Geography Commons^™

Impacts Of Environmental Changes To The Middle Rio Grande Landscape On Ysleta Del Sur Pueblo's Cultural And Cermonial Sustainability, Andrea L. Everett

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Given future climate scenarios, this Thesis investigates how plausible climate changes will further impact the Native American community of Ysleta del Sur Pueblo's (Tiguas) cultural continuity and access to riparian ecosystem services along the Rio Grande River (specific to Tigua tradition; riparian vegetation used in ceremony, i.e. Gooding's and Coyote willow). The project aims to (1) describe and understand the relationship between regional climatic changes, anthropogenic changes, and major events in Tigua history, (2) identify rates and patterns of riparian vegetation changes, (3) evaluate impacts on cultural and provisioning ecosystem services relevant to Tigua culture, and relate these to climate …

Geospatial Approaches To Support Pelagic Conservation Planning And Adaptive Management, L. M. Wedding, Sara M. Maxwell, D. Hyrenbach, D. C. Dunn, J. J. Roberts, D. Briscoe, E. Hines, P. N. Halpin

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Place-based management in the open ocean faces unique challenges in delineating boundaries around temporally and spatially dynamic systems that span broad geographic scales and multiple management jurisdictions, especially in the 'high seas'. Geospatial technologies are critical for the successful design of pelagic conservation areas, because they provide information on the spatially and temporally dynamic oceanographic features responsible for driving species distribution and abundance in the open ocean, the movements of protected species, and the spatial patterns of distribution of potential threats. Nevertheless, there are major challenges to implementing these geospatial approaches in the open ocean. This Theme Section seeks to …

Exploring The Potential For Geographic Transportation Modeling To Improve Food Assistance: A Case Study Of The Missoula Food Bank, Mary Buford French

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Over the last ten years, the Missoula Food Bank has seen a greater need for its services leading to funding shortfalls. To meet the needs of an increasing number of clients with a limited budget, the Missoula Food Bank must look for ways to modify its operations while increasing efficiency of its services. As the Food Bank budget is used to acquire food and currently also transport it from warehouse locations to the food pantry in a crowded space, reducing distances and transport cost of hauling food would in turn free up funds to obtain more food. At the same …

Ballot-Box Environmentalism Across The Golden State: How Geography Influences California Voters’ Demand For Environmental Public Goods, William Skyler Lewis

Pomona Senior Theses

In California, voters frequently face ballot propositions dealing directly or indirectly with environmental protection. Records of these votes provide powerful evidence of the character of voters’ demand and willingness-to-pay for environmental public goods (e.g., air quality, watershed ecosystem services, parks and recreation), and have been used in past environmental econometrics research to produce aggregated income and price effect estimates. Using neighborhood-level voting records on seven environmental-related ballot propositions in California between 2002 and 2010, this econometric study investigates the nature of voters’ demand for environmental public goods, focusing on the effect of household income on pro-environment voting. Unlike previous studies, …

All’S Whale That Ends Whale: How Correctly Identifying Antarctic-Feeding Grounds Of Oceania Humpbacks Could Save An Endangered Population, Davey Holmes

Pomona Senior Theses

Although major whaling practices have ceased, increasing human involvement and influence in the world’s marine ecosystems continue to adversely effect global whale populations. It is a major concern throughout Antarctic waters, where endangered Oceania Humpback Whales (Megaptera novarangliae) annually feed. This study analyzes the extent to which a proposed marine protected area within the Ross Sea may indirectly harm the last remaining endangered population of Humpbacks. Using current satellite tracks of southern Humpback migrations, this model maps the effects of displaced Toothfish fisheries, and suggests further conservations efforts, based on New Zealand’s Precautionary Approach, to protect these vulnerable whales.

