Harris W. Stewart III
Department of Environmental Studies
Faculty Mentor : Dr. Brandie Farris, Department of Environmental Studies
This study is focused on the development of course modules for the
advanced GIS topics course, scheduled to be offered in the spring ’06 semester. Modules will include fire hazard management, transportation network planning and land use/land cover modeling.
The primary module of development though will be based on Harris’ current undergraduate research topic, modeling wind energy potential for the rural community of Fort Dauphin in southeast Madagascar. Madagascar, an island off the southeast coast of Africa is characterized by both unsurpassed levels of biological diversity and disparate levels of poverty amongst its people. As a nation it exhibits one of the highest deforestation rates in the world. Additionally, the region of study possesses the lowest electrification rate, per capita GDP as well as the highest rates of infant mortality and infectious disease, many of which could be mitigated by the availability of potable water.
The analysis involved will incorporate various sources of surface wind data (DATSAV2 and the Marine Climatic Atlas of the World) and upper-air profiles (Global Gridded Upper-Air Statistics) located at the National Climatic Data Center in Asheville. A dataset procured from a multinational mining corporation will also be involved. Other layers incorporated will involve vegetation coverage of the area and a digital elevation model at the appropriate resolution.
The aims of the study are to identify both the kilowatt potentials that exist in the winds of Fort Dauphin and the specific areas that will be most appropriate for generator siting. This will provide a baseline study and potentially useful tool in the effort to continue tackling the issues of intense poverty, declining health and fledgling conservation in the area, all of which can be aided by the availability of abundant energy.
View Chocolate Friday Powerpoint Presentation
View SIMVaC Paper (.doc)
