The IGN-E case: Integrating through a hidden ontology

National Geographic Institute of Spain (IGN-E) wanted to integrate its main information sources for building a common vocabulary reference and thus to manage the huge amount of information it held. The main problem of this integration is the great heterogeneity of data sources. The Ontology Engineering Group (OEG) is working with IGN-E to attain this objective in two phases: first, by creating automatically an ontology using the semantics of catalogues sections, and second, by discovering mappings automatically that can relate ontology concepts to database instances. So, these mappings are the instruments to break the syntactic, semantic and granularity heterogeneity gap. We have developed software for building a first ontology version and for discovering automatically mappings using techniques that take into account all types of heterogeneity. The ontology contains a set of extra-attributes which are identified in the building process. The ontology, called PhenomenOntology, will be reviewed by domain experts of IGN-E. The automatic mapping discovery will be also used for discovering new knowledge that will be added to the ontology. For increasing the usability and giving independence to different parts, the processes of each phase will be designed automatically and as upgradeable as possible

Situación actual de los metadatos en el ámbito internacional

En un prinicipio, los metadatos han sido considerados como atributos descriptivos de las principales caracterísiticas de los recursos relacionados con la información ..

Pertinencia de Aplicación de la Ingeniería Ontológica a la Planificación Hidráulica del Territorio

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Una nueva etapa: hacia la IDE 2.0

El desarrollo de las Infraestructuras de Datos Espaciales (IDE) en España ha cubierto una primera etapa basada en el despliegue de servicios básicos, aplicaciones de visualización y apertura de geoportales. Una IDE paradigmática de esta primera fase, que podemos llamar convencionalmente IDE 1.0, incluiría: un visualizador con servicios de mapas WMS de ortofotos, imágenes de satélite y cartografía, un catálogo de metadatos (CSW, SRW, otro perfil, o soluciones no estándar), un servicio de Nomenclátor (WFS-G, WFS-MNE o soluciones no estándar) para realizar búsquedas por nombre, un servicio de descarga de datos (basado en WFS), ,y probablemente aplicaciones complementarias no estándar al margen de las specificaciones OGC, como, por ejemplo, utilidades de transformación de coordenadas, o un cliente pesado para realizar vuelos virtuales. En suma, la mayoría de los geoportales disponibles están orientados fundamentalmente a la visualización de datos geográficos

Las IDE como evolución natural de los SIG

La IDEE es un proyecto cooperativo, de autoría colectiva, en el que colaboran organismos e instituciones de los tres ámbitos de la Administración (general, regional y local), del entorno universitario y del sector privado. Esta impresionante oferta de información geográfica, junto con las funcionalidades que aportan las tecnologías de Infraestructuras de Datos Espaciales (IDE), permite vislumbrar un abanico de líneas de trabajo, todavía inexploradas, de gran interés para todos los especialistas, técnicos e investigadores que manejan o precisan de cartografía en su quehacer cotidiano, que veremos en el presente artículo

Complex temporal climate signals drive the emergence of human water-borne disease

Predominantly occurring in developing parts of the world, Buruli ulcer is a severely disabling mycobacterium infection which often leads to extensive necrosis of the skin. While the exact route of transmission remains uncertain, like many tropical diseases, associations with climate have been previously observed and could help identify the causative agent's ecological niche. In this paper, links between changes in rainfall and outbreaks of Buruli ulcer in French Guiana, an ultraperipheral European territory in the northeast of South America, were identified using a combination of statistical tests based on singular spectrum analysis, empirical mode decomposition and cross-wavelet coherence analysis. From this, it was possible to postulate for the first time that outbreaks of Buruli ulcer can be triggered by combinations of rainfall patterns occurring on a long (i.e., several years) and short (i.e., seasonal) temporal scale, in addition to stochastic events driven by the El Nino-Southern Oscillation that may disrupt or interact with these patterns. Long-term forecasting of rainfall trends further suggests the possibility of an upcoming outbreak of Buruli ulcer in French Guiana

Systematic assessment of training-induced changes in corticospinal output to hand using frameless stereotaxic transcranial magnetic stimulation.

