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Monitoring Pollen Counts And Pollen Allergy Index Using Satellite Observations In East Coast Of The United States, Murat Cagatay Kececi 2017 South Dakota State University

Monitoring Pollen Counts And Pollen Allergy Index Using Satellite Observations In East Coast Of The United States, Murat Cagatay Kececi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Allergic diseases have become increasingly common over the world during the last four decades, and they are affecting millions of people. Pollination is an important process in the life cycle of plants. However, pollen exposure is associated with allergic diseases such as asthma and seasonal allergic rhinitis (hay fever). As a result, the total annual expenditure for asthma-associated morbidity is about $56 billion in the United States, and the overall cost of allergic diseases is over $18 billion annually. For allergic rhinitis, the annual medical cost is approximately $3.4 billion. The intensity and frequency of the pollen exposures can be …


The Economic Impacts Of Cougars In Western Washington, Todd Stoothoff 2017 Central Washington University

The Economic Impacts Of Cougars In Western Washington, Todd Stoothoff

All Master's Theses

The combination of increasing cougar populations and the rising human population in Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) areas suggests that the number of human-cougar encounters will rise as well. The increase in human-cougar encounters creates potential issues in regard to public safety, public policy, and management of predators. For the purposes of this research, I employ a housing dataset for eleven counties in western Washington in order to quantify the impacts of a confirmed cougar sighting on the sale value of a home. Specifically, I employ the hedonic real estate price model. Results show statistically significant impacts on housing values in the …


A Landscape Of Water And Waste: Heritage Legacies And Environmental Change In The Mesabi Iron Range, John Baeten 2017 Michigan Technological University

A Landscape Of Water And Waste: Heritage Legacies And Environmental Change In The Mesabi Iron Range, John Baeten

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

This dissertation explores the intersection between mining technology, industrial heritage, and environmental history, using iron mining in the Mesabi Range of the Lake Superior Iron District as its core case study. What impact did technological shifts in iron mining and ore processing have on the environment of the Lake Superior basin? How did the environmental changes wrought from low-grade iron ore mining and processing, such as the expansion of open-pits and the production of tailings, affect different communities in Minnesota’s Mesabi Range? And finally, how have the environmental legacies of iron mining been remembered and memorialized, or ignored and forgotten?


Using Geospatial Analysis For High School Environmental Science Education: A Case Study Of The Jane Goodall Institute's Community-Centered Conservation Approach, Madison G. Vorva 2017 Pomona College

Using Geospatial Analysis For High School Environmental Science Education: A Case Study Of The Jane Goodall Institute's Community-Centered Conservation Approach, Madison G. Vorva

Pomona Senior Theses

Given my experiences as a young conservation advocate, I saw a need to teach students the importance of interconnectedness, cultural awareness and systems-thinking skills through a spatial lens. I believe these skills are required for holistic, equitable and sustainable conservation decision-making in local and international contexts. This thesis uses geospatial tools to teach conservation ecology vocabulary and concepts from high school environmental science curriculum in two online resources. The purpose of my lesson plan is to show students how conservationists address complex conservation and land-use challenges using the Jane Goodall Institute’s community-centered conservation approach as a case-study. My hope is …


Evaluating The Potential Of A Geospatial/Geostatistical Methodology For Locating Rain-Derived Infiltration And Inflow Into Wastewater Treatment Systems In The Minneapolis/St. Paul Metropolitan Area, Minnesota, Usa, Vinson Aaron Williams 2017 Minnesota State University, Mankato

Evaluating The Potential Of A Geospatial/Geostatistical Methodology For Locating Rain-Derived Infiltration And Inflow Into Wastewater Treatment Systems In The Minneapolis/St. Paul Metropolitan Area, Minnesota, Usa, Vinson Aaron Williams

