Water is a limited and essential resource for living and its importance is understood by all. Water is a scarce resource in Australia. Many of the river basins in Australia cover only a small area and the rivers that drain them are seasonal in flow. Climate change coupled with increasing population and a growing economy has put stress on the existing water resources. In the period of drought between 2003 and 2005 the careful consumption of water was of high importance and there is a consequent need to develop new methods to use water wisely. The state and federal governments have initiated many campaigns over the past decade to reduce water consumption and conserve water. This thesis aims to identify the relationship between socio-demographic factors and water consumption using multivariate analysis techniques and geographic information systems (GIS). This thesis has examined the water consumption patterns of Metropolitan Melbourne on a postcode level during the period 2000-2005. It has investigated how these patterns have altered with time and examined whether or not these changes are geographically linked. The effectiveness of the advertising campaigns and educational programs undertaken during the study period by The Victorian Government and its impact on Melbourne's water usage has been evaluated. Moran's I statistic was performed using water consumption to find spatial autocorrelation among postcodes. Multivariate techniques of factor and regression analysis were used to develop a model based on socio-demographic predictors to estimate water consumption. The relationship between separate dwellings, business counts, distance from GPO, semi detached dwellings and academically less qualified residents has been identified in this study. The numbers of separate dwellings and businesses have a significant influence on water consumption. Water use and soci o-demographic data are visualised by the creation of thematic maps using GIS.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ADTP/210218 |
| Date | January 2007 |
| Creators | Cheruseril, Jimmy Jose, jimmy.cheruseril@rmit.edu.au |
| Publisher | RMIT University. Mathematical and Geospatial Sciences |
| Source Sets | Australiasian Digital Theses Program |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Rights | http://www.rmit.edu.au/help/disclaimer, Copyright Jimmy Jose Cheruseril |
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