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California Geographical Science

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Web Sites:

Multi-Hazards Demonstration Project (MHDP) http://geography.wr.usgs.gov/science/mhdp/index.html

The Multi-Hazards Demonstration Project (MHDP) estimated consequences of natural hazard disaster scenarios as a strategy to increase community resiliency, a community’s ability to cope with the effects of a disaster. In 2012 the Associate Director of the Natural Hazards Mission Area expanded the scope of the project nationwide under Science Application for Risk Reduction (SAFRR). This website offers insight on past, present and future research the USGS Western Geographic Science Center contributions toward MHDP/SAFRR projects, as well as information on the researchers themselves.

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The Bay Area Regional Database http://bard.wr.usgs.gov

BARD's goal is to provide USGS mapping data that is not readily available on other USGS data sites. These include historical maps for the Bay area, individual elevation (DEM) quadrangles (1:24,000 scale), and county compressed orthoimagery. Links to other USGS data such as bathymetry are also provided.

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Dasymetric Mapping Techniques For The San Francisco Bay Region http://geography.wr.usgs.gov/science/dasymetric.html

The San Francisco Bay region’s population has grown from approximately 6 million inhabitants in 1990 to 6.8 million inhabitants in the year 2000 yielding a 12% growth increase. Spatial analysis of the nine-county region is necessary in order to conceptualize urban growth patterns essential for land-use planning and urban-growth modeling. Cartographic representation of human population distributions and socioeconomic information is commonly displayed using decennial census information using choropleth mapping techniques. However, these data are aggregates of geographic units (census tracts or block groups) whose boundaries do not always reflect the natural distribution of human populations. A dasymetric mapping technique is one potential solution for mapping population density relative to residential land-cover. Dasymetric mapping depicts quantitative areal data using boundaries that divide the area into zones of relative homogeneity with the purpose of best portraying the underlying statistical surface.

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San Francisquito Creek http://geography.wr.usgs.gov/sfcreek

The San Francisquito Creek Web site aims to provide information and data to inform the public and decisionmakers about issues concerning the creek and the possible trade-offs that might be necessary in reaching mutually agreeable solutions to the complex problems. The primary goal of this Web site is to facilitate the dissemination of data and information from research, monitoring, and environmental-management activities concerning San Francisquito Creek. We hope to ensure that all interested users (such as scientists, engineers, resource managers, local and regional governmental agencies, developers, and the public) have quick and easy access to a wide range of digital data and general information. The San Francisquito Creek Project is a collaborative project between the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and other organizations to work on understanding the intermingled environmental and political issues. The USGS maintains this Web site and provides digital data and educational tools to facilitate the public's involvement in addressing issues of the creek and improving the decisionmaking processes.

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Access USGS - San Francisco Bay and Delta http://sfbay.wr.usgs.gov/

"Since the discovery of gold in the Sierra Nevada foothills in 1848, the SF Bay and Delta region has undergone rapid, large-scale, and permanent changes. To help understand the extent and impact of these changes, the USGS has maintained a broad program of multi-disciplinary research studies in the San Francisco Bay estuary and its watershed."

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Mercury and Decision Support in California http://geography.wr.usgs.gov/science/mercury/mercury-tmdl.html/

The Mercury and Decision Support in California (MADSIC) Web site provides general information and links to total-maximum-daily-load (TMDL) programs, market-based environmental programs, and the mercury scientific-research field in California.

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Project Pages:

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