AHP-DRASTIC: software for specific aquifer vulnerability assessment using DRASTIC model and GIS

A software package AHP-DRASTIC has been developed to derive ratings and weights of modified DRASTIC model parameters for use in specific aquifer vulnerability assessment studies. The software is integrated with ArcView Geographical Information System (GIS) software for modelling aquifer vulnerability, to predict areas which are more likely than others to become contaminated as a result of activities at or near the land surface. The ranges of a few of the DRASTIC model parameters have been modified to adapt to local hydrogeologic settings. Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) has been used to compute the ratings and weights of the criteria and sub-criteria of all parameters used in the DRASTIC model. The output from AHP generates a MS Access database for these parameters, which is then interfaced with ArcView using Avenue Scripts. AHP-DRASTIC is aimed at providing user-friendly GUI interfaced with GIS for the estimation of weights and ranks of the thematic layers used for aquifer vulnerability assessment. Contingency table analysis indicates that all wells in low and high vulnerability category have concentrations less than 10 ppm and more than 10 ppm, respectively. The model is validated with groundwater quality data and the results have shown strong relationship between DRASTIC Specific Vulnerability Index and nitrate-as-nitrogen concentrations with a correlation co-efficient of 0.84 at 0.01 level.     

Graphical user interface (GUI) testing: Systematic mapping and repository

ContextGUI testing is system testing of a software that has a graphical-user interface (GUI) front-end. Because system testing entails that the entire software system, including the user interface, be tested as a whole, during GUI testing, test cases—modeled as sequences of user input events—are developed and executed on the software by exercising the GUI’s widgets (e.g., text boxes and clickable buttons). More than 230 articles have appeared in the area of GUI testing since 1991.ObjectiveIn this paper, we study this existing body of knowledge using a systematic mapping (SM).MethodThe SM is conducted using the guidelines proposed by Petersen et al. We pose three sets of research questions. We define selection and exclusion criteria. From the initial pool of 230 articles, published in years 1991–2011, our final pool consisted of 136 articles. We systematically develop a classification scheme and map the selected articles to this scheme.ResultsWe present two types of results. First, we report the demographics and bibliometrics trends in this domain, including: top-cited articles, active researchers, top venues, and active countries in this research area. Moreover, we derive the trends, for instance, in terms of types of articles, sources of information to derive test cases, types of evaluations used in articles, etc. Our second major result is a publicly-accessible repository that contains all our mapping data. We plan to update this repository on a regular basis, making it a “live” resource for all researchers.ConclusionOur SM provides an overview of existing GUI testing approaches and helps spot areas in the field that require more attention from the research community. For example, much work is needed to connect academic model-based techniques with commercially available tools. To this end, studies are needed to compare the state-of-the-art in GUI testing in academic techniques and industrial tools.     

An intelligent based-model role to simulate the factor of safe slope by support vector regression

An infrastructure development in landscape and clearing of more vegetated areas have provided huge changes in Malaysia gradually leading to slope instabilities accompanied by enormous environmental effects such as properties and destructions. Thus, prudent practices through vegetation incorporating to use slope stability is an option to the general stabilized technique. Few researches have investigated the effectiveness of vegetative coverings related to slope and soil parameters. The main goal of this study is to provide an intelligent soft computing model to predict the safety factor (FOS) of a slope using support vector regression (SVR). In the other words, SVR has investigated the surface eco-protection techniques for cohesive soil slopes in Guthrie Corridor Expressway stretch through the probabilistic models analysis to highlight the main parameters. The aforementioned analysis has been performed to predict the FOS of a slope, also the estimator’s function has been confirmed by the simulative outcome compared to artificial neural network and genetic programing resulting in a drastic accurate estimation by SVR. Using new analyzing methods like SVR are more purposeful than achieving a starting point by trial and error embedding multiple factors into one in ordinary low-technique software.

