The timing of fireworks-caused wildfire ignitions during the 4th of July holiday season.

Although anthropogenic climate change is causing increased wildfire activity in the United States (US), humans are also an important ignition source. Humans cause a surge in wildfire ignitions every 4th of July (Independence Day in the US) through the use of fireworks. We examine the 4th of July peak in fireworks-caused wildfire ignitions and show that their spatial distribution varies but has been heavily concentrated in the west and north central US and predominantly on tribal lands.

'Unmasking' masked address data: A medoid geocoding solution.

In recent years, there has been a consistent push for more open data initiatives, particularly for datasets collected by public agencies or groups that receive public funding. However, there is a tension between the release of open data and the preservation of individual and household privacy, whose balance shifts due to increased data availability, the sophistication of analysis techniques, and the computational power available to users. As a result, data masking is a standard tool used to preserve privacy.

A study of SARS-COV-2 outbreaks in US federal prisons: the linkage between staff, incarcerated populations, and community transmission.

Background: Since the novel coronavirus SARS-COV-2 was first identified to be circulating in the US on January 20, 2020, some of the worst outbreaks have occurred within state and federal prisons. The vulnerability of incarcerated populations, and the additional threats posed to the health of prison staff and the people they contact in surrounding communities underline the need to better understand the dynamics of transmission in the inter-linked incarcerated population/staff/community sub-populations to better inform optimal control of SARS-COV-2.

Methods: We examined SARS-CoV-2 case data from 101 non-administrative federal prisons between 5/18/2020 to 01/31/2021 and examined the per capita size of outbreaks in staff and the incarcerated population compared to outbreaks in the communities in the counties surrounding the prisons during the summer and winter waves of the SARS-COV-2 pandemic.

Geodemographic insights on the COVID-19 pandemic in the State of Wisconsin and the role of risky facilities.

The COVID-19 pandemic caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) continues to impact the United States. While age and comorbid health conditions remain primary concerns in the community-based transmission of the virus, empirical evidence continues to suggest that substantial variability exists in the geographic and geodemographic distribution of COVID-19 infection rates. The purpose of this paper is to provide an alternative, spatiotemporal perspective on the pandemic using the state of Wisconsin as a case study.

Is There a Temporal Relationship between COVID-19 Infections among Prison Staff, Incarcerated Persons and the Larger Community in the United States?

Background: Our objective was to examine the temporal relationship between COVID-19 infections among prison staff, incarcerated individuals, and the general population in the county where the prison is located among federal prisons in the United States.

Methods: We employed population-standardized regressions with fixed effects for prisons to predict the number of active cases of COVID-19 among incarcerated persons using data from the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) for the months of March to December in 2020 for 63 prisons.

Results: There is a significant relationship between the COVID-19 prevalence among staff, and through them, the larger community, and COVID-19 prevalence among incarcerated persons in the US federal prison system.

A Visual Analytics System for Oil Spill Response and Recovery.

Extensive research has been done on oil spill simulation techniques, spatial optimization models, and oil spill cleanup strategies. This article presents a visual analytics system that integrates the independent facets of spill modeling techniques and spatial optimization to enable inspection, exploration, and decision making for offshore oil spill response.