1. Identifying Vulnerable Schools in High Risk Environmental Justice Communities
Adam Dorr

2. Midterm Goals Use pollution data to identify high-risk areas
Use demographic data to identify vulnerable environmental justice communities
Identify most vulnerable schools for priority intervention
Geographic Area: Los Angeles County (by census tract)

3. Sources and Methods
EPA National Air Toxics Assessment (NATA) data:
Cancer Risk
Neurological Risk
Respiratory Risk
Standardized Scales (0-1)
Composite Index (0-1)

4. Sources and Methods
American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (US Census Bureau via Social Explorer)
Based on Massachusetts State Law and Atlanta City Code definitions of Environmental Justice Community:
65% or more below median income (assumed: county)
25% or more minority (assumed: ALL not “white alone”)
25% or more foreign born
25% or more under age 10
25% or more age 65 or older
Community Vulnerability Scale (0-5)

5. Sources and Methods ESRI/Microsoft: UCLA Mapshare:
California state boundary map
Los Angeles County census tracts boundary map
Shaded relief basemap
Major highways basemap
UCLA Mapshare:
Airports
Water bodies

20. Final Project Goals Use pollution data to identify high-risk areas
Use demographic data to identify vulnerable environmental justice communities
Identify most vulnerable schools for priority intervention
Buffer zones around EPA sites of concern
Develop a predictive model:
Risk  Environmental Justice Community
Test model in other cities

22. GIS Skills Used Inset map Point graduated symbol (schools)
Aggregating attribute fields (scales and composite scores)
Creating Indices (EJ-Risk Combined Index)
Geoprocessing (clipping, multiple layers)
Buffering and dissolve (EPA sites of concern 0.5 mile buffer)
Attribute sub-sets selections (selected Los Angeles County EPA sites of concern from nationwide dataset)
Geocoding (EPA sites addresses)