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Campins, Matias Sebastian. "Mapping the geospatial community." [Gainesville, Fla.] : University of Florida, 2004. http://purl.fcla.edu/fcla/etd/UFE0008100.
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Iliffe, Mark Peter. "The praxis of community mapping in developing countries." Thesis, University of Nottingham, 2017. http://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/43613/.
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This thesis takes a multidisciplinary approach to understanding the characteristics, quality and production of Volunteered Geographic Information (VGI), through examining the emergent method of Community Mapping in developing countries. While a good understanding exists of the nature of the characteristics, quality and production of VGI in developed countries there is little covering developing countries. This thesis reviews the state of the art and theoretical approaches in Geography, Human Factors and Geographic Information Science. Research methods of Human Factors, specifically Cognitive Work Analysis (CWA) and geospatial quality assessment are also discussed. Through a mixed methods approach, the characteristics of Community Mapping are examined and contrasted against those in developed countries. Consequently the quality of data produced and its mode of production are examined, enabled through the construction of a CWA to situate and explore constraints of the developing world case. By discussing the results and conclusions of these studies, this thesis provides an agenda for the understanding geospatial data quality in developing countries and, specifically, informal urban areas known by their more colloquial moniker of `slums'. By involving the community in data production and decision making it adheres to the CWA principles and ethics of respectful, user centric design. In assessing the quality of the data produced and the needs of community members around tools we create design guidelines for the development of future tools. Finally, this thesis considers how the characteristics of Community Mapping could and should be considered in the use and reuse of spatial data by its integration into Spatial Data Infrastructures (SDI). In conclusion, a conceptual framework for the development of VGI in developing countries is produced, alongside other avenues for further work for the theories, software and communities nurtured as part of this thesis.
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Hurrell, Michael, and n/a. "Mapping the Adult and Community Education Sector in the ACT." University of Canberra. Education, 2000. http://erl.canberra.edu.au./public/adt-AUC20090609.115250.
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This thesis has as its origins a desire by the Ministerial Advisory Council on Adult
and Community Education in the Australian Capital Territory to learn more about the
sector with whom they interact.
There was a clear perception that, due to its diversity, a strong reliance on volunteers
and an underlying mistrust of beaurocracy, the sector was quite poorly delineated. If
this was in fact the case, then the capacity of the Council to support the sector - for
example through the grants scheme - was being greatly handicapped. In the case of
grants, it was known that requests commonly outnumbered available grant funds by
three or four to one. What was not known was the extent of other worthwhile ACE
activity that was either electing not to apply for funding or was simply unaware that
the facility even existed.
The research, based on the results of a broad ranging questionnaire distributed to all
known ACE providers in the ACT, has furthered the level of understanding of the
sector. The research approach was modeled on the South Australian Pathfinder
Project (1996).
Key findings include that:
? the ACE sector is extremely diverse and active in the ACT;
? it is client focussed in that it develops its programs in response to the
identified needs of its target group(s);
? in the twelve months covered by the survey there were over 190 000
attendees in ACE programs;
? a range of programs are available to most community groups;
? there is a strong reliance on volunteers;
? the sector generally feels that there is a demand for even more programs
than are currently offered;
? many individual providers do not see themselves as part of the overall
ACE sector.
While there are some marked similarities between the ACT ACE sector and the South
Australian findings, there also some clear differences. For example, many of the
factors that restrict access to ACE in other parts of Australia are less relevant to the
ACT. An example of this is that travel distances/times for participants to access
programs are generally less of a problem in the ACT than in some other jurisdictions
due to the small area and the concentration of population in the ACT.
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Taylor, James A. "Applying spiritual mapping to Grace Church and the Mooresville community." Online full text .pdf document, available to Fuller patrons only, 2003. http://www.tren.com.
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Martuzzi, Marco. "Small area disease mapping in environmental epidemiology." Thesis, Imperial College London, 1996. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.243430.
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Bluck, Emily C. "Mapping Community Mindscapes: Visualizing Social Autobiography as Political Transformation and Mobilization." Scholarship @ Claremont, 2012. http://scholarship.claremont.edu/scripps_theses/56.
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Historically, autobiography has been used to perpetuate neo-liberal ideologies. Yet, when autobiography becomes social and is used to engage political communities of color, political transformation is possible. This project, through the collaborative visualization of Asian American social biography using pedagogical and relational methods as a means for engagement, seeks to destabilize dominant notions of time and space, and provide a mechanism for the retention of and documentation of institutional, and social histories using the Asian American Student Union at Scripps College as the site for political praxis.
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Flora, Jason W. "What makes a community walkable? mapping walkability indicators in central Indiana /." Muncie, Ind. : Ball State University, 2009. http://cardinalscholar.bsu.edu/701.
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MacArthur, Julie Elin. "Mapping political community among the Luyia of Western Kenya, 1930-63." Thesis, University of Cambridge, 2010. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.608704.
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Boldero, Christina, William Paton, and Charlotte Schou. "Community Mapping & Strategic Sustainable Development : Navigating Towards A Sustainable Future." Thesis, Blekinge Tekniska Högskola, Sektionen för ingenjörsvetenskap, 2012. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:bth-3137.
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The world faces sustainability challenges directly attributable to human behaviour, and expected to irreparably degrade the socio-ecological system. Cartography (mapping) is a diverse planning and communicating discipline used for strategic development of global and local solutions to these challenges. Its flexible yet robust technology can generate common understanding of issues and inspire successful solutions. This thesis studied community mapping, specifically how community mapping practitioners (CMPs) can use community mapping tools (CMTs) more effectively for Strategic Sustainable Development (SSD). Data of current SSD strengths of six CMTs was collected using the Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development (FSSD) and 13 interviews with practitioners. Thirty-six Key Elements (KEs) of guidance for CMPs to use CMTs were developed. A Compass Model was designed to interlink the KEs, in eight interrelated categories, with the ABCD Strategic Planning Process (ABCD). The results suggest that CMPs using CMTs combined with an SSD approach have the potential to create effective solutions towards sustainability.
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Kimani, Alexander. "Gis mapping of community perceptions of illegal waste dumping in Mbekweni, Paarl." University of Western Cape, 2020. http://hdl.handle.net/11394/8251.
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Magister Artium - MAIllegal dumping is a global environmental problem that receives significant management and research attention from various fields of study. Illegally disposed waste (in all of its formats) can cause negative impacts on natural and human environments, and often requires multilevel interventions to abate, or to solve the resultant problems. The impacts of illegal or unsustainable disposal of waste on land, water bodies and the atmosphere contribute to various environmental problems and their levels of intensity at global, regional, national and local scales. Illegal waste disposal also infringes on fundamental human rights that are associated with clean and safe living environments.
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Kahl, Alexandra Claire. "Flood Modeling and Community Engagement in Giles County, Virginia." Thesis, Virginia Tech, 2020. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/98755.
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Evaluating and educating communities on their flood risks is an integral part of adapting to climate change and more extreme precipitation patterns. Low-income communities are often the most affected by in-land floods. They are more likely to live in floodplains and have less socioeconomic mobility. This thesis takes a two-pronged approach to evaluating flood risk. First, a flood risk model that identifies areas of high runoff in Giles County, Virginia was developed. The model accounts for land cover, soil type and elevation. The soil retention layer and Digital Elevation Model (DEM) produced a cell by cell layer of runoff. Storm data was collected from the NEXRAD program and integrated into the runoff layer. Countywide maps of low, moderate and high risk were produced. Semi structured interviews were then conducted to gauge the usability of the maps within high risk areas. Interview feedback was transcribed and coded for analysis. Themes identified throughout the interviews, were used to make adjustments to the model and maps. This experience suggests that combining technical analysis and community engagement can create a more accurate depiction of flood risk that is meaningful to those most affected. This paper also suggests that evaluating riverine flooding based on the most severe, recent storm yields a more accurate and impactful tool than previous flood modeling methods. This work takes flood modeling a step farther by receiving community input and shows that models are only as useful as they are meaningful to the most impacted communities.Master of Urban and Regional Planning
Climate change models suggest that many communities will experience fewer precipitation events, but when precipitation events do occur they will be more intense and thus destructive. Communities can expect a higher risk of flooding, which is why it is important to plan proactively and understand where the most at-risk areas are. To help Giles County, VA understand its flood risk we created a tool that displays storm runoff. Elevation, soil type and vegetation were incorporated into the model. Storm data was integrated into the model and compared to annual precipitation levels. Countywide maps of low, moderate and high risk were produced. In order for the maps to have the maximum impact they need to be accessible to at risk populations. To gauge the accessibility of the maps to the community semi structured interviews were conducted within the high risk areas. Issues and opportunities identified through the interviews were used to make adjustments to the model and maps. The findings suggest that combining technical analysis and community engagement can create more accurate depictions of flood risks that are meaningful to those most affected. Future research efforts should include incorporating anticipated development schemes into the model and hosting more in depth community engagement activities. The importance of community engagement is highlighted in this research, as the interviews has a major impact on the outcome of the model.
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Graham, Rhemecka. "Participatory Asset Mapping and Community Development: The Case of Educational Leaders at John P. Parker Elementary." University of Cincinnati / OhioLINK, 2017. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1505124475776258.
