http://www.rssboard.org/rss-specification 720 https://escholarship.org/uc/uci_libs_ucgisweek/rss Recent eScholarship items from UC GIS Week Tue, 30 Jun 2026 04:29:47 +0000 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8t86b6vc <p>Scaling Up Drone-Based 3D Mapping for Campus Facility Management</p><p>This lightning talk continues our work on using drones to enhance campus facility management. Since last year’s presentation, the project has expanded from mapping a small neighborhood to developing a detailed 3D model of the entire UC San Diego La Jolla campus. Utilizing drone-based photogrammetry with Real-Time Kinematic (RTK) positioning, we achieved high spatial accuracy across extensive areas. Ground Control Points (GCPs) collected with Bad Elf and FieldMaps ensured precision and consistency within a unified coordinate system. Drone imagery and GCP data were processed through ArcGIS SiteScan for geotagging and 3D mesh generation, with outputs integrated into the campus GIS database. The resulting 3D campus model supports virtual fieldwork, site analysis, and data-driven decision-making, offering new tools for planning, management, and research. The project remains under active development to further... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8t86b6vc Mon, 15 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Huang, Jingyi Leung, Chi Kiu Reiss, Malia Fisher, Azure Wasserman, Jacob L Grimaldi, Jordan Sánchez, Alicia https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8ht6m3dm <p>Status of California Native American Tribal GIS Knowledge Build</p><p>This past July 31st and August 1st, 2025 – the 1st California Native American Tribal GIS Summit was held in Sacramento in the Cal/EPA Building. There were 22 presentations that included CA Tribal perspectives of their uses of GIS based technology, federal and state agencies collaboration in working with Tribes, Tribal non-profits utilizing GIS – all using GIS to help manage Natural Resources, protection of cultural landscapes, and environmental justice support. This summit was first of its kind in California. Both UC Davis and UC Berkeley also participated and provided their efforts in working with CA Native American Tribes with the usage of GIS based solutions and potential new water governance model. The concepts of Tribal GIS data sovereignty, rematriation, ground-truthing, land back, traditional ecological knowledge (TEK), decolonizing mapping, and cultural burning were discussed and explored. This summit... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8ht6m3dm Wed, 10 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Miranda-Begay, Donna Tomlinson, Char https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8002788s <p>Mapping the Tren Maya’s Mark on Mérida</p><p>Mapping the Tren Maya’s Mark on Mérida investigates whether the Tren Maya railway is ushering in new sustainable development which provides economic and social benefits for the residents of Mérida, Mexico. The Mexican government has spearheaded the megaproject’s construction in a mere four years with the goal of boosting economic growth in an environmentally and socially conscious manner. The following investigation highlights where this vision, articulated in technocratically-constructed public documents and amplified in reporting, has been fulfilled in Mérida. Through geospatial, physical, and journalistic investigations and analysis, it is revealed the Tren Maya has brought a host of impacts upon the Yucatecan capital through channeling public investments into the Centro Histórico and periphery lands surrounding the metropolitan area. Although these investments present numerous economic, social, and environmental benefits in line... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8002788s Wed, 10 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Tamayo, Diego Upadhyaya, Devanshi Shandal, Monica https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7sk6g8ft <p>Identifying Suitable Burrowing Owl Habitat at Jack and Laura Dangermond Preserve</p><p>Burrowing owls (Athene cunicularia) are small raptors that nest in underground burrows abandoned by ground squirrels and badgers. In the last 100 years, the species has seen a sharp decline in population due to agricultural land conversion, large-scale wind and solar farm development, urbanization, the spread of non-native plants and trees, and overzealous ground squirrel control. Once common throughout California, it has been extirpated from nineteen counties and is close to extinction in ten more, including Santa Barbara, where breeding is fully extirpated and potentially only a few dozen birds visit to overwinter each year. One holdout of habitat is found at Cojo Terrace, part of the Jack and Laura Dangermond Preserve managed by The Nature Conservancy (TNC). In spring of 2025, UCSB’s Cheadle Center staff surveyed Cojo Terrace for suitable ground squirrel and badger burrows using ESRI Field... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7sk6g8ft Wed, 10 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Wilhelm-Safian, Claire Chapman, Wayne Ludwig-Barron, Natasha Chen, Zhipeng Janelle, Michael https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7q32t4m2 <p>ElephantTracker: Spatiotemporal Analytics for Human–Elephant Conflict Mitigation</p><p>https://elephanttracker.com/</p><p>The ElephantTracker website is a research and conservation platform designed to help analyze and visualize elephant movement and human-elephant conflict patterns.It provides interactive GIS maps to display historical GPS tracking data, showing elephant movement paths, coordinates, and timelines. Researchers and conservationists can upload and manage datasets, making it easier to centralize and analyze elephant tracking information.The site also links elephant movements with records of human-elephant conflict incidents, such as crop damage or property loss. By doing so, it helps identify patterns and geographic hotspots where conflict is more likely to occur. These insights can support risk assessment, allowing conservation teams and local authorities to develop targeted strategies to reduce conflict and protect both communities and elephants.In short, ElephantTracker’s... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7q32t4m2 Wed, 10 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Sivarajah, Jay Thau, Avery Thorne, James McConnell, Clancy Boynton, Ryan Chen, Jiahua Zheng, Muyan Cai, Xiaofeng https://escholarship.org/uc/item/79v403d4 <p>Mapping Coastal Cliff Erosion along the California Coast Using Statewide LiDAR Datasets</p><p>Coastal cliffs are widespread along the California shoreline, providing habitats for coastal vegetation and wildlife while supporting critical socio-economic infrastructure such as housing, roads, and utilities. Although cliff erosion poses substantial geohazard risks to coastal communities, the eroded material also offers a sediment source to adjacent beaches and the nearshore zone. However, accurate statewide monitoring of cliff change has been limited by 1) the scarcity of repeated, high-resolution datasets, 2) the intensive processing requirements for large geospatial data volumes, and 3) challenges in estimating elevation beneath vegetated areas. To address these limitations, we analyzed statewide, high-resolution (30 pts/m²) airborne LiDAR data collected in 2023, together with the previous 2016 LiDAR survey (15 pts/m²) acquired by NOAA. We developed an automated workflow to delineate... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/79v403d4 Wed, 10 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Xie, Danghan Crimmel, Thomas McConnell, Clancy Whitney, Jason Thorne, James Boynton, Ryan https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6x758046 <p>GeoConnect: Creating a research-informed UC-wide GIS resource</p><p>GeoConnect is a project to 1) assess what GIS users on our campuses seek with regards to geospatial resources and support, and 2) to collaboratively organize and maintain these resources into a centralized hub to support the UC community. The project arose out of conversations among members of the UC/Stanford Maps &amp; Geospatial Data Common Knowledge Group and the University of California GIS Committee or UC GIS (composed of GIS professionals and users from across the UC system). Noting that we have 10 campuses maintaining separate resource guides containing similar information, we then asked “How can we collaborate on a UC-wide resource guide and share the labor?” This effort is challenging due to the nature of GIS software, data, and availability of collaborative resource solutions. GIS is a broad and rapidly evolving field in regards to software applications and their features. Similarly, there is an ever-shifting... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6x758046 Wed, 10 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Tarmey, Maggie Maldonado, Anna Huang, Jingyi Henderson, Diana Simeone, Mono Ren, Xiangyu Eldawy, Ahmed https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6fm089cj <p>Cross estimation of cancer incidence at census-tract level to assess risk near Superfund sites in Puerto Rico in 2020</p><p>Introduction/Background: Living near hazardous waste sites can pose an increased risk of exposure to carcinogenic chemicals. Puerto Rico (PR) has a high density of superfund-contaminated sites (27 sites across 8,900 km2). Public data is limited to municipality (county) level for privacy concerns. Hallisey et al (2017) provided cross-scale interpolation methods by accounting for census-tract population in municipality-level data. We measured the association between cancer risk and distance living from the nearest superfund site through cancer rate estimations at a census-tract level. Methods: Cancer counts (PRCCR, 2020) can be cross-estimated to a census-tract level by accounting for census-tract population size from the U.S. Census Decennial Survey (2020). Census-tract population weights were calculated by dividing the census-tract population by municipality... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6fm089cj Wed, 10 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Tang, Sailing Bruellman, Ryan https://escholarship.org/uc/item/66g2j4t9 <p>How to use the California tree species range map atlas</p><p>In GIS Week 2024, we presented the construction of updated range maps for all of California's tree species, including data sources, GIS methods, and biogeographical concepts. This is the first time in over 50 years that comprehensive tree species range maps have been made for California. In the last year, we have completed nearly every new range map and have established most of the technical and social infrastructure required to disseminate them. We have also begun using the maps to assess each species' place-based climate exposure, fire risk, and seed supply/demand. At this year's GIS Week, we will show attendees how to view, download, and use the range maps in a website, mobile apps (FieldMaps, Avenza), ArcGIS Online, and ArcGIS Pro. We will also share examples of how these maps are already being applied in various research and reforestation projects.</p> https://escholarship.org/uc/item/66g2j4t9 Wed, 10 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000 McConnell, Clancy Whitney, Jason Thorne, James https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6105c55j <p>Photosynthesis from Space: Solar-Induced Fluorescence Across Droughts and Tariffs</p><p>I present early exploratory results using monthly OCO-2 solar-induced chlorophyll fluorescence (SIF) over Iowa (2014–2025) to see whether broad shocks show up in crop activity. I compute statewide and county SIF means and standard deviations for morning (a) and evening (b), plot the long-term time series and seasonal cycle, and map the simple diurnal difference (a–b). I compare these patterns to (i) U.S. Drought Monitor intensity and (ii) key tariff periods, and summarize annual crop composition from the USDA Cropland Data Layer (corn/soy shares, indications of fallowing). The goal is descriptive: highlight years/months where SIF anomalies align with drought and note any coincident shifts in crop shares around tariff windows. I’ll close with a short roadmap for adding basic masks and simple correlations, with causal modeling left for future work.</p><p>UCSB Tree Restoration Data Collection... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6105c55j Wed, 10 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Coldiron, Jackson Chuc, Elijah Bender, Jeremiah Reny, Robert Epstein, Sarah S Nguyen, Mary https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5ft7q676 <p>The UCSB rAtlas</p><p>The UCSB rAtlas is an Open Source project to mimic Data Carpentry's Introduction to Raster and Vector Data. Solutions to each episode of the Carpentry lesson are recreated using data sources local to the Santa Barbara campus. Started as a team-building exercise, the Atlas has provided the UCSB Library DREAM Lab solid experience using R with geospatial data--an increasingly common alternative to ArcGIS and QGIS. It has also solidified our ability to teach the Carpentry Lesson as it is written as well as take a leadership role with the evolution of the lesson.