This paper investigates the use and potential role of satellite remote sensing (RS) data in documenting conflict incidents and related human rights violations. In particular, we scrutinized the methods applied by researchers and human rights practitioners as well as the characteristics of those human rights violations that were documented on the basis of analysis of remote sensing data. To this end, we reviewed 901 articles, out of which we chose 48 articles that comprised 51 empirical studies for an in-depth review analysis. The articles included in our literature corpus were published between 2006 and 2023. Our review of the studies focused on the following aspects: research organisations, geographies of the empirical studies, spatial resolution of RS data, methods used in empirical studies, validation practices, reported challenges. Despite the salience of human rights violations in recent history and the adoption of digital data-driven investigations in this context, we find that an increased focus on human rights is not detectable in RS-based research. Employing a critical remote sensing perspective, we show that a few conflicts dominate the attention of RS analyses, while other conflicts remain unobserved. As most studies (still) rely on visual interpretation, which requires very high-resolution data, we detect widespread dependencies on commercial providers. A perceptible rise in the use of machine learning approaches for documenting conflicts goes hand in hand with a similar increase in the involvement of academic researchers. The latter’s involvement changes validation processes to the extent that these processes shift towards relying exclusively on remote data instead of local human rights knowledge. Our findings highlight the untapped potential for interdisciplinary research and emphasize the need for more collaborative work, conjoining remote sensing and human rights expertise.

Resilience focuses on strengthening communities to better prepare for future expected and unknown crises. Incorporating a resilience perspective into public health practice offers important benefits by addressing health issues in urban neighborhoods both in terms of prevention and response. However, few studies are available that quantify resilience in urban neighborhoods in a spatially explicit manner. The aims of this study are therefore to develop a health-related resilience indicator for the neighborhood-level in urban areas. We developed a composite indicator based on the Baseline Resilience Indicators for Communities framework to capture health-related capacities and apply it to a case study in Berlin, Germany. Our key results are the composite resilience indicator for urban neighborhoods and the identification of spatial patterns of resilience in Berlin-Neuk & ouml;lln. The results provide insights into the advantages and challenges of incorporating resilience into public health practice, highlighting the importance of analyzing small-scale data to identify areas to target interventions effectively. Furthermore, we discuss conceptual and methodological challenges, including the definition of health-related resilience, indicator selection, and the balance between general and specific resilience. This study marks an important first step towards a resilience-focused approach in public health, opening new directions for future research.

The number of people living with mental disorders is increasing worldwide. Considering rapid global urbanization, research on the effects of urban environments on mental wellbeing is becoming crucial, particularly regarding the role of green spaces. This paper analyzes data collected using a smartphone-based toolkit, gathering multimodal data such as participants’ photographs, GPX tracks, and categorical emotion tags in response to urban environments. Through exploratory, semi-automated analysis, urban green spaces are identified and explored in relation to mental wellbeing using statistical methods. The proportion and distribution of green spaces are quantitatively analyzed through image analysis. This novel method of seamlessly integrating data collection and analysis allows for a distinction between the effects of the directly and consciously perceived environment and the indirect, unconsciously perceived environment. Preliminary results indicate that green spaces in everyday environments may positively impact mental wellbeing. There is potential for integrating green spaces, particularly in city centers. These findings enable numerous empirical studies to investigate the influence of green spaces on mental wellbeing and represent a valuable extension of the evidence base for urban planning and policy decisions. The key benefits of this work lie in its consideration of everyday perceptions of green spaces and its ability to overcome limitations of previous studies through more detailed data collection and efficient automated data analysis.

Als zentrale Ökosystemleistung von Wäldern trägt die Erholungsfunktion positiv zum menschlichen Wohlbefinden bei. In Bestrebungen hin zu einem zukunftsgerechten Wald im Klimawandel ist dessen Bedeutung für das menschliche Wohlbefinden aber sowohl in der wissenschaftlichen als auch in der politischen Diskussion unterrepräsentiert. Unser Beitrag arbeitet heraus, welche zentrale Funktion Wäldern für die menschliche Gesundheit zukommt. Zudem stellen wir eine Übersicht über derzeit bestehende Nutzungskonflikte der Erholungsfunktion und anderen Funktionen. Unsere Studie beruht auf leitfadengestützten Interviews mit 22 Expertinnen und Experten in Stadt und Landkreis Bamberg, die beruflich einen Bezug zum Thema Klimaresilienz und Flächennutzung haben. Die Region Bamberg in Oberfranken eignet sich aufgrund der umliegenden bewaldeten und für die Naherholung bedeutsamen Höhenzüge (Hassberge, Steigerwald und Fränkische Alb) gut für unsere Studie.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of deaths worldwide, with 80% occurring in low- and middle-income countries. These countries are characterized by rapid urbanization, poorly funded health systems, poor access to prevention and treatment strategies, and increasing age and a higher prevalence of chronic disease. Rapid urbanization has contributed to the significant environmental and societal changes affecting daily life habits and cardiovascular health. There is growing awareness that environmental and social exposures and policies can influence CVD directly or through behavioural risk factors. However, much of this knowledge comes from studies in high-income countries and is applied to low- and middle-income countries without evidence to indicate this is appropriate. This state-of-the-art review will present and synthesize key findings from the Prospective Urban Rural Epidemiology study and related studies that have aimed to understand the environmental, social, and policy determinants of cardiovascular health in countries across varying levels of economic development through an urban/rural lens. Emerging from these findings are future policy and research recommendations to accelerate the reduction of the global burden of CVD.

