Digital Commons Network^™

Issues In Representing Ethnic Residential Segregation, Wanda Teresa Gayle Smith

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This study will look at some of the issues involved in representing ethnic residential segregation. Segregation studies rely heavily upon indices and maps. However, both of these are sensitive to the spatial boundaries used. As well, maps have a visual element which affects the nature and degree of representation. Toronto has been chosen as the area of study because of its high degree of ethnic diversity. Five indices that describe the five dimensions of segregation (Massey and Denton, 1988) will be calculated at four standard levels of aggregation. As well, several types of maps will be produced to illustrate the …

The Educational Impacts Of The Boyne River Natural Science School: Twenty-Five Years Later (Ontario), Roy George Cumming

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This paper examines how one or more visits to the Boyne River Natural Science School operated by the Toronto Board of Education affects students’ environmental attitudes and behaviours. It also looks at what effect these visits had on their perceptions about the environment and whether the program was important in their personal and educational development. The study surveys students who attended the Boyne River Natural Science School between 1973 and 1986. Effects were measured by means of a short questionnaire. From this time period 125 students filled out the questionnaire, with the gender breakdown being 65 females and 60 males. …

The Dynamics Of Ethnic Residential Patterns In The Toronto Census Metropolitan Area (Ontario), Marinel Mandres

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Responding to contemporary urban changes and increasing social complexities, this research endeavours to determine whether recently arrived immigrants still follow residential configurations as prescribed by traditional urban ecological models or whether ethnic groups are displaying a new dispersed (i.e. ‘shot gun’) domiciliary pattern characterized by enclave scattering. A new conceptual model describing various spatial outcomes relative to primary destinations of initial immigrant settlement and subsequent relocation is developed according to propositions discussed in the literature review. Subsequent statistical analyses focus upon the hypothesized post-1980 areal placement of six ethnic groups (Greek, Jewish, Multiethnic, Aboriginal, Chinese, and Jamaican) using the British …

Modelling Spatial Processes: The Identification And Analysis Of Spatial Relationships In Regression Residuals By Means Of Moran's I (Germany), Michael Tiefelsdorf

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This thesis deals with the implementation, identification and analysis of relationships between geo-referenced objects. Significant spatial relationships manifest themselves in a spatial process which is modelled on a combination of spatial structure and spatial autocorrelation levels. Simple spatial structures reflect plain spill-over effects between adjacent spatial objects, whereas theoretical guided spatial structure mirror functional exchange relationships within the system of spatial objects. In empirical work, the underlying spatial process is unknown. The linking mechanism between a hypothetical spatial structure and a stochastic input must be identified from the observed data. This is accomplished here by means of the test statistic …

Labour Market Marginalisation Of Young Latinos In San Antonio, Texas: A Geographical Perspective Of Neighbourhood Processes, Harald Sven Bauder

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Latinos cluster in the lower segments of the U. S. labour market and therefore suffer disproportionately from labour market marginalisation and poverty. This dissertation examines supply side forces of the ethnic division of labour. Expanding upon structuration theory and realism, the research investigates the role of place in shaping career decisions of Latino youth. A case study of greater San Antonio, Texas, uses quantitative analysis of U. S. Census data to examine the patterns of youth labour market marginalisation in census tracts. In addition, qualitative in-depth interview analysis was conducted with twenty-nine youth and seventeen community-based institutions in two selected …

Land Transformation, Highly Governed Landscapes And Landscape Health: A Case Study Of The Lower Piave Area Of Northeastern Italy, Pietro Bertollo

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This dissertation examines the issue of biophysical landscape health. Its primary objective is to produce an interpretation of biophysical landscape health for the highly governed landscapes of the Lower Piave area of northeastern Italy. Highly governed landscapes are considered to be those which are highly controlled by humans to an even greater degree than normal cultural landscapes. An example is reclaimed agricultural landscapes such as those of the northeastern Italian coastal belt, from which the Lower Piave case study is drawn. These landscapes are highly governed because without constant human intervention, they would revert back to their former marsh state. …

