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Gis Librarians' Involvement In Critical Information Literacy Instruction, Melissa Chomintra, Pete E. Pascuzzi Dec 2025

Gis Librarians' Involvement In Critical Information Literacy Instruction, Melissa Chomintra, Pete E. Pascuzzi

Libraries Faculty and Staff Scholarship and Research

Critical information literacy (CIL) is a theory and practice that considers the sociopolitical dimensions of information and knowledge production. As the field of geospatial information evolves, equipping librarians with the skills to critically engage with geospatial information becomes integral to facilitating informed research, promoting spatial literacy, and strengthening the accessibility of geospatial data for their user communities. To understand geospatial data librarians’ current involvement in CIL, librarians were surveyed to examine if they incorporate CIL into their instruction, how they incorporate CIL into their instruction, and what are the benefits and challenges of doing so. The survey gathered both quantitative …

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China’S Influence Over The Mining Industry In Africa, Safa M. Altamimi, Reda Amer Dec 2025

China’S Influence Over The Mining Industry In Africa, Safa M. Altamimi, Reda Amer

Undergraduate Research Symposium

How much influence does China have over the international supply of minerals from Africa? The purpose of this research is to study China’s involvement in Africa’s mining industry and analyze its impact on US economic interests. China has traded and invested in many mining sites across Africa; However, I will be focusing on DRC, Zambia, and Zimbabwe for my research. Using ArcGIS pro tools, I will create and analyze a map that contains information about mineral deposits and facilities.

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A Review Of 3d Gis For Use In Creating Virtual Historic Dublin, Alain Chenaux, Maurice Murphy Dr, Sara Pavia Dec 2025

A Review Of 3d Gis For Use In Creating Virtual Historic Dublin, Alain Chenaux, Maurice Murphy Dr, Sara Pavia

Journal of Academic Research and Innovation

This paper illustrates how BIM integration with GIS is approached as part of the workflow in creating Virtual Historic Dublin. A design for a WEB based interactive 3D model of historic buildings and centres in Dublin City (Virtual Historic Dublin City) paralleling smart city initiates is now under construction and led by the National Monuments at the Office of Public Works in Ireland. The aim is to facilitate the conservation and maintenance of historic infrastructure and fabric and the dissemination of knowledge for education and cultural tourism using an extensive Historic Building Information Model. Remote sensing data is now processed …

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Community Approaches To Digitally Documenting And Sharing Conjunto Music In The South Texas Borderlands, René Antonio Ballesteros Dec 2025

Community Approaches To Digitally Documenting And Sharing Conjunto Music In The South Texas Borderlands, René Antonio Ballesteros

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explores the rich tradition of conjunto music within the South Texas borderlands, examining how integrating community engagement and digital humanities methodologies can effectively enhance the documentation, conservation, and presentation of this place-based expressive culture. Recognizing existing archival gaps, the research employed community-engaged programming to gather and preserve valuable cultural data. A key methodology outcome involved creating digital maps utilizing place-based data related to conjunto music sites and activities, subsequently integrating these maps into an ArcGIS Online story map for public online access. The findings demonstrate the significant potential of community collaboration and digital humanities tools in amplifying cultural …

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From Student Project To Research Agenda: How Libraries Facilitate Gis Education And Collaboration, Charidy Paige, Jeanine Finn Dec 2025

From Student Project To Research Agenda: How Libraries Facilitate Gis Education And Collaboration, Charidy Paige, Jeanine Finn

Library Staff Publications and Research

Geographic information systems (GIS) have been a tool and methodology deeply
intertwined with academic libraries since the initial efforts of ARL and ESRI to support the development of map librarians into geospatial data experts in the early 1990s.
Although GIS in libraries has been a source of successful collaborations, the demands are often overwhelming for library staff. Over time, the scale, formats, and methods of data sharing have evolved significantly, requiring skills beyond many traditional library competencies.