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

A significant issue facing municipal wastewater treatment infrastructure (WWTI) is how to manage infiltration and inflow (I/I). I/I of rain and ground water permeate into WWTI after precipitation events, periods of groundwater table rise, and percolation from surrounding surface waters. This can create discharges above the infrastructure's flow capacity, increase costs for processing the wastewater and add undesired stress to aging wastewater networks. In an attempt to assess this problem cost and time inefficient approaches have commonly been applied. This study utilizes a new and more radical methodology to try and make WWTI management more efficient. This study applies ArcGIS …


Modeling Algae Powered Neighborhood Through Gis And Bim Integration, Florina Dutt, Steven Jige Quan, Erik Woodworth, Daniel Castro-Lacouture, Ben J. Stuart, Perry Pei-Ju Yang 2017 Old Dominion University

Modeling Algae Powered Neighborhood Through Gis And Bim Integration, Florina Dutt, Steven Jige Quan, Erik Woodworth, Daniel Castro-Lacouture, Ben J. Stuart, Perry Pei-Ju Yang

Civil & Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

This paper aims to propose a modeling method for algae powered neighborhoods through GIS-BIM integration. In the first part of the paper, the applicability of different types of algae systems in an urban neighborhood are studied. The various systems of algae provide different strengths and weakness that affect their performance and suitability for given urban scenarios. Through extensive literature review, the variables that affect the performance of the micro-algae in the built environment are identified, with a focus on flat-panel photo bio-reactors and tubular photobioreactors. A previous GIS model for data management, performance analysis and design of the algae systems …


Capturing In-Situ Feelings And Experiences Of Public Transit Riders Using Smartphones, Rafik Said, Rafik Said 2017 Loyalist College of Applied Arts and Technology

Capturing In-Situ Feelings And Experiences Of Public Transit Riders Using Smartphones, Rafik Said, Rafik Said

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

High-density urban environments are susceptible to ever-growing traffic congestion issues, which speaks to the importance of implementing and maintaining effective and sustainable transportation networks. While transit oriented developments offer the potential to help mitigate traffic congestion issues, transit networks ought to be safe and reliable for ideal transit-user communities. As such, it is imperative to capture meaningful data regarding transit experiences, and deduce how transit networks can be enhanced or modified to continually maintain ideal transit experiences. Historically speaking, it has been relatively tricky to measure how people feel whilst using public transportation, without leaning on recall memory to explain …


Information Technology Approaches To Forest Management, Mary Snow, Richard Snow 2017 Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

Information Technology Approaches To Forest Management, Mary Snow, Richard Snow

Publications

The majority of the world’s forests occur where there is a dry season long enough to affect a seasonal change in the forest community. The seasonal forest may include evergreen, semi-deciduous, deciduous trees, or some combination of these. Local differences in soil or other site characteristics often determine which community persists. Since the seasonal forests exist where there is seasonal precipitation, the character of the forest is closely associated with the length of the rainy season. As the length of the rainy season decreases, the density of the canopy decreases. If the global climate system warms and prolonged drought gives …


Mapping The Impact Of Intensive Rotational Grazing On Soil Fertility Over Time On Greenbrier Farms In Pickens County, South Carolina, Emily Kirby 2016 Furman University

Mapping The Impact Of Intensive Rotational Grazing On Soil Fertility Over Time On Greenbrier Farms In Pickens County, South Carolina, Emily Kirby

Earth and Environmental Sciences Presentations

Intensive rotational grazing (IRG) is a management technique that involves a more intentional management approach which includes increased paddock numbers, shorter grazing periods, larger livestock presence per acre, and longer periods of rest on pastures. Potential advantages of this management technique include improved forage quality, greater yield, decreased erosion, stable production during adverse growing condition, and improved soil fertility. This study collects and analyzes data to understand the impact of rotational grazing on soil fertility as measured by SOC (soil organic carbon) and SON (soil organic nitrogen) on Greenbrier Farms in Easley, South Carolina. This study analyzes the transition from …


Evaluating Urban Growth In Greenville County, South Carolina, Camille Lasley 2016 Furman University

Evaluating Urban Growth In Greenville County, South Carolina, Camille Lasley

Earth and Environmental Sciences Presentations

Development within Greenville County has been steadily growing since the 1990’s and is expected to expand even further in the coming years. Keeping up with the growth allows for better urban planning of the city. The goal of this project is to locate areas of urban growth within the county and determine the amount of change that has occurred within ten years.


