About the DTA
The Richard “Dick” Thomas Award (or DTA) was established to honor the Washington state GIS pioneer and mentor, Richard ‘Dick’ Thomas, who passed away in 2006. This award is intended to memoralize Dick’s legacy by continuing his work of encouraging students to excel in their studies and to transition successfully into careers in GIS. The award and competition is held annually at the Washington GIS Conference. WAGISA’s objective is to inspire students to present their original work related to GIS, geography, or geographic research at the annual Washington GIS conference.
Note from DTA Coordinator
The 2024 Washington State GIS Conference was a resounding success, showcasing the innovative spirit and collaborative efforts of the geospatial community. One of the highlights of this year’s Washington GIS Conference was the highly anticipated DTA competition, where four exceptional student presentations took center stage in a conference room full of GIS professionals. Each project demonstrated cutting-edge applications of GIS to address real-world challenges. Attendees were captivated by the creativity, technical expertise, and potential impact of these projects, sparking vibrant discussions and inspiring future collaborations.
We had 10 student presenters in four groups this year. Projects were chosen in a competitive selection process among many impressive submissions.
The 2024 DTA Results:
First Place: HarleyJo Holman, Washington State University, with a project titled, Mountain Caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) Habitat in the South Selkirks: Zonal Shifts in Dynamic Landscapes. First place prizes include a check for $500, prize certificate, free one year WAGISA membership,, free entry to the 2025 WAGISA GIS conference, one year ArcGIS personal license, WAGISA tote bag, and an opportunity to submit an article to WAGISA’s blog, The Summit Scoop.
Second Place: Jennifer Hunt and Cameron Berrens, University of Washington - Tacoma, with a project titled, ADUtopia: Unlocking Infill Housing Potential Through GIS. Second place prizes include a check for $250, prize certificate, free one year WAGISA membership, WAGISA tote bag, and an opportunity to submit an article to the Summit Scoop.
Third Place: Christean Jenkins, University of Washington - Tacoma, with a project titled, Investigating a Spatial Relationship Between Air Quality and Low Birth Weights in Tacoma: A Granular Approach. Third place prizes include a check for $125, prize certificate, free one year WAGISA membership, WAGISA tote bag, and an opportunity to submit an article to the Summit Scoop.
Fourth Place: Henry Kessler, Diana Li, and Reed Scott, University of Washington - Seattle, with a project titled, Smoke Ventilation Index Map. Fourth place prizes include a prize certificate, WAGISA tote bag, and an opportunity to submit an article to the Summit Scoop.
2024 DTA Competitors with their prizes during the conference closing session
- A big thanks to this year’s judges:
- Ken Charm, 2023 DTA Presenter
- Shane Dang, TRAC-UW, 2023 DTA Winner
- Peter Keum, King County DNRP, Wastewater Treatment Division
- Alex Kirchmeier, UW Department of Geography, 2023 DTA Winner
Keep reading to view project abstracts, access presentation slides, dashboards and StoryMaps and learn more about the competitor’s experiences with the project!
First Place
Presenter: HarleyJo Holman
Project Title: Mountain Caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) Habitat in the South Selkirks: Zonal Shifts in Dynamic Landscapes
Link to Presentation Slides: DTA_Presentation_Holman.pptx
Abstract:
The ‘deep-snow mountain caribou’ is an ecotype of woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) native to northeastern Washington and northern Idaho. These animals use isolated environments with high snowpack levels to forage for typically inaccessible lichens. Due to this specialization, these animals face significant pressure to adapt to climate change and human development. With the relocation of the last individual from Washington state in 2019, mountain caribou are considered a species of greatest conservation need. In this project, a Habitat Suitability Index (HSI) was developed for mountain caribou using a scale-dependent ecology and multi-criterion evaluation. In this context, an HSI is a model used to determine the capacity of a habitat to support mountain caribou based on available resources and constraints. By implementing this index with a Geographic Information System, this study aimed to identify the present size, location, and climate of suitable habitat within four national forests in the South Selkirk region. We predicted that suitable habitat is limited to mountainous environments with elevations over 1800m and climate suitability of at least 75% as these areas lack significant human footprint and retain cooler climate conditions. Results from the suitability analysis estimate that ~12500 ha is >75% suitable for mountain caribou, which is only 0.5% of the total study area. Within these areas, elevations under 1800m have an expected frequency of > 10%. Additionally, climate suitability in these areas display a mean value of 83.4%. These findings support a zonal distribution shift by mountain caribou, where accelerating environmental change causes species to move upwards in elevation to escape less favorable conditions. This upward movement promotes habitat fragmentation and undesirable ecological consequences. Application of this model may provide a starting point for more effective habitat restoration efforts in the South Serlkirk region, and provide insight into other cold-adapted species' distribution.
