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Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons

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Geography

2015

Theses/Dissertations

College of Natural Science and Mathematics

Articles 1 - 13 of 13

Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

Assessing The Risk Of West Nile Virus On The Age 65 And Older Population Segments In Fort Collins, Colorado, Richard Cornell Nov 2015

Assessing The Risk Of West Nile Virus On The Age 65 And Older Population Segments In Fort Collins, Colorado, Richard Cornell

Geography and the Environment: Graduate Student Capstones

West Nile virus (WNV) is an arbovirus whose more severe, neurologic symptoms may include seizures, paralysis, or coma. Despite a variety of possible symptoms, most people do not realize they are infected with the virus with a majority of those infected not developing any symptoms. Members of the population aged 65 and older naturally experience reduced immunity to viruses as they get older. Exposure to West Nile virus can occur around one’s home, in a park, natural area, alongside a source of water, or even walking along a trail. Areas exist around town that present risks of being infected or …


North Korea: Gis Study Of The Slowed Migration Of North Korean Refugees, Brandi Hunnicutt Nov 2015

North Korea: Gis Study Of The Slowed Migration Of North Korean Refugees, Brandi Hunnicutt

Geography and the Environment: Graduate Student Capstones

Since 2009, human rights organizations have noted an almost fifty-percent decrease of North Korean refugees reaching freedom in South Korea, when for so many years there was a steady increase. This capstone paper evaluated the decline by taking two perspectives of research, one perspective being physical terrain changes or modifications prohibiting the flow of refugees and a second approach of examining the lifestyle demographics of the refugees who have successfully crossed the North Korean border. Geographic Information System (GIS) tools were utilized to determine that in both research approaches there is data indicating purposes for the decrease -- proving that …


Using Gis To Assess Species Distributions In The Pacific Northwest, Leslie Perry Nov 2015

Using Gis To Assess Species Distributions In The Pacific Northwest, Leslie Perry

Geography and the Environment: Graduate Student Capstones

A species distribution application was developed using ArcGIS (Model Builder) and Python to support management decisions and species reviews for the BLM and Forest Service in the Pacific Northwest. The application integrates observation data for flora and fauna species from agency geodatabases and available data on various environmental factors, such as ownership, land uses, and forest types. Results of the application include species-specific geodatabases containing observation data and combined observation-environmental data with tables presenting distribution information based on the environmental factors. These results are intended to provide baseline information about species distribution patterns and can be used for a variety …


Utilizing Web-Based Gis Applications For Spatial Analysis Of Real Estate Appraisal Data, Esther Bowlin Nov 2015

Utilizing Web-Based Gis Applications For Spatial Analysis Of Real Estate Appraisal Data, Esther Bowlin

Geography and the Environment: Graduate Student Capstones

Internet-based map applications have become a widely implemented GIS tool, and by most estimations, will experience continued growth over the coming years. The real estate industry is particularly well positioned to capitalize on the boom of web mapping technologies as real estate is a largely spatial discipline. To fulfill the marketing objectives of a real estate appraisal firm, a web-based mapping application was developed to execute simple spatial analysis tasks. The application is capable of analysis tasks such as heat mapping and includes geolocation services as well as coordinate conversion. All processes are executed within the Google Map API and …


Who, What And Why: A Statistical And Geospatial Analysis Of The Development Of The Marcellus Shale In West Virginia, Erin Sevatson Nov 2015

Who, What And Why: A Statistical And Geospatial Analysis Of The Development Of The Marcellus Shale In West Virginia, Erin Sevatson

Geography and the Environment: Graduate Student Capstones

Over the last decade, the Marcellus Shale in West Virginia has seen a rapid rise in exploitation of resources. The boom is undeniable but the reasons behind the success stories remain debatable. What factors have led to successes for operators in the Marcellus Shale in West Virginia? Statistical and spatial analysis can aid in making that determination. Statistical analysis will focus on correlating leased acreage numbers to drilled and producing well data to demonstrate the correlation between leased acres and number of wells. Spatial Analysis will be used to determine the areas with the highest prevalence of drilled and producing …


Locating A Wildlife Corridor For The Wild Tiger In India, Carmen George Nov 2015

Locating A Wildlife Corridor For The Wild Tiger In India, Carmen George

Geography and the Environment: Graduate Student Capstones

The tiger (Panthera Tigris) has been on the ICUN red list of endangered species since 1972. In the early 20th century, 100,000 wild tigers roamed Asia and today approximately 3,600 remain. India is home to over half of the remaining wild tigers and continues to struggle in creating effective conservation plans. Poaching, habitat destruction and prey depletion are several primary causes of tiger population degradation and remain major barriers to rejuvenation of healthy populations in the wild. Wildlife corridors are essential to the process of repairing fragmented habitats. Through the use of GIS and remote sensing this …


Habitat Selection Of Wolverines: A Geospatial Analysis Of Wolverine Movements In Southwest Montana, Bryn Karabensh Nov 2015

Habitat Selection Of Wolverines: A Geospatial Analysis Of Wolverine Movements In Southwest Montana, Bryn Karabensh

