Geography Commons^™

The Holocene: An Environmental History By Neil Roberts. Malden, And Blackwell., Constantine N. Raphael

The Geographical Bulletin

This text, now as a second edition, is without doubt one of the finest efforts to comprehensively examine the earth 's changing surface over the past 15,000 years. The book expands coverage of en - vironmental change in the New World and has an expanded bibliography. Also new empirical information and updatad syntheses are presented. This unique geologic epoch is eventful because here is the meeting place of earth and human history. It is in fact the beginning of ge - ography since the theme of the book is to integrate people, land and time. This being the essence of …

Public High Schools' Ability To Support Gis: An Ohio Case Study, Daniel Donaldson

The Geographical Bulletin

A survey instrument was employed to examine: the present and future computer infrastructure of Ohio's public high schools; technology funding; and the GIS awareness and perceptions of selected Ohio high school educators. Results suggest that introducing computer technology into the educational framework is a priority to Ohio's administrators and teachers alike. Furthermore, the number of technology funding sources is increasing, as is the number of dollars spent on computer technology. However, computer use in Ohio's public high schools is not ubiquitous. Nearly 40 percent of all schools surveyed do not have the computer infrastructure necessary for GIS use. While this …

Marketing A 'Sense Of Place': Representations Of Africa In Ecotour Web Sites, Daniel P. Donaldson, James A. Tyner

The Geographical Bulletin

Patterns and forms of international tourism have changed significantly over the past three decades. Specifically, ecotourism has emerged as an ostensibly environmentally and culturally sensitive option to more traditional forms of tourist activities. Taking advantage of the proliferation of modern communications technologies, ecotour agencies have utilized the World Wide Web to facilitate the marketing and promotion of their tours. This paper examines the implications of Webbased technology and tourism. Through a qualitative analysis of 30 ecotour Websites, we identify and examine dominant discourses which perpetuate the representation of Africa as a dark, empty, wild continent, still open for Western appropriation. …

Bachelor And Science Degree In Geographic Information Science At Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi: Program Development And New Opportunities, Gary A. Jeffress, Katherine H. Price, David E. Wilkins

The Geographical Bulletin

In 1995, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi implemented a Bachelor of Science degree program in Geographic Information Science. The program was planned by university faculty, researchers, an active member of the Texas surveying profession, and a senior GIS manager in a large Texas State government agency. The objective of this four-year program is to prepare students for a number of options upon graduation, including continuing education toward advanced degrees, employment in the Geographic Information Systems market, or Professional Land Surveying. The program offers two emphases: (1) Geographic Information Systems, or (2) Geomatics. Students with the GIS emphasis also earn a minor …

Teaching Geographic Information Systems In Civil Engineering/Surveying Technology Curricula, William A. Sprinsky

The Geographical Bulletin

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) are becoming the norm in engineering, designing and building activities. In the Civil Engineering Technology program at Pennsylvania College of Technology emphasizing surveying, we think GIS provides an excellent example of the use of some basic tools. We teach the GIS "tool" during the second semester, in CET122, Topographic Drawing and Cartography, using Intergraph because of its flexibility in acceptance of data in a number of differing formats. First, we used a part of a municipal database from Knoxville, TN, that supports a project to widen a downtown street, for which there is a unique solution. …

Geography And Environmental Management Self-Assessment Collection: A Self-Assessment Package For Gis, Krystyna Brown

The Geographical Bulletin

Geography and Environmental Management Self-Assessment Collection (GEMSAC), endeavours to bring selfassessment and speedier independent learning to large numbers of students This interactive computer-based package was devised to give students taking an introduction Geographical Information System course (GIS) the opportunity to measure their progress and obtain immediate feedback. Geographic Information Systems draw from many disciplines and techniques and so require a great deal of diverse knowledge, even at a basic level. In addition to this particular consideration the challenge was to reach large groups of students having varied educational backgrounds and skills. The success of GEMSAC depends on students getting ready …

Geographer At Work, Robert Jameson

The Geographical Bulletin

ROUTE TO THE JOB: " I had just finished an MA in music theory composition in 1980, and had originally intended to get a doctorate in music. Thinking that professional jobs in music and full time teaching positions would be difficult to find, I chose to work on a (second) masters degree in a science related discipline. The reason I chose Physical Geography was because: 1) this is a concentration where I had already received a second undergraduate major; 2) the discipline is a dynamic subject area which included many courses which interested me; and 3) this is an area …