Understanding the conduciveness of an environment for running is critical for promoting community wellbeing through physical activity. In-person assessment of these factors is time consuming and costly on a large scale, causing researchers to audit environments virtually using Street View Imagery (SVI). However, no studies have assessed the efficacy of SVI for auditing environments for runnability, which measures the conduciveness of an area for running. This research seeks to determine whether virtual audits of street view imagery are a reliable proxy for in-person environmental scans. A secondary goal of this work was to design a preliminary runnability index based solely on runner studies. In this study, virtual and in-person audits were conducted in 30 locations around Metropolitan Vancouver, Canada, assessing runnability to compare SVI with field observations. Results reported high agreement between both methods for most runnability variables, especially for natural environment characteristics. Virtual scans were less reliable than in-person scans for measuring path continuity and street lighting. We recommend researchers continue to validate virtual audits with in-person scans until SVI technology improves.

BACKGROUND:Memory clinics can contribute significantly to a qualified diagnosis of dementia. Since the accessibility of medical facilities is an important predictor for their utilisation, the aim of this study was to determine the accessibility of memory clinics for persons with dementia in Bavaria.METHODS:We used a Geographic Information System (GIS) to determine travel times to the nearest memory clinic for all Bavarian municipalities based on OpenStreetMap road network data.RESULTS:The majority of the modelled persons with dementia in Bavaria (40%; n = 93,950) live in communities with an average travel time of 20 to 40 minutes to the nearest memory clinic. Almost 7,000 (3%) require more than one hour. Especially persons from rural communities have to travel significantly longer distances than people from urban areas.CONCLUSION:In view of demographic developments, there is an urgent need for memory clinics to be accessible throughout the country for all persons with dementia, regardless of where they live. The systematic development of memory clinics in areas with long travel times or the establishment of mobile diagnostic services could help to improve dementia care.

Zusammenfassung Hintergrund Gedächtnisambulanzen können maßgeblich zu einer qualifizierten Demenzdiagnostik beitragen. Da die Erreichbarkeit medizinischer Einrichtungen ein wichtiger Prädiktor für deren Inanspruchnahme ist, war es Ziel dieser Arbeit, die Erreichbarkeit von Gedächtnisambulanzen für Menschen mit Demenz in Bayern zu ermitteln. Methodik Mit Hilfe eines Geographischen Informationssystem (GIS) wurden anhand von OpenStreetMap Straßennetzdaten die Reisezeiten von allen bayerischen Gemeinden zur jeweils nächstgelegenen Gedächtnisambulanz bestimmt. Ergebnisse Die Mehrheit der modellierten Anzahl an Menschen mit Demenz in Bayern (40%; n = 93.950) lebt in Gemeinden mit einer durchschnittlichen Fahrtzeit von 20 bis 40 Minuten bis zur nächstgelegenen Gedächtnisambulanz. Knapp 7.000 (3%) benötigen mehr als eine Stunde. Besonders Personen aus ländlichen Gemeinden müssen deutlich längere Fahrtzeiten zurücklegen, als Menschen aus städtischen Gebieten. Schlussfolgerung Eine flächendeckend gute Erreichbarkeit von Gedächtnisambulanzen für alle Menschen mit Demenz, unabhängig von ihrem Wohnort ist angesichts der demographischen Entwicklungen dringend geboten. Der gezielte Ausbau von Gedächtnisambulanzen in Gebieten mit langen Fahrtzeiten oder die Bereitstellung von mobilen Diagnostikangeboten könnte dazu beitragen die Versorgungssituation zu verbessern.

