Digital Commons Network^™

On Assigning Place Names To Geography Related Web Pages, Wenbo Zong, Dan Wu, Aixin Sun, Ee Peng Lim, Dion Hoe-Lian Goh

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

In this paper, we attempt to give spatial semantics to web pages by assigning them place names. The entire assignment task is divided into three sub-problems, namely place name extraction, place name disambiguation and place name assignment. We propose our approaches to address these sub-problems. In particular, we have modified GATE, a well-known named entity extraction software, to perform place name extraction using a US Census gazetteer. A rule-based place name disambiguation method and a place name assignment method capable of assigning place names to web page segments have also been proposed. We have evaluated our proposed disambiguation and assignment …

A Richer Harvest [Toward A Regional Strategy For Portland Area Farmers Markets], John Chambers, Christopher Clancy, Aaron Deggs, Brandon Fessler

Asset Mapping: Community Geography Project

A senior capstone course is the culmination of the University Studies Program at Portland State University. The emphasis of a capstone course is to take students out of the classroom and into the field. Students bring previous knowledge and skills to work on a community project. They work together as a team, utilizing resources and collaborating with faculty and community leaders to find solutions for important issues.

Forest Resource Use, Land-Use, And Ecotourism In The RíO PláTano Biosphere Reserve, Honduras, Christina Marie Friedle

Dissertations and Theses

The Río Plátano Biosphere Reserve, a tropical rainforest reserve in the northeastern corner of Honduras, is home to several subsistence-based indigenous groups, including the Miskito, Pech and Garifuna, as well as the non-indigenous Ladinos. Communities within the reserve depend on forest resources, swidden agriculture, marine resources and/or small-scale ranching as the foundations for local economies. Regulations placed on these subsistence practices, after establishment of the biosphere reserve in 1980, have created unique and new pressures and resulted in a blend of traditional and innovative resource use. A notable result is the promotion of ecotourism as a solution for meeting the …

Hyperspectral Simulation And Recovery Of Submerged Targets In Turbid Waters, Charles R. Bostater

Ocean Engineering and Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Modeled hyperspectral reflectance signatures just above the water surface are obtained from radiative transfer models to create synthetic images of targets below the water surface. Images are displayed as 24 bit RGB images of the water surface using selected channels. Example model outputs are presented in this paper for a hyperspectral Monte Carlo and a hyperspectral layered analytical iterative model of radiative transport within turbid shallow water types. Images at the selected wavelengths or channels centered at 490, 530 and 680 nm suggests the two models provide quite similar results when displayed as RGB images. The techniques are demonstrated to …

Mapalester:Powerful, East-To-Use Gis Software Under Development, Brent Hecht

Geography Honors Projects

Many non-profits and K-12 schools would benefit from a GIS, but cannot afford expensvie GIS software. I have worked on developing a new GIS software package aimed at these and other organizations and individuals with small budgets. The software is particularly focused on ease of use and centralization, especially with regard to spaital analysis operations and date retrieval/organization. In the paper, I discuss my progress on the software, as well as the major problems I have encountered in developing it.

The Geography Of Organic Farming In Minnesota And Wisconsin, Andrew C. Riely

Geography Honors Projects

In this study, I examine the agricultural geography of Minnesota and Wisconsin and the history of organic farming. I discuss economic and social factors in the spatial distribution of organic farming. Through field work, mapping, statistical analysis, and farmer surveys, I determined that organic farms cluster in southwestern Wisconsin and central Minnesota. Southwestern Wisconsin's hills limit row cropping, making the land available for organics (especially dairy operations.) The local CROPP cooperative is also a stron support. Finally, most organic farmers farm conventionally before switching to organic. Since they tend not to move, the change rarely affects location.

Geographic Factors As Determinants Of Foreign Direct Investment In Eastern Europe's Transitioning Economies, Jovana Trkulja

Geography Honors Projects

The removal of the "Iron Curtain" epitomized the shed of Eastem Europe's central planning and the region's adoption of the Westem market system. To establish a comparative advantage in today's markets, the transitioning nations need financial assistance through Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). While most research focuses on economic and political factors as determinants of FDI this paper additionally examines the regions geography. Results indicate that urban concentration, road networks and proximity to surrounding markets significantly attract foreign investors. The implications of capital inflows are geographically altering as the urban and rural landscapes are modified to reflect the new market system.

