In this paper we present a geomorphological map of the Jökuldalur valley, in the Dyrfjöll massif, in Eastern Iceland (65°31′ N, 13°57′ W; 1,134 m a.s.l.) to distinguish massive rock avalanche deposits from hummocky moraine landforms and reconstruct the geomorphological evolution of the valley. Mapping was conducted through traditional analytical approaches, including stereoscopic photointerpretation, hand-drawn landform delineation over enlarged orthophotographs, and detailed field observations. These approaches were complemented by digital techniques, including Structure-from-Motion (SfM) photogrammetry, Uncrewed Aerial Vehicle (UAV) to obtain oblique photographs, and Geographic Information System (GIS)- and Computer-Aided Design (CAD)-based digitisation. The final cartographic symbolisation was carried out in ArcGIS Pro, enabling a photorealistic 3D view. The map shows the existence of at least one rock avalanche that covers the valley, followed by a sequence of hummocky moraines, revealing six glacial advances, likely influenced by the insulating effects of avalanche debris on a pre-existing glacier.
This paper presents Europe-wide maps of housing affordability for both homeownership and private renting across local administrative units. Using over 22 million property listings collected through large-scale web scraping in 31 countries, combined with spatially disaggregated equivalized income data, we derive harmonized indicators of the floor area affordable on average regional incomes. A spline-based approach allows us to capture non-linear relationships between size and price when deriving the affordability indicators. The resulting maps reveal pronounced hotspots of unaffordability in capital regions, major urban centers, coastal zones, and tourism-intensive alpine areas, alongside large rural supply gaps in rental markets. The maps highlight an emerging affordability crisis, particularly when accounting for higher population density in the less affordable regions.Policy HighlightsUrban centers are suffering most from high housing unaffordability despite higher income levels compared to more rural areas. These are also the areas which most urgently require housing policy solutions.Low national income levels often correspond to widespread housing affordability challenges. Thus supporting income may be as important as moderating housing prices to achieve housing affordability.Touristic hotspots such as coastal and mountainous regions are systematically less affordable. Intervention in short-term rental and second home markets could be a promising policy option for these regions.
Surficial geologic mapping in Nebraska has been conducted primarily at the 1:24,000 scale since the mid-1990s, although there have also been limited efforts to map generalized Quaternary and surficial geology within the state and the region. We compiled and evaluated disparate maps (1:24,000–1:1,000,000) and datasets—including geologic, soil and soil parent material, and geomorphic maps as well as LiDAR derivatives—to produce a single 1:500,000 scale surficial geologic map of Nebraska that is the first of its kind. This new map provides a coarse-scale surficial geologic map that will be incorporated into a nationwide U.S. Geological Survey Quaternary geologic map. It also reflects the variation and uniqueness of physical landscapes in the state, where the Great Plains and Central Lowland physiographic provinces meet, further developing a richer interdisciplinary understanding of regional geomorphology in the heart of North America.
We present the first complete geological map of the Borealis quadrangle (H01), Mercury’s north polar region. H01 spans latitudes 65°N to 90°N and longitudes 0°–360°, covering an area just over 3.5 million km2, approximately 4.7% of the planet’s surface. Map digitisation was conducted at scales between 1:300,000 and 1:700,000, with final presentation at 1:3,000,000, using end-of-mission data products from NASA’s MESSENGER mission. We distinguish three principal photogeologic plains units: intercrater plains, intermediate plains, and smooth plains. All craters ≥20 km in diameter and associated materials were mapped and classified by degradation state. Two versions of the map have been completed, using three-class and five-class respectively. Surficial units and areas of permanent shadow that house radar bright deposits in craters ≥5 km in diameter (poleward of 80°N) have been digitised. This map provides geological context for data to be collected by ESA-JAXA’s BepiColombo mission.
The area around the city of Taranto, located on the northern Ionian Sea coast of Apulia (southern Italy), is a highly polluted area, recognized as a Site of National Interest (SIN), necessitating urgent remediation. Marine environments cover nearly 50% of the SIN including three principal basins: Mar Piccolo, Mar Grande, and the open northern sector of the Ionian Sea. The whole marine area hosts high biodiversity but also experiences deep anthropic pressure. This study applies an integrated approach, employing indirect and direct survey methods, the results of which are implemented in a GIS to evaluate the interactions between morpho-sedimentary and bioecological processes and anthropogenic impacts. The study highlights the critical interaction between natural and anthropogenic factors that shape this coastal system. The high-resolution maps and integrated dataset provide a fundamental framework for environmental management, habitat conservation, and sustainable planning in a highly impacted coastal area.