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Analyzing Sea Level Rise Scenarios Impact On The Mobility, Infrastructures, Environment Of Abu Dhabi And Defining Solutions By Creating A Digital Twin Using Gis And Game Engine, Justine Sylviane Lucie Sarrau Oct 2025

Analyzing Sea Level Rise Scenarios Impact On The Mobility, Infrastructures, Environment Of Abu Dhabi And Defining Solutions By Creating A Digital Twin Using Gis And Game Engine, Justine Sylviane Lucie Sarrau

Thesis/ Dissertation Defenses

This dissertation is concerned with the potential impact of future sea level rise scenarios on the city of Abu Dhabi. With climate change, many coastal towns are at risk of experiencing this type of natural hazard. Currently, no precise scenario simulations have been developed, mainly related to the use of low spatial resolution elevation data. Additionally, the difficulty in understanding the real impacts persists when relying solely on traditional cartography and GIS methods. This dissertation mainly aims to take a further step by offering a new approach, which involves creating a real-time 3D simulation and dynamic flowing water. This is …

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Locating Economic Enclaves In Denver, Colorado 1923 Using Historic Newspaper Advertisements, Jeremy Havens Oct 2025

Locating Economic Enclaves In Denver, Colorado 1923 Using Historic Newspaper Advertisements, Jeremy Havens

The Geographical Bulletin

By mapping business advertisements found in various targeted readership newspapers published in Denver, Colorado from a century ago, it was hoped that business enclaves that existed at the time would be revealed. Addresses printed during the first week of May 1923 from three newspapers with targeted audiences (for Swedish speakers, African Americans, and Jewish readers), as well as those from a city-wide mainstream paper, were mapped. GIS tools were then used to locate clusters from the location points, which were used as evidence of enclave-type commercial districts. This method found two isolated clusters, one for businesses advertising in the African …

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Mapping The Margins: The Anniston Civil Rights Trail Story Map As A Model For Participatory Public History And The Decentralization Of Historical Narratives, Mark J. Sciuchetti Jr., Jianping Coco Huang, Jennifer Green, Sarah Faulkner Oct 2025

Mapping The Margins: The Anniston Civil Rights Trail Story Map As A Model For Participatory Public History And The Decentralization Of Historical Narratives, Mark J. Sciuchetti Jr., Jianping Coco Huang, Jennifer Green, Sarah Faulkner

The Geographical Bulletin

While commemorative narratives of the Civil Rights Movement often echo the oft-repeated names and stories of nationally recognized figures and sites of protest, localized histories—particularly those rooted in smaller communities like Anniston, Alabama, USA—remain marginalized in dominant public memory frameworks. In light of this, this article documents the creation and implementation of the Anniston Civil Rights Trail story map: a digital public history initiative designed to recover, interpret, and spatially contextualize ten key sites associated with Civil Rights activism in Anniston. Drawing on theoretical frameworks in geographic memory, counter-mapping, and participatory public history, the case study demonstrates how interactive mapping …

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Gis-Based Identification Of Suitable Sites For Rainwater Harvesting In Tabuk Basin, Saudi Arabia, Eman Khaled Albalawi Oct 2025

Gis-Based Identification Of Suitable Sites For Rainwater Harvesting In Tabuk Basin, Saudi Arabia, Eman Khaled Albalawi

UB Journal for Humanities

Water scarcity in arid regions necessitates innovative water management strategies to ensure sustainable resource utilization. This study presents a comprehensive Geographic Information Systems (GIS)-based multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) framework for identifying optimal sites for rainwater harvesting (RWH) infrastructure in the Tabuk Basin, northwestern Saudi Arabia. The research employed the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) to evaluate seven critical environmental parameters: rainfall patterns (55 mm annual average), topographic slope, soil texture, land use/ land cover classification, drainage density, stream order, and proximity to infrastructure. Remote sensing data from Landsat 8 imagery, NASA Shuttle Radar Topographic Mission (SRTM) digital elevation models, and Climatic …

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Analyzing Sea Level Rise Scenarios Impact On The Mobility, Infrastructures, Environment Of Abu Dhabi And Defining Solutions By Creating A Digital Twin Using Gis And Game Engine, Justine Sylviane Lucie Sarrau Oct 2025

