abstract: Decades ago in the U.S., clear lines delineated which neighborhoods were acceptable for certain people and which were not. Techniques such as steering and biased mortgage practices continue to perpetuate a segregated outcome for many residents. In contrast, ethnic enclaves and age restricted communities are viewed as voluntary segregation based on cultural and social amenities. This diversity surrounding the causes of segregation are not just region-wide characteristics, but can vary within a region. Local segregation analysis aims to uncover this local variation, and hence open the door to policy solutions not visible at the global scale. The centralization index, originally introduced as a global measure of segregation focused on spatial concentration of two population groups relative a region's urban center, has lost relevancy in recent decades as regions have become polycentric, and the index's magnitude is sensitive to the particular point chosen as the center. These attributes, which make it a poor global measure, are leveraged here to repurpose the index as a local measure. The index's ability to differentiate minority from majority segregation, and its focus on a particular location within a region make it an ideal local segregation index. Based on the local centralization index for two groups, a local multigroup variation is defined, and a local space-time redistribution index is presented capturing change in concentration of a single population group over two time periods. Permutation based inference approaches are used to test the statistical significance of measured index values. Applications to the Phoenix, Arizona metropolitan area show persistent cores of black and white segregation over the years 1990, 2000 and 2010, and a trend of white segregated neighborhoods increasing at a faster rate than black. An analysis of the Phoenix area's recently opened light rail system shows that its 28 stations are located in areas of significant white, black and Hispanic segregation, and there is a clear concentration of renters over owners around most stations. There is little indication of statistically significant change in segregation or population concentration around the stations, indicating a lack of near term impact of light rail on the region's overall demographics. / Dissertation/Thesis / Ph.D. Geography 2012

<p> Prehistoric habitation structures located in the Mount Trumbull region of northwestern Arizona are constructed across a diverse topographic landscape. Several archaeological site reports for the Mt. Trumbull region allude to the exceptional views from habitation structures despite their often non-obtrusive locations. In this thesis, I utilize Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to facilitate the understanding of patterns and relationships among archaeological habitation structures discovered across this exceptionally diverse landscape. </p><p> Using cumulative viewshed analysis, this thesis endeavors to characterize prehistoric habitations as linked in two ways. The first is geographic. Are habitation sites intervisible? The second means of connection concerns material manifestations. To what extent do habitation sites share similar ceramics, architectural styles, and stone tools? The research seeks to improve current knowledge of Ancestral Pueblo settlement patterns and determine if the geographic location of habitation sites predicts the structure of their material remains; and if so, would this provide evidence for the existence of prehistoric communities? Based on the outcomes of several cumulative viewshed analyses, I conclude that the placement of known habitation sites across the landscape significantly differs when compared to sample non-site locations suggesting that habitation sites were constructed in areas of the landscape that favored intervisibility.</p><p>

<p> The whereabouts of the unsheltered homeless population in Orange County, CA is determined by various push-pull factors. Access to services, methods and intensity of policing, and general tolerance by local residents or business owners all factor into where those experiencing homelessness will congregate. Public policy is related to these concepts as it is influenced by resident input and is the tool used to implement services and guide law enforcement. This thesis takes a closer look into factors specific to the rapid growth of homeless encampments at the Santa Ana Riverbed in Northern Orange County. The research tracks the growth of homeless encampments in the study area dating back to 2013 using geospatial techniques and analyzes the increase in numbers in relation to changes in local policies, such as anti-camping ordinances. Specifically, the research relied upon analysis of aerial imagery and data collected in the field. The study finds that disproportionate enforcement of anti-camping laws in the riverbed and adjacent cities created a hospitable area for homeless persons in the Santa Ana Riverbed. Finding a catalyst that explains the rapid growth of encampments in the last two years is less clear, but likely due to a variety of factors.</p><p>

