Recognizing that young Americans have a gap in their understanding of geography and their roles as global citizens, National Geographic “created Geography Awareness Week to raise awareness to this dangerous deficiency in American education and excite people about geography as both a discipline and as a part of everyday life… Each third week of November, students, families, and community members focus on the importance of geography by hosting events; using lessons, games, and challenges in the classroom; and often meet with policymakers and business leaders.” 

 To celebrate Geography Awareness Week, Falvey Memorial Library and the Department of Geography and the Environment (GEV) invite you to attend this week’s geography-focused events, to check out our list of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) projects below, and to follow along with Falvey’s blogs sharing projects and discussions from GEV’s students. 

GIS Projects 

• Esri Story Map projects from GEV’s 4320/8320: GIS for Conservation Management class. 
• Georeferenced historic photography of Villanova University’s campus from 1950-1990. 
• A 3D model of Villanova University’s campus created with drone footage (DJI Mavic 2 Pro), 3D photogrammetry software (Pix4Dmapper), ArcGIS Pro, and imported into 3D scene in ArcGIS Online. 

Today we talk about geospatial technology for the military and using GIS and geography to solve environmental problems.

Geospatial Technology for the Military

My name is Kylee Giblin, and I am currently using Global Interdisciplinary Studies (GIS) for a job I got after graduation with Naval Information Warfare Center Pacific (NIWC). Because of my GIS experience during undergrad I was able to get hired as a beginning GIS Technician. Currently I have been converting computer-aided design (CAD) documents into ArcGIS Pro for telecom data for various infrastructure areas on the island. This might sound confusing (it was to me too)! The maps we make show manholes and telecom or electrical lines that connect to the manholes. GIS work is important for this because we need to know where the communication lines lie in cases of emergency. The maps are also important for having the exact location of cables etc. in order to fix them or to check them. The job isn’t just computer restricted, we need to go into the field and physically GPS where the manholes and other data are so that when referring to the maps, they are correct.

Though this work is not environmentally focused, I am able to learn a lot about GIS tools that I could apply to future work. I am also learning about the land where I am from and the military areas that I did not know before.

Kylee Giblin is a Villanova GEV undergraduate alum from 2021. She majored in Environmental Studies.

Geography and GIS Help Solve Environmental Problems

My name is Caroline Dimich, and I am a recent graduate of Villanova’s department of Geography and the Environment (GEV). I double majored in Environmental Studies and Geography. I believe that studying geography was extremely beneficial to my education because it led me to understand how everything can be connected, even if it is far apart. I explored many different courses where geography was an undertone topic and I truly got to see how the world works with the meshing of cultures, people, and physical landscapes. I am grateful to the GEV department for inspiring me to learn more about my passion in geography in thought provoking classes with incredible concepts that made coming to class everyday exciting.

For my senior project I was lucky enough to work with Professor Jen Santoro and use Geographic Information Systems to look at a spatial problem that I find important. I completed a Multi Criteria Decision Analysis looking at the state of Montana and understanding its wind energy potential to see where future wind farms could be located. The issue of renewable energy is extremely important as the world faces the impending climate crisis. I grew up in Montana where I have been inspired by the differing landscapes and seeing how dependent the states is on Fossil Fuels while there is such a large potential for renewable energy to be captured. In this study I gained GIS and research experience while being able to locate large amounts land to capture enough wind energy to power the entire United States. This was an incredible opportunity to work with Professor Santoro and learn more about my home state as well as seeing a positive future for renewable energy.

After graduating from Villanova, I had the opportunity to intern with Catholic Relief Services (CRS) as a Data and Geospatial Analyst. During the three month internship I worked with people all over the globe who had one common goal which was to help people who were less fortunate and to make the world a better place. I had two main projects that I worked on throughout my time with CRS. The first project was to look at watersheds in Sierra Leone, Africa and determine areas that were at high risk for flooding in future rain events. This process would eventually be used to determine flooding risk in other areas of the world. The second project I worked on was understanding a GIS model that a Villanova research team had created to find areas in countries after natural disaster events. This model was very intricate and took many hazards and compared them to find areas of high risk. The model then looked at necessities that humans need such as healthcare, transportation, and land cover to determine where shelters must be located after natural disasters. This model will also be used in other areas of the world to help response teams act quickly in the event of a disaster to save as many people as possible.

