A Geographic Information System (GIS) is about presentinginformation with the map as a base. This is increasingly being used on internetsites and in mobile apps. With a GPS it is possible to see where you are andhow to reach a destination or check if the bus is in time. A question to ask isif this technology is possible to implement in ordinary primary schooleducation. If it is, learning history, geography, religion and so on with a GISlearning tool might be possible. Then, it is interesting to know which thepossibilities and obstacles are for such implementation. This paper presentssome of the possibilities and barriers. A scenario of an idea of a GIS learningtool was made and presented for some teachers and pupils. In the interviewswhere teachers were one by one and the pupils were in groups they could tellwhat they thought about the idea. This study shows that one of the possibilitieswith implementing a GIS in primary school education is that it is seen as apedagogical tool which creates an interaction with the tool and the the way themap creates context. It was also seen as an important learning tool for pupilwith reading and writing difficulties because it allows learning using multiplesenses. Futhermore this study identifies som barriers in the form of lacking internetconnections, and computers that do not work in a proper way, and it can take along time to get support. Other things that were mentioned was that allteachers do not have an interest in IT and the risk that pupils would ratherplay computergames than do school work. In sum, this study show that GIS havethe potential of being the pedagogical learning tools that teachers aresearching for.

ästerbottens färgrika stenskatter - Spatiala presentationer och analyser av skifferfynd i Västerbottens län (The colorful stone treasures of Västerbotten – Spatial presentations and analysis of slate artefacts in Västerbotten County) This essay pertains to the spatial distributions and analysis of slate artefacts in Västerbotten County, Sweden. The authors aim is to give answers the issues of what the distribution patterns of slate artefacts can tell us about the prehistoric humans in this area. By using GIS software and geospatial analysis the author strengthens the theories about separate interior and coastal economies, as well as the theory that the main share of production of slate artifacts are linked in the interior of the County, the author also refers to earlier research, both domestic and international. The theories of non-pragmatic preferences by the late Mesolithic and Neolithic people for red colored slate are also added to. Finally the author suggests a usage of slate daggers as tools for the preparation of felled, larger animals, rather than the daggers being primarily a weapon or of symbolic value.

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Previous understanding of the winter ice regime in Hudson Bay was limited. This investigation demonstrates the existence of a large coastal polynya in northwestern Hudson Bay. Measuring approximately 600 km long by 60 km wide, this polynya is typically opened and maintained by surface winds for periods of one to five days. Closing mechanisms result from decline in wind maintenance and apparent thermodynamic ice formation. Open water is present on the northwest coast at some size for up to 70% of the winter between ice formation and breakup. Observation of this open water during the period of the winter ice pack indicates that the ‘ice factory’, modelled previously, in northwest Hudson Bay exists. This furthers understanding of the freshwater budgets, stratification, and atmosphere-ocean interactions while presenting new questions about climate change and the future of the Hudson Bay physical system.

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The aim of the research contained in this thesis was to develop a model of long-term upland catchment runoff that can be used for ungauged catchments. This is a problem due to the complex spatial and temporal nature of runoff and the main contributing processes, precipitation (P) and evapotranspiration (Et). It is also a problem due to the lack of suitable data on which to base and test models of these processes, particularly in remote upland areas such as the north-west of England, the study area of this research. Long-term runoff is important since it represents the maximum rate at which water is available for human use and management, for assessment of water resource yield and for prediction of extreme events that are particularly important in respect to climate change. Methods currently in use by water companies in the UK, such as North West Water Limited (NWW), are inadequate since they fail to account for the spatial and temporal nature of runoff. New more reliable methods are therefore required which will equip water managers with flexible and responsive runoff modelling tools based upon routinely available data and that are sensitive to the complex physical nature of the processes involved. A physically based distributed runoff model was developed using GIS technology and spatial data to interpolate and extrapolate available point-based hydrometeorological data. The strategy required the development of models to derive areal representations of P and Et. For the P modelling several interpolation techniques and artificial neural network models were investigated. The results were evaluated against an independent data set. The results showed that a geostatistical interpolation technique, detrended Kriging, which uses pointbased precipitation and spatial elevation data provided the most accurate estimates when compared to other methods. The models of Et involved extrapolation of point-based Et values derived from the Penman-Monteith formula (Monteith, 1965), using spatial land cover data. A point-based temperature function model (Wright and Harding, 1993) that reduces the Penman estimates of Et for upland sites was spatially implemented using spatial temperature and elevation data. No independent data were available for model evaluation but first estimates of errors were gained through comparison of errors of runoff and precipitation estimates. Overall it was found that the most accurate E, model results were derived when the temperature function model was not implemented. Evidence of whether or not a lumped or heterogeneous land cover representation provided the more accurate results was unclear. Error evaluation and sensitivity analysis of the modelled runoff was carried out using measured runoff records and the results were compared to those produced using the North West Water model. It was found that the GIS-based model provided improved estimates of long-term average annual runoff for upland catchments. The largest component of the errors of the GIS-based method were associated with the Et estimates. This was principally a result of poor quality and limited availability of data for the study area. The research highlights many wider issues related to the use of GIS and spatial data for hydrological modelling.

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Public transit provides an important community service by reducing pollution, traffic congestion, and by providing transportation for those who do not or cannot drive. Yet since the 1950s, real investment levels in transit have declined in many North American cities which has resulted in diminished service levels and ridership. In order for transit agencies to attract more riders, transit service must be competitive with alternative modes of transport, particularly private automobiles. However, since funding is limited, planning staff must ensure that the service changes that are implemented result in the greatest benefits to the system. This thesis presents an iterative approach to evaluating service changes in a transit network that combines the output from sophisticated transportation models, demographic data, and software analysis with local knowledge and expertise. The thesis focuses specifically on three common challenges in transit planning: quantifying costs of transfers between destinations within a system, examining access distances to transit as a measure of transit supportiveness, and estimating ridership changes resulting from small route adjustments. Three GIS-based tools, referred to as the Transfer, Access and Route Planning Tools, were developed to address these challenges and were demonstrated using transit system data from the Region of Waterloo in Southwestern Ontario. The Transfer Tool was used to highlight trips with high transfer costs to determine which changes in the route structure would result in the greatest reduction of the generalized cost of a trip attributed to transfers. Results from the Access Tool and Route Planning Tools demonstrated how changes to the streets along which transit routes operate influence access distances to transit, and further, transit ridership. The Access Tool also demonstrated how the design of the street network and the presence of pedestrian paths may affect access distances. Finally, this thesis concludes by recommending areas of future research.