     

SWAT-DayCent coupler: An integration tool for simultaneous hydro-biogeochemical modeling using SWAT and DayCent

Process-based numerical models in environmental science can help understand and quantify terrestrial material cycles in nature. However, the existing models usually focus on the cycles of one or more elements (e.g., water, carbon, or nitrogen). For example, hydrological models such as Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) focus on the water cycle and nutrient loadings at watershed scale, whereas biogeochemical models such as DayCent (i.e., daily CENTURY) emphasize carbon/nitrogen storage and fluxes of ecosystems at landscape scale. Therefore, using either one of the two categories of models is not enough for understanding/solving the current complex environmental issues that involve multiple aspects. Although use of both models (SWAT and DayCent) could be an expedient way toward treating the problem, creating separate model projects for a single area could be challenging and time consuming, and integration/analyses of model results have some limitations due to the non-uniformity of input spatial data between models. To overcome this issue, we developed an integrated model implementation coupler that aims to drive SWAT and DayCent—the two representative models in hydrology and biogeochemistry, respectively—just using a user's SWAT project without the need of any extra efforts such as developing a framework or preparing input data for DayCent modeling. This software is easy to use and would be promising for conducting comprehensive environmental impact assessment involving hydrological and biogeochemical cycles at watershed scale.     

一种应用于无线通讯终端中GUI模型的设计与实现

在进行嵌入式系统的软件设计过程中,应用层GUI的设计是一个非常重要的部分.由于实时操作系统的引入,用户界面的设计就从传统的顺序执行变成了以消息驱动方式进行用户界面响应.采用了OOP的思想,构建了一种适用于无线通讯终端系统(包括GSM通讯终端,PHS通讯终端,CDMA通讯终端)软件设计中通用的GUI模型,并给出了在C语言开发工具下的实现,以一个待机状态下主菜单界面讲述了模型中状态迁移的具体实现过程.该GUI模型具有结构简单,实现方便,便于扩展等特点,目前已用于笔者开发的PHS移动终端的系统软件中,实践证明该模型使用效果良好.     

基于国产操作系统独立GUI应用研究

国产Linux操作系统运行第三方GUI应用软件需要解决软件依赖库问题,官方提供的依赖软件无法满足依赖库环境配置,导致大量第三方GUI应用软件无法在国产操作系统中安装使用.现提出一种利用容器技术把第三方GUI应用软件及其运行环境打包成独立应用软件的方案,使第三方GUI应用软件能够在国产操作系统上运行.以开源的分布式渲染系统Equalizer为目标对象,使用docker容器技术将其编译环境和运行环境所需的依赖库打包成镜像,docker镜像在国产操作系统NeoKylin上创建容器时配置容器与主机共享Linux系统中的X11服务,容器中Equalizer解析操作系统中X11文件,在主机屏幕展示图形界面.本文利用现有的docker技术制作独立镜像,并配置容器与主机系统共享Linux系统图形界面服务和显卡驱动程序,最终实现Equalizer程序在国产操作系统环境中正常使用.实验结果表明,该方案是可行的,并可以推广到其他GUI应用软件.     

Empirical analysis of GUI programming concerns

The focus of this paper is on identification of typical graphical user interface (GUI) programming concerns. As opposed to some other proposals available in the literature that indicate GUI programming concerns by simple intuition, we have conducted a systematic empirical analysis to derive our proposal. It included an analysis of an existing application programming interface (API), its use in industrial projects, and an analysis of the requirements and issues reported during software maintenance. In addition, we have evaluated more than 50 GUI frameworks and APIs and proved usefulness and generality of our classification of concerns. As an additional proof of applicability of the proposed classification, we have refactored the inheritance hierarchy of the selected GUI API using concern-oriented interfaces. We have implemented a supporting tool that complements the developed API and supports its concern-oriented use. The evaluation of the refactored API showed positive effects on API usability.     

