Abstract

Spatial Analysis of Trick and Treat for Change
Track: Mapping
Authors: Mark Campbell

For the past eight years, students in Illinois State University's chapter for Habitat for Humanity utilized Halloween Trick n' Treating to raise funds for a local build. For the first years donations increased, but recently plateaued. To maximize donations we utilized historic donation records, demographic data, and crime statistics to identify the safest and most effective distribution of students to city neighborhoods. Our secondary goal was to introduce Geography students in a Geographic Information Systems course to real-world applications of GIS. Students digitized past neighborhood distributions and housing density, collected demographic data, and engaged in spatial analyses. Students developed a ranking system of fundraising potential and identified the best neighborhoods to visit with weighted Overlay maps. Results were used to create visitation areas for student volunteers that included higher detail and more reasonable travel distances than previous maps. We hope this method increases donation efforts for Halloween 2012.