<p> Geographic Information Science (GIS) has been working its way into various fields from the public to the private sectors. The world of journalism and news media is no exception and as both fields grow, GIS is becoming an important spatial news reporting tool in journalism as a form of data journalism. Thus this thesis examines the usage of GIS by news reporting agencies for creating maps that accompany news stories and/or are used as the news story. Specifically this research examines how smaller, more local-based news organizations, such as the <i>Long Beach Press Telegram</i> and the <i>Orange County Register</i> (with a comparison to the <i>Los Angeles Times</i>) are or are not using GIS-based mapping within their news stories and how they can better improve or integrate GIS-based maps and interactive mapping on the local level of reporting. This could assist in providing better analyses of local spatial patterns for various news stories and give the local readers a better understanding of their community and the issues related to it. </p><p> A mixed-methods approach was applied, which involved qualitative and quantitative methods. This included surveys, interviews and data analysis. The survey respondents were college students (news readers), the interviewees were journalists working with GIS and the data analysis involved examining the news stories of all three newspapers. The findings concluded that the smaller, more local papers are in fact using maps and GIS less than the <i> Los Angeles Times</i> and that most survey respondents (readers) would like to see more and better maps in news stories. The interview answers pointed to how the <i>Los Angeles Times</i> has managed to use and expand that usage of GIS and maps through creative solutions and workarounds to help lessen various barriers, such as budget, lack of skilled journalists, GIS software complexity, and time. </p><p> As the world of journalism continues to transform and adapt to digital news reporting, local newspapers&rsquo; use of GIS-based tools will also need to increase. This will allow them to better engage and inform readers in the future since GIS will possibly become an extremely useful or even vital tool in spatial news reporting.</p><p>

Esta dissertação tem como objetivo o estudo da altimetria e do modelo geoidal no Estado de São Paulo. Para isso, uma abordagem detalhada do Problema de Valor de Contorno da Geodésia foi realizada. Além disso, são apresentados conceitos relacionados ao sistema de altitudes e a determinação das ondulações geoidais. Uma investigação do movimento e deslocamento vertical da crosta terrestre por meio do processamento preciso por ponto de duas estações de monitoramento contínuo (Cananeia NEIA e Ubatuba UBAT), localizadas no litoral paulista, foi efetuada. Constatou-se uma similaridade nos resultados por meio da comparação com o processamento feito pelo IBGE. A comparação envolvendo o Nível Médio dos Mares de duas estações maregráficas com relação ao nivelamento advindo de Imbituba foi outro estudo executado, onde a diferença após algumas correções foi de 0,34 cm. Uma análise a partir de 199 estações GPS sobre nivelamento foi realizada para comparação da ondulação geoidal com as anomalias de altura. As anomalias foram calculadas a partir dos modelos do geopotencial (EIGEN-GL04, EIGEN-5C e EGM08 para diferentes valores de grau e ordem). Os modelos que apresentaram melhor consistência com as estações GPS sobre nivelamento foram o EIGEN-GL04C e EIGEN-5C grau e ordem 360 e o EGM08 grau e ordem 360 e 2160. O modelo geoidal do Estado de São Paulo foi gerado para um modelo digital de 5. Utilizou-se a integral modificada de Stokes a partir do pacote computacional canadense SHGEO para o cálculo da componente de curto comprimento de onda. Foram empregados dados gravimétricos já existentes e dados advindos dos trabalhos de campo referentes ao Projeto Temático da FAPESP. No cálculo da componente de médio e longo comprimento de onda foi utilizado o modelo do geopotencial EGM08 (grau e ordem 150). A comparação com os dados GPS sobre nivelamento apresentou média de -0,22 m e RMSD 0,21 m. A escolha do Estado de São Paulo está relacionada à grande quantidade de trabalhos geodésicos e atividades na área da engenharia e que necessitam da utilização de um sistema altimétrico. Além disso, a grande quantidade de dados gravimétricos e de estações GPS/RN é mais uma justificativa para a realização do trabalho no Estado. / The investigation of the altimetry and the geoid model in São Paulo state is the aim of this dissertation. A detailed study concerning the Geodetic Boundary Value Problem was carried out. Moreover, the concepts related to the height system are presented. The analysis of the crust vertical displacement involving two continuous monitoring GPS stations (Cananeia NEIA and Ubatuba UBAT) in the coast of the state was performed. It was detected similar results between the comparison involved IBGE processing. A comparison involving the mean sea level of two tide gauge stations with respect to levelling from Imbituba was carried out. After some corrections the difference found was 0.34 m. A comparison between height anomalies by the Global Geopotential Models (EIGEN-GL04, EIGEN-5C and EGM08 for different degree and order) and 199 GPS observations on Bench Marks of the spirit leveling network was performed. The Global Geopotential Models that presented consistency with GPS on Bench Marks were: EIGEN-GL04C and EIGEN- 5C degree and order 360 and EGM08 degree and order 2160. São Paulo state geoid model was computed in 5 digital model. The modified Stokes integral by the Canadian package SHGEO to compute the short wavelength component was used, from Helmert gravity anomalies derived. Existing gravity data and data from FAPESP Thematic Project was processed. EGM08 model was used as a reference field restricted to degree and order 150 to obtain the long and medium wavelength components. The comparison with GPS on Bench Marks presented mean -0.22 m and RMSD 0.21 m. The reason for the choice of São Paulo state is that there are a lot of geodetic activities and important engineering works that require the use of a height system. Furthermore, there are a lot of gravimetric and GPS/BM data all around the state.

