A Geographic Network Automata Approach for Modeling Dynamic Ecological Systems

Landscape connectivity networks are composed of nodes representing georeferenced habitat patches that link together based on a species’ maximum dispersal distance. These static representations cannot capture the complexity in species dispersal where the network of habitat patch nodes changes structure over time as a function of local dispersal dynamics. Therefore, the objective of this study is to integrate geographic information, complexity, and network science to propose a novel Geographic Network Automata (GNA) modeling approach for the simulation of dynamic spatial ecological networks. The proposed GNA modeling approach is applied to the emerald ash borer (EAB) forest insect infestation using geospatial data sets from Michigan, U.S.A. and simulates the evolution of the EAB spatiotemporal dispersal network structures across a large regional scale. The GNA model calibration and sensitivity analysis are performed. The simulated spatial network structures are quantified using graph theory measures. Results indicate that the spatial distribution of habitat patch nodes across the landscape in combination with EAB dispersal processes generate a highly connected small-world dispersal network that is robust to node removal. The presented GNA model framework is general and flexible so that different types of geospatial phenomena can be modeled, providing valuable insights for management and decision-making.     

The political impact of the European Capital of Culture: ‘Maribor 2012 gave us the power to change the regime’

The European Capital of Culture (ECoC) is a cultural political initiative of the European Union and is perceived as one of the most prestigious events in the community. Existing studies have neglected the political effects of hosting ECoC in terms of engendering regime change in host cities. The present study therefore tries to fill this gap and demonstrates how the cultural policy of Maribor 2012, including its implementation, impacted on local citizens’ communication and political activities and contributed to regime change in the city at the end of the cultural year. The paper employed document analysis, participant observation of all the main processes of ECoC Maribor 2012 and in-depth interviews with management, programme organisers, cultural operators and participants. It shows that through the empowerment of local citizens by means of bottom-up initiatives in the effective planning and implementation of ECoC, they challenged the regime and neoliberal system of Maribor.     

Comparison of GIS‐Based Logic Scoring of Preference and Multicriteria Evaluation Methods: Urban Land Use Suitability

Multi‐criteria evaluation (MCE) methods are useful tools to evaluate the land suitability for various uses and assist in the effective management of available land. Many common GIS‐based MCE methods, such as analytical hierarchy process (AHP), ordered weighted averaging (OWA), and a combination of AHP and OWA methods (AHP–OWA) are not able to fully represent all the logic that constitute a wide range of human decision‐making reasoning. Consequently, improved GIS‐based MCE methods such as Logic Scoring of Preference (LSP) method are needed. The main objectives of this study are to: (1) implement the GIS‐based LSP method for land suitability evaluation and (2) compare qualitatively and quantitatively the suitability maps generated by LSP and three GIS‐based MCE methods. This study was implemented with data sets from Boulder County, Colorado, USA for the case study of the urban land suitability evaluation. The qualitative properties of MCE methods and the Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) statistics were used as comparison metrics. The results indicate that soft computing methods and particularly LSP performed the best among GIS‐based MCE methods for the urban land use application.     

Spatial/temporal mismatch: a conflation protocol for Canada Census spatial files

The Canada census is one of the chief sources of demographic and socio-economic data for researchers in this country. Census variables are linked to geography files that allow researchers using geographic information systems (GIS) to view and analyze spatial data. Some of the most useful analysis, however, is based on changes in attribute values over time and space. Analysis of spatio- temporal events such as shifting migration patterns or changes in the distribution of health status permits a more dimensioned perspective than the viewing of static spatial phenomena. The analysis of spatio-temporal phenomena is limited by major changes in the spatial framework (e.g., location of road networks and other spatial entities) between national censuses. This paper addresses this limitation by (i) illustrating the extent of spatial mismatch between the 1996 and the 2001 census; (ii) examining attempts to rectify this problem in other jurisdictions and (iii) presenting a 'made-in-Canada' solution for conflation of census geometries. We believe that this solution will enhance the ability of Canadian researchers to describe and analyze socio-economic, health and demographic shifts across time and space. The research is supported by an ftp site for downloading the census geography rectification software presented in this paper.