Agricultural Subsidies And The Doha Round: A Historic Breakthrough?, Samuel T. Ledermann

Geography Honors Projects

The international community witnessed a self-proclaimed 'historical breakthrough'at the World Trade Organization (WTO) in late Summer 2004 as a framework was created to eliminate all export subsidies and reduce domestic subsidies and tariffs respectively. While many hailed this step as a major victory for developing nations, others have been cautious on the 'success'of this agreement. This honor thesis evaluates the short- and long-term effects of this framework agreement on the agricultural sectors of the US, South Africa and Mali. The paper first undertakes a historical analysis of what led to this 'victory'for developing nations at the WTO. The paper then …

Globalization, Urban Competitiveness, And Human Capital: Davidson County, Tennessee's Place In The Equation, James Russ

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Profound changes in the structure of the global economy since the end of World War II have drastically affected the way governments, businesses, and individuals interact with one another. The development of regional trading alliances (European Union, NAFTA, APEC), the end of the Cold War, and the rapid development of information technologies have contributed to new global economic theories that are being adopted by places large and small. Simply put, economic paradigms have changed. Local concerns have become more prevalent in the public debate over economic, political, and societal changes as a whole. The goal of my research is to …

A Multi-Scale Analysis Of Census-Based Land Surface Temperature Variations And Determinants In Indianapolis, Indiana, Bingqing Liang

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Mapping urban temperatures are one of the major foci in urban climatology studies due to its close relationships with environmental, economic, and social issues. Most previous urban temperature studies were based on a single scale. This study utilized remote sensing and GIS data to perform a multiple scale analysis of urban temperatures. Land surface temperatures (LST) data derived from a Landsat Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) image were used to examine census-based variations and to model their numerical relationships with urban morphology in Marion County, Indiana. Selected variables for the urban morphology include Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NOVI), buildings, roads, …

The Effect Of Scaling-Up On Remotely Derived Leaf Area Index Estimators In The Brazilian Amazon, John I. Menzies

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research compared a traditional statistical technique with artificial neural networks to determine their effectiveness for modeling LAI in the Santarem region of the Brazilian Amazon. In addition, different satellite sensors in the form of ETM+, ASTER, MO DIS, and IKONOS were used to assess if spatial and spectral resolutions play a role in the ability to estimate LAI. This study focused on the following: (1) Determining if neural networks perform more accurately than multiple regression for LAI modeling (2) the effectiveness of different resolution satellite data including ETM+, ASTER, MODIS, and IKONOS for LAI estimation; (3) determining if spatial …

A Fishing Farm In The West Fjords Of Iceland: A Preliminary Report Of The Archaeofauna From Gjögur, Yekaterina Krivogorskaya, Sophia Perdikaris, Thomas H. Mcgovern

School of Global Integrative Studies: Faculty Publications

The date for the onset of full scale commercial fisheries in Iceland remains somewhat controversial, but thus far the earliest radiocarbon dated seasonal fishing station (11th- 13th century) is in NW Iceland’s Strandasýsla County at Akurvík. This paper presents a preliminary report of the ongoing analysis of the large archaeofauna from the farm mound at Gjögur, 3 km from Akurvík, places the site of Gjögur in the wider context of the NW region of Iceland by comparing the site with the Akurvík archaeofauna, and outlines new methodologies of reconstructing live fish size and age based on recovered fish bones. Although …

Adult Demographic Composition In The Poole-Rose Ossuary, Kirsten Marie Brown

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

Snowpack Control Over The Thermal Offset Of Air And Soil Temperatures In Eastern North Dakota, Andrew Grundstein, Paul E. Todhunter, Thomas Mote

Geography & Geographic Information Science Faculty Publications

[1] The close relationship between air and ground temperatures has been used to reconstruct paleoclimate conditions from ground temperatures. Unfortunately, the presence of snow decouples air and ground temperatures and obscures their relationship. The objective of this paper is to investigate the role that snowpack conditions play in affecting the relationship between air and soil temperatures. The annual thermal offset between mean annual soil and air temperatures is examined over a 12 year period (1990–2002) at Fargo, ND, using observed soil temperatures along with simulations from a physically based snowpack model. Early season snow cover does not necessarily lead to …

Unrecognized Potential Along Twin Cities Commercial Corridors, Paul Singh

Geography Honors Projects

The economic vitality of the commercial corridors in Minneapolis and St. Paul is imperative to the well-being of inner-city neighborhoods. In order to assist community groups with redevelopment along the corridors, this publication identifies commercial revitalization using a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) model. One commercial corridor that was found to be experiencing greater success than was predicted by the GIS model is the section of Nicollet Avenue known as Eat Street. The history of Eat Street highlights several strategies that can assist community groups with their redevelopment efforts.