基于UML的面向对象的图形用户界面设计模型

1.前言图形用户界面(GUI)最早由Macintosh操作系统所采用,后被各种操作系统如Unix,Window所借鉴。目前GUI已经形成了一系列标准的图形用户界面模式。图形用户界面开发的工作量相当大,它占到了软件设计实现工作量的40-50％。同时,GUI的设计与实现又存在各种困难。在设计时难以真正理解用户需求;用户界面层次结构复杂,缺乏有效的描述方法;界面的任务复杂,缺乏清晰的设计工具;对面向对象的GUI设计实现支持不够;界面设计开发涉及多个领域,如文档的编写,美工设计,标准化,国际化和性能优化等。GUI在实现时也面临设计文档的不明确,实现的复杂性,程序健壮性难以保证,难于测试和维护等诸多问题。     

MODIS vegetation metrics as indicators of hydrological response in watersheds of California Mediterranean-type climate zones

Vegetation characteristics of a watershed can be important in estimating hydrological response variables (HRVs) such as streamflow (Q), evapotranspiration (ET), and river yield (Q/P). Quantifying the relationship between satellite-derived vegetation metrics and hydrological response to precipitation (P) has the potential to facilitate prediction of HRVs for ungauged watersheds, and/or aid in the assessment of watershed similarity as an initial phase of hydrological regionalization. The utility of Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) satellite data to estimate HRVs of watersheds at the regional scale (southern and central California) is tested in this study. An exhaustive statistical regression analysis was conducted to quantify the relationships between MODIS vegetation metrics and HRVs using both ordinary least squares and spatially varying parameter models. Additionally a confirmatory analysis was conducted to test the effect precipitation and potential evaporation have on the exploratory regression results. Results from both the exploratory and confirmatory analyses suggest that (1) while there are limitations in the water balance approach to estimating ET (errors associated with changes in storage and meteorological data are unknown), moderate statistical relationships exist between MODIS vegetation metrics and HRVs; (2) these relationships are heavily influenced by vegetation-precipitation relationships and general precipitation magnitudes; (3) relationships between MODIS metrics and precipitation/HRVs are strongest when drought conditions prevail; and (4) LAI has the strongest relationship with precipitation and HRVs compared to other MODIS vegetation metrics.     

An integrated PC environment for assessment of drought

Abstract

The design of a versatile software environment to support routine activities of a satellite based operational drought monitoring system is presented in this article. In addition, software provides the assistance to analyse and interpret drought conditions based on satellite derived normalised difference vegetation index (NDVI) statistics and ground information pertaining to a given area. The environment currently under development deals with district-wise drought assessment for nine states, taluk-wise for Karnataka State and operates on a standard PC with EGA graphics.     

Mutation-oriented test data augmentation for GUI software fault localization

ContextFault localization lies at the heart of program debugging and often proceeds by contrasting the statistics of program constructs executed by passing and failing test cases. A vital issue here is how to obtain these “suitable” test cases. Techniques presented in the literature mostly assume the existence of a large test suite a priori. However, developers often encounter situations where a failure occurs, but where no or no appropriate test suite is available for use to localize the fault.ObjectiveThis paper aims to alleviate this key limitation of traditional fault localization techniques for GUI software particularly, namely, it aims at enabling cost-effective fault localization process for GUI software in the described scenario.MethodTo address this scenario, we propose a mutation-oriented test data augmentation technique, which actually is directed by the “similarity” criterion in GUI software’s test case context towards the generation of test suite with excellent fault localization capabilities. More specifically, the technique mainly uses four proposed novel mutation operators to iteratively mutate some failing GUI test cases’ event sequences to derive new test cases potentially useful to localize the specific encountered fault. We then compare the fault localization performance of the test suite generated using this technique with that of an original provided large event-pair adequate test suite on some GUI applications.ResultsThe results indicate that the proposed technique is capable of generating a test suite that has comparable, if not better, fault localization effectiveness to the event-pair adequate test suite, but it is much smaller and it is generated immediately once a failure is encountered by developers.ConclusionIt is concluded that the proposed technique can truly enable quick-start cost-effective fault localization process under the investigated all-too-common scenario, greatly alleviating one key limitation of traditional fault localization techniques and prompting the test–diagnose–repair cycle.     

