Abstract
The objectives of this study are to create and implement a new Geographic Information System (GIS) for the definition of areas along the Texas coast at risk from hurricane impacts and to estimate populations for those areas. The threat to lives and property from hurricanes makes preparation for hurricane events necessary. Advancing computer technology, modeling techniques, and GIS have made it possible to incorporate data from different sources into the same system. Five study areas along the coast containing a total of 22 counties are considered separately. Surge data, windspeed predictions, road networks, and digital county basemaps are considered in the definition of risk areas. Risk areas are drawn as lines and converted to polygons. Census data are incorporated and populations are projected to year 2000. Spatial queries are conducted in the GIS in order to determine population of each area. Populations are processed into number of evacuating vehicles for each area. Evacuation times for each area are estimated. Published maps arc produced for each of the five study areas and each of the 22 corresponding counties and are presented in this paper. The GIS created during this study provides a framework which may be built upon and shared with other researchers in the future.
Blakely, Christopher Todd (1997). A GIS study for determining hurricane risk areas and estimating population, Texas Coastal Counties. Master's thesis, Texas A&M University. Available electronically from
https : / /hdl .handle .net /1969 .1 /ETD -TAMU -1997 -THESIS -B55.