Digital Commons Network^™

Gis-Based Spatial And Temporal Analyses Of Motor Vehicle Crashes In The Atlanta Metropolitan Region 2017-2021, Heyward Stober, Jeong C. Seong

The Geographical Bulletin

Motor vehicle crash analysis is among the most insightful metrics for public safety officials, researchers, and drivers. In this article, geographical information systems (GIS) tools were used to study the spatial and temporal trends of traffic crashes and fatal crashes. The methodology involves collecting spatial crash data over time and using computer-based analysis to overlay the road data against various spatial and temporal parameters in the Atlanta metropolitan region. Results show major crash hotspots in the region, such as the cites of Marietta, Kennesaw, and College Park. Hotspots tend to form on interstate highways, while smaller state highways have fewer …

Mapping And Spatial Analysis To Expand Rural Broadband Access, John C. Kostelnick, Jonathan B. Thayn, Koushik Sinha

Faculty Publications-- Geography, Geology, and the Environment

High-speed broadband internet access is a critically important issue for many aspects of daily life, yet populations in rural areas are often unserved or underserved with reliable internet connectivity. Expanding broadband internet coverage in rural areas may have significant economic potential, especially since it enables precision farming which in turn increases yields, particularly for row crops such as corn and soybeans. This paper introduces methods that utilize GIS spatial analysis and remote sensing to assist in efforts to expand rural broadband access using case study counties in Illinois. Specifically, the methods presented here: (1) quantify current cropland production as well …

How Much Heirs’ Property Is There? Using Lightbox Data To Estimate Heirs’ Property Extent In The United States, G. Rebecca Dobbs, Cassandra Johnson Gaither

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

The ramifications of a tenancy in common or heirs’ property ownership are extensive. This kind of tenuous ownership affects not only individual families but also the economic health of the typically minority and lower-wealth communities where these properties tend to cluster. Very little research has identified heirs’ property extent at a broad scale, however. We present results of our approach to identifying heirs’ parcels for every county and census tract in the United States, using geospatial methodologies and aggregated parcel records acquired from LightBox. The method estimated 444,172 heirs’ parcels for the U.S., not including territories. The combined acreage is …

Big Data Applications And Challenges In Giscience (Case Studies: Natural Disaster And Public Health Crisis Management), Amir Masoud Forati

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines the application and significance of user-generated big data in Geographic Information Science (GIScience), with a focus on managing natural disasters and public health crises. It explores the role of social media data in understanding human-environment interactions and in informing disaster management and public health strategies. A scalable computational framework will be developed to model extensive unstructured geotagged data from social media, facilitating systematic spatiotemporal data analysis.The research investigates how individuals and communities respond to high-impact events like natural disasters and public health emergencies, employing both qualitative and quantitative methods. In particular, it assesses the impact of socio-economic-demographic …

Combined Behavioral And Engineering Approach To Preventing Highway Fatalities, Benjamin Blandford, Reginald Souleyrette, Caitlin N. Pope, Tony Fields, Erin Lammers-Staats

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Traditional, single-discipline highway safety approaches can be augmented through multidisciplinary approaches that consider both engineering and behavioral interventions (e.g., education, enforcement, public outreach campaigns). Leveraging a systems-based conceptual framework of roadway safety, multiple forms of statistical and geospatial analysis, and SPF modeling and network screening, this report proposes and demonstrates methods for unpacking the influence of behavioral-related factors on crash occurrences and outcomes. The primary focus is on behaviors targeted in the Strategic Highway Safety Plan — aggressive driving, distracted driving, impaired driving, and driving without proper restraint (i.e., seatbelts). Based on application of these methods, the report highlights areas …

How Much Heirs’ Property Is There? Using Lightbox Data To Estimate Heirs’ Property Extent In The U.S., G. Rebecca Dobbs, Cassandra Johnson Gaither

Heirs' Property

The ramifications of a tenancy in common or heirs’ property ownership are extensive. This kind of tenuous ownership affects not only individual families but also the economic health of the typically minority and lower-wealth communities where these properties tend to cluster. Very little research has identified heirs’ property extent at a broad scale, however. We present results of our approach to identifying heirs’ parcels for every county and census tract in the U.S., using geospatial methodologies and aggregated parcel records acquired from LightBox. The method estimated 444,172 heirs’ parcels for the U.S., not including territories. The combined acreage is 9,247,452 …