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Paulsen, Adrian. "Mapping Urban Food Security in Delft: A Bottom Up Perspective." University of the Western Cape, 2019. http://hdl.handle.net/11394/7328.
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Doctor EducationisFood security is a complicated phenomenon that consists of the intersections of food and people, and the cultures that people create around food. In general, food security research is concerned with how people access food, how reliable that access is, how affordable that food is, and how culturally appropriate that food is. This analysis tends to ignore the complex relationships people have with food and who these people are. Through the mapping of the Delft food system by remote sensing, surveys and interviews I create a food atlas that consists of maps of the spatiality of food but also maps of feelings, anxieties, fears and resilience, all centred around the people of Delft. The results and discussions of this thesis shows that food security is far more complicated than initially thought and that there are multiple avenues of inquiry into the lives of people who are considered food insecure. My research shows that the people of Delft are food insecure but that this label cannot be applied too liberally as food insecurity has different meanings for various residents and it manifests in various ways. I explore this through the creation of three women who represent three different classes of women who live within Delft.
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Sawyer, Charles. "Meeting Future Electricity Needs in the East African Community : Mapping Renewable Energy Potential." Thesis, KTH, Hållbar utveckling, miljövetenskap och teknik, 2020. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-284462.
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The East African Community (EAC) is an intergovernmental organisation comprised of six countries, five of which are classed as having a low development level and one of which is classed as medium. The region has low rates of human development and electrical connectivity but is committed to meeting the universal access and clean energy goals of Sustainable Development Goal 7. This thesis seeks to explore the renewable energy potential of the EAC at a regional level. There is little study of the energy situation of the EAC as a specific region, contrasting this work to the majority of similar analyses that focus on the national or sub-Saharan level. The potential for solar PV and wind power in the EAC was examined through an analysis of existing energy systems, a simplified multi-criteria analysis through geographical information systems, and a comparison with similar work by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). The region was shown to have a small but growing electricity sector and a primary energy system dominated by traditional biomass. The mapping analysis identified large areas across all studied countries as potentially suitable for on- or off-grid renewable energy. It also highlighted issues with the results of IRENA’s work in its current form. Solar PV and wind energy potential across the EAC is shown to be high, with a low carbon electricity sector consequently a possibility for the region in the future.Den Östafrikanska Gemenskapen (EAC) är en mellanstatlig organisation av sex länder. Fem av de länderna har en låg utvecklingsnivå och en är klassificerad som medelnivå. Regionen har låg mänsklig utveckling och tillgång till elkraft men har bestämt att uppfylla globala målen 7: säkerställa tillgång till ekonomiskt överkomlig, tillförlitlig, hållbar och modern energi för alla. Denna uppsats utforskade potentialen för förnybar energi i den EAC på en regional nivå. Potentialen för solenergi och vindkraft i EAC undersöktes genom en analys av befintliga energisystem, en förenklad multikriterianalys genom geografiska informationssystem (GIS) och en jämförelse med liknande arbete från den International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). En liten men växande elsektor och ett primärt energisystem dominerat av traditionell biomassa identifierades i regionen. Kartläggningsanalysen identifierade stora områden i alla studerade länder som lämpliga för förnybar energi på, eller utanför, elnätet. Analysen fann också problem med resultaten från IRENAs arbete med Global Atlas of Renewable Energy projektet. Det finns god potential för sol- och vindkraft i EAC och möjligheten av ett lågkoldioxidenergisystem är diskuterade som en potential framtid för regionen.
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Eshareturi, Cyril. "Mapping the offender health pathway : challenges and opportunities for support through community nursing." Thesis, University of Wolverhampton, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/2436/614998.
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The current context of offender health in England and Wales indicates that offenders re-enter their communities with limited pre-release preparation for the continuity of access to healthcare and an increased risk of release with a health condition and very little support to cope in the community. This study was aimed at mapping the ex-offender health pathway towards identifying ‘touch points’ in the community for the delivery of a nurse led intervention. The study was a qualitative case study underpinned by ‘The Silences Framework’ which enabled it to gain theoretically by situating power with offenders, thus, aiding their ‘Silences’ to be heard, explored and brought to light. Participants meeting the study inclusion criteria were quantitatively ranked on the basis of poor health with those scoring the lowest and confirming their ranking through a confirmation of a health condition selected as cases and interviewed over the course of six months. These interview narratives were confirmed by interviewing individuals in the professional networks of offenders. The study identified the site of post-release supervision as the ‘touch point’ where a nurse led intervention could be delivered. With regards to the delivery of the health intervention, the study indicated that the nurse led intervention be provided as an advisory and signposting service structured on a drop-in and appointment basis. Furthermore, the study indicated that pre-release, offenders were not prepared in prison for the continuity in access to healthcare in the community on release. On-release, offenders’ on-release preparation did not enquire as a matter of procedure on whether offenders were registered with a GP or had the agency to register self with a GP practice in the community. Post release, the study uncovered a disparity between services which address the physical health needs of offenders and those which address their mental and substance misuse health needs.
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Amsden, Jacqueline Cynthia. "Youth as citizens, youth as workers : an action research approach to community mapping." Thesis, University of British Columbia, 2007. http://hdl.handle.net/2429/31623.
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Since its relatively recent inception with the rise of industrialism, youth has been
situated as a process of transitioning to labour market participation. Those that fail to
secure their roles as consumers/producers, and thus adulthood, are generally framed as
deviant, inadequate. The situation for youth is becoming increasingly 'risky' in the
current economic and social restructuring occurring under the name of globalization, in
which access to stable and adequate employment is now even more deeply stratified
according to social, economic, racial, and gendered memberships. One area in which the
'youth' deficit frame plays out is in the federal government's labour market training
programs for youth, such as Skills Link, an occupational and employment training
program funded by the Government of Canada to help youth with 'barriers' to
employment transition to stable and adequate employment.
The Environmental Youth Alliance (EYA), a Vancouver-based non-governmental
organization, offers a Skills Link program titled the Youth Community Asset Mapping
Initiative. In this program, youth learn about themselves and their local environment by
creating community maps of Vancouver.
In this study, I examine the experience of three youth as they map Vancouver
through an action research framework, ultimately asking 'What is the place of youth in
downtown Vancouver?' The question that I pose as I explore their project is 'How does
community mapping contribute to the development of youth citizenship?' In my
analysis, I draw from photos, maps, interviews, and focus group discussions to illustrate
the relational, representational, and reflective knowing they engaged in, as well as the
job-related skills they developed during the process of mapmaking, such as project management, communication, and teamwork. In doing so, I reveal the potential of
mapmaking to foster youth engagement in social, civil and political rights and
responsibilities which underpin modern notions of youth citizenship. However, this
analysis also reveals a tenuous, inconsistent sense of community and ability to access
resources (through gainful employment) that speak to economic pressures of
globalization mentioned earlier. Thus, ultimately demonstrating that whilst community
mapping holds the potential to engage 'marginalized' youth in citizenship roles, broader
priority shifts in governance—which place humanistic goals before economic ones—are
needed if we as a society are dedicated to the inclusion of all our young people.Education, Faculty of
Curriculum and Pedagogy (EDCP), Department of
Graduate
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Khumalo, Sydney Kuwali. "Mapping the landscape of sustainability in ICT4D : a systematic literature review." Diss., University of Pretoria, 2019. http://hdl.handle.net/2263/79258.
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The concept of sustainability in Information and Communication Technology for Development (ICT4D) has been largely associated with the sustainability of ICT4D projects. In other words, most ICT4D literature consider the “continuous operation of ICT4D projects” as the sustainability of ICT4D. This implies that the failure of these ICT4D projects threatens or compromises the existence of sustainability in ICT4D (Heeks, 2002). In this study we do not argue that this view is false; however, sustainability in ICT4D should be considered from a broader perspective, and should not be limited to the uninterrupted operational success of ICT4D projects.
Sustainability in ICT4D has proven a challenge to put into practice. This is as a result of a number of known and unknown elements that should be independently and sometimes collectively considered in the implementation of ICT4D, to enable sustainability and sustained benefit realisation. Therefore, this study undertakes a systematic literature review that aims to identify and understand aspects that could enable or disable sustainability in ICT4D within the context of developing communities. Furthermore, based on the analysis and findings from the systematic review of selected ICT4D articles, sourced from various academic journals and conference proceedings, the researcher proposes a framework that seeks to illustrate the building blocks of sustainability in ICT4D. The proposed framework emphasises critical elements that require consideration in ICT4D implementations, so as to enable the realisation of sustained socio-economic benefit for local livelihoods.Dissertation (MIT)--University of Pretoria, 2019.
Information Systems
MIT
Unrestricted
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Davis, Kierrynn Miriam Davis. "Cartographies of rural community nursing and primary health care : mapping the in-between spaces /." [Richmond, N.S.W.] : University of Western Sydney, Hawkesbury, 1998. http://library.uws.edu.au/adt-NUWS/public/adt-NUWS20030509.135659/index.html.
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Beyer, Kirsten M. M. "Exploratory spatial data analysis in community context: integrating geographic information science and community engagement for colorectal cancer prevention and control." Diss., University of Iowa, 2009. https://ir.uiowa.edu/etd/643.
