U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) regulates fill of jurisdictional waters of the United States including wetlands. Recent USACE regulations set a threshold of impacts to wetlands at one-half acre. Impact area can be determined by Global Positioning System (GPS) measurement of wetland boundary and Geographic Information System (GIS) calculation of impact area. GPS point selection methods include (1) equal time interval, (2) transect and (3) intuition. Four two-acre shapes were measured with each GPS method and brought into GIS for area calculation. Analysis of variance and Root Mean Square Error analyses determine that the transect method is an inferior point selection method in terms of accuracy and efficiency.

Master of Arts / Department of Geography / Richard Marston / Slope failures play a significant role as a mass movement hazard in the deglaciated mountain canyons in Grand Teton National Park. The park’s geologic and glacial histories are unique in comparison to other areas in the Rocky Mountain range. However, few detailed maps and statistical analyses of slope failures as hazards exist for park officials and visitors. The purpose of this study is to produce a comprehensive map of slope failures in five of the most accessible and commonly used canyons of the park: Cascade, Death, Garnet, Granite, and Paintbrush. This project combined fieldwork, LiDAR imagery, and GIS mapping to document five main categories of slope failures—rock slides, rock/debris flows, rock falls, and snow avalanches, as well as complex slope failures involving a combination of these categories. Summary statistics, maps, and histograms of average slope gradient, aspect, and curvature conditions as well as precipitation conditions at the “source” area of slope failures were generated for individual canyons as well as the entire study area. Snow avalanche source areas where debris flows were not readily present occurred most commonly on north and northeast facing slopes, slopes averaging a 40% gradient, and slightly convex slopes. Debris flow source areas occurred most commonly on south and southeast facing slopes, slopes with an average 42% gradient, and on slightly convex slopes. Rock fall source areas were most common on north facing slopes, slopes of an average 55% gradient, and a mostly flat curvature. Rock slide source points were most common on north facing slopes, slopes of an average 54% gradient, and flat to slightly concave slopes. Rock Mass Strength (RMS) values were sampled at a rate of every 0.5 kilometers on the hiking trail of each canyon to provide an introductory insight into rock stability conditions in each canyon. Slope failures not only impact the physical landscape of canyons in Grand Teton National Park but can affect human structures as well. Physical attributes and locations of slope failures were compared to locations of camping zones and hiking trails in the Park to determine areas of common human usage that were most susceptible to past movement events.

Master of Science / Department of Biology / David C. Hartnett / Invasive plants pose a global threat by changing natural communities and ecosystems in ways that may be irreversible. Marrubium vulgare L. (horehound), native to Eurasia, is an invasive exotic plant found throughout the United States. Little is known about M. vulgare in the U.S. and this study aimed to understand the basic biology, habitat, and population dynamics of M. vulgare in its invasive habitat as well as the role of disturbance in the invasions. Wind Cave National Park (WCNP), an area comprising ponderosa pine and mixed grass prairie vegetation types, was used as the site for this study. In a GPS and GIS mapping study, M. vulgare was found to be significantly associated with prairie dog towns, an Aristida purpurea - Dyssodia papposa (threeawn and fetid marigold) vegetation community (a vegetation type found exclusively on prairie dog towns), and certain types of loamy soils. M. vulgare was rarely found off of prairie dog towns and then only in other disturbed areas such as bison trails or tree falls. Population studies showed M. vulgare populations were mostly stable or slightly decreasing in density (though not significantly) from 2010 to 2011; however, a few of the populations did increase dramatically in density from 2010 to 2011. M. vulgare populations existed in high densities (78.3-322.9 ramets/m2) and in low densities (0.1-2.2 genets/m2) throughout WCNP. Disturbances including prairie dog burrows, bison trails, prairie dog and bison presence, mowing, and percent cover of bare ground were measured in relation to population dynamics. While M. vulgare populations were disturbance dependent, there was no clear relationship between disturbances and population dynamics. Examination of M. vulgare life history traits found that while M. vulgare had relatively low biomass allocation to reproduction as compared to native perennial prairie species, M. vulgare produced an extremely high number of small seeds (estimated 1487/plant). Seedling establishment rates were also high. While not quantified, M. vulgare appears to be effectively dispersed through bison epizoochory. These results help to inform management of M. vulgare populations: minimizing disturbance, decreasing propagule supply, and minimizing dispersal may help to reduce M. vulgare invasions.

