MSc  Abstracts 2001

Marjan Bevelander

The application of GIS in major urban planning projects in the Netherlands

At present a major building operation is taking place in the Netherlands. At many locations throughout the country large residential areas (popularly called the VINEX-locations) are added to the existing cities. Before the year 2010 635,000 new houses will have been built within the framework of the 4^th Memorandum on Spatial Planning (1993).

Due to the size of the VINEX-projects and to a society that is getting more and more complex, local planning authorities are faced with the fact that they are no longer the sole participant of the planning process. Their role is changing into a more directive one. They are responsible for the management of the planning and decision-making process, which has many different participants nowadays.

A municipality can only be successful during the planning process, if communication and information flows between the actors are well organised. A web based, project wide Geographic Information System (GIS) would offer unique opportunities to succeed in this effort. The implementation of such a system however encounters obstacles that are difficult to overcome, many of which are due to a lack of knowledge on the part of the planning authorities.

The goal of this project is to explore the possibilities for municipalities in the Netherlands to implement a Geographic Information System to support the management of the VINEX-projects.

The research is based on three perspectives. First it focuses on the professionals in the field of urban design. It provides an outline of the benefits of the new GIS-based tools that are especially developed for use in the field of urban design against the background of the Dutch urban planning process. The second perspective is of a technical nature and is an inventory of the essential preconditions and challenges that will form the framework from where the GIS will be developed. The focus is on technical and organisational issues. The third part is an analysis of the need for geo-information of all stakeholders.

Together these three parts make a strong case for the introduction of GIS-technology in the planning process. The final part provides guidelines for the practical implementation in a municipality.

This MSc is on the following website:

[ www.froff.nl ]

Clive Boocock

A land management information system for Lesotho - A multi-view case study

Not for publication.

Malcolm Calvert

The applications of GIS as a tool for flood estimation in Northern Ireland

For the past 25 years, flood estimation within Northern Ireland has been undertaken using methods, based on catchment characteristics, that have been adapted from the procedures set out in the Flood Studies Report (FSR) of 1975. With the advent of GIS previous methodology liimitations on the choice of catchment characteristic to "those which can readily be derived manually" are removed.

The Flood Estimation Handbook, which is the product of a 5 year research programme (10994-1999) replaces the FSR as the recommended methodology for flood estimation within the UK. Flood estimation on the basis of catchment descriptors is provided for through supporting software (the FEH CD-ROM) which has achieved recognition for its innovation in the design and presentation of spatial information.

In contrast with the previous FSR based methods, it is now not practical for engineers to derive the necessary data to support the new methodology other than by using GIS applications, which at present are solely available through the FEH CD-ROM software.

This research project considers the quality of the FEH software output in the context of Northern Ireland, and develops an application using ArcView which can be used to validate the same, and which can be used as an alternative where required.

Catchment boundaries are the key spatial component in the derivation of catchment descriptor values. Boundaries are hard-coded within the FEH software, and a key feature of the software deliverable is the functionality to derive descriptor values based on user defined catchment boundaries.

It is essential that UK Government Agencies involved in flood estimation are using methods (such as the FEH) which are up-to-date and which are recognised by the professional institutions with expertise in this field. This project should inform such Agencies as to issues regarding the adoption of the FEH methodology within Northern Ireland, and delivers software tools which will provide proactical support for the implementation of the FEH methodology.

George Chaplin

The geographic distribution of environmental factors influencing human skin colouration

This research seeks to elucidate one of the prime observable differences between human population, skin colour. Differences in skin colour have important social and cultural implications and have led to the development of "race concepts". The continuous geographic variation of human skin colouration is often overlooked because of the widespread acceptance of racial concepts. As it was found in this study that skin colour varies clinally according to environmental factors, the utility of skin colour as a racial marker is lost. The interaction of skin colouration and environmental factors has important health consequences. The mobility of recent human populations means that large populations are now residing outside of the areas in which their ancestors evolved.