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This research explores the ways in which communities can connect their experiential knowledge of space and place with observed spatial patterns of disease to increase our abilities to both understand underlying processes and implement effective interventions. We develop and test new methods for integrating observed patterns of disease with community knowledge, validate these methods through generation of new knowledge and hypotheses about processes that have produced cancer patterns, begin to translate this new knowledge into potential interventions, generate much needed recommendations for best practices in research that integrates Geographic Information Science (GISc) and community engagement, and generate new hypotheses for future research. Methods include the creation of continuous surface representation maps of cancer burdens and selected behaviors related to health risks, using adaptive spatial filtering, and a community-based project in which community members generate hypotheses regarding high rates of cancer in their community and explore and annotate cancer burden map layers in a GIS environment. We partner with community and public health practice partners in order to increase the likelihood of translation of research results into evidence-based intervention. Methods of spatial data analysis, community mapping and concept mapping are used.
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Morioka, Kate. "Who makes maps for whom? : identifying opportunities for community mapping using GIS in Samoa /." [St. Lucia, Qld.], 2005. http://www.library.uq.edu.au/pdfserve.php?image=thesisabs/absthe18746.pdf.
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Davis, Kierrynn, University of Western Sydney, Faculty of Social Inquiry, and School of Social Ecology. "Cartographies of rural community nursing and primary health care: mapping the in-between spaces." THESIS_FSI_SEL_Davis_K.xml, 1998. http://handle.uws.edu.au:8081/1959.7/470.
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This postmodern feminist ethnographies research aimed to explore the everyday meanings of primary health care (PHC) held by rural community nurses. Secondly, the research aimed to explore the everyday meanings of care held by the clients of the rural community nurses who participated in the study. The representation of this research is written in four voices which converse with each other to varying degrees in each chapter. This writing strategy is a deliberate one aimed at destabilising the usual approach to representation of research. It is also a strategy which seeks methodological coherence. The third aim therefore is to deliberately trouble the acceptable grounds concerning how nursing research is represented. The research utilised dialogical (conversational)and participant observation methods concerning the everyday meanings of nurses and their clients.The meanings I made of the information were created from a deconstruction of the texts. These texts included fieldnotes of participant observations and transcripts of conversations with nurses and their clients. The form of deconstruction utilised was informed from multiple sources and involved three levels of analysis. A realist interpretation was followed by an oppositional interpretation and then a reconstructive movement. The results revealed that rural community nurses practice is both spatio-temporally contextualised and metaphorically situated in an in-between space. This in-between space is situated between margin and the centre. Rural community nurses working on the margins traverse this space in order to overcome further marginalisation whilst working with Indigenous Australians and the aged. Moreover, the in-between space encompasses and creates opportunities to mutually exchange the gift of desire that being - empowering and compassionate relationships with clients and colleagues. Futhermore, whilst rural community nurses are strongly committed to the philosophy of PHC, their evryday working life is discursively constructed by powerful discourses which result in oppositional tensions. The tensions and the 'in-between' space allow the rhetoric of PHC to be resisted and reframed. Consequently, the oppositional constructs of their practice were displaced. Moreover, this necessitated the negotiation of space and place, and required the reconstruction of subjectivity, intersubjectivity and becomingDoctor of Philosophy (PhD)
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Chrysikos, Alexandros. "Mapping behavioural-related retention factors using a learning community lens : a mixed methods approach." Thesis, University of Huddersfield, 2016. http://eprints.hud.ac.uk/id/eprint/28704/.
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This study investigated the experiences of undergraduate learning communities in a UK Higher Education Institution and the causes that may lead to low retention rates amongst first year undergraduate computing students. Using learning communities as a lens, the authors examined students’ perception of teamwork experiences, academic and social integration issues, and knowledge and characteristics that might help students to be successful. Four research questions guided the current study: (1) How do first year undergraduate computing students perceive their university experience? (2) To what depth and breadth does learning community participation affect social and/or academic integration? (3) What are the identified barriers/limitations to improve retention? (4) What learning characteristics or knowledge do students maintain and how are they accomplished? The study applied a mixture of quantitative and qualitative research methods using a concurrent triangulation. Firstly, a quantitative data analysis was performed including first year undergraduate students from various departments of the examined UK Higher Education Institution. Tinto’s model of student retention connects to behavioural patterns. Behavioural patterns were therefore identified using data collected from students in order to map factors as predictors for low student retention. The data collection was driven by the information collected when students enrol at the university, as well as Pascarella and Terenzini’s questionnaire (integration scales). The data was analysed using the Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) technique which offers the opportunity to test various theoretical models, such as Tinto’s, through understanding of how sets of variables characterise constructs, and in what ways these constructs are associated to one another. The quantitative data analysis results suggested that the theory of Tinto proved to be beneficial in analysing retention in first year undergraduate students. Not at its maximum potential, though, because the model variables accounted for only a modest amount of variance in retention. Nevertheless, the data analysis discovered important relationships amongst student’s initial and later academic goals and commitments. In particular, the results revealed that academic and social integration constructs can have a significant influence on student retention processes. It is recommended that when all or some of these relationships are operating towards students’ benefit, it may be necessary to promote them with appropriate services or programmes, such as student support systems. Secondly, after the quantitative approach was applied to the aforementioned large-scale comparative study within the institution, a qualitative approach was used to further explore student needs. Specifically, during the quantitative phase data from all first year students of the institution studied was collected in order to offer the opportunity for a comparison amongst students from different course divisions, and investigate any major similarities and/or differences regarding factors affecting retention. As this phase identified similar factors amongst all students, the qualitative phase was employed in order to narrow down the research focus. Therefore, the qualitative approach offered the opportunity for a thorough exploration of the first year computing students’ reasons for dropping out of university through the use of the ‘unfolding matrix’. The matrix was completed during group interviews, in which students were invited, and had the opportunity to read and comment on previous students’ experiences. The findings of the qualitative data analysis offered further insights, which were then mixed with the quantitative results and interpreted as one. The final results, which were an interpretation of both quantitative and qualitative findings, revealed that learning communities critically affect students’ academic and social integration. Specifically, the importance of student support and guidance from academic staff were considered important factors which could enhance students’ motivation to continue their education. Their relationships with fellow students and academic staff were reported as vital elements in order to become academically and socially integrated. In addition, developing a sense of personal awareness and the need to develop an effective academic skill-set in order to succeed was identified as critical.
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Guillemette, Steve. "Arctic plant community-soil associations mapping using SPOT imagery, Truelove Lowland, Devon Island, Northwest Territories." Thesis, National Library of Canada = Bibliothèque nationale du Canada, 1998. http://www.collectionscanada.ca/obj/s4/f2/dsk2/tape15/PQDD_0005/MQ32482.pdf.
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Davies, Jaime Selina. "Mapping deep-sea features in UK waters for use in marine protected area network design." Thesis, University of Plymouth, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/10026.1/1200.
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With an increase in demand on deep-sea resources comes a need for appropriate and effective management of this ecosystem. The establishment of a representative network of deep-sea Marine Protected Areas offers one tool with which to address the conservation needs of the deep sea. While a number of deep-sea habitats have been identified as vulnerable to anthropogenic activities (e.g. cold-water coral reefs and sponge aggregations), poor knowledge of the distribution of these habitats hinders conservation efforts and network planning, and thus we need habitat maps. With improvements in acoustic data resolution acquired from the deep sea, and the ability to cover large areas rapidly, the use of acoustic techniques in mapping biological habitats is growing. Multibeam bathymetry and its derived terrain variables can potentially provide important information that can aid in the delineation and characterisation of biological communities. A necessary prelude to mapping is therefore the definition of biological assemblages for use as mapping units. Two megahabitat features (seamount and submarine canyons) were sampled using acoustic and ground-truthing to characterise and map the distribution of benthic assemblages. Species were identified as distinct morpho-types and catalogued, and still images quantitatively analysed. Standard multivariate community analysis was undertaken to define distinct faunal assemblage that may act as mapping units. Those clusters identified by the SIMPROF routine were taken against a set of criteria to reject/accept as robust assemblages that may be used as mapping units. Twenty two benthic assemblages or biotopes were defined from multivariate analysis of quantitative species data, 11 from the SW Approaches and 11 from Anton Dohrn Seamount, and a further one from video observations (SW Approaches). Taken against current definitions, 11 of these were considered as Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems (VME). Diversity was measured to compliment the comprehensive description of biotopes. The use of multivariate diversity indices proved better for comparing diversity of biotopes as it captures a more than one aspect of diversity of the community. Two biotopes were common to both megahabitat features, cold-water coral reef habitats, and those from Anton Dohrn Seamount were more diverse than from the SW Approaches. Modelling techniques were employed to test the relationship between biotopes and environmental and geophysical parameters, which may be used as surrogates to map VME. Generalised Additive Models of Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems revealed multibeam bathymetry and its derived parameters to be significant surrogate for mapping the distribution of some assemblages, particularly those that appear to be influenced by current regime; whilst not so well for those whose distribution is not so strongly current driven e.g. soft sediment communities. In terms of deep-sea mapping, the use of multibeam can prove a useful mapping tool if the resolution of the data is at an appropriate scale that will identify meso-scale geomorphological features, such as cliff-top mounds, that may act as proxies for occurrence of biotopes, but this relationship is still unclear. Surrogates were used to map VME across the seamount and submarine canyons, and full coverage maps were produced for all biotopes occurring on these megahabitat features.
