Factors Limiting Sand Dune Restoration In Northwest Beach, Point Pelee National Park, Canada,
2018
Wilfrid Laurier University
Factors Limiting Sand Dune Restoration In Northwest Beach, Point Pelee National Park, Canada, Pritichhanda Nayak, Pritichhanda Mohanty Nayak
Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)
Known as home to rare species of flora and fauna, and their critical habitats, Northwest beach of Point Pelee National Park has undergone significant ecological and infrastructural changes in the past decades. A number of important management challenges have emerged, including conservation of endangered Five-lined Skink (Plestiodon fasciatus) which inhabit the extensive dune system within the park. This research investigates key factors for sand dune ecosystem restoration in Northwest beach of Point Pelee with particular attention to the conservation of Skink habitat. Random stratified sampling method was used to collect sand and vegetation samples from the disturbed and …
Spatial Modelling And Wildlife Health Surveillance: A Case Study Of White Nose Syndrome In Ontario,
2018
Wilfrid Laurier University
Spatial Modelling And Wildlife Health Surveillance: A Case Study Of White Nose Syndrome In Ontario, Lauren Yee
Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)
Wildlife data is often limited by survey effort, small sample sizes, and spatial biases associated with collection and missing data. These factors can create unique challenges from a surveillance perspective when trying to extract spatial patterns of habitat suitability and disease distributions for conservation and management purposes. This thesis examined data quality from a wildlife health database in the context of spatial analysis of wildlife disease. Spatial analysis of the data to predict habitat suitability of bats and white nose syndrome afflicted bats was examined by using the MaxEnt modelling method. Methods to reduce spatial bias were examined and specific …
Assessing Historical Planform Channel Change In An Altered Watershed With Quantification Of Error And Uncertainty Present In A Gis/Aerial Photography-Based Analysis; Case Study: Minnesota River, Minnesota, Usa.,
2018
Minnesota State University, Mankato
Assessing Historical Planform Channel Change In An Altered Watershed With Quantification Of Error And Uncertainty Present In A Gis/Aerial Photography-Based Analysis; Case Study: Minnesota River, Minnesota, Usa., Devon Libby
All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects
Little is known about the historic planform channel change of the Minnesota River of south-central Minnesota, USA. This is despite research that demonstrates anthropogenic activities have altered the Minnesota River Basin's hydrology, land use, and climate. In addition, the threat of invasive carp infestation requires an understanding of Minnesota River planform change to assess mitigation strategies. This thesis focuses on the lower Minnesota River (LMR) by measuring planform channel change (lateral channel migration, width, and sinuosity) from 1937 to 2013. Analysis is conducted by utilizing remote/GIS analysis of historic aerial photographs. A secondary focus addresses and quantifies the inherent/introduced error/uncertainly …
Modeling And Mapping Location-Dependent Human Appearance,
2018
University of Kentucky
Modeling And Mapping Location-Dependent Human Appearance, Zachary Bessinger
Theses and Dissertations--Computer Science
Human appearance is highly variable and depends on individual preferences, such as fashion, facial expression, and makeup. These preferences depend on many factors including a person's sense of style, what they are doing, and the weather. These factors, in turn, are dependent upon geographic location and time. In our work, we build computational models to learn the relationship between human appearance, geographic location, and time. The primary contributions are a framework for collecting and processing geotagged imagery of people, a large dataset collected by our framework, and several generative and discriminative models that use our dataset to learn the relationship …
Residential Solar In Washington State,
2018
Central Washington University
Residential Solar In Washington State, Sam Pfeifer
All Master's Theses
Electricity generated through residential solar provides a low carbon source of electricity. However, diffusion of residential solar remains low across the United States. Growing this diffusion takes an understanding of localized uptake trends, which can focus policy and business efforts to help increase residential solar market penetration. This is the first research to investigate residential solar uptake in Washington State and to examine environmental education as a potential driver of residential solar uptake. Through a snapshot analysis which considers environmental, economic, education, and cultural variables the present research fills this gap. Triangulated results include mapping of variables, ordinary-least squares multiple …