</p><p>The atlas is downloadable to run at: https://github.com/UCSBCarpentry/ucsb-ratlas</p> https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5ft7q676 Wed, 10 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Jablonski, Jon https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3f3163bf <p>Housing the Ancient Maya of El Pilar</p><p>&nbsp; Questions about sustainability of ancient Maya subsistence focus on the expansion of maize milpa at the expense of the forest. Working with Master Forest Gardeners and leveraging their Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) of Maya house construction, our model considers the number of trees needed to build Maya houses. Using LIDAR data and GIS, we assess the capacity of the 20 sq.km. landscape of the ancient city of El Pilar to provide trees required for posts, beams, and rafters for 1,925 domestic structures occupied in the Late Classic (600-900 CE). We model the 20-year Milpa Forest Garden Cycle across the El Pilar cropscape to determine the annual availability of construction materials. Our model results show there are enough trees to construct and maintain all of the structures at El Pilar. Benefitting from TEK, in collaboration with Master Forest Gardeners, we are piecing together a new ecological narrative that demonstrates... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3f3163bf Wed, 10 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Chuc, Elijah Kharadjian, Rita Casteel, Sosie Geraty, Seamus Haithcoat, James Wartell, Julie Lee, Samantha Stanko, Kieran Chen, Katelyn https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2x48z4mw <p>Cautions to GIS Professionals in Context of California Statutes Defining the Practice of Surveying</p><p>Navigating the boundaries between land surveyors, engineers, professional geologists, and geospatial professionals is crucial for maintaining the integrity of each field. Although land surveying and geospatial work complement each other, they differ significantly in scope and focus. In California, surveyors are licensed by the California Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, and Geologists and the activities exclusively reserved for Professional Land Surveyors are defined by the Professional Land Surveyors’ Act as codified in Section 8700 - 8805 of the California Business and Professions Code, specifically Section 8726 (a). GIS practitioners are at risk of being fined if their mapping work strays into the Surveyors’ domain. The California Geographic Information Association (CGIA) and the California Chapter of the Geospatial Professional Network (CalGPN) have... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2x48z4mw Wed, 10 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Schafer-Kramer, Jane Roth, Nathaniel Oh, Debby https://escholarship.org/uc/item/10q1835g <p>Evaluating Harmful Algal Blooms and Sediment Plumes on the South Florida Coast using Satellite-Based Remote Sensing to Inform Management and Conservation Efforts</p><p>Harmful algal blooms (HABs) are common occurrences on the South Florida coast and lead to environmental repercussions which harm the local ecosystem. HABs in Florida Bay, the shallow lagoonal estuary between Florida’s peninsula and the Florida Keys, are commonly caused by Synechococcus, a prominent unicellular cyanobacterium. To address local community concerns regarding the increasing occurrences of HABs, this study utilized satellite remote sensing data from the Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem (PACE) Ocean Color Instrument (OCI), the Sentinel-3-derived Cyanobacteria Assessment Network (CyAN), as well as collections from Sentinel-2 and the Harmonized Landsat and Sentinel-2 (HLS) project. Using these datasets, we calculated common water quality indices (Normalized Difference Chlorophyll Index and Normalized... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/10q1835g Wed, 10 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Doroshow, Lemon Cheesman, Julia Emery, Kyle Sharp, Samuel https://escholarship.org/uc/item/0t3047dg <p>Chasing the Sun: Mapping Solar Geometry and Radiation with Sun Compass app</p><p>Sun Compass is a web-based geospatial application that visualizes solar position, radiation, and atmospheric geometry across space and time using live and historical NOAA datasets. Designed to make complex solar-radiation modeling more intuitive and accessible, the tool enables users to explore how sunlight interacts with geographic features, weather conditions, and temporal factors such as time of year or day. By integrating meteorological, astronomical, and topographical data, Sun Compass creates interactive carpet plots and SVG-based solar diagrams that dynamically represent changes in azimuth, elevation, and irradiance throughout the day.</p><p> Being developed as part of an independent research study at the University of California, Santa Barbara under the mentorship of Professor Diba Mirza, this project brings together computer science, GIS, and data visualization to promote environmental... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/0t3047dg Wed, 10 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Srikanth, Sanjay Ajith, Saathvika Raifman, Matthew Stahl, Amalia Norton, Fiona https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9cg7n0t3 <p>‘Unmasking’ masked address data: A medoid geocoding solution</p><p>In recent years, there has been a consistent push for more open data initiatives, particularly for datasets collected by public agencies or groups that receive public funding. However, there is a tension between the release of open data and the preservation of individual and household privacy, whose balance shifts due to increased data availability, the sophistication of analysis techniques, and the computational power available to users. As a result, data masking is a standard tool used to preserve privacy, in which the data publishers obfuscate some identifying features in the dataset while attempting to maintain as much accuracy and precision as possible. For spatial datasets, the geocoding of administratively-masked data has been a consistent problem. Here, we present a medoid-based technique that geocodes masked data while minimizing the spatial uncertainty associated with the masking approach. Unfortunately,... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9cg7n0t3 Thu, 30 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Heldedrop, Edward Duro, Alyssa Henderson, Diana https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8wb022q8 <p>Shifting the Gravity of GIS to the Web</p><p>A modern GIS is a web GIS that revolves around data services, cloud architectures, configurable applications, and automation. However, the curriculum and structure of GIS education has not kept pace with these changes. Looking at the skills required in the field today, there is a clear mismatch with the desktop-centric GIS education that is still the foundation of many GIS courses and curriculum. This session will review the changes in industry and computing driving the need for changes in GIS education and it will also feature resources, case studies, and lessons to assist educators and students.