Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Of Rats And Men, Thomas S. Walsh

Capstones

This capstone is a data-driven investigation into New York City's rat problem. By using publicly available government data to map rat activity in NYC, I identified several socio-economic variables that correlate with rat populations at the community district, borough, and city-scale. I used these findings (mainly that rat problems are linked to lower incomes) as the basis of an investigation, which includes interviews with residents, experts, and city officials. Prof. Bobby Corrigan, urban rodentologist and formerly with the NYC Department of Health criticizes the city's efforts for the first time on the record.

https://thomasseiyawalsh.wixsite.com/ratstone

Breadcrumbs: Privacy As A Privilege, Prachi Bhardwaj

Capstones

Breadcrumbs: Privacy as a Privilege Abstract

By: Prachi Bhardwaj

In 2017, the world saw more data breaches than in any year prior. The count was more than the all-time high record in 2016, which was 40 percent more than the year before that.

That’s because consumer data is incredibly valuable today. In the last three decades, data storage has gone from being stored physically to being stored almost entirely digitally, which means consumer data is more accessible and applicable to business strategies. As a result, companies are gathering data in ways previously unknown to the average consumer, and hackers are …

Community Discussion: Catch The King Tide, Amy Matzke-Fawcett

News Items

No abstract provided.

Community Invited To Discuss King Tide Event, Amy Matzke-Fawcett

News Items

No abstract provided.

Harnessing The Data Revolution, Chaitan Baru

Commonwealth Computational Summit

Harnessing Data for 21st Century Science and Engineering (aka Harnessing the Data Revolution, HDR) is one of NSF's six "Big Research Ideas," aimed at supporting fundamental research in data science and engineering; developing a cohesive, federated approach to the research data infrastructure needed to power this revolution; and developing of a 21st-century data-capable workforce. HDR will enable new modes of data-driven discovery allowing researchers to ask and answer new questions in frontier science and engineering, generate new knowledge and understanding by working with domain experts, and accelerate discovery and innovation. This initiative builds on NSF's history of data science investments. …

Summary Tables: 2017 Henrico County, Virginia Shoreline Inventory, Marcia Berman, Karinna Nunez, Sharon Kileen, Tamia Rudnicky, Julie G. Bradshaw, Karen Duhring, Kallie Brown, Jessica Hendricks, David Weiss, Carl Hershner

Reports

The Shoreline Inventory Summary Tables quantify observed conditions based on river systems, such as the combined length of linear features (e.g. shoreline miles surveyed, miles of bulkhead and revetment), the total number of point features (e.g. docks, boathouses, boat ramps) & total acres of polygon features (tidal marshes).

Visually Analyzing The Impacts Of Essential Air Service Funding Decisions, Rohan Kashuka, Chittayong Surakitbanharn, Calvin Yau, David S. Ebert

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Essential Air Service (EAS) is a U.S. government subsidy program which ensures maintenance of commercial airline services in small deregulated communities. The program’s budget currently is around $250 million annually, which is used as subsidy for airlines to maintain a minimal level of scheduled air service in relatively smaller airports. It is evident that 2% of the FAA budget is being spent to maintain air service in smaller communities, but there is not enough evidence to prove that all the current decisions made by Congress about EAS are advantageous. To understand these decisions, 15 years of data produced by the …

Data Insertion In Bitcoin's Blockchain, Andrew Sward, Vecna Op_0, Forrest Stonedahl

Computer Science: Faculty Scholarship & Creative Works

This paper provides the first comprehensive survey of methods for inserting arbitrary data into Bitcoin's blockchain. Historical methods of data insertion are described, along with lesser-known techniques that are optimized for efficiency. Insertion methods are compared on the basis of efficiency, cost, convenience of data reconstruction, permanence, and potentially negative impact on the Bitcoin ecosystem.

Towards Querying And Visualization Of Large Spatio-Temporal Databases, Sugam Sharma

Sugam Sharma

In any database model, data analysis can be eased by extracting a smaller set of the data of interest, called subset, from the mammoth original dataset. Thus, a subset helps enhance the performance of a system by avoiding the iteration through the huge parental data in further analysis. A subset, its specification, or the formal process for its extraction can be complex. In the database community, subsets are extracted through SQL-like queries and through visualization in the Geographic Information System (GIS) community. Both are iterative processes. An SQL query can be a composition of subqueries. Each subquery can be seen …

Basic Meteorological Data Derived 30-Year Normas (1981-2010) Of Actual Evapotranspiration Rates In Nebraska, Usa, Jozsef Szilagyi

Conservation and Survey Division

No abstract provided.

2017 Gloucester Point Station Tide Prediction Calendars, Virginia Institute Of Marine Science, David A. Evans

Miscellaneous

These calendars are produced monthly using David Evans' Tidecal.

