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Scenario: An epidemiologist (Biff) is studying asthma in an urban
area (Toledo, OH). In particular, Biff is interested in the relationship
between asthma and particulates emitted from motor vehicles.
Biff has collected information on Toledo residential areas, roads, and
traffic patterns, and has health information from the major local hospitals
on emergency room visits for severe asthma attacks. He also has an air
particulate model, which provides estimates of particulates in any part of
the city at any time of day, by day of the week and season.
Questions:
- Suggest how Biff can use GIS operations to separate his region into
areas affected by higher traffic volume, and those with lower volume.
- Categorize Biff's data in terms of type: point, line, area, or raster.
- When Biff presents his results before a committee, he is asked to
explain where he got the street data, and finds himself clueless:
"From Dave," he says, but he doesn't even know Dave's job title or
qualifications.
Smelling blood, another member of the committee asks Biff what
projection he's using to represent his spatial data. "Let us draw the
curtain of charity over the rest of the scene"
(to quote Mark Twain); Biff hasn't a clue.
What did Biff neglect when assembling his data and doing his analysis?
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