</p><p>GIS Freelancing</p><p>I have been freelancing since 2017. In this course of time I have been able to complete 370+ projects in 5 years with 4•9☆/5•0☆ Rating. I want to guide GIS students to make a part time career in freelance sites like fiverr and upwork. I will arrange a workshop for guidance on how to make freelance accounts and... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8wb022q8 Thu, 30 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Baldwin, Brian Hamza, Muhammad https://escholarship.org/uc/item/89x4967g Very Spatial Careers https://escholarship.org/uc/item/89x4967g Thu, 30 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Hendel, Benjamin Draper, Madison Berry, Lisa Glimpse, Warren Verduzco, Nancy https://escholarship.org/uc/item/75t7g616 <p>To Zero or Not to Zero? Reactions to a Deforestation Ban by Farming Systems in Paraguay</p><p>In December 2004 Paraguay passed the Zero Deforestation Law after years of high deforestation rates. This law banned deforestation in the Eastern region of the country. However, the law did not bring deforestation to zero, as the name suggests. High levels of forest loss continued. If deforestation continued, what did change? Forest loss in this region is driven by agriculture. Small subsistence-oriented farmers and large-scale commercial farmers coexist in Eastern Paraguay. In this work I bring together global spatial datasets on forest cover and land characteristics to look at how these different farming systems reacted to the Zero Deforestation Law. I use a variety of sources, including the widely used layers on forest cover loss from the Global Forest Watch dataset and from the Tropical Moist Forests dataset. I also generate my own spatial data layers from these and other spatial... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/75t7g616 Thu, 30 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Fenton, Marieke Salvato, Luke Satomi, Ricky https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5t41j3km <p>Enhancing Route Data for Paul Salopek's Out of Eden Walk</p><p>Since 2013, two-time Pulitzer Prize Winner (and UCSB alum) Paul Salopek has embarked on a 24,000 mile journey following the path our ancestors traversed from Ethiopia, through the Middle East, down to Southern India, Eastern Asia, and eventually crossing the Bering Strait into the Americas. The journey in its entirety has been logged by Paul Salopek, himself, and is known as the "Out of Eden Walk". This summer, as an REU Research Fellow with NSF and the Center for Geographic Analysis (CGA) at Harvard University, I used GIS to perform a multitude of calculations, interpolations and tools to enhance the some 7,500 miles that Salopek has currently traveled. A few of these calculations included finding the the true distance of Paul's route (accounting for changes in elevation and projection differences), enhancing each of the ~1.5 million GPS points with data on the surrounding population density, nearest village, land... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5t41j3km Thu, 30 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Weinstein, Daniel Tomlinson, Char Wood, Alexis Wilmott, Clancy Wartell, Julie Zheng, Zhongqi Fu, Yao https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3pz8s4v1 <p>Living Landscapes: Unhoused Dwelling in Los Angeles Park Space</p><p>Analysis conducted via Jupyter and publicly accessible on GitHub takes a new approach to documenting and analyzing tension between housed and unhoused neighbors in Los Angeles, by mapping "encampment reports" in the city from 2015-2020. With a special attention to park-based encampments, many of which have been enclosed and evicted since the initial study period, this research provides a template for further mapping studies through GIS or Jupyter/Python analysis, presented as an ArcGIS storymap.</p><p>Does Sacramento exhibit an Urban Oasis Effect?</p><p>The urban oasis effect, characterized by cooler temperatures in a city compared to surrounding areas, has been documented in the western United States. To determine whether Sacramento experiences this effect, we calculated land surface temperature for the city and surrounding grassland and agricultural land using MODIS. We compared temperature among these three... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3pz8s4v1 Thu, 30 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Laborde, Rayne Backiel, Bogumila Wartell, Julie https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3f88x60h <p>Tips for getting started with the Census API</p><p>Learn how to obtain demographic data using the Census Bureaus' data API. We'll start off with an overview of the key decisions you'll need to make: (1) What product: Decennial Census or the American Community Survey, and more (2) Geography: Nation, State, County, Tract, and more (3) Variables: Population, Income, Race/Ethnicity, and more We will then describe the ways you can access the data and how to formulate an API call. See how simple API calls can be once you understand their format. Examples and discussion will be used to clarify questions. Lastly, we will wrap it up with some helpful tips and tricks.</p><p>Access Census 2020 data with ArcGIS</p><p>New decade, new data, and unprecedented times. The US decennial Census, taken in 2020, counts every person in the US once, only once, and in the right place even during a pandemic. Because census data are inherently spatial, Esri is committed to bringing this data to the community... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3f88x60h Thu, 30 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Recinos, Amanda Guerra, Lucy Osier, Vincent https://escholarship.org/uc/item/12c1c7rn In this session we will go over common GeoAI applications and showcase how to leverage insights from computer vision techniques and end-to-end deep learning to solve a variety of geospatial problems. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/12c1c7rn Thu, 30 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Yu, David . https://escholarship.org/uc/item/00s1f01h <p>Expanding Care with GIS</p><p>Improving accessibility and outreach are critical in providing effective health care services to communities of all kinds. Combining spatially-aware strategies with location intelligent technology, health organizations can achieve a clearer understanding of their work at the population level and identify areas where service gaps or potential opportunities for collaboration may exist in local communities. This project, in collaboration with UCLA’s Asian Pacific American (APA) Health Care organization, aims to demonstrate how APA can adopt and implement GIS applications into their strategies and aid in improved decision-making as well as visualize client demographic, socioeconomic, and health data.