Mapping Antibiotic-Resistant Neisseria Gonorrhoeae Isoaltes In Metropolitan Toronto: Issues Of Scale, Positional Accuracy And Confidentiality, Jody F. Decker, Bob Sharpe, Jo-Anne Dillon

Geography and Environmental Studies Faculty Publications

The primary objective of this paper was to investigate the methodological implications of mapping Neisseria gonorrhoeae using the partial three-digit postal code instead of the complete six-digit postal code. The reporting locations of N gonorrhoeae isolates submitted from hospitals, doctor’s offices, private and provincial laboratories, and sexually transmitted disease (STD) clinics were used as a model. Specifically, the paper focused on variations in geographical distributions of STD data when mapped at different aggregations of postal code data and at different map scales. Such variations are of importance to those who analyze the spaital epidemiology of STDs, and the accessibility and …

An Assessment Of Hydrological Process And Landform Change: Slave River Delta, Northwest Territories, Ronald Brad Hill

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The Slave River Delta, 61˚15'N, 113˚30'W, is located at the mouth of the Slave River in the southeast arm of Canada's Great Slave Lake. Although the delta itself lies some 1600 km downstream from the W.A.C. Bennett Dam at Hudson's Hope, British Columbia, the mean annual discharge and sediment load of the Slave River have decreased by 16% and 33% respectively since regulation. Such alterations in the Slave River flow regime have significant implications for the growth of the River Delta since the transfer of sediment to the delta front is one of the most important factors in the landform’s …

Teaching Secondary School Geography With The Use Of A Geographical Information System (Gis), Angela Louise Crechiolo

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Until quite recently, geographical information systems have been limited to the resources and students of post-secondary institutions. This situation is now changing in Ontario. In the early 1990's the Ministry of Education adopted mandates to develop curriculum guidelines for the integration of computers into all areas of the curriculum. Although the process is well underway in Ontario, limited access to hardware and software, insufficient pre-service and in-service training, and a paucity of teaching resources has lead to mounting teacher frustration. Although the literature base on teaching GIS at the pre-collegiate level is increasing, it lacks clearly defined examples of how …

Industrial Trade Shows: Their Role And Spatial Dimension In Industrial Restructuring, Andras Gosztonyi

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The fundamental changes in the economic environment since the 1970s put firms under immense pressure to adjust their strategies to the increasingly dynamic and flexible global economy. The simultaneous upsurge in industrial trade show activity suggests that these events hold a central position in the process of restructuring. Therefore this study aims at theoretically examining the economic functions of trade shows and thus their role in economic restructuring. Yet, if trade shows are significant in industrial restructuring, it is important to learn about their spatial structure and thus their accessibility to firms in different countries and regions. This is carried …

Reexamination Of Scarp Development Along The Niagara Escarpment, Ontario, Canada, David Walter Hintz

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The Niagara Escarpment is generally viewed as a relict landform which shows ancient structural features and the effects of glaciation. Since it was realized that the Escarpment was not a fault, but instead a feature of erosional origin, little interest has been paid to development of the steep cliffed section of the Niagara Escarpment. This research project has several objectives. The first is an examination of the relationship between the morphology of the Escarpment and its geological units. This will include analysis of the structure and lithology of each and the geochemistry, especially, of the Queeston Formation. Associated with the …

A Sensitivity Analysis Of The Hydrology Of The Bow Valley Above Banff, Alberta Using The Ubc Watershed Model, Alexi Zawadzki

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Snow and ice meltwater constitutes a significant portion of westem Canada's water resources for residential, industrial and agricultural uses. As a consequence, temporal variations in climate will have a marked effect on the local hydrology of the Canadian Rocky Mountains, especially as glaciers, glacierettes and snow packs decrease in size or melt out. It is therefore very important for hydrologists to accurately understand the climatic sensitivity of glacierized watersheds in order to predict and prepare for potentially dramatic variations in the future water budget. This thesis proposes a methodology for the estimation of the hydrological response of a large, temperate, …

