Why do we still tolerate buildings that are unsafe in earthquakes?Jitendra Bothara and Richard Sharpe Earthquakes continue to kill thousands of people and make hundreds of thousands homeless. Within a few seconds they destroy infrastructure that was developed over decades. To a degree, we have the means and knowledge to stop this happening. But painfully, we are unable to do this because we tolerate unsafe buildings. In this paper, we explore why we are unable to stop this – from engineering and socio-cultural / economic perspectives. We look into both issues together, because these are related from a seismic safety point of view. Read more... |
When the Billabong Runs Dry - A Review of the Australian Water IndustryAndrew Watson The billions of dollars being spent on new water infrastructure in Australia is in response to the twin drivers of ongoing drought and population growth. An overview is presented of population forecasts, demands for water from the urban, industrial and agricultural sectors, surface water and groundwater resources, the drought of the last decade and its impact on yields and reserves. For the three eastern seaboard states of Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria the infrastructural and water policy responses to this overview are described, and some commentary provided on the appropriateness of the responses and the lessons that New Zealand could learn from current events in the Australian water industry. Read more... |
Case Studies in the Use of Source Specific Odour Modelling GuidelinesCamilla Borger and Tracy Freeman Two case studies are compared where source specific odour modelling guidelines have been used: odour emissions from a new brewery and odour from stabilised wastewater biosolids proposed for use in a quarry rehabilitation. In the case of brewery odour, two odour modelling guidelines were used to assess the effects of the proposed brewery operation on a green-field site: 8 OU/m³ at the 99.5th percentile and 6 OU/m³ at the 98th percentile. These guidelines were selected based on published guidance in the United Kingdom which demonstrates that industries with more offensive odour have a different odour exposure criteria than those with lower offensiveness. Read more... |
Bioethanol - Status report on bioethanol production from wood and other lignocellulosic feedstocks.Tony Johnson and Barbara Johnson Lignocellulosic biomass is seen as an attractive feedstock for future supplies of renewable fuels, reducing the dependence on imported petroleum. However, there are technical and economic impediments to the development of commercial processes that utilise biomass feedstocks for the production of liquid fuels such as ethanol. Read more... |
Performance Measurement for the better utilisation of New Zealand's existing Transport NetworkMatthew Ensor With a growing requirement for Road Controlling Authorities (RCAs) to focus on making better use of our existing transportation infrastructure there is a corresponding need to have effective methods of measuring the operational performance of the transport network.
This paper looks at best-practise guidance from the US Department of Transportation on the concept of "objective-driven performance-based planning" and how it is relevant to RCAs through the objectives of the latest New Zealand Transport Strategy (NZTS 2008). Read more... |
Transport Research Board Annual Meeting, Washington DC, USA - 2008Accident Prediction Modelling for Down-under: A Literature ReviewShane Turner Road safety has received considerable attention in both New Zealand and Australia since the mid 1980s when both countries were performing well behind the 'safest' countries in the developed world. This paper outlines a number of research projects that have focused on developing accident prediction models for various road elements in New Zealand and Australia. Research has been undertaken on most of the key road elements, including intersections and mid-block locations. Read more... |
Using ITS Data Fusion to assess network performance and corridor initiativesMatthew Ensor New Zealand is missing out on benefits from using ITS data fusion to actively monitor and report on transport initiatives. Whether these initiatives be TDM, arterial traffic signal optimisation, or more traditional capacity improvements, using a range of traffic operations information sources can provide an assessment of the ongoing success or otherwise of a strategy. The paper describes the implications for New Zealand from best-practice and in particular reports on using the fusion of readily available ITS data sources including floating car, vehicle tracking and ARTIS to provide performance reporting of direct use to transportation engineers and other professionals. Read more... |
The challenges of Reconstruction after the October 2005 Kashmir Earthquake Jitendra Bothara The 8th October 2005 Kashmir earthquake was one of the largest earthquakes in Northern Pakistan in its recorded history. It caused an unprecedented level of damage and destruction in Pakistan Administered Kashmir (PAK) and the North Western Frontier province (NWFP). It damaged or collapsed more than 0.6 million buildings - leaving 3.5 million people shelterless as winter approached. Read more... |
