Department of Geography and the Environment

Public displays are increasing in public places to support community and social activities. However, a major problem notices with this emerging public display is the resistance by the public to participate and interact. A major reason is due to feelings of social embarrassment that often act as a barrier. This paper is concerned with why is this scenario and how this can improve the design of public interaction. It focuses on how a researcher is working to improve the design of public interaction as well as a group of people socialize and participants on public display. Similarly, how it influences for better location-based service It will be described how this public display perceived by users as well as the researchers works for better involvement of public participation.

"Climate change will modify temperature and precipitation patterns, which could challenges the farmers for crop production in the coming days. While scientific studies regarding climate change patterns are essential to find out the impacts in regards to how the threats are perceived by local people. This paper intends to determine the extent to which climate change has caused spatial-temporal changes in temperature and precipitation that occurs on annual time scales in the Kailali, Chitwan, and Rautahat districts of Nepal. Three focus indigenous groups (Chepang, Tharu, and Musahar) and a total number of 180 households were interviewed during the field visit. While a secondary data were collected from the Department of hydrology and meteorology (DHM), Nepal. Mann-Kendall and Sen's estimator of slope test were used to detect possible temperature and precipitation trend and its magnitude respectively. The findings of the study showed that the trend of minimum and maximum mean temperatures indicate significantly increased at 5 stations of three districts. Similarly, the precipitation of the post monsoon seasons is increasing at 6 stations of three districts. However , pre-monsoon, monsoon, and winter precipitation have the significant decrease at three districts stations. These finding results were verified with the people's perception. This study could be used for the formulation of effective adaptation plan and policy of climate change in this region as well as applicable to other related areas".

The vulnerability assessment can identify the potential threats generated by climate change to people such as indigenous. However, the vulnerability assessment of indigenous community to climate change has been a greater challenge for evaluating and determining in the developing countries. This paper intends to determine individual vulnerability and it extent due to climate change in Kailali, Chitwan, and Rautahat districts of Nepal. Three focus indigenous groups (Chepang, Tharu, and Musahar) and a total number of 180 households were interviewed by structured questionnaire during the household survey for primary data. The findings of the study showed that Musahars are more exposed and sensitive to climate change impacts than Chepangs and Tharus. However, Chepang has a higher adaptive capacity than Tharu and Musahar. This study results could be useful for preparation of effective Livelihood program and plan in this indigenous communities as well as appropriate for other indigenous communities and similar areas.

"Agricultural field needs a proper amount of water, fertilizers, sunlight, temperature, and soil components. Irrigation and its different means are applied for the water supply in crops. During rainy season people use rainwater whereas in dry season explore a different alternative method to extract water. This case study Jhikhu river watershed assesses the measures adopted by local people in the dry season, for the purpose of collecting and pumping water in the agricultural land. 150 households through structured questionnaire collected primary data. From a socioeconomic analysis, these alternative methods provide a framer option for increasing their productivity and income. One approach is taken for developing the Livelihood Vulnerability Index (LVI): the first approach the LVI was calculated as a composite index comprised of seven major components. It would be the framework for implementing sustainability programs and policies".

• Background: Soil erosion is one of the major causes of the topsoil loss, that decreases fertility in the agricultural land of a mountainous region. Spatial estimation of soil erosion is necessary for an agriculture-dependent country like Nepal for preparing erosion control plans. The purpose of this study was to estimate soil erosion of Dolakha using the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) model, which analyzes the effect of Land Use and Land Cover (LULC) and slope exposition on soil erosion. • Results: The soil erosion rate had been categorized into 6 erosion classes based on the erosion severity, and 5.01% of the areas was found to be under extreme severe erosion risk (> 80 Mg ha-1yr-1) that need to address by decision-maker for reducing the risk of erosion. Followed by 10 % areas were classified under high to severe with rate of soil loss range from 10 to 80 Mg ha-1yr-1. While 15% and 70% areas were still remain in moderate and low risk zone respectively. The study demonstrated the northeastern part of district suffer high soil erosion risk due to steep slope and rugged landforms. • Conclusions: The result produce spatial distribution of soil erosion over Dolakha, which can be applied for conservation and management planning processes, at the policy level, by land use planners and decision-makers.