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Green, Kirsty. "Making an atlas of an urban farm : Community mapping as a pedagogical tool in urban environments." Thesis, Linköpings universitet, Institutionen för beteendevetenskap och lärande, 2018. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:liu:diva-149810.
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Outdoor education in the UK has been growing in popularity and with it a further understanding of its benefits. Research shows that many young people still don’t access natural environments and many educators still struggle with how to provide them. This is particularly prevalent in urban environments where spatial inequality has been linked to a decline in health, well-being and personal development. Community mapping involves a community coming together to create a map of their locality and share local knowledge. This can take many forms. Sometimes it might be a traditional cartographic map while other times it may be stories, sculptures or poems. In this research I explore how community mapping can be used as a pedagogical tool, looking particularly at how it can help educators approach outdoor education in an urban environment. I take a teacher action research approach, inspired by previous art-based approaches to educational inquiry. Through doing a community mapping project with two groups of 8 to 10 year olds on an urban farm in central London I share the visable and often invisible components of our pedagogies, including children’s voices and work as well as the voice of myself and another educators, reflecting on the realities of outdoor education in an urban environment. I discover the cross curricular possibilities that such a project brings, the spaces it opens up for us to learn from children’s voices and the many ways in which community mapping can be used to address aims and goals of the UK primary curriculum. Community mapping can help educators overcome a lack of confidence in how to approach outdoor learning. The child-led nature of projects can allow children and educators to work together to co-create their understanding of the locality, noticing the small details they hadn’t seen before. It can provide a space for educators to learn more about how the young people they work with see the world around them while also providing authentic experiences that can be utilized in wider classroom learning. This research allows other educators to take away what resonates with them, with their experiences and pedagogies, and use these new understandings to enhance their own educational practices in their own settings.
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McGinley, Brendan. "Policing and community safety partnerships and the potential use of crime mapping tools within Northern Ireland." Thesis, Ulster University, 2016. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.701060.
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Policing and Community Safety Partnerships (PCSPs) were established in Northern Ireland (NI) in April 2012 and aim to make communities safer. Making communities safer should be carried out through four different functions: community consultation, identification and prioritisation of local issues, performance monitoring and delivering crime reduction. Each of the 26 local government districts within Northern Ireland (NI) has its own PCSP, which holds internal and public meetings throughout each year based on prevalent local issues. PCSPs have used various techniques to try and engage with local people, to collaboratively create and develop local solutions to local problems. One of these techniques has involved the development of a new and unique tool which gathers data from a range of local agencies, such as local young offending, housing, education and health authorities, as well as crime data, and presents the information by taking advantage of their common denominator: geography. Due to PCSPs being a relatively recent community safety development in Northern Ireland at the time this study took place, there was a lack of literature available regarding the operation of those partnerships. Indeed, this was the first academic research undertaken to explore their operation and, to some degree, assess their performance based on feedback from their local communities as well as their own partnership members. Furthermore, the fusion of community safety and crime mapping has previously gone unexamined in Northern Ireland; most available research is almost entirely focused on how law enforcement agencies use crime mapping internally. The potential for communities to use crime mapping to help improve community safety processes has not yet been sufficiently explored, a gap in knowledge this research aims to fill. This study utilised a qualitative, case study approach to examine how five council areas in NI carry out community safety. The exploratory sequential design called for three phases to be carried out in order to fulfil research aims and objectives. Phase 1 involved making first contact with PCSP Managers throughout Northern Ireland which determined the areas chosen as case studies and all other pre-fieldwork, desk-based research. As a result, five out of twenty-six council areas and their respective PCSPs were used as case studies to explore and examine the potential use of crime mapping therein. Phase 2 of the research included carrying out interviews to obtain in-depth information from people who worked within the policing and community safety fields. This phase was used to draw out the formal views of organisations with regard to community safety initiatives. This process aimed to reveal 'what should be happening' and gave an idea of how local community members were supposed to experience community safety. This phase uncovered most of the new knowledge regarding the operation of PCSPs in Northern Ireland. The 'official' view of the role of PCSPs and the reasons why they used, occasionally used or did not use crime mapping were sought during this process. PSNI Area Commanders and PCSP Managers for each of the five areas were interviewed face-to-face, as well as other partnership members. During Phase 3, focus groups were carried out with residents living within each case study area. The schedule of the focus groups was developed using the findings from Phase 2. Phase 3 uncovered the feelings and attitudes of residents regarding their local PCSP, policing team and crime mapping tools currently in use in Northern Ireland. This phase allowed the researcher to contrast the delivery of initiatives community safety workers reported to perform during Phase 2 with how residents actually experienced those initiatives. While there is a national crime map available online (www.Police.UK)' not all PCSPs make use of it. A mapping tool, dubbed 'information hub', developed by the Newry and Mourne case (available at www.NMDMP.com) is used exclusively within that area and the extent of crime mapping usage in this area makes up the majority of usage in Northern Ireland. This research examined the use of this tool and potential use of similar tools in other council areas within Northern Ireland. This thesis contains a vast amount of new information relating to the operation of PCSPs, including a number of issues that may have prevented partnerships from fulfilling their potential, reported by not just residents, but members within those partnerships. This study found that for PCSPs, both internal (closed partnership meetings) and external (public meetings) processes could potentially benefit from using crime mapping tools such as the Police.UK map or an information hub, such as that developed for the Newry and Mourne council area. Internally, using mapping tools have the potential of streamlining processes involved in improving community safety carried out by PCSPs within Northern Ireland. Externally, residents reported, to the contrary of speculation by many PCSP members, they would prefer to see the Police.UK crime map incorporated into public PCSP meetings.
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Chastan, Mariah M. "Mapping electronic resources to identify regional stakeholders for the Master of Science Degree in Applied Psychology." Menomonie, WI : University of Wisconsin--Stout, 2005. http://www.uwstout.edu/lib/thesis/2005/2005chastanm.pdf.
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Crowell, Cheryl D. "Asset Mapping as a Tool in Economic Development and Community Revitalization: A Case Study of New Richmond, Ohio." Cincinnati, Ohio : University of Cincinnati, 2008. http://www.ohiolink.edu/etd/view.cgi?acc_num=ucin1204916625.
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Thesis (Master of Community Planning)--University of Cincinnati, 2008.Advisor: Mahyar Arefi Ph.D. Title from electronic thesis title page (viewed May 12, 2008). Includes abstract. Keywords: asset mapping; community revitalization; economic development; capacity building; community development; human capital; social capital; physical capital; environmental capital; asset based community building; asset-based. Includes bibliographical references.
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Davidson, Brett Russell. "Mapping the Radio KC community : a case study assessing the impact of participatory research methods in assisting community radio producers to identify programming content." Thesis, Rhodes University, 2004. http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003716.
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This thesis deals with the introduction of participatory research methods to programming staff working at Radio KC, a South African community radio station based in Paarl, in the Western Cape province. The focus is on a series of workshops conducted at the station, dealing with research tools developed to enable station workers to undertake research of their community. The aim was to determine, by means ofa case study, whether the introduction of participatory research methods could improve the ability of community broadcasters to facilitate democratic participation among the communities in which they operate. More particularly, the thesis assesses whether the application of such methods has improved the ability of the programming staff that were involved in this case study to identify a wider range of stories and voices within their target community, for inclusion in programming content. The participatory research techniques that are applied at the radio station are based on ideas in 'civic mapping' developed by Harwood and McCrehan (1996) under the auspices of The Pew Center for Civic Journalism, and supplemented by insights from Friedland (2001) and Downs and Stea (1977) about the cognitive, normative and imagined dimensions of community. All of the ideas and techniques were adapted for the South African situation. The findings of the research project illustrate that for community stations, the key concepts of 'community' and 'participation' are highly complex ones and that stations need assistance to apply these concepts in their everyday practice. The account of the intervention at Radio KC shows that the process did indeed assist the individual research participants to better deal with the application of these concepts. It did not, however, make much impact on the station as a whole. Reasons for this are believed to lie in the organisational dynamics of the station, and the fact that the model as applied in this case did not provide a means for tackling the agendas, investments and power relations that define the activities of individuals at a given community radio station - what Hochheimer (1993) talks about as the entrenchment of power and personalities. In order to address these shortcomings, an attempt is made to develop a model for future application, which places the mapping process within the context of a broader strategic planning process, focussed on a station's programming schedule.
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Moreno-Baez, Marcia. "Mapping Human Dimensions of Small-scale Fisheries in the Northern Gulf of California, Mexico." Diss., The University of Arizona, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/194118.