Analyzing Sea Level Rise Scenarios Impact On The Mobility, Infrastructures, Environment Of Abu Dhabi And Defining Solutions By Creating A Digital Twin Using Gis And Game Engine, Justine Sylviane Lucie Sarrau

Dissertations

This dissertation investigates the potential impact of future sea level rise (SLR) scenarios on the city of Abu Dhabi. With climate change, many coastal towns are at risk of experiencing this type of natural hazard. Currently, no precise scenario simulations have been developed, mainly due to the use of low spatial resolution elevation data. Additionally, the difficulty in understanding the real impacts persists when analyses rely solely on traditional cartography and GIS methods. This dissertation aims to advance the field by offering a new approach, which involves creating a comprehensive dynamic 3D simulation with dynamic flowing water. This model, defined …

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Schools As Geopolitical Spaces: Violence Against Education During The Bosnian War (1992-1995), Allyson Bachta Aug 2025

Schools As Geopolitical Spaces: Violence Against Education During The Bosnian War (1992-1995), Allyson Bachta

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

Attacks on education have long been a feature of conflict, yet their strategic use by state and non-state actors remains underexamined. Despite global concern and growing documentation efforts by the international community, the motivations and patterns behind school attacks are not well studied. This project investigates the strategic use of such violence by Bosnian, Serbian, and Croatian state and non-state armed actors during the Bosnian War (1992-1995) and challenges the assumption that attacks on schools are simply collateral damage. Drawing from political and anti-civilian violence literature, this study situates schools as both symbolic and strategic geopolitical targets, targeted not only …

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Small Scale Analysis Of Urban Air Quality And Public Health In London, Uk, Provides Insights For Targeted Interventions, Alan Smith, Tim Daley Aug 2025

Small Scale Analysis Of Urban Air Quality And Public Health In London, Uk, Provides Insights For Targeted Interventions, Alan Smith, Tim Daley

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

Understanding the impact of scale and zonation is critical for accurately assessing population health in relation to air quality and demographic data. Using existing census geographies, we analyse spatial clustering and statistical associations across different census scales, focussing on vulnerable sociodemographic groups and temporal exposure patterns. This study aims to assess how different spatial resolutions affect the strength and interpretation of associations between air pollution, sociodemographic variables, and self-reported health. It also evaluates whether finer-scale, health-need-based zoning provides a more accurate basis for public health analysis. Exposure to higher PM2.5 concentrations, and having an undrlying disability, or long-term illness shows …

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Educational Opportunities Of Participatory Gis For Accessibility On A College Campus, Shiya Cao, Heather Rosenfeld, Sarah Susnea Aug 2025

Educational Opportunities Of Participatory Gis For Accessibility On A College Campus, Shiya Cao, Heather Rosenfeld, Sarah Susnea

Statistical and Data Sciences: Faculty Publications

The educational benefits of Participatory GIS (PGIS) in geographic higher education have received limited direct attention, often because of the complexities of integrating PGIS into university curricula. While a few exceptions found important educational benefits of PGIS, extant studies focused primarily on the educational benefits for students who worked in the research teams, instead of participants who contributed their local knowledge and perspectives to mapping. Our research aims to understand the educational benefits of PGIS for participants in a campus accessibility mapping project using the modes of experiential learning, positionality, and service learning. Through this, we also provide strategies for …

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Assessing Coastal Vulnerability And Climate-Driven Migration Risk In West Africa, Wenzhao Li, Surendra Maharjan, Hesham El-Askary Aug 2025

Assessing Coastal Vulnerability And Climate-Driven Migration Risk In West Africa, Wenzhao Li, Surendra Maharjan, Hesham El-Askary

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

This study presents a GIS-based multi-criteria decision-making framework to assess climate-induced migration risk along the West African coast. We developed a comprehensive risk index that integrates environmental hazards such as flood frequency and socio-economic vulnerability indicators, including poverty levels, population density, and adaptive capacity. By utilizing datasets such as the Geocoded Disasters (GDIS) dataset, Social Vulnerability Index (SVI), Poverty and Adaptive Capacity Index (PACI), and the Population Exposure Index (PEI), the study identifies regions most susceptible to displacement. Results reveal that areas like Benin’s Abomey-Calavi, Cotonou, and Akpo-Misserete are especially vulnerable due to high disaster frequency, substantial population exposure, and …