Land Cover Mapping And Change Analysis At The Tensleep Preserve In Wyoming, Tyler Richard Grupa

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Mapping land cover and land cover change are important, especially for land managers who protect natural lands and generate restoration projects. Accurate land cover assessment of rangelands can be difficult because the spectral difference between plant species may be minimal. The goal of this research is to map the land cover in the Tensleep Preserve and highlight change that has occurred over the past twenty-three years using the Feature Analyst extension. The land cover change map will highlight significant changes and Feature Analyst will accurately identify different land covers using historical aerial photographs and ground truthing data collected in 2013. …

Analysis Of The Geosocial Landscape In The City Of Toronto, Courtney J. Jones

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Microblogging on geosocial platforms is a popular form of online communication where users post information about their daily lives and challenges. Since the launch of Twitter in 2006, information sharing through social media has become a largely unused data repository. Tweets often convey content about the users sentiment as it is happening. As such, Tweets can be viewed as a proxy of public mood. In this thesis, I performed a sentiment analysis of all public geo-located Tweets posted by a variety of Twitter users between September 2013 and October 2014. Each Tweet was processed through a custom algorithm to extract …

The Feasibility, Practicality And Uses Of Detecting Crop Water Stress In Southern Ontario Apple Orchards With A Uas, Thomas S. Tiidus Mr.

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

UAS (Unmanned Aerial Systems) are becoming more common place in agricultural sites around the world. While the accuracy of achieving NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index) from a UAS is well understood, few studies have attempted to acquire other plant health attributes such as CWSI (Crop Water Stress Index), particularly in horticulture such as apple orchards. In addition, no academic studies up to the time of this writing have explored the perceived usefulness of data obtained from a UAS for the average farmer. This study explored the practicality and feasibility of using UAS for apple orchards in Southern Ontario. This study …

Japanese Encephalitis: Assessing Disease Risk Due To Landscape Factors At Multiple Scales, Julia E. Metelka

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Japanese Encephalitis is a mosquito-borne disease and is the leading cause of viral encephalitis in Asia. In many Asian countries, the geographical distribution of JE is dependent on a variety of human-environment interactions that can be conceptualized as a complex social-ecological system. The JE transmission cycle is influenced by a few primary human-landscape factors; the abundance and the spatial configuration of rice paddy fields (which provide habitat for the vector), the distribution of pig farms (which position the virus' amplifying host), and the location of a susceptible human population. Our models integrate population dynamics, landscape characteristics, and weather variables that …

Space-Time Modelling Of Emerging Infectious Diseases: Assessing Leptospirosis Risk In Sri Lanka, Cameron C F Plouffe

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

In this research, models were developed to analyze leptospirosis incidence in Sri Lanka and its relation to rainfall. Before any leptospirosis risk models were developed, rainfall data were evaluated from an agro-ecological monitoring network for producing maps of total monthly rainfall in Sri Lanka. Four spatial interpolation techniques were compared: inverse distance weighting, thin-plate splines, ordinary kriging, and Bayesian kriging. Error metrics were used to validate interpolations against independent data. Satellite data were used to assess the spatial pattern of rainfall. Results indicated that Bayesian kriging and splines performed best in low and high rainfall, respectively. Rainfall maps generated from …

Collaborative Approaches To The Management Of Geospatial Data Collections In Canadian Academic Libraries: A Historical Case Study, Leanne Trimble, Cheryl Woods, Francine Berish, Daniel Jakubek, Sarah Simpkin

Western Libraries Publications

Special Issue: Geospatial Data Management, Curation, and Preservation - Part 2

The Ontario Council of University Libraries (OCUL) is a consortium of the twenty-one university libraries in Ontario, Canada. Since 1967, OCUL member institutions have worked together to share costs and workload through collective purchasing and licensing of information resources and more recently through the establishment of a shared digital infrastructure known as Scholars Portal. Under the auspices of OCUL, Ontario's university map librarians formed the OCUL Map Group in 1973 to seek opportunities to communicate and collaborate to improve the collections and services they offer their users. The opportunities …

Which Came First, People Or Pollution? A Review Of Theory And Evidence From Longitudinal Environmental Justice Studies, Paul Mohai, Robin Saha

