Large-scale in silico scientific experiments generally contain multiple computational activities to process big data. Scientific Workflows (SWfs) enable scientists to model the data processing activities. Since SWfs deal with large amounts of data, data-intensive SWfs is an important issue. In a dat...

Dynamic resource management has become an active area of research in the Cloud Computing paradigm. Cost of resources varies significantly depending on configuration for using them. Hence efficient management of resources is of prime interest to both Cloud Providers and Cloud Users. In this report we...

This article contributes to the urban political ecology of water through applied anthropological research methods and praxis. Drawing on two case studies in urban Sonora, Mexico, we contribute to critical studies of infrastructure by focusing on large infrastructural systems and decentralized altern...

The radical reform of potable water services provisioning by means of promulgation of the Water Services Act 108 of 1997 and the National Water Act 36 of 1998 in South Africa (SA) started a process of addressing the imbalance which existed in how the national resource was distributed. Water is now r...

Modern 3D geovisualization systems (3DGeoVSs) are complex and evolving systems that are required to be adaptable and leverage distributed resources, including massive geodata. This article focuses on 3DGeoVSs built based on the principles of service-oriented architectures, standards and image-based...

Many cities are experiencing long-term declines in population and economic activity. As a result, frameworks for urban sustainability need to address the unique challenges and opportunities of such shrinking cities. Shrinking, particularly in the U.S., has led to extensive vacant land. The abundance...

Grassland ecosystems support well-being with food, shelter, income, and culture of herdsmen. While the association between ecosystem services and human well-being has been widely studied, such association is understudied in grassland ecosystems. This study aims to fill this gap through a case study...

This Campbell systematic review examines the impact of contract farming on income and food security of smallholder farmers in low‐ and middle‐income countries. The review summarises findings from 75 reports, of which 22 (covering 26 contract farming interventions) were used for meta‐analysis Contrac...

Abstract Ecosystem service (ES) is a growing field of research characterized by an increase in publication number. The review was conducted to provide an overview of trends of forest ecosystem services (FES) research and methodological approach to studied FES. Currently, the number of publications o...

While you refuel for gas, why not refuel for information or upload vehicle data, using a cheap wireless technology as WiFi? This paper analyzes in extensive detail the user segmentation by vehicle usage, service offering, and full business models from WiFi hot spot services delivered to and from veh...

Understanding the effects of droughts on vegetation and ecosystem services (ES) is important for climate change adaptation. However, drought occurrence varies across space and time. We examined drought dynamics and impacts on vegetation and ES in the semi-arid Limpopo Basin of Botswana. Weather stat...

Mangrove ecosystem valuation can be used as a reference for decision making for management and conservation of mangrove ecosystems in a sustainable manner. The range of activities and interests conducted in coastal areas is not expected to negatively impact the ecology, economic and social. Carat Ca...

Although it is widely assumed that business activity is dependent on flows of ecosystem services (ES), little evidence is available with which to evaluate this contention. To address this knowledge gap, we conducted a questionnaire survey of business dependencies on twenty-six different ES in the En...

This study explored the effects of landscape change on the provision of ecosystem services in a mountain area in northern Portugal, in particular the trade-offs and synergies between services in 2 categories: provisioning and regulating. Services were assessed for 1990 and 2006 and projected for 202...

Universities around the world especially those in developing countries are faced with the problem of delivering the level of information and communications technology (ICT) needed to facilitate teaching, learning, research, and development activities ideal in a typical university, which is needed to...

Agroecosystems are increasingly expected to provide multiple ecosystem services. We tested whether and how cover crop selection (identity and number of species) affects provisioning of multiple services (multifunctionality). In a 3-yr study of 10 cover crop treatments and eight ecosystem services, c...

The Southern Ocean and coastal Antarctica provide a variety of ecosystem services with benefits for humankind that are of regional and global importance. Despite being nearly uninhabited, increasing exploitation of natural resources, a growing human presence, and environmental change threaten the su...

Soil biodiversity and habitat provisioning is one of the soil functions that agricultural land provides to society. This paper describes assessment of the soil biodiversity function (SB function) as a proof of concept to be used in a decision support tool for agricultural land management. The SB fun...

The interaction of energy and buildings institutes a complex socio-technical system that influences the eudemonic well-being of the occupants. Understanding these drivers become even more necessary in impoverished areas where occupants struggle to avail essential energy services. The literature indi...

The Ecosystem Services concept has been developed in recent decades through both academic and international institutions. Nowadays, most of the literature agrees that ecosystem services constitute a crucial contribution to human well-being. Most studies focus on final ecosystem services which are di...

Identification and assessment of socio-cultural values of ecosystem services are increasingly important for the planning and management of forest resources. Key information necessary is how different forest user groups perceive and prioritize different ecosystem services based on their local setting...

Small-scale fisheries are important for the livelihoods and food security of millions of people in low-income countries. Sustainably managing these dynamic social-ecological systems requires understanding links between ecosystems and human well-being: the focus of ecosystem service approaches. Howev...

Ecosystem plays a crucial role as capital asset in life-support system since it would properly manage and yield a sustainable flow of vital services. However, few studies have involved continuous quantification for its ecological services value using more precise local parameters. In this study, gro...

Northern forests are major breeding habitats for several waterfowl and other waterbird species. In Quebec, as in many other areas within the boreal region, clear-cut logging is an important human activity, and it is likely to affect ground- and cavity-nesting species differently. We used Black Duck...

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s (UNESCO’s) Biosphere Reserves aim to be flagships of sustainable landscapes. Many of them are important locations for tourism and leisure activities. We explored the perceptions of short-term visitors and summer resid...