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Analyzing Environmental Health: Air Pollution And Human Health Using Geospatial Data Science, Yanhong Huang Jul 2025

Analyzing Environmental Health: Air Pollution And Human Health Using Geospatial Data Science, Yanhong Huang

Geography ETDs

Air pollution from industrial emissions and wildfire smoke poses growing threats to public health. This dissertation employs geospatial data science to examine these challenges through three interrelated studies. The first study investigates the relationship between maternal residential exposure to industrial pollutants and low birth weight, identifying five chemicals as significant risk factors. The second study assesses the impact of industrial air pollution on lung and bronchus cancer survival, finding that exposure to 1,1,1-trichloroethane and cobalt is associated with reduced survival. The third study explores disparities in wildfire smoke PM2.5 exposure and its association with asthma exacerbations. Results show disparities …

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Evaluating The Evaluation Matrices: Integrating Spatial Assessment In Geospatial Ai Model Training And Evaluation, Fangzheng Lyu Jun 2025

Evaluating The Evaluation Matrices: Integrating Spatial Assessment In Geospatial Ai Model Training And Evaluation, Fangzheng Lyu

I-GUIDE Forum

This paper examines the limitations of current evaluation metrics in GeoAI. Through two case studies on deep learning models—a building detection classification problem and a remote sensing image fusion regression problem—this paper demonstrates how traditional statistical evaluation matrices alone can be misleading in geospatial problems. The findings indicate that traditional metrics (e.g., RMSE, MAE) used in current GeoAI models can have difficulty capturing the spatial dimensions inherent to geospatial problems. This paper suggests that the model evaluation process in GeoAI should move beyond traditional evaluation matrices by integrating spatial thinking throughout the modeling pipeline—not only incorporating spatial accuracy in model …

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Assessing The Effect Of Covid-19 On Air Quality For Five Texas Metro Areas Using Daily Air Quality Index Values, Rahul Sahajpal May 2025

Assessing The Effect Of Covid-19 On Air Quality For Five Texas Metro Areas Using Daily Air Quality Index Values, Rahul Sahajpal

Theses and Dissertations

Air pollution is one of the biggest health hazards known to humans. The quality of the air that we breath is mainly determined by the level of six major air pollutants, Carbon Monoxide (CO), Nitrogen dioxide (NO2), Particulate Matter 10 (PM 10), Particulate Matter 2.5 (PM 2.5), Sulfur dioxide (SO2) and Ozone (O3). The main source of these air pollutants are fossil fuels (Oil, Coal and Natural gas). Their levels in the air are reported using an Air Quality Index (AQI). Higher AQI values indicate bad air quality and vice versa. In this study …

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Groundwater Storage Dynamics In Abu Dhabi Emirate Using In-Situ And Grace Data, Tala Jalal Maksoud May 2025

Groundwater Storage Dynamics In Abu Dhabi Emirate Using In-Situ And Grace Data, Tala Jalal Maksoud

Theses

Water scarcity presents a significant challenge to the sustainable development; especially in arid regions like Abu Dhabi Emirate. Addressing concerns over nonrenewable aquifer depletion, caused by agricultural expansion and lifestyle advancements, has, therefore, become crucial in such regions. This thesis investigates Groundwater Storage (GWS) dynamics in Abu Dhabi Emirate by integrating satellite data from the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) with in-situ data from 257 wells over two decades (2002-2022), employing GIS and RS technologies. The main aim of this study is to provide a comprehensive approach to evaluate GWS dynamics considering multiple perspectives including: dealing with missing datasets, …

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Geospatial Modeling Of Winter-Related Property Damage In Arkansas, Braedyn Mcbroom May 2025

Geospatial Modeling Of Winter-Related Property Damage In Arkansas, Braedyn Mcbroom

