This dissertation challenges traditional interpretations that indigenous groups who settled the Grand Canyon during the Pueblo Period (AD 700 -1225) relied heavily on maize to meet their subsistence needs. Instead they are viewed as dynamic ecosystem engineers who employed fire and natural plant succession to engage in a wild plant subsistence strategy that was supplemented to varying degrees by maize. By examining the relationship between archaeological sites and the natural environment throughout the Canyon, new settlement pattern models were developed. These models attempt to account for the spatial distribution of Virgin people, as represented by Virgin Gray Ware ceramics, Kayenta as represented by Tusayan Gray Ware ceramics, and the Cohonina as represented by San Francisco Mountain Gray Ware ceramics, through an examination of the relationships of sites to various aspects of the natural environment (biotic communities, soils, physical geography, and hydrology). Inferences constructed from the results of geographic information system analyses of the Park’s legacy site data, indicate that Virgin groups were the first to arrive at the Canyon, around AD 700 and leaving around AD 1200. They practiced a split subsistence strategy, which included seasonal movements between maize agricultural areas in the western Inner Canyon and wild resource production areas in the pinyon-juniper forests on the western North Rim plateaus. The Kayenta occupied the North Rim, South Rim and Inner Canyon, throughout the entire Pueblo Period. Their subsistence system relied heavily on wild resource production on both rims supplemented by low-level maize agriculture practiced seasonally on the wide deltas in the eastern Inner Canyon. The Cohonina were the last to arrive and the first to leave, as they occupied the Canyon for about 300 years from AD 800–1100. They were the most prolific maize farmers, practicing it in the Inner Canyon near the mouth of Havasu Creek, but still seasonally exploiting wild resource on the western South Rim. Based on my interpretations, use of the Canyon from AD 700-1225, is viewed as a dynamic interplay between indigenous groups and their environment. As they settled into the Canyon and managed the diverse ecology to meet their subsistence needs.

published_or_final_version / abstract / toc / Geography and Geology / Master / Master of Geographic Information System

published_or_final_version / Geography and Geology / Master / Master of Philosophy

Αυτή η εργασία έχει ως στόχο την περιβαλλοντική αξιολόγηση των δήμων του Νομού Αχαΐας με τη χρήση του GIS και των Ψηφιακών Υψομετρικών Μοντέλων Εδάφους(Ψ.Υ.Μ.Ε ή DEM). Τα παραπάνω δεδομένα μπορούν να χρησιμοποιηθούν σε περιπτώσεις εφαρμογών όπως: 1.Για κατασκευή ψηφιακών τοπογραφικών χαρτών 2.Για παραγωγή χαρτών σκιασμένου αναγλύφου (shaped relief maps),υψομέτρων,κλίσεων και εκθέσεων 3.Για ομαδοποίηση και καταμέτρηση χαρακτηριστικών αντικειμένων κατά κλάσεις υψομέτρων,κλίσεων και εκθέσεων 4.Για διευκόλυνση υδρολογικών μελετών (υδρογραφικό δίκτυο,όρια λεκάνης απορροής,κ.ά.) Επιπλέον,στο φυσικό περιβάλλον η μορφολογία εδάφους και οι καλύψεις της Γης μπορούν να βοηθήσουν στο σχεδιασμό(κόστος και τρόπος ανάπτυξης)ενός δικτύου κινητής ή σταθερής ασύρματης τηλεφωνίας αφού η διάδοση και η εμβέλεια του σήματος επηρεάζονται από αυτό. Στόχος της εργασίας αυτής είναι να ταξινομηθούν οι δήμοι του Ν.Αχαΐας βάση μορφολογικών παραμέτρων,να βρεθούν οι καλύψεις Γης από δορυφορικές φωτογραφίες και η ορατότητα των κεραιών βάση του DEM. / This work aims at assesing the environmental evaluation of municipalities of Prefecture Achaia with the use of GIS and Digital Hypsometric Models of Territory(DEM). The previous data can be used in cases of applications as: 1.For the manufacture of digital topographic maps 2.For the production of maps of shaded bas-relief(shaped relief maps),altitudes,bents and reports 3.For the regrouping and measurement of characteristic objects at age-groups of altitudes,bents and reports 4.For the facilitation of hydrologic studies (hydrographical network,limits of run-off plane,etc) Moreover,in the natural environment the morphology of soil and the covers of Earth can help in the planning(cost and way of growth)of a networkmobile or constant wireless telephony after the distribution and the scope of signal are influenced by this. The target of this work is to categorize the municipalities of Prefecture of Achaia base on morphological parameters,to find the covers of Earth from satelite photographs and the visibility of aerials base on DEM.