New data from remote sensing platforms and new biological information now make it feasible to study the evolution of human skin colour in relation to the environment. Hitherto, only proxies for many of the environmental variables were available to researchers. It has long been known that variation in skin colour is correlated to latitude. Latitude is only a surrogate for any number of environmental factors related to solar effects, such as, UVR intensity, temperature, frost and rainfall. Reflectance spectrometry data from anthropological studies and a range of environmental factors were analysed in a GIS.

The main finding of this study was that the evolution of skin colour could be almost fully modelled as a linear effect of UVR in the autumn alone. This linear model needs only minor modification, by the introduction of terms for the maximum amount of UVR, and for summer precipitation, to account for almost all the variation in skin colour. The secondary finding was that the effect of summer UVR seems to reach a threshold beyond which further adaptation is difficult.

Klaus Gaebler

Spatial Autocorrelation Techniques - Implementation issues in GIS software vs. RDBMS

The field of spatial autocorrelation supports the spatial statistical analyst in his duties. Spatial patterns of underlying processes are discovered with methods of spatial autocorrelation techniques. Up to date the implementation of spatial autocorrelation techniques within GIS is still a matter of academic work - commercial available GIS products rarely include the required routines. Most existing implementations require a proximity matrix, determined in advance of any spatial statistical analysis. The cumbersome and processor intensive process may be easily performed in a GIS environment if either a topological structure or the necessary functions are available.

The aim of this thesis was to evaluate the possibilities of an implementation within a modern and commercial available GIS. Intergraph's GeoMedia (based on OLE/COM technology) and the procedures and functions for spatial operations delivered with Oracle8i Spatial (a standard RDBMS) are the basis for two prototypes developed in the course of this research. Both products are quasi-standard IT technologies and therefore are well suited for such an undertaking. Quantitative methods are then used to detect limitations in the implementations related to hardware, data formats and data set size.

The impact to a spatial analyst, when handling of large data size is required, may not be underestimated. Therefore the thesis uncovers requirements in hardware (processor speed and amount of memory), identifies limits in various data formats and checks the maximum possible data set size.

Modern GIS technology suggests the user an easy possibility to store, query, maintain and output his data in different formats. Additional promises are made due to the cost saving of the not required data conversion process. The research reveals that some formats are better suited to handle data up to a certain amount of data. Rather then having problems with the processor speed, the user will be limited with the installed amount of memory when reaching a certain amount of data.

alternative approach to a solution capable to handle large data sets is suggested considering the outcome of the research.

The limitations imposed from GeoMedia's data server should be avoided by using Oracle's spatial procedures. On the other hand does GeoMedia have considerable advantages when the presentation of maps, charts and data grids is required.

Brent Gannon

Web Enabled Geographic Information Systems

The Internet has been in existence for well over thirty years, and only until recently has it materialized into a predominate force for accessing and distributing information.During its conception the Internet was looked upon as a medium that would not last long.However the Internet is now a fundamental part of society and is becoming more integrated with how we conduct our day-to-day business within our organizations, and with our customers.

Geographical Information Systems (GIS) data and applications are beginning to take advantage of the Internet to increase the way we exploit and distribute GIS information, and the way we provide access to this information. The Internet has changed the way we conduct our business, and has forced organizations to become more innovative in their methods of product and service delivery, and more aware of the needs of their customers.

The purpose of this research is to identify the latest developments of potential WE-GIS (web enabled GIS) solutions. A thorough review of issues such as WE-GIS functionality, hardware and network architecture issues, product comparisons, and security issues will be researched. In addition, a case study analysis with organizations from North America and Europe will be reviewed to identify the potential strengths and weaknesses of moving from an Enterprise GIS (E-GIS) to a Web Enabled GIS (WE-GIS).

Is this evolving technology truly a GIS or just another way to distribute your data to the masses? The results of the case study review will provide end user knowledge of the benefits and pitfalls of WE-GIS applications. These corporations are a mixture of those that have GIS applications, those that have both E-GIS and WE-GIS and those that are only using a WE-GIS application.