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Storm Data, a monthly publication by the National Weather Service with records of weather events, reports on property damage caused by natural hazards. Since 1996, the database has included winter-related events. While the property damage data is considered incomplete, no other unique, public datasets report winter-related property damage at the county level. From 1996 to 2024, Arkansas ranked #1 in winter-related property damage. To understand the factors that are driving property damage and potentially reduce Arkansas’ vulnerability to it, three groups separated by temporal periods, i.e., “2000” (01/1996 - 06/2005), “2010” (07/2005 - 06/2015), and “2020” (07/2015 - 06/2024) …

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Urban Heat Islands Across Major U.S. Cities: ​The Relationship Between Surface Temperature & Socioeconomic Status, Sarah Irish, Eliza Hammari, Megan Green Apr 2025

Urban Heat Islands Across Major U.S. Cities: ​The Relationship Between Surface Temperature & Socioeconomic Status, Sarah Irish, Eliza Hammari, Megan Green

FHSS Mentored Research Conference

The urban heat island (UHI) effect is a geospatial phenomenon prevalent across major U.S. cities which has significant implications for public health, energy consumption, and environmental quality. To better understand the impacts of UHI on various communities, we analyzed the correlation between surface heat temperatures and median household income across five large cities and three urban climates (arid, humid, and tropical) in the U.S.. We gathered data from the U.S. Census Bureau and other sources to create maps using ArcGIS Pro. Based on the maps and statistical analysis, UHI intensity is correlated with socioeconomic status. Further research is recommended to …

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Flood Risk Assessment In Humanitarian Contexts: A Remote Sensing And Gis Methodology Applied To Nyarugusu Refugee Camp, Tanzania, Carolyne Vincent Mbirika Apr 2025

Flood Risk Assessment In Humanitarian Contexts: A Remote Sensing And Gis Methodology Applied To Nyarugusu Refugee Camp, Tanzania, Carolyne Vincent Mbirika

Theses

Flooding is a global challenge, with effects mostly experienced in developing countries due to insufficient data for effective flood risk assessment and management. Refugee settlements are particularly vulnerable to flooding due to their remote locations, high population density, and temporary shelters, necessitating flood susceptibility mapping to effectively mitigate risks and minimize damage prior to flooding events. This study assessed flood susceptibility in the Nyarugusu refugee camp, Tanzania, through Multi-criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) and Analytical Hierarchy Process using remote sensing and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) approaches. The flood susceptibility map that resulted from this process categorizes flood-prone areas into three classes: …

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Toward A Construct-Based Definition Of Urban Green Space: A Literature Review Of The Spatial Dimensions Of Measurement, Methods, And Exposure, Doo Hong Lee, Brent Chamberlain, Hye Yeon Park Mar 2025

Toward A Construct-Based Definition Of Urban Green Space: A Literature Review Of The Spatial Dimensions Of Measurement, Methods, And Exposure, Doo Hong Lee, Brent Chamberlain, Hye Yeon Park

Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning Student Research

Interdisciplinary research has significantly advanced our understanding, benefits, and measurements of Urban Green Space (UGS). Further, the rapid expansion of research on this topic has resulted in a diverse array of definitions, which can rely on implicit assumptions without a formal definition. This variability highlights the need for a carefully structured framework to refine and combine these definitions. This narrative review examines constructs underlying UGS, particularly focusing on the spatial aspects of how we spatially measure UGS, the measurements of UGS, and how we define exposure; the latter focuses on two methods: viewsheds and image segmentation. Our findings reveal a …

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Spatiotemporal Variation Of Vegetation Cover In Mining Areas Of Ysr Kadapa District, Andhra Pradesh Using Remote Sensing And Gis, Vinod Kumar Yarlanki, Prudhvi Raj Muppala, Prem Kumar Yasam, Balaji Gollapudi, Sumanth Moddu, Appanna Besta Jan 2025

Spatiotemporal Variation Of Vegetation Cover In Mining Areas Of Ysr Kadapa District, Andhra Pradesh Using Remote Sensing And Gis, Vinod Kumar Yarlanki, Prudhvi Raj Muppala, Prem Kumar Yasam, Balaji Gollapudi, Sumanth Moddu, Appanna Besta

