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ATR Process Geomatics: Process, Content, and Style
No full text2025This portfolio dissertation examines the Addition to Reserve (ATR) for new reserve land parcel recovery within the Indian Act and other land management regimes applying to First Nations in Canada. The three portfolio papers explore a land-based geomatics data perspective, exploring its process, data practice, and process history-engagement style. The ATR process geomatics is an emerging topic that has moved to a digital post-counter mapping practice, with land title transfer factors outlined in the portfolio. The findings illustrate the importance of understanding complex ATR land transfer geomatics topics for all First Nations, and showing that a two-eyed seeing data protocol is required in the updated reserve lands transfer program and practice. A. A policy brief on the ATR process (policy and geomatics practice critique)B. A practice primer on the ATR process (on geomatics practice and the ATR process data)
C. Two-eyed seeing ATR process geomatics: enabling Canada's land back program, all ATR outcomes and geomatics practice needs (journal article on ATR history & practice style). The suggested study structure for the portfolio dissertation utilizes:• Synthesis essay (a guide to the portfolio dissertation)
• Policy brief (bibliography specific to the paper)
• Practice paper (bibliography specific to the paper)
• Journal article (bibliography specific to the article)
• Appendices (including specific bibliography to each appendix as needed
Car-free street initiatives: Exploring perceptions towards a night market event in Nanaimo, British Columbia
No full textCar-free street initiatives, whether through temporary street closures for car-free days, Sunday streets, summer streets, night markets and special events, or permanent closures that restrict vehicles altogether, are part of a growing movement in cities worldwide to prioritize people over vehicles. However, cities have also faced challenging times in recent years as recovery from the pandemic continues, in addition to changing consumer habits, rising interest rates and growing social challenges like increased cost of living, a growing unhoused population and illicit drug use. This thesis explores perceptions toward a night market event in Nanaimo, British Columbia. Research for this thesis utilized a mixed-methods approach to examine perceptions toward car-free street initiatives among residents, business owners, planning and transportation professionals, senior administrative officials, and local organizations. Research also assessed the impact of the night market event on businesses and the willingness to support more car free initiatives in the city. Findings showed that while perceptions of downtown Nanaimo were generally positive, public perception could be further improved by enhancing public spaces and hosting more events and activities. There was strong support for expanding car-free initiatives, particularly a Sunday street closure and temporarily restricting vehicle access on Commercial Street. Support also existed for a permanent street closure, provided an incremental approach to implementation was considered and adequate resources and funding were secured to ensure long-term success. Current and future car-free street initiatives in the city can serve as trial periods or pilot projects for potential long-term street closures.Thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Community Planning in the Department of Community Planning, Faculty of Social Sciences, Vancouver Island University
360º/VR Video Storytelling As Seen Through the Lens of the Narrative Paradigm
No full text2025This research delves into the innovative intersection of 360-degree /Virtual Reality(360º/VR) technology and documentary storytelling, specifically focusing on the historical narrative of Hatley Park National Historic Site, as interpreted through Walter Fisher's narrative theory. At its core, the study addresses three pivotal questions: How effectively can 360º/VR serve as a medium for immersive storytelling? What role does narrative rationality play in shaping the story within this medium? How does the final product navigate the technical and aesthetic challenges inherent to 360º/VR while staying true to narrative principles? The first phase of the research involved the creation of a 360º/VR video, titled Hatley Park VR (hereafter referred to as the film). The film was designed for VR headset viewing, aiming to immerse audiences in the story and explore how this medium presents compelling narratives. In the second phase, individual participants evaluated the effectiveness of 360/VR as a communication tool, focusing on its ability to foster these storytelling qualities and test the outcomes. Viewers' perceptions of this approach were examined by applying Fisher's concepts of narrative coherence and fidelity. It was found that viewers became actively involved in the scenes that sparked memories of a person, a place, or an event from their past, or that they wanted to experience in the future. Viewers’ emotional responses revealed a strong connection to the film
WIP: Comparing persistence in engineering education between direct entry and transfer students using a comprehensive survey tool
No full text© 2025 American Society for Engineering Education. This paper was originally published as: Dick, B. & Sjoerdsma, M. (2025). WIP: Comparing persistence in engineering education between direct entry and transfer students using a comprehensive survey tool [Paper presentation]. 2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition. https://peer.asee.org/57361 Conference paper: 2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition. Location: Montreal, Quebec. Conference dates: June 22-25, 2025.The purpose of this interactive poster is to provide, analyze, and contrast the demography and experience of first-year engineering transfer students within the college and teaching intensive university sector compared to direct entry engineering students at a medium-sized comprehensive research university offering undergraduate and graduate engineering degrees. In earlier work, the development of a survey instrument aimed to broadly capture the engineering student experience from entry to first-year through graduation was described. Here, defined and open-ended survey questions - coded as addressing autonomy, competency, or relatedness to align with the self-determination theory (SDT) framework - provided a broader contextualization of student experience than typically is captured. This preliminary work suggested student engagement with the survey may diminish with time spent responding to questions and/or the question content (e.g. when asked about gender identity or sexual orientation). The results supported other research that suggested student experience is impacted by their identity. In the present work, the usage of the survey instrument has been expanded to capture first-year engineering transfer programs at several colleges and teaching intensive universities within the British Columbia transfer system. Their responses are contrasted with direct entry students within the Schools of Engineering Science, Mechatronics Systems Engineering, and Sustainable Energy Engineering at Simon Fraser University, a receiving partner for these transfer programs. The results articulate the differences and similarities between the demographics and experience of each cohort, identify transfer barriers and suggest enhancement opportunities, and support work to develop resources for engineering programs that enhance equity, allyship, and representation.Conference session - First-Year Programs Division (FPD) Work-in-Progress 3: Integration of Math, Computing, and AI in First-Year CoursesFunding support has been provided through Vancouver Island University’s Inquiry and Time-Release grants
