Spotlights
Release of Earth Fissure Maps
The first detailed maps of earth fissures have been released for two areas in Arizona. These maps of the Chandler Heights and Apache Junction areas show the location and status of earth fissures and are now available online at the Arizona Department of Real Estate’s website at http://azmap.org/fissures.
Earth fissures are a serious geologic hazard in the arid valleys of central and south-central Arizona. As population centers expand into subsiding areas of our basins/valleys, residents and structures are placed in closer proximity to fissures.
According to Lee Allison, State Geologist and Director of Arizona Geological Survey (AZGS), "Our first line of defense against the hazards of earth fissures is knowing where they are. When we know that, we can avoid them or take steps to reduce the risks they present to people's property and their safety."
Mapping earth fissures requires a painstaking approach. It involves AZGS geoscientists compiling earlier studies, examining new and historical aerial photographs, and field mapping of each fissure using high-resolution global positioning system (GPS) receivers and placed in a data base. The data base is then provided to Geographic Information System (GIS) Services within the Institute for Social Science Research at Arizona State University. GIS staff then loads the data for display on the AZMap Earth Fissures Viewer. This customized Internet mapping service, which provides on-line interactive mapping capabilities for locating earth fissures, is created by GIS Services and accessible by the public from the Arizona Department of Real Estate’s website.
AZGS is charged by state statute with mapping earth fissures in Arizona. The earth fissure map information is then provided for public release via the State of Arizona’s Internet map service accessible from the Arizona Department of Real Estate’s website.
AZ Indicators Site Goes Live
The ISSR, in partnership with the Office of the President and the ASU Libraries, is proud to announce the release of the new Arizona Indicators web site. The Arizona Indicators Project provides a one-stop data research tool that tracks Arizona’s economic, social and environmental trajectory. The project addresses the serious need for high quality, transparent, accessible data that will illuminate the current conditions and emerging trends in metropolitan Phoenix and the State of Arizona. Arizonans can now chart, measure, and assess the development and changes in their communities over time using a friendly web interface. Visit www.arizonaindicators.org for more information.
GIS Helps Launch AZSITE
The GIS Services group in the Institute for Social Science Research (ISSR) recently helped launch AZSITE: Arizona’s Cultural Resource Inventory. AZSITE Public provides viewing of non-culturally sensitive spatial data and a cultural resource sensitivity layer. The Cultural Resource Sensitivity layer is designed to provide a broad overview to the potential level of cultural resource restrictions during land development projects.
The AZSITE board is a partnership formed between the Arizona State Museum, the State Historic Preservation Office, the Museum of Northen Arizona and Arizona State University. The AZSITE Interactive Mapping Application was developed by the GIS Services at Arizona State University's ISSR using ESRI's ArcGIS Server 9.2 software.
ISSR Open House a Rousing Success!
The Institute for Social Science Research (ISSR) hosted its first Open House/Demonstration on March 5th. Jana Hutchins, Manager of Geographic Information Systems Services; Pam Hunter, Manager of Survey Research and Analysis Services; and Phil Puleo, Manager of Research Technology Services provided overviews of the research support services their core areas offer faculty, research staff, graduate students, and community members. Over ninety faculty, staff and students attended the two information sessions. Many attendees also participated in the facility tour offered by Steven Sepnieski, Assistant Director of the Institute, and Jess Alberts, Associate Director for Research Development. Dean Linda Lederman, Director of the Institute, offered an introduction to the ISSR, and Executive Dean Alan Artibise, Executive Director of the ISSR attended. Researchers interested in receiving a free consultation with core Managers concerning their research projects should contact Jess Alberts at jess.alberts@asu.edu.
In case you missed the big event, here is a PDF
version of the PowerPoint presentation.
Open House at the ISSR
On March 5th the Institute for Social Science Research (ISSR) will hold information and demonstration sessions for faculty and graduate students on its Survey Research and Analysis Services, Research Technology Services, and Geographic Information System (GIS) Services. Managers from each area will demonstrate the types of research projects their teams are capable of supporting. The open house will be held on the ASU Tempe Campus in Coor 5536 with the following schedule:
2:00 and 3:00 p.m.