Bakgrund: Tillgänglighet till service och resurser i närmiljön har betydelse för människors hälsa och livskvalitet. Äldre människor är särskilt beroende av god tillgänglighet i närområdet då det utgör den huvudsakliga vistelsemiljön för många äldre, samtidigt som åldrandet ofta medför en försämrad rörelseförmåga. Begreppet tillgänglighet innefattar flera faktorer, exempelvis avstånd och antal faciliteter som finns inom ett visst område, hur bekvämt och obehindrat man kan ta sig till faciliteterna och i vilken utsträckning faciliteterna uppfyller invånarnas behov. God tillgänglighet till faciliteter i närmiljön som främjar äldres hälsa och höjer deras livskvalitet förbättrar möjligheterna att uppnå ett gott åldrande. Syfte: Syftet med undersökningen var att beskriva tillgängligheten i närmiljön för äldre som bor i seniorboende samt studera skillnader i tillgänglighet i olika närområden. Studien belyste särskilt tillgängligheten till grönområden, livsmedelsbutiker, sociala mötesplatser för äldre och kollektivtrafik och fokuserades speciellt på faktorer relaterade till ”de fyra hörnpelarna för ett gott åldrande”, d v s fysisk aktivitet, god kosthållning, social gemenskap och stöd samt meningsfullhet och delaktighet. Metod: I studien ingick fyra seniorboenden i Gävle kommun, två belägna i centrala Gävle och två lokaliserade i perifera stadsdelar. Tillgängligheten analyserades med hänsyn till gångavstånd och beskrevs utifrån aspekterna rumslig fördelning, gångvägens beskaffenhet samt faciliteternas individuella kvaliteter. Kartläggningen av tillgängligheten gjordes med hjälp av geografiska informationssystem och fältstudier. Resultat: Tillgängligheten var likartad i de olika närområdena beträffande den rumsliga fördelningen av faciliteter. Samtliga undersökningsområden hade god tillgänglighet till grönområden, livsmedelsbutiker, sociala mötesplatser för äldre och kollektivtrafik med hänsyn till avstånd. Analysen av gångvägars beskaffenhet och faciliteters kvaliteter visade emellertid på vissa skillnader mellan områden. Mest framträdande var hur det mest centralt belägna området skilde sig från de övriga på flera sätt. Slutsatser: Analysen av resultatet visade att närområdena stödjer de fyra hörnpelarna för ett gott åldrande, speciellt vad gäller fysisk aktivitet, social gemenskap och meningsfullhet. Hörnpelaren ”god kosthållning” hade ett sämre stöd i samtliga områden. / Background: Accessibility to services and resources in the neighborhood is important for peoples health and their quality of life. Elderly people are especially dependent on good access in the neighborhood because it is the principal residence environment for many elderly. The concept of accessibility includes several factors such as distance and number of facilities that exist in a given area, how comfortable it is to reach the facilities and how the facilities provide for the residents needs. Good accessibility to facilities in the neighborhood which promote health of the elderly and increases their quality of life improves the chances of healthy ageing. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to describe the accessibility in the neighborhood for elderly living in senior housing. The research focused on accessibility to green open spaces, supermarkets, social venues and public transportation. Method: The study included four senior housings, two in urban areas and two in suburban areas. The accessibility was analyzed with regard to walking distance and was described based on spatial aspects of accessibility, how comfortable it was to reach the facilities and how the facilities provided for the elderly persons needs. The accessibility was analysed by geographical information systems and field studies. Result: The accessibility to the facilities was similar in the neighborhood areas concerning the spatial distribution of facilities. All neighborhoods had good accessibility to green open spaces, supermarkets, social venues and public transportation regarding distance. The analysis of the other aspects of accessibility, however, showed some differences between areas in terms of the areas “walkability” and the quality of facilities. The most remarkable finding was how the most centrally located area differed from the others in several ways. Conclusion: The analysis of results showed that the neighborhoods had the potential to support healthy ageing, especially with regard to physical activity, social support and participation.

Improving cancer care through clinical research is a major public health issue. However, in Georgia, the exact number of cancer clinical trials is unknown, indicating the need for baseline data regarding cancer clinical trial locations and cancer burden. This study provides the first statewide analysis of cancer clinical trial locations using Geographic Information Systems (GIS). This study examines cancer clinical trial locations by county, according to incidence rates, racial patterns and mortality rates of the four major cancer types: breast, colorectal, lung, and prostate. Findings from this study suggest that metro-Atlanta counties have higher densities of cancer clinical trials. This study also found that there were little or no cancer clinical trials available in counties with the highest rates of overall incidence, African American incidence and overall mortality. This research demonstrates the need to increase availability of cancer clinical trials in counties with the highest cancer burden.

