Course description: This course will familiarize students with the basic knowledge of geographic information systems (GIS) and their application to social work practice and research. The course is organized around three primary areas: 1) conceptual; 2) technical; and 3) data management. A conceptual overview of GIS is presented to provide students with foundational knowledge about the theory, purpose, function, and applicability of GIS in practice and research settings. Students will develop critical thinking skills necessary to devise research questions appropriate for a GIS, to develop a GIS, interpret the findings, and to evaluate the spatial relationships between variables.
If you created a poster before Spring 2015 and would like to make it openly available (Unrestricted) online, please submit the linked Consent Form to digital@wustl.edu.
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Investment and Disinvestment in College Hill Neighborhood
Elizabeth Thorne-Wallington and Yangyong Zhang
12-12-2014The College Hill project by Grace Hill focuses on developing the College Hill neighborhood. The mission of the project is to assert control over the area in order to improve it through resident ownership. Currently, there are new social service and health centers being developed by Grace Hill in the neighborhood, and the goal of the overall project is to change the entire nature of the neighborhood including the school system, retail services, and job centers. Grace Hill is hoping that the College Hill neighborhood will serve as a model of neighborhood cooperation that can then be emulated in other neighborhoods across the city. These maps work to answer what patterns exist in the neighborhood as well as where Grace Hill should focus its investment efforts.
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Mapping Rural Health Systems using GIS
Jin Tran and Ravikumar Chockalingam
12-12-2014IKP Centre for Technologies in Public Health (ICTPH) aims to improve the health of poor populations through an inclusive process that scientifically integrates knowledge of factors influencing health and diseases in India, regular evaluation and impact assessment of existing health systems and integration of appropriate technology for optimal health care delivery. In this context, an Integrated Rural Health System has been designed, developed and implemented by ICTPH in their field sites that spans across 15 villages in rural South India. This project includes mapping the health system model to look at access to outreach and primary care services, analyzing the clustering of population in reference to spatial location of SVG’ and mapping disease incidence and prevalence by hamlets by tracking geotagged households from Electronic Health Record data.
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Exploratory Analysis of Existing Open Space in St. Louis - An approach to finding an ideal park site -
Margaret van Bakergem
12-12-2014Urban green spaces can contribute to stress reduction and mood change. Research shows that the percentage of green space in people’s living environment has a positive association with perceived general health, (Mass et al., 2006). Additionally, parks that are conveniently located have been associated with vigorous physical activity which can foster healthful lifestyles. Parks can also facilitate social interactions that are crucial to maintain social capital. Finally, housing that is within close proximity to a park is positively associated with property value. (Dedimo-Rung et al., 2004). In Saint Louis, Missouri, the city recognizes seven primary parks that comprise a total of 2.175 acres. In addition to these recognized parks, there are also 1,275 acres of additional open space throughout the city. Unfortunately, there are sill neighborhoods that have limited accessibility to urban green space. This project analyzes existing park conditions in St. Louis and research potential sites for a new park, considering factors of population density, crime rates and available land.
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Factors That May Impact Teenage Alcohol Abuse in the Southern Kenai Peninsula Region of Alaska
Martha Weber
5-4-2014This project examines MAPP of SKP requested products that would help them visualize where teenagers can gather and what activities are available to them, how easily accessible alcohol is within the community, and where the regional substance abuse centers are located.
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Stroke And State Borders: A Case Study of the Social and Physical Contextual Factors Influencing Stroke Burden in Metro East, IL
Krista P. Woodward
12-9-2014Stroke is a multifaceted medical event that is caused by multiple levels of health, social, economic, and environmental determinants. This project examines socioeconomic mechanisms and data sharing policies were explored in Madison, Monroe, and St. Clair County to better understand the burden of stroke in the Metro East. The research aims to examine which socioeconomic determinants that significantly predict the likelihood that stroke patients from Madison, Monroe, and St. Clair Counties will seek treatment in Illinois (N = 67 ZIP codes) and ti determine whether accounting for stroke cases treated in Missouri will significantly increase the incidence of stroke in the three Metro East counties.
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Academic Achievement and Physical Inactivity: Girls on the Run Programs in Michigan
Chenyu Zhao
12-9-2014Girls on the Run (GOTR) inspires girls to be healthy and confident by using an interactive curriculum that creatively integrates running. This project conducts a spatial analysis of physical inactivity and academic achievement while recommending additional counties for GOTR expansion in Michigan. The research examines whether there is a negative correlation between elementary to middle school achievement in Michigan and physical inactivity? What are potential counties with low health factor rankings that Girls on the Run (GOTR) should expand into?
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Potential Sites for a Future Mental Health Agency in the Kansas City Region
Pichaya Adakul and Lydia Kim
7-1-2013The focus of this project is to investigate change over time in the levels of stigma against individuals with mental illness in the nine metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) of Missouri and locate potential sites for future development of a new mental health service agency focused on advocacy and educational initiatives.
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Mapping Barriers to Accessibility: Identifying priority communities for public transit advocacy
Ellis Ballard
7-1-2013This project asks if St. Louis’ bus network is accessible to people with disabilities and, if not, which communities should be prioritized for community-based organizing and advocacy for accessibility improvements
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Analyzing Reported Calls and Arrests in Twin Lakes & Coyote Canyon, New Mexico on Battery Crime
Lindsay Belone
5-7-2013This project seeks to compare two communities on the Navajo reservation in New Mexico to examine battery crime cases reported and arrests for battery offenders.
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Old North St. Louis Residents’ School Choices and Accessibility
Rachel Brown
5-7-2013This project looks at what patterns can be seen in the educational landscape of students from Old North, how far students travel to go to school, amd how far is it by public transit from home to school.
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Assessing the St. Louis County Flood Plain: An Exploration of the Lemay Community
Velvet E. Bryant
7-1-2013This project examines how the local economy and community recovered from the 1993 flood through the replacement or expansion of residential and commercial property values. It asks: what support services and factors facilitate small business development in Lemay and St. Louis County more broadly?
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Volcanism in Ecuador: Assessment of Disaster Preparedness
Jenna Cameron
5-7-2013This project examines 2007 survey data relating to preparedness and volcanism through geospatial representation and develops recommendations for future research focused on preparedness.
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Relationship Between Population and Evacuation Capacity of Shelters in Greater St. Louis area
Neerja Chavakula and Bowen Sitzes
12-1-2013The goal of the project is to determine patterns or association between population density and shelter density and to answer the questions of whether areas in Greater St. Louis area with high population density have high number of shelters and what are the potential areas for shelter development.
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Transportation Analysis for Future Parenting Classfor New American Preparatory Academy (NAPA
Kelly Collingwood
7-1-2013This project aims to question what the best transportation option is, concerning time and cost, for the families and NAPA to ensure 75% attendance rate at the parenting class?
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Community-Level Factors and High School Graduation Rates for Youth with Sickle Cell Disease
Barbara Ddamulira
5-7-2013This project explores what community level factors impact high school graduation rates in youth with SCD.