Digital Commons Network^™

Snow Distribution And Influence In Taylor Valley, Antarctica, Using Remote Sensing, Katherine Mcnulty, Peter Doran, Mark Salvatore, Suniti Karunatillake

LSU Master's Theses

The McMurdo Dry Valleys is the largest ice-free area in Antarctica, but seasonal snow covers the valley floors sporadically throughout the year. In this study, a model to estimate areal snow coverage from satellite imagery was created. An area-volume model was created to estimate the amount of snow water equivalent (SWE) from the snow area extracted from the imagery. Snow cover influences the total albedo, the hydrologic budget, and the soil moisture and soil temperature in Taylor Valley (TV). Quantifying snow precipitation in TV is challenging because snow redistributes with winds, sublimates, or melts within a short period. Previous estimates …

Mapping Louisiana's Missing: Spatiotemporal Profiling Of Louisiana's Missing Persons- An Experimental Application Of Geographic Information Systems And Forensic Anthropology, Liam J. Johnson

LSU Master's Theses

The growing number of unresolved unidentified and missing persons cases in the United States is this nation’s ‘silent mass disaster’ (Ritters, 2007). In addition to contextualizing biocultural traits of these cases, forensic anthropologists are uniquely qualified to address this underrecognized humanitarian crisis due to their proven ability to bridge conflicting stakeholders in often complex sociopolitical environments and to create improved opportunities for community collaboration. This project explores local and state demographic trends of missing persons cases and how this information can be used to assist investigative agencies with their missing population, analyzes gaps in identification data, and selects optimal locations …

Estimation Of Age From The Auricular Surface Of The Ilium Through The Utilization Of 3d Scanning And Gis, Krista Bennett

LSU Master's Theses

The ability to produce age estimations for adult skeletons has been a focus of forensic anthropologists for decades. Most age estimation methods for adult remains provide age ranges that are too narrow, too broad, or too vague. This project sought to combine 3D scans with GIS to produce morphological maps of the auricular surface of the os coxa in order to identify quantifiable characteristics for age assessment that could be used for generating narrower age range estimates for older adult remains.

A NextEngine ™ HD Desktop 3D scanner was used to scan the auricular surfaces of 384 os coxae from …

Accessibility Of Hiv Testing In Baton Rouge Metropolitan Statistical Area, Alina Prigozhina

LSU Master's Theses

This study examines HIV testing accessibility in the Baton Rouge Metropolitan Statistical Area (BR MSA) using the two-step floating catchment area (2SFCA) method to calculate accessibility scores for free, low-cost and all other HIV testing facilities. The two goals of this research are to apply accessibility estimation methods to HIV testing facilities, and to examine the accessibility of HIV testing facilities in the BR MSA. To achieve these goals, this study uses several research methods. The data about HIV testing providers and their locations were collected through Internet searches. By means of a fieldwork, the data were checked, revealing that …

Effects Of Natural And Anthropogenic Forcing On Marsh Channel Evolution, Jeremiah Robinson

LSU Master's Theses

Wetlands have many ecological and physical properties that are essential for coastal communities. These ecosystems sustain local economies, provide essential habitats, are a source of numerous ecological and biological services, and protect coastal populations from storms. Of the many wetland types, salt marshes are among the most vulnerable to environmental changes. Salt marshes quickly respond to natural and human-driven perturbations and their high rate of loss in the last century is cause for concern.

In this project the rate of marsh loss driven by channel widening was measured through a comparative analysis of modern high resolution images and historic aerial …

Impacts Of Enso On Tornado Frequency, Intensity, And Geography Across The Eastern United States, Coryn Ann Collins

LSU Master's Theses

Tornadoes are a reoccurring severe weather hazard, with the highest rates globally occurring in the central United States. Despite their high frequency in the U.S., the scientific community’s disagreement of tornado activity during varying phases and intensities of the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) justifies a need for further research. In this study, tornado events from 1950 to 2014 in the U.S. east of the Rocky Mountains were investigated for seven phases of ENSO: strong, moderate, and weak El Niño/La Niña and the neutral phase. A seasonal Niño 3.4 index was used as the definition of ENSO. ENSO influences on …