Master of Regional and Community Planning / Department of Landscape Architecture/Regional and Community Planning / Jason Brody / Kessler’s 1893 parks and boulevards system was established to spur investment. The 1893 Report shaped the present city pattern and form of Downtown Kansas City by encouraging decentralized city and metropolitan growth. Today’s system discourages pedestrian mobility and accessibility through the design and context of the public spaces. Since walkability contributes to successful public spaces, walking for transportation to encourage active use could improve today’s open-space system. To address the present condition facing the system, the report analyzes the morphology of Kessler’s parks and boulevards system within the 2010 Greater Downtown Area Plan boundary. For methods, stakeholder notes and professional interviews explain the planning process behind the 2011-2012 KCDC project to revitalize public space. The stakeholder notes and professional interviews assess the context of the Kansas City Design Center’s vision to revitalize Kessler’s parks and boulevards system. Using the StreetSmartTM walkability model, the design and context of public space can help revitalize Kessler’s 1893 system and today’s park system. The model can be used to measure and prioritize investment by assessesing the pedestrian mobility and accessibility of public spaces. The implication of the report is that if the design and context of public spaces addresses the public interest and walkability, public spaces will become connected, diverse, market-competitive, and actively used. Short-term pedestrian amenities and long-term infrastructure improvements provide different ways to prioritize pedestrian mobility and accessibility to create a walkable downtown, one of the goals of the Greater Downtown Area Plan.

Dubbed the "most murderous" and "deadliest" city in the United States during 2006, 2007 and 2008, New Orleans has wrestled with crime and murder since its founding in 1718. Following Hurricane Katrina the city saw an increase in the murder rate despite a sharp decrease in population. The focus of this project was to map homicide data trends in the city of New Orleans over a period of seven years, 2002 to 2008, and compare spatial and temporal patterns via GIS. NOPD homicide location data were geocoded and analyzed in ESRI's ArcGIS geospatial software. Methodologies of hotspot detection included point maps, choropleth graduated color maps, and quartic kernel density maps. The project's goal was to not only detect hotspots, but to create a synoptic view of shifting homicide trends throughout the city of New Orleans, highlighting the impact of Hurricane Katrina.

The intent of this thesis is to increase local government and bicycle advocacy awareness of the importance of end of trip facilities in a transportation network, primarily bicycle parking. The research was motivated by a debate about the worthiness of bicycle parking as an advocacy objective. The thesis begins by reviewing existing end of trip facility research and projects at a national scope. Two surveys were conducted, the first identifies how advocates prioritize bicycle parking as an advocacy objective and the second determines how cyclists in New Orleans perceive bicycle parking. At the most narrow geographic scope an observation of bicycle parking patterns is completed on Magazine Street in New Orleans. The thesis finds that bicyclists desire bicycle parking and that bicycle parking facilities can mitigate chaotic bicycle parking patterns that may interfere with pedestrians. Recommendations are offered for bicycle advocates, local governments, and the City of New Orleans.

This thesis intends to demonstrate how capital infrastructure investments can be targeted objectively, using the "Safe Routes to School" (SRTS) program for context. SRTS impacts physical activity, a determinant of childhood obesity by encouraging children’s regular active transportation use. This thesis supports the widespread implementation of SRTS and has developed the "Shelling Model" to objectively identify schools for programming. Accordingly, the "Shelling Model" aims to objectively identify physical and socio-economic environment variables impacting HISD-E middle school neighborhoods’ walkability. The "Shelling Model" is a first step in creating a walkability index for which pedestrian orientation levels can be identified and schools targeted. This model facilitates the identification of variables, providing insight into neighborhood walkability levels. Revealed by statistically significant variables, in combination with Walkscore and Catchment regression models’ respective 45.5 and 13.6 Adjusted R-Square values, the "Shelling" archetype proves a useful tool for investigating the walkability of HISD-E middle school neighborhoods.

Magister Scientiae (Biodiversity and Conservation Biology) - MSc (Biodiv and Cons Biol) / Knowledge of global reptile ecology is limited and there remains much to understand in terms of detailed reptile species information, including that of their distributions. In South Africa, despite being one of SANParks best-studied reserves, surprisingly little is known about the distributions and spatial ecology of reptiles within Kruger National Park (KNP). Management within KNP follows a strategic adaptive management strategy which monitors the statuses of animals using species or group specific indicators. Indicators are given predetermined upper and lower ranges of acceptable fluctuation before actions are taken. These ranges are referred to as thresholds of potential concern (TPCs), and for reptiles these are based on changes to their distributions across the landscape of KNP. An apparent lack of high-quality reptile distribution data inhibits the effective monitoring of the statuses of these animals within KNP, which in turn limits management and conservation options. In this study, I use several methods to quantify available reptile occurrence data which formed the foundations for predicting the distributions of these species across KNP by means of species distribution modelling, with a view to gaining novel insight into reptile assemblage structure across the landscape of KNP.

