Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Itr/Im: Enabling The Creation And Use Of Geogrids For Next Generation Geospatial Information, Peggy Agouris, Mary-Kate Beard-Tisdale, Chaitanya Baru, Sarah Nusser

University of Maine Office of Research Administration: Grant Reports

The objective of this project is to advance science in information management, focusing in particular on geospatial information. It addresses the development of concepts, algorithms, and system architectures to enable users on a grid to query, analyze, and contribute to multivariate, quality-aware geospatial information. The approach consists of three complementary research areas: (1) establishing a statistical framework for assessing geospatial data quality; (2) developing uncertainty-based query processing capabilities; and (3) supporting the development of space- and accuracy-aware adaptive systems for geospatial datasets. The results of this project will support the extension of the concept of the computational grid to facilitate …

Collaborative Research: Matching Levels Of Detail In Descriptions And Depictions Of Geographic Space, Michael Warboys

University of Maine Office of Research Administration: Grant Reports

This collaborative research project focuses on issues related to wayfinding, and is at the interface of geographic information science and human cognition. The research addresses the questions of the relationship between verbal and pictorial representations of geographic information, and how both representation modes can be successfully integrated in systems relating geographic information to users. To address this question, a theory of content and level of geographic detail is constructed that is independent of specific mode. The research is founded upon computational and cognitive theories of geographic information. The main idea is that theories of information granularity can be imposed on …

European Integration And International Relations Theory, Engin Erdem

ENGIN I ERDEM Dr.

One of the most significant developments in the twenty-century world politics has been the foundation of European Community (EC), and its evolution into the European Union (EU). Now, the EU is a supranational entity that is composed of twenty-five member states while it will be twenty-seven with the membership of Bulgaria and Romania in January 2007. The EU poses great challenges for both the policy and academic world. On one hand, the EU has become a powerful international actor in the current international politics. On the other hand, the academic world needs to explain the genesis and development of European …

Spatial Analysis Of Substantiated Child Maltreatment In Metro Atlanta, Georgia, Yueqin Zhou

Geosciences Theses

Identifying high-risk areas for child maltreatment to ultimately aid public health agencies for interventions is necessary for protecting children at high risk. Rates of substantiated neglect and physical/emotional abuse in 2000-2002 are computed for the census tracts in the urban area of five counties in Metro Atlanta, Georgia, and analyzed using spatial regression to determine their relationships with twelve risk variables computed from the Vital Records births and the 2000 Census data. After accounting for multicollinearity among risk variables and spatial autocorrelation among observations for neighboring locations, it is found that high percentages of (1) births to non-married mothers, (2) …

Derivation Of Change From Sequences Of Snapshots, Dominik Wilmsen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Current research in the domain of geographic information science considers possibilities of including another dimension, time, which is generally missing to this point. Users interested in changes have few functions available to compare datasets of spatial configurations at different points in time. Such a comparison of spatial configurations requires large amounts of manual labor. An automatic derivation of changes would decrease amounts of manual labor. The thesis introduces a set of methods that allows for an automatic derivation of changes. These methods analyze identity and topological states of objects in snapshots and derive types of change for the specific configuration …

An International Corridor In The Making?: Immigrant-Owned Entrepreneurial Establishments In Birmingham, Alabama, Paul N. Mcdaniel

Masters Theses

Immigration is changing the U.S. South in unprecedented ways. The South is no longer nearly the exclusive domain of whites and blacks as Hispanics and Asians comprise increasingly influential minorities in towns and cities throughout the region. Immigrants, many of whom are recent arrivals, are choosing to start entrepreneurial business ventures rather than go to work for someone else. This research examines immigrant-owned entrepreneurial establishments along two business corridors in metropolitan Birmingham, Alabama. It answers the following questions: (1) Why is an international corridor developing as opposed to a single group ethnic enclave? (2) What initially brought immigrant-entrepreneurs to Birmingham, …

A Statistical Analysis Of The Distribution Of Roads Salt In Blueberry Farm Soils Of Van Buren County, Michigan, Melissa M. Kovach

Masters Theses

The purpose of this research is to compare and analyze the leaching of road salt (sodium chloride) in soils of blueberry farms. Due to recent events in Ottawa County, Michigan, road salt is increasingly being blamed for blueberry production loss. Sodium chloride is harmful because once a significant amount of salt enters the soil profile the salt is unable to be flushed out, and reduces the chance for nutrients to reach the plant for effective growth. This study tested the farms' soils for salinity before winter (October 2005), during winter (March 2006) and after winter (May 2006) to determine if …