Projections And Perceptions Editorial Comment: Geographic Seeing Eyes: Mind And Lens, Barbara A. Weightman

The Geographical Bulletin

What kind of camera do you use? How do you get those "people shots"? These are only two of many questions I am asked regarding slide photography. A geographic photo- one showing patterns, relationships, characteristics, and so on-is much more a product of the geographic mind than ofthe camera lens. The type of camera you possess is a small part of the equation for good "geographic photography." Of course it is nice to have wide angle and zoom lenses: much photographic equipment is loaded with "bells and whistles." You can even purchase a multi-pocketed jacket to hold them all. However, …

No. 32: Narratives Of Food Consumption And Food Insecurity: Zimbabwean Migrants In Windhoek, Namibia, Godfrey Tawodzera

Migration and Food Security (MiFOOD) Network

Decades of interlocking economic and political crisis have generated significant out-migration from Zimbabwe to other countries. Neighbouring countries with relative political stability and better livelihood opportunities, such as Namibia, have witnessed increased inflows of Zimbabweans. While there are studies documenting these movements, far less attention has been paid to the food security of Zimbabwean migrants in other countries. This paper investigates the changing dietary and food consumption patterns of recent Zimbabwean migrants in Windhoek, Namibia, and the impacts of these changes on household food security. The narratives of 35 Zimbabwean migrant households in Windhoek show that they face numerous food …

Methods In Environmental Studies, Erika Dunagan, Maya Mendoza, Posey Graber, Alex Cullins, Emma Mcginnis, Ally Nepomuceno, Isabella Buchan

Featured Student Work

This publication is a collection of undergraduate research conducted in the Methods in Environmental Studies course at the University of San Francisco in Fall 2024. The student-led projects explore the intersections of place, policy, ecology, and cultural identity through applied environmental research methodologies. Topics include a decolonial examination of the Forest Park Mound Group and Indigenous resilience in St. Louis; a comparative study of Navajo cosmology and ecological justice; a social and environmental impact assessment of Costa Rica’s National Decarbonization Plan; a psychogeographical analysis of Golden Gate Park and its impact on the psyche, emotions, behaviour, and health of urban …

Cover And Forewords, C. Nicholas Raphael

The Geographical Bulletin

Cover and Forewords

Volume 42-1 Complete Issue, C. Nicholas Raphael

The Geographical Bulletin

Volume 42-1 Complete Issue

People And Pixels: Linking Remote Sensing And Social Science. Edited By Dianaliverman, Emilio F. Moran, Ronald R.Rindfuss, And Paul C. Stern, James D. Lowry, Jr.

The Geographical Bulletin

At the heart ofthe recent debate within the Association of American Geographers concerning the format an? cont~nt of its two journals is the eclectic and interdisciplinary nature of the field of geography. As long as geography has been a component of American academe geographers have wrestled with "The Nature of Geography" (Hartshorne 1939) and "The Circumference of Geography" (Fenneman 1919) (i.e., the definition of the discipline). Today the debate has largely returned to Fenneman's "Circumference" in that many, if not most, geographers feel more akin to academicians in other fields than to other geographers. Thus, the social geographer, for example, …

Geographic Information Systems: An Introduction By Tor Bernhardsen, John Wiley And Sons, Sharolyn Anderson

The Geographical Bulletin

Adopting the perspective of Jack Dan - germond that " . .. most of the problems with rea l GIS now have more to do with the people and the procedures they use ... than with computer hardware and software", Tor Bernhardsen continues with the philosophy that GIS is funda - mentally plagued not by technical but hu - man and organizational problems. In this, the second edition of h is Norweg ian text originally published in 1989, Bernhardsen presents an introductory text directed more toward those individuals who apply GIS technology, than those who would develop it. As such, …

A Comparison Of Clustering Techniques Using Biogeographical Data, Lisa M. Dechano

