ENVS 4520 GIS Applications Research Papers

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https://hdl.handle.net/10315/28077

Students in ENVS 4520, GIS Applications in Planning and Resource Management, do a group final project with a community partner to solve a spatial analysis problem that is of interest to an organization using the GIS expertise they develop in the course. This is a collection of final project reports.

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Open Access
Analysis of Security Incidents in 2014: York University Keele Campus
(2015-04-30) L'eveque, Shannon; Felchin, Maryna; Patoka, Svetlana
York University’s Keele Campus is an educational facility of over 50 000 students, not including the faculty members, staff, temporary workers, visitors and the Toronto civilians living within the student residential area called ‘The Village’. Each of these groups is exposed to the threat of crime from minor harassment to theft and more major crimes like assault whether they are studying in the Scott Library, parents attending a tour with their children or walking to their home in ‘The Village’. In 2014, thefts totalled 255 and between 2013 and 2014 there were 38 incidents of assault (York University Security Services, 2014). These numbers are appalling for an educational facility and public space where students have the right to practice education in a safe environment without the fear of physical or emotional harm. Students should not have to constantly feel physically guarded around the community in which they hope to learn and develop in, nor should they feel mistrust. To help community members feel safe on campus, this project aims to provide a spatial analysis of the security incidents that occurred in 2014 at the Keele Campus, in order to identify areas of high risk for each type of incident so these can be improved on to create a long-lasting solution for future generations that set foot on the campus.
Open Access
Raccoons' intrusion into urban dwellings: GIS application on urban wildlife study
(2015-04-30) Wang, Xiaotian
The history of raccoons entering urban life of human can go back to the beginning of the 20th century (Lariviere, 2004; Bateman & Fleming, 2012). While some people see this animals as rewarding wilderness encounter, others may considers them as threatening safety concerns. (Clark, 1994) Indeed, the discussion around these highly adaptive creatures living in the cities has been going on for decades. A study in Texas, US shows that since 1980s, raccoons have been recognized as the second largest cause of complaints regarding human-wildlife conflict, after rats and mice (Chamberlain et al., 1981). Raccoons are rabies-vector mammals, and also carry at least 13 other pathogens which are potential threats to human’s health (Lotze & Anderson, 1979; Wolch, 1995; Bateman & Fleming, 2012). Furthermore, there are evidences showing that driving by anthropogenic food sources and shelter, raccoons not only wander in the yards and raid garbage cans, but also settle down in houses as their den sites (Bateman & Fleming, 2012; Prange et al., 2003). They invaded through anywhere they could fit, such as roofs, chimneys, vents and even underneath the porches (Wolch et al., 1995; Clark, 1994). The facts that raccoons carry diseases around and cause destruction to the buildings brought urban residents to professional wildlife management organizations for help. On the other hand, the encounter of raccoons to urban people seems unavoidable. Raccoons living in the urban cities are considered to have better physical conditions and therefore higher survival rates, compared to their rural neighbours (Prange et al., 2003; Bateman & Fleming, 2012). Their major predators in the cities are cars, which is the number one cause of death according to Bateman and Fleming’s investigation (2012). Some scholars believe that raccoons tend to avoid roads and build-up areas (Bateman & Fleming, 2012), while other researchers, such as Ditchkoff and her colleagues (2006), suggested that raccoons forage on road-killed animals, which indicates their presence alongside the roads. Overall as natural creatures, raccoons have favor in parks and green spaces in the cities (Bateman & Fleming, 2012). It is worthy to notice that in many new suburban areas, larger areas with trees and other vegetation are preserved to separate the houses, which provides perfect wildlife habitats (travel, forage, cover etc.) for the animals (Ditchkoff et al., 2006). This paper investigates the spatial pattern of raccoons’ intrusion to dwellings in Toronto, Canada, in terms of which part of house they were found. Raccoons are highly adaptive mammals living in the urban settings, therefore it is possible to assume that the animals living nearby or having overlapped home range may learn from each other, which may be reflected by their den choices. A spatial illustration could help us learn more about raccoons’ behavior and adaptation to new environment, which is important to urban wildlife management practices.