Evaluating land surface moisture conditions from the remotely sensed temperature/vegetation index measurements: An exploration with the simplified simple biosphere model

Land soil moisture conditions play a critical role in evaluating terrestrial environmental conditions related to ecological, hydrological, and atmospheric processes. Extensive efforts to exploit the potential of remotely sensed observations to help quantify this complex variable are still underway. Among the various methods, several investigators have explored a combination of surface temperatures and spectral vegetation index (SVI) measurements, the TVX method, as a means to account for the variable influence of vegetation cover in soil moisture assessment. Although considerable empirical evidence has been presented exploring the potential of TVX methods to assess regional moisture conditions, less attention has been given to assessing the underlying biophysics of the observed TVX patterns. In this study, the Simplified Simple Biosphere (SSiB) model is exploited to examine the factors that lead to the observed TVX relation. For a range of typical, midlatitude, growing season conditions, the SSiB model produces the expected TVX relationship, surface temperature decreases with increasing SVI values. The most critical factors that cause the TVX relation to vary include near-surface soil moisture (2 cm), incident radiation (IR), and, to a lesser degree, wind speed. Whereas many empirical studies have suggested that the slope of the TVX relation may provide an important diagnostic of soil moisture conditions, in this analysis, the impact of plant stomatal function is shown to confuse this interpretation of the TVX slope. However, other aspects of the TVX metrics, specifically bare soil temperature and canopy temperature, do provide diagnostic near-surface soil moisture information. Growing season variations in TVX metrics were examined for the conditions recorded at the Hydrological and Atmospheric Pilot Experiment—Modelisation du Bilan Hydrique (HAPEX-Mobilhy) study site. The results from this analysis indicate that soil and canopy temperatures vary as a function of soil moisture conditions and, to a lesser degree, as a result of varying solar insolation and wind speed. The results also show that the TVX metrics are able to provide daily soil moisture variation up to 2 cm of soil depth and seasonal trend up to 10 cm. Using the satellite-derived surface temperatures and a SSiB-derived retrieval equation, the retrieved soil moistures at the HAPEX-Mobilhy site generally closely approximate the conditions recorded on the ground.     

基于用户操作的事件流模型构建方法研究

随着GUI的应用越来越广泛,GUI软件的功能性测试变得越来越重要,它是确保整个系统安全性、可用性和鲁棒性的重要因素。虽然测试人员对GUI软件的自动测试技术研究比较多,但基于模型的自动化技术却很少能用于实践中,关键原因是研究人员提出的模型在应用方面具有其局限性,更重要的是,构造模型是一个非常困难的过程。在手动测试不可或缺的情况下,提出了通过录制用户操作来构建事件流模型的方法,方法实现模型简单准确,通过模型可以生成大量有效的测试用例,提高测试GUI软件功能的充分性。     

Spectral texture for improved class discrimination in complex terrain

Abstract

A spatial co-occurrence algorithm has been used to derive image texture from Landsat Multispectral Scanner (MSS) data to increase classification accuracy in a moderate relief, boreal environment in eastern Canada. The aim was to investigate ‘data-driven improvements’, including those available through digital elevation modelling. Overall classification accuracy using MSS data alone was 59·1 per cent when compared to a biophysical inventory of the area compiled primarily by aerial photointerpretation. This increased to 66·2 per cent with MSS plus texture and to 89·8 per cent when MSS data were analysed with geomorphometry extracted from a digital elevation model (DEM). The introduction of MSS texture resulted in statistically significant increases in individual class accuracies in classes that were also well defined using the geomorphometric and integrated data sets. This suggested that some of the additional information provided by geomorphometry was also contained in spectral texture. It was also noted that individual texture orientations resulted in higher class accuracies than average texture measures; this is probably related to structural (slope/aspect) characteristics of specific vegetation communities.     

iJob: an Internet-based job execution environment using asynchronous messaging

Various toolkits exist today for the distributed execution of computational algorithms on clusters of machines. These toolkits are often referred to by the terms ‘Grid Toolkits’, ‘Job Execution Environments’, and ‘Problem Solving Environments (PSEs)’. Here, we introduce iJob—an Internet-based job execution environment that sets out to meet many of the goals of PSEs, such as providing facilities and services to solve a class of problems. In addition, the iJob software allows execution of computational algorithms utilizing standard Internet technologies such as Java, XML, and asynchronous communication protocols. The goals of this project include: (1) deploying the toolkit easily to multiple platforms using the Java technologies; (2) running multiple types of algorithms and supporting multiple users simultaneously; (3) providing a web-based GUI for monitoring and controlling the status of jobs; and (4) providing security at both the user-level and at the network-level. The toolkit has been tested using several simulation codes on pools of Windows 2000 and Solaris systems.     

