Mapping with strings attached
Kitty Currier
University of California, Santa Barbara
Kite Aerial Photography (KAP) has been used to collect images of the earth’s surface since the 1880s (Aber 2008). Today, light-weight digital cameras and a variety of image processing software make KAP an appealing technique for generating geospatial data on a budget. From GIS-ready basemaps to three-dimensional surface models, KAP offers compelling reasons to go fly a kite.
Improving Personal Information Management by Using Activities in the Physical World
to Bridge the Semantic Web and the Semantic Desktop
Yingjie Hu
University of California, Santa Barbara
The Semantic Web is a technology stack that provides capabilities to organize information on the web, while the Semantic Desktop can associate the related data and files on people?s personal devices. In order to complete everyday tasks, people often need to combine information from both sources. However, the two information universes are not directly connected. Here, we propose to use activities in the physical world to bridge the Semantic Web and the Semantic Desktop, associate the information items from the two universes, and provide individuals with a personal information space.
LEarNing Spatially at the University of Redlands
David Smith
University of Redlands
LENS is a campus-wide initiative promoting spatial literacy as a foundational component within a liberal arts university. Spatial thinking?the ability to visualize and interpret location, distance, direction, relationships, movement and change through space?is at the core of our work. Our initiative represents a lead effort in understanding how geospatial technologies can be linked to the greater pedagogic objectives of critical thinking and problem-based learning.
Neotectonics of the East African Rift System
Ghebretinsae Woldu Sequar
Proper characterization of tectonic extension of a rift helps to understand its seismcity, geothermal activity, volcanicity and general geodynamics. For the Kenya Rift, two different models of extension directions (E-W to ESE-WNW by Hackman et al. (1990) and NW-SE by Bosworth and Strecker (1997) & Bosworth et al. (1992) ) have been proposed.
Improving Representational Competence in Chemistry with Model-Based Feedback
Shamin Padalkar and Mary Hegarty
University of California, Santa Barbara
Representational competence in chemistry comprises skills and practices that allow chemists to reflectively use a variety of representations, singly and together, to think about, communicate, and act on chemical phenomena. In previous research, students showed poor representational competence in a diagram translation task in the domain of organic chemistry. A novel instructional method, informed by spatial cognition research, was designed and administered individually. This involved having students receive feedback on initial solutions by attempting to match concrete models to their solution. The instruction helped students to identify their errors, understand the usefulness of concrete models and lead to large improvements in performance for the experimental group.
Spatial Variability of Marine Ecosystems in the Santa Barbara Channel
A. Robus, A. Benham, A. Starr, A. Eriksson, B. Terminello, C. Demaranville, C. Devinetorti, C. Grover, C. Dexter,
J. Brown, J. Grundy, K. Gaunt, K. Serrato, L. Hanson, M. Migdali, S. Walker, S. Alexander, S. Gleason,
T. Ryan, K. Eden, Dr. U. Passow, Dr. C. Cogan
California State University, Channel Islands
Ship-based oceanographic and geographic methodologies were used in order to measure and map marine ecosystems in the Santa Barbara Channel.
Applying a Suitability Analysis for the White Tailed Kite in the UCSB Region
Chaz Vink, Stephanie Luna, and Alex Gomes
University of California, Santa Barbara
Much effort has been put forth to protect and conserve ecological areas of the UCSB area. However, habitat fragmentation still threatens regional biodiversity. Habitat linkages and connectivity will give species larger home ranges and thus larger population sizes. Although the White-Tailed Kite is a bird of prey and can easily travel between segregated open-space areas, its principal prey, the California vole, cannot. A suitability map of the White-Tailed Kite was created, based on three factors: urban disruption, which is represented in the form of decibel levels, and habitat suitability for both the Kite and the California Vole.
Spatial Analysis of Crime and Lighting in Isla Vista
Anna Hou, Edward Tsang, Kayee Leung, Michael Loman, and Sizhu Wang
Many of the streetlights in Isla Vista are either broken or missing, resulting in several poorly lit and potentially dangerous areas. This project investigates street light locations and functionality, with the hypothesis that the absence of working street lights is positively correlated with areas that have higher incidences of criminal activity. The ultimate goals of this study are: to identify areas with inadequate street lighting, uncover a correlation with high criminal activities, provide suggestions for area-specific repairs or new installations to increase public safety, and inform residents the areas to avoid when walking alone at night.
Glacial Change in the Mt. Tronador Region of the Southern Andes
Seth Gorelik, Carrie Truong, and Bharat Rastogi
University of California, Santa Barbara
Meltwater from snow and glaciers in the Chilean Lake District makes an important contribution to the drinking water, agricultural, and hydropower for Chile and Argentina (Favier et. al 2009). Mt. Tronador is the largest mountain in this area and hosts eight glaciers. Glacial change has emerged as an important area of scientific study, with implications for policy formulation in water security and adaptation to climate change from local to intergovernmental scales (Leiva 1999). As atmospheric warming trends continue, it is imperative to quantify glacier behavior in this region.