Environmental Studies Faculty Publications

A considerable number of quantitative analyses have been conducted in the past several decades that demonstrate the existence of racial and socioeconomic disparities in the distribution of a wide variety of environmental hazards. The vast majority of these have been cross-sectional, snapshot studies employing data on hazardous facilities and population characteristics at only one point in time. Although some limited hypotheses can be tested with cross-sectional data, fully understanding how present-day disparities come about requires longitudinal analyses that examine the demographic characteristics of sites at the time of facility siting and track demographic changes after siting. Relatively few such studies …

Spatial Analysis Of Distributions And Habitat Conditions Of Fallopia Japonica (Japanese Knotweed) Invasive Species Applying Unmanned Helicopter Remote Sensing, Jiazhen Zhang

Great Lakes Center Masters Theses

Abstract:

Fallopia japonica (Japanese knotweed) is a perennial herbaceous plant that is native to East Asia. It is considered as one of the worst invasive species worldwide because of its serious impact on biological diversity and human activities (Lowe et al., 2001). Once established, Japanese knotweed forms dense stands that shade and crowd out native plant species. The objectives of this research were to verify and confirm the distribution of Japanese knotweed as published online by the New York Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) – iMap and to identify the geographic areas of spreading and the local habitat conditions. In …

A Geographic View Of Expansion Choices By U.S. Firms In China, Rossitza Wooster, David Banis, Ayesha Khalid

Economics Faculty Publications and Presentations

How does geography matter for explaining the location patterns of U.S. companies in China? We combine insights from the literature on economic geography and spatial interdependence in foreign direct investment (FDI) activity, to provide a comparative analysis using both sectoral regression results and maps that illustrate patterns in the data. We use a unique sample of publicly traded U.S. firms who announced expansion of operations into China between 1980 and 2005. Regression results show that relative to the tertiary sector, firm characteristics matter more for primary sector firms, whereas province characteristics matter more for secondary sector firms. Additionally, our GIS …

Towards Systematic Selection Of Terrain- And Ground Cover-Specific Lidar Filtering Parameters, Vance Green

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Accurate automated classification of LiDAR point clouds is a well-known problem and proper parameterization of the classification algorithm is essential to creating useful bare-earth terrain models. Parameterization is particularly important in areas characterized by extremely low relief, such as the Little Red River Irrigation Project Area in central Arkansas. In this kind of landscape, analyses such as hydrological flow models are sensitive to small changes in the topography, and therefore prone to errors in the classification of the LiDAR point cloud and the digital elevation models (DEMs) derived from it. Developing effective project-specific parameters requires a high degree of knowledge …

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

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

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

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 …

A Study On The Integration Of Multivariate Metocean, Ocean Circulation, And Trajectory Modeling Data With Static Geographic Information Systems For Better Marine Resources Management And Protection During Coastal Oil Spill Response – A Case Study And Gap Analysis On Northeastern Gulf Of Mexico Tidal Inlets, Richard Ray Knudsen

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The Oil Pollution Act of 1990 requires the development of Regional and Area Contingency Plans. For more than 20 years, the State of Florida, under both the Department of Environmental Protection and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission, has worked closely with the U.S. Coast Guard and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to develop these plans for coastal and marine oil spill response. Current plans, developed with local, state and federal stakeholder input, use geographic information systems (GIS) data such as location and extent of sensitive ecological, wildlife, and human-use features (termed Environmental Sensitivity Index data), pre-defined protection priorities, …

Is Nubia Plate Rigid? A Geodetic Study Of The Relative Motion Of Different Cratonic Areas Within Africa., Mary Wambui Njoroge

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The Nubia plate is normally considered to be a rigid plate and as such used in the realization of terrestrial reference frame. Gondwana breakup plate reconstruction, the Cameroon volcanic line, seismicity, and the morphology of the Okavango rift zone (ORZ) suggest the presence of internal deformation within the Nubia plate. To test this hypothesis, six different reference frames were developed from the velocity field of three individual regions (West, Central and South), and of different combinations of them (West+Central, South+Central, and Nubia as a whole). The residual velocities with respect to these references frame help us understand the presence of …