In both my senior project as well as my internship I have learned why geography and tools such as GIS are important to the future of this world. Not only can the study of geography help bring people together around the world, but it can also help students understand how they can create a better place to live. I cannot express my gratitude to the GEV department for helping students such as myself expand their knowledge and want to help others.

Caroline Dimich is a Villanova GEV undergraduate alum from 2021. She majored in Environmental Studies and Geography.

Geography and GIS in Urban Environments

How do you use geography/GIS in your work or research?

My name is Kate Homet, and I use GIS everyday in my own thesis work, but also for my classes! I’m in my second year here at GEV in the MS program and my thesis research utilizes GIS and spatial data to create a spatial model to help make the planning of green stormwater infrastructure across Philadelphia more equitable in terms of mapping social, infrastructural, environmental, and maintenance vulnerabilities. To do this, I use social demographic data and display it spatially by census block group, map the location of 10-year, 24-hour design storm flood inundation, utilize city parcel data to map which buildings are susceptible to flooding, and model where stormwater infrastructure maintenance impacts such as litter, leaf litter, and sediment tend to build up across the city.

Not only am I using GIS and geography for my research, but I also use it in most of my classes as well! It is such an awesome tool to have in my toolbelt because it can be used for a variety of different purposes and in so many disciplines.

I use it in Remote Sensing with Professor Kelley to interpret satellite imagery, I used it in my Drones course with our GIS whiz Michele Gandy and Professor Strader, to download and analyze drone footage, and I used it in my Wetlands course with Dr. Weston to map marsh sites and sediment accretion. And that is only what I did this semester!

Why is geography/GIS important to the work you do?

The ability to understand the spatial relationships in the world around you is crucial. Whether you’re planning to move to a new city, and you need to know where you can get groceries, or you’re looking for a new hiking path to try, you will always be utilizing some sort of geographic information to navigate through life. The work I’m doing now is adding to my toolbox of GIS skills and spatial modeling, something I hope to bring into my future career modeling flooding and planning for climate change adaptation. If you haven’t already taken a class in GIS, I highly suggest it. Our program may seem difficult at first, or it may come as second nature to you, but having those baseline skills in GIS will come in handy one day, no matter what discipline you’re in.

Kate Homet is a Villanova GEV Masters of Science in Environmental Science (MSES) graduate student. She is working with Dr. Peleg Kremer.

Recognizing that young Americans have a gap in their understanding of geography and their roles as global citizens, National Geographic “created Geography Awareness Week to raise awareness to this dangerous deficiency in American education and excite people about geography as both a discipline and as a part of everyday life… Each third week of November, students, families, and community members focus on the importance of geography by hosting events; using lessons, games, and challenges in the classroom; and often meet with policymakers and business leaders.” 

 To celebrate Geography Awareness Week, Falvey Memorial Library and the Department of Geography and the Environment (GEV) invite you to attend this week’s geography-focused events, to check out our list of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) projects below, and to follow along with Falvey’s blogs sharing projects and discussions from GEV’s students. 

GIS Projects 

• Esri Story Map projects from GEV’s 4320/8320: GIS for Conservation Management class. 
• Georeferenced historic photography of Villanova University’s campus from 1950-1990. 
• A 3D model of Villanova University’s campus created with drone footage (DJI Mavic 2 Pro), 3D photogrammetry software (Pix4Dmapper), ArcGIS Pro, and imported into 3D scene in ArcGIS Online. 

Today we talk about the links between geography and communications as well as GIS for wildlife ecology.

Geography & Communications, Closer Than They Appear

Geography and communications—at first glance, the two fields seem unrelated. However, since beginning my Communications internship at the nonprofit EcoAgriculture Partners, I realized that these two fields are involved in a mutually beneficial relationship.

