GIS programs are used for the collection and processing of geographic data, however, they are also useful in the study of historical greenery. GIS allows better use of the archival and contemporary cartographic materials, collect data on individual objects, make precise measurements of the areas, track changes in use and land cover. The paper presents examples of the GIS software use, based on research related to the historical greenery in Wielkopolska region.

This article presents the history of mining for rock raw materials in the Cieszyn area since the beginning of the 20th century. The study assessed the possibility of continuing these activities in relation to the ongoing enlargement of conservation areas. The conflict between mining these deposits and environmental interests was described. The results of the analysis allowed for the identification of potential sites for further exploitation of Godula Sandstone and Cieszyn Limestone. The study used analog and digital data which were subjected to the procedures specific to the GIS (Geographic Information System) methods. The exploitation of Cieszyn Shale and Limestone played an important role in the first half of the 20th century. They were used for the production of lime and cement. However, the importance of these materials decreased gradually due to declining demand and quality. In later years, after the closure of the cement plant in Goleszów, limestone was used only for aggregate production. Natural aggregates and clay raw materials were initially exploited in small excavations based on local needs, and later in an organized manner with documented deposits. At present, mining of these materials has been discontinued. The centuries-old tradition of Godula Sandstone block production was maintained during the last hundred years. In the last decade, their extraction was conducted in the original quarry, as well as several new quarries. Additional resources have been documented at other locations. Because of the nature of the product, such extraction (in small quarries, without the use of blasting agents) does not significantly affect wildlife. Moreover, the locations of current and former mining operations often become tourist attractions. This is evidenced by the fact that the documentation sites are established on the basis of such excavations. Numerous objects of protection established in recent years have led to a major conflict between the exploitation of rock materials and the environment. This prevents development or even the continuation of exploitation. Therefore, in future planning processes, efforts must be made to characterize mineral deposits as a part of nature, requiring protection.

Bluetooth beacons are becoming increasingly popular for various applications such as marketing or indoor navigation. However, designing a proper beacon installation requires knowledge of the possible sources of interference in the target environment. While theoretically beacon signal strength should decay linearly with log distance, on-site measurements usually reveal that noise from objects such as Wi-Fi networks operating in the vicinity significantly alters the expected signal range. The paper presents a novel mobile Geographic Information System for measurement, mapping and local as well as online storage of Bluetooth beacon signal strength in semireal time. For the purpose of on-site geovisual analysis of the signal, the application integrates a dedicated interpolation algorithm optimized for low-power devices. The paper discusses the performance and quality of the mapping algorithms in several different test environments.

Geographical Information Systems have become essential tools for land analysis and the subsequent decision making in many fields of human activity. In the field of mining, GIS applications have appeared in ore deposit modelling, environmental pollution, or planning of mining spaces. In this research, the powerful multicriteria tools of GIS platforms have been applied for the determination of an index that has been called “Exploitability Index”. This index allows analyzing a series of outcrops of industrial aggregates, to help in the selection of the most adequate one to be enhanced from a mining approach. The multicriteria analysis has been applied for its determination, and as a result of this research, a model is proposed. The main criteria that condition the decision have been established in this model, along with their subsequent hierarchization and their weighting. The proposed model is applied to a specific case: the analysis of a series of outcrops of industrial aggregates (ophites) in Cantabria, Spain. After defining the Exploitability Index for those ophitic outcrops, it has been observed that the only deposit that has been classified as very suitable for its exploitation is the only one that has been really exploited, supporting the proposed methodology.

This study investigates cadmium (Cd) accumulation in the plant leaves of juglans regia (walnut) and cydonia oblanga (quince) trees related to traffic emissions on the highway roadside. The plant leaf samples were collected from 20 sites on the D-100 Highway roadside and washed with deionized water before analyzed. Determination of Cd was carried out using an inductively-coupled plasma-mass spectrometer after microwave digestion of the samples. Cd concentration on the plant leaves was found to be between 0.04–0.11 mg/kg. In order to determine the traffic-based emissions, vehicles were counted and an emission inventory was prepared. 0.18 tons of Cd was found to be delivered into the atmosphere every day. Cd accumulation depends on traffic density because there were no residential area and industrial plants. The distribution of Cd accumulation caused by traffic emissions was mapped by using a geographic information system (GIS). The maps showed that the Cd accumulation was high in the areas near the highway and then gradually decreased by moving away from the highway.