Open Access
Toronto Homeless Shelters Occupancy Levels & Transit Accessibility
(2015-04-30) Pigliacelli, Darren; Bonham, Jeremy; Postma, Mike; Marando, Phil; Pacione, Joseph; Alachiotis, Wil
Homelessness in the City of Toronto is an ongoing problem. While the number of homeless seems to have remained steady, the number living on the streets has actually increased (Peat & Chief, 2013). In fact, this past winter of 2014-2015 has seen the deaths of three homeless men as a result of sleeping on the streets during extreme cold weather (Colbert, 2015). As a result of these facts it is necessary to look at options homeless individuals have for obtaining shelter as well as the distance they have to travel to get to a shelter. Our research project has focused on occupancy levels in homeless shelters during “extreme cold weather alert” days in the City of Toronto, as well as access to the homeless shelters using public transit and by walking from various points in Toronto where homeless people spend the day. The goal of this research is to see how accessible homeless shelters are to public transit routes as most homeless individuals will be using public transit or walking to get to the shelters for the night. Also, to look at how accessible the shelters are to spaces homeless individuals stay during the day, such as public libraries and warming centers. Finally, with the recent deaths due to homeless individuals sleeping on the streets during extreme cold weather events, it is necessary to see what the occupancy levels can be at the shelters and if the issue is a shortage of beds or another unrelated issue.
Open Access
Ontario Ring of Fire Surface Water Susceptibility Analysis
(2015-04-30) Gross, Adlar; Sirokvash, Anatoliy
Since the discovery in the early 2000s of North America's first commercial chromite deposit in Northen Onatrio, dubbed the Ontario Ring of Fire (RoF), extensive mining development plans have been in progress. Chromite is used in the production of steel and is extracted using open pit mines that can leech toxic material and generate hazardous mining dust that contaminate soil and water. The proposed mining development is predicted to generate 32 million tons of waste rock in its 30 year lifespan, thus presenting a significant threat to the surrounding environment consisting of undeveloped boreal forest interspersed with swamps, marshes, fens and valuable peat land. This project seeks to determine the surface water susceptibility of the RoF region using GIS techniques developed by the University of Minnesota-Duluth Laboratory for Spatial analysis in the Geosciences, based on fact that areas that are more prone to runoff are capable of carrying suspended sediments, resulting in contamination of waterbodies. The analysis was conducted using four factors that contribute to overland flow: slope, distance to water, land cover and soil properties. The final combination of these factors showed that the region has low surface water susceptibility mainly due to the low slope percentage of the area and the majority of the landcover being open water, swamp, marsh and fen. The results indicate that contamination will not be rapidly transported away from the region through water bodies. Therefore, the areas immediately surrounding the mine may be at higher risk, as contamination will not be transported away and infiltrate the groundwater, contaminate aquatic life or be deposited in soils.
Open Access
Public Health and GIS
(2015-04-30) Sadakhom, Danielle; Sardo, Nick; Delutis, Nick
This report explores the relationship between an individual’s mental health and their environment. We observed the mental health visit percentages for certain demographics among Toronto’s 140 neighbourhoods. For this report the main focus was to look at quantifiable measurements. Our research was based on the following comparisons: surrounding environment (neighbourhood access to green space), socioeconomic status (neighbourhoods with low-income families vs. higher income families), and the average distance to a mental health facility by neighbourhood. Our objectives were to discover if there are any connections between the common notions that a person’s affluence, or their access to care or green space has any impact on their mental health. A spatial analysis was also completed, mapping the average distance to a mental health facility by neighbourhood.
