Brooke Davis
September 9, 2013
Intro to GIS (UEP 232)
Assignment 1
Topic 1: Potential wind turbine locations based on current installments data
and information.
Governor Deval Patrick set a goal to install 2,000 MW of wind energy by 2020.
The purpose of this project is to determine the optimum locations for future installments.
Some installed turbines have faced opposition from surrounding communities for various
reasons. For this assignment, I will compare wind turbines that have faced opposition and
those that haven’t, and attempt to determine correlations between certain geographic and
spatial factors and reasons for opposition or lack of it. By studying the spatial geography,
distance from turbines to residences and businesses, the demographics of surrounding
communities, and wind speed, I hope to pinpoint locations that would be suitable for
future successful wind turbine installments.
Significant or Interesting Spatial/Geographic Questions:
1. In Massachusetts, which areas are currently experiencing opposition to installed
wind turbines and which areas are not? Are there spatial or geographical factors
that correlate with opposition or lack of opposition? This question is significant
because once I have pinpointed the locations of the turbines and whether or not they are
facing opposition, I can do further research of the demographics in these areas and
possibly correlate reasons for opposition or support with certain demographics or spatial
factors.
2. How far are these turbines in relation to the residential areas (feet, miles) and
how many turbines are within each district? Is it a single turbine or a wind farm?
How are socioeconomics and other demographics in these locations related to wind
turbine opposition or support? By using this multi-faceted question, I can determine if
most of the opposition happens when there are multiple turbines in the area, within a
certain distance to residences, or if they are in an upper-class community where residents
simply find them visually unappealing. Using the results of the answers to these questions
will help me pinpoint places that do not share the attributes of areas with opposition to
turbines and vice versa for areas that support turbines.
Resources:
1. Devine‐ Wright, Patrick. "Beyond NIMBYism: towards an integrated framework for
understanding public perceptions of wind energy." Wind energy 8.2 (2005): 125-139.
*This article with shed light on some of the perceptions that shape communities with
wind turbines nearby.
2. Van der Horst, Dan. "NIMBY or not? Exploring the relevance of location and the
politics of voiced opinions in renewable energy siting controversies." Energy policy 35.5
(2007): 2705-2714.
*This resource will help in specifically looking at examples of location correlated with
voiced opinion of renewable energy sightings.
Topic 2: Coastal boatyards or marinas and their environmental impact over
time.
Most marinas and boat yards are placed directly along the shoreline for easy
access to the docks from the office and yard. Some have restaurants, shops and
clubhouses accompanying the marina, and most, you would assume, have some form of a
toilet or bathroom for customers. This project is very interesting to me personally because
my father owns a boat yard on Cape Cod, but defining it as a spatial or geographic project
has been challenging.
I plan to research and analyze the change of Massachusetts coastlines or
watersheds over-time (before and after a boat yard or marina was established). I will
determine the amount of impervious surfaces, canopy cover and the water quality, and
where possible, compare the environments before and after a boat yard or marina was
established. I’d also be interested in looking at marinas that consider themselves “green”
or “environmentally friendly” and comparing the differences to those that may not
advertise those qualities.
Significant or Interesting Spatial/Geographic Questions:
1. What did the area look like before the boat yard or marina was installed (water
quality, amount of impervious surface, canopy cover, demographics of the
community)? By answering this question, I will be able to have a baseline to use as a
comparison for different data over time.
2. What did the area look like after infrastructure was in place and how did this
change the water quality, canopy cover and demographics of the community? This
question will help determine which data is the most significant and shows the effects the
installment of a marina or boat yard can have on the environment and the surrounding
community. The land around the boat yard may also increase or decrease in value after
the installment and thus the population size and other demographics may change.
Resources:
1. Paoli, C., P. Vassallo, M. Fabiano. “An emergy approach for the assessment of
sustainability of small marinas.” Ecological Engineering 33.2 (2008): 167-178.
*This resource will help look at what classifies as a sustainable marina. After I have
looked at the change over time, I can determine whether any marinas have sustainable
qualities aside from their impact on the environment.
2. Tong, Susanna T. Y., Wenli Chen. “Modeling the relationship between land use and
surface water quality.” Journal of Environmental Management 66.4 (2002): 377-393.
*This resource will give insight into the patterns and correlations between water quality
and land use, particularly businesses such as marinas or boatyards.