Journal of Sustainable Mining

The spatiotemporal variation of vegetation cover in the mining areas of YSR Kadapa district, Andhra Pradesh, using Remote Sensing and GIS techniques. By focusing on the years 2014, 2018, and 2023, the analysis provides insights into changes observed in water bodies, bare soil, sparse vegetation, moderate vegetation, and dense vegetation. The results reveal dynamic trends in land cover categories, highlighting the environmental impact of mining activities in the region. A significant decline in water bodies is observed, with the area reducing from 3.48 km2 in 2014 to 1.91km2 in 2023. This decrease raises concerns about the potential degradation …

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An Analysis Of Structural, Organizational, And Physical Approaches To Disaster Vulnerability: A Case Of Hurricane Harvey In Houston, Tx, Tarsha Hardy Jan 2025

An Analysis Of Structural, Organizational, And Physical Approaches To Disaster Vulnerability: A Case Of Hurricane Harvey In Houston, Tx, Tarsha Hardy

Planning Dissertations - Archive

Global warming and climate change have led to the increased and intensified presence of natural disasters. Cities grapple with the continual challenge of physical, structural, and organizational approaches to reducing disaster vulnerability while constantly working to prioritize the accessibility of safe spaces for the future. The aim of this dissertation is to examine spatial data from Harris County, Texas, in conjunction with key insights from key planning and government decision makers to determine how they can form collaborative and strategic alliances for the development of disaster vulnerability reduction strategies that increase access to safe spaces during imminent disasters. As a …

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Mapping Glams: Creating A National Dataset Of Glams To Develop A Categorical Climate-Change Risk Assessment Scale, Edward Benoitiii, Jill Trepanier, Jennifer Vanos, Emily Fisher, Kaitlyn Bailey, Annie Waddell, Haley Moore, Mandy Hatman, Mary Sidwell, Symonne Russell, Virginia Seger, Paige Boutte, Amanda Latta, Zoe Mohammad, Kyriel Felton, Erin Deliman, Breanna Benson-Pearce, Wendy Johnson, Allyson Russell, Baillie Pretzer, Christopher Reeder, Melissa Mcconnell, Lisa Dahlke, Kaitlynn Melear, Lillian Bodi, Savannah T. Lyle, Zach Lannes, Gwen L. Wells, Benjamin A. Teincuff, Jason M. Straight, Tiffany Rockwell, Shane T. Manthei, Jennifer L. Benner Jan 2025

Mapping Glams: Creating A National Dataset Of Glams To Develop A Categorical Climate-Change Risk Assessment Scale, Edward Benoitiii, Jill Trepanier, Jennifer Vanos, Emily Fisher, Kaitlyn Bailey, Annie Waddell, Haley Moore, Mandy Hatman, Mary Sidwell, Symonne Russell, Virginia Seger, Paige Boutte, Amanda Latta, Zoe Mohammad, Kyriel Felton, Erin Deliman, Breanna Benson-Pearce, Wendy Johnson, Allyson Russell, Baillie Pretzer, Christopher Reeder, Melissa Mcconnell, Lisa Dahlke, Kaitlynn Melear, Lillian Bodi, Savannah T. Lyle, Zach Lannes, Gwen L. Wells, Benjamin A. Teincuff, Jason M. Straight, Tiffany Rockwell, Shane T. Manthei, Jennifer L. Benner

Faculty Publications

Introduction. The PROTECCT-GLAM project aims to assess and address climate risks for U.S. galleries, libraries, archives, and museums (GLAMs). The project team began with creating a national dataset of GLAMs. Method. The project team used existing datasets that required different auditing and manipulation techniques to align its data. Following the data normalization, the master file included 77,960 entries. Analysis and Results. The project team used ArcGIS Pro to analyze a dataset of galleries, libraries, archives, and museums (GLAMs) for risk from sea level rise, finding 16,877 GLAMs within 30 kilometres of the U.S. coast, with California, New York, Maryland, Florida, …

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Spatial Implications Of Potential Treeline Campfire Restrictions In Selected Usfs-Managed Colorado Wildernesses, Rebecca Hippensteel Jan 2025

Spatial Implications Of Potential Treeline Campfire Restrictions In Selected Usfs-Managed Colorado Wildernesses, Rebecca Hippensteel