Open Access
GIS-based Analysis of a Solar Panel Implementation Project in the North York Region
(2015-04-30) AbdulAziz, Muniba; Habbal, Samer; Hinterholzer, José
Renewable technologies such as solar panels are clean energy alternatives that have much lower negative environmental impacts than conventional energy technologies. They contribute to mitigate the issue of global warming/climate change (“Why is renewable,” 2015) and can help in the transition of our current conventional energy infrastructures into clean energy production systems. It is not only important to consider and analyze the solar potential (“The energy report,” n.d.) that an area can generate, but also to understand the cost and benefits this solar energy can produce. The scenario of the North York region shows a trend of economic growth and increasing electrical demand (“York Region Solar,” n.d.) which makes it a suitable candidate for the study area for this report. Due to the increasing electrical demands in the North York region, there would be an increase in greenhouse gas emissions and further problems of shortage of electrical power supply and management during the winter storms and other weather events. Therefore, this report conducts a GIS-based analysis of the highest buildings in the proposed study area to calculate the solar potential that can be generated. This analysis through the GIS software allows for determination of the potential of urban solar energy implementation in the North York region and possibly in the entire city of Toronto.
Open Access
Does the City of Mississauga need More Car Pool Lots? A Geographic Information Systems Analysis using QGIS Software
(2015-04-30) Buttar, Aamna; Butt, Bisma
Traffic congestion is a common issue in many cities across the nation. It is no doubt that the rapidly increasing population and the reliance on automobiles have played a pivotal role in this problem. As Ontario’s third largest city, traffic congestion in Mississauga has become a prominent issue. From 2006 to 2011, the city experienced a 6.7% population increase, hence the 2011 population of 713,443 increased by 44,884 residents from 668,559 in 2006 (City of Mississauga). Traffic congestion in the city of Mississauga, as well as other cities have various negative implications for the population, which include environmental, social, and health concerns and thus this report will discuss how this problem can be relieved. Because there are various negative implications as a result of this congestion, the city has taken the appropriate steps in order to tackle this issue. This report will mainly be looking at the addition of carpool lots in order to decrease some of the large amount of traffic within the city.
Open Access
The Costa Rican Ecological Corridor and Wildlife Connectivity Project Part III: Understanding Animal Movement
(2015-04-30) DiCarlo, Paola; Pitonak, Brian; Pereira, Charlaine; Gupta, Aditi
The Alexander Skutch Biological Corridor located in Costa Rica is home to a region possessing one of the “richest concentrations of species and ecosystem diversity in the world ” (Miller, Chang & Johnson 2001, p.7). The area, once teeming with wildlife and greenery, has been subjected to human encroachment and development. The increasing presence of human beings within the corridor has fragmented the area and made it difficult for wildlife to function naturally in their habitats. Because there is so much importance placed on species biodiversity, especially in an area as unique as the biological corridor, conservation measures are being taken to maintain the land. The corridor includes many “fragmentationsensitive species for which corridors are likely” (Beier & Noss, 1998, p. 1242), necessary for their survival. However, since protection of the corridor has not been completely successful, our research will study what effect fragmentation has had on the wildlife currently residing in the area and how human development has affected their movement and home ranges. The Alexander Skutch Biological Corridor acts as a passageway for wildlife to move from Las Nubes to Los Cusingos. With the construction of roads and modification of the land for agriculture and human development, the connectivity of the landscape has been disrupted. Our research focuses on how animal home ranges within the corridor are affected by human activity. By mapping the photographs of wildlife taken by 9 camera traps within the corridor, we can infer if human impact of land use and roads have affected the ease of animal movement. With roads passing throughout the corridor and increased human landuse, we hypothesize that ease of animal movement is decreased. The roads may act as a barrier, as the sound of human activity and the threat of vehicles may deter animals from crossing a road. Furthermore, much of the oncerich rainforest within the corridor has been cleared for coffee farming and human settlement. This poses a threat to some of the native fauna species, as they may be more exposed to predation by leaving the protection of the dense rainforest cover. This may impact their home range, as well.