Production, Best Management Practices, And Market Impacts Of Forest Biomass Harvest And Collection In The Mid-Atlantic Region, William E. Smith

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

Time motion studies were conducted at five mid-Atlantic sites that spanned various operations in West Virginia, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. The harvest systems included integrated harvests where chips were produced in the forest, roundwood systems where only roundwood was produced, and a centralized chipping system. The study collected overall productivity and machine utilization data at the various harvesting operations. The cost per green ton of woody biomass ranged from $18.46 to $39.8 resulting in an average of $30.33 among the five systems. Hauling had the highest average price per green ton at $9.10, while loading had the lowest at $1.73 per …

Modeling Airport Catchment Areas: Using Spatial Analysis Approach, Sitong Chen

The Journal of Purdue Undergraduate Research

Th e airport catchment area is the geographic area from which an airport can reasonably expect to draw commercial air service passengers. Th e purpose of this interdisciplinary research is to estimate airport catchment areas using a spatial analysis method for informed airport management. In order to ensure the comprehensiveness and reliability of the research, we chose to analyze the catchment areas for five airports of different sizes and in different geographic locations in the United States. The Huff model, which is usually used in marketing, economics, and retail research, was adopted in this study. We applied this model in …

Spatial Analysis For Enhancing The Use Of Health Data Availability From Different Sources To Help The Decision-Making Process, Tris Eryando

Kesmas

Spatial analysis in public health has become a common method used by researchers to understand the distribution of public health aspects related to the surrounding environment. It can also be used to analyze individual information in the form of a dot and the location or line of aggregated information in a specific area of study. Another benefit is the possibility of using different data sources to be analyzed in one statistical model analysis, as long as the identification area is sufficiently clear as a key variable. Spatial analysis can show an object's distribution on a locational map and explain the …

Spatial Analysis Of Seven Islands In Indonesia To Determine Stunting Hotspots, Tiopan Sipahutar, Tris Eryando, Meiwita Budiharsana

Kesmas

Indonesia is a vast country struggling to reduce its stunting prevalence. Hence, identifying priority areas is urgent. In determining areas to prioritize, one needs to consider geographical issues, particularly correlations among areas. This study aimed to discover whether stunting prevalence in Indonesia occurs randomly or in clusters; and, if it occurs in clusters, which areas are the hotspots. This ecological study used aggregate data from the 2018 National Basic Health Research and Poverty Data and Information Report from the Statistics Indonesia. This study analyzed 514 districts/cities across 34 provinces on seven main islands in Indonesia. The method used was the …

Three Dimensional Spatio-Temporal Cluster Analysis Of Sars-Cov-2 Infections, Keith W. Allison

Masters Theses

The COVID-19 pandemic has heightened the need for fine-scale analysis of the clustering of cases of infectious disease in order to better understand and prevent the localized spread of infection. The students living on the University of Massachusetts, Amherst campus provided a unique opportunity to do so, due to frequent mandatory testing during the 2020-2021 academic year, and dense living conditions. The South-West dormitory area is of particular interest due to its extremely high population density, housing around half of students living on campus during normal conditions. Using data gathered by the Public Health Promotion Center (PHPC), we analyzed the …

Identifying A Spatial Scale For The Analysis Of Residential Burglary: An Empirical Framework Based On Point Pattern Analysis, Shiguo Jiang, Mohammed A. Alazawi, Steven F. Messner

Geography and Planning Faculty Scholarship

A key issue in the spatial and temporal analysis of residential burglary is the choice of scale: spatial patterns might differ appreciably for different time periods and vary across geographic units of analysis. Based on point pattern analysis of burglary incidents in Columbus, Ohio during a 9-year period, this study develops an empirical framework to identify a useful spatial scale and its dependence on temporal aggregation. Our analysis reveals that residential burglary in Columbus clusters at a characteristic scale of 2.2 km. An ANOVA test shows no significant impact of temporal aggregation on spatial scale of clustering. This study demonstrates …

Temporal Geospatial Analysis Of Covid-19 Pre-Infection Determinants Of Risk In South Carolina, Tianchu Lyu, Nicole L. Hair, Nicholas Yell, Zhenlong Li, Shan Qiao, Chen Liang, Xiaoming Li