The Spatial Form Of Post Apartheid Cape Town, Elizabeth Rebekah Trail

Masters Theses

This thesis deals with the urban form of Cape Town, South Africa in the years following the end of apartheid. The apartheid government created a city that was racially segregated, and over the last twelve years the new democratic government has passed much legislation in an attempt to correct the distorted layout. The national and local policies call for compact sustainable cities that reintegrate the historically disadvantaged people and help bring them out of poverty. To see how effective the policies were in directing growth, I tracked development trends in Cape Town by using GIS to map the results of …

Fields With Dreams: The Distribution Of Farmland With Publicly-Funded Conservation Easements In Pennsylvania, Amy Sue Hill

Masters Theses

Conservation easements have played an increasingly significant role in the American movement to preserve farmland from urban development. Conservation easements are legal instruments that enable a landowner to sell his right to develop his property to an outside party, typically a government entity or a private land conservancy. The distribution of conservation easements used to preserve farmland is highly variable. Conservation easements often are found in regions where productive farmland and intense development pressure collide. Conservation easements are most common in places where both public and private sectors give strong financial and political support for conservation.

This thesis analyzes the …

Understanding User Perceptions On Usefulness And Usability Of An Integrated Wiki-G-Portal, Yin-Leng Theng, Yuanyuan Li, Ee Peng Lim, Zhe Wang, Dion Hoe-Lian Goh, Chew-Hung Chang, Kalyani Chatterjea, Jun Zhang

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

This paper describes a pilot study on Wiki-G-Portal, a project integrating Wikipedia, an online encyclopedia, into G-Portal, a Web-based digital library, of geography resources. Initial findings from the pilot study seemed to suggest positive perceptions on usefulness and usability of Wiki-G-Portal, as well as subjects' attitude and intention to use.

Optimal Band Selection For Hyperspectral Remote Sensing Of Aquatic Benthic Features - A Wavelet Filter Window Approach, Charles R. Bostater

Ocean Engineering and Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

This paper describes a wavelet based approach to derivative spectroscopy. The approach is utilized to select, through optimization, optimal channels or bands to use as derivative based remote sensing algorithms. The approach is applied to airborne and modeled or synthetic reflectance signatures of environmental media and features or objects within such media, such as benthic submerged vegetation canopies. The technique can also applied to selected pixels identified within a hyperspectral image cube obtained from an board an airborne, ground based, or subsurface mobile imaging system. This wavelet based image processing technique is an extremely fast numerical method to conduct higher …

A Pixel To Pixel Hyperspectral Synthetic Image Model Inter-Comparison Study, Charles R. Bostater, Luce Bassetti

Ocean Engineering and Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

The purpose of this paper is to present simulation results comparing e a Monte Carlo Hyperspectral Simulation Model (MCHSIM) which generates synthetic images with realistic water wave surface to an iterative layered radiative transfer model used to generate hyperspectral synthetic images with realistic water wave surfaces. The Monte Carlo model is divided into 5 steps: (1) generation of the photons, (2) tracking of the photon optical path and simultaneously (3) recording of the photon's location within the water column, (4) a tabulation of the photon location or positions, and conversion to meaningful radiometric quantities and (5) a calculation and processing …

Sensor Motion Control & Mobile Platforms For Aquatic Remote Sensing, Charles R. Bostater

Ocean Engineering and Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Modern remote sensing systems used in repetitive environmental monitoring and surveillance applications are used on various platforms. These platforms can be categorized as stationary (fixed) or moving platforms. The sensing systems monitor the ambient environment which also may have inherent motion, such as the water surface with water waves. This is particularly the case for airborne or ship borne sensing of aquatic environments and is true for ground based walking or crawling systems. The time sequential comparison and spatial registration of sensor images, particularly "hyperspectral imagery" requires pixel to pixel registration for science based change and target (or medium) detection …

Environmental Equity Is Child's Play: Mapping Public Provision Of Recreation Opportunities In Urban Neighbourhoods, Jason Gilliland, Martin Holmes, Jennifer D. Irwin, Patricia Tucker

Geography & Environment Publications

This paper examines the spatial distribution of recreational opportunities for children and youth in a mid-sized Canadian city (London, Ontario), in relation to the socioeconomic status of neighbourhoods and estimated local need for publicly provided recreation spaces. Public recreation facilities (N = 537) throughout the city were identified, mapped and analysed in a geographic information system. To explore potential socio-environmental inequities, neighbourhoods (N = 22) were characterized by socioeconomic and environmental variables, an index of neighbourhood social distress, a neighbourhood play space needs index, and measures of the prevalence and density of recreational opportunities. The results of the …

Evaluating The Long-Term Metacommunity Dynamics Of Tree Hole Mosquitoes, Alicia M. Ellis, L. Philip Lounibos, Marcel Holyoak