Lgbtq+ Affirming Locations Of Greenville County, C.J. Lane 2016 Furman University

Lgbtq+ Affirming Locations Of Greenville County, C.J. Lane

Earth and Environmental Sciences Presentations

This project explores the LGBTQ+ Affirming Locations of Greenville county. An LGBTQ+ affirming location is best summarized by this response, “It's a comfortable and welcoming place where it doesn't only feel like LGBT+ people are just being tolerated”. This response was taken from a survey I sent out to LGBTQ+ Groups in the Greenville area and shows why it is important to identify locations in the Greenville county area. With people coming out and looking for support it is important for to know where they will not be discriminated against. The goal is to make a viewable map that can …


Mapping Trends In Bike Theft On Furman Campus From 2001 To 2016, Tindall Ouverson 2016 Furman University

Mapping Trends In Bike Theft On Furman Campus From 2001 To 2016, Tindall Ouverson

Earth and Environmental Sciences Presentations

The Furman University Police Department categorizes bike thefts as "bike larcenies" in their reporting system. However, most bike thefts on a college campus are not for monetary gain but as a means of transportation for opportunistic students. Though the goal of student bike thieves may be to get to class on time, the United States Department of Justice classifies them as "joyriders". Campus bike theft is a concern because it results in a monetary loss for students.


The Impact Of Organic Farms: Biodiversity And Climate Change Resilience In The Southeast, Josie Newton 2016 Furman University

The Impact Of Organic Farms: Biodiversity And Climate Change Resilience In The Southeast, Josie Newton

Earth and Environmental Sciences Presentations

Resilience to climate change serves as an indicator of the effectiveness of organic farming practices. Resilience means that an area is able to return to a stable state after a disturbance. In this context, it means that the area is able to function regularly even in the face of climate change, an instance that affects species health and biodiversity. By mapping the locations of organic farms across the southeastern United States along with the resilience scores of areas as evaluated by The Nature Conservancy and comparing this map to farm locations and biodiversity measures, we are able to determine the …


Spatial Distribution Of High Obesity Rates In South Carolina, Tom Bennett 2016 Furman University

Spatial Distribution Of High Obesity Rates In South Carolina, Tom Bennett

Earth and Environmental Sciences Presentations

In 2015, the rate of adult obesity in South Carolina was nearly 32%, which places South Carolina as the 13th worst state when it comes to the prevalence of adult obesity. Along with overall rates of adult obesity, South Carolina has the 8th highest high school student obesity rate with 16.3% of high school students being obese. These statistics are troubling because obesity is a primary cause of Type II Diabetes, high blood pressure, and many other negative health effects. These health care issues then affect supply and demand for health care, advertising, physical exercise, and many other market segments, …


Habitat Quality Modeling For Bird Species At Furman University, Emma Cook 2016 Furman University

Habitat Quality Modeling For Bird Species At Furman University, Emma Cook

Earth and Environmental Sciences Presentations

In rapidly urbanizing areas, such as Greenville County in Upstate South Carolina, it is important to study habitat use and quality across land cover types in order to maximize conservation. Habitat fragmentation is a threat to many species of birds in areas with increasing development, especially those species that utilize larger forest patches for nesting and foraging. While land cover type and patch size are extremely important factors in determining habitat quality for birds, recent research has shown that the matrix of surrounding landscape proves to be very important as well. The landscape matrix, sometimes called landscape mosaic, considers the …


Soundscape Mapping: Spatial Variability Of Sound At Furman University, Alec Schindler 2016 Furman University

Soundscape Mapping: Spatial Variability Of Sound At Furman University, Alec Schindler

