Geography Commons^™

Augmented Realities And Uneven Geographies: Exploring The Geolinguistic Contours Of The Web, Mark Graham, Matthew Zook

Geography Faculty Publications

This paper analyzes the digital dimensions of places as represented by online, geocoded references to the economic, social, and political experiences of the city. These digital layers are invisible to the naked eye, but form a central component of the augmentations and mediations of place enabled by hundreds of millions of mobile computing devices and other digital technologies. The analysis highlights how these augmentations of place differ across space and language and highlights both the differences and some of the causal factors behind them. This is performed through a global study of all online content indexed within Google Maps, and …

The Inclusive Exclusion Of Latino Immigrants In Lexington, Kentucky, Vanessa Marquez

Theses and Dissertations--Geography

This thesis is a case study analyzing how the Latino immigrant community in Lexington, Kentucky is responding to the national push for restrictive legislation. Based on interviews conducted throughout the summer and fall of 2012, I examine the relationship between federal policies and young undocumented immigrants in Lexington, Kentucky, a southern locale with a relatively small but growing foreign-born Latino community. Employing the notion of the included exclusion, I look at the newly implemented Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals policy. The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals policy highlights an opening present in immigration law in which young immigrants are simultaneously …

Building Social Capital Through Events: Some Insights From The Gathering, Ziene Mottiar, Bernadette Quinn, Theresa Ryan

Conference papers

No abstract provided.

The Effect Of Visual Wulst Lesions And Trigeminal Nerve Sectioning On The Discrimination Of Magnetic Inclination In The Homing Pigeon (Columba Livia), Merissa Acerbi

Honors Projects

The ability of homing pigeons to return to their loft from unknown places has fascinated scientists for centuries. It is well established that homing pigeons, like migratory birds, posses an innate magnetic inclination compass to determine direction by measuring the angle between the magnetic field vector and the Earth's surface. Recent work has indicated that the avian magnetic compass is light mediated and appears to mediate magnetic information to the brain. This occurs via a visual pathway with processing in the visual Wulst area of the forebrain. There is, however, also evidence from other avian species that magnetic direction may …

Situating Neogeography, Matthew W. Wilson, Mark Graham

Geography Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Political Applications Of The Geoweb: Citizen Redistricting, Jeremy W. Crampton

Geography Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Geospatial Virtual Heritage: A Gesture-Based 3d Gis To Engage The Public With Ancient Maya Archaeology, Heather Richards-Rissetto, Jim Robertsson, Jennifer Von Schwerin, Giorgio Agugario, Fabio Remondino, Gabrio Girardi

Department of Anthropology: Faculty Publications

This paper presents our research to develop a gesture-based 3D GIS system to engage the public in cultural heritage. It compares two types of interaction—device-based vs. natural interaction— and summarizes the beta-testing results of a 3D GIS tool for archaeology, called QueryArch3D, in which participants used device-based interaction (i.e. mouse and keyboard). It follows with a description of the gesture-based system—that we developed in response to these beta-tests. The system uses QueryArch3D and Microsoft’s Kinect to enable people use body movements (in lieu of keyboard or mouse) to navigate a virtual reality landscape, query 3D objects, and call up photos, …

Dog Burials Associated With Human Burials In The West Indies During The Early Pre-Columbian Ceramic Age (500 Bc-600 Ad), Sandrine Grouard, Sophia Perdikaris, Karyne Debue

School of Global Integrative Studies: Faculty Publications

Across the Caribbean, the widespread presence of canine remains at archaeological sites from the Saladoid period raises questions about the role of “man’s best friend.” Dog (Canis familiaris) remains have been found located in both refuse middens and burials adjacent to human graves in a number of sites in the French Antilles and Barbuda, West Indies. This paper will critically examine dog remains and discuss the varied duality of the dog’s role in the Saladoid world: from food source to lifelong companion. The importance of dogs within Amerindian sites from Saint Martin, the Guadeloupe archipelago, Martinique and Barbuda …

The Caves Of Barbuda’S Eastern Coast: Long Term Occupation, Ethnohistory And Ritual, Sophia Perdikaris, Sandrine Grouard, George Hambrecht, Megan Hicks, Anjana Mebane-Cruz, Reaksha Persaud

School of Global Integrative Studies: Faculty Publications

Barbuda is the sister island to Antigua, located in the Lesser Antilles, West Indies. This island belongs to the Miocene arch of the Lesser Antilles, along with Grande Terre of Guadeloupe, Marie Galante, and Anguilla. Barbuda, notwithstanding its small size and low elevation, has an exceptionally rich past. Recent investigations by a Brooklyn College, City University of New York led team, has discovered evidence of human activity in and around these caves from the Archaic Period down to the present day. The range of activity at these caves begins with scatters of Archaic lithics, through artifacts and faunal material possibly …