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Recurrent crises due to overexploitation of fishery resources have been among the biggest natural resource management failures of the 20th century. This problem has both biological and socio-political elements and understanding of human dimensions represents a key step toward the formulation of sound management guidelines for natural resources. One of the strategies proposed to understand human dimensions is through the use of local knowledge. Integrating local peoples' knowledge with scientific research and data analysis, could aid in the design of fisheries management strategies in a cost-effective and participatory way.I introduce an approach to incorporating fishers' local knowledge at a large, regional scale. I focused on the spatial and temporal distribution of fishing activities from 17 communities in the Northern Gulf of California, Mexico. Participatory mapping (maps produced by local fishers) through a rapid appraisal (survey methodology) were used to identify the spatial and temporal dimensions of fishing activities. A geographic information system was used to generate 764 map layers used for a preliminary analysis of rapid-appraisal spatial data. Post-survey workshops with fishers were organized to facilitate an internal validation of spatial information using geographic information system software. We characterized the information based on fishing communities, fishing methods, target species and spawning sites. We also applied spatial analysis techniques to understand the relative importance and use of fishing grounds, fishing seasons and the influence that fishing communities have over the region. This dissertation addressed the problem of integrating the human dimensions of small-scale fisheries using geospatial tools and local knowledge (LK) - data collection, integration, internal validation, analysis and access - into a multidisciplinary research to support decision making in natural resource planning for small-scale fisheries management and conservation in the Northern Gulf of California, Mexico.
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Cooper, Ryan M. "RE-PLACING SPRAWL: MAPPING PLACE IN AN AMERICAN SUBURB." UKnowledge, 2013. http://uknowledge.uky.edu/geography_etds/6.
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In the post-World War II era land development in the United States has largely been focused on the expansion away from urban centers and out into the surrounding suburbs. While the development of suburbs began with utopian ideals of spiritual wholeness, their actual manifestation on the American landscape has been subject to harsh critiques about their long-term economic and environmental feasibility, fostering of social alienation, and general placelessness. In this thesis I address the criticism of suburbs as placeless, asking ―What are the particular practices of place-making in North American suburbs?‖ Examining interviews, cognitive map surveys, participant observation, archival materials, and geoweb activity through lenses of imageability and anticipatory action I seek to better understand how the residents of an Indianapolis suburb narrate, structure, and produce a sense of place in their own community. In doing so I argue that that suburbs force an understanding of place as both experiential and social that is beyond mere aesthetics.
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au, skrempl@iinet net, and Sandra Krempl. "Reviving Spirit in Corporate systems." Murdoch University, 2006. http://wwwlib.murdoch.edu.au/adt/browse/view/adt-MU20071126.110753.
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The underlying context of this work is the mismatch between the systems that we need to comply with and what our spirit and intuition wants and needs. The thesis questions the relevance of spiritless corporate systems set up to serve the best interest of human beings and other living things. Corporate systems have been established to comply with governing laws, to facilitate transaction of money and provide financial accountability to stakeholders and clients spiritless matters. Corporate systems are ill equipped to protect our emotional and spiritual boundaries, our tangible and intangible links to the past and to the future. Spirit, which is the essence of life, is often not understood, discussed or included in the planning, development and implementation of the very systems that govern and impact on our lives and our communities. If spirit is included it is often well intended but rhetorical. Spirit needs to be revived and provided time, place and purpose, not only in our broader lives but also in our work cultures. Without spirit, facts have no meaning or relevance to life.
This thesis searches for solutions to fill this spiritual gap in corporate systems, drawing on the experiences and lessons gained through engaging with communities and corporate systems in Australian and international contexts. The search covers a study of oral tradition(spirit),the impact of the lack of credibility afforded to oral tradition, developing and trialling common-ground terminology and frameworks befitting both corporate and spiritual systems across different industry sectors, the isolation of arts and culture from other sectors, the role of community development arts practices, and aspects of social science and urban development theories.
The research traces the development and implementation of a cultural planning program for Western Australia through policy development at State government level and then framework development undertaken through Community Arts Network WA. The development of this cultural planning program draws on the contribution of diverse industry sector partners and this thesis research explains how their perspectives can contribute to the revival of spirit in corporate systems. The partnerships involved are business planning, town planning, community psychology, vocation, education and training, and sustainability.
Having contributed to the development of the broader frameworks for the implementation of cultural planning across the State and beyond, this research delves further into addressing the issue of reviving spirit in corporate systems through refining the First (spirit) and Third Person (corporate) approach to cultural planning. This method is based on a key Spirit Catalyst called The First and Third Person Systems. This key Spirit Catalyst provides a guide for balance between spirit and corporate systems. There are a total of seven secondary Spirit Catalysts cited. Comparisons and contrasts between First and Third Person cultural planning process and strategic planning are provided. Principles and protocols and tools for evaluating spirit have been developed as part of the process. In keeping with the first person nature of spirit, personal narrative is used wherever possible to give life and meaning to facts and other planning and management processes.
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Hadi, Ahsanuzzaman. "Requirements Engineering for an Online Asset Mapping Tool for Disaster Preparedness." Thesis, Université d'Ottawa / University of Ottawa, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/10393/35724.
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With increasing incidence of severe disasters, global policies and frameworks have been shifting towards an emphasis on collaboration and community resilience. The greater use of information systems to assist with disasters has prompted a need to examine how technology can support collaboration and resilience. Hence, this thesis aims to identify a set of requirements for a collaborative online asset mapping tool through a requirement engineering process. A multiple case study design was used with the objective of answering: (1) what are the functional, non-functional, and general system requirements of an online asset mapping tool for disaster preparedness; (2) is a standard “off-the-shelf” asset-mapping application feasible for community development and adaptive capacity building for disaster management; and (3) what are the potential designs that can address the requirements?
The specific cases examined were The Region of Waterloo, Ontario and Truro, Nova Scotia. The data from the cases was used to perform qualitative content analysis combined with activity diagrams, to determine and analyze the requirements for an online asset mapping tool to aid in disaster preparedness. The findings of the research included shared requirements between the two communities that encompassed: system purpose, system functionalities, user characteristics, and system requirements. Furthermore, prototype user interface (UI) wireframes were developed using the requirements results to show a potential design of an online asset mapping application. This thesis research addressed the need to design a tool that facilitates all aspects of the asset mapping process. Ultimately, this research builds the foundation to which future research can examine the requirements to design and develop a citizen-oriented tool to enhance community disaster resilience.
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Wisneski, Kristin Dominique. "Reconnecting Youth with Community and Environment: Keys to Civic Engagement Education Program Success." Thesis, The University of Arizona, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/228612.
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In an increasingly complex world, there is a need for youth to address scientific issues both locally and globally. While interest and proficiency in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) decline, diverse methods to successfully engage, educate, and empower youth based on informal, learner-centric approaches are being tested. The factors potentially contributing to the success of a technology-supported civic engagement program were documented for 20 after school programs using qualitative methods. Using content analysis, the data was coded and tabulated and key variables were constructed. Univariate regression analysis revealed that four out of seventeen potential predictor variables proved to have a significant relationship with program success. The final multivariate regression model for predicting program success included youth-drivenness and total events (R-squared =0.58, p-value=0.0006), suggesting that encouraging participant ownership of the learning process is important to community and environmental problem awareness and the pursuit of solutions through STEM skills.
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Widjanarko, Putut. "Mapping Notions of Cyberspace: Optimism, Skepticism, and the Issues of Identity and Spirituality." Ohio : Ohio University, 2005. http://www.ohiolink.edu/etd/view.cgi?ohiou1126906520.
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Sparrow, Vanessa. "Telling stories about places for sustainability : a case study of the Islands in the Salish Sea Community Mapping Project." Thesis, University of British Columbia, 2006. http://hdl.handle.net/2429/32401.
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This thesis is about the ways in which people tell stories about places and the importance of
those stories to a community's capacity for adaptation and sustainability. I argue that the
traditional discourse of sustainability is embedded within a rationalist, techno-scientific
paradigm that precludes the inclusion of subjective, contextualised knowledge. If genuine
sustainability is predicated on social and environmental justice, as I argue it is, then it
requires an inclusive, ethical framework that can value beliefs, imagination, desires,
experiences and relationships. The concept of place, seen as an articulation of the dynamic
relationships between the material, cultural and experiential, offers a powerful basis upon
which to develop such an approach. Drawing on the theoretical relationship between
narrative and place, my aim is to investigate the potential of artistic community mapping to
offer an engaging, inclusive form of story-telling and place-making for sustainability.
I do this by presenting a case study of the Islands in the Salish Sea Community Mapping
Project, which took place in the Gulf Islands of British Columbia's Strait of Georgia between
1999 and 2004. This project worked with local artists and coordinators on 17 of the most
populated islands to engage local communities in identifying and documenting via handcrafted
maps what they valued about their home places. How this was achieved, the
successes, limitations and further possibilities of this way of working with communities to
tell stories about their places, are the concerns of this research.
By reviewing the theoretical foundations of this project, together with undertaking interviews
with coordinators, artists and other participants, it is my aim to present not a comprehensive
evaluation, but a detailed case study of how concepts of community story-telling and placemaking
can be realised "on the ground" and effectively used to help us in the work of
sustainability.
Specifically, my objectives were: to review the literature pertaining to the question of
whether place-based narratives, such as artistic community mapping, can help in the work of
sustainability; and to investigate the Islands in the Salish Sea Community Mapping Project as
a case study of how such work might be possible.Arts, Faculty of
Geography, Department of
Graduate
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Cumming, Kristen A. "The Relationship between Near Shore Hardbottom Exposure and Benthic Community Composition and Distribution in Palm Beach County, FL." NSUWorks, 2017. http://nsuworks.nova.edu/occ_stuetd/439.