Wayne Gearey

Reengineering Property Tax Systems in Developing Nations using GIS Technology: The Nigerian Case Study

This thesis focuses on the application of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in developing nations using the reengineering of Lagos State Nigeria property taxation as the case study. Further, we need to consider an approach that scrutinizes any process that may benefit from using GIS technology. Based on the principles of business process reengineering, there is a necessity to closely examine the living system of any organization and incrementally introduce GIS technology as a tool to re-engineer that organization.

In developing nations, local government processes, such as property taxation, are considered to be a common priority to improve physical infrastructure as well as service delivery. As such, rather than building a Geographic Information System, there is a need to first examine the organizational structure and see if GIS technology can be used as a tool in re-engineering the processes that make up its living system.

Furthermore, using GIS technology in property taxation is non-negotiable in the face of uncontrolled rapid urban growth manifesting infrastructure decay, environmental deterioration, and widespread poverty in the urban centres of developing nations. However, success in the implementation of the technology relies on the ability to incrementally test the use of the technology on existing processes such as property taxation. To do so, one could consider the principal of Business Process Reengineering or BPR and where GIS technology fits as a tool in re-engineering processes such as property taxation.

An integrated approach to identifying potential sites for large greenhouse operations in the city of Richmond, British Columbia

The Canadian agricultural industry is reforming itself in an attempt to feed the World's growing population.The industry no longer can expand its land base to increase crop yield.In the twenty-first century, the only way to further increase crop yields is through intensification of agriculture.This has been occurring over the last several decades throughout Canada and the World.

Historically, the World's Cities grow in areas of the best agriculture in order to feed themselves.Provincial and Civic leaders are realizing that unchecked growth of urban areas into these food producing areas is not going to be sustainable, and the rural land needs to be protected and preserved, in order for both areas to survive into the next century and beyond.

As with any situation, change may cause some conflict between the two sides.This is amplified in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia, as there are large surfaces of interface and possible growth pressure between rural and urban residences due to extremely tight intertwining of the two. Past conflicts have resulted in the different levels of government passing laws and bylaws such as the "Right to Farm"(see Appendix) and other regulations to try and alleviate this friction.

Mark Griffin

Spatial Data Infrastructure - or mid-Atlantic muddle? Factors affecting national spatial data infrastructure implementation in Bermuda

The foundation of sustainable development in Bermuda is likely to be the efficient use of data as a national resource. This may be achieved through the development of a national spatial data infrastructure (national SDI).

Results collected in Bermuda proved very similar to those found in international studies of implementation of SDI. Institutional factors appear more important than technical factors in affecting implementation of a Bermuda national SDI.

Herman de Haan

Web mapping by municipalities in the Netherlands

Municipalities experience a great pressure from the government to communicate better with the society. With the help of web map techniques municipalities can achieve this. The web maps can be used as a portal to other information e.g. administrative information, photographs, other maps, sounds etc. The e-society will benefit from it. The society will be "spatially" informed better and probably can have more influence in spatial decision making by the government.

This study focuses on web mapping by municipalities. It aims to get a view to what extent municipalities are web mapping. Furthermore it aims to get a better understanding about web mapping by municipalities. The main objectives are to (a) specify the initiatives and standards the municipality related organisations have regarding web mapping by municipalities; (b) examine the technical and non-technical background of web mapping; (c) find out to what extent and nature municipalities are web mapping; (d) determine if the municipalities are successful at web mapping; (e) try to apply low cost web mapping. This study has two research levels and a practical case. First, an electronic-research (e-research) has been done to assess the use of web maps by municipalities. Followed by a literature study and internet study regarding web maps. The practical case is about making a low cost web mapping application considering all aspects regarding web maps.