Geography: A Career Without Borders

DePaul Magazine

What do mosquito abatement, education policy, retail site location and public transportation have in common? Although it might not seem obvious, these disparate pursuits all involve the work of geographers. This article looks at the wide variety of occupations open to geographers, who manipulate and map big data, use geographic information systems for municipal functions and pest removal, analyze transportation and job siting, pursue human and environmental sustainability practices, and teach. The article also includes a brief summary of the 2015 Annual Meeting of the Association of American Geographers.

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 20^th 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 …

Characterizing And Mapping The Field Scale Spatial Variability Of Surface Horizon Soil Properties And Water Content With Noninvasive Em38, Ryan W.R. Schroeder, Robert Austin, Joshua Heitman, Adam Howard

Purdue GIS Day

The spatial variability of physical soil properties at the field scale is increasingly important in agriculture and natural resource management. Changes in topography, parent material, management practices, erosion/deposition rates, etc. can influence the variability of the soil’s physical properties and help guide management and land use plans. The Geonics EM38 is a noninvasive geophysical sensor which is used to measure the apparent electrical conductivity (ECa) of the soil through electromagnetic induction – primarily influenced by clay content, soil moisture content, and salinity. Soil moisture has been found to be a significant contributor to ECa and is therefore useful in determining …

Research Computing And Data For Geoscience, Preston Smith

Purdue GIS Day

This presentation will discuss the data storage and computational resources available for GIS researchers at Purdue.

This presentation will discuss the data storage and computational resources available for GIS researchers at Purdue.

Gis Resources @ Purdue, Larry Biehl

Purdue GIS Day

GIS tools, resources, and data provided by ITAP and RCAC

It’S All About The Journey… From Brainstorming To Canvas, From Map To App, Frank Garofalo

Purdue GIS Day

The Ideation and brainstorming skills for GIS project development toward a user friendly interface.

Mapping The Impact Of Famine On The Volga And Black Sea German Enclaves, 1891-1934, Amber N. Nickell

Purdue GIS Day

Using ArcGIS software and the ArcGIS online story mapping function, this project maps population growth and decline over time in the ethnic German Volga and Black Sea Enclaves in the Russian Empire (later the USSR) and overlays that population data with maps of famine zones during the 1891/2, 1921/22, and 1932/33 famines in order to answer the following questions. Where were the enclaves in relation to the famine regions? What impact did the famines have on ethnic German populations in the region? How did the Volga colonies fare in relation to national estimates during naturally occurring famines? During the manmade …

Launch Of Geodata Portal @ Purdue Libraries, Nicole Kong, Weichang Tang

Purdue GIS Day

With more than two years’ efforts, Purdue University Libraries are launching the Geodata Portal @ Purdue on this year’s GIS Day celebration. This geodata portal allows geospatial information users to search for information by two simple criteria: where and what, which greatly reduced the geospatial information access barrier for researchers and learners. Users can preview map, preview metadata, and download maps from the portal. Currently, our portal include data from: (1) open data at all the collaborating universities, including Tufts, Harvard, MIT, and Berkley; (2) data from IndianaMap; (3) Purdue open access map collection: historic aerial photos, topo maps, and …

Extended Capability To Support Multiple Watersheds In Stepl Web, Larry Theller, Kean Jye Tan

Purdue GIS Day

The STEPL model is a web-based spreadsheet tool designed for the estimation / of pollutant load and to analyze how creation or practicing certain sustainable / activities will reduce pollution in a watershed. For example, leaving a strip of / grass between a farm field and a water feature like stream of lake, will have an / estimated impact on the amount of soil and fertilizer which runs off in to the / river. / The model uses soil properties database, precipitation database and other / factors to make an estimate of pollution reduction after an action. It can then …