A Comparative Analysis of Plastic Pollution Distribution in Costa del Este in Panama and Central American countries: Belize, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua
Full text link2025Mangroves are essential for coastal communities' economies and ecological services, including shoreline protection, preventing erosion, and water filtration. However, pollution poses a significant threat. My study investigated the impacts of marine plastics, mangrove conservation practices, and waste management practices in Panama, Belize, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. Field data were gathered from the Costa del Este district in Panama, along with responses to a digital Survey Interview Questionnaire distributed to conservation organizations, non-governmental organizations, and researchers in English and Spanish. Key pollutants included plastic bottles and packaging, causing severe contamination in mangrove areas. Compounding threats included corruption and inadequate funding for conservation and waste management. Recommendations include enhancing inter-institutional communication, promoting educational programs, revising waste management plans, and initiating a national mangrove restoration program in Panama. Coordinated efforts are essential to reduce plastic pollution and enhance mangrove management, safeguarding crucial ecosystems in Central America and Panama
Optimized machine learning approaches to combine surface-enhanced Raman scattering and infrared data for trace detection of xylazine in illicit opioids
No full textThis article was originally published as: Marten, R.R., Gozdzialski, L, Newman, E., Gill, C., Wallace, B., & Hore, D.K. (2025). Optimized machine learning approaches to combine surface-enhanced Raman scattering and infrared data for trace detection of xylazine in illicit opioids. Analyst, 150(4), 700-711. https://doi.org/10.1039/d4an01496kInfrared absorption spectroscopy and surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy were integrated into three data fusion strategies—hybrid (concatenated spectra), mid-level (extracted features from both datasets) and high-level (fusion of predictions from both models)—to enhance the predictive accuracy for xylazine detection in illicit opioid samples. Three chemometric approaches—random forest, support vector machine, and k-nearest neighbor algorithms—were employed and optimized using a 5-fold cross-validation grid search for all fusion strategies. Validation results identified the random forest classifier as the optimal model for all fusion strategies, achieving high sensitivity (88% for hybrid, 92% for mid-level, and 96% for high-level) and specificity (88% for hybrid, mid-level, and high-level). The enhanced performance of the high-level fusion approach (F1 score of 92%) is demonstrated, effectively leveraging the surface-enhanced Raman data with a 90% voting weight, without compromising prediction accuracy (92%) when combined with infrared spectral data. This highlights the viability of a multi-instrument approach using data fusion and random forest classification to improve the detection of various components in complex opioid samples in a point-of-care setting
Cities in the lead on climate action: A cross-border comparison (part 2)
Full text linkThis article was originally published as: Alexander, D. (2025). Cities in the lead on climate action: A cross-border comparison (part 2). Planning West, 67(1), 18-19.In "Cities in the Lead on Climate Action: A Cross-Border Comparison (Part l)" I examined the record of the City of Portland in its work on climate action, as seen through the lenses of 'doughnut economics' and 'biophilic cities: In this second part, I'll examine the record of a much smaller city - my hometown ofNanaimo on Vancouver Island
How the COVID-19 Pandemic Impacted the Organizations and Agencies that Support People Experiencing Homelessness in Calgary, Alberta During the First Wave: A Case Study
No full text2025The COVID-19 pandemic greatly impacted the organizations and agencies that support people experiencing homelessness in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, during the first wave. Previous literature discussed social vulnerability theory and how marginalized populations are disproportionately impacted by disasters and emergency events, however few focused on homelessness related topics specifically. Through interviews and focus groups, this research project investigated how participants managed initial pandemic-related disruptions to their organizations, their services, and their people. Key findings included the need for strong business continuity planning, interagency collaboration and cooperation, outreach and education, greater investment in sheltering spaces and housing, and the importance of trauma-informed care. These findings will contribute to the literature for disaster and emergency management, business continuity, and social vulnerability and non-profit sectors
Reaching Constituents in the Digital Age
No full text2025Canadian politicians have long been tasked with how best to communicate with their constituents, with new digital communications tools being utilised as they have become available. Constituency communications as currently practised offers an alternative to and exists in tension with the centralization of communications within parties, a centralization that has come with the shift to a brand-focused, political marketing approach to political communication. Such centralization complicates an MP's capacity to communicate with constituents in a way aligned with the MP's own values and authenticity. In their constituency communication, MPs already have an opportunity to deploy two-way symmetrical communications methods and foster communicative rationality; moreover, such communications offer part of the solution to the democratic deficit. Based on interviews with MPs and office staff, as well as a survey of MPs across the federal parties, what emerges is a draft of a potential new model for constituency communication, one thus to actualize the potential already available in such MP-to-constituent contact at the riding level. This model, the Constituency First Communications model, would among other benefits de-mystify the role of the politician by making them more accessible to their constituents and less of a “party-mouthpiece” who repeats talking points
Asssessment and evaluation of groundwater potential zone mapping models: A geospatial approach
No full textThis study explores various analytical methods for groundwater potential (GWP) mapping in Sindhudurg District using a geospatial approach. For the first time, a multi-method approach is applied, integrating traditional, statistical, and machine learning techniques to model groundwater levels. The research employs Analytical Hierarchy Process-Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (AHP-MCDA), Ordinary Least Squares Regression (OLSR), Geographically Weighted Regression (GWR), and Random Tree Regression (RTR) to analyze groundwater-influencing variables. A dataset comprising eight continuous (NDVI, TWI, elevation, slope, slope length, distance from lineaments, distance to streams, rainfall) and four categorical variables (geomorphology, geology, land use, soil), was used to evaluate groundwater potential