Spatial Science Commons^™

Evaluating The Environmental Impacts Of U.S. Historical Oil Spill Incidents, Yiming Liu, Hua Cai

Graduate Industrial Research Symposium

Exposure to risks associated with the production and usage of products, particularly oil, poses significant threats to both ecological systems and human health. Notable examples include the Gulf War Oil Spill (1991) and the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill (2010). However, numerous smaller-scale oil spills, which collectively contribute to substantial oil releases, often remain overlooked. To fill this gap, our study first developed a detailed oil spill incidents database, covering 1967 to 2023. We quantified the released amount (RA) of oil spills recorded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Subsequently, we utilized life cycle impact indicators in ReCiPe to …

Casar Public Lecture: ‘The Free Speech Exception To Palestine’, The Prince Alwaleed Center For American Studies And Research Casar, Mark W. Deets, Steven Salaita

Performances, Events, and Presentations

CASAR Public Lecture: ‘The Free Speech Exception to Palestine’ - Thurs. 15 Feb - with ECLT Professor Dr. Steven Salaita where we discussed the repression of pro-Palestine speech and action throughout the West and beyond. This was a collaboration between the Prince Alwaleed Center for American Studies and Research (CASAR), School of GAPP and the English & Comparative Literature Department at the School of HUSS, The American University in Cairo. Thursday February 15, 2024 – Tim Sullivan Lounge – AUC New Cairo

Low Elevation Coastal Zone (Lecz) Population Social Vulnerability And Risk: A Spatial Analysis Based On The 2015-16 National Family Health Survey (Nfhs-4) Of India, Paradorn Wongchanapai

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Background & Problem Statement:

This study assessed social vulnerability and risk to hydroclimate hazards of Indian urban and rural populations in the Low Elevation Coastal Zone (LECZ), a contiguous coastal area with elevations less than 10 meters. The LECZ is considered an at-risk area as hydroclimate hazards tend to be heightened. Moreover, being the most populous country in the world, any hydroclimate hazards that hit the LECZ would disproportionately impact a large number of Indian populations. Understanding the social vulnerability and risk of the LECZ populations can help mitigate and prevent potential adverse outcomes for the populations.

Importantly, this study …

Inventory Of Western United States Glaciers- 2020, Shrinidhi Ambinakudige, Bernard Abubakari

CAS Publications

The dataset employed for delineating glacier boundaries in the Western United States comprises a compilation of original Sentinel-2 images obtained from the European Space Agency's Copernicus website. These images were instrumental in generating the glacier inventory. Additionally, the dataset includes a Python and R script specifically crafted for processing and classifying Sentinel images. The outcome of this process is represented in an ESRI shapefile, which contains an inventory of glaciers extracted from Sentinel images.

The Natural Geographical Features And Their Role In The Construction Of The Israeli Settlements In The West Bank, Muhammad Abu Asida, Murad Bin Jalloul

Journal of the Arab American University مجلة الجامعة العربية الامريكية للبحوث

The properties that influence and control the nature of the geographical distribution of the population clusters can be divided into natural, human, and strategic. This study aimed to demonstrate the impact of the prevailing natural geographic factors on the selection and determination of the locations where the Israeli settlements are concentrated in the West Bank. Terrain, climate conditions, soil, and water resources are all factors that affect and control the nature and distribution of the settlement in any geographical region. This study utilized a historical, inductive, and descriptive-analytical approach. This study concluded that Israel established a network of settlements in …

A Study Of Multimodal Accessibility Equity And Spatio-Temporal Relationships Between Transit, Job Density And Modal Split, Seyedsoheil Sharifiasl

Planning Dissertations - Archive

In North American cities, the land use and transportation systems are associated with low-density, suburban-type urban development, where the built environment contributes to a mobility pattern that is extremely reliant on automobiles. Several studies in the past decades have documented noticeable and concerning patterns of unjust and unsustainable transportation in this context. As a result, for those population groups with limited access to private transportation, this form of urban structure is equivalent to limited access to opportunities, leading to various environmental and social problems. These problems exacerbate inequities in access to transportation, disproportionately affecting marginalized communities. From a sustainable development …

Industrial Hemp Production And Potential Risks In Kentucky, Hoyeon Jeong

Theses and Dissertations--Agricultural Economics

Since the Agricultural Improvement Act of 2014 and 2018 legalized Industrial Hemp (Cannabis Sativa. L), interest in grain, fiber, and floral hemp production has seen growing pains. As an emerging crop, there is a research gap in the impact of weather and agronomic conditions on hemp production including THC (Delta 9 Tetrahydrocannabinol) and pollen drift as risks in hemp cultivation. The first essay aims to measure the impact of weather and agronomic factors on hemp grain, fiber, and floral yields in Kentucky using a yield-weather model with information on field locations. The results show that heat conditions during the growing …