Background: Soil erosion causes topsoil loss, which decreases fertility in agricultural land. Spatial estimation of soil
erosion essential for an agriculture-dependent country like Nepal for developing its control plans. This study evaluated impacts on Dolakha using the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) model; analyses the efect of land use
and land cover (LULC) on soil erosion.
Results: The soil erosion rate categorized into six classes based on the erosion severity, and 5.01% of the areas found
under extreme severe erosion risk (>80 Mg ha−1 year−1
) addressed by decision-makers for reducing its rate and consequences. Followed by 10% classifed between high and severe range from 10 to 80 Mg ha−1 year−1
. While 15% and
70% of areas remained in a moderate and low-risk zone, respectively. Result suggests the area of the north-eastern
part suffers from a high soil erosion risk due to steep slope.
Conclusions: The result produces a spatial distribution of soil erosion over Dolakha, which applied for conservation
and management planning processes, at the policy level, by land-use planners and decision-makers.

Climate change challenges rural mountain communities to adapt and reduce this vulnerability. They need a developed web-based information system that enables communities and people for preparing plans to reduce their impacts. The system provides a user interface that visualizes data collected from different data providers, integrating it with near real-time climate and weather datasets. It was tested for rural mountain communities particularly those in the Dolakha district of Nepal. The result illustrates system can provide information such as present land use status, near real-time rainfall and temperature details, and present adapted techniques that enable communities and its Stakeholders to formulate a plan for coping the climate change. Overall, the system aims to support simple and easy access, visualizations and querying of the information for the relevant stakeholders, individuals, and communities. This information can facilitate policymaker for improving and implementing community-based activities in rural mountain community.

Land degradation, one of the significant causes, is Land Cover and Land Use Change. It assesses the impacts of its change on Dolakha, between 2001 and 2018. Its purpose is to understand how this change has implications for land degradation over two decades. Using ArcGIS with Landsat images and Open Data Nepal, ICIMOD land use and cover data produce the LULC map. The result of this shows that barren land is significantly increasing in the area by 7%, 27% and 22 % in the year 2001, 2010 and 2018 respectively, that leads to land degradation. This assessment provides the status of land and guidelines for proper land management.

Cadastre 2014 provides six visions to improve the cadastral system globally. For Nepal, all six statements are essential, and experts assured Cadastre 2014 to enhance its cadastre system. Over the last 20 years, countries experienced legislative, technical, and political developments; however, this unable to address six statements. The case study from Nepal will focus mainly on the present status of six visions. From this research, the respective authorities participate and commit to implementation; one ray of hope is digital cadastre in few districts that is prolonged and time-consuming. Also, these statements unaccomplished until now. To approach this particular situation, digital cadastre with public-private partnerships throughout nations underlined principle these statements.

Land-use and land-cover change (LULC) on land surface temperature and precipitation of the Kathmandu. The study was conducted between the years 2000 and 2018. LULC variations the study illustrates land uses, which increased the built-up area and decreased forest, open, space, and riverine and lake areas. The loss of timber had a net effect of increasing maximum and minimum temperature, even a significant reduction of precipitation.

A few decades, ' agriculture drones provide operations for monitoring, planting, spraying, and mapping that raise crop production and reduce labor dependency. This review results show its significance and farmer's demand for smart agriculture. The UAV technologies enable farmer management based on measuring and observation based on real-time crop and livestock monitoring, significantly maximize their production. The farm drone consists of user-friendly software with interactive maps, and a global positioning system will improve production. It will support farmer for farming in an efficient, effective, and economical ways.

Background: Soil loss is one of the causal factors for the degrading watershed of a mountainous region. To estimate the soil erosion rate of Charnawati Watershed, Nepal using Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE), integrating remote sensing data and geographic information system (GIS) techniques, this study performed. Results: Its erosion rate of 58.55 % in low zone area and approximately 18% area on the verge of high to very severe intensity classes. The watershed had scattered high severity of soil loss. Conclusions: This study prerequisitely identifies vulnerable areas and quantify soil erosion. Hence, it required conservation measures to be implemented over the whole catchment area supporting sustainable watershed and ecological management planning.