Scrum hat sich in der Softwareindustrie seit längerem als Methode der Projektzusammenarbeit bewährt. Durch die Ausrichtung auf schnelle Ergebnisse in einem in der Umsetzung weitgehend autonom arbeitenden Projektteam liegt der Transfer auf den Forschungskontext nahe. Dies gilt insbesondere für die Digital Humanities, in denen in Projekten unterschiedliche Fachtraditionen und Erwartungen an den Arbeitsprozess aufeinanderstoßen. Nach einer kurzen Vorstellung von Scrum in seinen wesentlichen Elementen und Prozessen prüfen wir die Eignung für die Arbeit in den Digital Humanities und machen einen Prozessvorschlag für eine leicht angepasste, reduzierte Variante von Scrum für den Einsatz in der Forschung. Wir berichten aus entsprechenden Projekterfahrungen.

In the context of the spatial turn in humanities, place-related data and geovisalisations are used frequently to provide deeper insights in broad variety of domains ranging from spatio-temporal traces of historical persons or objects to spatial visualisation of complex scenes and environments.For this purpose, in a practice of mapping, data are often projected to the ubiquitous 2-dimensional artefact of the map.In addition to the well-researched suggestive power of this artefact to reveal (contested) truths, this approach features severe conceptual limitations, particularly when individual perspectives on space and place are brought into consideration.Tim Cresswell argues that "[w]e do not live in landscapes -we [just] look at them"! Theory-guided social science practice is well-suited to describe the impacts of digital artefacts and processes, but remains insufficient for facilitating rapid data screenings on a larger-thancase-study scale.Pattern recognition alone presently serves only as a complement to such inquiry, rather than a standalone solution optimised for qualitative data screening and analysis.In this paper, we make first steps towards a scalable solution by demonstrating the utility of semi-automated, theory-informed text mining approaches for offering complementary insights compatible with traditional qualitative methodologies from the social sciences.In calling for a scalable, text-based, multi-perspective analysis of data representing different conceptualisations of space and place in the health geographies domain, we derive a process model of earlier contextual spatial analysis and empirical discourse analysis.In a second step, we provide examples for an integrated model enhanced by different digital methods, used to produce knowledge that would otherwise go undetected.We comparatively evaluate the outcome of our proposed process model based on earlier studies and derive a research agenda for a general use of those methods in the Digital Humanities.

The participatory Geoweb emerges from the synthesis of map-based online applications and Web 2.0 concepts such as user-generated content, enhanced interactivity, and cloud computing. The result is a wide range of tools and projects using these tools to communicate, collaborate, deliberate, and inform spatial decision making. This article draws upon the literature in participatory geographic information systems to propose the “3E Framework,” which provides both a structured conceptual model and a practical tool for the evaluation of projects on the participatory Geoweb. The framework deconstructs participation on the Geoweb into the provider and public realms and represents the engagement, empowerment, and enactment processes. It includes 20 evaluation questions that are derived from themes in the literature.

In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, places of public encounter were effectively inhibited by lockdown regulations. In addition to several quantitative studies of the impact of the ongoing pandemic on society, little is known about the use of one’s spatial environment on individual coping strategies mitigating physical isolation. Through an explorative qualitative study we derived a typology of coping strategies that helped participants to balance responsible action and the urgent need for social contact.Our approach aligns with well-known theory in the field of place (Cresswell 2020) and place-bound sociality (cf. Schatzki 2002) in the context of phenomenology (Sloan & Bowe 2014, Rehorick 1991, Seamon 1979). Sixteen participants were selected reflecting diverse conceptualisation of community and representing socioeconomic and gender diversity in both urban and rural areas of the German state of Bavaria. Semi-structured interviews were conducted in the beginning of the second wave of COVID-19 restrictions from the end of November 2020 to early December, to reflect expectations and early routines associated with the isolation. In addition to social and individual, a variety of environment-related coping strategies can be observed. We (1) interpret those coping strategies, (2) discuss the essential function of places for the coordination and negotiation of social activities, and (3) relate the importance of public spaces to weak social ties (Granovetter1973) emphasising their outstanding value for individual wellbeing.