Full textAbstract:
Anthropogenic changes to the landscape, storm events and sea level rise are contributing to the erosion of beaches leading to an increase of the sediment load in near shore marine environments. Palm Beach, Florida is host to unique near shore hardbottom habitats. These areas are distinct from the vast expanses of surrounding sediments and play and important role of habitat and shelter for many different species. In this study, remotely sensed images from 2000-2015 were used to look at the movement of sediment and how it contributes to exposure rates of near shore hardbottom habitats in Palm Beach, Florida and how these factors affect the benthic community.
GIS was used to determine areas of hardbottom with high exposure (exposed in >60% of aerial images), medium exposure (40-60%), and low exposure (
I strived to determine if one can detect a successional relationship of benthic communities in a dynamic environment with annual mapping. I also examined if areas with higher exposure rates have more complex successive communities than those with lower exposure rates, and what implications this has on near shore benthic communities. In situ surveys conducted at 117 sites determined the community structure (corals, octocorals, macroalgae, and hydroids).
This study confirmed that periodic mapping was successful in identifying hardbottom burial and exposure, which fluctuate both spatially and temporally. This periodic mapping along with manual delineation did identify hardbottom burials and exposures that fluctuate between years and relate to benthic community differences. The near shore hardbottom coral reef communities aligned with the observed exposure categories with the greater coral species richness and octocoral morphologies found at sites classified as highly exposed. Statistical analyses showed differences in communities shallower and deeper than three meters’ depth. Increasing the frequency of imagery captures and in situ observation would further increase our comprehension of the metrics of hardbottom exposures in reference to community structure.
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Meit, Michael, Kate E. Beatty, Megan Heffernan, Paula Masters, Deborah Slawson, Ginny Kidwell, James Fey, and Alyssa Lovelace. "Documenting and Mapping Health Disparities in Central Appalachia: Obesity and Chronic Disease Mortality." Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University, 2016. https://dc.etsu.edu/etsu-works/6846.
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Research Objective: On behalf of the Appalachian Funders Network, with funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, East Tennessee State University and NORC at the University of Chicago documented the current burden of obesity, diabetes, and chronic disease mortality in central Appalachia. An analysis of county-level data was conducted in order to provide a comprehensive picture of the health condition of the region. Contributing factors, such as physical inactivity and food environment, were also investigated to determine how the built environment impacts obesity.
Study Design: Several secondary data sources were utilized, including the County Health Rankings, CDC Diabetes Interactive Atlas, USDA Food Environment Atlas, and mortality data from the CDC National Center for Health Statistics, National Vital Statistics System. Variables analyzed included: adult obesity prevalence, adult diabetes prevalence, food insecurity, access to exercise opportunities, physical inactivity, and premature chronic disease mortality. The mortality analyses focused on four of the leading causes of death: heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and chronic lower respiratory disease, for persons age 25 to 64 from 2009 to 2013. When available, county-level estimates were used to create maps of the region, documenting the disparities compared to the rest of the nation.
Population Studied: Health disparities were documented within the counties of central Appalachia, consisting of parts of Kentucky, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia.
Principal Findings: More than two-thirds (68.6%) of the 234 counties in central Appalachia have an adult obesity prevalence above the national median of 30.9% (defined as BMI over 30). Over 85% of the counties in central Appalachia have a percentage of physically inactive adults higher than the national median of 26.4% (defined as not participating in physical activity or exercise in the past 30 days).
When analyzing the combined chronic disease mortality for heart disease, stroke, diabetes and chronic lower respiratory disease, the combined national mortality rate is 93.0 deaths per 100,000 population. Nearly 90% of central Appalachian counties have a higher combined morality rate, and the state mortality rate for the Appalachian region of all six states is higher than the national rate. The disparity is more pronounced in rural communities, as the rural counties of central Appalachia have a higher mortality rate than urban counties within central Appalachia and rural counties across the United States. The combined mortality rate for these four diseases is 74% higher in rural central Appalachia than urban counties nationally.
Conclusions: Compared to the rest of the country, people in central Appalachia are more likely to experience and prematurely die from obesity-related chronic disease, including diabetes and heart disease. Residents of rural central Appalachia face even more significant disparities as compared to urban residents within the region and nationally.
Implications for Policy or Practice: Obesity and chronic disease in central Appalachia are significant public health concerns that must be addressed in order to improve the health of the region.
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Weisgerber, Elizabeth Kay. "Classifying and mapping diversity in a species-poor system: the mangrove meta-community of Laguna Chacahua National Park, Oaxaca, Mexico." DigitalCommons@CalPoly, 2011. https://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/theses/622.
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ABSTRACT
Classifying and Mapping Diversity in a Species-Poor System: the mangrove meta-community of Laguna Chacahua National Park, Oaxaca, Mexico
by
Elizabeth Kay Weisgerber
Both field transects and imagery grid plots were analyzed with the goal of creating a community classification map for the mangrove forest of Parque Nacional Lagunas de Chacahua. In total, data was collected in 49 sites throughout the park, recording measures such as DBH, basal area, estimated dominance, frequency, cover and relative dominance. Field locations were marked and georeferenced with a GPS and grid plots overlaid on satellite imagery of the park were generated via a random number table. Species' attributes delineating the identifiable features for each dominant species within Chacahua were noted and used to recognize patterns in species assemblages.
Fourteen distinct ‘sub-communities’ within the mangrove meta-community were recognized using this data and verified with 165 field photos. Relative dominance values were compared between field and grid data. These data revealed a similar pattern with Rhizophora mangle being most dominant under each method. Avicennia germinans was second in relative dominance, Laguncularia racemosa a close third while Conocarpus erectus was rarely found, most likely due to over-harvesting.
Rapid degradation of mangrove forests is occurring on a global scale. Understanding the complex dynamics that occur within the mangrove meta-community is essential to its conservation. Vegetation maps are essential tool in monitoring changes throughout the mangrove but are rarely of sufficient detail for everyday use. Generating highly detailed vegetation maps in a cost-effective and timely manner is an important step for their conservation, particularly in developing countries. This study demonstrates methods and techniques for producing a vegetation map that portrays the level of complexity that exists within the species-poor mangrove environment. This map will be donated to the management team of Parque Nacional Lagunas de Chacahua to better aid in management.
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Mesa, Christian Requena. "The ecosystem services of the Cerrado trees : modelling, distribution mapping and implications for conservation." reponame:Biblioteca Digital de Teses e Dissertações da UFRGS, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/10183/170195.
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O interesse em valorizar os serviços ecossistêmicos fornecidos pela vegetação natural aumentou em um esforço para mitigar os efeitos da mudança do uso da terra. Nesta linha de pensamento, desenvolvemos um índice para valorar as comunidades de árvores - do ponto de vista antropocêntrico - da savana brasileira (Cerrado). O índice e a cartografia produzida servirão como ferramenta para a priorização da conservação, bem como para revelar como a colonização e a expansão da agricultura tem ocorrido. Para desenvolver o índice, foram produzidas novas camadas ambientais com resolução de 90m; A distribuição das 93 espécies mais comuns foi modelada; e a cartografia da distribuição de cada uso humano das árvores (alimentos, aromáticos, fibras, cosméticos, cortiça, etc., totalizando 20 usos) e um índice de valor total fo desenvolvido. O novo índice de valor, nomenado a Soma de Usos (SoU, Sum of Uses), representa o número esperado de usos para a montagem de espécies potenciais que poderia estar ocorrendo no lugar em condições ideais. O impacto da agricultura foi avaliado pela contabilização da área que foi convertida em lavouras. Nossos resultados indicam fortemente que a colonização humana e a expansão de terras cultivadas eliminaram as árvores de áreas que antes eram melhores prestadores de serviços ambientais. Por outro lado, observamos também que as áreas protegidas no Cerrado estão localizadas onde esperamos encontrar valor marginal para as espécies ótimas. Esses resultados nos levam a pensar que a estratégia de conservação pode estar longe de ser ideal para o maior remanescente arável do mundo.The interest in valuing the ecosystem services provided by the natural vegetation has increased in an effort to mitigate the effects of land use change. In this line of thinking, we developed an index to value the tree communities -from an anthropocentric point of view- of the Brazilian savannah (Cerrado). The index and the cartography produced will serve as a tool for prioritization of conservation, has well as to unveil how colonization and agriculture expansion has taken place. In order to develop the index: new environmental layers at 90m resolution were produced; the most common 93 species’ distribution was modelled; and cartography for each use humans derive from the trees (food, aromatic, fiber, cosmetic, cork, etc., totaling 20 uses) and a total value index were developed. The new index of value, namely the Sum of Uses (SoU), represent the expected number of uses for the potential species assemblage that could be taking place under optimal conditions. The impact of agriculture was assessed by accounting for the area that has been converted to croplands. Our results strongly indicate that human settlement and cropland expansion have cleared the trees of areas that once were better than average ecosystem service providers. On the other hand, we also observe that protected areas in the Cerrado are located where we expect to find marginal value for the optimal communities. These results lead us to think that the conservation strategy might be far from optimal for the largest remaining arable patch in the world.
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Atkinson, Lisa. "Community networks: identifying social capital in Emerado, North Dakota." Thesis, Kansas State University, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/2097/17605.
