Geography Commons^™

Baird, Nancy Disher, B. 1935 (Sc 1880), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Small Collection 1880. Diary kept by Nancy Disher Baird, Bowling Green, Kentucky of a sabbatical semester spent traveling and researching in southern Africa.

Norumbega News, No.12 (Spring 2009), Osher Library Associates

Friends of OML, Occasional Publications

Issue No.12, Spring 2009

Osher Map Library and the Smith Center for Cartographic Education

Portland, Maine

The Ties That Bind: Urban Migration, Family Networks, And Cultural Change In Modern Mongolia, Christopher R. Williams

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Migrants represent the future of Mongolia. They are those members of Mongolian society who pursue, and often achieve, a better life by choosing to uproot themselves and their families to move to the capital city of Ulaanbaatar. Along the way they face many obstacles, and are in turn blamed for many of the problems that plague the city. However, they do not face these obstacles on their own. Migrants succeed with help, be it from society, friends, or family. Family in particular plays an important role in the lives of Mongolian migrants, creating important, nationwide networks which can support individual …

Physical Activity Levels Of Older Community-Dwelling Adults Are Influenced By Summer Weather Variables, Caitlin A. Brandon, Dawn P. Gill, Mark Speechley, Jason Gilliland, Gareth R. Jones

Geography & Environment Publications

Adequate daily physical activity (PA) is important for maintaining functional capacity and independence in older adults. However, most older adults in Canada do not engage in enough PA to sustain fitness and functional independence. Environmental influences, such as warmer daytime temperatures, may influence PA participation; however, few studies have examined the effect of summertime temperatures on PA levels in older adults. This investigation measured the influence of summertime weather variables on PA in 48 community-dwelling older adults who were randomly recruited from a local seniors’ community centre. Each participant wore an accelerometer for a single 7-consecutive-day period (between 30 May …

On Shaky Ground: The Political Impact Of Natural Disasters In Central America, Davis B. Courtney

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

Multnomah County Youth Tobacco Access Report, Sara Avishan, Cameron Bremer, Mike Conley, Chad Dettlaff, Ben Fitzsimons, Ben Harper, Jennifer Jensen, Shawn Lenker, Dan Manders, Mateo Meazell

Asset Mapping: Community Geography Project

Multnomah County requested that the Summer 2009 Asset Mapping Capstone Group gather data relating to the proximity of tobacco advertising to Portland Public Schools. The group’s underlying objective was to create an accurate data set that may be used by Multnomah County public health officials to assess the possible effects of tobacco advertising on school-aged children with an eye to influencing policy. The data set was created using a number of tools in conjunction with primary data retrieved from field observation; great care was taken to ensure accuracy and objectivity. The findings, which may be used to inform future research, …

It's All Happening At The Zoo: Children's Environmental Learning After School, Jason A. Douglas, Cindi Katz

Publications and Research

Pairing dynamic out-of-school-time (OST) programs with zoos can encourage young people's relationships with and sense of responsibility for animals and the environment. The project presented in this article, Animal Rescuers, gave the authors the opportunity to examine how such a pairing can work. OST programs enable learning in settings that are generally unavailable during school time (Honig & McDonald, 2005). They provide space for collaboration among students, teachers, and others such as program visitors or outside educators. Taking advantage of the flexibility, location, and educational playfulness of an OST setting, the authors worked intensively with a small number of 10-12-year-old …

A Homeowner’S Last Gasp: Looking At The Redemption Process In Hennepin County, Minnesota, Michael Samuelson

Geography Honors Projects

While the causes of foreclosure are generally well understood, the outcomes of foreclosure have been poorly documented. Although rare, home redemptions – when foreclosed homeowners retain their home after it has been sold in a foreclosure auction – are a possible outcome. This paper explores the occurrence of foreclosure redemptions in Hennepin County, Minnesota in the year 2005, and examines how and why some homeowners were able to keep their house after being foreclosed upon. Using GIS data from the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office and County Assessor, this paper analyzes the likelihood and spatial patterns of redemption.