Around two decades have seen the rapid evolvement of web map services throughout the world. It will deliver up to date information. This study designed a web map prototype consisting of layers such as roads, land use, that includes residential, agricultural, and industrial areas, and provides the stakeholders who will be helpful for decision making. Such research provides a platform for simple and easy ways to visualize spatial and non-spatial data over the web.

Background: The propagation of infectious diseases through a population is a natural spatial and temporal process of great importance for modern society. Thus, the SIR model of COVID 19 proposed a greater understanding of the disease's spatial diffusion and prediction. It develops a model that simulates the spread of illness. Methods: The study creates a simulating SIR model in a worst-case scenario COVID-19. It estimates the models' parameters by minimizing the negative log-likelihood function using the Nelder-Mead method. According to this model, the pandemic height reached by the mid of August, the end of October. About 1 million people of age group 10-19 and 20-29 with a probability of 30 % infected by then, which translates to about 552 severe cases, about 175 cases in need of intensive care (there are about 1595 ICU beds, and 840 ventilators are available in 194 hospitals in Nepal, WHO, 2020) and up to 30 deaths per day. Conclusion: This simulation type can help improve comprehension of disease spread dynamics and provide control measures for an epidemic outbreak. The suggestion that authorities need to implement a strict containment strategy over a long period to control disease spreading on the community and humans.

Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) provides an alternative and cheaper way to capture land tenure data. Even though the broader scope of this technology, there is limited research related to the land sector. This study addresses the question by mapping and information of landless and unplanned setters in Belaka Municipality. Its output is valuable spatial data for land allocation and regularization of informal tenure. It suggested that UAS can significantly contribute to providing fast, cheaper and reliable results such as maps and information about landless for the policymaker and planner's informed decision-making.

Background: Disaster management has been a challenge for developing countries due to their limited resources, infrastructure, and information. Thus, geospatial technologies will provide the potential to reduce its threat and prepare a system for an early warning. Methods: The study highlights need of an early warning system for disaster management using geospatial technologies such as google earth, google earth engine, satellite images, crowdsourcing that are free and open-source in developing countries like Nepal. It researches the advantages, limitations, and improvements for the implementation of these technologies. Conclusion: There is a golden opportunities of collaborative framework for developing countries to manage a natural disaster. It will provide a way to respond effectively and efficiently on, before and after a disaster for proper management and informed decision to reduce the risk of vulnerable communities and humans.

Background: The infectious diseases coronavirus infected more than eighty million people and their lives worldwide. Thus, the linear regression and autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) model analyze the pattern of Covid 19 and identify the future confirmed cases. Methods: In this study, the dataset was used from the Johns Hopkins University (JHU CSSE) data repository in Covid 19 analytics package and prophet library. The time series analysis creates a simulating linear regression and ARIMA model for COVID-19 confirmed cases. The best fit model is select by Akaike information criteria (AIC) and predicts short-term issues validated by Ljung-Box Q test using R in RStudio Cloud. Results: The linear regression and ARIMA model identifies a best-fit model for time series data. From this model, forecast of more than 3,00,000 to 15,00000 from 2020 to 2022. It depicts a significant increasing trend in the future predictions of confirmed cases. Conclusion: This forecast can help estimate the number of cases that information can provide control measures for an epidemic outbreak. It can suggest the government to plan the policies regarding the control of the spread of the virus.

This study aimed to develop an integrated system providing land-use and climate change information that is useful for communities in the Dolakha district, Nepal.  Around 120 people questionnaire for a household survey in the Bhimeshwor and Jiri Municipality. Data collected from the household survey and open data, local offices. Visualize it on a web platform using a leaflet. RESULTS Create and share information using mobile and web platforms. Provides useful information related to land use and climate change. People perceived this provide valuable information to make decisions. Increased knowledge about land use and climate change.  Reduce dependency on information accessibility. Availability of information through their smartphones.