Teaching Climate Literacy Using Geospatial Tools, Steven L. Babcock

LSU Master's Theses

Antarctica is the world’s coldest, driest and windiest continent. It is a harsh environment that few people will ever see but it is a very important part of our Earth system. Over the past 34 million years the climate in Antarctica has deteriorated from one that supported lush vegetation to the conditions observed today. By studying this trend and the associated changes to ice and vegetation we can gain critical insight into climate changes taking place today. This thesis presents three pieces of curricula that will help students and the general public understand some of the research currently underway in …

Identifying Local Transit Resources For Evacuation, Alaa Shams

LSU Master's Theses

The objective of this thesis is to establish a GIS that can be used to identify local human-services and special-needs transit resources in Louisiana’s 20 coastal parishes. The intention is that the system be used to identify and then call upon local transit services to assist in the evacuation of an area during an emergency. ArcGIS Online was selected as the platform on which to establish the GIS for this purpose. Socio-economic and transit vehicle data were collected from a variety of official sources and loaded on to the ArcGIS Online portal at LSU. The development of the system is …

Quantifying The Impact Of Hurricanes, Mid-Latitude Cyclones And Other Weather And Climate Extreme Events On The Mississippi-Alabama Barrier Islands Using Remotely Sensed Data, Rebekah Danielle Jones

LSU Master's Theses

Recent high-profile hurricanes have demonstrated the destructiveness of extreme events on coastal landscapes to the world. Barrier islands across the planet are disappearing, exposing vulnerable coastal cities to the damage caused by extreme events. Growing resolve among scientists regarding climate change's connection to tropical cyclones heightens the concern around intensifying extremes and landscape dynamics. This study uses more than 600 Landsat images to examine the role of extreme events on barrier island morphology on four of the Mississippi-Alabama barrier islands from 1972-2014. Each island, West Ship Island (WSI), East Ship Island (WSI), Petit Bois Island (PBI), and Sand Island, was …

An Analysis Of The Prevalence Of The West Nile Virus In Relation To Health Resilience Along The Gulf Of Mexico, Lillian Patricia Mata

LSU Master's Theses

As the Earth’s climate changes, coastal communities are increasingly vulnerable to the natural hazards that are driven by these processes, particularly in regards to the health of these communities. It has been shown that disease patterns can change in response to our environment, putting the health resilience of communities at risk. This study looks at the relationship between natural exposure and traditional resilience index variables in the context of the spread of West Nile Virus along the Gulf of Mexico. Through analysis of 534 counties, the West Nile Virus for 2001-2012 was analyzed as an incidence and incidence rate at …

Gis-Based Spatial Analysis Of Place Names In Yunnan, China, Ling Zhang

LSU Master's Theses

Yunnan, with the largest number of minority languages in China, is labeled as “The Museum of Dialects”. The rich diversity of ethnic groups is reflected in its toponyms (place names). The objectives of this study are to (1) construct a GIS database of toponyms in Yunnan at the prefecture, county and township levels from a comprehensive toponymical dictionary series of China; (2) analyze the spatial distribution of Han, Tibeto-Burman (Zang-Mian) and Kam-Tai (Zhuang-Dong) toponyms and its association with environmental factors; and (3) examine the historical evolution of toponyms. Results show that the study shows that the highest concentrations of Zang-Mian …

Spatial Assessment And Analysis Of Pollution Sources And Water Quality In The Bogue Falaya River And Abita River Watersheds, St. Tammany Parish, La, Chelsea Core

LSU Master's Theses

Watershed planning is an important ongoing process for enabling communities to repair polluted waterways and ensuring the health and vitality of waterways for future generations. This study defines a process to spatially track pollution sources entering into our waterways. An essential tool used in the watershed planning process is geographic information systems. It is important to gather spatial information to illustrate where all potential pollution sources are located within each watershed. The data for this study were assembled into a database and mapped to locate pollution sources including: commercial/small business wastewater treatment plants; subdivisions without community wastewater treatment; and individual …

Spatial And Temporal Variabilities On Soils In St. Landry Parish, Louisiana, Stephanie Lynn Johnson