Introductions/refreshments
2:15 and 3:15 p.m
Jana Hutchins, Geographic Information System Services
• Data visualization
• Interactive web mapping
• Spatial analysis
2:30 and 3:30 p.m.
Pam Hunter, Survey Research & Analysis Services
• Surveys
• Focus groups
2:45 and 3:45 p.m.
Phil Puleo, Research Technology Services
• Web collaboration tools
• Managing, securing & sharing data
• Computer Assisted Research Lab (CARL)
Executive Director of the ISSR live on “aztalk” forum
"aztalk" is a weekly online discussion feature for the Arizona Republic. The subject for Wednesday, January 30th was the ASU-Southwest Poll featuring the Executive Director of the ISSR Dean Alan Artibise. Dean Artibise responded to questions from the editor/moderator and readers about the poll and how the southwest voters viewed such topics as immigration, presidential candidates and the economy.
Faculty Contribute Questions to ASU Southwest Poll
Twenty-three individual faculty and one faculty team across ASU’s campuses contributed questions to the Institute for Social Science Research (ISSR) recent Southwest Poll. The ISSR polled more than 1,000 residents in the four Southwestern states and asked their opinions on several timely issues, including immigration, the economy and the environment.
The results of ASU’s Southwest Poll have been widely disseminated. During the first week more than 150 media outlets across the country ran stories on the poll. College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Executive Dean Alan Artibise, who also serves as Executive Director of the ISSR, appears in The Arizona Republic on Sunday January 27th in the Viewpoints section of the paper. He discusses the Southwest Poll and its importance in offering presidential candidates and U.S. policymakers a new set of often untapped responses to some of the emerging issues this campaign and legislative season.
Faculty contributors have received the results of the poll for use in their own research. The data will also be available to other interested members of the ASU community on February 15th. Those interested in acquiring a copy of the poll’s results, please contact Jess Alberts at janet.alberts@asu.edu.
ASU Southwest Poll released
A new Arizona State University-Southwest Poll released Jan. 3 reveals the perspectives of Southwesterners in Arizona, Nevada, Texas and
New Mexico on immigration issues, the U.S. presidential race and quality of life in the Southwest. Download the results here.
ASU Insight Features the ISSR
Geocoding, national surveys, focus groups and Web collaboration portals are among the fee-based research services being used by faculty members and the public at ASU’s ISSR, a state-of-the-art research facility. The three core areas work together seamlessly to help foster transdisciplinary research at the university and in the community.
ISSR Catalyst Grant program call for proposals
The Institute for Social Science Research announces a call for proposals for its Catalyst Grant program. The program is designed to enable faculty to pursue external funding for interdisciplinary research projects by providing seed grants. All proposals that advance the research mission of the university and that incorporate ISSR services provided by Survey Research and Analysis Services, GIS Services, or Research Technology Services are encouraged to apply.
ASU team detects earliest modern humans
An international research team led by Dr. Curtis Marean reports
new evidence of marine resources and pigments used by early humans in the October 18 issue of the journal Nature. With
an office, research lab space, and server facilities housed in the ISSR, Dr. Marean's
SACP4 team was assisted by
the ISSR's GIS and RTS groups in creating 3D models of South African Caves and a research web portal for team members. [
video 
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article 
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Good Morning America Comes to the ISSR!
ABC's Good Morning America program recently used the ISSR's focus group and observation suite to replicate a
negotiation research experiment as part of their program on gender and negotiation in the workplace. The ISSR's associate director of research development,
Dr. Jess Alberts, coordinated the facility use and experiment filming. Well-known scholar and writer
Linda Babcock, along with ASU graduate student
Justin Boren, are featured. [
video |
article
]
ISSR Director's Welcome
A message from Linda Lederman, Director of the Institute for Social Science Research...
keep reading | executive director's podcast
Dr. Jess Alberts Joins the ISSR as Associate Director For Research Development
The ISSR is pleased to welcome Dr. Jess Alberts in her new role as faculty liaison, research writer, and ICPSR contact...(PDF)
New Services for Researchers
The ISSR's new Research Technology Services (RTS) group helps researchers utilize the latest information technology tools to enhance and extend their research capabilities...(more)