2004 UC Proceedings Abstract
 Modeling Global Language Diffusion With ArcGIS Track: Modeling Author(s): Christopher Deckert Currently there are 6,800+ languages across the globe. More than 400 of these languages are nearly extinct and many more are on the endangered list. As we move into a more global economy, interactions between cultures occur daily. Businesses, governments, and nongovernmental organizations bring goods and services to every facet of society in every part of the earth. Knowing the language of the intended recipient is essential for smooth transactions. Taking the current sources of language information available today we have developed a predictive model for language diffusion. Using ArcGIS, the Spatial Analyst extension, and ArcObjects, the relative cost of language propagation was generated. Various physical factors produced a geographic cost grid. Anthropogenic factors produced an ethnic cost grid. These grids were combined to approximate the probability of many different languages spoken at any given inhabited location on the globe. Christopher Deckert World Missions Atlas Project Habitats Project 910 Calle Negocio suite 300 San Clemente , CA 92675 US Phone: 949-361-4475 Fax: 949-361-4475 E-mail: cdeckert@ccci.org |
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