Policy implications of LESA factor and weight determination in Douglas County, Kansas
The Land Evaluation and Site Assessment System (LESA) developed by the United States Department of Agriculture Soil Conservation Service is designed as an aid to local planning officials to protect important agricultural lands. Preliminary LESA development for Douglas County, Kansas indicates the overall usefulness of the model for its designated purpose within Douglas County. However, model development also indicates several inherent problems with the original system, stemming predominantly from arbitrary weight recommendations and predetermined factor suppositions which do not reflect the needs of a given planning area. The effect of these recommendations and suppositions are most evident when there is a conflict of scale due to incorporation of both national and local standards through the LESA model.
Comparative Analysis of Land Evaluation Systems for Douglas County
The USDA Soil Conservation Service LESA system is evaluated and analyzed in two phases. First, using ten years of building permits in two targeted zones in Douglas County, Kansas, a variety of LESA structures are compared. Redundant factors and the impact of different weighting systems are examined. Phase Two follows with a systematic method to determine the Site Assessment factors and their interactions. Results indicate that certain evaluation structures are more reliably consistent and that the systematic approach in Phase Two improves LESA considerably. In addition, it is concluded that the final grading mechanism needs attention, to assure proper protection. Planners are cautioned to consider these issues when implementing LESA for their area.
Geographic And Environmental Influence On Maya Settlement Patterns Of The Northwest Yucatan: An Explanation For The Sparsely Settled Western Cenote Zone
Most settlement pattern research and GIS analysis of the ancient Maya of the Northern Yucatan have focused on water availability in a dry landscape where cenotes are often the only water source. While water is of paramount importance, permanent settlement secondarily requires farmable soil, a resource often as precious as water in many parts of the Yucatan. The dynamics between these resources reveal areas of ideal settlement and more challenging landscapes for which the Maya developed strategies to overcome environmental conditions. A region of the southwest "Cenote Zone", however, appears to have presented the ancient Maya with insurmountably poor environmental conditions despite abundant water resources. The lack of dense population and stone architecture in this area emphasizes the lack of a simple correlation between cenotes and settlement. This thesis uses GIS analysis to identify and explore such problematic settlement areas to better understand the factors and complexities involved in the more successful settlements of neighboring regions. iv This work is dedicated to my late father, who first introduced me to the Mundo Maya through a visit to the ruins of Tikal at the age of nine, and who instilled in me strength, curiosity, and a love for exploring the world. v ACKLOWLEDGEMENTS I'd like to acknowledge Dr. Arlen Chase and Dr. Diane Chase for providing such outstanding opportunities and instruction, and for leading by example both in the field and in the classroom. Dr. John Walker for his eye-opening perspectives, GIS instruction, inspiring hard-working attitude, and patience in the field. Dr. Clifford Brown and Dr. Walter Witschey for their invaluable correspondence and for their contributions to mapping and GIS data of Maya sites.