“Leur Rêve Et Leur Vie Sont Ailleurs:” University Student Attitudes Towards Migration And Domestic Opportunity In Morocco, Annie Seibert

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This research project attempts to assess how migration fits into Moroccan university student perceptions of upward mobility and to what extent these perceptions relate to domestic opportunity and youth unemployment. The project likewise evaluates the extent to which emigration plays a role in university students’ personal aspirations and the reasons behind their desires to leave home or to remain in Morocco. Research data was acquired primarily through surveys conducted at the universities in Rabat, Casablanca, and Kenitra, and was supplemented by in-depth interviews with students from these universities and with organizations working in the areas of youth, development, and/or unemployment. …

‘They Have To Know That They Are Moroccan’: A Sending Country’S Perspective On The Second Generation Of Emigrants Abroad, Olivia Paquette

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

In this project, I set out to understand the relations that Morocco has with its second-generation population abroad, the children of emigrants from Morocco who were born and are living in a foreign nation. As citizens of Morocco and as members of Moroccan families, who nonetheless have lived their lives in another country and may perhaps identify themselves in many ways other than Moroccan, I wondered what role these individuals had in the eyes of the Moroccan state and in the eyes of their relatives who live in Morocco. My questions extended to the very categorization of this group that …

L’Aide Au Développement : Les Perspectives Des Immigrés Sénégalais = Development Aid: The Perspectives Of Senegalese Immigrants, Allyson Barnett

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Les perspectives des immigrés sénégalais, par rapport à la question de l’aide au développement, ont été étudiées à Toulouse, France. Neuf entretiens semi-directifs sur les thèmes d’aide bilatérale (France-Sénégal), l’aide multilatérale, et les expériences personnelles des participants composaient la substance de l’enquête. Les entretiens ont montré la complexité du sujet, et la compétence de chaque participant à donner une évaluation critique de la situation. L’enquêteuse a fait un lien avec cette évaluation et l’éducation formel et informel de participants. The perspectives of Senegalese immigrants regarding the question of development aid were studied in Toulouse, France. Nine semi-directed interviews were conducted …

Is It Windy Enough For You? The Potential For Wind Energy To Generate Electricity, Income, And Energy Security In Rural East-Central Nebraska, Roy M. Zach

Student Work

Citizens living in the Columbus, Nebraska area once met all of their local electric power needs via the Columbus and Monroe hydropower facilities. Today, this area imports significant quantities of electricity via high voltage power transmission lines, thereby creating dependencies on areas far away. The purpose of this study was to examine the potential for wind power within this area of Nebraska—in order to generate electricity, income, and energy security at a more local level. A thorough analysis of the local wind resource, and its comparison to the local electric power demand, demonstrates the economic feasibility of producing electricity from …

A Compact Lidar For Aircraft Ozone Atmospheric Measurements, Joel A. Marcia

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Researchers and the general public have expressed great concern over how human activities exacerbate pollution's deteriorating impact upon the environment. Effects such as global warming, air quality and ozone layer depletion are but a few examples that can have a dramatic effect on the quality of life worldwide.

A compact lidar system for the purpose of aircraft ozone atmospheric measurements was tested and evaluated. This system will eventually be deployed for aircraft-based, and possibly unpiloted atmospheric vehicle (UAV), ozone and aerosol measurements to improve our understanding of ozone production and transport. Each of the major subsystems was characterized and from …

A Bio-Optical Model For Syringodium Filiforme Canopies, Margaret A. Stoughton

OES Theses and Dissertations

Seagrasses are significant ecological and biogeochemical agents in shallow water ecosystems throughout the world. In many regions, seagrass meadows occupy a sufficient fraction of the coastal zone, and generate optical signatures that can be observed from space. Bio-optical models of light absorption and scattering by submerged plant canopies for certain species such as Thalassia testudinum and Zostera marina have successfully modeled the plane irradiance distribution and photosynthesis within the submerged canopies. Syringodium filiforme differs &om T. testudinttm and Z marina, in leaf morphology and canopy architecture. The objective of this study was to develop a radiative transfer model that …

To Be An Immigrant: Generation, Location And Negotiation, Kay Deaux

Migration and Ethnic Relations Colloquium Series

No abstract provided.

