Mapping Vulnerability in Oklahoma City: An Examination of Connections between Demography and Location in an Urban Context

Jason Hall, University of Oklahoma
Heather Basara, University of Oklahoma

Demographic factors are organized geographically and contribute to environmental vulnerability according to underlying behavioral and cultural phenomenon. This study seeks to demonstrate this geographic organization in Oklahoma City through the application of demographic data and computer modeling. GIS and self-organizing maps are employed to examine demographic, zoning, and geographic data in an effort to demonstrate the relationships between socio-demographic factors and geographic location. When demographic characteristics were analyzed spatially, it was observed that the social environment is highly autocorrelated with geography, and therefore the geographic distribution of the demographic variables that describe population sub-groups proves to be an important aspect of environmental exposure analysis. This approach to social-environmental classification provides a method for understanding the distribution of multiple demographic variables which can be used to understand the geo-demography of an area and may be integrated with exposure analysis and risk assessment to further understand the risks for adverse health outcomes.