The Tools And Technologies Of Transdisciplinary Climate Change Research And Community Empowerment In Barbuda, Sophia Perdikaris, Katherine Hejtmanek, Rebecca Boger, Jennifer Adams, Amy E. Potter, John Mussington

School of Global Integrative Studies: Faculty Publications

Focusing on the smaller sister-island of Barbuda, part of the Caribbean nation of Antigua and Barbuda, a group of collaborating anthropologists, archaeologists, biologists, education specialists, geographers, and environmental scientists are studying long-term human ecodynamics, the relationship amongst people, place, and the environment from the beginning of the peopling of a place through modern day. Our transdisciplinary approach brings together various field methods, tools and technologies from each field and crosses the boundaries of conventional science. This approach furthers our knowledge of climate change and facilitates practical and sustainable solutions for vulnerable populations.

Factors Influencing The Capacity Of Communities To Respond To Coastal Erosion In The Upper Gulf Of Thailand, Chatchai Intatha

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Local communities must have a capacity to ameliorate coastal erosion impacts. Since coastal erosion operates over long time frames, understanding this capacity, or the abilities of communities to respond to the impacts and recover to maintain community functions, requires analysis of the past and the present. This study explores factors which influence the capacity of communities to respond to coastal erosion and conversely how exposure to coastal erosion itself affects community capacity.

Mixed methods research was used to investigate the views of respondents in seven coastal villages in the upper Gulf of Thailand, three from an area that has experienced …

Applying The Principles Of Spatial Modelling To The Management Of Biodiversity In The Fragmented Landscapes Of South-Western Australia, Shaun Molloy

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Biodiversity conservation throughout the world is challenged by the impacts of a changing climate on fragmented landscapes. To mitigate these threats, conservation managers require models which can demonstrate the consequences of both negative impacts and management actions. This need can be addressed through spatial modelling applications. Unfortunately, throughout much of the world, spatial modelling is forgone, being seen as requiring skills and resources beyond the means of many conservation planners and managers. This thesis seeks to address this dilemma by delivering criteria for a successful modelling application and by providing case studies which demonstrate how appropriate modelling can be undertaken …

Automated Sinkhole Extraction And Morphological Analysis In Northeast Iowa Using High-Resolution Lidar Data, Jonathon Launspach

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Accurate and detailed mapping of sinkholes is necessary to ensure sinkhole monitoring and management. Historically, sinkholes were found and digitized manually by a visual examination of aerial photos or through field surveying. This paper develops a new, multicriteria LiDAR-based sinkhole extraction method and automated processes to detect sinkholes and their boundaries. This technique of extraction is unique as it identifies sinkhole boundaries automatically using remotely sensed data, compared to traditional methods of manually tracing the perimeter. A sinkhole detection module was developed within a GIS environment to determine location and boundaries of the sinkholes. Several small study areas were selected …

Sagebrush Ecosystem Characterization, Monitoring, And Forecasting With Remote Sensing: Quantifying Future Climate And Wildlife Habitat Change, Collin G. Homer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) ecosystems constitute the largest single North American shrub ecosystem and provide vital ecological, hydrological, biological, agricultural, and recreational ecosystem services. Disturbances continue to alter this ecosystem, with climate change possibly representing the greatest future disturbance risk. Improved ways to characterize and monitor gradual change in this ecosystem are vital to its future management. A new remote sensing sagebrush characterization approach was developed in Wyoming which integrates three scales of remote sensing to derive four primary continuous field components (bare ground, herbaceousness, litter, and shrub), and four secondary components (sagebrush, big sagebrush, Wyoming sagebrush, and shrub …

Impacts Of Land Cover Changes On Ecosystem Services Delivery In The Black Hills Ecoregion From 1950 To 2010, Suzanne Cotillon

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Environmental degradation generated by land use choices and human activities is the first driver of change in the provision of ecosystem goods and services. One of the challenges in ecosystem services research is to evaluate the contribution of each land cover unit to ecosystem services delivery while considering multiple services. In this thesis, I develop a framework to assess the capacity of many land covers to independently produce ecosystem services (i.e., potential production) and the capacity of the whole landscape to deliver multiple services to the population (i.e., potential supply). In the first part, this methodology is used to report …

New Mexico's Spanish Livestock Heritage: Four Centuries Of Animals, Land, And People., Andrew Sluyter

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

History Of The Non-Spanish Antilles, Andrew Sluyter

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Review Of Digital Detroit: Rhetoric And Space In The Age Of The Network, Timothy Barney