Exploitation Of Geographic Information Systems For Vehicular Destination Prediction, Richard T. Muster

Theses and Dissertations

Much of the recent successes in the Iraqi theater have been achieved with the aid of technology so advanced that celebrated journalist Bob Woodward recently compared it to the Manhattan Project of WWII. Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) platforms have emerged as the rising star of Air Force operational capabilities as they are enablers in the quest to track and disrupt terrorist and insurgent forces. This thesis argues that ISR systems have been severely under-exploited. The proposals herein seek to improve the machine-human interface of current ISR systems such that a predictive battle-space awareness may be achieved, leading to shorter …

Performance Enhancements Of Ranging Radio Aided Navigation, Patric J. Ernsberger

Theses and Dissertations

Determining the position of team members is always useful information, whether it is a team of firefighters fighting a blaze or combatants clearing a building in the field. This information becomes even more decisive for the people responsible for their safety. To accomplish this in areas denied Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), such as around buildings or in steep valleys, alternative methods must be used. Radio ranging systems have been a part of the navigation solution for years. They unfortunately have poor performance in certain areas, such as inside buildings, due to multipath and other errors. To improve the position …

A Comparison Of Two Common Classification Procedures For Economical Urban Land Cover Mapping Using Naip Imagery, Kent Lowell Simons

Theses and Dissertations

Detailed urban land cover maps are increasingly useful and important applications of remote sensing. Municipal agencies and others use land cover maps and data for numerous critical local planning and monitoring functions and for urban geographical research studies. Because of this, there is a demand for accurate urban land cover maps that can be produced quickly and economically. The availability of very high resolution multispectral imagery is an important factor in enabling such production, as the judicious selection of source imagery has a large impact on the resulting map products. Likewise, the implementation of appropriate digital image processing methods is …

Vision-Aided Cooperative Navigation For Multiple Unmanned Vehicles, Jason K. Bingham

Theses and Dissertations

In the recent past, a shift has taken place from manned to unmanned Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) missions. This shift has lead to an increase in the number of unmanned vehicles (UV) operating in a theater. Additionally, removal of the crew allows for a reduction in vehicle scale, which leads to an increased ability to operate in GPS degraded environments. With the loss of GPS signals the vehicles must rely on Inertial Navigation Systems (INS) which when reduced to an appropriate size are inherently inaccurate. This research endeavors to exploit three attributes of increased UV use for ISR missions. …

Using Multiple Robust Parameter Design Techniques To Improve Hyperspectral Anomaly Detection Algorithm Performance, Matthew T. Davis

Theses and Dissertations

Detecting and identifying objects of interest is the goal of all remote sensing. New advances, specifically in hyperspectral imaging technology have provided the analyst with immense amounts of data requiring evaluation. Several filtering techniques or anomaly detection algorithms have been proposed. However, most new algorithms are insufficiently verified to be robust to the broad range of hyperspectral data being made available. One such algorithm, AutoGAD, is tested here via two separate robust parameter design techniques to determine optimal parameters for consistent performance on a range of data with large attribute variances. Additionally, the results of the two techniques are compared …

Abstracting Gis Layers From Hyperspectral Imagery, Torsten E. Howard

Theses and Dissertations

Modern warfare methods in the urban environment necessitates the use of multiple layers of sensors to manage the battle space. Hyperspectral imagers are one possible sensor modality to provide remotely sensed images that can be converted into Geographic Information Systems (GIS) layers. GIS layers abstract knowledge of roads, buildings, and scene content and contain shape files that outline and highlight scene features. Creating shape files is a labor-intensive and time-consuming process. The availability of shape files that reflect the current configuration of an area of interest significantly enhances Intelligence Preparation of the Battlespace (IPB). The solution presented in this thesis …

The Coldest Crucible - Arctic Exploration In American Culture, Portland Museum Of Art, Michael F. Robinson

Osher Map Library Exhibition Catalogs

The Coldest Crucible - Arctic Exploration in American Culture.

March 14, 2009 to June 21, 2009

In the late 1800s, “Arctic fever” swept the nation as dozens of American expeditions sailed north to find a sea route to Asia and, ultimately, to stand at the North Pole. This exhibition paints a new portrait of these polar voyagers by placing them within the tempests of American cultural life.

In collaboration with the Osher Map Library and Smith Center for Cartographic Education, University of Southern Maine.

The Influence Of The Physical Environment And Sociodemographic Characteristics On Children's Mode Of Travel To And From School, Kristian Larsen, Jason Gilliland, Peter Hess, Patricia Tucker, Jennifer Irwin, Meizi He

Geography & Environment Publications

Objectives: We examined whether certain characteristics of the social and physical environment influence a child's mode of travel between home and school.

