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To rescue at-risk historical scientific data stored at the McGill Observatory, the objectives of the Data Rescue Archive Weather (DRAW) project are: to build a repository; to develop a protocol to preserve the data in weather registers; and to make the data available to research communities and the public. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

The DRAW project adopts an open archive information system compliant model as a conceptual framework for building a digital repository. The model consists of data collection, conversion, data capture, transcription, arrangement, description, data extraction, database design and repository setup.

A climate data repository, as the final product, is set up for digital images of registers and a database is designed for data storage. The repository provides dissemination of and access to the data for researchers, information professionals and the public.

Doing a quality check is the most important aspect of rescuing historical scientific data to ensure the accuracy, reliability and consistency of data.

The DRAW project shows how the use of historical scientific data has become a key element in research analysis on scientific fields, such as climatology and environmental protection.

The historical climate data set of the McGill Observatory is by nature unique and complex for preservation and research purposes. The management of historical scientific data is a challenge to rescue and describe as a result of its heterogeneous and non-standardized form.

Climate change will affect tourism at several temporal and spatial levels. This chapter focuses on the quantification of effects and the development of strategies to reduce extremes and frequencies as well as thresholds in tourism areas. Knowledge about possibilities for mitigation and adaptation of current and expected climate conditions requires interdisciplinary approaches and solutions. Several examples are presented, including the effects of trees against climate change and extreme events (heat waves), behavior adaptations, urban and regional planning measures, bioclimatic conditions in the Mediterranean and human–biometeorological conditions under climate change conditions, and user-friendly computer tools for the quantification of urban bioclimate conditions.

This paper aims to evaluate the accuracy of a quantile estimate. Especially when estimating high quantiles from a few data, the quantile estimator itself is a random number with its own distribution. This distribution is first determined and then it is shown how the accuracy of the quantile estimation can be assessed in practice.

The paper considers the situation that the parent distribution of the data is unknown, the tail is modeled with the generalized pareto distribution and the quantile is finally estimated using the fitted tail model. Based on well-known theoretical preliminary studies, the finite sample distribution of the quantile estimator is determined and the accuracy of the estimator is quantified.

In general, the algebraic representation of the finite sample distribution of the quantile estimator was found. With the distribution, all statistical quantities can be determined. In particular, the expected value, the variance and the bias of the quantile estimator are calculated to evaluate the accuracy of the estimation process. Scaling laws could be derived and it turns out that with a fat tail and few data, the bias and the variance increase massively.

Currently, the research is limited to the form of the tail, which is interesting for the financial sector. Future research might consider problems where the tail has a finite support or the tail is over-fat.

The ability to calculate error bands and the bias for the quantile estimator is equally important for financial institutions, as well as regulators and auditors.

Understanding the quantile estimator as a random variable and analyzing and evaluating it based on its distribution gives researchers, regulators, auditors and practitioners new opportunities to assess risk.

This chapter describes the climatic setting of the Aral Sea region, investigates how the climate might change during the 21st century, and discusses potential impacts on water resources. Temperature and precipitation fields are analyzed to describe the mean climate for the Aral Sea region. Composite analysis has been employed on the precipitation field from the Global Precipitation Climatology Project (GPCP v2.2) to assess the spatial pattern of changes in precipitation during the last several decades. Furthermore, temperature and precipitation projections available from the 2007 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report are synthesized to examine the nature of climate change during this century.

Cold season precipitation has increased during recent decades, particularly over the mountainous terrain east of the Aral Sea. Climate models also project increases (5−20%) in winter precipitation during the 21st century; however, several models suggest decreases (0 to −15%) in precipitation during summer. Despite the increases in cold season precipitation, the large increases in temperature (4°C) during the 21st century are likely to cause increased evaporation which could exacerbate the regional water budget deficit. This may constrain the water supply in the region, particularly during summer and autumn when water demand is highest. To fully understand the impacts of future climate change on regional water resources, hydrologic models that include anthropogenic management of water will be required.

In view of the consensus that climate change is happening, scientists have documented several findings about Uganda’s recent climate, as well as its variability and change. The purpose of this study is to review what has been documented, thus it gives an overview of what is known and seeks to explain the implications of a changing climate, hence what ought to be known to create a climate resilient environment.

Terms such as “climate”, “climate change” and “climate variability” were identified in recent peer-reviewed published literature to find recent climate-related literature on Uganda. Findings from independent researchers and consultants are incorporated. Data obtained from rainfall and temperature observations and from COSMO-CLM Regional Climate Model-Coordinated Regional Climate Downscaling Experiment (CCLM CORDEX) data, European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) Interim Re-Analysis (ERA-Interim) data and Global Precipitation Climatology Centre (GPCC) have been used to generate spatial maps, seasonal outputs and projections using GrADS 2.02 and Geographic Information System (GIS) software for visualization.