Masters Projects

High-elevation ecosystems in Colorado’s Wilderness areas are ecologically sensitive and particularly vulnerable to campfire impacts, which can damage vegetation, alter soil chemistry, and degrade wilderness character. This study presents a preliminary proof of concept evaluating the spatial implications of banning campfires at or above 11,000 feet—used here as a proxy for treeline—in twelve U.S. Forest Service-managed Wilderness areas. Using 30-meter resolution Digital Elevation Models from the USGS National Map and Earth Explorer, a raster-based analysis in ArcGIS Pro identified and quantified acreage above 11,000 feet. Across the twelve Wilderness areas, 268,601 acres were found to lie above treeline, representing an …

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Assessing High-Speed Rail (Hsr) Policy And Politics In Washington State: Avoiding The Mistakes Of The Past, Landen K. Hashimura Jan 2025

Assessing High-Speed Rail (Hsr) Policy And Politics In Washington State: Avoiding The Mistakes Of The Past, Landen K. Hashimura

All Master's Theses

While international standard high-speed rail (HSR) has yet to be successfully completed in the US, there is a national interest in the topic, as evidenced by recent federal initiatives to research HSR across various corridors. The Cascadia Corridor has been identified as a region with high potential for HSR, leading to an ongoing study in the State of Washington. Given the tumultuous history of American HSR development, the Cascadia HSR initiative needs to avoid the mistakes of the past. Two major contributing factors to this failure to build HSR are uneven political support for HSR and poor policy frameworks. Despite …

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Modeling The Impact Of Climate Change On Plant Hardiness Zones Across The Contiguous United States Using Empirical Bayesian Kriging Regression Prediction, Daniel Donkor Jan 2025

Modeling The Impact Of Climate Change On Plant Hardiness Zones Across The Contiguous United States Using Empirical Bayesian Kriging Regression Prediction, Daniel Donkor

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Mapping plant hardiness zones is crucial to understanding and predicting the spatial distribution of plants in response to climatic conditions. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) developed the plant hardiness zones based on the average of annual extreme minimum temperatures using the Parameter elevation Regression on Independent Slope Model (PRISM). While the USDA’s 2012 and 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone maps remain standard references, they offer limited geostatistical transparency that causes more complications in replicating. This study applies Empirical Bayesian Kriging Regression Prediction (EBKRP) method to generate Plant Hardiness Zone maps, analyze spatial and temporal shifts in the plant hardiness …

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The Role Of Remote Sensing And Gis Techniques In Analysis Of Southern California Wildfires In January 2025, Sara Fitzgibbon Jan 2025

The Role Of Remote Sensing And Gis Techniques In Analysis Of Southern California Wildfires In January 2025, Sara Fitzgibbon

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

California is no stranger to wildfires, with them becoming more frequent and larger in recent years. In early January 2025, Southern California had one of the worst outbreaks of wildfires in its history, with the Pacific Palisades and Eaton Fires being considered among the most destructive in state history. To help prevent this from happening in the future, remote sensing techniques are essential in combating these issues. In this report, geographic information systems (GIS) and remote sensing data utilized to explore fire behavior by various organizations were investigated. By using this data, this study aims to predict and monitor fire …

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Using Landscape Ecology And Spatial Statistics To Examine The Impacts Of Proposed Removals To Natural Heritage System And The Agricultural System Of Ontario’S Greenbelt, Brianna Downey Jan 2025

Using Landscape Ecology And Spatial Statistics To Examine The Impacts Of Proposed Removals To Natural Heritage System And The Agricultural System Of Ontario’S Greenbelt, Brianna Downey

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The 2022 proposed removals from the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), Southern Ontario’s Greenbelt would have resulted in negative impacts including, reductions to the size and functionality of the Agricultural System and Natural Heritage System, which are components of protected Greenbelt area. Several removal sites were located either on or in close proximity to corridor areas of the NHS, reducing connectivity and negatively impacting the surrounding ecological area. The removal of Agricultural land primarily consisted of corn and soybeans, as well as large removals of woodland, wetland, and shrubland class areas. The removal sites on local Agricultural composition and configuration were …

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