Dartmouth Scholarship

Four different conceptual models of metacommunities have been proposed, termed “patch dynamics,” “species sorting,” “mass effect,” and “neutral.” These models simplify thinking about metacommunities and improve our understanding of the role of spatial dynamics both in structuring communities and in determining local and regional diversity. We tested whether mosquito communities inhabiting water-filled tree holes in southeastern Florida, USA, displayed any of the characteristics and dynamics predicted by the four models. The densities of the five most common species in 3–8 tree holes were monitored every two weeks during 1978–2003. We tested relationships between habitat variables and species densities, spatial synchrony, …

The Volatile Middle East, Frank L. Jenista

History and Government Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

The Development Of Social And Cultural Geographies In Taiwan: Knowledge Production And Social Relevance, Hsin-Ling Wu, Sue-Ching Jou, Lily Kong

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Social and cultural geographies have long occupied a marginal position in Taiwan's scholarship in the humanities and social sciences. Despite the influence of the so-called ‘cultural turn’ that has characterized much of Anglo-American scholarship since the 1990s (Barnett 1998), Taiwan's scholarship in the social sciences in general and human geography more specifically has remained relatively untouched by these intellectual currents till very recent years. This paper seeks to examine the social, intellectual and institutional contexts that explain this marginalization, and consider the possibilities for social and cultural geographies' emergence from marginality in Taiwan in the future. This possibility is considered …

The Bloomberg Way: Development Politics, Urban Ideology, And Class Transformation In Contemporary New York City, Julian Brash

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This dissertation explores the links between a development project, a particular urban ideology, and processes of class transformation in contemporary New York City. The city's postindustrial transformation, especially since the 1970s fiscal crisis, has created a newly dominant corporate elite consisting of executives and high-level professionals. This ruling class alliance has begun to supersede the city's older, real estate-centered traditional growth coalition, as emblematized by the political rise of billionaire ex-CEO Michael Bloomberg. Mayor Bloomberg, along with other ex-corporate executives in his administration, implemented a private-sector inspired corporate, technocratic, and antipolitical approach to governance in general and urban and economic …

Implementation Of A Ground Truth Process For Development Of A Submerged Aquatic Vegetation (Sav) Mapping Protocol Using Hyperspectral Imagery, Carlton R. Hall, Charles R. Bostater, Robert W. Virnstein

Ocean Engineering and Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Protocol development for science based mapping of submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) requires comprehensive ground truth data describing the full range of variability observed in the target. The Indian River Lagoon, Florida, extends along 250 km of the east central Florida coast adjacent to the Atlantic Ocean. The lagoon crosses the transition zone between the Caribbean and Carolinian zoogeographic provinces making it highly diverse. For large scale mapping and management of SAV four common and three uncommon species of seagrass (Tracheophyta) and three broad groups of macroalgae; red algae (Rhodophyta), green algae (Chlorophyta), and brown algae (Phaeophyta) are recognized. Based on …

Dynamics And Control Of Tethered Satellite Formations For The Purpose Of Space-Based Remote Sensing, Kurt A. Vogel

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation assesses the utility of tethered satellite formations for the space-based remote sensing mission. Energy dissipation is found to have an adverse effect on foundational rigid body (Likins-Pringle) equilibria. It is shown that a continuously earth-facing equilibrium condition for a fixed-length tethered system does not exist since the spin rate required for the proper precession would not be high enough to maintain tether tension. The range of required spin rates for steady-spin motion is numerically defined here, but none of these conditions can meet the continuously earth-facing criteria. Of particular note is the discovery that applying certain rigid body …

Dendroclimatological Analysis And Fire History Of Longleaf Pine (Pinus Palustris Mill.) In The Atlantic And Gulf Coastal Plain, Joseph P. Henderson

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to use longleaf pine trees at three major sites in the Southeastern Coastal Plain to: (1) determine how longleaf pine trees respond to climate, (2) reconstruct past climate conditions using long tree-ring chronologies, (3) determine the effects of atmospheric teleconnections on longleaf pine growth, and ( 4) reconstruct fire history from fire-scar data. The native range of longleaf pine and its associated communities extends from southeastern Virginia south and westward to the Trinity River in eastern Texas. I collected samples from living and remnant longleaf pine wood in coastal South Carolina, Eglin Air Force …

Mapping Places Of Play And Prey With Denver Kids, Bambi L. Yost

Bambi L Yost

In this study, GIS is used to investigate Denver neighborhoods through children's eyes. This community-based research project teaches inner-city children about the power of mapping and voicing preferences and concerns. Using GIS technology, neighborhood surveys, handdrawn maps, photographs, and other methods of exploration, children create maps of schoolgrounds and surrounding neighborhoods, revealing quantitative and qualitative data in a creative and informative way. This research serves to empower students and educate city officials about the benefits and deficits of inner-city living for Denver youth. Special emphasis is placed on places of play and physical activity as well as on places of …

Research On Synthetic Rope And Its Future In Timber Harvesting, Joel N. Hartter, Jared Leonard, John Garland, Steve Pilkerton

