GIS for Post-Disaster Tourism Development
During my appointment at the University of New Orleans (UNO), LA, I combined my academic and research activities with extra-curricular projects. For example, we provided GIS and mapping consulting services to the MidCity Neighborhood Development Association of New Orleans. This opportunity benefited both the local organization and my students who had the opportunity to work on a real world planning study.
The Neighborhood Signage Study was an applied GIS research project designed to assess a series of proposed locations to determine their respective development feasibility. It required site assessment and modelling to adhere to safety and planning rules to erect physical tourist signs around the downtown section of the City of New Orleans, LA.
The goal of this project was to evaluate the existing conditions at each location to identify the most suitable sites where to place the neighborhood signs to attract visitors and increase tourism in the downtown mid-city area while adhering to local laws.
With the collaboration of the students enrolled in Advanced GIS at UNO, we conducted a suitability analysis to evaluate both, each location's attributes and their physical administrative compliance with zoning and other local planning regulations.
The maps and other materials produced by our team were distributed online for public discussion and incorporated into public hearings to evaluate the proposed actions and their impacts.