The research revealed that web mapping by municipalities is just developing and will probably increase because many municipalities will introduce a municipal web site on the Internet the coming years. Till now the main form of web mapping is the use of static only viewable maps. Only a few use more sophisticated web maps with navigation functions, query possibilities and identify feature functionality. Costs, the lack of policy and the lack of digital data are the main reasons why web mapping is not being done.

Dianne  Haley

Enterprise GIS Implementation; Can it be successful?

Geographic Information System (GIS) technology has been implemented in a wide variety of organizations and with varying degrees of success. Initial implementations were often driven by an individual business function or business unit within an organization. Acceptance of the technology as a key business tool by other business areas within the organization often occurred only after the initial success of the original group.

In recent years there has been a focus on enterprise systems and enterprise implementation of a variety of technologies. The sharing of the technology and the data associated with that technology across a multi-disciplinary organization, or across loosely associated organizations, has many challenges and obstacles. Many enterprise implementations of GIS technology are considered successful; many are considered failures.

Enterprise GIS implementations are costly, and yet this seems to be th direction adopted by organizations tackling the initiative for the first time, and often for the second or third time. Some of the questions to be answered are:

• Why do organizations take this approach?
• How is success measured?
• Are there techniques that can ensure success of enterprise GIS implementations?

Jan Koers

Location policy for municipalities in the Netherlands

Location policy has become an important part in Dutch planning policy because of the increasing amount of competitive claims on space and the growing issue of environmental aspects. This has resulted in the ABC-location policy for companies and services during the 1990's. Although the criteria of this policy have been applied for 10 years, it did not bring the expected result of less car-mobility. Studies revealed the shortcomings of the policy and the Fifth Policy Document on Spatial Planning proposes that provinces and municipalities determine themselves the criteria for location policy.

In this context a simple but more differentiated "municipal" model has been developed. It integrates national guidelines and the criteria of provinces, municipalities and companies to create an effective and efficient environment to optimise their different objectives. The integration is enabled by implementing the model in a geographic information system (GIS). By the use of municipal detailed data the results are more balanced. Finally a user-friendly interface allows for analysis by the users themselves instead of the use by only GIS-experts.

There are however important prerequisites for the use of GIS in location planning. Although the right detailed data are available for use in GIS, much data can not be used directly in a GIS. The data have to be made suitable for use in GIS by GIS-experts in advance. Secondly most data can not be assessed on quality because of lack of meta-data.

Although geographic information systems are not used often yet for location policy, it is shown that they are promising tools for use in location policy. They can aid the decision making process and the results by enabling a transparent way of dealing with the different criteria and scenarios in an objective way. Creating tailor-made spatial decision support systems based on GIS will stimulate the use of these systems. When effort will be put in enhancing these aspects GIS will be an indispensable tool for decision making in local government.

Attila Kulscar

Automatic GIS Data Quality Assessment for Non-experts

The aim of this research is to define the help non-expert users of GI systems might need and data to assist them to find suitable data for geographic analysis. To realise that this is a complicated task and is in touch on several further fields of informatics also.

To building a knowledge-base you must determine its elements, their characteristics and their relations. Moreover you also have to determine the methods of using the knowledge-base and identify how data is taken out and recalled. This must lead to the task so called data-mining.

The meta-databases made from the real databases are used from the base of the knowledge-base. In theory the qualitative characteristic of all data can be found here.

The characteristic of the GIS applications and their relations to the real data can be determined based on the collected data.

By integrating the characteristics of applications into the knowledge-base you have the opportunity to find the suitable data for the spatial analysis of the selected application.

Karen Lauritsen

Municipal GIS implementation Planning and Strategies: Evidence from North American case studies

Municipal governments continue to struggle with the utility and economic value of Geographic Information System (GIS) technologies. The promised cost savings and other important benefits of GIS have often eluded municipal governments and their stakeholders. The process of implementation planning and strategies continues to be a struggle for municipal governments where the concept and benefits of GIS, have not yet been realized. It is a common occurrence to find GIS implementation projects that have not met corporate expectations, fallen behind in project phases, are subject to over-allocated budgets, and represent a great number of missed opportunities to capitalize on the benefits of such technology.