The aim of this paper is to look at the quantitative dimension of public space resources in Polish cities, a comparative analysis of these resources, determining the share of public space in the urban spatial structure and referring this structure to European cities. The concept of ‘public space resources’ has been introduced, and is defined as those areas in the city that fulfill or can fulfill the functions of public space. This concept, and then the proposal of its operationalization, aimed to draw attention to the spatial and physical aspects of public space, which would allow to broaden and supplement social approaches in the study of public space. The quantitative approach to public space proposed in the paper also enabled a comparative research to assess the role of public space in the structure of Polish cities in a more objective manner and refer it to European cities.

Traditional methods of mineral exploration are mainly based on very expensive drilling and seismic methods. The proposed approach assumes the preliminary recognition of prospecting areas using satellite remote sensing methods. Maps of mineral groups created using Landsat 8 images can narrow the search area, thereby reducing the costs of geological exploration during mineral prospecting. This study focuses on the identification of mineralized zones located in the southeastern part of Europe (Kosovo, area of Selac) where hydrothermal mineralization and alterations can be found. The article describes all the stages of research, from collecting in-situ rock samples, obtaining spectral characteristics with laboratory measurements, preprocessing and analysis of satellite images, to the validation of results through field reconnaissance in detail. The authors introduce a curve-index fitting technique to determine the degree of similarity of a rock sample to a given pixel of satellite imagery. A comparison of the reflectance of rock samples against surface reflectance obtained from satellite images allows the places where the related type of rock can be found to be determined. Finally, the results were compared with geological and mineral maps to confirm the effectiveness of the method. It was shown that the free multispectral data obtained by the Landsat 8 satellite, even with a resolution of 30 meters, can be considered as a valuable source of information that helps narrow down the exploration areas.

The present study tries to quantify soil losses using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and analytic hierarchy pro-cess (AHP) in the Medjerda watershed (Algerian-Tunisian border). The Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) method is used in the quantification of erosion qualitative characteristics, through its weighting. It is used for many problems requiring decision-making. This catchment area is characterized by moderately consistent lithology, irregular rainfall, medium slope and low vegetation cover, which makes it very sensitive to erosion. Therefore we claim to develop a spatialization map of vulnerable areas, based on analytic hierarchy process and GIS that define the combination of specific factors. The integration of the thematic maps of the various factors makes it possible to identify the impact of each factor in the erosion, to classify the sensitive zones, and to quantify the soil losses in the basin. This mapping will be an important tool for land use planning and risk management. From the distribution map of erosive hazards, we have identified four classes of vulnerabil-ity, areas with very high to high vulnerability are mainly in the northern part of the watershed (where the relief is very important).

Spitsbergen glaciers react rapidly to changes in the polar environment, which is expressed in differences in extent of their fronts and surface geometry. The Scott Glacier, which is situated in the NW part of Wedel Jarlsberg Land, is an example of the glacier that has undergone almost continuous recession since the Little Ice Age, interrupted by surges. The variations in recession are characterised based on multiannual data with particularly consideration of the period 1990–2005 and the season 2005/2006. Acceleration of front recession and lowering the surface was found only within the tongue up to a height of about 220 m a.s.l. Whereas, in the area situated in the zone of rock steps and above in the ablation zone, the change of glacier surface ablation (Dh) has been recorded compared to the mean annual recession for the period 1990–2005. Moreover, for the upper firn field, the positive surface ablation (DhS7 = +0.19 m) was observed. As the result of progressive reduction of the Scott Glacier mass, with the participation of other factors (bedrock relief among others), new surfaces of roche moutonnée are uncovering particularly in the tongue zone.