama City has been chosen as a study area and the ecomap concept is practiced.

This study is successful to evaluate the ecosystem services of urban forests with CITYgreen, a GIS tool developed by American Forests. Taking Yokohama City as a study area, we first map the spatial structure of urban ecosystems by ASTER satellite images, thematic maps and field surveys. These ecomaps were input into CITYgreen and then the ecological services of urban forests on air pollutant removal, carbon storage and sequestration were calculated quantitatively. The estimated result shows that 8582ha forests and trees in Yokohama City have the services of 912,494ton carbon storage and 7,104ton annual carbon sequestration. The forests remove 892,856kg air pollutants per year, equivalent to 600 million Japanese Yen. This calculation explored the new way of geographic information technologies for the natural renewing movement in urban area.

高度情報社会では空間情報の計測と管理、インターネットや無線技術による双方向通信、各種モニタリングやセンシングなどの技術を相互にかつリアルタイムに連携・統合することが重要である。本文はそうした傾向をいち早く捉えた各分野の事例を紹介し、実用化に向けて解決すべく課題と方向性を検討した。

This paper presents a real time prediction-based safe driving assisting system. The system could help a driver perceive potential dangers in near future. System architecture with information dynamics was designed for the development of system prototype.

'Satellite remotely sensed infrared thermal images are considered as an effective way of observing urban heat island phenomena. However, thermal images can only calculate surface temperature. This study explored the relationship of TM thermal images and the synchronized ground temperature observed in an urban heat island research project support by JST.'

'This paper considers planning as a holonic system in which stakeholders are holons with the dichotomy of self-assertive and integrative tendency, and a plan is a convergence of consensus building processes. To support the convergence, a concept called “Open Designing” composed of openness of information, openness of process and openness of discussion is proposed. '