The Impact Of Glacier Recession Upon The Discharge Of The Bow River Above Banff, Alberta, 1951-1993, Christopher Dennis Hopkinson

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Three methods have been used to explore the volumetric change of glaciers in the Bow Basin above Banff for the years 1951 to 1993. Using aerial photography, the extent of glacier covers for the two years were mapped at a scale of 1:50,000. The first volumetric calculation of glacier loss was based on inventory criteria; the second a hyposgraphic curve method based on Young’s investigations in Mistaya Basin (1991) and the third stereo air photogrammetry and DEM comparisons using computer software. These methods were applied to the highly glacierized Hector Lake catchment within the Bow Valley and then extrapolated up …

Small Mammals Of Point Pelee National Park: Protecting Biodiversity In Small Reserves (Ontario), Julie Ann Spicer

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Habitat destruction, fragmentation and degradation have been widespread throughout southern Ontario with devastating effects on wetlands. Small reserves are all that in this highly agricultural/urban landscape to protect the biodiversity of Great Lakes Marsh and Carolinian Forest ecosystems. Small reserves are vulnerable to species loss through a host of problems related to size and as a result, the value of small reserves to conservation strategies has often been questioned. Indicator species can be used as a means of studying the conditions of complex ecosystems. In this research, small mammals were sampled in the wetlands of Point Pelee National Park as …

Spatial Distribution Of Lead In Soil And Sediment In Iqaluit, Northwest Territories And Links With Human Health, Liisa Ann Peramaki

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The Baffin Regional Health Board has recently expressed concern over lead poisoning in Iqaluit, NWT, manifested by low haemoglobin levels in children. Several studies in temperate regions have demonstrated links between environmental lead and human health. However, little is known about these links in a permafrost environment. While humans are exposed to lead via a number of different pathways, soils and sediments are two major pathways. The purpose of this study is to determine the spatial distribution of soil and sediment-associated lead in Iqaluit and to assess probable pathways between high lead levels and children. The research hypothesis is that …

Fluid Patterns, Sediment Pathways And Woody Obstructions In The Pine River, Angus, Ontario, John T. Beebe

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The objective of this research was to determine the effects that woody obstructions have on flow patterns and sediment pathways in a sand-bed river in Central Ontario. The Pine River near Angus, a tributary of the Nottawasaga River, was chosen because it contained a number of woody obstructions to flow from which to choose study sites. Two reaches, one containing a trunk oriented in the direction of flow, were chosen as the study reaches. Sampling of fluid speeds through the study reaches showed that the cross-stream obstruction acted to slow fluid as it approached and exited the obstruction zone, while …

Socio-Economic Factors And The Journey To Work: A Case Study Of At&T Gis Employees, Thomas A. Hammers

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Individuals who must commute to work are often concerned with the spatial separation of their home and job site. In many of these cases the socio-economic characteristics of these individual's lives play an important part in deciding how long this commute is, in terms of both time and distance. The following study seeks to identify the relationships between several selected socio-economic characteristics and the journey to work distances for employees at AT&T GIS. The factors being examined in this study are age, education level, number of dependents, income, length of service to the company, occupation type and gender. Significant differences …

Using Digital Elevation Models To Measure The Surface And Volumetric Change Of Athabasca Glacier, Alberta, Canada, 1919-1979, James Robb Reynolds

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The Athabasca Glacier (52˚12'N, 117˚14'W) located at the Alberta-British Columbia border was studied to quantify its volumetric, area and elevation changes below 2400 m between 1919 and 1979. The data sources consist of maps produced using aerial and terrestrial photogrammetry in the years between 1919 and 1979. The maps were digitized and converted into raster digital elevation models (DEMs), the manipulation of which allowed values of surface and volumetric change to be calculated. These DEMs showed that between 1919 and 1979 the glacier lost 2.344 x 108m3 of volume and receded more than 1 km. Each of the source maps …

Energy And Deforestation In Ghana: A Study Of Woodfuel-Deforestation Links In Rural Ghana, Iddrisu Adam