A crescente demanda por informações gravimétricas consistentes em âmbito sul-americano, visando, sobretudo, a unificação de um sistema altimétrico para o continente, foi a motivação maior deste trabalho. Nesse contexto, procurou-se evidenciar informações detalhadas, de cunho técnico e operacional, voltadas à execução de levantamentos gravimétricos. Assim, conceitos básicos introdutórios seguidos de uma resenha histórica da gravimetria no Brasil e no mundo, são delineados. É efetuada a proposta de uma nova abordagem para um sistema gravimétrico. Apresentam-se aspectos práticos detalhados sobre o manuseio do gravímetro LaCoste & Romberg. Sugerem-se, adicionalmente, procedimentos metodológicos para as diversas etapas de uma operação gravimétrica. Ao final, à guisa de estudo de caso, disponibilizam-se resultados que são analisados e comparados. / The increasing demand for consistent South American gravimetric informations, aiming, most of all, the unification of a height system for the continent, was the motivation for this work. Within this context, an effort was made to evince detailed technical and operational informations related to the execution of gravimetric surveys. Basic concepts are exposed, followed by a historical summary of gravimetry in Brazil and throughout the world. A proposal of a new approach for a gravimetric system is made and detailed practical aspects on the use of LaCoste & Romberg gravity meter are given. In addition, methodological procedures are suggested for the several stages of a gravimetric operation. Finally, as a case study, results are made available after analysis and comparisons.

<p> The increasing density of utilities within roadway right-of-way overburdens transportation agencies in two ways. In utility coordination, there is an increased difficulty in the manual identification of utility conflicts, while in utility permitting, there is an increased difficulty in the case-by-case review of utility permits for potential conflicts due to lack of readily available, easily accessible and inter-operable utility location data. This study proposes the development of a utility conflict detection framework within a geo-spatial environment, using non-geospatial utility location data obtained from Indiana Department of Transportation&rsquo;s (INDOT) Electronic Permitting System (EPS), as a step towards addressing these challenges. The automatic detection of utility conflicts is demonstrated using spatial conflict detection models, wherein a conflict report and a visualization of conflict area/volume are generated. A data-entry GUI is developed to streamline data-entry of utility/highway project design parameters into a geodatabase, which is populated with existing highway and utility location information. The framework is designed to be implemented by state transportation agencies for: (1) early detection of utility conflicts in highway projects (before 60% design) and in utility permitting (before a permit is approved/denied), and (2) to automate the utility conflict detection process. Early detection provides opportunities for transportation agencies to make proactive design decisions, avoiding expensive utility relocation and preventing utility breaks/accidents. Automatic detection eases the burden of utility coordinators and utility permitting engineers, from manual identification of utility conflicts. Illustrative examples of a utility and highway project are used to demonstrate the performance of the framework in automatic detection of potential utility conflicts.</p><p>