The climate of Uganda is tropical in nature and influenced by the Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ), varied relief, geo-location and inland lakes, among other factors. The impacts of severe weather and climate trends and variability have been documented substantially in the past 20-30 years. Most studies indicated a rainfall decline. Daily maximum and minimum temperatures are on the rise, while projections indicate a decrease in rainfall and increase in temperature both in the near and far future. The implication of these changes on society and the economy are discussed herein. Cost of inaction is expected to become huge, given factors like, the growing rate of the population and the slow expanding economy experienced in Uganda. Varied forms of adaptation to the impacts of climate change are being implemented, especially in the agricultural sector and at house hold level, though not systematically.

This review of scientific research findings aims to create a better understanding of the recent climate change and variability in Uganda and provides a baseline of summarized information for use in future research and actions.

The purpose of this article is to attempt to synthesise the lessons from at least four different ways of looking at the South Africa wine industry: economics, climatology, viticulture, and the sociology of work.

The economic performance of South Africa's wine industry since democratisation in the early 1990s is reviewed, as is the effect of climate change on the industry. This is followed by an assessment of possible strategies for building international competitiveness whilst simultaneously coping with the effects of climate change.

While industry systems should allow the marketing of speciality wines (e.g. from a single vineyard, from a single estate), this is not a viable strategy for most wine producers. Furthermore, climate change will lead to volatility in the characteristics that identify different terroirs.

Industry strategies should rather focus on the benefits of diversity, but with a range of adaptations that will also result in better quality wines. These encompass quality; geographic location; viticultural practices; the style of wines and the renewal of skills. In synthesising this argument, the authors then consider whether such a strategy could enhance or hinder greater international competitiveness for the industry.

The results can be taken into consideration by policy makers and industry stakeholders in designing future strategies.

Each of the agencies participating in GCDIS will play a role appropriate to its agency mission and consistent with the funds available to it. Descriptions of each agency's resources follow. Each agency will implement the GCDIS at its own pace.

The purpose of this paper is to present a bibliography for collection development purposes. It is a list of fundamental reference books, serials, monographs, DVDs, and web sites for academic libraries that are supporting sustainability efforts on their campus.

Resources are identified using subject article databases, American Reference Books Annual (2007, 2008), Choice online, Books in Print, Ulrich's, and Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education Publications on Campus Sustainability (www.aashe.org/resources/publications.php). Numerous reviews of reference works and monographs are used to ensure the relevance and value. Brief annotations are provided.

More colleges and universities are signing on to the American College & University Presidents' Climate Commitment particularly with the new emphasis on greening from Washington, DC. The author conducted an extensive review of sustainability literature in an effort to develop a comprehensive bibliography of core titles for academic libraries that will be supporting sustainability projects and curricular initiatives of their college or university.

This is the first published bibliography of its kind of core sustainability titles for academic libraries.

The purpose of this paper is to develop the concept of project vulnerability in order to focus on the weaknesses of a project system, instead of focusing on risk evaluation only. The paper concentrates on a systems thinking‐based view to highlight the potentially endangered elements of a project, including its outcomes.

The paper gives a broad state of the art in many scientific domains; a definition of project vulnerability; a description of a project vulnerability management process, including identification, analysis and response plan; and a test on an industrial case study.

The author's project vulnerability management process permits one to concentrate directly on the existing weaknesses of a project system, which may create potential damages regarding the project values creation. By focusing on this system, response plans may be more adapted to the existing short comings of the project.

Some aspects of the vulnerability definition should be refined, like the concepts of susceptibility or cruciality. Other promising works may focus on the evaluation of the non‐resistance and resilience, notably thanks to the introduction of interdependences which exist in complex projects.

A case study was done on a decision support system (FabACT) developed at Hôpital Européen Georges Pompidou Pharmacy department. The aim of this project was to achieve a better balance between the workload and the efficiency of the compounding unit.

The paper presents an innovative way to analyse a project's vulnerability by focusing on its existing weaknesses using a systems thinking‐based approach.

This paper aims to explore how Andean knowledge and culture have shaped mountain ecosystems by building cultural landscapes where agrobiodiversity is created and recreated, water is domesticated (seeded and harvested), and where a harmonious relationship with the Earth and the Universe is kept.

Through the use of primary and secondary sources, the information is then organized detailing a synthesis of thoughts and joint research studies conducted by various authors regarding the valuable contributions made by the Andean culture.

This paper finds that strategies for facing the ecological crisis affecting planet Earth are being developed: the Pleiades and the Andean Cross continue to be observed in order to predict the weather and climate and make decisions related to traditional agricultural systems; cultural landscapes are being created and maintained; and water continues to be domesticated.

The tropical Andes of Peru would be in the third country most affected by global climate change worldwide. The severe impacts of the global phenomenon on mountain ecosystems and cultural landscapes are many, all of which are affecting food security of large human groups and traditional lifestyles of communities and farmers.