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Forests are one of the most valuable natural resources of many countries, including Ghana. Timber and other forest products have contributed immensely to the development of the country. These same forests have been a source of sustenance to the Ghanian people. Most particularly, forests have been the principal source of domestic energy by way of providing woodfuels. The heavy reliance on forest resources is taking its toll on the health of Ghanaian forests. In recent years, there has been increased awareness of the depletion of trees—a problem that many researchers have attributed to the over-exploitation of forests especially for domestic …

Obstetrical Care In The Baffin Region, Northwest Territories: Geographical, Medical And Cultural Perspectives, Christine Clara Earnshaw

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

In the Baffin Region, and other regions of the Canadian Arctic, geographic impediments and the history of southern-based health care delivery have influenced the present health care delivery and service. This is especially the case for obstetrical care since the whole process of childbirth has been transformed into a medical issue administered mainly by southern, non-Inuit health care workers and policy makers. Using 350 maternal and infant health records from the Baffin Regional Hospitals from September 1993 to September 1994, variables such as maternal age, fertility rates and low birth weight rates were calculated for communities in the region to …

Relative Rates Of Sand Transport Through An Incipient Parabolic Dune At Pinery Provincial Park, Ontario (Ammophila Breviligulata, Calamovilfa Longifolia, Cakile Edentula, Juniperus Virginiana, Populus Deltoides), Sheri A. Longboat

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Factors controlling the development, migration, and stability of an incipient parabolic dune in Pinery Provincial Park, Ontario were investigated in terms of grain size characteristics, rates of sediment transport, and local and regional winds. The parabolic dune, situated approximately 60 meters inland of Lake Huron, is dominated by sparsely scattered dune grass species of marram grass (Ammophila breviligulata), sand reed (Calamovilfa longifolia), and sea rocket (Cakile edentula). Small tree species of red cedar (Juniperus virginiana) and eastern cottonwood (Populus deltoides) emerge and increase in number beyond the parabolic dune. Mean grain sizes along a profile were coarsest on the beach …

Mechanical And Chemical Weathering Of Periglacial And Non-Periglacial Forms On The Eastern Fosheim Peninsula, Ellesmere Island (Northwest Territories), Cameron Lawrence Chadwick

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The purpose of this study is to examine the differences in the mechanical and chemical weathering of different periglacial and non-periglacial forms on the eastern Fosheim Peninsula. Forms studied include: solifluction lobes, non-sorted stripes, polygons, mudboils, wetted sloped, dry ridge and wet meadow. Most sites including the periglacial forms of solifluction lobes, non-sorted stripes, and polygons show signs of chemical and mechanical weathering. The weathering found at all sites was minute but may be significant given the slow rates of weathering in this environment. The individual environmental variables of moisture and temperature levels do not appear to have a direct …

Higher-Order, Multiplicatively Weighted Voronoi Diagrams: A New Approach To Trade Area Analysis, Robert William South

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Trade area models have traditionally been classified into one of two groups: spatial monopoly models or market penetration approaches. Spatial monopoly models define trade areas in a deterministic manner, while market penetration models construct market areas that are probabilistic. Past research has grouped Voronoi diagram models exclusively with the spatial monopoly approach. However, the research contained within this thesis demonstrates that Voronoi diagrams can be used to generate trade areas that are consistent with market penetration models. This thesis introduces two new Voronoi diagrams: the order-k, multiplicatively weighted Voronoi diagram (OKMWVD) and the ordered order-k, multiplicatively weighted Voronoi diagram (OOKMWVD). …

Managing External Threats To National Parks In Canada's Western Mountains (Alberta), George Yap

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

External threats to protected areas exist because the area encompassed by the legal boundaries of many protected areas is less than what is needed to maintain a minimum viable population of various animal species and some types of plant associations. While external stresses to parks are the result of a wide range of human activities, they threaten ecological integrity in two general ways: by contributing to habitat fragmentation, alienation and loss (HFAL), and/or undermining the long-term viability of transboundary animal populations. However, in comparison to internal threats, addressing external threats is considerably more complex since park managers have no legal …