</p><p>COVID Transmission</p><p>The Geospatial Agent-based COVID-19 Transmission (or GeoACT) portal is a browser-based gateway application that allows users to simulate and compare COVID mitigation strategies for K-12 schools. Scenarios with a range of... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/00s1f01h Thu, 30 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Chou, Heather Man, Baily Gourishkar, Anand https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8gm677w7 Career Panel - 1 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8gm677w7 Wed, 29 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Greer, Burke Mabanta, Sierra Schafer-Kramer, Jane Yu, David https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6x81s2jd <p>Mapping Gentrification in Washington, DC</p><p>Anyone who visited or lived in the nation’s capital in the twentieth century would easily conclude that the city has changed in the twenty-first century. Our story maps combine Google Street View with Census data to assess these changes and describe and measure gentrification in Washington, DC.</p><p>Living Landscapes: Unhoused Dwelling in Los Angeles Park Space</p><p>Analysis conducted via Jupyter and publicly accessible on GitHub takes a new approach to documenting and analyzing tension between housed and unhoused neighbors in Los Angeles, by mapping "encampment reports" in the city from 2015-2020. With a special attention to park-based encampments, many of which have been enclosed and evicted since the initial study period, this research provides a template for further mapping studies through GIS or Jupyter/Python analysis, presented as an ArcGIS storymap.</p><p>Crowdsource Mapping of Barriers to Biking, Walking and Rolling</p><p>Physical... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6x81s2jd Wed, 29 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Golash-Boza, Tanya Laborde, Rayne Nelson, Trisalyn Melgrove, Oliver Nakano, Ikuko Prehn, Sam https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6fh4b1zj <p>Making Community Connections with Story Maps, Field Surveys, and Dashboards</p><p>Discover how to connect with and solve community problems and issues with by using a combination of 4 key web GIS tools: Field Surveys, story maps, web maps, and dashboards in this engaging workshop.</p><p>Protected Areas Databases in California</p><p>The California Protected Areas Database (CPAD) and the California Conservation Easement Database (CCED) are authoritative GIS databases of all protected open space lands in California and are the California element of their national counterparts. These databases are publicly accessible and they are updated twice per year. GreenInfo Network, the non-profit maintaining the databases, will conduct an overview of the data, use cases, recent updates, and key resources.</p><p>Towards Scalable Spatial Data Science</p><p>No Abstract</p> https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6fh4b1zj Wed, 29 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Kerski, Joseph Becerril, Kimberly Gebreamlak, Saba Magdy, Amr https://escholarship.org/uc/item/56k3w8vz <p>Spatial distribution of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing Escherichia coli isolated from patients with community-onset bacteriuria</p><p>Introduction: The prevalence of infections caused by extended-spectrum beta-lactamase producing Escherichia coli (ESBL-E. coli) is increasing worldwide. There is growing evidence that community-onset bacteriuria caused by ESBL-E. coli may occur as outbreaks. With data from a public healthcare system in San Francisco, we found increasing prevalence of ESBL-E. coli causing community-onset bacteriuria over 6 years. We examined spatial distribution of community-onset ESBL-E. coli bacteriuria to identify such outbreaks.</p><p> Methods: We collected electronic health record data on patients with E. coli isolated from urine cultures in a public healthcare system from January 2014 to March 2020, including geocoded addresses. We identified community-onset bacteriuria as bacteriuria diagnosed &lt; 48 hours after hospital admission or in individuals... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/56k3w8vz Wed, 29 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Raphael, Eva Zermeno, Alexandria Miao, Yaning https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4700g3p4 Career Panel - 2 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4700g3p4 Wed, 29 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Denney, Cam Vu, Ceci Morrissey, Martha https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3sw1h8s2 <p>Interactive, Data Informed Fertilizer Applications for California Farmers</p><p>One of the most important but difficult decisions farmers make is how much fertilizer to apply and when to apply it. To address this problem in California’s small grain crops, we developed an interactive website that provides customized, site-specific nitrogen (N) fertilizer recommendations. In this presentation we describe how we integrated spatial statewide weather and soil data with user-supplied, field-specific measurements in order to provide N fertilizer recommendations.</p><p>Modeling dynamic change of marijuana use disorder in California</p><p>As marijuana use has been legalized in many states, it is important to understand the changing dynamic of the risk in marijuana use disorder (MUD). This talk explores the temporal pattern of emergency department and hospitalization discharges involving MUD at ZCTA level during 2010-2019 in California. We applied shape-based time-series clustering to... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3sw1h8s2 Wed, 29 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Nelsen, Taylor Cao, Yanjia Edwards, Cerys Nguyen, Andrew https://escholarship.org/uc/item/10k9s49v <p>Old Train Maps: The Many Routes of California's Central Pacific Railroad</p><p>The Central Pacific Railroad was an audacious Sacramento start-up in the 1860s. An early challenge for the company was figuring out a feasible route across the Sierra Nevadas. How did the route of the Central Pacific Railroad evolve from a mere concept to the busy, as-built track it is today? We describe our QGIS workflow and the technical challenges in georeferencing 21 historical maps of varying size, scale, and accuracy, across three time periods.