The terrorist attacks on New York City on September 11, 2001 heightened awareness about the need to plan for emergency evacuation measures. As a result, three-Dimensional (3D) city and building models have become an important part of GIS analysis. The technology can be used to plan evacuations in complex indoor environments. This thesis had two main objectives. The first goal was to conduct a 3D network analysis of a building for emergency management, which was based on a 3D model of a building in the city of Gävle, Sweden. This 3D model identifies the shortest path from any room to the defined exit. The second objective was to test the predicted evacuation times with a simulation experiment. The 3D model was built by Google Sketch Pro 8 and the 3D network analysis was mainly conducted in the ESRI’s ArcGIS software. The simulation experiment involved 18 volunteers at the organization Future Position X. The 3D network analysis was based on distance measurements instead of GNSS coordinates. The simulation experiment was conducted in four different situations. Crowding was found to be a critical problem during evacuation. Evacuation speeds varied from normal walking to running. However, crowding always increased the evacuation time and thus would affect the survival rate. Evacuation routes should be distributed differently to reduce this problem. The thesis also identifies other factors to be considered when planning emergency routes and challenges posed by the software at this time.

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The timber rattlesnake (Crotalus horridus) is a forest dwelling terrestrial pit viper that utilizes several types of habitat within the forest environment. One type of habitat crucial to the species' survival in mountainous regions and at more northern latitudes is basking habitat, which typically is an exposed rocky area used by gravid females for gestation, and by other timber rattlesnakes for shedding, mating, and digesting. Understanding the range of the timber rattlesnake in Virginia will enable biologists and land managers to better manage the landscape in a way conducive to the survival and persistence of timber rattlesnakes. To improve our ability to identify and locate areas potentially containing timber rattlesnake basking habitat, I used 5 landscape-level habitat variables with logistic regression and geographic information systems (GIS) to model and map areas of western Virginia potentially containing timber rattlesnake basking habitat. Models were ranked using Akaike's Information Criterion (AIC) and were crossvalidated using the methods of Fielding and Bell (1997). Aspect, slope, elevation, landform index, and percentage of forest cover values were derived using GIS for 217 known basking sites in western Virginia. I then used data derived for the 217 known basking sites to create 22 a priori models. The best model used the variables of aspect, slope, landform index and percentage of forest cover. When I crossvalidated the top model, the kappa value, a measure of the proportion of specific agreement, and was 0.804. During field tests the predictive model was used to find timber rattlesnakes at 3 of 15 (20%) of the test sites in the Goshen Wildlife Management Area in southwestern Virginia. My predictive model has proven to be an effective tool that could be used by biologists and land managers to locate and protect timber rattlesnake basking habitat. The historic and current ranges for the timber rattlesnake in Virginia were determined using literature records, database records, place names, personal interviews, and site surveys. Historically, the timber rattlesnake ranged over the entire state. Currently, the timber rattlesnake is restricted to the mountainous regions of Virginia (not including the coastal plain population of the timber rattlesnake). The biology of Crotalus horridus and regulations and management practices used by other states within the range of the species were used to create a set of management recommendations to the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries. These recommendations include implementing (1) a no-take regulation, (2) enhanced public education, and (3) protection of critical habitat and location of new populations. / Master of Science

Den pågående utvecklingen med informationssystem och den ökade tillgången till information via dessa system ökar kraven på den militära personalen att hantera denna stora mängd information. Information om aktörer i ett stridsområde samt den terräng aktörerna befinner sig i är en förutsättning för att genomföra militära operationer. Som följd av denna informationsmängd behöver informationssystemen utvecklas för att kunna ge bättre beslutsunderlag. Syftet med uppsatsen är att undersöka vilken militär nytta man skulle kunna uppnå med ett geografiskt informationssystem (GIS) för beslutsfattarna i en militär insats. Dessutom skall uppsatsen undersöka hur ett GIS bör vara utformat för att stödja personalen med beslutsfattande. Undersökningen sker genom både komparativ litteraturstudie och beskrivning av teorier och metoder. Resultatet pekar på att GIS bör kunna bidra till den militära nyttan med att möjliggöra ett informationsöverläge gentemot en motståndare. Vidare pekar resultaten på att rätt design på GIS underlättar för användaren men att det ändå krävs utbildning för att nyttja GIS fullt ut. / The ongoing development of information systems and the increased availability of information through these systems increase the demands on the military personnel to handle this large amount of information. Information on participants in a battle area and the terrain actors find themselves is a prerequisite to conduct military operations. As a result of all this increased informa-tion the information systems needs to developed to provide a better basis for deci-sions. The purpose of this paper is to examine which military benefit could be achieved with a geographic information system (GIS) for decision makers in a military opera-tion. In addition, the paper will investigate how a GIS should be designed to support staff with decision making. The survey is done by both comparative literature and description of theories and methods. The results indicate that GIS should be able to contribute to the military benefit to enable information superiority over an adversary. Furthermore, the results show that the correct design of GIS makes it easier for the user but it still requires training to use GIS in full.