The Geographical Bulletin

Geographers and ecologists frequently employ clustering methods to achieve meaningful ecological groups based on similarity measures. Four popular clustering techniques, and resulting similarities and differences produced by each method when applied to biogeographical data are reviewed. Data were collected and classified within a riparian site on a mid-river island in a tornadodamaged area of northwestern Pennsylvania and on upland sites on either side of the river. Results illustrate that similar environmental clusters are produced by the four methods under investigation. However, more complex relationships between upland sites and the riparian sites also emerged that would not have been discovered had …

Inter-Country Child Adoptionand The World Wide Web, James A. Tyner, Erik V. Parker

The Geographical Bulletin

Communication technologies, and especially the advent of the World Wide Web, are changing the geographies of business activities. In this paper the usage of Web sites to facilitate intercountry child adoption are examined. Using a two-pronged strategy, the content of Web sites are qualitatively analyzed and, second, through a mail survey the impact of Internet technology on the conduct of business is examined. Findings suggest that exposure, competition, networking, and cost-considerations are dominant motives for agencies to go 'on-line.' Findings also suggest, however, that latent costs are associated with these factors and question whether increased exposure leads to increased demand. …

Illinois: Spatial Scales Of Poverty, Wendy Shaw

The Geographical Bulletin

Answers gleaned in any study of poverty are in some measure a result of the spatial scale of analysis selected. This paper views poverty in Illinois from three spatial scales; the state, county, and census tract. Mapping census data reveals several facets of Illinois poverty. Illinois as a whole, is average in terms of general poverty levels, although many ofthe poor are severely impoverished. County level analysis indicates that poor rural southern Illinois contrasts with affluent urban areas. Census tract level investigation reveals that seemingly affluent urban counties in reality have a distinct internal spatial structure. The urban poor are …

Environmental Ouality As A Post-Industrial Urban Growth Strategy: The Chattanooga Case, Ola Johansson

The Geographical Bulletin

As poorly planned concentrations of production and consumption, cities can have adverse effects on environmental quality. A poor local physical environment is considered a drawback for the future vitality and economic competitiveness of a city. A strategy of urban redevelopment employed by a wide variety of cities known as the "livable city movement" is analyzed. More specifically, the environmental implications of the post-industrial city are discussed within the context of the livable city movement. This paper analyzes how Chattanooga, Tennessee, and its local political and economic elites are improving the city's environmental quality and promoting the controlled growth of the …

Projections And Perceptions The Geographic Information System: A View Of Professional Surveyors, Roland F. Self

The Geographical Bulletin

Much has been written and continues to be written regarding " Geographic Information Systems" or as it is commonly known " GIS." The acronym is bantered about with a belief that everyone has an equal understanding and awareness of exactly what it is. To some it is a technology or sophisticated software or as some definitions indicate, a GIS can " contain major components including data input, data storage and retrieval, data manipulation and analysis and data reporting subsystems." It can be "a management system which can collect, store and retrieve spatial data, identify locations meeting specific criteria, explore re …

No. 31: Precarity, Food Insecurity, And Migration: The Kerala-Gulf Nexus And Women Domestic Workers, Anand Panamthottam Cherian

Migration and Food Security (MiFOOD) Network

Low-skilled Malayali women migrants employed as domestic laborers in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)1 countries navigate a transnational labor system that entrenches gendered hierarchies and structural inequalities. Ethnographic fieldwork conducted in Kerala and the United Arab Emirates utilizing biographical methods such as life history and oral history reveals that migration, often envisioned as a pathway to economic security, intensifies vulnerabilities through layers of exclusion, exploitation, and deprivation. These women’s lived experiences underscore the precarious conditions that define their labor trajectories, shaped by systemic governance failures and socio-cultural dynamics.

Food security, positioned at the nexus of material survival and symbolic significance, emerges …

Cover And Forewords, C. Nicholas Raphael

The Geographical Bulletin

Cover and Forewords

Volume 42-2 Complete Issue, C. Nicholas Raphael

The Geographical Bulletin

Volume 42-2 Complete Issue

Introduction To Geomorphology By Frank Ahnert., Caroline Davis

The Geographical Bulletin

This English translation of Ahnert's Einfuhrung in die Geomorph%gie is not the standard descriptive catalog of geomorphic form and landscapes. It provides an introductory textbook which is strongly grounded in systems theory and process-oriented geomorphology. This text provides more than a short general reference to theory. The theoretical foundations of geomorphology are clearly presented and accessible at the introductory level. To have process response models emphasized in an introductory text is unusual and refreshing. In addition, the theoretical themes are linked throughout the text to processes and descriptions.