Grid-based digital elevation models (DEMs) are used to simulate overland flow paths in hydrological models. The accuracy of these drainage patterns are dependent upon how well the DEM represents the terrain features that control runoff patterns. Often regional DEMs are not produced at scales small enough to represent rural infrastructure. The scale of runoff patterns that can be accurately modeled is, therefore, restricted, particularly when the terrain is relatively flat. The RIDEM (Rural Infrastructure Digital Elevation Model) model is presented that utilizes commonly available ancillary data to downscale grid-based runoff patterns. The resulting drainage patterns reflect drainage modifications imposed by rural infrastructure including: roads, ditches, culverts, and irrigation canals. Downscaling runoff patterns enables the completion of runoff studies at smaller scales. The model was implemented with the Oldman River watershed, Alberta, Canada to determine the spatial patterns of potential runoff contributing areas in three agricultural watersheds regularly contaminated by pathogens. / vii, 170 leaves : ill. (some col.) ; 29 cm.

Access to primary health care is an important determinant of health. Within current research there has been limited examination of neighbourhood level variations in access to care, despite knowledge that local contexts shape health. The objective of this research is to examine neighbourhood-level access to primary health care in the city of Mississauga, Ontario. Street address locations of primary care physicians were obtained from the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO) website and analyzed using geographic information systems (GIS). A 'Three Step Floating Catchment Area' (3SFCA) method was derived and used to measure multiple dimensions of access for the population as a whole, for specific linguistic groups and for recent immigrants. This research identifies significant neighbourhood-level variations in access to care for each dimension of access and population subgroup studied. The research findings contribute to a more nuanced understanding of neighbourhood-level variability in access to health care.

The objectives of this thesis were to examine the relationship between the built environment and obesity-related behaviours in Canadian youth, and to address measurement issues relevant for studying these relationships. The thesis is comprised of four manuscripts. The first manuscript determined the accuracy of the food retailer locations surrounding 34 schools in Ontario as provided by two geographic information system (GIS) databases. The GIS locations of 25% of the food retailers were located within 15 m of their actual location, 50% were within 25 m, and 75% were within 50 m. These values did not differ by GIS database source. The second manuscript examined the association between the presence of food retailers surrounding schools and students’ lunchtime eating behaviours. It also determined whether a circular or road network buffer provided a better geographic boundary of the food retail environment surrounding schools. It was carried out in 6,971 9th and 10th grades students from 158 schools. The presence of food retailers near schools was strongly associated with students regularly eating their lunch at a snack-bar, fast-food restaurant or café. The road network buffers provided the better measure of the food retail environment. The third manuscript determined the optimal buffer size of the food retail environment surrounding schools. Six road network buffers were created around 158 schools. These ranged in size from 500 m to 5000 m. Results indicated that the 1000 m buffer was the optimal size. The fourth manuscript explored associations between urban sprawl and active transportation, moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and overweight/obesity in 7,017 youth aged 12 to 19 who resided in one of Canada's 33 Census Metropolitan Areas. Increasing levels of sprawl were modestly associated with increased active transportation (only among 12 to 15 year olds) and MVPA. No associations were found for overweight/obesity. Taken together, the results from this thesis provide a better understanding of the role of the built environment on obesity-related behaviours in Canadian youth. Important measurement issues in this topic area were also addressed. / Thesis (Ph.D, Community Health & Epidemiology) -- Queen's University, 2012-01-30 19:36:47.354

A method for estimating long-term average annual soil loss under different land management scenarios from the Marquis and Soufriere watersheds on St. Lucia is presented. The Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) was used, and a GIS was employed to generate the required input parameters. Model execution and results were also generated within the GIS. Modelling soil loss for the different land management scenarios was based upon a land capability classification and associated conservation treatments. Soil losses under current agricultural land-use patterns were analyzed and compared to potential soil losses under conservation treatments following the criteria specified in the land capability classification. The model predicted substantial declines in soil loss where conservation treatments were assigned, as compared to soil loss under current land-use patterns. It was found that predicted soil losses from the Soufriere watershed were four times that predicted for the Marquis watershed for all the land management scenarios modelled. Of the input parameters in the model, slope steepness was most highly correlated to predicted soil loss. It is anticipated that the findings of this study will be used in the development of a decision support system for agricultural and forestry land planning on St. Lucia.