Résumé : Au Canada, annuellement il y a près de 10 000 personnes disparues. Pour les retrouver chaque fois une alerte est donnée. La police et les groupes de recherche terrestre spécialisés travaillent pour la retrouver, mais, par où commencer? Dans quelles directions orienter les recherches? Combien du temps pour balayer les différents secteurs? C’est souvent une question d’heures ou même des minutes pour la retrouver vivante. La théorie de recherche a trois concepts essentiels; la probabilité d’aire, la probabilité de détection et la probabilité de succès. Notre travail a cherché à préciser la probabilité d’aire. L’objectif de ce travail de recherche a consisté à développer un algorithme pour élaborer des cartes d’isochrones automatiques de la vitesse de marche probable des disparus. Il tient compte des restrictions dues aux variables environnementales (relief, occupation du sol, météorologie) et anthropiques (âge, sexe, taille, poids et activité physique). Le travail est développé au tour d’un système d’information géographique. Sur ceci nous distinguons deux groupes des données. Le premier correspond aux données attributaires que servent à générer la zone tampon et les facteurs de vitesse de l’individu. Ces données sont attachées à la couche du point initial. Dans le deuxième groupe, nous trouvons les données à référence spatiale intérieures à la zone tampon. Les facteurs de vitesse de l’individu et la carte de pentes génèrent la carte de vitesses par superficie. Les données de couverture de sol, quant à elles, produisent la carte de coût de traversée de la superficie. Finalement, la multiplication des deux dernières cartes produit la carte de coût de voyage, laquelle est le résultat essentiel pour concevoir la carte des courbes isochrones. Un algorithme a été construit et développé en langage de programmation Python. Il a été exécuté avec des données saisies dans l’environnement d’ArcGis 10.2. Nous avons observé une tendance des disparus à rester dans un rayon d’une heure de marche à partir du point initial (Pl). De plus, des variables comme les routes, sentiers et lignes de transport d’énergie influencent la marche. Finalement nous avons trouvé que l’outil aide au confinement de la probabilité d’aire. L’outil se démarque par sa simplicité d’usage. À l’intégration des facteurs de marche qui sont reliés à l’individu. Ainsi qu’à l’inclusion des facteurs météorologiques. Il peut s’exécuter partout au Canada. / Abstract : In Canada, annually there are about 10 000 missing persons. To find them whenever a warning is given. Police and specialized ground search groups work to find her, but where to start? In what directions guide research? How much time to scan the different sectors? It is often a matter of hours or even minutes to find her alive. The search theory has three basic concepts; the probability of area, the probability of detection and probability of success. Our work has sought to precise the probability of area in land search. The aim of this research was to develop an algorithm to make automatic isochrone maps that show the probability walking time of the missing person. It takes account of restrictions due to environmental variables (topography, land use, meteorology) and anthropogenic (age, sex, height, weight and physical activity). The work was developed around a geographic information system. On top of this, we distinguish two groups of data. The first is the attribute data that are used to generate the buffer zone and the individual speed factors. These data are attached to the initial planning point layer. In the second group, we find the internal spatial data in the buffer zone. The individual factors of speed and slope map produced the speed map. Ground cover data generated the cost map of crossing the area. Finally, the multiplication of the last two maps produced the travel cost map, which is the last step to design the isochrone map. An algorithm has been built and developed in the Python programming language. It was performed with the data entered into the ArcGIS 10.2 environment. We observed a trend of lost persons to stay around an hour's walk from the initial planning point (IPP). In addition, variables such as roads, paths and power transmission lines affect the walking speed. We found that the tool aid to precise the containment of probability of area. The tool is distinguished by its ease of use. With the integration of walking factors that are connected to the lost persons. We include meteorological factors. It can run across Canada.

Avec le développement des mesures de pluie à hautes résolutions spatiales et temporelles , l’utilisation de modèles hydrométéorologiques distribués est désormais envisagée pour anticiper les phénomènes de crue soudaine sur les petits bassins versants non jaugés. Toutefois les approches développées jusqu’ici se sont généralement concentrées sur l’évaluation des phénomènes hydrologiques, laissant de côté la question de leurs impacts, qui dépendent fortement de la configuration du terrain et des enjeux qui y sont présents. Ce travail de thèse a permis de développer et tester une méthode d’évaluation directe de ces impacts à partir des sorties d’un modèle pluie-débit sur un territoire limité. La démarche mise en oeuvre repose sur un travail préalable d’analyse du territoire permettant d’une part d’évaluer les emprises submergées dans une large gamme de débits par une approche hydraulique simplifiée, puis de construire des relations univoques débit-enjeux pour chaque bief de cours d’eau. Ces relations permettent de produire des cartes d‘enjeux potentiellement touchés ,pouvant être actualisées régulièrement en cours d’événement. Deux études des cas ont permis de réaliser une première évaluation des performances de cette approche, du point de vue de la qualité d’estimation des emprises inondées, et du point de vue des impacts estimés à l’échelle d’un événement grâce à la comparaison avec des données d’assurance. Finalement, ces travaux ont permis de confirmer le potentiel de la méthode, dont les performances semblent en adéquation avec l’objectif visé : obtenir rapidement une première hiérarchisation des impacts occasionnés par les crues soudaines à l’échelle d’un grand territoire. / With the development of rainfall measurements at highspatial and temporal resolutions, the use of distributed hydrometeorological models is now considered to forecast flash floods on small and ungauged catchment areas. Current flashflood monitoring systems generally enable a real-time assessment of the potential flash-flood magnitudes. However they do not assess the potential impacts of flash-flood, which highly depends on the catchment areas configuration and on the importance of potentially affected assets. The purpose of this PhD research work was to develop and test a method which can be used to directly estimate the impacts of flash-floods, based on the outputs of a distributed rainfall-run off model. The approach is based on a prior analysis of the study area in order to assess the potential impact of different discharge levels on the flooded areas and to identify from geography database the associated buildings at risk. The aim is to build impact models on specific river reaches, using discharge versus impact graphs. The use of these impact models combined with a rainfall-run off model, has enabled us to compute maps of potential impacts, based on real time assessment of flood events updated every 15 minutes. This method was evaluated on two case studies looking at the accuracy and relevance of estimated impacts for each event – and comparing the outcomes to insurance losses data. This research work has helped to confirm the efficiency of this new combined method, which may become a useful tool to forecast large-scale effects of local impacts of flash-floods.