</p><p>Space, Place, and Linked Open Data: Digital Gazetteers and Digital Humanities</p><p>This talk outlines methods and theories surrounding digital gazetteers, and highlights the increasing use and importance of Linked Open Data (LOD) in the practice of digital spatial humanities. It explores how a variety of research projects and pedagogical approached can use LOD resources to answer basic research questions, create maps, and view spatial networks.... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/10k9s49v Wed, 29 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Tobias, Michele Seed, Pat Horne, Ryan https://escholarship.org/uc/item/10j3x16j <p>Digital Documentation of Santa Cruz Cultural Heritage</p><p>The presentation includes my projects as a GIS Intern at California State Parks under the guidance of Denise Jaffke, Archaeologist at CSP, and Paul Veisze, Instructor at American River College. The first project is a historical barn, Cascade Ranch Barn, in Pescadero that was destroyed due to wildfire. As one of the historical landmarks in Santa Cruz County, Pigeon Point Lighthouse is the second project. The focus is on processing UAS imagery using Agisoft Metashape and Drone2Map.</p><p>Space and Time for the Milpa Forest Garden Cycle</p><p>As a critique of the temperate prejudice of the tropics, we embrace the hypothesis that the Maya Forest represents a domesticated landscape to examine the settlement and environmental patterns of the ancient Maya of El Pilar. Recognizing that land use is dependent on knowledge, skill, labor, and that the residential requirements of the landscape are not restricted to field crops,... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/10j3x16j Wed, 29 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Talakoob, Ali Tran, Justin Jamison, Jamie Turenne, Ella https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8wg4944r <p>Mapping Hate Crime in the United States</p><p>Hate crime is a national human rights problem. Incidents are rising, but statistics are unreliable. The need for a publicly available resource documenting hate crimes is great, yet accurate data are not available. The Hate Crime Map addresses this need by providing a crowd-sourced platform where victims can report incidents. The map offers data and sophisticated visualizations by state &amp; county of the types &amp; cause (race, gender, religion) of the attacks. This panel will introduce the map.</p><p>Metamap: Building a More Accessible Campus Map</p><p>Metamap is a student-initiated collaborative project to improve the UCLA campus map for people with disabilities. We aim to log accessible assets, routes, and maintenance issues that pose a threat to accessibility. Our project is an example of the synergies between various different campus entities, including student government, to use GIS for the benefit of the entire campus community.... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8wg4944r Tue, 28 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Grieman, Pamela Cooper, Sachi https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8dt8c7r6 <p>Visualizing Preterm Birth in the Bay Area</p><p>Preterm birth is the leading cause of death under the age of 5, and can lead to lifelong health issues. Its complex causes are associated with genetic, biological, environmental, and sociodemographic factors. We present a geographic data visualization platform to explore rates of PTB and related risk factors in understanding PTB in the Bay Area. This is an essential step for pattern exploration, hypothesis generation, and presents opportunities to increase public and stakeholder involvement.</p><p>Integrated Risk Assessment and Geospatial Analysis for SARS-CoV-2 in Wastewater for Vulnerable Populations</p><p>Wastewater monitoring for SARS-CoV-2 RNA has been shown cost effective to predict outbreaks of COVID-19 by 2-10 days. The virus recovered in wastewater can sample whole city populations with results in 1-2 days. Monitoring efforts are also being deployed in at least 27 countries and 88 universities but there is lack of a global... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8dt8c7r6 Tue, 28 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Naughton, Colleen Yang, Jiue-An Oh, Debby https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6ps4896f <p>Using the Neighborhood Risk Index for Healthier Children Families and Communities</p><p>Using the Neighborhood Risk Index (NRI), an index comprised of 10 indicators or risk factors, we measure how prevalent social and environmental risk factors are for children in a given city by presenting one dimensional maps of neighborhood risk levels classified&nbsp;by zero, low, medium, and high risk. We also display spatial patterns for each risk factor within city boundaries. These maps identify&nbsp;areas of opportunity in neighborhoods to positively influence child development.</p><p>Spatial Heterogeneity in Telehealth Utilization among Patients with MS in the VHA</p><p>The purpose of this study is to examine spatial disparities in COVID-19 testing and test positivity among Veterans enrolled in Veterans Affairs Healthcare (VA). We calculate and map age-adjusted and race-stratified age-adjusted testing rates for each county in the contagious US separately for White Veterans and Black... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6ps4896f Tue, 28 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Pereira, Nicole Magid, Hoda S Hemler, Alyssa Mere, Andre https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6870c958 <p>Monitoring Special Status Species on the Merced Vernal Pools Grasslands Reserve</p><p>The Spatial Analysis and Research Center (SpARC) has worked closely with the campus planning department in maintaining GIS layers and have developed an Esri ArcGIS Collector App which is used to survey and monitor special status species. The Merced Vernal Pool Grasslands Reserve lands are also environmental mitigation lands and are subject to federal and state permit conditions and regulations. A GIS database is maintained to help track research activities and for environmental compliance.</p><p>Daily imaging for Earth science with the Planet CubeSat constellation</p><p>Through our Education and Research program, Planet has more than 5,000 users studying a wide variety of disciplines, including climate change in the cryosphere, terrestrial ecosystems and vegetation dynamics, wildlife biology, threats to coral reefs and other marine habitats, agricultural productivity, and disaster response... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6870c958 Tue, 28 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Mutch, Erin Mascaro, Joseph Scudiero, Elia https://escholarship.org/uc/item/32s9464n <p>Teaching GIS: StoryMaps &amp; Sustainable Development Goals</p><p>In summer 2020, with all learning moved to virtual, I taught Introduction to GIS, an upper division course required for many majors, at UC Davis.