Orientador: Sérgio Campos / Banca: Yara Manfrin Garcia / Banca: Teresa Cristina Tarle Pissarra / Banca: Fernanda Leite Ribeiro / Banca: Lincoln Gehring Cardoso / Resumo: O planejamento ambiental é um processo que tem sido considerado por muitos pesquisadores, em diversos trabalhos, seja acadêmico ou por empresas, pelo fato da degradação causar prejuízos ao ecossistema. O projeto apresentado teve como objetivo o estudo da bacia hidrográfica do rio Araquazinho, no município de São Manuel (SP), visando o diagnóstico da área quanto à ocupação do território e, por consequência, os processos de degradação que nele ocorrerem, por meio da definição de áreas prioritárias à recomposição florestal. Como metodologia, utilizou-se a Avaliação Multicriterial, em ambiente SIG, por meio dos métodos da Combinação Linear Ponderada (CLP). Com base nos resultados obtidos, pode-se concluir que a bacia hidrográfica do rio Araquazinho necessita de cuidados, pois apresenta níveis altos para a recomposição florestal, pelo fato de aproximadamente 87,08% (5832,85ha) da área do total da bacia hidrográfica, além de apresentar apenas 10,77% de área total destinada para a preservação, valor menor do que os 20% proposto pela legislação ambiental vigente. A técnica CLP se mostrou uma eficiente ferramenta para o tomador de decisão, por gerar informações direcionadas ao considerar diversos fatores que impactam o ambiente, resultando em uma informação direcionada das áreas prioritárias para recomposição florestal. A bacia apresenta-se ocupada em grande parte para fins agrícolas, com 87,37% (5852,02ha) da área total ocupada pelo cultivo de cana-de-açúcar, mostrando o potencial ag... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: Environmental planning is a theme that had been considered by many researchers, in several works, academics or companies, because degradation causes damage to the ecosystem. For these reasons, this project had the objective of generating a database of the watershed of Araquazinho, in São Manuel (SP), aiming the diagnosis of the use and occupation of the area and consequently, the degradation processes that it has, with the definition of priority areas for forest restoration. As a methodology, it was used the Multicriteria analysis in a GIS environment, using the Weighted Linear Combination methods, which proved to be an efficient tool for the decision maker, for generating targeted information when considering several factors that impact the environment, resulting in a targeted information of the priority areas for forest recomposition. Based on the results, it can be concluded that the watershed of Araquazinho has 87,08% (5832.85ha) of the total area, and only 10,77% of the area total destined to preservation, less than 20%, proposed by the current legislation. The CLP technique has proved to be an efficient tool for decision makers, as it generates targeted information when considering various factors that affect the environment, resulting in information on priority areas for forest restoration. Based on the analysis of the use and occupation of the soil in the watershed, it was concluded that the area is used in almost totality for agricultural purposes, that presents 87,37% (5852,02ha) of the total area occupied by sugarcane cultivation sugarcane, showing the agricultural product in the watershed, with goods soil and degrees of decline, and the capacity of use of the soil shows 91,84% (6151,53) of the watershed with class II, which are rich lands for agricultural use, although they may present erosion problems. All results were disseminated to the Serviço Nacional de Aprendizagem Rural ... / Doutor

A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Science, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in fulfilment of requirements for the degree of Master of Science. 11/30/2013. / A variety of mass movement and depositional geomorphic phenomena in the Golden Gate Highlands National Park have been described in the literature over the past few decades, yet notably, the prominent rockfalls remain understudied. The objective of the MSc study is to undertake detailed mapping of the GGHNP rockfalls, and in so doing ascertain a better understanding of their macro-morphologies, associated spatial-size dynamics and relationships to lithology, using both field-based and desktop image processing techniques. Ground truthing, using the highest possible resolution achievable through differential GPS (DGPS) and field measurements with an accuracy of cm to mm, serves to quantify the accuracy of mapping rockfall phenomena through 0.5 m GSD colour aerial imagery. In addition, field measurements are used as inputs for feature extraction, such that rockfalls associated with the Clarens, Elliot and Molteno Formation Sandstones may be defined using object orientated classification techniques. The dimensions, orientation and absolute coordinates of rockfalls for select representative sites were captured using both field based and desktop techniques. The rockfall coordinates were taken at the midpoint of each measured rock using a DGPS, with an accuracy of ~ 2 cm on the x, y and z axis. Object Based Image Analysis (OBIA) of Clarens and Molteno Fm. rockfalls was performed successfully using ground-truthed rockfall measurements to guide the creation of segmentation and classification rulesets. Multiple linear regression modelling can be used to model rockfall characteristics from ground-truthing with remotely sensed imagery, albeit to a very limited extent. Elliot Formation rockfalls could not be mapped and analysed mainly due to resolution limitations. Uni- and bi-variate statistics show promise in interpreting rockfall distribution and weighting with environmental variables derived from a DEM and geological vector. Point density analyses found that for the entire GGHNP ~2 and ~4 rockfalls are found per Km² of Clarens and Molteno Formation rockfall areas