Stephen J. Ventura - Professor

Geographic information systems, spatial process modeling, soil survey and soil information systems, technology transfer, land and resource tenure, GIS in land use planning.

• Contact Information
• Program Affiliations
• Education
• Teaching and Research
• Selected Publications
• Awards and Honors

Contact Information

Phone: 608-262-6416
Fax: 608-265-2595
Email: sventura@wisc.edu
Office: 263A Soil Science

Program Affiliations

Education

• BA Zoology, 1978, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
• MS Environmental Monitoring, 1983, University of Wisconsin-Madison
• PhD Land Resources, 1989, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Teaching and Research

Each fall, I teach Applications of Geographic Information Systems in Natural Resources. This is primarily a graduate-level course, though undergraduates who have taken introductory GIS also participate. The course provides a broad overview of GIS applications and techniques, and goes into information system implementation in detail.

Spring, I alternate between Environmental Assessment (even years) and GIS and Society (odd years). The former covers the environmental impact process, with emphasis on natural resources and agricultural systems. The latter looks at social, economic, legal and organizational issues in the development and use of geographic information systems.

Periodically, I teach advanced GIS courses, including an applied problem-solving workshop and various special topics in land resources.

I supervise short course programs at LICGF that provide instruction in GIS software in a variety of applications, including land use planning and land resource management.

My research is focused on application of geographic information systems such as spatial process modeling, land records modernization, and land use planning. The research involves both technical aspects of the problems and the institutional structures and mechanisms necessary to support the application of the technologies.

In the area of spatial process modeling, I am conducting projects related models of impacts of land use changes, including nonpoint source pollution sediment delivery and flow routing, management of protected areas, farmland preservation, and soil-landscape relationships.

Many of my land records modernization activities are essentially outreach working with state and local units of government to understand the use and application of GIS. Applied research arising out of this interest includes the use of information technologies to integrate landscape ecology principles in local land use planning, and to better identify and protect indigenous land and resource rights.

Land use planning research and development involves developing Web-based tools and models for land use planning in support of Wisconsin's "Smart Growth" law, and facilitating web-based planning processes.

My long-term interests include

• mechanisms for more efficient and effective use of soil survey data, especially within a geographic information system, for example, using GIS to characterize landscape processes;

• the development of Internet-based systems for providing a broad range of data and services to support land management and planning decisions

Publications

• Arrington, K.E., J.M. Norman, A. Roa-Espinosa, and S.J. Ventura. 2004. Implementing a thermal urban runoff model. Chap. 20, p. 427-458. In W. James (ed.) Innovative Modeling of Urban Water Systems. CHI, Guelph, Ontario.


• Arrington, K.E., S.J. Ventura, J.M. Norman, and A. Roa-Espinosa. 2003. Protecting cold water streams in urbanizing watersheds. J. Soil Water Cons. 58(3):62-65.


• He, H., S.J. Ventura, and D.J. Mladenoff. 2002. Effects of spatial aggregation on landscape patterns using Landsat TM satellite imagery. International Journal of Geographical Information Science 16(1):93-109.


• Ventura, S.J., T. Miller, and G. Barry. 2002. Community engagement in land use planning through web-based technologies. Chap. 5, p. 87-98. In Geertman, S and J. Stillwell (eds.) Planning support systems in practice. Springer-Verlag, New York.


• Barry, G., T. Rooney, S. Ventura, and D. Waller. 2001. Evaluation of reserve potential based on the wildness criterion: a study of the Northwoods (Upper Great Lakes, USA). Natural Areas J.21(3):229-242.


• Ventura, S.J., B.J. Niemann, R.E. Chenoweth, and T.P. Sutphin. 2001. GIS-enhanced land use planning in Dane county, Wisconsin. In W. Craig, T. Harris, and D. Weiner (eds.) Empowerment and marginalization: Public participation GIS. John Wiley and Sons, New York. (in press)


• He, H., S.J. Ventura and D.J. Mladenoff. 2001. Effects of different spatial aggregation approaches on landscape patterns using Landsat TM Satellite Imagery. International J. Geog. Information Sci. 16(1):93-109.


• Ventura, S., D. Hart, D.D. Moyer, and B. Niemann. 2001. Surveying the lay of the land information systems. Geospatial Sol. 11(10):32-35


• Cardille, J. A., Ventura, S. J., and M. G. Turner. 2001. Environmental and social factors influencing wildfires in the Upper Midwest, USA. Ecological Appl. 11(1):111-127.


• Ventura, S.J. and B.J. Irvin. 2000. Landform classification for soil landscape studies. Chap. 11, p. 267-294. In J.P. Wilson and J.C. Gallant (eds.) Terrain analysis: principles and applications. John Wiley and Sons, New York.


• Ventura, S.J., and M. Mohamed. 1998. Use of information technologies to model indigenous tenure concepts. The Land 2:81-100.


• Irvin, B.J., Ventura, S.J., and Slater, B.K. 1997. Fuzzy and isodata classification of landform elements from digital terrain data. Geoderma 77:137-154.


• Ventura, S.J. 1995. The use of geographic information systems in local government. Public Admin. Rev. 55:463-469.

Awards and Honors