Geography and the Environment: Graduate Student Capstones

Wolverine research in the contiguous United States is not abundant and understanding of the ecology of this species is not fully understood in this ecosystem. Specifically lacking in research is data regarding wolverine movements. This paucity of data and analysis inhibits the ability to effectively develop and implement conservation and management strategies. This paper seeks to identify patterns and habitat preferences of wolverines with respect to their movements. Specifically, do they avoid roads and clear-cuts zones from timber harvest and do they display a preference to topography features during movements? Using GPS locations of wolverines a regression analysis was applied. …


Selection Of A Reanalysis Meteorological Product For Use In Solar Resource Assessment, Anthony Lopez Oct 2015

Selection Of A Reanalysis Meteorological Product For Use In Solar Resource Assessment, Anthony Lopez

Geography and the Environment: Graduate Student Capstones

The U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory and collaborators are updating the National Solar Radiation Database with the next-generation satellite-based solar resource assessment known as the Physical Solar Model (PSM). This is part of an effort to achieve NREL and DOE’s goal to make solar energy technologies cost competitive with other forms of energy in the United States. Required in this effort is the selection of an appropriate meteorological reanalysis product- that provides critical inputs for solar energy estimation. This analysis quantitatively and qualitatively assessed the spatial and temporal accuracy of three meteorological reanalysis products using ground measurements. …


Classification, Visualization, And Analysis Of The Islamic State’S Narrative, Steven D. Bixler Oct 2015

Classification, Visualization, And Analysis Of The Islamic State’S Narrative, Steven D. Bixler

Geography and the Environment: Graduate Student Capstones

The Islamic State (IS) declared the establishment of a Caliphate on June 29, 2014 in Mosul, Iraq. Since that declaration, IS has communicated a four-part narrative to the global community through Dabiq magazine, its e-publication. Each of the ten editions of Dabiq has provided insight into IS’s aspirations and reinforced its message of rejecting post-colonial structures. Critical to realizing its objective is establishing a foothold for the Caliphate through jihad (holy war), establishing legitimacy through jamaah (governance), achieving tawhid (unity), and expanding through hijrah (immigration). Each publication contains these narrative elements to document IS’s progress. Classifying, visualizing, and mapping will …


Food Deserts: Usda Report Review, Christopher Rahm Oct 2015

Food Deserts: Usda Report Review, Christopher Rahm

Geography and the Environment: Graduate Student Capstones

The purpose of this Capstone will be to provide city, county, and eventually state, entities with the knowledge to better identify those areas which would fall under the auspice of the Healthy Food Financing Initiative, as laid out in a report by the United States Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Council on “Food Deserts.” Food deserts are those areas in which access to nutritious foods is limited by distance, by lack of transportation, or both. Food deserts have also been linked to obesity in children and adults, with the attendant health problems. With this knowledge, starting at the local level, …


Network Analysis Of The Walkability Of Denver’S Light Rail And Bus Rapid Transit Network And How This Can Be Improved, Ryan Ferriman May 2015

Network Analysis Of The Walkability Of Denver’S Light Rail And Bus Rapid Transit Network And How This Can Be Improved, Ryan Ferriman

Geography and the Environment: Graduate Student Capstones

This study evaluates how well the existing and proposed light rail and bus rapid transit lines in Denver serve residents who want to get by without a car. The number of residents and jobs within half mile and one mile walking distances of stations are calculated using network and buffer analysis methods. Results are compared to determine the accuracy benefit of conducting a network analysis rather than the more common buffer analysis. The study looks at ways to boost the number of residents and employees within walking distance by maximizing access around each station. It also quantifies the available land …


September 2013, Colorado Front Range Flooding, And Impacts On Agriculture And Irrigation Infrastructure: A Case Study In The Left Hand Ditch System, Boulder County, Colorado, Nick Ludolph May 2015

September 2013, Colorado Front Range Flooding, And Impacts On Agriculture And Irrigation Infrastructure: A Case Study In The Left Hand Ditch System, Boulder County, Colorado, Nick Ludolph

Geography and the Environment: Graduate Student Capstones

Flooding can cause massive harm to the agricultural sector by flooding fields and damaging the infrastructure that is essential for agricultural activities. Crops are often lost and repairs may be necessary to restore irrigation systems to functional status. This research aims to quantify the damages and losses experienced from the unprecedented September 2013 flooding event in Boulder County Colorado’s Left Hand Ditch Company service area. Damages are cataloged and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technologies were used to estimate economic impact and determine the landscape characteristics of lands where the highest rates of flooding occurred. Alfalfa and non-alfalfa hays experienced the …


Geospatial Analysis Of Smart Growth And Transit Oriented Developments, Michelle J. Nichols Mar 2015

Geospatial Analysis Of Smart Growth And Transit Oriented Developments, Michelle J. Nichols

Geography and the Environment: Graduate Student Capstones

Rapid population growth, water and air pollution, overloaded public services, and traffic congestion can stress economies and result in unsustainable communities. Geographic Information Science (GIS) is a valuable technology for reversing negative these types of trends by identifying areas that may presently exhibit Smart Growth characteristics. Rather than expand on the current transportation infrastructure and develop new Smart Growth communities, San Diego Metropolitan’s Transit System (SDMTS) intends to use this study to review the current transit routing infrastructure in an effort to support communities exhibiting Smart Growth potential. Communities along existing transportation infrastructure will analyzed as potential Smart Growth and …