Geomorphic Consequences Of Hydroelectricity And Transportation Development Near Celilo Falls, Lower Mid-Columbia River, Washington,
2018
Central Washington University
Geomorphic Consequences Of Hydroelectricity And Transportation Development Near Celilo Falls, Lower Mid-Columbia River, Washington, Noah I. Oliver
All Master's Theses
Along the Columbia River, hundreds of miles of transportation infrastructure and over sixty hydroelectric dams have been constructed. This altered a rich cultural landscape with evidence of 10,000 years of continuous occupation. Researchers have attempted to understand the impacts of anthropogenic factors on the Columbia River, focusing on the riverine environment. However, the effect of transportation and hydroelectricity developments to eolian landforms on the floodplains and adjoining slopes have not been studied. Focusing on 2,800 acres near Celilo Falls, this study 1) establishes a baseline condition of eolian landforms from 1805 to 1900; 2) conducts an air photo increment analysis …
Regional Climate Model Evaluation System Powered By Apache Open Climate Workbench V1.3.0: An Enabling Tool For Facilitating Regional Climate Studies,
2018
California Institute of Technology
Regional Climate Model Evaluation System Powered By Apache Open Climate Workbench V1.3.0: An Enabling Tool For Facilitating Regional Climate Studies, Huikyo Lee, Alexander Goodman, Lewis Mcgibbney, Duane E. Waliser, Jinwon Kim, Paul C. Loikith, Peter B. Gibson, Elias C. Massoud
Geography Faculty Publications and Presentations
The Regional Climate Model Evaluation System (RCMES) is an enabling tool of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to support the United States National Climate Assessment. As a comprehensive system for evaluating climate models on regional and continental scales using observational datasets from a variety of sources, RCMES is designed to yield information on the performance of climate models and guide their improvement. Here, we present a user-oriented document describing the latest version of RCMES, its development process, and future plans for improvements. The main objective of RCMES is to facilitate the climate model evaluation process at regional scales. RCMES …
Effects Of Manual And Mechanical Ammophila Arenaria Removal Techniques On Coastal Dune Plant Communities And Dune Morphology,
2018
Cal Poly Humboldt
Effects Of Manual And Mechanical Ammophila Arenaria Removal Techniques On Coastal Dune Plant Communities And Dune Morphology, Monique R. Silva Crossman
Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects
The removal of invasive species as part of the restoration process can allow natives organisms to rebound. An ecosystem that incurs damages from invasive species is coastal sand dunes, which are dynamic systems. Some coastal sand dunes on the west coast of the United States have been invaded by Ammophila arenaria. The invasive grass, A. arenaria, is thought to alter and stabilize foredune morphology and reduce populations of native species. The objectives of my research are to examine the effects that manual and mechanical A. arenaria removal techniques have on coastal sand dune morphology and vegetative cover over time. …
Cohens On The Move: Jewish Residential Dynamics In Cincinnati, Ohio, 1940-2000,
2018
Northern Illinois University
Cohens On The Move: Jewish Residential Dynamics In Cincinnati, Ohio, 1940-2000, Carmi J. Neiger
Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations
In the 1960s and 1970s, as many large US cities experienced rapid racial and ethnic demographic shifts, the intra-urban residential settlement and migration patterns of American Jews came to the attention of sociologists and urbanists. Although the interest in this population has waned in favor of more recent immigrant groups, patterns of Jewish residential dynamics continue to evolve, reflecting changes over time in both Jewish religious and ethnic identity and assimilation into mainstream American society. The lack of Census data identifying households by religious affiliation requires an alternative approach to the study of this group. In the first section of …
A Comparative Assessment Of Food Deserts Using Geographic Information Systems (Gis) In El Paso County, Tx And Loudoun County, Va,
2018
University of Texas at El Paso
A Comparative Assessment Of Food Deserts Using Geographic Information Systems (Gis) In El Paso County, Tx And Loudoun County, Va, Amit Ugamraj Raysoni
Open Access Theses & Dissertations
BACKGROUND & SIGNIFICANCE: Consumption of processed foods high in sodium and fat can have a plethora of health complications, including, but not limited to hypertension, high cholesterol levels, obesity, diabetes and cancer. Previous studies have documented that lack of access to viable healthy eating options' grocery stores selling affordable fresh fruits and vegetables - in any neighborhood or area can result in negative public health outcomes. These areas devoid of such grocery stores and healthy eating options can be classified as "Food Deserts", as per one of the criteria adopted by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). In addition, …