Wither The Fruited Plain: The Long Expedition And The Description Of The "Great American Desert", Kevin Z. Sweeney

Great Plains Quarterly (through 2013)

The view from Pikes Peak is breathtaking. Situated where the Great Plains meets the Rocky Mountains, one feels as if the whole nation is laid out before you. It is the perfect vantage point from which to write an inspirational anthem to the environmental magnificence of the United States. In the summer of 1893, Katherine Lee Bates, a Wellesley College English professor, sat on the summit of Pikes Peak, inspired by the panorama to pen the words to "America the Beautiful." Her poem was set to the tune "Materna" by Samuel Augustus Ward two years later to become one of …

Geography Newsletter, Spring 2005, University Of Northern Iowa. Department Of Geography.

Geography Newsletter

Inside this issue:

-- Geography Faculty 2004-05
-- Dr. Philip W. Suckling Resigns After 14 Years as Geography Head
-- Dr. Dave May to Serve as Interim Head
-- Dr. Ramanathan Sugumaran Promoted to Associate Professor
-- Alex Oberle Appointed to Geography Faculty
-- GeoTREE Center to be Established at UNI's Department of Geography
-- Iowa Map Room
-- National Science Foundation Equipment Grant
-- Midwest Transportation Center's UNI Transportation Scholars Program
-- Geographic Information Science B.A. Major Underway
-- New Geography Secretary: Mrs. Janette McCulley
-- 2004 M.A. Geography Graduates
-- 2004 B.A. Geography Graduates
-- Alumni Album
-- …

Black River Watershed Management Plan, Erin M. Fuller

Masters Theses

The Black River Watershed encompassses 287 square miles in Allegan and Van Buren Counties in southwestern lower Michigan. The confluence of the North, Middle, and South branches is approximately 2.5 miles upstream of the City of South Haven, where the river empties into Lake Michigan. The Black River Watershed Management Plan was created with input from a variety of stakeholders, from local organizations to state agencies. Input from these stakeholders, field work, and previous water quality studies all helped determine water quality concerns in the Black River Watershed. Stakeholders input also was used to determine goals and objectives that would …

Assessment Of Sediment And Nutrient Loadings In The Davis Creek Watershed, Southwestern Michigan Using The Swat Model, Peter Kibowen Kimosop

Masters Theses

The Davis Creek Watershed has been impaired for many years by nonpoint source pollution. A recent modeling research on the watershed simulated both nutrient and sediment movements for the single storm events. This study simulates the movement of sediments and nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus) in the watershed continuously using the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) for assessing water quality in the watershed. Multiple databases for climate, soil types, DEM, land use and agricultural management practices were used to derive inputs for the SWAT. Subsequently, the SWAT model was run for the period of 1998-2004. The simulated results show that …

Saginaw Chippewa Tribal Relations And The Social Production Of Space In Isabella County, Michigan, Bryan Thomas Swanson

Masters Theses

This thesis focuses on how the historical and cultural geography of the Saginaw Chippewa tribe of Mount Pleasant, Michigan and specifically on through their Soaring Eagle Casino reshaped the physical and cultural landscape of Isabella County. For this research I utilized documentary/archival evidence such as local histories, newspapers, plat maps and I also conducted field surveys. The research findings indicated that through the Soaring Eagle Casino the Saginaw Chippewa tribe has changed Isabella County, as well as their own social standing. Since 1993 the tribe has used casino revenues to purchase 1185 acres of land to add to the Isabella …

Regional Geographic Influence On Two Khmer Polities, Chad Raymond

Faculty and Staff - Articles & Papers

This paper examines the effects of Cambodian geography in two Khmer polities: Funan, an empire that occupied the southeastern portions of modern-day Cambodia and Vietnam during the early centuries A.D., and Democratic Kampuchea, a Cambodian state that existed from April 17, 1975, until the Vietnamese invasion of December 25, 1978. In the construction of a national identity, a community must possess a tradition of a territory that the community regards as its ancestral home. The tradition of a territory provides a chronological anchor for the supposed authentic and pristine origins of the nation. As demonstrated by myth, propaganda, and policies, …

Effectiveness Of Wavelet Transform, Fractals, Lacunarity And Spatial Indices In Content-Based Image Retrieval, Sivagurunathan Chinniah

Masters Theses

The thesis demonstrates the feasibility of applying wavelet transforms, fractals, and spatial indices in content-based image retrieval (CBIR) of remotely sensed imagery. It consists of three major parts: the design and development of thick-client CBIR software, population of two samples of SPOT™ and Landsat 7 Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) image databases with metadata describing their visual properties, and, exploration of the effectiveness of region quadtree query and retrieval by content using various combinations of indices. 272 SPOT™ and 507 Landsat 7 ETM+ 512 x 512 pixel panchromatic images of Atlanta, Georgia were subsetted from two scenes. Moran's I index …

