Mapping the physiography of Michigan with GIS

Abstract: We present a new physiographic map of Michigan, that is also available interactively, online. Only four, small-scale physiographic maps of Michigan had been previously published. Our mapping project made use of a wide variety of spatial data, in a GIS environment, to visualize and delineate the physical landscape in more detail than has been done previously. We also examined many of the unit boundaries in the field, using a GIS running on a GPS-enabled laptop. Unlike previous physiographic maps, the online version of the map enables users to query the criteria used to define each of the 224 boundaries of its 10 major and 91 minor physiographic units. The interactive nature of the online version of the map is a unique enhancement to physiographic maps and mapping. Our study also provides data on the number and types of criteria used to define each of the 224 unit boundaries within the map. Most of our unit boundaries are based on data derived from 10-m raster elevation data and NRCS soils data, e.g., relief, soil wetness, escarpments, landscape fabric, and parent material characteristics. Data gleaned from NRCS SSURGO county-scale soil maps were a strength of the project

Early development of infants with neurofibromatosis type 1: a case series

Background Prospective studies of infants at familial risk for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have yielded insights into the earliest signs of the disorder but represent heterogeneous samples of unclear aetiology. Complementing this approach by studying cohorts of infants with monogenic syndromes associated with high rates of ASD offers the opportunity to elucidate the factors that lead to ASD. Methods We present the first report from a prospective study of ten 10-month-old infants with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1), a monogenic disorder with high prevalence of ASD or ASD symptomatology. We compared data from infants with NF1 to a large cohort of infants at familial risk for ASD, separated by outcome at age 3 of ASD (n = 34), atypical development (n = 44), or typical development (n = 89), and low-risk controls (n = 75). Domains assessed at 10 months by parent report and examiner observation include cognitive and adaptive function, sensory processing, social engagement, and temperament. Results Infants with NF1 showed striking impairments in motor functioning relative to low-risk infants; this pattern was seen in infants with later ASD from the familial cohort (HR-ASD). Both infants with NF1 and the HR-ASD group showed communication delays relative to low-risk infants. Conclusions Ten-month-old infants with NF1 show a range of developmental difficulties that were particularly striking in motor and communication domains. As with HR-ASD infants, social skills at this age were not notably impaired. This is some of the first information on early neurodevelopment in NF1. Strong inferences are limited by the sample size, but the findings suggest implications for early comparative developmental science and highlight motor functioning as an important domain to inform the development of relevant animal models. The findings have clinical implications in indicating an important focus for early surveillance and remediation in this early diagnosed genetic disorder

Climate Change Maps in the US Media 2012-2017 and Content Analysis

Dataset includes README, two csv files, and a zipped file comprised of 240 screenshots of maps.This research is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grant under Award No. 1735747 and the Society of Woman Geographers Pruitt Fellowship

An Analysis of Interactive Solar Energy Web Maps for Urban Energy Sustainability

Maps and geographic information systems (GIS) have become vital tools for decision-making, communication, and outreach in the domain of urban energy sustainability. One emerging example involves interactive online maps that allow users to assess rooftop solar energy potential on a building of interest. These maps are interesting in two ways: they are new forms of technology in and of themselves, and they have only become relevant with the changes in renewable energy technologies that allow individuals to participate in this new economy of energy production. The purpose of this study is to describe and analyze the cartographic representation and functionality of urban-scale solar energy maps in the United States. Using competitive analysis, we assess twelve interactive online maps to understand their: (1) design, (2) usage of visual variables and interaction operators, and (3) content, purpose, and goals. Across these three types of assessment, we find both a wide variety as well as some consistent themes. Our results also show that some maps followed cartographic conventions (Brewer 2016; Slocum et al. 2009) while others did not. Through our analysis we develop a set of best practices that can be used to improve the effectiveness and widen the functionality of online solar energy maps. In particular, we make recommendations on how to develop future online, interactive renewable energy maps in a way that keeps the end user in mind while communicating relevant information to a broader range of stakeholders involved in urban energy sustainability (homeowners, utility operators, city officials, and urban planners)

Climate Change Maps in the Conservative Media 2012-2020 & Content Analysis

Dataset includes README, data table spreadsheet, zipped file of map images and zipped file of news articles in PDF

That’s a Relief: Assessing Beauty, Realism, and Landform Clarity in Multilayer Terrain Maps

Terrain maps are often composed of shaded relief along with other raster layers which we call thematic terrain layers to create aesthetically pleasing and clear maps of physical geography. Despite that the interplay of layers is of primary concern to a cartographer, much of the research on terrain mapping has focused on studying terrain layers individually. This research aimed to fill this gap by evaluating the effect of combining shaded relief with thematic terrain layers and assessing ratings of beauty, realism, and landform clarity in an exploratory online user study. Specifically, we tested the combination of: manual, multidirectional, and ray-traced shaded relief with three thematic terrain layers: hypsometric tinting, land cover, and orthoimagery. There are five main findings from this exploratory study: (1) there was a direct correlation between beauty and realism scores, (2) the manual relief we tested was consistently rated lowest for beauty, realism, and landform clarity, and orthoimagery was rated the highest for beauty and realism, (3) shaded relief was more influential than thematic terrain layers on landform clarity ratings, (4) participant’s geographic familiarity had a significant impact in four specific instances of the user study, and (5) neither shaded relief or thematic terrain layers were the sole contributors to map reader perceptions of beauty, realism, or landform clarity. We conclude by identifying limitations in our stimuli design and presenting ideas for future research studies on terrain design

Data for Narrative Transportation & Emotional Responses to Storytelling Maps

Dataset includes three files: 1. data.csv 2. readme.txt 3. variableDescriptions.csv This 2023.11.28 dataset is the initial dataset for publication peer review. Once the final data is uploaded during the final publication process, all of the files will be replaced