The purpose of this research has been to identify key issues that must be addressed "up front", and that is otherwise critical to successful implementation of a Municipal GIS project. The results of 15 municipal case study participants will be reviewed and compared in the six major areas of GIS implementation projects: 1. senior management; 2. sponsorship; 3. resources; 4. diffusion/communication strategies; 5. training; and 6. needs analysis. The results will be a valuable resource of documented "lessons learned" and insights gained from an "If I had it to do over" perspective, all from Municipal case studies. This case study methodology allows for the framing of distinct implementation models and a list of implementation factors specific to municipal governments. Their experiences allow us to reassess existing implementation planning and strategy approaches and provide valuable lessons learned, for others considering implementing a municipal GIS.

This project is intended to highlight key conditions for planning and implementing successful GIS strategies which will deliver the promised saving and other benefits. It will also provide a checklist of these necessary conditions and a test of organizational readiness for a successful GIS implementation.

Brendan O'Shaughnessy

Challenges of Implementing GIS in a Gas Utility

The implementation of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) represents a significant investment for even medium sized organisations and demands significant planning and management involvement in order to achieve success.

The history of GIS projects shows that many organisations have not obtained anything like the anticipated benefits from investing in GIS technology.

This paper examines the approach to GIS implementation taken by Bord Gais Eireann - Gas Utility responsible for the transmission and distribution of natural gas in Ireland. The context in which the implementation is examined is at the various levels of GIS complexity and organisational awareness:

• Acquiring an overview of the GIS industry - looking for GIS successes and finding many failures, further exploring the potential of GIS and trying to identify the reason why success were relatively rare.
• Examining what benefits have been obtained by similar organisations that have "successfully" introduced GIS technology. Examining the benefits Bord Gais might realistically expect to obtain from implementing GIS. Identifying the GIS applications that deliver high benefits with low risks within an acceptable timeframe!
• Realising and understanding the relative complexity of GIS which cuts across departmental boundaries, the need for management structures to deal with the inevitable organisational conflict associated with such projects. The need to acquire GIS expertise to understand the design and planning process of GIS, Implementation strategy, definition of scope, data modelling, integration with legacy systems, the level of customisation to meet business requirements etc.
• Complexity and cost of data capture. One of the most critical elements of GIS requiring the greatest effort over a prolonged period. Also the need for the organisation to understand that the benefits of GIS cannot be fully realised until the data capture is complete. The substantial costs associated with acquiring external data, e.g. the OS landbase, National Address Database etc.
• Actual GIS project execution, the importance of using experienced implementers with a proven track record. The need for a competent project management team. The necessity of using an experienced project manager with a proven track record of delivering significant projects on schedule and within budget.
• Finally ensuring the readiness of the organisation to utilise the technology. Providing use with tools that makes doing their job easier and more efficient and by ensuring that they get sufficient training to operate the system with confidence.

While there are a number of conclusions that can be drawn from the study, the main conclusion is that given a systematic approach to GIS, i.e. by addressing inter-alia the above issues GIS technology can and does deliver all of the anticipated benefits to organisations. Provided they apply universally known methods of developing and managing projects including utilising the necessary skills throughout the life cycle of the project.

The paper confirms what many commentators believe that successful GIS implementations are dependant on functional management and institutional capabilities rather than that of technology.

Robert Parkinson

Predictability of bovine anthrax incidents in the province of Alberta, Canada

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is a Canadian Federal government agency tasked with maintaining national food safety prevention and control programs including surveys of the disease status of Canada's herds and flocks. The Animal Health and Production Program of the CFIA includes foreign and reportable animal disease emergency preparedness and disease surveillance and control as major elements in the prevention of the introduction of animal diseases that could be harmful to both human and animal health and safety. The CFIA must investigate all reportable and suspected cases of animal infections and disease and implement control measures when necessary to avoid environmental contamination and prevent further spread of the reported infections or disease.

