Open Access: Open Access Week 2022

Data visualization and the Problematics of Greenhouse Emissions and Flooding Project

By Taiwo Lasisi 

My research project called The "DaPGEF" Project, seeks to explore the effects of flooding and green-house emissions in the city of Pittsburgh. First, with the flood disaster challenges Pittsburgh has faced in the past decades, from The Great St. Patrick’s Day flood in 1936, to more recent ones in 2021 in places like Triboro, Millvale and Shadyside, my plan is to work with community-based organizations, environmental organizations, and local residents of vulnerable coastal communities in Pittsburgh communities to address this environmental justice issue (flooding). 

One of the goals of this research is to examine the effects of flooding on these localities and how it can be ameliorated using resilient strategies. Another objective of this research on the problem of flooding is to examine the chronology of flooding in Pittsburgh and trace historical trends and events of flooding with the purpose of examining the trajectory of such trends over the years and how they have been handled in various communities including historically marginalized communities in Pittsburgh. Data will be retrieved on this through archival data, interviews and surveys.

Secondly, this project will explore the effects of green-house emissions on air quality in affected communities in Pittsburgh. Green-house emissions concentration drives global climate change, and it is indirectly responsible for risks related to the other climate indicators and nearly every single United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal (SDGs) to be achieved in 2030. Therefore, like flooding, exploring the effects of and how to reduce greenhouse emissions is one of the most effective and necessary climate-related actions for achieving the SDGs which is part of what this research plans to explore. 

This study will adopt a qualitative research approach using content analysis strategy for data analysis. The study will also use what I termed “the CAVA approach” (Collection of data, Analysis of Data, Visualization of data, and Archiving of data) for the data management process of the project. The research team plans to start working with environmental professionals and community based organizations in Pittsburgh to begin important conversations that speak to the research purpose, which would kickstart the data collection process. This research promises to address environmental justice issues around flooding, and greenhouse emissions, and produce actionable results using data visualization tools such as R and Shiny to pass study results messaging to the public.
 

During this year’s International Open Access Week, CMU Libraries are celebrating some of our OA Champions from across the campus who have contributed to various Open Access Publishing. The Open Access champions are from several colleges and departments!