AY09
Linking Tourism Resources and Local Economic Development: A Spatial Analysis in West Virginia
Researchers: Jinyang Deng, Assistant Professor, Recreation, Parks and Tourism Resources Program
David Dyre, GRA
Working Paper 2009-6
Final Report
Awarded ARC funding, September 2009, $248,150
In recent decades, tourism has been playing an increasingly significant role in promoting rural economic development and diversification in West Virginia. Speaking of Ogleby Resort in Wheeling in October 2007 as an inspiration for tourism development throughout the state, Governor Manchin stressed that “state politicians need to think beyond their next elections and have a vision that includes tourism promotion.” As far as “tourism promotion” is concerned, questions such as what, where, and how tourism should be promoted to be maximally profitable still remain largely un-addressed in the state. Current practices in the state require more efforts be put on regional collaboration in tourism planning and development. Regional collaboration can refer to collaboration within a region and between regions. The question then arises as to if such a region should be defined based on the current nine economic development regions or based on tourism resource distribution patterns which may cut across county and economic development region boundaries. To answer this question, it is necessary to spatially examine the linkage between tourism resource distributions and associated economic benefits throughout the state, because tourism promotion and resulting economic benefits depend on tourism resources and how these tourism resources are utilized. Such spatial analysis would allow for determining if several tourism resource distribution regions or tourism zones can be spatially identified and if these tourism zones overlap with the current economic development regions. If the answer is no, then current financial capital allocation based on administrative boundaries should be re-distributed according to the tourism resource distribution regions to maximize coordinated efforts for the state’s tourism planning, promotion and development. To this end, this project aims to develop a statewide GIS tourism resource database and analyze the spatial clustering of tourism resources in the state in relation to the spatial distribution of tourism economic benefits. The results of this project will provide useful information needed for decision makers to rationally allocate limited financial capitals to tourism zones to maximize the output of tourism promotion and development. In addition, the identification of tourism zones from this project will provide a scientific base for regional collaboration for the state’s tourism promotion and development.
AY08
Proximity to Coal Mining and Health
Researchers: Michael Hendryx, Associate Professor, Department of Community Medicine and
Kathryn O'Donnell, GRA -- Working Paper
Final Report
Coal mining is an important economic factor for West Virginia and Appalachia. However, limited research has been conducted in this geographic region on the possible health risks from exposure to mining byproducts for people who live in the proximity of the mining sites. The research proposed in this application will advance scientific understanding of the possible health consequences of living in proximity to mining, and will lay the foundation for extramural grant applications to study this issue with more definitive and sophisticated methods. Specifically, this research will test hypotheses stating that, after statistical adjustments for social and economic confounds, population hospitalizations and mortality rates for health conditions that are sensitive to exposure to coal mining byproducts will be elevated as a function of the amount of coal mined in Appalachian counties, while hospitalizations and mortality rates for other health conditions will not be elevated. A line of research initiated by the Principal Investigator has identified a link between the intensity of coal mining and greater adjusted prevalence of some chronic illnesses, and between coal mining and adjusted hospitalization patterns for hypertension and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The current proposal seeks to extend this research by using grant funds to support database development to broaden the geographic and temporal scope of the work, refine and extend covariates and dependent variables, and conduct additional analytic tests, in preparation for extramural grant applications.
West Virginia / Central Appalachian Land Use Status and Trends Project
Researchers: Charles Yuill, Associate Professor, Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning and
Vishakha Maskey, GRA
Final Report
This proposal briefly describes a pilot research project that could be completed to initiate/prove the concept for a larger statewide/regional land use mapping, monitoring and future land use modeling project. The proposed Pilot Study addresses a number of methodological and analytical issues that should provide significant opportunities for additional research and collaboration efforts. The pilot should provide a research base from which larger area / more complex efforts may be initiated. A variety of statewide, as well as regional organizations, research entities, and Federal agencies are addressing issues in the Central Appalachians for which land use / land cover monitoring and modeling are critical. In addition to the above discussed potential uses of such research findings, other potential research users include:
* Regional conservation organizations;
* Regional economic development organizations;
* Utilities such as PJM Interconnect using such projections for long range electricity planning and load forecasting; and
* Infrastructure and homeland security planners
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