Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

Geography & Environmental Studies

Faculty/School

Faculty of Arts

First Advisor

Kenneth Hewitt

Advisor Role

Thesis Supervisor

Abstract

This research is concerned with the application of Geographical Information System techniques to multiple hazard research in Kananaskis Country Recreation Area, southern Alberta. The study is focused on Peter Lougheed Provincial Park, a high mountain environment in the front range Rockies. Increasing human activity in the area is putting more and more people at risk from natural hazards, thus the need for more efficient land use planning is evident. This research attempts to map and predict avalanche, forest fire, rockslide/rockfall, and flood hazard occurrence, and estimate the degree of risk associated with each. Data relating to the physical characteristics and human activity in the study were obtained from a variety of sources, and stored in digital format under the common framework of the GIS. Susceptibility maps are created for each hazardous process, which are then combined with data relating to human activity in the area, to provide an indication of the spatial and temporal patterns of risk. The research concentrates on the application of GIS to hazard research, rather than actual results of direct use to land use planning.

Convocation Year

1992

Convocation Season

Spring

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