Geography

Steel wire rope is used for many logging applications. It has served the industry well in terms of strength, durability, and longevity. However, steel wire rope is difficult to use because it is stiff, heavy, and unyielding. These characteristics can lead to fatigue and exhaustion, and may contribute to worker injuries. Ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene synthetic rope has the potential to replace steel wire rope for selected logging applications. Research shows ergonomic gains and other operational effectiveness with its use. This paper presents research results, potentials, and issues in improving economic and ergonomic performance of ground-based and cable logging. Potential …

Urban Transit And The Working Poor: The Geography Of Welfare Reform, Jennifer Lynn Rogalsky

Doctoral Dissertations

American cities have changed from older high-density urban neighborhoods to sprawling automobile-oriented suburbs. Many of the urban poor find themselves distant from jobs and services on this landscape. For poor single mothers, the problems are exacerbated by childrearing responsibilities. In addition, most of the jobs that are accessible to the working poor are low paying and have non-traditional hours, making the challenges of this new urban landscape even more formidable.

Welfare reform initiatives have established time limits for assistance; the aim is to remove millions from welfare and make them self-sufficient. However, the immediate result was to push many into …

Semantic Similarity Of Spatial Scenes, Konstantinos A. Nedas

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The formalization of similarity in spatial information systems can unleash their functionality and contribute technology not only useful, but also desirable by broad groups of users. As a paradigm for information retrieval, similarity supersedes tedious querying techniques and unveils novel ways for user-system interaction by naturally supporting modalities such as speech and sketching. As a tool within the scope of a broader objective, it can facilitate such diverse tasks as data integration, landmark determination, and prediction making. This potential motivated the development of several similarity models within the geospatial and computer science communities. Despite the merit of these studies, their …

Sustainability With Globalization: An Unsustainable Proposition, Daniel B. Reader

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Globalization is recognized as a world-encompassing phenomenon, even as its benefits are debated. Sustainability, the capacity to maintain high standards of living through generations, is at stake. This paper examines the problems of sustainability with globalization from several perspectives. High statistical correlation between indices of globalization and environmental degradation (r2 = 0.977, p < .001) is found using multi-dimensional scaling software. The socially destabilizing, culture flattening effects of globalization are examined, and the terms ‘nationalism’ and ‘terrorism’ are defined. On the basis of its medial position among the indices of both globalization and environmental degradation, Chile is explored in a case study of the interaction. Conclusions regarding Chile’s vulnerabilities are reached, and the country’s environmental, social, and economic ‘weak spots’ are identified. The ethical positions of globalization and sustainability are considered, and the conclusion that there is very little that can be done to alter the nature of the interaction is drawn. It is suggested that globalization minimizes the prospects of success in efforts toward sustainability by maximizing vulnerabilities among sustainability’s components.

A Paleoecological History Of West Pond On Great Abaco Island, The Bahamas, Based On Pollen And Charcoal Analysis Of Lake Sediments, Allison Jean Stork

Masters Theses

West Pond (26.2˚ N, 77.2˚ W, ca. 5 m elevation) is a shallow, alkaline pond within the pine rocklands and karst topography of Great Abaco Island, the Bahamas. For parallel core sections recovered from the pond in 2003 reveal marl sediments overlying peat deposits with a paleosol at the base. A radiocarbon date on a fragment of wood of Pinus caribaea Morelet from the paleosol indicates that the sediment record at West Pond spans the last ~2100 years.

Pollen grains preserved in the West Pond sediments indicate significant environmental change at the site. While pine pollen accounts for 85-99% of …

The Impact Of A One-Half Day Environmental Education Program On Elementary Students, David C. Pagel

Masters Theses

The hypothesis of this research is that elementary students benefit from the Kalamazoo Nature Center's (KNC) one-half day inquiry program, based upon data collected using a Likert scale instrument. The earth science inquiry program at KNC is intended to enhance student attitude about the natural environment. There are two primary components to the research. First, data were collected through a pre-/post-survey from elementary students who participated in the Kalamazoo Nature Center's one half-day environmental education program. The survey was based on the Test of Science Related Attitudes (Fraser, 1981). Second, data were analyzed to assess student attitudes and beliefs before …

A Reflection On American Democracy, Engin Erdem

ENGIN I ERDEM Dr.

No abstract provided.

How Earth Remote Sensing From The International Space Station Complements Current Satellite‐Based Sensors, Jennifer Gebelein, Dean Eppler

Jennifer Gebelein

The International Space Station (ISS) will provide an Earth‐and space‐observing platform that will support sensors built by 16 different countries and deliver data and images for local, regional and global research. When complete, it will be an exceptional platform for conducting remote sensing of the Earth, astrophysics, and space physics research programmes. Additionally, the ISS will operate as a testbed for engineering studies and complex technological developments that will benefit future Earth‐observing capabilities. ...