Second Place
Presenters: Cameron Berrens and Jennifer Hunt
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Project Title: ADUtopia: Unlocking Infill Housing Potential Through GIS
Link to Dashboard: Seaside Solutions: A DADU Capacity Analysis of Eastham (arcgis.com)
Abstract:
In response to the urgent lack of year-round housing in seasonal towns across the U.S., ADUtopia introduces a means to find infill housing opportunities in the form of detached Accessory Dwelling Units—a smaller, cheaper, more flexible housing type that can be placed within currently-developed parcels. The project focuses on Eastham, a popular summer town in Cape Cod, Massachusetts as a prototypical model. The town is apt for ADU implementation due to the surge of seasonal second home purchasing and the erosion this has caused not only on the year-round housing stock, but consequently to its year-round population as many of its residents are unable to compete with the outsized purchasing power of out-of-town second home buyers. The model, integrated into an ArcGIS Online Dashboard, accurately determines ADU locations and sizes based on each parcel’s individual specifications, including environmental constraints and zoning regulations. With housing affordability and community resilience in mind, this tool offers a beacon of hope for Cape Cod and any region grappling with a growing scarcity of year-round housing options. While the current dashboard analyzes Eastham, the adaptable model can be replicated for the nuances of any municipality nationwide by tailoring it to the constraints and zoning bylaws of any jurisdiction.
Solving housing crises requires more than just numbers and algorithms—it requires putting tools in the hands of everyone to visualize the future. ADUtopia empowers both residents and planners, providing them with the ability to envision how ADUs can effectively increase housing capacity. This dashboard empowers informed decision-making and facilitates meaningful action by synthesizing the complexities of current zoning regulations and environmental considerations in one dynamic tool. At its core, it isn’t just about building ADUs—it’s about leveraging technology to bridge the gap between aspiration and action, turning backyards into housing opportunities.
Project Reflection/ Experience:
Why was the project chosen?
This project stemmed from my summer internship in Eastham on Cape Cod, MA last year, where my family resides year-round. Working as a housing intern at the town hall’s planning department, I discovered the critical role of Accessory Dwelling U nits (ADUs) in expanding affordable year-round housing stock, an acute need due to the purchasing of second homes in the sought-after summer destination and the resulting scarcity of affordable housing options for year-round residents. Witnessing numerous inquiries from town residents at the planning department desk about ADU feasibility highlighted the need for a rapid, accurate visualization tool integrating zoning and the ADU bylaw requirements specific to Eastham. Upon returning to Washington in the fall, I undertook this dashboard as my final project for the GIS certificate program to create a tool with this real-life application.
What “life lessons” did the student(s) come away with?
Through this project, I gained firsthand experience in addressing real-world challenges in a community I deeply care about through technical skills I gained in my GIS education. Embarking upon this project also taught me the importance of meticulous attention to detail and understanding nuances of zoning bylaws. Moreover, I learned the transformative potential of coding in elevating GIS projects, thanks to Cameron’s implementation of code in the project to identify the maximum contiguous areas per parcel.
Anything funny or really unexpected happen during the project?
While it isn’t funny per say, it was gratifying to learn from my former boss at the Town Hall that the planning department of Eastham actually uses the dashboard today when residents inquire about ADU eligibility!
Third Place
Presenter: Christian Jenkins
Project Title: Investigating a Spatial Relationship Between Air Quality and Low Birth Weights in Tacoma: A Granular Approach
Link to story map and web application: https://arcg.is/4uLSH
Abstract:
Low birth weight (LBW) is defined as weight at birth that is less than 5 pounds, 8 ounces. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that for singleton babies born in the United States during 2021, 6.93% were LBW. LBW babies may face challenges early in life and are at a greater risk of experiencing long-term health problems associated with this condition. Environmental factors, particularly maternal exposure to air pollution, have been linked to an increased risk of LBW.
Typically, researchers study the correlation between LBW and air quality in geographic regions such as cities or census tracts. My research project aimed to explore this relationship amongst small areas, focusing on census block groups in Tacoma, WA. To make air quality more granular, urban tree canopy, impervious surface areas, exposure to heavy traffic, and exposure to toxic releases collectively made up an air quality analog. This analog was transformed into an index, which allowed for the ranking of block groups based on their likelihood of experiencing poor air quality. Additionally, block groups were ranked based on the percentage of LBW births that occurred in 2020 and 2021 within each block group.