Assessing Water Quality Of The Davis Creek Watershed, Michigan Using Annagnps Model, Mustafa Rezaur Rahim

Masters Theses

The Davis Creek watershed is the most polluted tributaries of Kalamazoo River in Kalamazoo County, Michigan. This study applied continuous simulation AnnAGNPS model, developed by USDA ARS, to estimate sediment yield and nutrient loadings and simulate the effects of proposed land use scenarios on nonpoint source pollution in the Davis Creek Watershed. Daily climate data of 1998 to 2004, Digital Elevation Model, soil, land use, hydrography, and agricultural management information were used to derive the model input parameters. The model was run continuously for the period of 1998 through 2004. The simulated results showed that erosion and sediment loadings are …

Buscando El Cusco: Análisis Del Turismo En La Ciudad De Los Incas, Nicole A. Grant

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Al principio, yo empecé ésta investigación con motivos de exponer la inautenticidad de las experiencias turisticas debido a la increíble dependencia de las guías de viajes tales como Lonely Planet, Rough Guide, Fodor’s, Moon’s Handbook, etc. Andando por las calles de Cusco, uno no puede evitar una vista en que casi cada turista tiene una guía de viaje entre sus manos en búsqueda de la experiencia descrita en su libro. El turismo masivo ha creado un cierto tipo de turista que vienen a Cusco con poco conocimiento de la ciudad y muy poca iniciativa de descubrir algo más allá de …

Map Interactivity: Exploring The Benefits In The Utah Studies Classroom, Whitney Fae Taylor

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis introduces map interactivity as a new learning resource for historical geography subjects. The purpose of the research is to examine the ability of interactive maps to improve the learning process in social studies classrooms in Utah's public schools. An interactive map and paper maps focused on Utah settlement and hypothetical geographical attractors were created for this research. A two-group experiment was conducted in six classes of Utah Studies; the experimental group used an interactive map, and the control group used a series of paper maps and corresponding tables. Students' conceptual knowledge was tested before and after they used …

Mystery Writers In Foreign Settings: The Literary Devices And Methods Used To Portray Foreign Geographies, Amy Kimball Engar

Theses and Dissertations

A sense of place is important to the construction, believability and success of regional mystery novels. Authentic representation of place is challenging if an author is not originally from the area being portrayed. Despite this, some authors are able to depict foreign places more comprehensively and realistically than others. Professor Gary Hausladen of the University of Nevada, Reno identifies: narrative description, dialogue, iconography, and attention to detail as the basic literary devices that convey sense of place. This thesis questions the manner in which successful mystery novelists writing about foreign places meet Hausladen's model. Specifically, do they use all four …

Modeling And Simulation Of Commercial Satellite Imagery Processes, David A. Shultz

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to develop a general, statistical model of order-to-delivery times for commercial satellite imagery. The research looked at the current four satellite providers with 3-meter or better imagers in the context of a generalized model of commercial imaging satellite operations. Existing methods use orbit analysis tools to determine the imaging time of a specified target based on defined satellite position and times, but can only develop shortest and longest times to an imaging opportunity. To address the general question of the time it takes to deliver an image for non-specific targets, this research develops a …

Information Technology Implementation And Sustainment Model: Data Collection Instrument, Walter K. Yazzie

Theses and Dissertations

The goal of this research was to develop a data collection instrument for an existing information technology implementation and sustainment model. In 2003, a unique system dynamics model was developed at the Air Force Institute of Technology to predict the behavior of information technology implementation and sustainment (Fonnesbeck, 2003). However, no empirical data was used during the model development. In order to collect the needed empirical data, this research develops a data collection instrument for the model. The instrument was sent to 60 Air Force community planners who are currently implementing a geographical information system (Air Force GeoBase) into their …

Social And Cultural Geographies Of South-East Asia, Tim Bunnell, Lily Kong, Lisa Law

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

The paper is an overview of English language publications that discuss what might be considered 'social' and 'cultural' geographies in Southeast Asia over the past two decades. We have strategically chosen two major themes that help us shape the mass of material into digestible strands: (1) the politics of social and cultural change; and (2) constructing identities. The former addresses various politics: the politics of nationhood; the politics of national development; the politics of cultural sites; the politics of urban change; and the politics of the global-local.

Money And The Spatial Challenge: Multilevel Governance And The “Territorial Trap”’, Richard Woodward

Books/Book Chapters

No abstract provided.