GIScience in Research

Landscape ecology, health geography, crime analysis

GIScience for Management

Interactions

Geography Patterns Places

Landscape Ecology

Processes

Crime Analysis Processes

Health Geography

Processes

People

Perspectives

Develop vs protect

Emergent processes

HMO vs patient

Scale

Social theory

CONTEXT

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9LiMrcm7Kghttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljlZ9aW9zGQ

A geographical perspective

Where do things happen: patterns: clusters, hot spots, disparities.

Why do they happen where they happened: processes: location decisions: places.

How does where things happen affect other things: context: environment, and how does context affect what happens: interactions

Where should things be located: optimization

GIScience for managementIn order to manage spatial data you need to know spatial data and know how spatial analysis differs from aspatialanalysis.

Management based on spatial data needs to develop from a foundation of spatial data awareness—what forms can spatial data take (e.g., fields, objects ) and in what form should the spatial data be in for analytical purposes (e.g., raster, vector), how best to approach the decision-making process (of the myriad spatial analytical tools that are available, which ones would be the best to use), and how to present the results of such analyses.

GIScience and GISystems

Geography Patterns Places

Landscape Ecology

Processes

Crime Analysis Processes

Health Geography Processes

These are the three fields within which we will explore spatial analysis and consider how patterns can be examined from different perspectives. GIS has fundamentally change how

analyses are conducted in these fields (amongst many others, of course), and over the next few weeks we will see how and why.

EcologyEcology is the study of the interrelationships between organisms and their environment (Ricklefs 1979). The goal of ecological research is to understand how the environment, including bioticand abiotic patterns and processes, affects the abundance and distribution of organisms. This includes indirect effects such as the effect of an abiotic process (e.g., fire) on a biotic process (e.g., germination), which in turn affects the abundance and/or distribution of an organism.

Processes considered are typically at a "local" scale, that is, at the same scale or smaller than the scale of the abundance / distribution pattern of interest.

L. Farhig’s chapter in John A. Wiens, Michael R. Moss (Eds). 2005.Issues and Perspectives in Landscape Ecology. Cambridge University Press.

Ecology

Environment

Landscape ecologyLandscape ecology, a subdiscipline of ecology, is the study of how landscape structure affects the abundance and distribution of organisms. Landscape ecology has also been defined as the study of the effect of pattern on process (Turner 1989), where "pattern" refers specifically to landscape structure. The full definition of landscape ecology is, then, “the study of how landscape structure affects (the processes that determine) the abundance and distribution of organisms.”

In statistical parlance, the "response" variables in landscape ecology are abundance / distribution / process variables, and the "predictors" are variables that describe landscape structure.

L. Farhig’s chapter in John A. Wiens, Michael R. Moss (Eds). 2005.Issues and Perspectives in Landscape Ecology. Cambridge University Press.

Landscape ecology

Environment

Differences in approach

Ecology

Landscapeecology

‘Geography’ is removedfrom the analysis.

‘Geography’ isexplicitly the

analysis

Landscape ecology

Hedgerow network landscape illustrated with color infrared imagery and woodland / treerowsoverlay in green.

http://geography.asu.edu/education/degrees/sc_05.htm

Health Geography

The role of place, space and community in shaping health outcomes and health care delivery

There are three main themes in the geography of health care (or medical geography):

disease ecology, health care delivery, and environment and health.

Health GeographyDisease ecology involves the study of infectious diseases (e.g., malaria, HIV/AIDS, infant diarrhea), including the spatial distributions of meteorological, biological and cultural phenomena associated with disease, as well as the social, political and economic barriers to positive change.

The study of health care delivery includes spatial patterns of health care provision and patient behaviour and includes issues like inequalities in health (health status and accessibility), and de-institutionalisation of the mentally ill.

http://www.saskatoonhealthregion.ca/your_health/images/TobaccoPoster.jpghttp://www.saskatoonhealthregion.ca/your_health/images/TobaccoPoster.jpg

Health Geography

Environment and health is a focus for health geographers that combines geography's long tradition in environmental hazards research together with health geography. Topics within this field include environmental risk assessment, as well as the physical and psychosocial health impacts of environmental contamination.

Aerosol optical depth, Delhi

http://www.dartmouthatlas.org/downloads/atlases/98Atlas.pdfhttp://www.dartmouthatlas.org/downloads/atlases/98Atlas.pdfhttp://clas.uiowa.edu/geography/research/health-society/air-pollutionhttp://clas.uiowa.edu/geography/research/health-society/air-pollution

http://geography.asu.edu/education/degrees/sc_05.htmThunderheart

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0105585/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_80

Crime analysis

A set of systematic, analytical processes directed at providing timely and pertinent information relative to crime patterns and trend correlations in order to assist the operational and administrative personnel in planning the deployment of resources for the prevention and suppression of criminal activities, aiding the investigative process, and increasing apprehensions and the clearance of cases.