LSU Master's Theses

The spatial and temporal variation of soil properties was evaluated on three sites in close proximity to Bayou Wikoff, St. Landry Parish, Louisiana. A total of 1,068 surface (0-5 cm) samples were collected, geo-located, and transported to Louisiana State University for physical and chemical analyses. Physical and chemical properties were spatially and temporally displayed using ArcGIS. Interpolation techniques such as spline, kriging, and inverse distance weighting were evaluated to determine the best fit model for the project. Spline and inverse distance weighting were found to be the least accurate interpolation models. Kriging provided the most accurate model of spatial and …

Changing Perceptions Of Archaeology In Post-Katrina New Orleans: A Geographic Information Perspective, David Patrick Harlan

LSU Master's Theses

Hurricane Katrina had a significant impact on the number and distribution of known archaeological sites in New Orleans, Louisiana. Due to government mandated investigation in heavily damaged areas, many archaeological sites were recorded in geographic locations where there were previously none recorded. This thesis examined the spatial distribution of sites in the context of archaeological predictive modeling to determine the impact of disaster recovery on site location. In addition, decision making processes that led to the discovery of sites were examined to determine how they contributed to spatial bias in the distribution of sites recognized by the Louisiana Division of …

An Evolutionary Model Of Parabolic Dune Development: Blowout To Mature Parabolic, Padre Island National Seashore, Texas, Winston Mckenna

LSU Master's Theses

The Texas barrier islands have been studied and well documented in relation to barrier island evolution and morphology (Leatherman, 1979; Morton, 1994; White and Weise, 1980). The detailed analysis and mapping of various dune types and systems that comprise Padre Island National Seashore, specifically parabolic dunes, is the focus of this research. Dune surveys and doqq’s, along with wind and weather records were used to develop an improved morphodynamic model for parabolic dunes. The wind records were provided by the Padre Island National Seashore, the National Data Climate Center, and the Texas Coastal Ocean Observation Network. Individual dune surveys were …

Delineating Hurricane Vulnerable Populations In Orleans Parish, Louisiana, Stephanie Pedro

LSU Master's Theses

Since settlement first began, equality issues between different social classes have been evident in the location of where residents settled in New Orleans. This research seeks to answer the question: What socioeconomic indicators are prevalent in the areas most-at-risk to flooding which could inhabit populations least able to evacuate? I will use Census 2000 block group data from the socioeconomic sample data (SF3) collected in 2000, along with other economic and GIS data from the New Orleans region to statistically represent the distribution of risk by selecting indicators predicted to be in flood zones from a classification tree analysis. Then, …

Development Of An Alternative Approach To Estimate Vehicle Miles Traveled Using A Classification Procedure, Srividya Vadlamani

LSU Master's Theses

In this study a Classification and Regression Tree (CART) classification system method was developed as an alternative to the HPMS conventional method of VMT estimation. Louisiana Highway Performance Monitoring System (HPMS) data from Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and Louisiana highway network data from Louisiana Department of Transportation (LADOTD) were used to carry out the analysis. The CART classification was derived based on link attributes that effectively distinguished the homogeneous traffic volume sections. VMT estimation on individual links as well for the different systems was calculated using the CART classification system and the values were assigned on each link. The default …

Hidden Landscapes Of The Ancient Maya: Transect Excavations At Arvin's Landing Southern Belize, Bretton Michael Somers

LSU Master's Theses

Transect excavations at Arvin’s Landing in southern Belize revealed evidence of ancient Maya settlement indiscernible from surface inspection. The synthesis of archaeology and geography in field and laboratory methods and analysis provided the framework for this thesis. This study involves a transect survey with systematic shovel tests. Artifacts were recovered and recorded in the field and analyzed in the LSU archaeology laboratory in Punta Gorda, Belize. The entire survey area was mapped by transit and measurements and coordinates were combined with artifact data in a GIS. Prior research at Arvin’s Landing had revealed a Postclassic mound on the bank of …

An Application Of Geographic Information Systems (Gis): The Utility Of Victim Activity Spaces In The Geographic Profiling Of Serial Killers, Charles Casey Shamblin