Essays On Public And Nonprofit Financial Dynamics, Yunjun Kim

Theses and Dissertations--Public Policy and Administration

This dissertation consists of three essays that explore different dimensions of financial dynamics in the public and nonprofit sectors. Each chapter examines how the fiscal behavior of neighboring jurisdictions, policy interventions, and financial practices influence fiscal decision-making and financial performance within these entities.

In the first essay, I investigate yardstick competition in local government spending in South Korea by leveraging the exogenous variation introduced by by-elections. This approach allows me to estimate the influence of neighboring jurisdictions on local expenditures. Contrary to previous empirical studies from other countries, my findings reveal no significant interdependence in spending among South Korean municipalities, …

Aboveground Biomass Density Estimation Using Deep Learning: Insight From Neon Ground-Truth Data And Simulated Gedi Waveform, Ashish Mahaur

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Accurately estimating Aboveground Biomass Density (AGBD) is crucial for managing Earth's carbon cycle and informing climate strategies. NASA's GEDI mission advances global forest mapping, but traditional linear models often yield less reliable AGBD estimates. This study enhances AGBD estimation using deep learning models with NEON ground-truth data and simulated GEDI waveforms. We compared 1D CNNs, LSTMs, and pre-trained CNNs to traditional models. The ResNet152 model outperformed linear regression, achieving an R² of 0.68, demonstrating a 17% improvement. Our experiments also demonstrate the importance of large, diverse datasets, particularly for training deep learning models.

Mapping Accessibility To Emergency Care Using Public Transportation, Bach Tran

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Intro: Public transit offers various advantages for both communities and individuals in terms of mobility and has the potential to serve as a practical alternative to private motorized transportation. Timely and convenient public transit becomes a lifeline for people who cannot access other types of transportation, especially when it comes to emergency care. Method: We built a private network analysis within ArcGIS Pro using coordinate data from hospitals and stand-alone emergency rooms as designated by the North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) and public transit data from Orlando, FL. Establishing the accessible time as 30 minutes, we computed and visualized …

Assessment Of Spatial Distribution Patterns And Infestation Risk Over Time Of Spotted Lanterfly (Lycorma Delicatula) In New York State, Alanna Richman

Electronic Theses & Dissertations (2024 - present)

Spotted Lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula) is an invasive treehopper native to Asia. It was first introduced to Pennsylvania in 2014, and as of 2020 it has expanded to New York state. Their preferred host tree is the invasive tree of heaven (Ailanthus altissima), but they will feed on over 173 different plants worldwide. Preferred host species in New York state include agricultural vegetation such as grape vines and fruit trees. Positive Spotted Lanternfly site data collected by the New York Department of Agriculture and Markets and iMapInvasives were analyzed using ArcGIS Pro to assess spatial distribution patterns. …

Investigating Flash Flood Occurrence Using Negative Binomial Models In Maryland, United States Of America, Zainab O. Akinsemoyin

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Globally, as extreme weather patterns intensify, flash floods have emerged as one of the most destructive and immediate environmental threats. In Maryland, flash floods are particularly concerning due to its diverse topography and increasing urban development, which exacerbates runoff and overwhelms drainage systems. The state has experienced significant flash flood events, highlighting the need for effective models to manage risks and inform mitigation strategies. While regression models such as the Negative Binomial (NB) and Zero-Inflated Negative Binomial (ZINB) are commonly used for count data analysis, their application to flash flood modeling in the USA, including regions like Maryland, remains limited …

Road Extraction On Remote Sensing Imagery: Historical Mapping Of The Brazilian Amazon, Jonas Paiva Botelho Jr

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

This work proposes an artificial intelligence model based on U-Net architecture to map road networks in the Brazilian Amazon. Over the years, the Amazon region has been heavily exploited, leading to increased deforestation rates, contributing to CO2 emissions, amplifying global warming, and causing a disturbance in local fauna and flora. The expansion into the forest by illegal miners, loggers, and land grabbers can be tracked down by the construction of roads, which we can refer to as the arteries of deforestation. Previous works on the matter proposed algorithms that use high-resolution imagery to map roads precisely. However, this work approach …

A Tale Of Two Working Landscapes, Sage C. Sutcliffe

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

No abstract provided.