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Master of ScienceDepartment of Landscape Architecture, Regional and Community Planning
Stephanie Rolley
The City of Emerado, North Dakota, population 414, located in northeast North Dakota is the subject of a Social Network Analysis (SNA), conducted prior to it being the subject of a University of North Dakota Center for Community Engagement, Community Connect Forum. The SNA was developed based on the results of 25 interviews conducted with local residents, elected officials and business owners, using snowball sampling and following grounded theory methods. The interview results were coded and memos were written to aid in the analysis. Social Network data was entered into the Sentinel Visualizer software (FMS Advanced Systems Group) to develop a visual image of the network, including nodes (people, organizations or businesses) and links to illustrate the relationships between nodes. The SNA helps to frame the relationships in terms of bridging and bonding social capital. The SNA provides the ability to mathematically determine the most important nodes to the community social network, using calculations to determine levels of degree centrality, betweenness centrality, closeness centrality, Eigenvalue, and network density. After calculating these elements, categorical descriptions of the top ten individuals for each category are provided. The networks of five individuals are reviewed in depth to aid in comprehending the process of incrementally expanding networks.
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Korswagen, Eguren Stefanie. "Spatial analysis of vicugna’s habitat in a Peasant Community in Nor Yauyos Cochas Landscape Reserve." Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú. Centro de Investigación en Geografía Aplicada, 2016. http://repositorio.pucp.edu.pe/index/handle/123456789/119903.
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In Peru, research and practices that contribute to Andean natural resources’ sustainable management are needed. The Nor Yauyos Cochas Landscape Reserve is home to a wild vicugna population, which can be viewed as a key resource for conservation and sustainable development. However, some activities of Tanta Peasant Community impact negatively on vicugna’s habitat. The research aimed to determine spatial relations and impacts of Tanta’s activities on vicugna’s habitat and distribution over communal territory.A participatory mapping workshop was applied to determine vicugna’s actual distribution and local activities that could influence vicugna’s habitat. The species’ potential habitat was estimated with a species distribution model named Maxent. Spatial relations between vicugna’s actual distribution, its potential habitat and communal activities were analysed. Results indicate that potential habitat is determined by environmental conditions, while human presence and domestic livestock determine vicugna’s actual distribution. Based on the research process, recommendations relating vicugna’s sustainable management in the study area are given.The results are valuable to local community and conservation agents. Main contributions consist in generating a space for exchanging knowledge during the workshop, as well as the integration of analysis methods in physical and human geography.En el Perú son necesarias investigación y prácticas que contribuyan al manejo sostenible de los recursos alto-andinos. La Reserva Paisajística Nor Yauyos Cochas alberga una población silvestre de vicuñas, que pueden ser clave para la conservación y desarrollo sostenible. Sin embargo, en la Comunidad Campesina de Tanta algunas actividades impactan negativamente en el hábitat de la vicuña. La investigación buscó determinar las relaciones espaciales e impactos de las actividades de la Comunidad Campesina de Tanta sobre el hábitat y la distribución de la vicuña en el territorio comunal. Mediante un taller de mapeo participativo se determinaron la distribución actual de las vicuñas y las actividades comunales que pueden influir sobre su hábitat. El hábitat potencial de la especie se estimó con el modelo de distribución de especies Maxent. Se analizaron las relaciones espaciales entre la distribución actual de la vicuña, su hábitat potencial y las actividades comunales. Los resultados indican que el hábitat potencial está determinado por condiciones ambientales, mientras que la distribución actual está determinada por la presencia humana y del ganado doméstico. En base al proceso de investigación se incluyen recomendaciones en relación al manejo sostenible de la vicuña en el área de estudio. Los resultados son de interés para la comunidad local y agentes de conservación. Aportes principales consisten en la generación de un espacio de intercambio de conocimientos en el taller, así como la integración de métodos de análisis en geografía física y humana.
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Olofsson, Simon. "$GME To The Moon : Mapping Memetic Discourse as Discursive Strategyin Reddit Trading Community r/WallStreetBets during the GameStop Short Squeeze Saga." Thesis, Stockholms universitet, JMK, 2021. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:su:diva-196319.
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As social media has emerged to become a key site for contemporary communications and cultural production, the internet meme has penetrated every level of social networking online. Albeit being a global phenomenon with pervasive discursive power in a number of fields ranging from humour to international politics and cyber warfare, comparatively little research has been made into how internet memes work on the discursive level of identity formation and their influence on the formation of internet-based social movements. Using Reddit stock market anarchists r/WallStreetBets as case study, this thesis will use Critical Discourse Analysis to analyze how internet memes work on the level of socio-political formations and how their function can be understood in relation to entropic social environments online. This thesis investigates how internet memes are used as a tool for creation of motifs for action, identity markers, connective action, and social narrativization within an ambivalent social movement online. Introducing the novel term ”memetic discourse” as a way to understand memes as transferable units of memetically programmed content, this study shows the potential of memes to act as effective yet unstable modes of communication within networked environments.
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Brereton, Catherine Margaret. "Mapping Grahamstown's security governance network : prospects and problems for democratic policing." Thesis, Rhodes University, 2006. http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1006323.
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The security of its citizens is often regarded as the democratic state's primary raison d'etre. However, with increasing crime and perceptions of insecurity among citizens, along with actual and perceived state policing inadequacies, citizens around the world have sought to make alternative arrangements for their security. The explosion of private alternatives to state policing has resulted in the need for the replacement of former static definitions of policing by more fluid understandings of what policing entails. Policing is no longer an activity undertaken exclusively by the 'state police.' Policing needs to be understood within a framework which recognises the existence of a variety of state, commercial, community groups and individuals which exist within loose and sometimes informal, sometimes formal, networks to provide for the security of citizens. Preceding the country's transition to democracy in 1994 'state' policing in South Africa was aimed at monitoring and suppressing the black population and as a result it conducted itself in a largely militaristic way. When the government of national unity assumed power in 1994 it was indisputable that the South African Police had to undergo major reform if it was to play an effective, co-operative and accountable role in a democratic South Africa. While state policing has unquestionably undergone enormous changes since the advent of democracy in 1994, so too has non-state policing. It is widely accepted that the dividing line between state and non-state policing in South Africa is increasingly blurred. Policing, by its very nature, holds the potential to threaten democracy. Consequently it is important that policing is democratically controlled. According to the Law Commission of Canada four values and principles - justice, equality, accountability, and efficiency - should support policing in a democracy. This thesis is a case study of policing in Grahamstown, a small city in South Africa's Eastern Cape province. It will be shown that the policing problem that currently plagues Grahamstown, and by extension South Africa, is not simply the result of a shortage of providers but rather a problem of co-coordinating and monitoring security governance to ensure that the city does not further develop into a society where the wealthy have greater access to security than the poor.
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Winkler, Jennifer L., and Jennifer L. Winkler. "Making School Discipline Kinder: Developing a Roadmap for Youth Well-Being." Diss., The University of Arizona, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/622990.
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BACKGROUND: School discipline—how schools manage and respond to student misbehavior—is a central component of how schools seek to create safe and productive learning environments. School suspensions have been a popular discipline strategy in recent decades. Yet, recent studies have demonstrated the association between punitive discipline strategies and poor outcomes in youth, including increased high school dropout rates, decreased odds of enrolling in postsecondary school, and increased mental health concerns. There is an urgent need to examine alternate mechanisms for addressing school discipline other than punitive exclusionary or reward-based systems. This dissertation seeks to develop an integrated model of promising approaches and define how such a system could work. OBJECTIVES: This dissertation is made up of three studies addressing three aims: (1) to synthesize the existing literature on how school discipline has been constructed and its impact on student well being; (2) to develop a novel conceptual model for an alternate discipline approach, "kind discipline," and; (3) to develop and validate a measure for assessing the practice of kind discipline in elementary and middle schools. METHODS: Study one is a theoretical review utilizing a social ecological model to frame how school discipline models address an individual, relational, or structural level. Study two is a formative evaluation that develops a novel conceptual model for an alternative discipline approach. This study utilized concept mapping to elicit and integrate perspectives on school discipline from teachers, administrators, school staff, and other stakeholders involved in school programming. The concept mapping included a brainstorming phase, a statement analysis phase, a sorting and rating phase, and multidimensional scaling and hierarchical cluster analysis of the collected data. It culminated in a map that visually represent the group's ideas and how they are interrelated. Study three validated a newly developed measure of kind discipline through an assessment of the measure’s internal consistency, an exploration of convergent and discriminant validity, and a descriptive analysis of the strength of relationships between kind discipline and school-level discipline frequency. RESULTS: The theoretical review illustrated how different school discipline approaches address disparate explanations of what may lead to student misbehavior. The formative evaluation developed a conceptual model for kind discipline in which three core themes emerged from 11 identified clusters in the conceptual model: (1) proactively developing a positive school climate, (2) responding to conflict with empathy, accountability, and skill, and (3) supporting staff skills in understanding and sharing expectations. When mapped onto a social ecological model, the identified components of kind discipline encompassed all levels of that model including the individual, relational, environmental/structural, and even community levels. In the study validating a measure of kind discipline, teacher and student assessments of kind discipline were strongly correlated (Pearson’s Correlation -.772, p=0.005). Convergent validity of the measure was supported by our finding that the more positively students assessed kind discipline in their schools, the lower the school disciplinary action rate (β=-0.759, p=0.05). Mixed linear models showed teachers' perceived kind discipline at the school level predicted individual students' perception of kind discipline. Girls reported higher levels of kind discipline than boys; and students in higher grades reported lower levels of kind discipline than students in lower grades. CONCLUSIONS: Effective school discipline programs may need to operate on multiple levels. There is increasing support for the importance of a relationship-level component to disciplinary approaches. This contrasts with the dominant individual-behavioral discipline approaches that focus on fewer levels and may not lead to sustained student and staff motivation. The findings from the concept mapping illustrate the importance of setting and communicating clear expectations and the need for them to be collaboratively developed. The student and teacher measures for assessing the level of kind discipline in a school show promise as tools for evaluating schools working to improve approaches to discipline and for guiding interventions that aim to promote positive and relational motivation strategies.