An Evaluation Of Pump-Level Service As A Locational Variable Within Canada's Retail Gasoline Industry, Ian W.R. Gilbart

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Marketers who are searching for prime retail locations for gasoline outlets, and other automobile-oriented activities, in today’s market are faced with an increasingly complex process. As land and development costs escalate, competition increases and margins are tightened, there is a greater need for marketers within the retail gasoline industry to pinpoint sites that offer the best profit potential (Gilbart, 1994). In turn, large gasoline chains attempt to develop networks of stations that optimize market coverage and consumer convenience while minimizing costs. In response to the evolution of an increasingly dynamic marketplace, experts within the retail gasoline industry have invested a …

Economic Development And Local Agency In Pond Inlet: A Community In Baffin Region, Northwest Territories, Paul Emile Blais

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

In Canada over the last decade, economic development policy-makers have emphasized the role that localities can play in creating or capitalizing on their own capacities for development. Through an investigation of the situation in Pond Inlet, Northwest Territories, the author defines the role that local agency has played in the economic development process in that community. This investigation, based upon interviews of the role players and a broad literature search, involved an examination of the evolution of the economic development organizational structure over the last decade. More specifically, the author evaluated how the individual roles of the different development institutions …

Government Coordinating Agencies In Canadian Coastal Planning And Management: The Islands Trust And The Waterfront Regeneration Trust, Colin Graham Crance

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

In the coastal zone, relationships between natural, social and economic processes are often intense. This complexity has led to a host of government agencies involved in the planning and management of coastal environments. Unfortunately, these institutions often work at cross purposes, generating inefficiencies and exacerbating conflict. This conflict is compounded by the increasing participation of non-governmental groups and local interests in resource use decision-making. Further, reduced spending by the public sector is restricting government programs. These problems are not limited to Canada as there have been international calls to improve coastal area planning and management by forming authorities to coordinate …

The Volumetric Change Of The Peyto Glacier, Alberta, Canada, 1896-1966, Alistair Lennox Wallace

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The historical information concerning the Peyto Glacier is plentiful, especially with regards to terrestrial photographs. The information available dates from 1896 to present day. The glacier has been studied intensively since the 1960’s. The purpose of this thesis is to document a comprehensive historical record and determine volumetric changes of the Peyto Glacier, 1896-1966.

Changes in the extent of Peyto Glacier, Alberta are determined for the period 1896-1966. Data sources used include terrestrial photographs of Peyto Glacier from 1896, 1902 and 1917, the 1917 Alberta-British Columbia Interprovincial Boundary Commission Survey map and the 1966 map of the Peyto Glacier produced …

Hydrometeorological Investigations On A Small Valley Glacier In The Sawtooth Range, Ellesmere Island, Northwest Territories, Paul Michael Wolfe

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Hydrometeorological techniques were employed during the summer of 1993 to study a small (4.7km2) valley glacier in the Sawtooth Range, Fosheim Peninsula, Ellesmere Island, Northwest Territories. The annual 1992-93 mass balance for Quviagivaa Glacier (unofficial name), and for the adjacent Nirukittuq Glacier (unofficial name) was -532mm and -530mm water equivalent respectively. The equilibrium line altitude was above the upper limit of the glaciers due to the exceptional warmth of the summer. Slight marginal shrinking in the areal extent of Quviagivaa Glacier since 1959 suggests that strongly negative mass balances such as those recorded in 1993 are not indicative of the …

Urban-Rural Socio-Economic Links In African Countries: The Case Of Accra, Ghana, Edmund Nkansah Okoree

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

One of the most significant spin-offs of migration in developing countries is the remittance of cash and other resources from migrants to their family members remaining in the area of origin. Through remittances, income is redistributed from urban areas to rural areas. This results in an extension of social, economic, cultural and political fruits of urban life to rural households and communities. This study examines the types of links migrants in Accra, Ghana, maintain with their kin back home. Through a study of the flow of cash remittances and other resources between migrants in Accra and their area of origin, …