Working in communications necessitates understanding the audience’s needs and wants. Consequently, geography plays an integral role in understanding the motivations of your audience. As a communicator, I must consider the location of our global partners and stakeholders. Factoring in global audiences requires an inclusive communication strategy. For instance, even something as simple as providing multiple time zones for an event helps supporters better understand our intent and the information we are providing.

Though I do not directly utilize technical geography or GIS skills in my job, my background in these areas translates well into the responsibilities needed for my current position. Spending my junior and senior years at Villanova learning how to design the perfect map blossomed into a passion for designing communicable graphics. The storytelling skills I built in my geography classes and through the creation of StoryMaps gave me the confidence to write compelling stories about the global work EcoAgriculture does. My geography and GIS classes laid the foundation for skills like attention to detail, creativity, and storytelling, all of which I use every day in my role.

In the course of my internship, I plan to utilize my GIS abilities through developing StoryMaps and maps to communicate the results of future field research projects. I am excited to tell these stories by combining old and new skills. At present, I am working on a long-term project of documenting the history of our organization, which will hopefully allow me the opportunity to illustrate a larger geographical picture of the work EcoAgriculture Partners has done for over two decades.

Geography and GIS, while appearing as specifications, are valuable to a plethora of fields. I am so grateful I took advantage of the opportunity to study these areas in-depth while at Villanova which allowed me to take away such beneficial skills. As a grateful alum, I’m wishing everyone a Happy Geography Awareness Week & GIS Day!

Delaina Castillo is a Villanova GEV undergraduate alum from 2021. She majored in Environmental Studies and Art History.

GIS for Wildlife Ecology

Geography has been a key component of my ecological research, allowing me to analyze data and visualize trends in new ways. In the summer of 2020, I lived at Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge studying species distribution of large mammals living there. I used data from a long-standing camera trap network to analyze how species such as mule deer, elk, oryx, coyotes, bobcats, and mountain lions are spread across the refuge and use the available water sources. Geography and GIS made my participation in this project possible and allowed me to perform some cool analyses.

The first question I asked was if water visitation varied spatially or temporally based on average precipitation or temperature. To do this, I used the GPS location of all of the camera traps and collected precipitation and temperature data from LANDSAT. With this, I was able to study how different species reacted differently to their environment. All species reacted pretty similarly to precipitation—all visiting perennial water sources more frequently in drier weather. When looking at temperature, however, the different species reacted in the distinct patterns; bobcats, elk, and mule deer all used perennial water sources more at higher temperatures. Coyotes and pumas utilized perennial water sources at similar levels across all temperatures—which makes sense as they gain a lot of their water from predation. Oryx showed distinct peaks at each extreme temperature—likely resulting from their adaptations to extreme aridity from evolving in arid regions of Africa.

My final research question was asking what habitat characteristics determined optimal habitat for large mammals on the refuge. For this, I modeled optimal habitat for mountain lions based on methods from previous papers. Using land cover, slope, and ruggedness layers, I was able to create a model for suitable mountain lion habitat. I then compared this model to the camera trap dataset and the sites modeled as good habitat had noticeably more mountain lion occurrences. Finally, I paired the camera trap dataset with fieldwork hiking over the refuge and taking GPS coordinates for tracks and scat of large mammals to carry out a Maxent analysis of species distribution. Geographical analysis enabled me to study ecology on a larger scale, giving me tools to research population-wide trends. Most of the research methods I used for this were methods I learned in my coursework at Villanova, during multiple GIS and remote sensing classes. Geography has given me a research skillset distinct from pure ecologists and biologists—leading to some really cool opportunities like this!

Alec Henderson is a senior at Villanova. He is majoring in Environmental Science.

Recognizing that young Americans have a gap in their understanding of geography and their roles as global citizens, National Geographic “created Geography Awareness Week to raise awareness to this dangerous deficiency in American education and excite people about geography as both a discipline and as a part of everyday life… Each third week of November, students, families, and community members focus on the importance of geography by hosting events; using lessons, games, and challenges in the classroom; and often meet with policymakers and business leaders.” 

 To celebrate Geography Awareness Week, Falvey Memorial Library and the Department of Geography and the Environment (GEV) invite you to attend this week’s geography-focused events, to check out our list of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) projects below, and to follow along with Falvey’s blogs sharing projects and discussions from GEV’s students. 