Measuring changes in the characteristics of corticospinal output has become a critical part of assessing the impact of motor experience on cortical organization in both the intact and injured human brain. In this protocol we describe a method for systematically assessing training-induced changes in corticospinal output that integrates volumetric anatomical MRI with transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). A TMS coil is sited to a target grid superimposed onto a 3D MRI of cortex using a stereotaxic neuronavigation system. Subjects are then required to exercise the first dorsal interosseus (FDI) muscle on two different tasks for a total of 30 min. The protocol allows for reliably and repeatedly detecting changes in corticospinal output to FDI muscle in response to brief periods of motor training

Tearing Out the Income Tax by the (Grass)Roots

Landscapes are increasingly fragmented, and conservation programs have started to look at network approaches for maintaining populations at a larger scale. We present an agent-based model of predator–prey dynamics where the agents (i.e. the individuals of either the predator or prey population) are able to move between different patches in a landscaped network. We then analyze population level and coexistence probability given node-centrality measures that characterize specific patches. We show that both predator and prey species benefit from living in globally well-connected patches (i.e. with high closeness centrality). However, the maximum number of prey species is reached, on average, at lower closeness centrality levels than for predator species. Hence, prey species benefit from constraints imposed on species movement in fragmented landscapes since they can reproduce with a lesser risk of predation, and their need for using anti-predatory strategies decreases.authorCount :

Stress related epigenetic changes may explain opportunistic success in biological invasions in Antipode mussels

Different environmental factors could induce epigenetic changes, which are likely involved in the biological invasion process. Some of these factors are driven by humans as, for example, the pollution and deliberate or accidental introductions and others are due to natural conditions such as salinity. In this study, we have analysed the relationship between different stress factors: time in the new location, pollution and salinity with the methylation changes that could be involved in the invasive species tolerance to new environments. For this purpose, we have analysed two different mussels’ species, reciprocally introduced in antipode areas: the Mediterranean blue mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis and the New Zealand pygmy mussel Xenostrobus securis, widely recognized invaders outside their native distribution ranges. The demetylathion was higher in more stressed population, supporting the idea of epigenetic is involved in plasticity process. These results can open a new management protocols, using the epigenetic signals as potential pollution monitoring tool. We could use these epigenetic marks to recognise the invasive status in a population and determine potential biopollutants

A bird’s eye view: using circuit theory to study urban landscape connectivity for birds

Context Connectivity is fundamental to understanding how landscape form influences ecological function. However, uncertainties persist due to the difficulty and expense of gathering empirical data to drive or to validate connectivity models, especially in urban areas, where relationships are multifaceted and the habitat matrix cannot be considered to be binary. Objectives This research used circuit theory to model urban bird flows (i.e. ‘current’), and compared results to observed abundance. The aims were to explore the ability of this approach to predict wildlife flows and to test relationships between modelled connectivity and variation in abundance. Methods Circuitscape was used to model functional connectivity in Bedford, Luton/Dunstable, and Milton Keynes, UK, for great tits (Parus major) and blue tits (Cyanistes caeruleus), drawing parameters from published studies of woodland bird flows in urban environments. Model performance was then tested against observed abundance data. Results Modelled current showed a weak yet positive agreement with combined abundance for P. major and C. caeruleus. Weaker correlations were found for other woodland species, suggesting the approach may be expandable if re-parameterised. Conclusions Trees provide suitable habitat for urban woodland bird species, but their location in large, contiguous patches and corridors along barriers also facilitates connectivity networks throughout the urban matrix. Urban connectivity studies are well-served by the advantages of circuit theory approaches, and benefit from the empirical study of wildlife flows in these landscapes to parameterise this type of modelling more explicitly. Such results can prove informative and beneficial in designing urban green space and new developments