Rhetoric and Communication Studies Faculty Publications

In 1971, rogue Wayne State geographer William Bunge (placed on a federal list of dangerous intellectuals) published Fitzgerald: Geography of a Revolution, a radical polemic about how everyday citizens of a Detroit ghetto could challenge oppression and become geographers of their own neighborhoods. Forty years later, Jeff Rice (formerly a Wayne State professor himself) revisits Detroit geography, but this time largely from his laptop (and without, I hope, the same kind of federal harassment). For while Bunge’s Fitzgerald and Jeff Rice’s Digital Detroit share similar terrain, as well as a love for the city in all its contradictions, …

Energy In The Corn Belt: Is Maize Production Sustainable?, Matthew Bernau

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Technological and scientific innovation has transformed agricultural production. Corn production methods changed from a sustainable, nutrient recycling production system to one reliant on imported fossil energy inputs. Located in the Western Corn Belt, Union County, South Dakota was chosen as the study area. Changes in production methods are represented by four technological epochs: 1) The Draft Horse Epoch, 1890-1920; 2) The Tractor Epoch, 1920-1950; 3) The Fertilizer Epoch, 1950-1980; and 4) The Biotechnology and Precision Agriculture Epoch, 1980-2010. The energy budget method was used to measure the energy sustainability of corn production. The findings show that the volume of corn …

Border Integrations: The Fusion Of Political Ecology And Land Change Science To Inform And Contest Transboundary Integration In Amazonia, David S. Salisbury, Mariano Castro Sanchez-Moreno, Luis Davalous Torres, Robert Guimaraes Vasquez, Jose Saito Diaz, Pedro Tipula Tipula, Andres Treneman Young, Carlos Arana Courrejolles, Martin Arana Cardo, Grupo De Monitoreo De Megaproyectos Region Ucayali

Geography and the Environment Faculty Publications

In the southwestern Amazon lies the Sierra del Divisor, an isolated cluster of mist-covered peaks and ridges rising out of the steamy lowland rainforest. The forests of these fiercely dissected crests and valleys still ring with the low grunt of jaguar and the thunderous clacks of hundreds-strong herds of whitelipped peccaries, while the canopy sways with troops of the rare red Uakari monkey. This biodiversity inspired the Serra do Divisor National Park, and its transboundary sister reserve, but these forests are also home to humans: the descendants of Asheninka warriors and rubber tappers, a re-emergent Nawa people, I and most …

Threshold Responses Of Forest Birds To Landscape Changes Around Exurban Development, Todd R. Lookingbill, Marcela Suarez-Rubio, Scott Wilson, Peter Leimgruber

Geography and the Environment Faculty Publications

Low-density residential development (i.e., exurban development) is often embedded within a matrix of protected areas and natural amenities, raising concern about its ecological consequences. Forest-dependent species are particularly susceptible to human settlement even at low housing densities typical of exurban areas. However, few studies have examined the response of forest birds to this increasingly common form of land conversion. The aim of this study was to assess whether, how, and at what scale forest birds respond to changes in habitat due to exurban growth. We evaluated changes in habitat composition (amount) and configuration (arrangement) for forest and forest-edge species around …

Cartografía, Corredores Y Cooperación: La Búsqueda De Soluciones Transfronterizas En Las Fronteras Amazónicas, David S. Salisbury, Diego B. Leal, Andrea B. Chávaz Michaelsen, Bertha Balbín Ordaya, A. William Flores De Melo, Pedro Tipula Tipula, Maria Luiza Pinedo Ochoa

Geography and the Environment Faculty Publications

Implementation of conservation and development in the Amazon borderlands requires effective transboundary coordination. Updated, readily understandable, and transboundary cartography becomes increasingly essential in Southwestern Amazonia as residents and decision makers attempt to mitigate the socio-environmental challenges and impacts in the borderlands. The lack of updated borderland cartography complicates the planning of development, integration, and conservation projects at a variety of different scales. The Transboundary Geographic Group of Southwestern Amazonia (GTASO) has created a network to continuously exchange geographic information, resulting in a June 2013 workshop and the creation of five transboundary thematic maps of the Amazon regions of Ucayali and …

Freshwater Management In Libya : A Premonition Of The Global Water Crisis, Kelly P. Byrnes

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

The global supply of freshwater depends on spatial and temporal factors. Because of its nature, there are parts of the world where sufficient amounts are simply not available. With the onset of global climate change and unpredictable politics in some areas, what is referred to as the "global water crisis" will become a cause of unrest throughout the world. Using Libya as an extreme case, this thesis seeks to display the immensely complicated nature of water provision and suggests that the unlikelihood of violent conflict predicted by certain authors, such as Aaron Wolf, needs to be reconsidered. Their faith in …