Cluster and outlier analyses were conducted on air quality and LBW ranks; ArcGIS Experience Builder was used to visualize the results. The Experience Builder application allows users to switch between air quality and LBW layers and select individual census block groups to access their rankings, including rankings of air quality index components. Furthermore, filtering options based on rankings are available for users who want to focus their attention on specific areas of interest.
While this research did not reveal a clear spatial relationship between air quality and low birth weights, it could provide valuable insights that contribute to our understanding of low birth weight occurrences in Tacoma.
Project Reflection/ Experience:
During my time as an Environmental Studies student at the University of Washington Tacoma, I developed an interest in environmental justice, public health, and the built environment. Since graduating, my passion for these subjects has only grown. When I was recently given the opportunity to pursue a research project in UW Tacoma’s GIS Certificate program, I eagerly chose to focus on environmental health.
Before starting my certificate, I worked in urban forestry, where I encountered research linking high tree canopy coverage to better birth outcomes. This sparked my curiosity about other environmental factors that might affect birth outcomes and ultimately led to my project on the relationship between air quality and low birth weight rates.
Finding relevant and useful data for this project was challenging at times. I faced three major hurdles: underestimating the time required to find the right data, encountering data limitations, and needing special access from external sources to obtain data. Despite these obstacles, my genuine interest in this research kept me motivated.
Although my results didn’t show a clear relationship between air quality (as I represented it) and low birth weights, the outcome was fascinating. It prompted me to consider if socioeconomic and other environmental factors are confounding variables or are more influential on low birth weight risk than air quality.
The purpose of my research was to identify specific areas of Tacoma for targeted outreach, preventative care, treatment, and advocacy if there was a spatial relationship between air quality and low birth weight prevalence. With air quality at risk of worsening due to climate change, resilience is crucial, especially for underserved and overburdened communities. I would like to expand my research to include social determinants of health, such as race and household income, to gain further insights, address inequities, and find opportunity gaps.
Fourth Place
Presenters: Diana Li, Reed Scott, and Henry Kessler
Project Title: Smoke Ventilation Index Map
Link to Presentation Slides: Developing a Washington State Smoke Ventilation Index Map-1.pdf
Abstract:
Based on a proposal sent by Washington’s Department of Natural Resources (DNR), we’re creating a smoke ventilation index forecast map to help with wildland fire smoke management. Our map will help DNR staff visualize whether or not the air conditions are acceptable for smoke to dissipate with negligible impacts on surrounding communities.
Using the DNR’s prescribed burn site data, we created a layer of burns where the proposed tonnage exceeded 500. Next, we obtained WA air quality monitor data from the EPA. We wrote a Python script to gather the dates of large burns, and created a new feature class with those dates. We then developed a model to interpolate the monitor data from each date and ran a weighted overlay analysis on the output rasters. This demonstrated historical smoke ventilation patterns and served as the basis for the airshed delineations.
The NOAA National Blend of Models provided our ventilation index forecasting data. Every forecast is drawn from 72 multidimensional raster datasets, so we developed Python script to automate the process of downloading and referencing files. We then used ModelBuilder to automate spatial analysis tools, particularly Zonal Statistics calculations, to find and display the highest daily average ventilation rate within each airshed. Afterwards, the symbology is updated to reflect if a burn is permissible in the airsheds over the forecasted period.
Finally, we compiled all this information into a web application map using ArcGIS Experience Builder. This allows the DNR and the general public to use it, for DNR staff to receive permits for prescribed burns or general education. It also aims to allow for easy access and understanding of burn viability based on historical data and upcoming weather patterns. Additional resources will also be included in the map to explain further the project and other supporting online resources.
Stay Connected/ Learn More/ Get Involved:
The Dick Thomas Award is brought to you by the WAGISA Community Engagement Committee (CEC). Check out some other CEC offerings below:
WAGISA Young Professionals Initiative (YPI): https://wagisa.org/Young-Professionals
● Join a network of young (< 5 years exp.) GIS professionals in Washington
● Get access to mailing lists, social/ learning events, and a Slack Channel
● Fill out the YPI Interest Sign-Up Form to get in the loop!
DTA web page: https://wagisa.org/DTA
● Learn more about the DTA, see past events, and submit a project abstract when the submission form opens again in 2025
Thank you to the students, judges, volunteers and everyone else who made this event possible. Finally, a special thanks to my partner in crime and DTA co-coordinator, Dan Miller.
I look forward to another great year of DTA in 2025!
Sincerely,
Micah Gelber
WAGISA Community Engagement Chair