Methods: Students aged 11 to 13 years from 21 schools throughout London, Ontario, answered questions from a travel behavior survey. A geographic information system linked survey responses for 614 students who lived within 1 mile of school to data on social and physical characteristics of environments around the home and school. Logistic regression analysis was used to test the influence of environmental factors on mode of travel (motorized vs "active") to and from school.

Results: Over 62% of …

Satellite-Based Fusion Of Image/Inertial Sensors For Precise Geolocation, Neil R. Jesse

Theses and Dissertations

The ability to produce high-resolution images of the Earth’s surface from space has flourished in recent years with the continuous development and improvement of satellite-based imaging sensors. Earth-imaging satellites often rely on complex onboard navigation systems, with dependence on Global Positioning System (GPS) tracking and/or continuous post-capture georegistration, to accurately geolocate ground targets of interest to either commercial and military customers. Consequently, these satellite systems are often massive, expensive, and susceptible to poor or unavailable target tracking capabilities in GPS-denied environments. Previous research has demonstrated that a tightly-coupled image-aided inertial navigation system (INS), using existing onboard imaging sensors, can provide …

Drivers Of Inter-Annual Variability In Net Ecosystem Exchange In A Semi-Arid Savanna Ecosystem, South Africa, S. A. Archibald, A. Kirton, M. R. Van Der Merwe, R. J. Scholes, Christopher A. Williams, N. Hanan

Geography

Inter-annual variability in primary production and ecosystem respiration was explored using eddy-covariance data at a semi-arid savanna site in the Kruger Park, South Africa. New methods of extrapolating night-time respiration to the entire day and filling gaps in eddy-covariance data in semi-arid systems were developed. Net ecosystem exchange (NEE) in these systems occurs as pulses associated with rainfall events, a pattern not well-represented in current standard gap-filling procedures developed primarily for temperate flux sites. They furthermore do not take into account the decrease in respiration at high soil temperatures. An artificial neural network (ANN) model incorporating these features predicted measured …

At Risk? Exploring The Relationship Between Hiv/Aids-Related Knowledge And Risky Sexual Behavior In Jamaica, Christine Chung

Award Winning Geography Papers

Using the 2004 Knowledge, Attitudes, Behaviour and Practices (KABP) national survey, this research investigates factors contributing to HIV/AIDS-related risky sexual behavior in Jamaica, using the theoretical underpinnings behind the concept of “risk” to elucidate the relative vulnerability of different demographic groups. In particular, how is risk defined and by whom, and how does this shape the risk environment for HIV/AIDS. The social construction of “risk” is explored as an act of translation of science, whose formalized and institutionalized meanings do not always match up to the individual’s perception of personal risk to HIV/AIDS. The disjunction between knowledge and actual behavioral …

Transport, Poverty, And Agrarian Change In Africa: Models, Mechanisms And New Ways Forward, Aharon Degrassi

Faculty Publications, Geography

No abstract provided.

Google Earth: Cool Toy Or Cool Tool?, R Philip Reynolds

Librarian and Staff Presentations

No abstract provided.

Reintroduction Of The Chinese Tiger, Philip J. Nyhus, Urs Breitenmoser, Ron Tilson

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Triennial Report: 2006-2008, Geographical Information Science Center Of Excellence

GSCE Triennial Reports

Triennial Report Purpose [Page] 2

The Geographic Information Science Center of Excellence [Page] 4

Three Years in Review [Page] 5

SDSU Faculty [Page] 6-11

EROS Faculty [Page] 12-16

Post-Doctoral Researchers [Page] 17-26

GSE Ph.D. program [Page] 27

Ph.D. Students [Page] 28-39

Center Scholars Program [Page] 40

Masters Students [Page] 41

Geospatial Analysts [Page] 42

Administrative Staff [Page] 43

Center Alumni [Page] 44

Research Funding [Page] 45-46

Ph.D. Student Scholarship Grants [Page] 47

Computing Resources [Page] 48

Looking Forward [Page] 49

Appendix I Faculty publications 2006-2008 [Page] 50-58

Appendix II Cool faculty research and locations [Page] 60-65

Appendix III GIScCE birthplace …