以组态软件为平台开发IPC模式过程仿真培训系统

本文根据精细化工生产过程的工艺特点，以自控组态软件为用户图形界面开发平台，采有IPC单台PC机智能控制仿真模式，应用动态补偿法拟合过程的动态数学模型，并用Visual C 编制生成模型仿真计算动态链接库函数，通过组态软件的数据库与仿真图形操作界面相连，开发了一套复杂的小型精细化工生产过程的动态仿真培训系统，该系统经工艺技术人员考核运行和实际培训使用，表明其具有良好的仿真操作培训作用。     

Unix tools as visual programming components in a GUI‐builder environment

Development environments based on ActiveX controls and JavaBeans are marketed as ‘visual programming’ platforms; in practice their visual dimension is limited to the design and implementation of an application's graphical user interface (GUI). The availability of sophisticated GUI development environments and visual component development frameworks is now providing viable platforms for implementing visual programming within general‐purpose platforms, i.e. for the specification of non‐GUI program functionality using visual representations. We describe how specially designed reflective components can be used in an industry‐standard visual programming environment to graphically specify sophisticated data transformation pipelines that interact with GUI elements. The components are based on Unix‐style filters repackaged as ActiveX controls. Their visual layout on the development environment canvas is used to specify the connection topology of the resultant pipeline. The process of converting filter‐style programs into visual controls is automated using a domain‐specific language. We demonstrate the approach through the design and the visual implementation of a GUI‐based spell‐checker. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Benchmarking and learning garbage collection delays for resource-restricted graphical user interfaces

Tablets, smartphones, and wearables have limited resources. Applications on these devices employ a graphical user interface (GUI) for interaction with users. Language runtimes for GUIs employ dynamic memory management using garbage collection (GC). However, GC policies and algorithms are designed for data centers and cloud computing, but they are not necessarily ideal for resource-constrained embedded devices. In this article, we present GUI GC, a JavaFX GUI benchmark, which we use to compare the performance of the four GC policies of the Eclipse OpenJ9 Java runtime on a resource-constrained environment. Overall, our experiments suggest that the default policy Gencon registered significantly lower execution times than its counterparts. The region-based policy, Balanced, did not fully utilize blocking times; thus, using GUI GC, we conducted experiments with explicit GC invocations that measured significant improvements of up to 13.22% when multiple CPUs were available. Furthermore, we created a second version of GUI GC that expands on the number of controllable load-stressing dimensions; we conducted a large number of randomly configured experiments to quantify the performance effect that each knob has. Finally, we analyzed our dataset to derive suitable knob configurations for desired runtime, GC, and hardware stress levels.     

Development and implementation of a generic pasture growth model (CLASS PGM)

This paper describes the development, testing and implementation of a generic pasture growth model (CLASS PGM) which can be used to simulate growth of composite pasture types of multiple species that may be summer or winter active, perennial or annual. The model includes carbon assimilation through photosynthesis and respiration followed by tissue growth, turnover and senescence. Environmental conditions as well as soil water, nutrient and salinity status influences pasture growth and tissue dynamics. The model allows the user to simulate a range of grazing management strategies. Concepts and theoretical basis of the pasture growth model is based upon the detailed technical report on pasture and crop growth modules (Johnson, 2003). For water balance computations, PGM is internally linked to the Richards’ equation - based hydrology tool, Unsaturated Moisture Movement Model U3M-1D (Vaze et al., 2004b) PGM is supported by a windows based user friendly graphical users interface (GUI). The model can be downloaded free from the Catchment Modelling Toolkit website supported by the eWater Cooperative Research Centre (http://www.toolkit.net.au/class). This paper gives an overview of the model structure, model inputs and outputs and the soils related inbuilt database. Results from model validation using long term observed data for soil moisture, pasture herbage mass and grazing for a grazing experiment at Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, Australia are discussed. When compared with herbage mass and soil moisture data from the experiment, PGM was found to adequately simulate the patterns and amplitudes of pasture growth and soil moisture recorded in the experiment.