Jane M. Blackmore

Bio: Jane M. Blackmore is an academic researcher from Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation. The author has contributed to research in topics: Resilience (network) & Poison control. The author has an hindex of 3, co-authored 4 publications receiving 115 citations.

Resilience Concepts for Water Resource Systems

Abstract: This paper reviews existing approaches to system resilience, and proposes a scheme to quantify the resilience of water resource systems. In general, three aspects of resilience are considered in water resource systems: (1) that against crossing a performance threshold; (2) that for response and recovery after disturbances; and (3) that of adaptive capacity. Conventionally these aspects are treated separately without considering possible functional relationships or interdependencies. We argue that the adaptive capacity of the system is better treated as an input variable of the other two aspects of resilience, and that response/recovery may be considered only when the performance threshold is not crossed. Because of the dynamic and evolving nature of water resource systems, proper consideration of uncertainty and associated information, whether obtained from well-defined numerical data or vague linguistic articulation, is essential for better understanding and proper management of their resilience. Constan...

Supply–Demand Risk and Resilience Assessment for Household Rainwater Harvesting in Melbourne, Australia

Abstract: By the concept of systems risk and resilience, this paper presents a technique based on probabilistic and stochastic modelling to gauge the adequacy of the supply—demand relation of rainwater tank harvesting in suburban Melbourne, Australia. A domestic rainwater harvesting system may be viewed from a technical (e.g. risk of demand not being met), economic (e.g. most economical tank capacity), or managerial (e.g. acceptable duration of time with empty tank) perspective. Rather than the traditional command-and-control approach to system selection and management, risk assessment provides a flexible way, in probabilistic term, to address the technical and economic perspectives, whereas resilience concept addresses the managerial perspective. This has the advantage of allowing a number of criteria for gauging the performance of alternative harvesting systems, as shown in an example by Monte Carlo simulation for a typical household rainwater tank system in Melbourne. This research provides a typical paradigm for analysis of systems of cluster or regional scales.

Flammability Tests for Assessing Carpet Performance

Abstract: The potential of building materials to contribute to fire growth and spread has led to extensive regulatory control. Various and numerous small-scale tests are used to simulate and characterize flammability, flame spread and smoke production. Recently, the Fire Science and Technology Laboratory at CSIRO conducted an extensive research project into the performance in fire of flooring and floor coverings. Specifically, this paper focuses on an evaluation of four tests that could be used for controlling floor coverings, namely the Cone Calorimeter, the Flooring Radiant Panel (FRP), the LIFT Apparatus and the Early Fire Hazard Test (EFH). The reason behind the test selection was that the first three tests are internationally recognized while the fourth is a valuable, well-documented and validated Australian test that is referred to in the Building Code of Australia. EFH was originally developed to regulate wall lining materials but its use has been extended to regulate almost everything else, including floor coverings. Detailed test measurements in these apparatuses included ignition times in the Cone and EFH, critical heat flux in the Cone, FRP, LIFT and EFH, and rate of heat release and smoke yield in the Cone and EFH. Comparisons of similar parameters were made to investigate consistency of test results within the present regulatory requirements for floor coverings. In addition, prediction of flooring material behavior in each of these tests based on results from the rest of the tests was explored. Based on this comparison, the significance of each test with regard to providing information for flammability properties of relevance to control of floor coverings is established.

Should Smoke Yield be Regulated for Wall, Ceiling and Floor Linings?

Abstract: A major issue in fire safety engineering is the control and regulation of smoke production from wall linings. When a material burns it produces smoke. Smoke production has two attributes, its volume and its concentration. The smoke volume is the total amount of smoke per unit time, and is proportional to the heat release rate. The smoke concentration depends on the smoke yield of the material, which is defined as grams of smoke produced per gram of material burnt. Current two-zone models, generally accepted in fire safety design, determine whether tenability conditions are met based on smoke volume. In these models a distinct interface between the smoke and the clear layer is assumed. This paper focuses on the impact of smoke yield on tenability. Two issues are discussed (a) the variation of smoke yield with ventilation conditions and (b) the influence of smoke density gradients between the smoke and clear layer on tenability conditions. Two examples are presented to illustrate the significance of these issues.

A Theory on Urban Resilience to Floods—A Basis for Alternative Planning Practices

Abstract: River cities require a management approach based on resilience to floods rather than on resistance. Resisting floods by means of levees, dams, and channelization neglects inherent uncertainties arising from human-nature couplings and fails to address the extreme events that are expected to increase with climate change, and is thereby not a reliable approach to long-term flood safety. By applying resilience theory to address system persistence through changes, I develop a theory on "urban resilience to floods" as an alternative framework for urban flood hazard management. Urban resilience to floods is defined as a city's capacity to tolerate flooding and to reorganize should physical damage and socioeconomic disruption occur, so as to prevent deaths and injuries and maintain current socioeconomic identity. It derives from living with periodic floods as learning opportunities to prepare the city for extreme ones. The theory of urban resilience to floods challenges the conventional wisdom that cities cannot live without flood control, which in effect erodes resilience. To operationalize the theory for planning practice, a surrogate measure—the percent floodable area—is developed for assessing urban resilience to floods. To enable natural floodplain functions to build urban resilience to floods, flood adaptation is advocated in order to replace flood control for mitigating flood hazards.

Resilience as a policy narrative: potentials and limits in the context of urban planning

Abstract: The aim of this paper is to analyse the emergence of the concept of ‘urban resilience’ in the literature and to assess its potentials and limitations as an element of policy planning. Using a systematic literature review covering the period 2003–2013 and a combination of techniques derived from narrative analysis, we show that diverse views of what urban resilience means and how it is best used (as a goal or as a conceptual/analytical framework) compete in the literature. Underlying these views are various (and sometimes diverging) interpretations of what the main issues are and what forms of policies or interventions are needed to address these issues. Urban planners need to be better aware of these different interpretations if they want to be in a position to use resilience appropriately and spell out what resilience can bring to their work. The review also highlights that the notion of urban resilience often lacks adequate acknowledgement of the political economy of urbanization and consequently does n...

A Systematic Review of Quantitative Resilience Measures for Water Infrastructure Systems

Abstract: Over the past few decades, the concept of resilience has emerged as an important consideration in the planning and management of water infrastructure systems. Accordingly, various resilience measures have been developed for the quantitative evaluation and decision-making of systems. There are, however, numerous considerations and no clear choice of which measure, if any, provides the most appropriate representation of resilience for a given application. This study provides a critical review of quantitative approaches to measure the resilience of water infrastructure systems, with a focus on water resources and distribution systems. A compilation of 11 criteria evaluating 21 selected resilience measures addressing major features of resilience is developed using the Axiomatic Design process. Existing gaps of resilience measures are identified based on the review criteria. The results show that resilience measures have generally paid less attention to cascading damage to interrelated systems, rapid identification of failure, physical damage of system components, and time variation of resilience. Concluding the paper, improvements to resilience measures are recommended. The findings contribute to our understanding of gaps and provide information to help further improve resilience measures of water infrastructure systems.