A Geography Of Ohio By Leonard Peacefull, Thomas A. Rumney

The Geographical Bulletin

Leonard Peacefull's new volume on the geography of Ohio arrives on the scene during a period of renewed and ex - panded interest in regional geography at all scales. What follows here is an ac - counting ofthis new and useful text on an important state of the United States. After a brief introduction, a team of au - thors cover in sixteen chapters the fun - damental components, patterns, and pro - cesses of Ohio's geographic character. The first four discuss the environments and mineral resources of Ohio (Peacefull, Schmiolin, Nash and Gerber, and Peacefull, respectively). Noting that Ohio's …

A Geographical Analysis Of Sports Wagering, Jeffrey P. Richetto, Brian Allen

The Geographical Bulletin

Gambling, in the forms of sports wagering and casino gaming, has increasingly spread across North America throughout the past 20 years. In fact, all but two states have legalized gaming venues, and in a substantial number of these states, gambling is continually becoming a mega-industry. Most studies focus on economic development and ethical issues related to gambling. By broadening the perspective of place on gambling activities this study examines the geographic undertones related to sports wagering. It is estimated that over $130 billion is wagered annually in the United States on all sporting events and that the overwhelming majority of …

News From The Chapters 1999-2000, C. Nicholas Raphael

The Geographical Bulletin

News from the Chapters 1999-2000

A New Gentrification? A Case Study Of The Russification Of Brighton Beach, New York, Keith Brown, Elvin Wyly

The Geographical Bulletin

Gentrification is often equated with the residential and consumption preferences of young, white, native-born professionals. The link between gentrification and "yuppies," however, does not seem adequate to capture the complexity oftrends currently underway in many city neighborhoods. In this paper, census data and fieldwork are utilized to develop a case study of Russian immigration and neighborhood revitalization in Brighton Beach, New York City. " Russification" has revitalized housing demand and retail activity by altering the class composition of the neighborhood, while also increasing inequality and inducing displacement similar to that observed in other gentrifying districts. Nevertheless, important cultural and policy-related …

The Context Of Mahan's 'Debatable Zone', William D. Walters, Jr.

The Geographical Bulletin

At the turn of the 19th century American naval historian Alfred Thayer Mahan (1840- 1914) developed a concept which he called the "Debatable Zone". This was a wide arc stretching from Turkey to China which Mahan argued was the key to future world development. Mahan's Debatable Zone has become the best known American contribution to early geopolitical thinking, and is often seen as one of the roots of Mackinder's heartland theory. However, Mahan's ideas can be better understood in the context of popular writing on Asia at the time. Although he had the ear of key American political figures, they …

Projections And Perceptions-Editorial Comment. The Import Of The Soviet Collapse For The Social Sciences, John Howard Wilhelm

The Geographical Bulletin

For me, as a Russian/Soviet specialist in economics, the collapse of the Soviet system offered a wonderful opportunity. It offered the opportunity to reintegrate into our civilization a peoples-ethnic Russians, Ukrainians, Belorussians, Baltic peoples, Armenians, Georgians, etc.- who prior to the great disasters of the First World War and the October Revolution of 1917 had contributed so much to European culture and intellectual life. Unfortunately, to date the opportunity has largely not been realized. It has not been realized for a number of reasons including: the terrible legacies left by Soviet rule, the failure to have really removed communists from …

The Relationship Between Politics And Public Drinking Water In The District Of Columbia, William James Smith, Jr.

The Geographical Bulletin

The nature ofthe relationship between politics and public drinking water in the District of Columbia is examined. Thecase study of the nexus between water resource management, public health, public relations, and politics sheds light on issues that may affect quality and quantity of drinking water in the United States. The country has a complex set of laws and policies that effectively split responsibility for individual aspects of drinking water management among a variety of governmental and non-governmental agencies. Attimes, this shared responsibility breeds conflict that occurs at the expense of the general public. By examining the root cause of political …