Earth and Environmental Sciences Presentations

Looking at the entire soundscape and studying its spatial variability can often give us important information about the health of the ecosystem. However, most previous studies only measure sound intensity, and are therefore limited in their depiction of the soundscape. Another tool for mapping soundscapes is SPreAD-GIS. This tool models sound propagation in an area. However, previous studies have only used it to evaluate the effects of noise pollution, but not applied it towards depicting the soundscape as a whole. I mapped the soundscape of Furman University’s campus using sound intensity as well as many different soundscape indices in order …


Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Based Structure From Motion Biomass Inventory Estimates, Emily Jane Bedell 2016 Portland State University

Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Based Structure From Motion Biomass Inventory Estimates, Emily Jane Bedell

Dissertations and Theses

Riparian vegetation restoration efforts demand cost effective, accurate, and replicable impact assessments. In this thesis a method is presented using an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) equipped with a GoPro digital camera to collect photogrammetric data of a 2.02-acre riparian restoration. A three-dimensional point cloud was created from the photos using Structure from Motion (SfM) techniques. The point cloud was analyzed and compared to traditional, ground-based monitoring techniques. Ground truth data collected using the status-quo approach was collected on 6.3% of the study site and averaged across the entire site to report stem heights in stems/acre in three height classes, 0-3 …


Landsat 5 Thematic Mapper Reflectance And Ndvi 27-Year Time Series Inconsistencies Due To Satellite Orbit Change, Hankui Zhang, David P. Roy 2016 South Dakota State University

Landsat 5 Thematic Mapper Reflectance And Ndvi 27-Year Time Series Inconsistencies Due To Satellite Orbit Change, Hankui Zhang, David P. Roy

GSCE Faculty Publications

The Landsat 5 Thematic Mapper (TM) sensor provided the longest single mission terrestrial remote sensing data record but temporally sparse station keeping maneuvers meant that the Landsat 5 orbit changed over the 27 year mission life. Long-term Landsat 5 TM reflectance inconsistencies may be introduced by orbit change induced solar zenith variations combined with surface reflectance anisotropy, commonly described by the Bi-directional Reflectance Distribution Function (BRDF). This study quantifies the local overpass time and observed solar zenith angle changes for all the Landsat 5 TM images available at two latitudinally separated locations along the same north-south Landsat path (27) in …


Aiddata Gis International Fellowship: Ghana West-Africa, Jason N. Ready 2016 GISDE

Aiddata Gis International Fellowship: Ghana West-Africa, Jason N. Ready

Sustainability and Social Justice

My internship, or fellowship as it was commonly referred to, was funded by a non-profit organization out of Williamsburg Virginia called AidData. This fellowship took place in in the country of Ghana, West-Africa beginning in May of 2016 and continued for 14 weeks with 40 hours each week. The objective of this internship was to provide in-depth training on the use of geographic Information Systems to Private and Public sectors within the country to allow for increased efficiency, and transparency through data visualization. In accordance with the requirement of Clark Universities GISDE master’s program this paper will delve into the …


A Note On The Temporary Misregistration Of Landsat-8 Operational Land Imager (Oli) And Sentinel-2 Multi Spectral Instrument (Msi) Imagery, James Storey, David P. Roy, Jeffrey Masek, Ferran Gascon, Michael Choate 2016 U.S. Geological Survey

A Note On The Temporary Misregistration Of Landsat-8 Operational Land Imager (Oli) And Sentinel-2 Multi Spectral Instrument (Msi) Imagery, James Storey, David P. Roy, Jeffrey Masek, Ferran Gascon, Michael Choate

GSCE Faculty Publications

The Landsat-8 and Sentinel-2 sensors provide multi-spectral image data with similar spectral and spatial characteristics that together provide improved temporal coverage globally. Both systems are designed to register Level 1 products to a reference image framework, however, the Landsat-8 framework, based upon the Global Land Survey images, contains residual geolocation errors leading to an expected sensor-to-sensor misregistration of 38 m (2σ). These misalignments vary geographically but should be stable for a given area. The Landsat framework will be readjusted for consistency with the Sentinel-2 Global Reference Image, with completion expected in 2018. In the interim, users can measure Landsat-to-Sentinel tie …


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