| Geoscience and Environment |
|
Main Menu
|
MAIN MENUWelcome to my laboratory, located sometimes on my desktop, sometimes out in the field. The subject is geography, which includes Earth science and human interaction with the Earth, both mankind's impact on the Earth and the Earth's impact on mankind. Previous ResearchPrevious research, from 2001 to 2005, was in partial fulfillment of the degree of Master of Science in physical science with Earth science emphasis and the Graduate Certificate in Geo-spatial Analysis, which included study of GIS (Geographic Information Systems) with special reference to analysis of data acquired by satellites. Both the degree and the certificate were conferred by Emporia State University in 2005.This was my second master degree, the first being a Master of Arts with focus on economic geography, conferred by Miami University, Oxford Ohio in 1963. Why did I switch to physical science? Like most geographers, I have always been attracted by both physical and human aspects of geography. So I don't really consider my study of Earth science a switch: more like catching up with new discoveries about the Earth, like drifting continents and climate change, which were both taboo forty years ago. Of course in those days (c. 1960), the central part of North America had been cooling for 20 years and alarmists were projecting the start of a new ice age (A Significant "Hole" in "Unprecedented" 20th-Century Global Warming). GIS refers to a computer-based system for capture, storage, retrieval, analysis and display of spatial (locationally defined) data. Example: In epidemiology, a GIS could be used to display malaria cases as points. Demographic and land-use data as well as roads (lines) could be added as separate layers. The demographic and land-use data would be shown as areas. The GIS could be used to analyse relationships among the data and thus guide public health managers. Geospatial analysis (GSA) uses many of the same techniques as GIS, but the emphasis is mainly on processing, interpretation and evaluation. While GIS is more map-based and uses points, lines and areas derived from ground-based data collection, GSA is more image-based and uses data gathered by remote-sensing, using satellites, aircraft, balloons and kites. The value of ground-based data may be greatly enhanced by remotely sensed data. Thus, the combination of primary ground-based data sources and secondary remotely-sensed data may be a more powerful analytical tool than either source used alone. Example: A set of satellite images may be used for classifying land-use and land-cover in a river basin. Ground-based data can be used to verify the classification. The land-use land-cover classification may then aid analysis of watersheds, irrigation schemes, canals, dams, and reservoirs, features that might be delineated using data from an existing GIS or data collected by ground surveys. If a GIS exists for land-use and land-cover, GSA can support periodic updating of the GIS. Many years ago, as maps came to be generated from images collected by aerial photography and satellites, technological change began blurring the boundary between GIS and GSA data sources. Today, the main difference between GIS and GSA may be the end use: GIS for management purposes and GSA for scientific investigations, with practitioners using data and techniques that suit the task. Some of the topics covered by my previous research:
Please note that some links are to web pages that have moved or ceased to exist. I am fixing these as I find them. Future ResearchMy primary interest for future research is water resource management and climate phenomena that are related to water resources. This is my short-list of topics:
|