<p> America has long recognized that protection and preservation of its cultural landmarks are in the public interest and crucial to maintaining its legacy of cultural resources for future generations. Despite these efforts, many historical sites continue to be lost. Bodie State Historic Park, one of 278 historically significant sites within the California State Park system, represents one such at-risk landmark.</p><p> This thesis is intended to augment current efforts to preserve and promote this unique cultural landscape by developing a GIS-based inventory of the nearly 170 buildings that comprise the remnants of Bodie, and creating a GIS-based thematic gazetteer that links historical attributes with the built environment. The chapters that follow describe ways in which GIS has been specifically adapted for use in historical research, and demonstrate that traditional methods of historical landscape reconstruction and visualization in GIS can be enhanced through the use of site-specific, high-resolution aerial imagery and photogrammetry. </p>

<p> As data logging technologies advanced, a point was reached where amateur motorsport enthusiasts could now log their vehicle's data while competing in motorsport events. Many drivers take advantage of these new data logging technologies but lack options for analyzing the data during and after motorsport events beyond standard tables and two-dimensional graphs. This thesis investigated the use of GIS as a tool for analyzing data collected during a motorsport event through time geography approaches and three-dimensional geovisualization techniques. Data were collected from the vehicle to analyze the speed and handling of the car while heart rate data were collected from the driver to help understand the driver's emotional state while navigating the course. Analysis of the data showed that time geography visualizations in a three-dimensional environment could help drivers better understand the data that had been collected from their vehicles and themselves and use it to improve their future performances when driving in motorsport events.</p>

<p> Methods for predicting streamflow in areas with limited or nonexistent measures of hydrologic response commonly rely on regionalization techniques, where knowledge pertaining to gaged watersheds is transferred to ungaged watersheds. Hydrologic response indices have frequently been employed in contemporary regionalization research related to predictions in ungaged basins. In this study, regionalization models were developed using multiple linear regression and regression tree analysis to derive relationships between hydrologic response and watershed physical characteristics for 163 watersheds in the Great Lakes basin. These models provide a means for predicting runoff in ungaged basins at a monthly time step without implementation of any process-based rainfall-runoff model. Major findings from this research study include (1) Monthly runoff in ungaged watersheds was predicted with reasonable skill using regression-based relationships between runoff ratio and watershed physical characteristics; (2) Predictions in ungaged watersheds were highly influenced by the temporal characterization of runoff ratio used to condition the regression models; (3) Watershed classification using regression tree and multiple linear regression techniques resulted in comparable model predictive skill.</p>

<p> Northeastern and mid-Atlantic United States are understudied from the perspective of hurricane vulnerability. In an attempt to fill this gap in research, this dissertation attempted to assess the hurricane vulnerability of the northeastern and mid-Atlantic United States through the construction of a Composite Hurricane Vulnerability Index (CHVI) for 184 counties extending from Maine to Virginia. The CHVI was computed by incorporating indicators of human vulnerability and physical exposure. Human vulnerability was derived from demographic, social and economic characteristics whereas physical exposure was based on attributes of the natural and built up environments. The spatial distribution of the CHVI and its component indices were examined and analyzed to meet the research goals, which were a) to develop indices of human vulnerability, physical exposure and composite hurricane vulnerability for all counties; b) to assess vulnerability distribution in terms of population size, metropolitan status (metropolitan versus non metropolitan counties) and location (coastal versus inland counties); c) to identify the specific underlying causes of vulnerability; d) to identify the significant clusters and outliers of high vulnerability; and e) to examine overlaps between high human vulnerability and high physical exposure in the region.</p><p> Results indicated high overall vulnerability for counties that were metropolitan and / or coastal. Vulnerability was high at both ends of the population continuum. Coastal areas had high natural exposure whereas metropolitan areas had high built exposure. In large metropolitan counties, human vulnerability was influenced most strongly by economic vulnerability. In non-metropolitan and small metropolitan counties, vulnerability was an outcome of a combination of demographic, social and economic factors. Vulnerability clusters and intersections pointed towards high vulnerability in the major cities along the northeastern megalopolis, in the Hampton Roads section of Virginia and in parts of Delmarva Peninsula. </p><p> Research findings have important implications for disaster management. Evidence of relationship of population size, metropolitan status and location with vulnerability levels provides a new perspective to vulnerability assessment. Identification of high vulnerability counties can lead to effective resource allocation and emergency management and mitigation plans. Detection of dominant underlying causes of vulnerability can help develop targeted strategies for vulnerability reduction.</p>

<p> Aerial photography is an important layer in Geographic Information Systems (GISs), and generally provides the base layer from which many other digital map layers are derived. Capturing these photos from a traditional full-sized airplane is a complex and expensive process. The recent development of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and associated technology are providing an alternative to the traditional aerial mapping process. UAVs produced by popular commercial vendors are effective at capturing photos, but are highly expensive to acquire, and equally expensive to maintain.</p><p> This research project demonstrates the development and successful implementation of a relatively inexpensive ($2000) unmanned aerial vehicle capable of acquiring high-resolution digital aerial photography. The UAV was developed using open source technology and commercially available components. The methods outlined encompass the platform selection, component inventory, design, construction, configuration, implementation, and testing of the UAV, as well as an analysis of the photography produced by the process. This approach can be used by others to implement similar UAV projects.</p>

