The continuing decline in lake water levels is both a concern and daunting challenge to scientists and policymakers in this era, demanding a rethinking of technological and policy interventions in the context of broader political and socio-economic realities. It is self-evident that diverse factors interact in space and time in complex dynamics to cause these water-level changes. However, the major question demanding sound answers is how these factors interact and by what magnitude they affect lake water balance with time. This chapter uses Lake Victoria’s hydrological system to shed light on the extensive and flexible modelling and simulation capabilities availed by modern computer models to understand the bigger picture of water balance dynamics. The study used the 1950-2000 hydrological data and riparian population growth to develop a dynamic simulation model for the lake’s water level. The intuitive structure of the model provided clear insights into the combined influence of the main drivers of the lake’s water balance. The falling lake water levels appeared to be mainly due to dam outflows at the outlet and reduced rainfall over the lake. The ensuing conclusions stressed the need for checks against over-release of lake water for hydropower production and measures for sustainable land and water management in the entire basin.

Background African indigenous vegetables are important for food security and nutrition, and income of the poor farm households. In the era of COVID-19, they are critical for boosting people’s immunity. Unfortunately, both production of and trade in these vegetables is likely to be severely affected by the pandemic. Methods This study examined potential effects of COVID-19 pandemic on production and trade of African indigenous vegetables using a cross-sectional survey of 244 farmers and 246 traders from different regions in Kenya. Results COVID-19 has a negative impact on production and trading of AIVs in Kenya. Findings indicate that 75% of the farmers are experiencing declining production due to reduced access to input, farm labour and output market. Secondly, about 98% of the traders have recorded a drop in sales volumes due to containment measures implemented by the government and personal safety precautions. In particular, farmers’ production and traders’ sales volumes declined by 39 and 65%, respectively, during the first phase of the pandemic. Conclusion The findings indicate that the sub-sector requires targeted interventions which may include input support, careful reopening and control of the open-air markets, reduced taxation and facilitated access to urban markets.

The continuing decline in lake water levels is both a concern and daunting challenge to scientists and policymakers in this era, demanding a rethinking of technological and policy interventions in the context of broader political and socio-economic realities. It is self-evident that diverse factors interact in space and time in complex dynamics to cause these water-level changes. However, the major question demanding sound answers is how these factors interact and by what magnitude they affect lake water balance with time. This chapter uses Lake Victoria’s hydrological system to shed light on the extensive and flexible modelling and simulation capabilities availed by modern computer models to understand the bigger picture of water balance dynamics. The study used the 1950-2000 hydrological data and riparian population growth to develop a dynamic simulation model for the lake’s water level. The intuitive structure of the model provided clear insights into the combined influence of the main drivers of the lake’s water balance. The falling lake water levels appeared to be mainly due to dam outflows at the outlet and reduced rainfall over the lake. The ensuing conclusions stressed the need for checks against over-release of lake water for hydropower production and measures for sustainable land and water management in the entire basin.

Background: This article discusses the approach to the implementation of the project for the extraction and the methodology of preliminary processing of the obtained data with the aim of centralized accumulation for collective multipurpose use of the databank on the example of carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere by air transport for a given territory. It should be noted that on the basis of morphological analysis, processing, as well as the classification of spatial objects of the geodatabase and additional information, it is subsequently possible to organize, for example, a system of geoecological monitoring.Methods: At the fundamental level, the research used integration and process-based approaches, the method of extrapolation, expert methods of evaluation, random selection and analytical comparisons, a set of methods of spatial analysis based on various instruments and sources. In this study are used of open standards OGC, web, GIS technologies and the Internet for the formation, processing and storage of spatial data, their unambiguous geolocation, the implementation of territorial selections and visualization of results.Results: The set of data, which was organized according to the proposed and defined rules, made it possible to assess the structural processing of geospatial data, and to prepare a visual representation of the impact of aviation on the environmental situation over the designated geographic area.Conclusions: The transport industry was chosen as the object of research, but this solution can also be successfully applied to other logistics and industrial areas. During the implementation of the project, the analysis of the subject area was carried out, the architecture of the future prototype of the databank was designed, the accumulated data from the sources was structured, and a database was selected for storing them, taking into account the provision of high availability and ensuring stable operation under high loads. For the convenience of displaying data, an interactive visualization tool with a convenient and friendly user interface has been developed.

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