Magnetostatic field analysis by method of imagesMichael Owen The Method of Images is applied to a filamentary current flowing in a void parallel to the four sides of an infinitely permeable surface. The magnetic vector potential and magnetic flux density are calculated in the void region. The calculation is verified by using both direct summation of the fields due to the source and images, and also by use of a series summation in terms of Weierstraß’s sigma and zeta functions. Read more... |
Supportability Engineering Tools to help manage your Capital and Operational Expenditure with Confidence.Ian Jackson Organisations invest millions of dollars in capital infrastructure to support operational requirements based on the experience and expertise of their team and their chosen advisors. Including a Supportability Engineering approach within the project's structure provides organisations with an analytical evaluation of the evolving solution. This intelligence enables them to make both engineering and financial decisions with increased confidence of achieving the desired outcomes. Read more... |
Objectives-Driven Performance Measurement for New Zealand’s Transport NetworkMatthew Ensor An increased emphasis on linking traffic management and operations to regional and national objectives has led to an emerging concept internationally known as "objective-driven performance-based planning" (ODPBP). This new concept makes use of performance measures based on operations data and the greater availability of data produced from Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS). This includes both a systematic approach to collecting and managing data for performance measurement combined with periodic monitoring and reporting of network and corridor performance. Read more... |
Cycle Safety - Reducing the Crash RiskShane Turner Many governments (including Australia and New Zealand) have set targets to increase the levels of cycling in their respective countries. Yet, for most, cycling accounts for only a small proportion of all daily travel. When creating a transport network that supports and encourages cycling the aim is to provide a high quality network that is direct, convenient, safe, attractive and comfortable. This paper presents research findings from two NZ Transport Agency (formerly Land Transport NZ) studies focused on understanding and reducing the risk of cycle crashes. Read more... |
Accident Prediction Models for Traffic SignalsShane Turner A significant proportion of urban crashes occur at traffic signals. Many of the black-spots in both Australia and New Zealand cities occur at high volume and/or high speed traffic signals.A number of crash prediction models have been developed for traffic signals over the last 15 years in New Zealand. Such models have a number of applications and allow traffic engineers, along with the results of 'before and after' studies to quantify and/or justify safety improvement works at traffic signals. Read more... |
Accident Prediction Models for RoundaboutsShane Turner Safety deficiencies in existing and proposed roundabouts have received considerable attention from safety auditors over the last 10 years or more. The research presented in this paper focuses on the relationship between accidents, speed, traffic volume and sight distance for various approach and circulating movements at roundabouts. Read more... |
Accident Prediction Models for High Speed IntersectionsShane Turner Accident occurrence is typically low at rural priority controlled intersections, due to low traffic volumes, compared with priority controlled urban intersections. This research project has produced accident prediction models for rural priority-controlled intersections; based on traffic volume, sight distance, approach speed and geometric design. Read more... |
Techniques for Managing Project RiskLester Sherman A formal, well-documented Risk Management Plan should be part of the overall Project Management Plan. The philosophy of the Risk Plan is that all risk issues will be proactively managed by the party best able to do so, with management actions focused on achieving the project objectives. Read more... |
Strategic Planning made easy by the use of AIMTony Johnson Strategic planning is not always a well-understood area of business planning and often the concepts presented to the workforce seem vague. AIM stands for Asset Investment Management and is a software tool developed to assist in the decision making process. This paper will show how business drivers can be evaluated in a logical way, how options can be compared and the operation of an industrial entity can be optimised for maximum cashflow. Read more... |
The Consulting Engineer in the 21st CenturyDavid Russell This paper looks at the challenging, and changing, role of the consulting engineer in the 21st century. It looks at past experiences and how to use consulting engineers in a highly competitive world. The perspective is from both sides of the industry, from that of the operating companies looking to implement a project which requires specialised knowledge, to the consulting engineers themselves, seeking to match their expertise with the operating companies expectations. Read more... |
Mill Optimisation ProgramsTony Johnson Mill Optimisation Programs (MOP) are a structured approach, which can assist mills to improve the returns from any existing physical assets. This paper describes; the methodology, the benefits, and concludes with several case studies that illustrate the technique. Read more... |