&nbsp; Given the difficulties in giving tests and promoting group work, I chose to emphasize project work.&nbsp; Student learned theory through lectures and practical skills using ArcGIS Pro.&nbsp; I also taught ArcGIS Online and StoryMaps, with final projects worth 45% of the grade and presented using StoryMaps and focused on the Sustainable Development Goals.&nbsp;</p><p>Fieldwork from Afar: Using Storymaps for Site Visits</p><p>As COVID-19 limits our ability to move freely, how can architects, planners, and others produce accessible, comprehensive site analysis documents? Using a storymap developed for a recent student pedestrian safety study, cityLAB researchers will share how storymaps made it possible to conduct informative “site walks” from afar with stakeholders... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/32s9464n Tue, 28 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Beardsley, Karen Laborde, Rayne Esposito, Emily https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6mk0z9rc <p>Application of Remote Sensing and GIS in Developing Neighborhood Environmental Measures to Promote Public Health</p><p>The emerging literature on green space and blue space indicates that these factors are likely to mitigate stress and promote public health. This talk outlines an approach to the application of computer vision and machine learning methods to quantify green ( grass, trees, shrubbery, etc.) and blue (ponds, lakes, rivers, bays, and oceans, etc) spaces for Census block groups. We are planning to use these results to find their association with health outcomes among breast cancer survivors.</p><p>GIS and Public Health: Carving an Undergraduate Path with Passion and Enthusiasm</p><p>“What do you plan to do with Geography?” Being the “different” one as a Geography major and GIS minor among my “pre-med” and life science peers has not been easy. But the rocky start opened me up to a new path of career and skill interests that combines the best of both GIS and Public... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6mk0z9rc Mon, 27 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Inamdar, Pushkar Chou, Heather https://escholarship.org/uc/item/80q7v997 <p>I can seed clearly now: A GIS triage protocol for prioritizing areas for seed collection efforts:</p><p>Climate change and wildfire are increasing, stressing limited reforestation seed supplies. Tree stands at low elevation and southern latitudes with hot conditions are potentially both at the highest risk and contain the most climate change-adapted seeds. We present a partially-automated GIS framework to guide seed scouting for tree species in California. Its intended use is to identify areas at the highest risk of extirpation and with the least representation in CalFire’s current seedbank.</p><p>We begin by creating new, highly-accurate species range maps (see my other presentation this week) and intersecting each with “seed zones and elevation bands” (SZEBs), used for cataloging the state’s seed lots and reforestation efforts. Next, we combined place-based climate change exposure, processed using principal components analysis in RStudio, and potential wildfire intensity... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/80q7v997 Fri, 7 Feb 2025 00:00:00 +0000 McConnell, Clancy Baronia, Danelle Angeline John, Christian https://escholarship.org/uc/item/708654wt <p>Digitize, Demystify, Democratize: Exploring the National Zoning Atlas Map Viewer:</p><p> The National Zoning Atlas (NZA) is a publicly-available database that aims to collect and standardize all zoning codes across the U.S. into a single, easy-to-read format. It allows the public to assess zoning in their area, advocate for policy reform, and keep politicians and public administrators accountable. It can also be a powerful tool for researchers.</p><p>In this workshop, we will begin by reviewing the GIS and attribute data collection methods used by the UC Davis Center for Regional Change to build the California Zoning Atlas, the largest component of the NZA. Then, we will walk through how to use the NZA map viewer and compare jurisdictions within California and between states. We will conclude with an open discussion of policy implications, advocacy outcomes, ongoing challenges, and possible research questions. Attendees only need to use the NZA Map Viewer; there are no software... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/708654wt Fri, 7 Feb 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Safavian, Tara La, Anthony McConnell, Clancy Brinkley, Catherine La, Anthony Safavian, Tara McConnell, Clancy Brinkley, Catherine https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6jd5q8x4 <p>NASA Lifelines Introduction:</p><p>This talk will introduce NASA Lifelines - a recent initiative to bridge the gap between geospatial data and humanitarian action.</p><p>Happiness is... GIS in Bhutan!:</p><p>UC Davis offers its LDA/ABT 150 (Upper division “Introduction to GIS”) course as a study abroad class in the mountainous Kingdom of Bhutan, which is also known as “The Land of the Thunder Dragon.” Dr. Karen Beardsley has taught this 4-week course four times since its inception in 2018, most recently in the summer of 2024. The class is open to students from all UCs and will be held again August—September of 2025. Together with IT Manager Carlos Barahona, Dr. Beardsley will present the course syllabus, teaching methodology, and experience with the final group projects. In addition, they will share some advantages (and challenges!) of teaching GIS in a culturally and biologically rich environment, at over 8000 feet in elevation.</p><p>GeoConnect: Centralizing Geospatial Resources... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6jd5q8x4 Fri, 7 Feb 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Bhajan, Liam Beardsley, Karen Tarmey, Maggie Sepúlveda Carlo, Edil A. Yates, Emma https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6hm944r7 <p>Analyzing the Impact of COVID-19 on College Enrollment Rates Across California High Schools: A Geospatial Approach:</p><p>This study examines the impact of various demographic and socioeconomic factors on college enrollment rates among high schools across California, with a primary focus on how the COVID-19 pandemic altered these trends. By analyzing county-level enrollment data before and during the pandemic, we identified key patterns related to gender, race, and socioeconomic status. The research further investigates the correlation between the Social Vulnerability Index (SVI) and income levels, highlighting geographical disparities and pinpointing counties most affected by the pandemic. Data from the California Department of Education and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR)/Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) was utilized to perform a geostatistical analysis. A paired t-test was conducted to evaluate the significance of changes in enrollment... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6hm944r7 Fri, 7 Feb 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Michel, Lucas Oh, Debby Brinkley, Catherine https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5rn71174 <p>Migration and Structural Transformation: The case of Mennonites in Latin America:</p><p>Using novel geospatial data on Mennonite colonies in Latin America and satellite night lights data, I study the effects of the introduction of the colonies on structural change in a host country. I find that on average, colony establishment attracts increased growth nearby, and de-growth far away from colonies. The results suggest that the colonies, which present persistent shocks to agricultural productivity, may induce a reallocation of human and economic activity in the host country.</p><p>(In)Visible Urban Geographies: Cartographic Approach to Visualizing Anti-Homeless Topography in Venice, CA:</p><p>Using Venice, CA as a case study, the lightning talk will cover the ways our urban environment is shaped to exclude unhoused people from public spaces. First, examples of physical additions to the urban topography—through the use of sleep-deterrent benches, sidewalk planters, fences, and... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5rn71174 Fri, 7 Feb 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Stacy, Elena Vucetic, Veronika Wartell https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5q25r7fq <p>Sky High Insights: Campus Facility Management with Drones:</p><p>This lightning talk will explore the integration of drone technology in university campus facility management. We will discuss how drone flights capture high-resolution images, enabling the creation of detailed 3D models of campus infrastructure. Leveraging advanced image processing and machine learning algorithms, these models facilitate enhanced data analysis for maintenance and planning.</p><p>Key benefits include enhanced accuracy in monitoring facility conditions, proactive maintenance strategies, and optimized resource allocation. Through case studies, we will demonstrate how to prepare for drone flights and illustrate how the integration of drones with AI and machine learning can transform facility management, fostering smarter and more sustainable campus environments.</p><p>Building accurate range maps for California’s 104 tree species:</p><p>Biogeography is the study of the distribution of biota across... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5q25r7fq Fri, 7 Feb 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Huang, Jingyi Birk, Taran McConnell, Clancy Yuen, Jason Engelmeier, April Thorne, James Boynton, Ryan Mutch, Erin https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4vc220r1 <p>National Park Service:</p><p>This panel session is aimed at undergraduate students to learn more about opportunities to get involved with geospatial data while still in school. Hear from several colleageus about opportunities through the National Park Service, a County GIS Program, and more.</p><p>Solano County GIS:</p><p>This panel session is aimed at undergraduate students to learn more about opportunities to get involved with geospatial data while still in school. Hear from several colleageus about opportunities through the National Park Service, a County GIS Program, and more.</p><p>NASA Develop:</p><p>This panel session is aimed at undergraduate students to learn more about opportunities to get involved with geospatial data while still in school. Hear from several colleageus about opportunities through the National Park Service, a County GIS Program, and more.</p> https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4vc220r1 Fri, 7 Feb 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Wilder, Doug Manchado, Daniel Bhajan, Liam Beardsley, Karen Tarmey, Maggie Sepúlveda Carlo, Edil A. Yates, Emma Huang, Jingyi Aldonado, Anna M. Zarate, Alina Bruellman, Ryan Yang, Bo Baronia, Danelle Angeline John, Christian Oh, Debby Brinkley, Catherine https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4kw0w1qv <p>UC San Diego Campuswide Construction Alert: GIS Application:</p><p>Provide an overview of UC San Diego’s new Construction Alert Process. Easy-to-learn and use construction alert applications, within ArcGIS Enterprise, for use by Project Managers/Specialists in Construction Program Management and Facilities Management, were created. These GIS products provide the ability for PMs/Specialists to directly edit construction alert layers to facilitate:</p><p>• Improved efficiency for the campus construction alert process, as it pertains to geospatial layers/graphic creation/modification, and</p><p>• Standardization of campus construction alert maps for use by the campus community</p><p>Enhancing Campus Life: ArcGIS Indoors for Smart Space Management:</p><p>This presentation will introduce ArcGIS Indoors and its impactful applications in university campus facility management. ArcGIS Indoors offers a comprehensive platform for effective space management, enabling universities to optimize... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4kw0w1qv Fri, 7 Feb 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Henderson, Diana Huang, Jingyi Aldonado, Anna M. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/0fv7k4d5 <p>Comparing GIS-Based and WUDAPT Approaches for Local Climate Zone Mapping: A Case Study in Denton County:</p><p>The Local Climate Zone (LCZ) classification scheme offers a standardized framework for characterizing the local thermal environment, revolutionizing urban climate studies by moving beyond the traditional urban-rural dichotomy. This method classifies the landscape into 10 built types and 7 land cover types to provide a better representation of the urban fabric and morphology. While machine learning approaches using satellite imagery have gained tremendous popularity in LCZ mapping, they often require high-quality training samples and can introduce uncertainties depending on model performance and data quality.</p><p>In this study, we applied a GIS-based approach to map LCZs in Denton County, TX at a 100-meter resolution. Utilizing 1-meter resolution land cover data and LIDAR-derived products, we extracted key indicators such as building height, building surface fraction,... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/0fv7k4d5 Fri, 7 Feb 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Tse, Justin Zarate, Alina Bruellman, Ryan Yang, Bo