<p> The Participatory GIS literature (PGIS) focuses on how community based organizations (CBOs) use geographic information. With its large population and history of community development the City of Long Beach is a perfect case study to explore this. For this research, I used a mixed methodology: conceptualization, interviews and surveys.</p><p> I conducted interviews covering five distinct subject areas to learn that connected organizations are more likely to use maps and geographic information. I then conducted a survey with 29 questions to find how this is the case. One idea is that there is a process of organization. Another is the possibility of predicting map usage using development level and organization type. Finally, this research proposes that new research qualitatively trace usage using a broad population.</p>

<p> This dissertation lies at the intersection of two current trends in technology, both of which are increasing with the spread of high speed internet: location-based services (geospatial technologies) and Free and Open Source Software (FOSS). Chapter one explores the nature of geospatial technology knowledge diffusion by investigating the spread of OSGeo-Live, a collection of pre-existing geospatial FOSS packaged specifically for demonstration and education purposes. The analysis examines the distribution of downloaders, contributors and translators then assesses the potential barriers to knowledge diffusion including economic, technical and socio-cultural factors. Chapter two describes a new online tool built with FOSS designed to bring traditional cartographic knowledge to a new medium, the internet, and a new audience, web developers and other non-traditional internet-based cartographers. The tool allows users to compare several base map options simultaneously, providing guidance on how to assess the appropriateness of a base map for a particular map composition. Chapter three uses geospatial FOSS software to conduct verification of a habitat fragmentation model with GPS tracking data. By demonstrating a common type of analysis for natural resource scientists, the methods provide an example for traditional types of geospatial analysis emphasizing repeatability, shareability, and usability by field science practitioners not just geospatial specialists. These studies represent an initial foray into understanding geospatial technology diffusion and modern geospatial technologies, specifically with geospatial free and open source software.</p>

<p> Basketball is a unique sport in which the use of space and time is greatly important for a team&rsquo;s success. Furthermore, the National Basketball Association (NBA) is undergoing drastic change in terms of the way teams approach spatial issues as well as the spatio-temporal technologies and analytics. Given these facts, Geographic Information Systems (GIS) provide the opportunity to develop new analytic and visual methodologies to perform spatial analysis for team performances and meet the league&rsquo;s changing needs. This project thus develops new approaches, methods, and toolsets using GIS to demonstrate its efficacy and potential for professional application in the NBA. The first application uses GIS to adapt Relative Motion analysis techniques to an existing play, seeking to represent the average motion characteristics entailed therein. The other application uses a tool developed to map, glean spatial statistics, and model the use and importance of floor spacing for teams in the NBA. </p>

<p> The spatial patterning of artifacts and features excavated from Tule Creek Village (CA-SNI-25), San Nicolas Island, CA provides an opportunity to analyze the intra-site correlations between artifact types, materials, and features, and allows for inferences to be made regarding the context and use of space at a late Holocene village. Excavations at East Locus at CA-SNI-25 have yielded evidence of trade with other islands as well as evidence suggesting complex ceremonial activity, such as dog and bird burials, large hearths, stacked stone features, and multiple pits which vary in size, shape and depositional content. The artifact assemblage, favorable geographic setting, and inferred ceremonial activity observed at East Locus in comparison to other late Holocene sites on San Nicolas suggest that CA-SNI-25 served as the primary center for social and economic interactions on the island during a time when the intensification of complex spheres of interaction are observed throughout the southern California Bight.</p><p> I use intra-site GIS and exploratory methods, such as spatial autocorrelation and hot-spot analysis to isolate distributions of formal artifacts and features and examine the organization of space in both ceremonial and utilitarian contexts. This provides a visual and interactive platform conducive to analyzing the abundant data collected during open area excavations at CA-SNI-25. The statistical analysis allows for inferences to be made regarding the manufacture and use of artifact types and toolkits in ceremonial and utilitarian contexts, as well as the import and use of exotic materials. Ultimately, spatial analysis using intra-site GIS reveals possible linkages of artifacts and features, as well as patterns of spatial and temporal variability in technology, subsistence, and behavior at a village on San Nicolas just prior to European contact.</p>

<p> Properly used, social media represents a new and dynamic form of advertising. This paper analyzes the relationship between social media use and the physical location of Omaha restaurants. A pilot study showed no predictive relationship between overall social media use and physical location. The major study using 495 restaurants examined the restaurants' use of three major social media sites. Correlation analysis of the variables showed essentially no relationship between the use of social media and restaurant location. The findings indicate that restaurants with a poor physical location are not taking advantage of social media to attract customers. Likewise, restaurants with a better physical location are not using social media to attract more customers. The social media landscape may be too immature to show any identifiable spatial patterns. </p>