LSU Master's Theses

Today, computer technology is producing new methods of investigation into the complex nature of serial killers; among these are geographic profiles. Yet, due to the lack of proven success, budgetary constraints, and the inherent multifaceted nature of serial murder, these geographic profiles have not been completely embraced by the law enforcement community. Because of this, the academic and law enforcement communities continue to refine and develop new methods to solve serial killer cases. This thesis investigates the possibility of identifying the location of the interaction site of a serial killer and his victims using a commercial geographic information system (GIS) …

Development Of A Methodology To Delineate Hurricane Evacuation Zones, Nandagopal Meduri

LSU Master's Theses

The main focus of this study is to exhibit a simple and easily implemented process to identify hurricane evacuation zones. The proposed study presents a new methodology to delineate hurricane evacuation zones. The new methodology helps in easier identification of zones, thereby making the task of evacuation officials easier. Hurricane evacuation zones were identified based on the elevation of the points comprising the study area. An area layer was created based on the storm surge models run, and were overlaid with zip code boundary layer and land use data available. Elevation point file data was superimposed on the study area …

Gateways Into The Atchafalaya: Developing A Framework For Water-Based Recreation In The Atchafalaya Basin Parishes, Steven Joseph Lumpkin

LSU Master's Theses

The term “gateways” has been used in many contexts as a means of providing entry or connection. Gateways are where people congregate to leave a realm of familiarity to one of uncertainty and adventure. They can also mark the entrance into an area of interest. Gateways may have a significant impact on an individual’s impression of a particular destination. This thesis provides arguments for using boating gateways into the Atchafalaya Basin (AB) region as the basis for a recreational framework that encompasses eight parishes. A common theme that exists in all eight AB parishes is their boat launches. They represent …

Developing Risk Assessment Maps For Schistosoma Haematobium In Kenya Based On Climate Grids And Remotely Sensed Data, Kelsey Lee Mcnally

LSU Master's Theses

It is important to be able to predict the potential spread of water borne diseases when building dams or redirecting rivers. This study was designed to test whether the use of a growing degree day (GDD) climate model and remotely sensed data (RS) within a geographic information system (GIS), could be used to predict both the distribution and severity of Schistosoma haematobium. Growing degree days are defined as the number of degrees centigrade over the minimum temperature required for development. The base temperature and the number of GDD required to complete one generation varies for each species. A monthly climate …

Development Of Gis As An Information Management System: A Case Study For The Burden Center, Zhitao Su

LSU Master's Theses

For a park site, it is very important and necessary to let the local planning authorities realize and understand the important aspects and benefits of the site and to establish the long-range development strategies for the location. In order to succeed during the planning process, the communication and information that flow among all the participants must be well organized. In this situation, a project-wide Geographic Information System (GIS) would be a good solution. The goal of this project is to explore the possibilities for administrative authorities to implement a GIS database system to support the site planning and management of …

Using Geographic Information System (Gis) In A Local Government--A Case Study Of Gis Implementation In Ascension Parish Government, Louisiana, Hongwei Zhao

LSU Master's Theses

The objective of this paper is to argue for a new model of Geographic Information System (GIS) implementation, Web-based GIS, for supporting decision-making in local government. In this paper, the GIS implementation in Ascension Parish Government, Louisiana is used as a case study to show how Web-based GIS implementation can improve the system use and maximize the value of GIS infrastructures for the community. The author first defines the concept of implementation and role of GIS in local government as a base for further discussion. Special attention is given to analyze the variables that influence the parish employees’ acceptance and …

Validation Of Annagnps At The Field And Farm-Scale Using An Integrated Agnps/Gis System, Glenn M. Suir

LSU Master's Theses

Non-Point Source (NPS) pollution models are effective watershed-scale predictors of NPS loadings and useful evaluators of agricultural Best Management Practices (BMPs) and water quality Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs). The work reported in this thesis examined two applications of the AGricultural Non-Point-Source (AGNPS) pollution model: 1) predicting surface runoff, nutrient loading, and sediment yield predictions for an artificially delineated farm-scale watershed; and 2) evaluating relative benefits of different BMPs on reducing sediment accumulation in a lake surrounded by agricultural land. A procedure using identification, extraction, and processing of critical area data using an ArcView Geographic Information System (GIS) was used …