Eddie Bairam, CSU Long Beach

The Origins and Spatial Diffusion of Female Professional Soccer Players in the United States 1991-2015: Geographical, cultural and social perspectives

In 1991, the USA women’s national soccer team was the winner of the inaugural FIFA Women’s World Cup. With many obstacles, it is a wonder how this nation managed such a monumental achievement. This paper will seek to discover the areas these remarkable athletes came from and if they have changed over time. Using quantitative data and GIS, the study will represent the origins of these athletes over a period of 25 years from 1991 to 2015. The goal is, using five year increments, to reveal geographical patterns in this diffusion. Cultural and social perspectives will be used to explain these patterns. Previous studies on male athlete origins suggest these can be located from areas of cultural diversity and lower socioeconomic standing. This paper will test the hypotheses that female professional soccer players in the USA are mostly white and come from areas of relative affluence.

Pedro Chacon, CSU Fullerton

A Spatial Analysis of Open Illegal Drug Markets

Very little research has been done on illegal drugs in geography and even less has been done on mapping and analyzing specific drug types. It has been well established that most crime data is spatially concentrated, but few studies have examined specific drug markets. This project examines four drug categories: amphetamines, cocaine and rock cocaine, marijuana, and heroin and opiates. This is particularly interesting given the current status of illegal drugs: marijuana has just been legalized in California, opiates are at the root of a massive epidemic, and large quantities of amphetamines are being produced in Mexico. In this project, I evaluate open illegal drug markets in San Francisco, California using several different spatial statistical techniques. The goal of this research is to analyze variations in the spatial patterns for each drug category and to provide insight on the factors associated with these spatial patterns.

Amanda Fencl, UC Davis

Drought resilience strategies of California’s small drinking water utilities

California's drinking water utilities are vulnerable to drought related water quality and supply impacts. Since 2012, utilities have been managing through an extreme drought. Despite the persistence of drought in the state's history, drinking water utilities, especially smaller ones, have few requirements for drought planning. Small utilities’ responses to climatic shifts such as increasing drought have not been well documented. A 2015 online survey and regional case studies built from document review and semi-structured interviews contribute to our understanding of how utilities are differently vulnerable, prepared for, and adapted to drought and climate impacts. Interviews were conducted with more than 60 utility managers in 8 different Climate Impact Regions throughout 2016. Content analysis of interviews with small systems managers throughout the state highlight common impacts, climate and drought adaptation strategies, and barriers to adopting these strategies

Juan Carlos Garcia, CSU Fullerton

The Curious Case of Park Space: An analysis of public parks in Santa Ana, CA

Public parks are an important public resource that promote health, enrich communities and enhance the local environment. However, the literature has shown that historically marginalized communities of color often lack adequate public park opportunities. Empirical cases allude to recurrent themes of environmental justice as the drivers inducing shortages of public parks in these communities. Santa Ana, CA is a predominantly Hispanic city with a documented shortage of public parks. Using the city as a case study site this research implements a mix-methods approach to address questions about the inequitable distribution of public parks. Through archival research of park provisions, interviews with advocates and decision-makers, and a cartographic analysis this study will attempt to answer the following questions: why is Santa Ana so park-poor? Are drivers found in the environmental justice literature manifested in Santa Ana? Lastly, what steps can be made to mitigate public park deficiency?

Rafael Lorenzo, CSU Northridge

Understanding the Peafowl Population at the Los Angeles Arboretum and Botanic Gardens

What factors contribute to Pavo cristatus (Indian blue peafowl) residing in specific areas of the Los Angeles Arboretum? An investigation of the locations where peafowl are located on the property determined preferred habitat. Approximately two hundred adult peafowl reside in Arcadia, California and neighboring cities; an estimated sixty of which have settled within Arcadia’s Los Angeles Arboretum. The peafowl in the area are wild, and have significantly limited to no human intervention. A tally and description of all visible peafowl was taken via manual surveillance, occurring bi-weekly on visitor peak days and off days, during the hours of most peafowl activity. Geography, temperature, ground conditions, presence of shade, activity of peafowl, were noted. The findings suggest that peafowl party settlement was heavily influenced by presence of food sources, accessible and distributed natural coverage, and clear, open spaces.

sean robison, CSU Northridge

Droning into the Future: Applications of UAV's for Fine Scale Geographic Analysis

Recent technological advances related to unmanned aerial vehicles and GIS software applications have created new frontiers for fine scale scientific study. This paper presents multiple UAV inspired proof of concept studies including floodplain mapping, 3D modeling, terrain analysis, and high resolution imaging.

Matthew Shubin, CSU Fullerton

Defining Communities: The Modifiable Areal Unit Problem in a Watershed Management Context

Demographers have traditionally defined communities using metrics tied to the census tracts. Census tract are created using an arbitrary system that seeks to create geographic units of roughly even population. Research in what has come to be known as the Modifiable Areal Unit Problem (MAUP) has shown that the measurable properties of a geographic unit are dependent upon the system that was used to create the unit. Thus the arbitrary nature of the census tract alters the properties of the thing being measured; the community. This research seeks to develop a more effective system and scale for defining “communities”, using a case study within Southern California's Santa Ana River watershed. To improve environmental and socioeconomic health, the Santa Ana River Watershed Agency seeks to develop relationships with disadvantaged communities within the watershed - but how are these disadvantaged communities defined, and how can meaningful boundaries be created from these definitions?