Anthrax is a reportable animal disease that seems to occur in certain areas of the world more than in others. There are a number of theories related to the effects of climate, soil, vegetation, host condition and population density that may explain the epidemiology of anthrax, although very little agreement exists on the roles played by these factors in the incidence of the disease.

Valuable tools in the investigation of the causes, prediction and risk of disease outbreaks have been the application of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to study their spatial and temporal distribution. Using anthrax outbreak datasets, GIS tools and veterinary records, the goal of this project was to identify factors that may have contributed to incidents of anthrax in cattle in the province of Alberta, Canada. Further research and more refined and accurate data will eventually provide a predictive capability to aid in the management of livestock and veterinary resources.

Gerd Rantitsch

Application of Geographic Information Systems to investigate geochemical landscapes within the Eastern Alps (Austria)

The quantitative description of geochemical landscapes is an important approach for a better understanding of geochemical processes controlling the spatial distribution of variables in mineral exploration and environmental geochemistry. A geographic information system (GIS) has been used to determine topographical and lithological effects on the landscape characteristics of geochemical dispersions pattern in the univariate spatial structures of two contrasting environments within the Eastern Alps. The chemical composition of stream-sediments provides information on the lithological composition of the drainage basin and on the presence of contaminants and mineral deposits. However, in geologically complex environments a major problem in geochemical mapping is to distinguish between these sources. In geochemical exploration and environmental research, fuzzy c-means-clustering provides an objective and effective way to specify lithologically induced background concentrations in the geochemical composition of stream sediments.

Variations in surface morphology and lithology provide an opportunity to study lithologic and morphologic influences on the spatial pattern of stream-sediment geochemistry within two contrasting environments of the Eastern Alps (Hohe Tauern Range and Gurktaler Alpen Range). The fractal dimension, a measure of surface roughness over a variety of scales, is used to model the dissipation of erosive products due to climatic controlled denudation and fluvial mass transport. Based on a spatial correlation analysis, specific elemental concentrations are used as indicators for a dominant lithotype. Fractal geometry of these elements has been estimated by Sequential Gaussian Simulation of the area/perimeter relationship (Dal) and by the estimation of multifractal spectra. It is shown that spatial variations of A1, Ga, Ni and Ca can be approximated by single fractals but for those of Ag and Sn multifractal models must be used. Fractal properties derived from simulated surfaces are explainable by the process controlling the spatial structure of the data. Climatic and tectonic parameters apparently influences Dal at large scales. At smaller scales rock-type variation exert an additional influence on Dal.

On the basis of results of several interpolation experiments, it is demonstrated that the choice of an interpolator has a major impact on the estimation of the fractal dimension of area data. In a case study, the fractal geometry of a geochemical landscape within a geologically complex area has been estimated by Sequential Gaussian simulation of the area/perimeter relationship. In contrast to conventional estimators, fractal dimensions derived from simulated surfaces are explainable by the process controlling the spatial structure of the data.

Fuzzy c-means clustering of multivariate stream-sediment geochemistry in a geologically complex area of the Eastern Alps (Austria) allows to separate four dominant associations of lithologies. Weak geochemical contrasts between the involved lithotypes minimizes the assignment variances by using a fuzzy coefficient of 1.3. The residual component of the geochemical signal, which is not explained by cluster membership is interpreted as concentration exceeding the geogene induced background. Therefore, it is possible to specify the background concentration for all lithotypes. Elemental enrichment is visualised by mapping the Geoaccumulation index of MÜLLER (1979). This technique detects anomalous (maybe contaminated areas within a geochemical landscape.

GIS programs are not developed for presenting geochemical data. Therefore, commercially available programs have to be modified in the data management module, in the data interpolation module and in the statistically functionality for their use in environmental geochemistry.