Open Access
Costa Rica Virtual Corridor Project: Forest Connectivity
(2015-04-30) Gamez, Jose; Lichu, Lin; Lau, Jeremy; Imani, Saman
Professor Felipe Montoya has presented York University’s Las Nubes ecological corridor forest fragmentation as an problem that must be solved. Roads have fragmented the ecological corridor, with a potential for hydrodams also being installed for production of electricity. Professor Montoya would like to prevent fragmentation by determining which parcels of land are most important for its uninterrupted connectivity. Sufficient connectivity would prevent habitat fragmentation, which is deadly for the ecosystem. Such connectivity could be analyzed by using GIS software. Previous studies have already proven that GIS could be efficient on providing information of land use and land cover (Weng, 2002), as such, we will use GIS to study forest connectivity. Our group will set out to analyze and quantify which parts of the Las Nubes ecological corridor is most important to the connectivity of the forest. Our group hopes to present data, which can be used to further enhance connectivity of the forest to promote the health of the ecosystem.
Open Access
Homeless Shelter Occupancy in Toronto
(2014-04-10) Alibaksh, Khadija; Naghshbandi, Tamkin; Oteleanu, Maria; Al-Jameel, Mustafa; Xhaferraj, Marsiel
The objective of this project has been to use GIS software and analytical skills to illustrate and assess the factors which contribute to the homeless shelter occupancy problem in Toronto. This will assist relevant organizations in their efforts to mitigate the issue. Using spatial analytical techniques, it was possible to determine the current status of homeless shelters in relation to the aforementioned factors. Additional GIS techniques that were used to assess the issue include network analysis, neighbourhood analysis and vector overlay; tools such as geoprocessing, union, intersect, clip, dissolve, etc.
Open Access
York University: York Neighborhood Renewables
(2014-04-10) Banakh, Diana; Tedesco, Michael; Merlihan, Patrick; Short, Ryan; Sinclair, Thomas
Our group aims to develop a solar installation model for the York University campus that takes into consideration the limitations of installing solar photovoltaic systems on all of the building rooftops across the campus. From this model we can determine which buildings receive the highest amounts of solar radiation for one year at York. This in turn will allow us to create a table showing each buildings ability for receiving solar energy. These maps are intended to provide beneficial information for governments and/or policy leaders, ultimately encouraging the development of a solar energy system at York University (Gastli & Charabi, 2010).
Open Access
Examining Urban Agriculture in Toronto
(2014-04-10) Cheng, Franky; Jiang, Jade; Ly, Kelly; Truong, Irene
This report focuses on the density of urban agriculture in Toronto. To begin with, the group reviewed literature to determine the current setup of food production and distribution in the city. As a result of our initial research, it appears that Toronto is lacking a strong focus on agriculture. In collaboration with Fresh City Farms, the group reveals the current spatial pattern of community gardens and urban farms, two major sites of food production in Toronto. The team made use of various scholarly literature, websites, suggestions from Fresh City Farms, Toronto’s Open Data resource, QuantumGIS (QGIS) and the Google search engine to come up with the data necessary to complete this assignment. In QGIS, team members plotted locations for both community gardens and urban farms by digitizing. These spatial and attribute data were gathered through Google searches and the ‘Toronto Community Garden Network’ webpage. The address and contact information in relation to the plotted points were recorded in order to properly identify the establishments. In addendum to this report, the team has also uploaded maps with corresponding tables, via fusion tables, of contact information for community gardens and urban farms onto Google Sites . Subsequent to the mapping process, this report makes use of David Hulchanski’s (2006) research on the Three Cities model in Toronto. Through this framework, this report offers an analysis section that describes the possibility of discriminatory practices in the distribution of public goods, in this case, community gardens and urban farms, based on incomes, as measured by census tracts. The team suspects this as a result of a clustering of community gardens in certain regions of the downtown core (City #1, in Hulchanski’s terms) and few to no community gardens in some of the middle (City #2) and peripheral (City #3) regions of Toronto. We conclude that the results align partially with our hypothesis, as the densest bundles of community gardens are in relatively more affluent areas. Further, this report includes sections that communicate the process of our research.