Faculty Publications

Disparities and their geospatial patterns exist in morbidity and mortality of COVID-19 patients. When it comes to the infection rate, there is a dearth of research with respect to the disparity structure, its geospatial characteristics, and the pre-infection determinants of risk (PIDRs). This work aimed to assess the temporal–geospatial associations between PIDRs and COVID-19 infection at the county level in South Carolina. We used the spatial error model (SEM), spatial lag model (SLM), and conditional autoregressive model (CAR) as global models and the geographically weighted regression model (GWR) as a local model. The data were retrieved from multiple sources including …

Urban Forests And Their Potential To Combat Food Insecurity: Analyzing Street Trees In Baltimore, Md For Their Edibility, Victoria Bearden

Environment and Sustainability Summer Fellows

Food insecure environments, in which residents lack consistent access to nutritious food materials, can occur in urban settings. Literature on urban forests suggests that trees can provide a range of provisioning ecosystem services, including edible uses. We consider this to determine if street trees in Baltimore, Maryland have the potential to provide nutritious food materials to address food insecurity in Healthy Food Priority Areas (HFPA), designated by Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future.

Application Of The Global Srtm And Aw3d30 Digital Elevation Models To Mapping Folds At Cave Sites, Mark J. Abolins, Albert E. Ogden

International Journal of Speleology

A novel method to map and quantitatively describe very gentle folds (limb dip <5^o) at cratonic cave sites was evaluated at Snail Shell and Nanna Caves, central Tennessee, USA. Elevations from the global SRTM digital terrain model (DTM) were assigned to points on late Ordovician geologic contacts, and the elevations of the points were used to interpolate 28 m cell size natural neighbor digital elevation models (DEM’s) of the contacts. The global Forest Canopy Height Dataset was subtracted from the global 28 m cell size AW3D30 digital surface model (DSM) to create a DTM, and that DTM was applied …

A Spatial Risk Prediction Model For Drug Overdose, Parisa Bozorgi

Theses and Dissertations

Drug overdose is a leading cause of unintentional death in the United States and has contributed significantly to a decline in life expectancy from 2015 to 2018. Overdose deaths, especially from opioids, have also been recognized in recent years as a significant public health issue. To address this public health problem, this study sought to identify neighborhood-level (e.g., block group) factors associated with drug overdose and develop a spatial model using machine learning (ML) algorithms to predict the likelihood or risk of drug overdoses across South Carolina. This study included block group level socio-demographic factors and drug use variables which …

Exploring Spatial Patterns Of Virginia Tornadoes Using Kernel Density And Space-Time Cube Analysis (1960-2019), Michael J. Allen, Thomas R. Allen, Christopher Davis, George Mcleod, Wolfgang Kainz (Ed.), Dean Kyne (Ed.)

Political Science & Geography Faculty Publications

This study evaluates the spatial-temporal patterns in Virginia tornadoes using the National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center’s Severe Weather GIS (SVRGIS) database. In addition to descriptive statistics, the analysis employs Kernel Density Estimation for spatial pattern analysis and space-time cubes to visualize the spatiotemporal frequency of tornadoes and potential trends. Most of the 726 tornadoes between 1960–2019 occurred in Eastern Virginia, along the Piedmont and Coastal Plain. Consistent with other literature, both the number of tornadoes and the tornado days have increased in Virginia. While 80% of the tornadoes occurred during the warm season, tornadoes did occur during each month …

Field-Scale Soil Moisture Bridges The Spatial-Scale Gap Between Drought Monitoring And Agricultural Yields, Noemi Vergopolan, Sitian Xiong, Lyndon Estes, Niko Wanders, Nathaniel W. Chaney, Eric F. Wood, Megan Konar, Kelly Caylor, Hylke E. Beck, Nicolas Gatti, Tom Evans, Justin Sheffield

Geography

Soil moisture is highly variable in space and time, and deficits (i.e., droughts) play an important role in modulating crop yields. Limited hydroclimate and yield data, however, hamper drought impact monitoring and assessment at the farm field scale. This study demonstrates the potential of using field-scale soil moisture simulations to support highresolution agricultural yield prediction and drought monitoring at the smallholder farm field scale. We present a multiscale modeling approach that combines HydroBlocks a physically based hyper-resolution land surface model (LSM) with machine learning. We used HydroBlocks to simulate root zone soil moisture and soil temperature in Zambia at 3 …

