AbstractsGeography &GIS

"Food deserts" are increasingly being studied and debated through the use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) with varying definitions and methods of measurement, though often with great controversy. Recently, the United States government published a food desert study and mapping website that classified census tracts as food deserts, which included highly controversial areas such as college and university campuses. The purpose of this thesis is to examine the literature on the subject of food deserts in order to illustrate a lack of standardization in definition and method of measurement, explore how GIS technology can be used to aid in the investigation and assessment of the validity of food deserts within highly controversial areas, such as college and university campuses because several of these campuses in the state of Connecticut have been identified as food deserts, and propose a definition and method of measurement for identifying food deserts at college and university campuses, which has never been previously studied or attempted. Ten college and university campuses were selected as case studies where the total food environment of each campus was surveyed and assessed for: the travel options available to students; the on-campus dining services and nutritional counseling programs; the ability to store and prepare foods within campus residences; and using aerial photography and GIS technology to geolocate off-campus retail food options within three set distances of 0.25-miles, 0.50-miles, and 1.00-miles from the college or university campus. Different from the government's definition, this research has found that none of the Connecticut schools have been found to be a food desert as every school campus provides, at the very least, on-campus dining facilities and nutritional programs to students. This thesis demonstrates that the combination of GIS technology and a complete survey of school campus food environments may lead to a better way to study food deserts at college and university campuses. "Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Geography."; Thesis advisor: Xiaoping Shen.; M.S.,Central Connecticut State University,,2014.;