An evaluation of tornado siren coverage in Stillwater, Oklahoma: Optimal GIS methods for a spatially explicit interpretation.

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Title: An evaluation of tornado siren coverage in Stillwater, Oklahoma: Optimal GIS methods for a spatially explicit interpretation.
Authors: Mathews, Adam J.1 adam.mathews@okstate.edu, Ellis, Emily A.1
Source: Applied Geography. Mar2016, Vol. 68, p28-36. 9p.
Subjects: Tornadoes, Geographic information systems, Geographic spatial analysis, Weather
Geographic Terms: Stillwater (Okla.)
Abstract: Severe weather occurrences, especially tornadoes, are costly to communities in terms of loss of life and property damage. Cities located within Tornado Alley are especially at risk of being affected by tornadic activity and thus have a pressing need for a warning system. The use of strategically-placed outdoor tornado sirens is a common approach to notify residents of approaching severe weather. However, it remains difficult to ensure complete coverage (i.e. every resident within an audible distance of a siren) of such a system within a city. This study uses two distinct GIS-based methodological approaches using U.S. Census population data and siren locations to assess the extent city residents are safeguarded by the existing tornado siren network in Stillwater, Oklahoma. The first approach utilizes spatially unaltered (aggregated) census data whereas the second approach proposes a disaggregation technique incorporating building polygons to improve the spatial detail. The first approach revealed that 26% of city residents are not covered by the siren network, whereas the second approach estimated that 4–14% are not covered. The second approach provided a more precise account of Stillwater's vulnerable population due to its spatially explicit nature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Applied Geography is the property of Pergamon Press - An Imprint of Elsevier Science and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Database: Engineering Source
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DbLabel: Engineering Source
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  Data: An evaluation of tornado siren coverage in Stillwater, Oklahoma: Optimal GIS methods for a spatially explicit interpretation.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Mathews%2C+Adam+J%2E%22">Mathews, Adam J.</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo><i> adam.mathews@okstate.edu</i><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Ellis%2C+Emily+A%2E%22">Ellis, Emily A.</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo>
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Applied+Geography%22">Applied Geography</searchLink>. Mar2016, Vol. 68, p28-36. 9p.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Tornadoes%22">Tornadoes</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Geographic+information+systems%22">Geographic information systems</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Geographic+spatial+analysis%22">Geographic spatial analysis</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Weather%22">Weather</searchLink>
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Stillwater+%28Okla%2E%29%22">Stillwater (Okla.)</searchLink>
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  Label: Abstract
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  Data: Severe weather occurrences, especially tornadoes, are costly to communities in terms of loss of life and property damage. Cities located within Tornado Alley are especially at risk of being affected by tornadic activity and thus have a pressing need for a warning system. The use of strategically-placed outdoor tornado sirens is a common approach to notify residents of approaching severe weather. However, it remains difficult to ensure complete coverage (i.e. every resident within an audible distance of a siren) of such a system within a city. This study uses two distinct GIS-based methodological approaches using U.S. Census population data and siren locations to assess the extent city residents are safeguarded by the existing tornado siren network in Stillwater, Oklahoma. The first approach utilizes spatially unaltered (aggregated) census data whereas the second approach proposes a disaggregation technique incorporating building polygons to improve the spatial detail. The first approach revealed that 26% of city residents are not covered by the siren network, whereas the second approach estimated that 4–14% are not covered. The second approach provided a more precise account of Stillwater's vulnerable population due to its spatially explicit nature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
– Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright
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  Group: Ab
  Data: <i>Copyright of Applied Geography is the property of Pergamon Press - An Imprint of Elsevier Science and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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      – Type: doi
        Value: 10.1016/j.apgeog.2016.01.007
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      – Code: eng
        Text: English
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        PageCount: 9
        StartPage: 28
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Tornadoes
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Geographic information systems
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Geographic spatial analysis
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Weather
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      – SubjectFull: Stillwater (Okla.)
        Type: general
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              Text: Mar2016
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              Y: 2016
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              Value: 68
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