GIS Projects 

• Esri Story Map projects from GEV’s 4320/8320: GIS for Conservation Management class. 
• Georeferenced historic photography of Villanova University’s campus from 1950-1990. 
• A 3D model of Villanova University’s campus created with drone footage (DJI Mavic 2 Pro), 3D photogrammetry software (Pix4Dmapper), ArcGIS Pro, and imported into 3D scene in ArcGIS Online. 

Today we talk about geospatial analysis in the utilities industry, urban geography’s impacts on human health, and how geographic information system (GIS) goes hand-in-hand with environmental security.

Geospatial Analysis in the Utilities Industry

Since graduation, I have been working as a Business Analyst in the Consulting division of Primera Engineers. As consultants, we provide a variety of services for our clients, from GIS work to project management, often for gas and electric utility companies.

One of my projects currently underway leverages high-accuracy GPS technology to locate gas utility pipelines with sub-inch accuracy, enabling our team to revise historical sketches in GIS and collect data detailing the pipeline materials, assets, and locations. This information is vital to preventing pipeline damages during construction, and improves the utility’s ability to find, repair, and replace its pipelines.

Another of my primary projects is reviewing and revising the emergency response plan for one of our gas and electric utility clients. Responding to a gas event incorporates core geographical questions, such as where, when, why, and how the emergency occurs. In the emergency response plan, my team accounted for severity, event type, procedures, notifications, and other factors while simultaneously streamlining the plan. The process of developing a clear and efficient response plan often utilized the skills I developed through my geography classes, where my course work often focused on connecting diverse details through time and place.

One of the most geographically applicable events is storm response.  Mid-Atlantic gas and electric utilities exist at the nexus of two storm systems, where tropical storms from the Gulf Stream and Canadian Nor’Easters can deliver intense rain and snowstorms. Preparing for a storm emergency in the Mid-Atlantic is innately geographical, as it hinges upon utilities’ locality and how weather patterns impact the area they service. Storm response begins before the storm arrives, with gas and electric utility companies conducting pre-planning meetings to prepare for landfall. In a changing climate environment that forebodes more frequent and intense storm systems, a timely and effective emergency response plan is vital  — enabling utility companies to prepare for climate events and better service their customers.

These projects are only two examples of the work I do at Primera. I have had the opportunity to work on a variety of projects that tap into my geographical skills. I particularly enjoy observing how different projects connect with each other through common goals, regulations, best practices, and more. At work, I often find that I am thinking holistically, a skill that I honed studying geography. I connect my work across utilities, technologies, processes, communications and more, working with my team to advance our clients’ goals.

Annelise Laughlin is a Villanova GEV undergraduate alum from 2021. She majored in Geography and Communication and was a 2021 Falvey Scholar.

Urban Geography Impacts Human Health

At present, just over half of the world’s population lives in cities; by 2050, two out of three people will call a city their home. As urban populations grow at a rapid pace, it becomes increasingly important to consider air quality and the impact that it has on human health. Though great strides have been made in recent years to ensure that people have access to clean air, air quality management can still be quite difficult in cities. After all, cities are very complex environments; many potential sources of air pollution exist (traffic, industry, and energy production just to name a few…), and the impact of each of these sources can change depending on the time of day and where they’re located in the urban environment. In order to effectively address air quality issues worldwide, we need to know when – and where – air pollution poses the greatest risk to people.

Where in the city does air pollution pose the greatest threat to human health, and what can we do about it?

To this end, I have been conducting research in Philadelphia in conjunction with Drs. Peleg Kremer and Kabindra Shakya to find where and when concentrations of air pollutants – specifically, fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) – are highest. Using a van equipped with GPS and air pollution monitors, we drove more than 300 miles throughout Philadelphia and collected over 400,000 data points to gain a deeper understanding of PM_2.5 concentrations than is possible with conventional monitoring methods.

Gearing up for the first of many drives in Philadelphia!