Open Access
Youth Out of Place Program: Identifying Homeless Youths in Toronto using GIS Applications
(2014-04-10) Samnang Phat, Eang; Lodhi, Beenish; Martinez, Pamela
At any time during the year as many as 65,000 youth in Canada are without a place to call home. In Toronto, it is estimated that there are at least 10,000 homeless youth in any given year, and as many as 2,000 on a given night (Covenant House Toronto, 2014). Their inability to access basic necessities are in fact due to their youth and inexperience. With limited access to shelter services, homeless youths are vulnerable to physical violence, drug and alcohol abuse, deterioration of health, victimization, and other dangers of living on the streets (Gaetz, 2004). Due to the fluidity and elusiveness of homeless youth and also because of their marginal status and declining public resources, this project will attempt to create an online service specifically targeted to this age group. The ENVS 4520 “Toronto Homeless Youth Group” has identified four essential services that these youths need to survive in their day-‐to-‐day lives and acquired a list of services through various methods of data collection. Utilizing Quantum GIS 1.8.0 (QGIS), we have created maps to identify the spatial locations of these services and have found there is a significant gap in these services, spatially as well as accessibility to youths under the age of 16. Due to the lack of services, our group created a website that will provide easy to read and up-‐to-‐date information on services available in the Central Toronto region. Using Google Fusion Tables, we also included a user-‐friendly map to identify location of these services. The Youth Out of Place Program (YOPP) website identifies local shelters, health services, legal aid services, and food banks and further provides detailed information on each location. Furthermore, youths utilizing the website can leave comments on their experiences with services as well as contact others in their community for guidance. The purpose of the research and analysis conducted was to identify homeless youth services in the Central Toronto region. Our results found a significant lack in essential services specifically targeted to homeless youths and attempted to create an online resource that can be used by community members to identify current services in the region.
Open Access
Implications for hydropower development in Costa Rica: A spatial visualization and analysis of the implications for hydroelectric dams in the Chirripo Valley
(2014-04-10) Adams, Joshua; Lin Chen, Sarah; Cootauco, Kevin; Reid, Kurt
The hydro electrification of Costa Rica both has a positive and negative theme for the province. At one point the use and shift towards hydroelectricity and ‘clean energy’ is seen as beneficial since they are moving away from traditional ‘dirty’ energy. Moreover, the country is known for its commitment towards renewable energy (United National Industrial Development Organization, 2014, p.). On the other side, hydroelectricity is costly both towards the actual construction of it and the cost it has to the environment and the people living in the proposed areas.We will be exploring the proposal of hydroelectric dams in Costa Rica and their negative effects on the environment and the local community. We will explore the area of the Chirripo Valley. We will be looking at a number of proposed dams in the area and how they could potentially impact the environment, cultural, and the communities. Our goal with this project is to create visual, accessible assessments of hydropower development in Costa Rica that can be used as a powerful educational medium in order to engage and involve local communities for more active and participatory management.
Open Access
Fresh City farms - Food Availability in the City of Toronto: Assessing food availability and food deserts in the City of Toronto with respect to Fresh City Farm’s current customers
(2014-04-10) Romero, Daniel; Bashford, Laura; Hong, Kuok Kei; Zelaya-Cavalcante, Remmy
Food security is a global problem that can be solved at the local level. Urbanized areas, such as the City of Toronto, depend heavily on food imports, from within and outside of the country. Without realizing it, we spend much of our efforts and energy getting the food into the city, when we could be spending that effort growing the food within the city. Organizations and businesses, such as Fresh City farms take advantage of this opportunity by growing organic food, in city spaces, and delivering it to the customers or having them pick up their food at selected locations. In this project we looked at the current customers of Fresh City Farms with respects to the current demographics of the City of Toronto. We found that most of the customers live in downtown Toronto which is characterized by a low median age (27-36), low average household size (1.4 - 2.2 persons per household), highly populated (between 6,684 and 60,915 persons per square kilometer) and a mix of median income level ranging anywhere from $23,000 to $239,000. We also studied food availability in Toronto by examining the existing major supermarket chains, the year-round and seasonal farmers’ markets, and the community gardens. We concluded that there was a lack of food availability in areas not resided by Fresh City Farm customers. In other words, there exists a lack of fresh food availability in North Etobicoke and East Scarborough. These areas are known as “food deserts”. Our recommendation is that Fresh City Farms should consider targeting these areas for new potential customers.

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