A Study Of Habitat Selection By Blanding's Turtles (Emydoidea Blandingii) In Dutchess County, New York, Shannon Rauch

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

The Blanding's turtle (Emydoidea blandingii) is a New York State-listed threatened species with several disjunct populations located throughout the state. Blanding's turtles require a variety of habitat types including ponds, wetlands, vernal pools, and the surrounding uplands. Preserving these habitat complexes is necessary to ensure the persistence of Blanding's turtle populations, but this is becoming increasingly challenging in some locations due to significant development pressure. Key components of habitat protection are identifying preferred habitat types and gaining a better understanding of the variables that influence habitat selection. Previous landscape-level studies of turtles have found that land cover type, wetland type, …

The Living Among The Dead : Negotiating Social Inclusion In Albany Rural Cemetery, Jaime Lyn Mckay

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Picture Albany in the year 1840. The city had existed for over two centuries, yet the pace of development had picked up on the steep slopes overlooking the Hudson River. "Beautifully situated on ground rising steeply from the banks of the Hudson... and is one of the most attractive, cleanly, well-ordered, and elegant cities of America" (Munsell 1871, vi). Upon the hill where State Street runs, the landscape reflected the industrializing and urbanizing of New York's state capital. Like burgeoning cities up and down the East Coast, Albany was expanding and industrializing at an unprecedented rate. Similarly, the capital city …

Compression Of Gps Trajectory Data : Benchmarking Framework And New Approach, Jonathan Muckell

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

GPS-equipped mobile devices such as smart phones and in-car navigation units are collecting enormous amounts of spatial and temporal information that traces a moving object's path. The exponential increase in the amount of such trajectory data has caused three major problems. First, transmission of large amounts of data is expensive and time-consuming. Second, queries on large amounts of trajectory data require computationally expensive operations to extract useful patterns and information. Third, GPS trajectories often contain large amounts of redundant data that waste storage and cause increased disk I/O time. These issues can be addressed by algorithms that reduce the size …

Capital Punishment In The Lone Star State : A County-Level Analysis Of Contextual Effects On Sentencing, Jennifer Lynn Owens

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

In its landmark decision, Furman v. Georgia (1972), the Supreme Court held all existing death penalty statutes unconstitutional, largely due to the arbitrary nature of the capital sentencing processes that resulted from them. In response to the Furman decision, several states revised their death penalty statutes to address the Court's concerns. Although the Court upheld the newly-drafted statutes in Gregg v. Georgia (1976) and its companion cases, subsequently reinstating the death penalty, intrastate variation in death sentencing suggests that the death penalty may continue to be applied in an arbitrary and capricious manner inconsistent with the Eighth Amendment. This dissertation …

Evaluating Drought In The United States Using The Emissivity Difference Vegetation Index, Hanisha Hirani

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

As monitoring vegetation and crops becomes increasingly important due to climate change, there arises the need for a monitoring scheme that places more weight on water availability as an indication of vegetation health and vitality. The Emissivity Difference Vegetation Index (EDVI) is the first step towards that type of monitoring scheme. With the potential for diurnal studies, there are applications towards agriculture monitoring, wildfire monitoring, and much more. EDVI is a synergetic product retrieved from microwave, visible, and infrared satellite measurements, as well as reanalysis. Since microwave measurements are more sensitive to vegetation water content, EDVI has the potential to …

Using Geospatial Technologies To Characterize Relationships Between Travel Behavior, Food Availability, And Health, Warren J. Christian

Theses and Dissertations--Geography

Epidemic obesity in the U.S. has prompted exploration of causal factors related to the built environment. Recent research has noted statistical associations between the spatial accessibility of retail food sources, such as supermarkets, convenience stores, and restaurants, and individual characteristics such as weight, socioeconomic status, and race/ethnicity. These studies typically use residential proximity or neighborhood density to food sources as the measure of accessibility. Assessing food environments in this manner, however, is very limiting. Since most people travel outside of their neighborhood on a daily basis, the retail food sources available to individuals residing in the same area could vary …

Locative Media, Augmented Realities And The Ordinary American Landscape, Andrew Boulton

Theses and Dissertations--Geography

This dissertation investigates the role of annotative locative media in mediating experiences of place. The overarching impetus motivating this research is the need to bring to bear the theoretical and substantive concerns of cultural landscape studies on the development of a methodological framework for interrogating the ways in which annotative locative media reconfigure experiences of urban landscapes. I take as my empirical cases i) Google Maps with its associated Street View and locational placemark interface, and ii) Layar, an augmented reality platform combining digital mapping and real-time locational augmentation. In the spirit of landscape studies’ longstanding and renewed interest in …