We present crustal velocities for 29 continuously recording GPS stations from the southern central Andes across the Puna, Eastern Cordillera, and Santa Barbara system for the period between the 27 February 2010 Maule and 1 April 2014 Iquique earthquakes in a South American frame. The velocity field exhibits a systematic decrease in magnitude from similar to 35mm/yr near the trench to <1mm/yr within the craton. We forward model loading on the Nazca-South America (NZ-SA) subduction interface using back slip on elastic dislocations to approximate a fully locked interface from 10 to 50km depth. We generate an ensemble of models by iterating over the percentage of NZ-SA convergence accommodated at the subduction interface. Velocity residuals calculated for each model demonstrate that locking on the NZ-SA interface is insufficient to reproduce the observed velocities. We model deformation associated with a back-arc decollement using an edge dislocation, estimating model parameters from the velocity residuals for each forward model of the subduction interface ensemble using a Bayesian approach. We realize our best fit to the thrust-perpendicular velocity field with 705% of NZ-SA convergence accommodated at the subduction interface and a slip rate of 9.10.9mm/yr on the fold-thrust belt decollement. We also estimate a locking depth of 149km, which places the downdip extent of the locked zone 13520km from the thrust front. The thrust-parallel component of velocity is fit by a constant shear strain rate of -19x10(-9)yr-(1), equivalent to clockwise rigid block rotation of the back arc at a rate of 1.1 degrees/Myr.

<p>Quantifying groundwater recharge is of crucial importance for sustainable groundwater management. While many recharge quantification techniques have been devised, few provide spatially and temporally distributed estimates for regional-scale water resource assessments. In this study, a GIS-based and USGS-developed recharge quantification tool ? the Soil Water Balance (SWB) model ? was applied to produce fine-tuned recharge constraints and document spatial and temporal dynamics of recharge. SWB has, as of yet, been tested solely in coastal and continental temperate-humid climate zones. This study expands testing of SWB to a Mediterranean climate zone, focusing on Catalina Island, California. Catalina has experienced significant water supply issues due to a prolonged drought. Using available climate, land use/land cover and hydrology data, the SWB model yields annual recharge values for the time period 2008-2014 of 0.05 mm/year to over 82 mm/year. Results of this thesis provide information on spatial and temporal patterns of groundwater recharge on Catalina Island.

<p> Hydrologic connectivity in the Atchafalaya River Basin has been dominated by anthropogenic structures for the past 50+ years. To better understand how these structures have affected the Basin, two techniques were used to assess the hydrologic connectivity within tracts of land near Bayou Sorrel. The first technique used historical and current aerial imagery to create a canopy change map in ArcMap 10.3. Three classifications&mdash;full canopy, partial canopy, and open water&mdash;were used for the analysis. The canopy change map showed that from 1957 to 1998, &ldquo;full canopy&rdquo; decreased by 18%, &ldquo;open water&rdquo; increased by 4%, and &ldquo;partial canopy&rdquo; increased by 26%. The second technique used tree-ring width and ring-to-ring carbon isotope measurements on seven bald cypress trees (<i>Taxodium distichum </i>) to test whether or not evolution of a regional distributary channel has a measurable effect on tree growth. Neither the carbon isotope data nor the tree-ring widths correlated with channel evolution, but tree-ring width did correlate with monthly temperature during the growing season, suggesting an overarching climate signal on tree-ring growth at this site. Frequent flooding at the site may be responsible for the lack of any correlation between tree-ring carbon isotope measurements and channel evolution or climate; however, additional work to test the effect of flooding on tree stress is needed. I conclude that canopy change maps can be a useful tool for assessing changing hydrology within the Atchafalaya River Basin.</p><p>