Through our mobile monitoring campaign, we found that the highest PM_2.5­ concentrations were measured in the North Delaware and River Wards planning zones. However, knowing where these concentrations are highest is only half the battle; we also need to consider why concentrations are elevated in these areas. With high resolution land cover raster data combined with parcel data from the City of Philadelphia, we were able to lend essential spatial context to our air pollution data. Ultimately, we found distinct relationships between particulate matter concentrations and specific urban structure patterns. By identifying urban structure patterns that could potentially contribute to higher levels of particulate matter pollution, we can help city planners and officials make more effective policy and design choices to improve air quality as cities like Philadelphia continue to grow and develop worldwide.

If you would like to learn more about air pollution in Philadelphia and how the urban environment can influence air quality, feel free to check out my research articles, Mobile Monitoring of Air Pollution Reveals Spatial and Temproal Variation in an Urban Landscape and Predicting citywide distribution of air pollution using mobile monitoring and three-dimensional urban structure!

Lucas Cummings is a Villanova GEV Masters of Science in Environmental Science (MSES) alum from 2021.

GIS Goes Hand-in-Hand with Environmental Security

My name is Justin Weber, and I am a second-year master’s student here in GEV. I am currently finishing up my program and am preparing to defend my thesis in November 2021. GIS and geography are central to my research. My research is based in environmental security, a field that examines how climatic and environmental factors influence the development, outbreak, and resolution of both peaceful and violent conflicts across the world. Environmental security lends itself to inter-disciplinary collaboration, connecting subjects like political geography, ethnography, remote sensing, and physical geography. Tabular records, interviews, climatic data, and other data can all be integrated to examine the relationship between environment and conflict. In my thesis, I explored the relationship between land quality and violent conflicts between farmers and herders in Nigeria. These conflicts pose a grave human and economic risk to many people in Africa’s largest and fastest growing country. My goals were to examine if, and to what extent, changing climate influenced the development of conflicts.

Within this project, I operated almost exclusively in ArcGIS Pro with a variety of different data types and datasets. Land quality data were created from remotely sensed vegetation and precipitation data. GIS was immensely valuable because it allows analysts to take news reports of conflicts and geolocate them for analysis. Conflict data were integrated from three independent data sets and combined into a single, ArcGIS feature class, which was easy to analyze using spatial tools in ArcGIS. I then used GIS tools to combine land quality variables with conflict events. From this synthesis of data, I examined previously unknown spatial and temporal patterns. Hopefully, my research can be used by other researchers and policy makers to better protect at risk populations across Africa.

None of the spatial or temporal analysis I conducted during this research would be possible without GIS (at least in a reasonable amount of time!). Thanks to previously developed scripts, tools, and software like ArcGIS and others, I was able to sort through and analyze thousands of conflicts. Additionally, I could examine large geographic areas and integrate twenty years of vegetation and rainfall data into my analyses. Modern GIS allows me and other researchers to explore spatial problems from an analytical framework and at a scale that we have never had before. Additionally, many GIS offer users the ability to create their own tools and programs that integrate into the software. The computing power, flexibility, and analytical value of GIS make them useful for a multitude of academic disciplines.

All conflicts and resulting deaths from April 2000 to March 2020 within the Middle Belt of Nigeria.

Justin Weber is a Villanova GEV Masters of Science in Environmental Science (MSES) graduate student. He is working with Professor Frank Galgano, PhD.

Recognizing that young Americans have a gap in their understanding of geography and their roles as global citizens, National Geographic “created Geography Awareness Week to raise awareness to this dangerous deficiency in American education and excite people about geography as both a discipline and as a part of everyday life… Each third week of November, students, families, and community members focus on the importance of geography by hosting events; using lessons, games, and challenges in the classroom; and often meet with policymakers and business leaders.” 

 To celebrate Geography Awareness Week, Falvey Memorial Library and the Department of Geography and the Environment (GEV) invite you to attend this week’s geography-focused events, to check out our list of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) projects below, and to follow along with Falvey’s blogs sharing projects and discussions from GEV’s students. 