Cycling has gained increasing interest in Germany in recent years due to its manifold environmental, societal, and economic benefits. However, the number of cyclist collisions resulting in injury or death remains high and little is known about regional variations in frequency, severity of injury, and type of collision. This study investigates spatial and temporal patterns and characteristics of cyclist collisions across Germany in 2019. Using a detailed cyclist collision dataset for most German federal states, we identified statistically significant regional differences in frequency, severity of injury, and type of collision. To facilitate this and future cyclist collision surveillance studies in Germany, we developed and published a custom R package to download and combine the collision data with geographical data. Our analysis reveals that densely populated regions exhibit higher collision rates and a higher share of collisions involving turns, but lower severity of injuries and a lower share of collisions whilst driving in a straight line, a higher collision frequency during the work week compared to weekends, and a higher collision frequency peak during morning rush hour. We also observed a markedly high share of fatal bicycle-truck collisions in densely populated regions. In contrast, rural regions show lower collision rates, but a higher share of severe collisions, a higher share of collisions whilst driving in a straight line, as well as higher collision frequencies during weekends and summer months. Our findings underscore the complex and multifaceted geographical variations in collisions involving cyclists. The results of this study suggest that a one-size-fits-all approach to collision prevention infrastructure and policy may be insufficient for addressing variations in risk, and that future efforts to improve cyclist safety should be tailored to the local geographical context.

Three-dimensional urban vegetation data provide crucial ecological information, but generally feature poor coverage and availability. The spaceborne radar interferometer TanDEM-X delivers a digital elevation model that can be processed to produce urban Canopy Height Models (CHMs), including vegetation height and area per 12-metre cell. To date, these CHMs are underutilised in urban research. This study therefore explores the potential of urban TanDEM-X CHM by combining an expert survey on potential directions for CHM in urban research and a case study conducting and integrating a CHM for climatological research in the city of Yazd, Iran. We complement these empirical analyses with a detailed literature section of the current state of application of TanDEM-X-CHM. The expert survey highlights key research directions and interests for urban CHM implementation. The case study provides an example of implementation based on findings from the expert survey, revealing effects of vegetation height and volume on land surface temperature. Our results underscore the unique characteristics of a TanDEM-X-based CHM, asserting their potential for producing three-dimensional vegetation information crucial for effective research and policy efforts in urban ecology.

Greenspace and socioeconomic status are known correlates of diabetes prevalence, but their combined effects at the sub-neighborhood scale are not yet known. This study derives, maps, and validates a combined socioeconomic/greenspace index of individual-level diabetes risk at the sub-neighborhood scale, without the need for clinical measurements. In two Canadian cities (Vancouver and Hamilton), we computed 4 greenspace variables from satellite imagery and extracted 11 socioeconomic variables from the Canadian census. We mapped 5125 participants from the Prospective Urban and Rural Epidemiology Study by their residential address and used age- and sex-dependent walking speeds to estimate individual exposure zones to local greenspace and socioeconomic characteristics, which were then entered into a principal component analysis to derive a novel diabetes risk index (DRI-GLUCoSE). We mapped index scores in both study areas and validated the index using fully adjusted logistic regression models to predict individual diabetes status. Model performance was then compared to other non-clinical diabetes risk indices from the literature. Diabetes prevalence among participants was 9.9%. The DRI-GLUCoSE index was a significant predictor of diabetes status, exhibiting a small non-significant attenuation with the inclusion of dietary and physical activity variables. The final models achieved a predictive accuracy of 75%, the highest among environmental risk models to date. Our combined index of local greenspace and socioeconomic factors demonstrates that the environmental component of diabetes risk is not sufficiently explained by diet and physical activity, and that increasing urban greenspace may be a suitable means of reducing the burden of diabetes at the community scale.

Objectives: Among the few studies examining patterns of COVID-19 spread in border regions, findings are highly varied and partially contradictory. This study presents empirical results on the spatial and temporal dynamics of incidence in 10 European border regions. We identify geographical differences in incidence between border regions and inland regions, and we provide a heuristic to characterise spillover effects. Study design: Observational spatiotemporal analysis. Methods: Using 14-day incidence rates (04/2020 to 25/2021) for border regions around Germany, we delineate three pandemic 'waves' by the dates with the lowest recorded rates between peak incidence. We mapped COVID-19 incidence data at the finest spatial scale available and compared border regions' incidence rates and trends to their nationwide values. The observed spatial and temporal patterns are then compared to the time and duration of border controls in the study area. Results: We observed both symmetry and asymmetry of incidence rates within border pairs, varying by country. Several asymmetrical border pairs feature temporal convergence, which is a plausible indicator for spillover dynamics. We thus derived a border incidence typology to characterise (1) symmetric border pairs, (2) asymmetric border pairs without spillover effects, and (3) asymmetric with spillover effects. In all groups, border control measures were enacted but appear to have been effective only in certain cases. Conclusions: The heuristic of border pairs provides a useful typology for highlighting combinations of spillover effects and border controls. We conclude that border control measures may only be effective if the timing and the combination with other non-pharmaceutical measures is appropriate. (c) 2021 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of The Royal Society for Public Health. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).