Within this context, crime analysis supports a number of departmental functions including patrol deployment, special operations, and tactical units, investigations, planning and research, crime prevention, and administrative services (budgeting and program planning). (Steven Gottlieb et al., 1994, "Crime Analysis: From First Report To Final Arrest.“)

Crime analysisHistorically, the causes and origins of crime have been the subject of investigation by a variety of disciplines. Some factors known to affect the volume and type of crime occurring from place to place are:

Population density and degree of urbanization, site locality and its surrounding area. Variations in the composition of the population, particularly youth

concentrations. Stability of population with respect to residents' mobility, commuting

patterns, and transient factors. Modes of transportation and the highway system. Economic conditions, including median income, poverty level, and job

availability. Cultural factors and educational, recreational, and religious characteristics. Family conditions with respect to divorce and family cohesiveness. Climate (climate change and crime)

http://www.tempe.gov/cau/about_ca.htm

http://www.globalchange.gov/whats-new/agency-news/970-temperature-and-violent-crime-implications-of-climate-change

Theories in criminology

Environmental criminologyRoutine activity theory

Social disorganization theory

Rational choice theory

Broken windows theory

The real reason crime has declined?

http://www.motherjones.com/environment/2013/01/lead-crime-link-gasoline

Crimeanalysis

http://www.umbc.edu/geography/student_projects/digital_atlas/index.htm

Crime analysis

Course objectivesIn this course you will learn about these different subjects and, in particular, learn about the spatial analytical methods used in each. In doing so, you will be exposed to some of the software programs typically used in these fields (in conjunction with a GIS such as ArcMap).

More particularly, while considering landscape ecology we will examine the relation between process and pattern; while considering health geography we will examine how perspectives play a role in how we look for patterns / processes; and while considering crime analysis we will examine how the concepts (process and pattern, and perspectives) relate in a practical setting.

Why GIS?

Why GIS?

GIS

Data

Tools

Methods

Needs

Human goals & aspirations:Shelter, food, safety, health,curiosity, recreation

Data related to space:Maps, remote sensing,transects, collections

Computer technology:Hardware, software,networks

Scientific theories:Land management,geography, biology, math, computer science

Why GIS?

If geography matters, GIS can be used to study the problem.

• Which species will be affected by the new hydro corridor?

• What wetlands are most important for the tundra swan?

• Which areas will be most affected by climate change?

• What areas are associated with higher rates of skin cancer?

Human GeographyPopulation Diseases

Arts Immigration

Natural Environment

Precip Soils Geology Hydrology

Economic ActivityPipelines Telco Roads

Industry

Power Network

Natural ResourcesWetlands

Mines Parks Oceans Forests

Geography integrates data.

GIS integrates disciplines and technologies such as remote sensing, surveying,

photogrammetry, spatial analysis, cartography, computer science.

GIS integrates disciplines.

SurveyingMonitoring

Descriptive Mapping

ModelingPlanning

Prescriptive Mapping

Why GIS?

Course considerations

Asking QuestionsYour assignments are designed to encourage you to question research, and to research your questions.

Questions encourage thinking and learning: Why is it there?What are the constraints on its distribution?Is it linked to other phenomenon?

Coming up with good questions requires skills in observing, defining, classifying, analyzing, inferring, reasoning, integrating, and associating phenomena.

Asking Questions

The process of inquiry:Research the questions and gather data

Identify and clarify questions, issues and problems (perspectives)Gather and organize data (metadata)

Process the dataInterpret the data (know your data)Analyze the data (know your software)Evaluate the evidence (visualizations)

Reach and apply generalizationsGeneralizeDraw conclusionsMake value judgments

Re-evaluate

Being aspatial thinker / analyst

provides a unique perspective

to this process.

A geographical perspective

Where do things happen: patterns: clusters, hot spots, disparities.

Why do they happen where they happened: processes: location decisions: places.

How does where things happen affect other things: context: environment, and how does context affect what happens: interactions

Where should things be located: optimization

Asking geographical questions

Location / extent:Where is the phenomenon of interest?What is the phenomenon there?Why is it there?How much of it is there?

Distribution / pattern:Is there regularity in its distribution?What kind of distribution does it make?Where is it in relation to similar phenomenon?

http://linnet.geog.ubc.ca/Atlas/Atlas.aspx?sciname=Cytisus%20scoparius&redblue=Both&lifeform=4http://linnet.geog.ubc.ca/Atlas/Atlas.aspx?sciname=Cytisus%20scoparius&redblue=Both&lifeform=4

Asking geographical questions

Spatial association:What other phenomena are there too?Do phenomena usually occur together in the same area?

Spatial interaction:Is the phenomena linked to other phenomena?What is the nature of that linkage?

Spatial change:Has it always been there?How has it changed spatially over time?What factors have influenced its spread?

Asking questionsHow does management of the natural environment affect ecological processes?

What do we mean by management?Putting out forest fires?Clear-cut logging?Applying pesticides to forest pests?Protecting the environment from development?

What is meant by the natural environment?What is present today?What was present 300 years ago?

Asking questions

Which ecological processes?Tree growth?Species we can hunt (e.g., deer)?Species we are trying to save?The ‘ecosystem’?

We need to prepare very specific questions in order to direct our efforts at finding the answers we truly want / need.

Example

Even seemingly simple questions can quickly become complex:

Are edges / contrasts good or bad?

SummaryOver the next few weeks you’ll be encouraged to think spatially about issues in landscape ecology, health geography and crime analysis.

When looking at the patterns and inferring processes at different places, you also need to consider the people and their perspectives (e.g., how that might have affected the data collection).

Look for linkages between the fields—while the examples are specific to each field, the ‘geography’ and analytical methods are often similar.

Any questions?

GIScience in ResearchInteractionsA geographical perspectiveGIScience for managementSlide Number 5EcologyEcologyLandscape ecologyLandscape ecologyDifferences in approachLandscape ecologySlide Number 12Health GeographyHealth GeographyHealth GeographySlide Number 16Slide Number 17Crime analysisCrime analysisTheories in criminologyCrime�analysisCrime analysisCourse objectivesWhy GIS?Why GIS?Why GIS? Geography integrates data.Slide Number 28Why GIS?Course considerationsAsking QuestionsAsking QuestionsA geographical perspectiveAsking geographical questionsAsking geographical questionsAsking questionsAsking questionsExampleSummarySlide Number 40Slide Number 41