Land subsidence in the Vallès Depression (north of Barcelona) was investigated using multi-temporal PS-InSAR analysis based on ENVISAT (2003–2010), TerraSAR-X (2007–2011), and Sentinel-1 (2015–2020) satellite data. The resulting displacement maps reveal subsidence processes related to the presence of highly compressible layers and high groundwater extraction rates, which varied throughout the study period. In the northeastern sector, between Sabadell and Palau Solità i Plegamans, SW–NE-oriented bands with opposite ground-movement trends were identified. This pattern is interpreted as having a tectonic origin, as its orientation coincides with the structural features that bound the Vallès Depression. Field surveys confirmed the presence of pre-existing fractures and structural damage in buildings along these lineaments. The observations are consistent with subsidence and earth-fissure mechanisms controlled by tectonic structures that compartmentalize sediments with different compressibility. This study demonstrates the capability of PS-InSAR to identify structural features covered by compressible sediments beneath urbanized areas when strong contrasts in ground deformation occur between adjacent zones.
Despite their great scientific and tourist importance, sandstone tablelands surprisingly rarely become the subject of geomorphological mapping. Here, we address this research gap by presenting a geomorphological map of Hejda and Ostaš – two of the best-known mesas within the Czech part of the Bohemian Cretaceous Basin, one of the world’s most renowned sandstone rock city landscapes. These tabular hills are of diverse morphologies, featuring gently inclined upper surfaces, partly dissected to the form of a rock city, rock cliffs around their perimeters, and concave outer slopes mantled with extensive boulder covers. The map (1:5000 scale) provides a thorough presentation of the complex relief of the mesas, and hence, it represents a proposal of a methodical approach to geomorphological mapping of such features worldwide. In addition, it serves as a fundament for further investigation focused on the origin and development of sandstone landforms in platform settings.
This study presents a detailed map and reference cross-sections of the Casale-Colla landslide in the Northern Apennines (Municipality of Ferriere, Province of Piacenza, Italy). It is an active deep-seated roto-translational slide in flysch rock masses causing significant damage to roads and hamlets. The map results from a comprehensive geological and geomorphological characterization supported by multitemporal aerial images, high resolution digital terrain models, displacement monitoring, boreholes and geophysics. The map and the cross-sections show that the landslide comprises five main sub-units, controlled by multiple sliding surfaces extending to a depth of 40 m. Monitoring data indicate that landslide velocity decreases from the upper to the lower sub-units, suggesting overthrusts between them, that the landslide comprises five main sub-units. The results demonstrate the added-value of integrating conventional investigations and remote-sensing datasets for the analysing and mapping of complex deep-seated slope instabilities.
This contribution presents the first geomorphological map of the Zadorra River Basin (Upper Ebro, Northern Spain) and the bordering areas at 1:250,000 scale. The most relevant landforms and landscape assemblages are briefly described according to their morphogenetic origin (structural, fluvial, karstic, glacial, gravitational and polygenetic). The assigned ages are relative ones in relation to published ages for similar landforms and deposits in adjacent areas of the Ebro Basin, especially those referred to fluvial terraces and pre-incision surfaces. Based on the produced morphogenetic mapping and age data, a geomorphological model is proposed for the long-term evolution of the Zadorra River Basin. Two distinct evolutionary stages can be established in the Zadorra River: (1) an early stage, during which a proto-Zadorra catchment began to set up, and (2) a mature stage, during which the fluvial incision is dominant with the generation of at least five important fluvial terraces.
Charleston County, South Carolina, is home to more than 400,000 residents and is exposed to coastal erosion, sea-level rise, flooding, hurricanes, earthquake shaking, and ground instability. These hazards threaten a rapidly expanding built environment that includes historic structures dating to the eighteenth century. This study integrates parcel-level building data with environmental hazard measures to develop a Total Hazards Assessment for every building in Charleston County. The resulting geospatial index and map identify the relative susceptibility of structures to hazard-induced degradation and provide a countywide basis for comparing risk. Approximately one-third of assessed structures exhibit high or very high susceptibility. The assessment offers city planners, emergency managers, and other decision-makers an evidence-based resource for identifying priority areas, targeting mitigation investments, and strengthening preparedness and recovery planning. By translating multiple hazard datasets into a building-level cartographic product, the study supports more strategic management of both chronic and catastrophic risks across Charleston County.