Oral Rehydration Therapies In Senegal, Mali, And Sierra Leone: A Spatial Analysis Of Changes Over Time And Implications For Policy, Kirsten E. Wiens, Lauren E. Schaeffer, Samba O. Sow, Babacar Ndoye, Carrie Jo Cain, Mathew M. Baumann, Kimberly B. Johnson, Paulina A. Lindstedt, Brigette F. Blacker, Zulfiqar Ahmed Bhutta

Woman and Child Health

Background: Oral rehydration solution (ORS) is a simple intervention that can prevent childhood deaths from severe diarrhea and dehydration. In a previous study, we mapped the use of ORS treatment subnationally and found that ORS coverage increased over time, while the use of home-made alternatives or recommended home fluids (RHF) decreased, in many countries. These patterns were particularly striking within Senegal, Mali, and Sierra Leone. It was unclear, however, whether ORS replaced RHF in these locations or if children were left untreated, and if these patterns were associated with health policy changes.
Methods: We used a Bayesian geostatistical model and …

A Gis-Based Method For Archival And Visualization Of Microstructural Data From Drill Core Samples., Elliott Holmes

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Core samples obtained from scientific drilling could provide large volumes of direct microstructural and compositional data, but generating results via the traditional treatment of such data is often time-consuming and inefficient. Unifying microstructural data within a spatially referenced Geographic Information System (GIS) environment provides an opportunity to readily locate, visualize, correlate, and explore the available microstructural data. Using 26 core billet samples from the San Andreas Fault Observatory at Depth (SAFOD), this study developed procedures for: 1. A GIS-based approach for spatially referenced visualization and storage of microstructural data from drill core billet samples; and 2. Producing 3D models of …

Implementation Of Fuel Reduction Treatments On Nonindustrial Private Forests In Mississippi, Anusha Shrestha

Theses and Dissertations

Fuel reduction treatments are management activities implemented to reduce the quantity of hazardous fuels in forests to decrease the probability of severe and intense wildfires. As nonindustrial private forest (NIPF) landowners own most forests (77%) in Mississippi, their involvement is essential for effective and coordinated fuel reduction treatments to achieve a large-scale wildfire hazard reduction. However, NIPF landowner attitudes towards wildfire risk and mitigation activities implemented to reduce wildfire risk are not well understood. This study determined attitudes of NIPF landowners towards wildfires, current trends in implementation of fuel reduction treatments, socioeconomic and geospatial factors affecting treatment implementation, and landowner …

Geospatial Variation In Caesarean Delivery, Jennifer Vanderlaan, Johnathan A. Edwards, Anne Dunlop

Nursing Faculty Publications

Aim: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the variation in caesarean delivery rates across counties in Georgia and to determine whether county-level characteristics were associated with clusters. Design: This was a retrospective, observational study.

Methods: Rates of primary and repeat caesarean by maternal county of residence were calculated for 2008 through 2012. Global Moran's I (Spatial Autocorrelation) was used to identify geographic clustering. Characteristics of high and low-rate counties were compared using student's t test and chi squared test.

Results: Spatial analysis of both primary and repeat caesarean rate identified the presence of clusters (Moran's I = 0.375; …

Geographic Variation In Amputation Rates Among Patients With Diabetes And/Or Peripheral Arterial Disease In The Rural State Of West Virginia Identifies Areas For Improved Care, Samantha Danielle Minc, Brian Hendricks, Ranjita Misra, Yue Ren, Dylan Thibault, Luke Marone, Gordon Stephen Smith

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Objective:

Amputation is a devastating but preventable complication of diabetes and peripheral arterial disease (PAD). Multiple studies have focused on disparities in amputation rates based on race and socioeconomic status, but few focus on amputation trends in rural populations. The objective of this study was to identify the prevalence of major and minor amputation among patients admitted with diabetes and/or PAD in a rural, Appalachian state, and to identify geographic areas with higher than expected major and minor amputations using advanced spatial analysis while controlling for comorbidities and rurality.