GIS Projects 

• Esri Story Map projects from GEV’s 4320/8320: GIS for Conservation Management class. 
• Georeferenced historic photography of Villanova University’s campus from 1950-1990. 
• A 3D model of Villanova University’s campus created with drone footage (DJI Mavic 2 Pro), 3D photogrammetry software (Pix4Dmapper), ArcGIS Pro, and imported into 3D scene in ArcGIS Online. 

Today we talk about GIS for city planning and the robust internship opportunities available in this field.

GIS for City Planning

My name is Charlotte Shade ’19 MSES, and I am currently a data analyst for the City of Boston. The main goal of my position is to help other city departments serve the public. I use GIS and other ESRI products almost daily!

One of my first projects at the City was to help our Parks and Recreation Department build an asset inventory system. The Parks Planner I was working with needed to map the location of all the park assets (playgrounds, benches, sports fields, etc.) and document information about each asset (age, handicapped accessible, etc.). This project was large, and we used ArcGIS Pro, GIS Online, ESRI Web Apps, and more to build and sustain the asset inventory system. After asset locations were plotted, an ESRI web app was built to allow Parks project managers to review the asset points in each park. Once assets are marked as “correct,” the points are automatically displayed on the public-facing map. The public asset inventory map is hosted on an ESRI Hub site where Boston residents can find sports fields, playgrounds, and handicapped accessible parks in their neighborhoods.

As Boston neighborhoods gentrify and housing prices increase, equitable development is an important issue for Boston residents. To help make the process of granting building permits more transparent, I worked with Boston’s Inspectional Services Department (ISD) to build the Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) Tracker map. ISD is tasked with ensuring compliance with the City’s zoning code. If an application for a permit is refused because of a zoning violation, applicants can appeal the decision to the ZBA and ask for an exception. If the ZBA grants the exception, then the applicant can continue with the process of obtaining a building permit. Citizens can use the ZBA Tracker to identify zoning appeals in their neighborhood and learn what step the appeal is in in the process. The ZBA Tracker was built by plotting automated application data from ISD in a GIS Online map, adding that map to an ESRI web app and then embedding the interactive web app into an ESRI Experience site where citizens can go to use the Tracker and learn about the ZBA process.

Maps are a vital communication tool for the City of Boston. We build maps so citizens can easily locate important resources near their homes, such as farmers markets, COVID-19 vaccine locations, age-friendly walking trails, voting locations, public art sites and so much more! GIS allows my team to provide Boston’s citizens with the critical information they need every day.

Charlotte Shade is a Villanova GEV Masters of Science in Environmental Science (MSES) alum from 2019.

Geography and GIS Provide Great Internship Opportunities

 My name is Zach Silberman, and I am a current senior at Villanova University studying geography with a minor in public administration and sustainability studies. Throughout my time here, geography and specifically GIS has played an integral role in a vast majority of my academic work, research, and external internship opportunities.

This past summer, I was grateful enough to be selected for an National Science Foundation-funded grant opportunity with Citizen Science GIS in partnership with University of Central Florida as a GIS researcher. Through the program I worked on a team of college students from across the U.S. participating in community-based GIS, youth education, and research. Specifically, my team looked at flood analysis, mitigation efforts, neighborhood resilience, and using local perceptions and voices to tackle these particular issues in Hopkins; a small village along Belize’s eastern coast. A particularly tough challenge we faced was drafting a GIS plan with community partners to provide relief efforts and infrastructural solutions to a place we had personally never stepped foot in due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead of looking at technical solutions, we instead turned to science communication strategies, focusing on the relaying of geography, drones, and GIS as a tool  for youth within Hopkins to fix local problems.

Besides my professional work, I find that studying geography has allowed me to view the world around me in a new lens. As someone who is fascinated by both the natural and built environments, I have found a newfound appreciation for the interconnectedness between the two. Having had the opportunity to do field work ranging from the woods around campus to GPS appendaging of buildings within center-city Philadelphia, I have no shortage of real-world experience that has shaped how I view each and every place I visit. It is not to be understated how deep professions like GIS, remote sensing, or planning can go if you’re eager and willing to learn, and how applicable the things you may learn in your four years here are in virtually any career or field.

Zach Silberman is a senior in Villanova’s Department of Geography and the Environment. He is majoring in Geography.