Participatory Gis As A Tool For Stakeholder Engagement In Building Resilience To Sea Level Rise: A Demonstration Project,
2018
Old Dominion University
Participatory Gis As A Tool For Stakeholder Engagement In Building Resilience To Sea Level Rise: A Demonstration Project, Juita-Elena (Wie) Yusuf, Pragati Rawat, Carol Considine, Michelle Covi, Burton St. John Iii, J. Gail Nicula, Khairul A. Anuar
School of Public Service Faculty Publications
This article describes a participatory geographical information system (PGIS) demonstration project used as part of the stakeholder engagement efforts undertaken by the Citizen Engagement Working Group of the Hampton Roads Sea Level Rise Preparedness and Resilience Intergovernmental Planning Pilot Project. The PGIS demonstration project was conducted in the Little Creek/Pretty Lake case study area in the Hampton Roads region of southeastern coastal Virginia. PGIS served as a deliberative and participatory mechanism to obtain local knowledge from residents about the location of valued assets within the community and locations challenged by increased flooding and sea level rise. The PGIS application, using …
Gis Project Management,
2018
CUNY Hunter College
Gis Project Management, Jochen Albrecht
Publications and Research
There is a big gulf between GIScience as an academic endeavor and its application in the form of GIS project management in the real world. Project activities are complex because they rarely involve routine repetitive acts, but often require specific knowledge and skills to be used in their design, execution, and management. This article explains what project management is, its objectives, and the required ingredients from personnel to budgets, and the integration of the GIS project into the larger context of an organization’s and even societal culture.
Essential Methods For Planning Practitioners: Skills And Techniques For Data Analysis, Visualization, And Communication,
2018
CUNY Hunter College
Essential Methods For Planning Practitioners: Skills And Techniques For Data Analysis, Visualization, And Communication, Laxmi Ramasubramanian, Jochen Albrecht
Publications and Research
No abstract provided.
Analysis Of Land Use/Land Cover Change Impacts Upon Ecosystem Services In Montane Tropical Forest Of Rwanda: Forest Carbon Assessment And Redd+ Preparedness,
2018
Antioch University, New England
Analysis Of Land Use/Land Cover Change Impacts Upon Ecosystem Services In Montane Tropical Forest Of Rwanda: Forest Carbon Assessment And Redd+ Preparedness, Mcard Joseph Mlotha
Antioch University Dissertations & Theses
Changes in forest cover especially changes within tropical forests, affect global climate change, together with ecosystems and forest carbon. Forests play a key role in both carbon emission and carbon sequestration. Efforts to reduce emissions through reduced deforestation and degradation of forests have become a common discussion among scientists and politicians under the auspices of the United Nations Programme on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (UN-REDD Programme). This dissertation research assessed the impacts of land use land cover change upon ecosystem services from a protected area focusing on forest carbon distribution and vegetation mapping using remote sensing and …
Preparing For Out Of Hospital Cardiac Arrests (Ohca) In Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: A Gis Scenario-Modeling Approach,
2018
Eastern Michigan University
Preparing For Out Of Hospital Cardiac Arrests (Ohca) In Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: A Gis Scenario-Modeling Approach, Abubakr Abdelkafi Magzoub
Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations
This study employed location-allocation modeling and a geographic information system (GIS) to study the current placement of automated external defibrillators (AEDs) in relationship to neighborhoods in Riyadh City, Saudi Arabia, and to determine the optimal locations for additional AEDs in the city. Using GIS to mathematically locate additional healthcare facilities for the placement of AEDs is more reliable than to select them using informed guesses. The objective of this research was to elaborate a mathematical and GIS model for placing AED devices so that people who need to use these devices in the City of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, can access …
Just Open A Window: Understanding The Vulnerability To Summer Heat Of A Mountain Community In The Western United States, Missoula, Mt,
2018
University of Montana
Just Open A Window: Understanding The Vulnerability To Summer Heat Of A Mountain Community In The Western United States, Missoula, Mt, Julie J. Tompkins
Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers
How do we conceptualize vulnerability or resiliency to a natural hazard when it has not historically been understood as such? This study focuses on Missoula, located in mountains of western Montana, which has steadily grown by 1-2% per year to almost 75,000 residents. The formerly temperate quality of its winters and summers has also been changing. Projections from the 2017 Montana Climate Assessment estimate the state will experience a 2-5°F increase in mean annual air temperature over the next two decades, prompting city and county officials to plan for scenarios not formerly in their consideration. Of further concern is the …
A Summer At Azavea Working With Nonprofit Organizations: The Summer Of Maps Fellowship,
2017
Clark University
A Summer At Azavea Working With Nonprofit Organizations: The Summer Of Maps Fellowship, Sarah Gates
Sustainability and Social Justice
This report details my experience as a Summer of Maps Fellow at Azavea during June 2017 to August 2017. As a Summer of Maps Fellow I worked with nonprofit organizations, the Fair Tech Collective and the World Resources Institute, on two geospatial analysis projects. For the Fair Tech Collective I analyzed data on refinery flaring pollution, air toxin concentrations, and sensitive receptor populations to produce a series of maps and infographics detailing the impacts of petrochemical pollution in the San Francisco Bay Area. For the World Resources Institute I used data-driven methods to analyze conservation efforts in the Central African …
Greening The Gateway Cities: Summer Internship With The Clark University Human Environment Regional Observatory (Hero) And Massachusetts Department Of Conservation And Recreation (Dcr),
2017
Clark University
Greening The Gateway Cities: Summer Internship With The Clark University Human Environment Regional Observatory (Hero) And Massachusetts Department Of Conservation And Recreation (Dcr), Zhiwen Zhu
Sustainability and Social Justice
This report provides a detailed account of my internship experience with the Clark University Human-Environment Regional Observatory (HERO) and Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) in the summer of 2017. This internship concerns the urban tree health assessment in three ‘Greening the Gateway’ cities in Massachusetts. During the internship, I conducted tree survey field work, database management, mapping, tree survey data analysis and urban tree plantation benefits microclimate simulation. During the internship I worked with the professors and students at Clark University and University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and the staff from Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR), Worcester Tree …
Poverty Mapping Using Convolutional Neural Networks Trained On High And Medium Resolution Satellite Images, With An Application In Mexico,
2017
Orbital Insight
Poverty Mapping Using Convolutional Neural Networks Trained On High And Medium Resolution Satellite Images, With An Application In Mexico, Boris Babenko, Jonathan Hersh, David Newhouse, Anusha Ramakrishnan, Tom Swartz
Economics Faculty Articles and Research
Mapping the spatial distribution of poverty in developing countries remains an important and costly challenge. These “poverty maps” are key inputs for poverty targeting, public goods provision, political accountability, and impact evaluation, that are all the more important given the geographic dispersion of the remaining bottom billion severely poor individuals. In this paper we train Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) to estimate poverty directly from high and medium resolution satellite images. We use both Planet and Digital Globe imagery with spatial resolutions of 3-5 m2 and 50 cm2 respectively, covering all 2 million km2 of Mexico. Benchmark poverty estimates come from …
Spatial Analysis Of Ethnic And Racial Segregation In The Chicago Metropolitan Area, 2000–2014,
2017
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Spatial Analysis Of Ethnic And Racial Segregation In The Chicago Metropolitan Area, 2000–2014, Roy Yao
Department of Geography: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research
Racial segregation has long been a great concern in the United States. Scholars study and measure racial segregation over different time periods to trace the changing patterns of racial segregation. Chicago, as the nation’s third largest city, also ranked on top of the most segregated cities. Previous studies measured racial segregation in Chicago only numerically; few studies have used geospatial statistic methods to identify racial segregation patterns in the Chicago metropolitan area. This study uses “Hotspot Analysis” (Getis Ord Gi*) to identify Chicago’s most recent segregation patterns among four major ethnic and racial groups: White, African American, Hispanic and Asian. …