Methods:

Patient hospital admissions of West Virginia residents with diagnoses of …

The Human Dimensions And Spatial Ecology Of Poaching And Implications For Red Wolf Survival, Suzanne Agan

Antioch University Full-Text Dissertations & Theses

In the 1970’s, red wolves were considered America’s most endangered mammalian species and the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) developed the Red Wolf Recovery Plan soon after passage of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) to preserve and eventually reintroduce them. It marked the first successful attempt to reintroduce a large predator that had been completely extirpated from the wild. The conservation of predators, such as red wolves, stirs controversy when it hinders human activities and some people retaliate by illegal killing. In Northeastern North Carolina (NENC), poaching has been a problem throughout the entire recovery process and is the …

Examining Spatial Inequities In Green Space Distribution And Access Around The Historic City Of Savannah, Georgia., Chiamaka F. Chimah

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Green space supports recreational activities and environmental sustainability which has proven to aid physical and social well-being as well as environmental health. However, spatial inequities are observed in the distribution and accessibility of urban green space. This norm identified as an environmental justice issue has left racial minorities and people of low socioeconomic status at a disadvantage. This study adopted a geospatial approach to assess green space quantity, quality, and accessibility, and generate a green space index. This research assessed the relationship between racial structure, socioeconomic characteristics and green space inequities in all municipalities in Chatham County, Georgia with a …

Comparing The Spatial And Temporal Activity Patterns Between Snapchat, Twitter And Flickr In Florida, Levente Juhasz, Hartwig H. Hochmair

Levente Juhasz

Social media services generate enormous amounts of spatiotemporal data that can be used to characterize and analyse user activities and social behaviour. Although crowdsourced data have the advantage of comprehensive spatial and temporal coverage compared to data collected in more traditional ways, the various social media platforms target different user groups, which leads to user selection bias. Since data from social media platforms are used for a variety of geospatial applications, understanding such differences and their implications for analysis results is important for geoscientists. Therefore, this research analyses differences in spatial and temporal contribution patterns to three online platforms, namely …

Exploring The Structural Effects On The Lethal Violence At The U.S. Counties Under The Situational Action Theory: An Application Of Multivariable Spatial Regression Model, Yunho Yeom

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Since the stream analogy (Unnithan, Corzine, Huff-Corzine, & Whitt, 1994) and the frustration-aggression approach (Henry & Short, 1954) in lethal violence phenomenon analysis, several scholars have integrated theories from outside of their fields of study to understand lethal violence under a single theoretical framework. Some of these researchers have focused on deteriorating socioeconomic conditions and the collective attributional style when explaining the causes of lethal violence; others have failed to assume the non-independence of observation among contextual predictors. Recognizing these shortcomings, this study integrates the social components of situational action theory to examine their mediating effects on the relationship between …

Comparing The Spatial And Temporal Activity Patterns Between Snapchat, Twitter And Flickr In Florida, Levente Juhasz, Hartwig H. Hochmair

GIS Center

Social media services generate enormous amounts of spatiotemporal data that can be used to characterize and analyse user activities and social behaviour. Although crowdsourced data have the advantage of comprehensive spatial and temporal coverage compared to data collected in more traditional ways, the various social media platforms target different user groups, which leads to user selection bias. Since data from social media platforms are used for a variety of geospatial applications, understanding such differences and their implications for analysis results is important for geoscientists. Therefore, this research analyses differences in spatial and temporal contribution patterns to three online platforms, namely …

Changing Urban Form In A Shrinking City, Justin Hollander, Michael P. Johnson Jr., Rachel B. Drew

Michael P. Johnson

Mapping Sex Offenders And Treatment Centers In Relation To Social Disorganization, Amber Amin

Master's Theses

Research shows that the clustering of Registered Sex Offenders (RSOs) is connected to social disorganization. Residential patterns disrupt the reintegration of the RSO population. Utilizing data from Queens and the Bronx, NYC, this study examines RSO clustering in the two boroughs and explores the proximity of community resources to RSO addresses that may assist reintegration. Using data from the New York Megan’s Law and census data for Queens and Bronx Counties, maps were created to study the residential patterns of RSOs. The results show clustering of RSOs in areas with variables pertaining to high social disorganization and a lack of …