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Over the last several decades, British Columbians
have become increasingly aware of the potential for a major earthquake
in the near vicinity. We have been constantly reminded, by the vast
amount of damage and death tolls resulting from relatively nearby earthquakes
in California, San Francisco, and more recently Seattle, just how devastating
these natural hazards can be.
As a result, for my project I am proposing to find the safest location on Vancouver Island to live in the event of a major earthquake, also referred to as "The Big One". A spatial analysis of Vancouver Island will determine the ideal location to live, should an individual choose to live on the Island. I will take into account such factors as population densities in major cities; past frequency and magnitude of earthquake occurrences in major cities; constraints resulting from different types of landuse; proximity to major road systems (to serve as evacuation routes during an earthquake); location of dams; location of lakes and other large water bodies; proximity to hydrolines; and slope (whether a slope might be subject to mass wasting during an earthquake). |
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Why Did I Choose This Project?
The reason I chose to do a project concerning earthquake safety is because I am particularly interested in this natural hazard. I have done a lot of studying on the effects of earthquakes in the past and I plan in the future to possibly move to Vancouver Island to live. Therefore it would be in my best interest to determine where the safest place to live during an earthquake might be. We all know that "The Big One" will inevitably strike us, and when it does, the reprecussions will be severe, but when it will occur is still an unknown question.
The spatial analysis for this project will be done entirely in Idrisi32. However, the final map showing the outcome of the safest areas to live on Vancouver Island in an earthquake will not be a completely accurate representation due to the fact that the distance values from certain landforms will be very subjective since I determined them from my best knowledge from a safety standpoint. Any other individual performing a similar project may use slightly different values and produce a different outcome. As well the weights I apply to specific factors is a very subjective process which will make my particular results unique.
