Extension of Coding CEVNI Signs and Marking for European Waterways
This paper presents a new method of coding for signs and marking, which is based on the extension of signs and marking described in Annexes 7 and 8 of the European Code for Inland Waterways (CEVNI). Being members of three European expert groups, we have proposed these new codes of waterway signs and marking and recommend them for cases where they can be efficiently used. The main goal is to enable the use of these codes in databases, GIS systems and Web applications for efficient maintenance of waterway information. In addition, they will also contribute to international data exchange for creating standardised electronic messages described by ERI and NtS working groups. The intention is not to amend the existing coding from the Inland ECDIS Standard, which was developed for creation of Electronic Navigation Charts (ENCs). For example, the use of these new codes is tested through the Web GIS application for presentation of inland waterway signs and marking on the Danube River in Croatia. The application examples concern automatically generated reports on the position, characteristics and functioning of different waterway signs and river navigation marking located on the digital map.
Alarm Reporting in River Information System
This paper gives a description of the most significant parts of the development of the Alarm Reporting Subsystem of the River Information System (River IS). River IS will provide efficient waterway related data management at national level for the Croatian part of the Danube River. Our research in that area dates from the year 2000, and since 2003 is carried out within the CROatian River Information Services (CRORIS) project. In this paper, first the main functionalities of River IS are outlined, and then the alarm reporting process is described in detail. We were interested in alarms and regular status checks from buoys and floats positioned along the river and regular status checks of displays from the bridges. Provision of measurement data from the floats as well as water level data along the river was also required. For modeling of the requirements the UML Use Case diagram was used and based on it and the characteristics of chosen SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics) and Web technologies the Class diagram representing the Static Structure was developed. Along with the description of the diagrams, especially the characteristics of the alarming and SVG technologies were discussed. In the end, an example of the map interface with explained access to reports is shown. 1. General information about the Danube waterway data management in Croatia Following the demands of the European Ministers of Transport, River Information Services (RIS) pursuant to European recommendations shall be installed along the main waterways by the end of 2005. This declaration was recently supported also by the new RIS Directive 2005/44/EC (European Commission, 2005). To involve Croatia in the RIS system development, the CROatian River Information Services (CRORIS) project was started in 2003 (see CMMATC and via donau, 2003). The CRORIS project is under the patronage of the Croatian Ministry of the Sea, Tourism, Transport and Development (CMSTTD), earlier Croatian Ministry of Maritime Affairs, Transport and Communications (CMMATC). In 2004, the Croatian Inland Navigation Development Centre (see CRUP, 2004) became the main coordinator of the project. Rudjer Boskovic Institute (RBI) participates in the project as a partner conducting research and development activities. The CRORIS project includes both international cooperation and national activities. Necessary transnational data exchange will be organized within D4D and DANewBE Data projects (see GIS Forum Danube, 2004). Implementation within CRORIS national activities will be integrated with relevant international activities according to the IRIS Master Plan (see COMPRIS, 2005). At the national level, CRORIS project will develop knowledge of how to integrate RIS into relevant commercial and administrative procedures in Croatia, as well as implement a test section along the Croatian stretch of the Danube of about 140 km (see CRUP, 2005). Local infrastructure will be built by CRUP and the corresponding information systems will be established for Croatia at the national level by RBI. Since 2000, we have been conducting research activities that will improve the waterway related data management in Croatia at both national as well as Pan-European levels (see Pecar-Ilic, Ruzic, 2005). At 1 Division for Marine & Environmental Research of the Rudjer Boskovic Institute, Bijenicka 54, HR-10000 Zagreb, Croatia, Phone: +385-1-4561140, Fax: +385-1-4680117, E-mail sbec@irb.hr, pecar@irb.hr 2 Faculty of lectrical Engineering and Computing of the Universety of Zagreb, Unska 3, HR-10000 Zagreb, Croatia, Phone: +385-1-6129831, Fax: +385-1-6129616, E-mail: zoran.skocir@fer.hr EnviroInfo 2006 (Graz) Managing Environmental Knowledge Copyright © Shaker Verlag 2006. ISBN: 978-3-8322-5321-9
Expected annual emergency miles per ambulance: an indicator for measuring availability of Emergency Medical Services resources.
CONTEXT
To ensure equitable access to prehospital care, as recommended by the Rural and Frontier Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Agenda for the Future, policymakers will need a uniform measure of EMS infrastructure.


PURPOSE AND METHODS
This paper proposes a county-level indicator of EMS resource availability that takes into consideration existing EMS resources (ambulances), population health and demographics, and geographic factors. The indicator, the EXpected annual emergency miles per AMBulance (EXAMB), provides a basis for comparing ambulance availability across counties within states. A method for calculating the EXAMB indicator is demonstrated using data from 5 states.


FINDINGS
The EXAMB indicator was negatively correlated with ambulance availability per 100,000 population in 4 of the 5 states in the study. The indicator was positively correlated with rurality in 3 states. In Mississippi, South Carolina, and Wyoming, whole-county health professional shortage areas had median EXAMB values 45%-81% higher than those of the non-health professional shortage areas counties.


CONCLUSIONS
Future research should explore the relationship of the EXAMB to EMS outcomes, with the ultimate goal of developing a nationally recognized indicator of "adequate" EMS resource availability.