Walter Rieder

Spatial analysis for utilities management

Change is taking place in the European energy and utilities marketplace. Liberalisation, globalisation, convergence and eEconomy are combining to create unprecedented transformation. Managing these change drivers is essential for energy companies and utilities to survive this competitive situation and to generate new business value.

General practice to master this challenge is to undertake benchmarking projects. The purpose is to improve a companies productivity and initiate cost cutting programs. "Traditional" benchmarking projects are commonly put into effect to measure productivity and compare company performance with the key figures of competitors. Seeing strategic issues in a spatial context can complement this "traditionally" productivity focused benchmarking by a value focused approach, based on spatial perspectives.

To design a methodology, that extends common benchmarking practice and supports strategic decision making in the competitive new world of energy business has been the vision behind this research project. The result is the Balanced Spatial Value Card (BSVC), a framework for seeing strategic issues within a spatial context, based on a "spatial benchmarking" approach.

To apply the suggested methodology within a specific organisation a generic business model which is applicable to all energy companies, has been adapted as a reference framework. The next step is to derive value chains and to model the companies specific business processes. The spatial perspective comes from developing a map model to merge spatial data analysis functions and spatial data with the companies business processes. Referencing the conceptual background of the Balanced Scorecard Approach enables a link between the actual drivers of change in the energy business and these map models. The outcome of a BSVC-Application is a performance metric referencing the four perspectives, liberalisation, globalisation, convergence and eEconomy. In summary, the Balanced Spatial Value Card offers an unconventional management tool to integrate the "thinking spatially" approach into estimating a utilities value and assessing its change management opportunities.

To evaluate the Balanced Spatial Value Card approach, it was necessary to prove the model within a real world project. A case study in the Austrian energy market confirmed, that the model in principle works and is a useful extension to tradional benchmarking projects.

Christine Ryan

Spatial patterns of population growth and habitat change in Ventura County under different local policy constraints

The local land use and economic policies implemented in California have encouraged urban sprawl during the past century. Ventura County is unique because it has tried to contain growth over the years, and voters recently passed Save Open Space and Agricultural Resources (SOAR) boundaries to limit growth in and around nine of the ten incorporated cities in the county. The California Urban and Biodiversity Assessment (CURBA) model was used with a series of GIS layers to predict future urban growth patterns and their impact on habitat extent and quality in Ventura County in this study. Two GIS layers were used to depict past growth and logit regression was used with a series of independent variables to explain these growth patterns. The final regression model correctly predicted the fate of 95% of the non-urbanized cells being urbanized in the future. These probabilities were then used with a series of local policy scenarios to predict future growth patterns and their impacts on habitat extent and quality. Six scenarios were chosen that offered varying levels of protection for farmland, designated open space and environmentally sensitive lands, and future growth patterns were predicted using the current density (18 people/ha) and a growth increment of 25% (189,125 people). The results showed that: (1) the county will be able to accommodate this growth under five of the six scenarios examined; (2) the adoption and enforcement of SOAR boundaries as urban growth limits will consume nearly two-thirds of the potentially developable land and compromise growth beyond the 25% envisaged here unless densities are increased; and (3) different policies would produce very different spatial patterns of growth in Ventura County in the next 15-25 years.

Jeremy Stokes

An assessment of the impact of high resolution satellite imagery on Ordnance Survey of Great Britain

The launch of a series of high-resolution satellites has been forecast as the beginning of a revolution in the creation of geospatial information. These data sets, it has been claimed, will make geospatial information more widely available and herald the end of the dominance of the large National Mapping Agencies, such as Ordnance Survey. However, nowhere has the impact of this data been analysed.

This revolution has been a long time coming. Earth observation satellites have been anticipated to offer major advantages in map making since the launch of Landsat 4, but in particular with the higher resolution of SPOT 1. However, the revolution has never happened, there were still too many problems, both with resolution and with data acquisition. 1-m resolution imagery, it has always been suggested, is the minimum necessary for creating large-scale maps and a more flexible acquisition and data delivery strategies were required.