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Davis, Patrick D. U. Sr. "Mapping a Course to Success: The Relationship of a College to Career Navigation Exploratory Course to Academic Success." Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University, 2020. https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/3822.
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The purpose of this quantitative, comparative study was to determine the relationship between retention and academic success of students who participated in a College to Career Navigation exploration course and students who did not participate in the course at a rural, community college serving a 14-county area in the Southeast U. S.
Archival data were collected from the participating community college’s student information system. Other data examined for this study included the student’s gender, at-risk status, and age. Retention data of the first-year, full-time students were collected and measured in accordance with the enrollment requirements of the community college’s governing board. Data for academic success were collected and measured by student’s cumulative final GPA.
Chi-square tests of independence and independent sample t tests were used to analyze the relationship of the College to Career Navigation exploration course with outcomes that measured student success. Overall findings from the chi-square tests indicated, that participants of the College to Career Navigation exploration course had significantly higher retention rates than those students who did not participate in the College to Career Navigation exploration course. The independent sample t tests indicated students who participated in the College to Career Navigation exploration course at significantly higher cumulative GPAs than those who did not participate in the course.
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Saldaña, Paola Renata. "The Scales and Shapes of Queer Women's Geographies: Mapping Private, Public and Cyber Spaces in Portland, OR." PDXScholar, 2015. https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/open_access_etds/2213.
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Queer women's relationship to space has been under-theorized due to the difficulties in identifying particular spatial patterns that can describe their presence in urban settings. Most of the research that has focused on queer space has mentioned the difficulty of mapping queer women. The purpose of this research is to identify the ways in which the scarcity of queer women-specific space in Portland, Oregon, has affected the development of a women's community based on a queer identity, the role of intersecting identities such as race and gender identity in these communities and spaces, as well as the implications of queer women's spaces for the development of inclusive spatial frameworks. This research is based on 15 map-making interviews with queer women in the Portland area. During the interviews, participants were asked to draw a map of what they consider to be queer women's space in Portland. The results suggest that queer women occupy an array of places, but lack public queer women-specific spaces. Some of the reasons for the decline in these spaces are changing identities and the political climate, an attempt at inclusion of trans and gender non-conforming people, and racism. In order to better understand queer women's spatial patterns, the scholarship needs frameworks that are inclusive of private, cyber and temporary spaces. Given the lack of scholarship on the relationship between queer women and space, this research contributes to a better understanding of queer women's geographies in a changing political climate.
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Golding, Nicholas. "Mapping and understanding the distributions of potential vector mosquitoes in the UK : new methods and applications." Thesis, University of Oxford, 2013. http://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:6ae52a0a-2aaa-42d6-a57a-e3879ad559d8.
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A number of emerging vector-borne diseases have the potential to be transmitted in the UK by native mosquitoes. Human infection by some of these diseases requires the presence of communities of multiple vector mosquito species. Mitigating the risk posed by these diseases requires an understanding of the spatial distributions of the UK mosquito fauna. Little empirical data is available from which to determine the distributions of mosquito species in the UK. Identifying areas at risk from mosquito-borne disease therefore requires statistical modelling to investigate and predict mosquito distributions. This thesis investigates the distributions of potential vector mosquitoes in the UK at landscape to national scales. A number of new methodological approaches for species distri- bution modelling are developed. These methods are then used to map and understand the distributions of mosquito communities with the potential to transmit diseases to humans. Chapter 2 reports the establishment of substantial populations of the West Nile virus (WNV) vector mosquito Culex modestus in wetlands in southern England. This represents a drastic shift in the species’ known range and an increase in the risk of WNV transmission where Cx. modestus is present. Chapter 3 develops and applies a new species interaction distribution model which identifies fish and ditch shrimp of the genus Palaemonetes as predators which may restrict the distribution of the potential WNV vector community in these wetlands. Chapter 4 develops a number of methods to make robust predictions of the probability of presence of a species from presence-only data, by eliciting and applying estimates of the species’ prevalence. Chapter 5 introduces a new Bayesian species distribution modelling approach which outperforms existing methods and has number of useful features for dealing with poor- quality data. Chapter 6 applies methods developed in the previous two chapters to produce the first high-resolution distribution maps of potential vector mosquitoes in the UK. These maps identify several wetland areas where vector communities exist which could maintain WNV transmission in birds and transmit it to humans. This thesis makes significant contributions to our understanding of the distributions of UK mosquito species. It also provides methods for species distribution modelling which could be widely applied in ecology and epidemiology.
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Metcalfe-Bliss, Caitlin. "Feelings of inclusion and community activities : A study into the feelings of social inclusion and sense of belonging for migrants living in Sweden." Thesis, Stockholms universitet, Kulturgeografiska institutionen, 2020. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:su:diva-182383.
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With increasing migration over the last few decades, over 20% of Sweden’s inhabitant are now foreign-born (Krzyżanowski, 2018). A policy shift stemming from the 2015 European migrant crisis (Hagelund, 2020) led to a decentring of integration management from national immigration policy to the local level (Scholten and Penninx, 2016). Subsequently, community level actors have become increasingly active developing their own integration philosophies and implementing these locally. Health and well-being activities curated by the non-governmental organisation Hej Främling seek to improve local inclusion for migrants and newly arrived persons to Sweden. Using these activities as a launching point, this study draws upon perceptions from 17 migrants participating in Hej Främling to examine their feelings of inclusion and sense of belonging across space and place and activities. Results show activity participation both within Hej Främling and across Swedish society more broadly has a positive influence on migrants’ sense of inclusion, in particular through the facilitation of shared spaces of experience, where migrants from diverse backgrounds can come together over a shared interest and build upon their social networks. Concept-mapping was used as a conceptual framework to illuminate the core components of inclusion, how they interlink and contribute to further conceptualisation. This study identifies four key insights for local inclusion: 1) the value of shared experiences in creating inclusion 2) the perceived socio-cultural barriers to inclusion 3) activity space as environments for intercultural encounters and 4) the facilitative role of community organisations in creating inclusion and promoting integration.
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Benninger, Elizabeth. "Children's construction of the 'self' within two urban impoverished communities in Cape Town." University of the Western Cape, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/11394/5493.
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Philosophiae Doctor - PhDThis study aimed to explore how children construct and assign meaning to the 'self' within two urban impoverished communities in the Western Cape, South Africa. Within this process the study aimed to explore how these constructions and meaning assignations were manifested within children's discourses. Additionally, the study aimed to explore the implications of the children's perspectives on developing intervention programmes for the promotion of a healthy self-concept. The study was conducted through three sequential phases; (1) systematic review, (2) child participation, and (3) intervention programme development. Phase one: the systematic review, aimed to systematically review academic literature focused on how children construct and assign meaning to the 'self.' An article search and appraisal yielded 38 articles that met the inclusion criteria. Meta-synthesis was used to analyse the findings. Six central thematic categories emerged as the key influences on children's constructions of the self. These include multidimensionality, discursive practices, socio-environmental conditions, oppression & marginalisation, culture, and social support. Phase two: child participation, consisted of two separate studies. The first study utilized a child participation framework to explore children's discursive constructions of and meanings assigned to the 'self' within two urban communities of the Western Cape, South Africa. Eight focus group discussions were conducted amongst fifty-four children between the ages of 9 to 12. Thematic and discourse analysis were used to analyse the findings. The themes of childhood, social connectedness, and children's spaces were identified to have a vital influence on children's self-concept. Four underlying discourses emerged within the themes as central to the participant's self-constructions. These included; (1) 'forfeited childhood,' (2) 'vulnerability and helplessness,' (3) 'preserving the integrity of the self,' and (4) 'opportunities for escape.' The sequential study aimed to explore how children construct and assign meaning to the 'self' within two urban communities of the Western Cape in South Africa through the use of visual methods. The data collection methods included Photovoice and community maps with 54 participants between the ages of 9 to 12. Feelings of safety, social connectedness, and children's spaces all played a central role in the way in which the participants constructed and assigned meaning to the 'self.' Phase three: Children's programme implications, consisted of a study which aimed to explore children's perceptions of the nature and content of intervention programmes aimed at improving children's self-concept within two impoverished communities of the Western Cape, South Africa. The Delphi technique was followed with a group of ten children between the ages of 10 and 12 years who were considered to be the experts on matters affecting their lives. The participants identified the factors which influence children's self-concept to include; childhood reality, feelings, and relationships. The participants' suggestions for intervention programmes included a focus on safety, social support, opportunities for learning and for play, and basic needs. The study elucidated the value in using participatory methods with children, especially the use of the Delphi method for eliciting children's perspectives for interventions aimed at improving matters related to their well-being.
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