This study presents a method to estimate the solar energy potential based on 3D data taken from unmanned aerial devices. The solar energy potential on the roof of a building was estimated before the placement of solar panels using photogrammetric data analyzed in a geographic information system, and the predictions were compared with the data recorded after installation. The areas of the roofs were chosen using digital surface models and the hemispherical viewshed algorithm, considering how the solar radiation on the roof surface would be affected by the orientation of the surface with respect to the sun, the shade of trees, surrounding objects, topography, and the atmospheric conditions. The results show that the efficiency percentages of the panels and the data modeled by the proposed method from surface models are very similar to the theoretical efficiency of the panels. Radiation potential can be estimated from photogrammetric data and a 3D model in great detail and at low cost. This method allows the estimation of solar potential as well as the optimization of the location and orientation of solar panels.

The problem of the optimal siting and placement of static compensates (STATCOMs) in power systems is addressed in this paper from an exact mathematical optimization point of view. A mixed-integer nonlinear programming model to present the problem was developed with the aim of minimizing the annual operating costs of the power system, which is the sum of the costs of the energy losses and of the installation of the STATCOMs. The optimization model has constraints regarding the active and reactive power balance equations and those associated with the devices’ capabilities, among others. To characterize the electrical behavior of the power system, different load profiles such as residential, industrial, and commercial are considered for a period of 24 h of operation. The solution of the proposed model is reached with the general algebraic modeling system optimization package. The numerical results indicate the positive effect of the dynamic reactive power injections in the power systems on annual operating cost reduction. A Pareto front was built to present the multi-objective behavior of the studied problem when compared to investment and operative costs. The complete numerical validations are made in the IEEE 24-, IEEE 33-, and IEEE 69-bus systems, respectively.

This study presents a methodology to estimate the seven indicators of the Setting and Infrastructure criterion of the UI GreenMetric World University Ranking based on three-dimensional data from a point cloud taken from an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). This study also estimated the potential aerial biomass, C and CO2, stored in the green spaces of a university campus using photogrammetric data analyzed in a Geographic Information System (GIS). The method was based on isolating classified point clouds using digital surface models (DSMs) and ground control points (GCPs) considering the canopy height model (CHM), the allometric equation (DBH, p, h), the biomass conversion factor, and carbon dioxide equivalents (CO2-e). The results confirmed that the national models for estimating the potential C reserves in natural forests are very close to reality and that the open space and green areas available to people on campus are adequate. The use of photogrammetric data facilitated the estimation of UI GreenMetric indicators from a highly detailed, low-cost three-dimensional model. The results of a case study revealed that the campus assimilates the CO2 emissions it produces and generates a surplus.

Este artículo analiza la generación de un mapa de distribución potencial del patrón espacial leopardo y del entorno asociado a su desarrollo en las zonas áridas y semiáridas. A partir de Información bibliográfica alrededor del mundo y de datos de campo obtenido en Colombia y España, para ello se caracterizan los factores utilizando predictores ambientales globales en conjunto con un modelo de máxima entropía. En el modelo de distribución, las condiciones ambientales indican que la aridez y la variabilidad topográfica, son factores de peso que tiene una gran valor en las estadísticas que definen los patrones, revelando una extensa distribución de ambientes distintivos nuevos al alrededor del mundo, así como el fenómeno asociado de convergencia evolutiva y de algunos géneros vegetales predominantes en varios continentes a los que se puede asociar este patrón.

Hasta hace más de un siglo existieron diversas islas formadas por los procesos hidrográficos y sedimentarios resultantes de la interacción del delta del río Magdalena y el mar Caribe enfrente del municipio de Puerto Colombia y de la ciudad de Barranquilla. Este artículo analiza la transformación y posterior desaparición de dichas islas utilizando cartografía histórica y sistemas de información geográfica con el objetivo de comprender los eventos históricos que transformaron el paisaje. Los resultados evidencian que los procesos de expansión y avance del desarrollo portuario marítimo y fluvial, particularmente el desarrollo de Bocas de Ceniza, aceleró el deterioro ambiental y la posterior desaparición de estos espacios.