The high-resolution satellites launched or due for launch will finally deliver that level of service. There are four satellites slated to orbit the Earth initially, all with similar characteristics. Despite a wait of over 4 years, and 2 failed attempts, only one satellite is in orbit. Each operator is lining up a network of distributors and is creating a value-added chain to get the maximum return from the market. In parallel, Ordnance Survey is assessing the usefulness of the data. The data does not appear to have the necessary specification for use in the production of Ordnance Survey's current large-scale products, although it may be suitable for smaller scale products. Due to the size of the databases Ordnance Survey works with any changes to the production flow lines have serious consequences and there is a need to ensure that the source of the information for that production is secure and stable. No changes will begin to happen if the data from the high-resolution satellites looks unreliable. At the core of this, is the need to reduce the costs of map-making. The high-resolution satellite data is seen as one way of doing this, but to be effective it must replace the need for aerial photography and reduce the requirements for ground truthing. Neither appears likely in the current Ordnance Survey set up.

Ordnance Survey operates in a commercial environmental and the impact of the uptake by other mapmakers and geospatial data provider’s must be considered. These organisations may be more flexible and can adopt the new technology. This will create a market pressure on Ordnance Survey, which may need to respond by changing the specification, perhaps even the scale, of its products.

Jeff Thurston

Vertical GIS and Visualization : A comparison of 2D and 3D

The second goal of the Canadian Biodiversity Strategy addresses research and information gathering to improve both our understanding of ecosystems, and the development of integrative approaches to ecosystem management (Government of Alberta, 2001). Forest managers will require timely and accurate spatial information about forest conditions and management practices at site-specific and regional scales (Bergen et al, 2000). The development of new methods and techniques for the capture of useful information to meet these goals will require new approaches. To meet this challenge, the integration of geo-technologies will permit new methods for the capture of landscape information. The goal of this thesis is to develop, investigate and propose a new method for capturing landscape data in the vertical (side-view) plane. Digital imaging, photogrammetry techniques, image analysis and global positioning systems (GPS) and laser technologies were integrated to develop vertical plane images. Unsupervised ISODATA classifications of the images permitted the construction of spectral thematic content from which delineation and classification of forest structure and composition are possible. Visualization of this information in both 2-D and 3-D provides the forest manager and researcher with a new opportunity to more fully explore and communicate landscape change. The value of this method is that it allows for the interpretation, analysis and monitoring of landscape attributes both spatially and temporally from close range and multiple perspectives leading to increased understanding of landscape biological processes. Increased understanding and knowledge of these processes could result in improved modeling and representation of landscape variables for decision making. A review of literature, methods and recommendations for further research are included.

Johannes Van Schaaik

The application of Geographic profiling

Not to be published.

Louanne Wong

Deconstructing decision support systems within developing communities in British Columbia

New information management technologies are maturing faster than the organisations that utilise them. In British Columbia, the impending settlement of the land question with First Nations is creating a transitional environment, slowly diminishing the marked dichotomy of historically uneven development. Control of information is key to empowerment for these communities. This reality has fueled the necessity to institutionalise knowledge and build self-sustainability.

This dissertation examines the influence of institutional, political and technical negotiations that shape the use Geographic Information Systems (GIS) at a community level. Case study research on GIS adoption by BC First Nations provides context for this research. While GIS provides organisational value to support informed, inclusive and democratic dialogues for the recognition of land title, it is currently a disenfranchising tool. By directly adopting information and approaches to support activities in land negotiations and management, the meaningful representation of a community’s spatial activities and values is compromised. The appropriate and effective application of current GI systems to foster representative consultation is constrained due to external organisational and social relations surrounding their development. Actor-network theory is used to assess these pressures, and provides insight into ways to increase local control, empowerment and sustainability. The feasibility and application of Public Participation GIS (PPGIS) as a strategic decision-support tool to promote accurate representation of value systems, capacity-building, stewardship and democratic decision-making is examined.

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