The monumental built environment of the Aegean Bronze Age (the 3rd and 2nd millennia BCE) reflects major episodes of investment of human and material resources. Despite the significance of these targeted deployments of resources for the study of long-term processes of social stratification and state formation, building processes are rarely examined. In this study, we present a methodological framework for evaluating building strategies. To support this analysis, we designed a relational database that integrates large datasets to enable queries that combine spatial and qualitative architectural parameters. The output includes maps produced in QGIS that visualise the allocation of resources across a monumental building. These visualisations feed spatial interpretation and are complemented by statistical analysis. This paper demonstrates how this database-driven approach offers a valuable tool for addressing building strategies, while also providing a scalable solution for integrating architectural data across varied geographical and historical contexts.
This paper presents a Geomorphological map of an active transgressive dunefield extending over 2 km2 along the western Sardinia coast (Italy). The map is the result of a detailed analysis of robust spatial datasets, such as aerial photos and digital surface models obtained by UAV (Uncrewed Aerial Vehicle) surveys and direct geomorphological and geological surveys. The map highlights the occurrence of marine, fluvial, and anthropogenic elements and landforms, with a particular emphasis on aeolian features, reflecting the dominant role of active aeolian dynamics in shaping the morphogenetic processes of this territory since the Upper Pleistocene. The current aeolian processes occur through the development of multilobate parabolic dunes, featuring various erosional and depositional landforms. Inland migration takes place over older inactive dune deposits and appears strongly conditioned by topography. In addition, a Synthesis of morphodynamic processes (domains) map is presented, emphasising distinct domains (marine, aeolian, fluvial, anthropogenic) and inferred pathways of trend movement, thereby adopting a morphodynamic approach.
Mercury's Discovery quadrangle (H11) is in the planet's southern hemisphere (0-90 degrees W, 22.5- 65 degrees S), one of fifteen mapping quadrangles covering Mercury. Here we present a 1:3,000,000 (1:3M) scale geological map of H11, constructed using data collected by NASA's MESSENGER spacecraft mission. On top of a similar to 166 m/pixel monochrome basemap, we digitized geological units and their contacts, and additional linear and surface features. We produced two versions of the map, using alternative three and five-class schemes to classify impact crater materials. In addition to crater materials, mapped geological units include intercrater, smooth and intermediate plains, which are common terrains across Mercury. We also mapped units particular to H11, specifically in its notable chaotic terrain. This map is one of a series of quadrangle maps aiming to globally cover Mercury at 1:3M scale, supporting investigations of the planet by the ESA/JAXA BepiColombo space mission.
This study examines how the built environment influences children’s physical activity during school travel and within school neighborhoods in Olomouc, Czechia. The dataset combines accelerometer-measured activity, manually mapped routes, and GIS-based environmental indicators. Data from 161 eighth-grade pupils across ten primary schools were analyzed using 25 m route buffers and 500 m network service areas around schools. Variables included building height, pedestrian infrastructure, traffic intensity, greenery, noise, and traffic accidents. Active school travel was positively associated with sidewalk area, traffic intensity, building height, and traffic accidents, revealing accessibility benefits and exposure risks in compact urban settings. Total daily activity and sleep were not significantly related to environmental factors. The study shows that the built environment shapes active school mobility, whereas overall activity patterns depend mainly on individual and social routines. Integrating ActiGraph accelerometer and spatial data offers an innovative approach for analyzing children’s mobility in medium-sized European cities.
This study examines the perceived residential attractiveness of Europe from the perspective of university students in Canada and Czechia. A total of 503 respondents produced a data set of over 3,100 sketches supplemented by 4,800 open-ended textual reasons, which were systematically classified into social, environmental, economic and other factors. Results reveal general convergence in preferences: both groups consistently highlight Northern and Western Europe, particularly the corridor between 5 degrees E and 15 degrees E, as the most attractive region. Negative perceptions are strongly convergent, with Russia, Belarus and Ukraine forming an epicentre of unattractiveness, largely reflecting the ongoing war. Social factors, especially politically-related ones, dominate negative evaluations. In contrast, environmental factors are key attractors for both groups. The study demonstrates the methodological value of combining assessments of administratively bounded units (countries) with spatially unconstrained sketch mapping, and offer insights into how distinct groups of young adults perceive Europe as a potential place of residence.