2017 Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel Station Tide Prediction Calendars, Virginia Institute Of Marine Science, David A. Evans

Miscellaneous

These calendars are produced monthly using David Evans' Tidecal.

2017 Hampton Roads Station Tide Prediction Calendars, Virginia Institute Of Marine Science, David A. Evans

Miscellaneous

These calendars are produced monthly using David Evans' Tidecal.

2017 Wachapreague Station Tide Prediction Calendars, Virginia Institute Of Marine Science, David A. Evans

Miscellaneous

These calendars are produced monthly using David Evans' Tidecal.

The Use Of Surveyors’ Field Notes In Historical Archaeology Research, Shane Burke

Sciences Papers and Journal Articles

This paper provides a primer that unlocks data in surveyors’ field notes. Surveyors’ field books contain copious data about cultural and natural features, but the techniques surveyors used to record information makes the data difficult to understand and therefore surveyors’ field books are underused. This paper examines the different styles surveyors used in data collection, and it shows through case studies how it can be deciphered. It also illustrates how data in field books overcomes common map interpretation problems such as scale constraints, determining the precise dimensions of features and silent updating.

Data Mining In Educational Technology Classroom Research: Can It Make A Contribution?, Charoula Angeli, Sarah Katherine Howard, Jun Ma, Jie Yang, Paul A. Kirschner

SMART Infrastructure Facility - Papers

The paper addresses and explains some of the key questions about the use of data mining in educational technology classroom research. Two examples of use of data mining techniques, namely, association rules mining and fuzzy representations are presented, from a study conducted in Europe and another in Australia. Both of these studies examine student learning, behaviors, and experiences within computer-supported classroom activities. In the first study, the technique of association rules mining was used to understand better how learners with different cognitive types interacted with a simulation to solve a problem. Association rules mining was found to be a useful …

Investigating The Accuracy Of Georeferenced Social Media Data For Flood Mapping: The Petajakarta.Org Case Study, Robert Ighodaro Ogie, Hugh I. Forehead

SMART Infrastructure Facility - Papers

Georeferenced social media data are gaining increased application in creating near real-time flood maps needed to improve situational awareness in data-starved regions. However, there is growing concern that the georeferenced locations of flood-related social media contents do not always correspond to the actual locations of the flooding event. But to what extent is this true? Without this knowledge, it is difficult to ascertain the accuracy of flood maps created using georeferenced social media contents. This study aims to improve understanding of the extent to which georeferenced locations of social media flood reports deviate from the actual locations of floods. The …

Isle Of Wight County, Virginia - Shoreline Inventory Report: Methods And Guidelines, Marcia Berman, Karinna Nunez, Tamia Rudnicky, Julie G. Bradshaw, Karen Duhring, Kallie Brown, Jessica Hendricks, David Stanhope, Kory Angstadt, Christine Tombleson, David Weiss, Carl Hershner

Reports

The 2017 Inventory for the Isle of Wight County was generated using on-screen, digitizing techniques in ArcGIS® -ArcMap v10.4.1while viewing conditions observed in Bing high resolution oblique imagery, Google Earth, and2013imagery from the Virginia Base Mapping Program (VBMP). Four GIS shapefiles are developed. The first describes land use and bank conditions (IsleofWight_lubc_2017). The second portrays the presence of beaches (IsleofWight_beaches_2017). The third reports shoreline structures that are described as arcs or lines(e.g. riprap)(IsleofWight_sstru_2017). The final shapefile includes all structures that are represented as points(e.g. piers)(IsleofWight_astru_2017).The metadata file accompanies the shapefiles and defines attribute accuracy, data development, and any use restrictions …

Statistics-Bierce Library Study, Tyler J. Hushour

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

This is a report from two surveys that I created and administered to students and faculty at Bierce library who came to the Circulation Desk or the Tech Desk, as well as some of my other findings when periodically looking around the library to see where students like to study or hang-out. There was a written survey given at the Circulation Desk, and a different survey given at the Tech Check-Out Desk. The project is for Melanie Smith-Farrell, the head of Access Services, and is based on a similar study Ian McCullough did in the science library. While this is …

The County Of Isle Of Wight, Virginia Shoreline Inventory Report: Summary Tables, Marcia Berman, Karinna Nunez, Tamia Rudnicky, Julie Bradshaw, Karen Duhring, Kallie Brown, Jessica Hendricks, David Stanhope, Kory Angstadt, Christine Tombleson, David Weiss, Carl Hershner

Reports

The Shoreline Inventory Summary Tables quantify observed conditions based on river systems, such as the combined length of linear features (e.g. shoreline miles surveyed, miles of bulkhead and revetment), the total number of point features (e.g. docks, boathouses, boat ramps) & total acres of polygon features (tidal marshes).