Municipal tax revenues constitute the fundamental component of their budgets, from which they finance public services for citizens, infrastructure investments, and day-to-day operations. The aim of this paper is therefore to elucidate the spatial aspects of Czech municipal tax revenues and identify their wealth. Specifically, we focus on the question of which municipalities diversify their tax revenues beyond shared taxes and on the role of space in this process. The main map shows both the results of the cluster analysis, which identified eight types of municipalities, and their wealth, measured by tax revenue per capita. Four clusters of municipalities are associated with increased revenues from environmental levies, gambling, and property taxes. However, all of these bring potential negative impacts.
The general potential of big data lies in finding surprising variables in its analysis. Monitoring visitors to football matches using mobile phone location data has resulted in a unique map showing the city divided according to football club affiliation. The research works in an aggregated and anonymized way with the place of residence of active fans, i.e. those who actively attend football matches of the two largest Czech clubs, SK Slavia Prague and AC Sparta Prague. The data show strong fan ties in the vicinity of the stadiums and a relatively sharp division of football Prague into the right and left banks of the Vltava River. Surprisingly, only half of the active fans come from Prague and its immediate surroundings, confirming the nationwide reach of both clubs.
Researching the glacial geomorphology of the Tibetan Plateau is crucial for understanding past climate change, as well as reconstructing the dynamics of palaeoglaciers. In this study, we create a detailed glacial geomorphological map of a formerly glaciated valley at Gongba Mountain (similar to 28 degrees 58'N, 100 degrees 23'E), in the Daocheng area of the southeast Tibetan Plateau. We combined Geographic Information Systems (GIS), satellite and Uncrewed Aerial Vehicle (UAV) remote-sensing technology and field verification to produce a high-resolution glacial geomorphological map, which we present at a 1:10,000 scale. We identified over 800 landforms. Landform types included moraine complexes, moraine ridges, ice-scoured bedrock, weathered bedrock, kettle holes, cirques, lakes, shorelines, glaciolacustrine sediments, deltas and outwash. Analysing these landforms will help reconstruct past glacier dynamics, as well as the extent of glaciation, thereby advancing glacial geomorphological mapping on the Tibetan Plateau. Such information is vital for contextualising ongoing glacier response to future climate change in the region.
Urban waterfront development has undergone significant transformations throughout history, driven by shifting economic imperatives, social dynamics, and environmental considerations. Once primarily functional spaces, waterfronts have emerged as focal points of urban regeneration. While extensive scholarship has examined the redevelopment of major metropolitan waterfronts - often framed within the broader transition from Fordist industrial economies to post-Fordist urban models emphasizing sustainability and integrated design -, medium-sized cities have also experienced substantial transformations. Framed within a global context, the analysis concentrates on medium-sized Spanish cities to ensure comparability and to highlight specific developmental dynamics often overlooked in global waterfront studies. Las Palmas de Gran Canaria exemplifies this trend, where efforts reconfiguring its waterfront have faced notable constraints, yielding only partial implementation. By tracing the worldwide evolution of urban waterfronts and comparing them with similar medium-sized island contexts, this study contributes to a broader understanding of integrated waterfront planning across the global urban hierarchy.
The presented geological map at a scale of 1:75,000 shows a part of the Upper Mesozoic sedimentary belt exposed along the northern slopes of the Mongolian Altai in the Valley of Lakes (Western Mongolia). The Upper Jurassic to Lower Cretaceous formations of the Shiliin Nuruu Syncline, which have both lateral and vertical transitions, reach a total thickness of up to 1000 m. Poorly sorted conglomerates in the bottom of the sequence represent the proximal parts of the alluvial fans and grade up to the cycles of sandstones, mudstones, siltstones, marls, and coal seams of fluvial to lacustrine origin. Relics of terrestrial plants indicate a warm climate. The coalification corresponds to early brown coal. The rich Hauterivian-Aptian palaeontological association containing conchostracans, larvae of giant mayflies, gastropods, bivalves, and fish in the Anday Khudag and the Khulsan Gol formations could be compared with the Jehol Biota in northeast China.
