Spero Manson
Biographic Data
| ID | 89732 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Spero Manson |
| GIVEN NAMES | Spero |
| FAMILY NAME | Manson |
| SIGNATURE | MANSON S |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Minnesota |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-7697-5339 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 34 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 100 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 34 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1983 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2025 |
| H-INDEX | 6 |
Rural Native Veterans’ Perceptions of Care in the Context of Navigator Program Development
Making a Community Health Needs Assessment Participatory
Community health needs assessments (CHNAs) often lack sufficient community member participation. This lack of participation contributes to a continuation of unmet needs and systematic inequities. Southcentral Foundation (SCF) is an Alaska Native-owned, nonprofit healthcare organization serving 70,000 Alaska Native and American Indian (AN/AI) people living in and around Anchorage and 55 rural villages. Results of a 1993 CHNA shaped the organizatio…
Regionalization with Self-Organizing Maps for Sharing Higher Resolution Protected Health Information
This paper addresses the challenge of sharing finer-scale Protected Health Information (PHI) while maintaining patient privacy by using regionalization to create higher resolution HIPAA-compliant geographical aggregations. We compare four regionalization approaches in terms of their fitness for analysis and display: max-p-regions, REDCAP, and self-organizing maps (SOM) variants of each. Each method is used to create a configuration of regions tha…
Methodological Issues of Spatial Agent-Based Models
Agent based modeling (ABM) is a standard tool that is useful across many disciplines. Despite widespread and mounting interest in ABM, even broader adoption has been hindered by a set of methodological challenges that run from issues around basic tools to the need for a more complete conceptual foundation for the approach. A er several decades of progress, ABMs remain di icult to develop and use for many students, scholars, and policy makers. Thi…
Using word embeddings to generate data-driven human agent decision-making from natural language
Generating replicable and empirically valid models of human decision-making is crucial for the scientific accuracy and reproducibility of agent-based models. A two-fold challenge in developing models of decision-making is a lack of high resolution and high quality behavioral data and the need for more transparent means of translating these data into models. A common and largely successful approach to modeling is hand-crafting agent decision heuri…
Early life trauma, post‐traumatic stress disorder, and allostatic load in a sample of American Indian adults
OBJECTIVES: Among American Indians, prior research has found associations between early life trauma and the development of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in adulthood. Given the physiological changes associated with PTSD, early life trauma could indirectly contribute to chronic disease risk. However, the impact of early life trauma on adult physical health in this population has not been previously investigated. METHODS: We evaluated assoc…
Obesity and Overweight in American Indian and Alaska Native Children, 2006–2015
Objectives. To estimate obesity and overweight prevalence in American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) children across genders, ages, and geographic regions in the Indian Health Service active clinical population. Methods. We obtained data from the Indian Health Service National Data Warehouse. At least 184 000 AI/AN children aged 2 to 19 years had body mass index data for each year studied, 2006 to 2015. We calculated body mass index percentiles…
Geographic Information Systems and Remote Sensing
Land system science and the social–environmental system
Do Physicists Have Geography Envy? And What Can Geographers Learn from It
Recent years have seen an increasing amount of work by physicists on topics outside their traditional research domain, including in geography.We explore the scope of this development, place it in a historical context dating back at least to statistical physics in the nineteenth century, and trace the origins of more recent developments to the roots of computational science after the Second World War.Our primary purpose is not historical, however.…
Social networks in complex human and natural systems
Patterns in Residential Urban Forest Structure Along a Synthetic Urbanization Gradient
The environmental sciences increasingly need to understand the ecological effects of urbanization. This is especially true for the urban forest, a major component of the urban environment that is relied upon to provide ecosystem services such as air pollution removal and stormwater interception. The urbanization gradient is a popular organizing concept for assessing ecological response to varying urbanization intensity, and recent methodological …
Using Eye-tracking and Mouse Metrics to Test Usability of Web Mapping Navigation
The growth of web-based mapping is transforming geovisualization. Use of web mapping has become ubiquitous throughout much of the world and has sparked greater public interest in GIS and mapping. Despite the rapid growth of web mapping, there has been relatively little study of the design and usability of web maps. Moreover, the design and function of popular web mapping programs are sometimes at odds with standard GIS and cartographic practices …
Intraurban Migration, Neighborhoods, and City Structure
The neighborhood is the central analytical entry point into a wide range of research topics, but it is an open question as to what defines a neighborhood. Most quantitative neighborhood classification methods are based on the assumption that neighborhoods are composed of places with similar spatial and socioeconomic characteristics. While this assumption is both convenient and valuable in neighborhood classification, it tends to overlook critical…
Geospatial Research, Education and Outreach Efforts at the University of Minnesota
Delineating West Nile Virus Transmission Cycles at Various Scales
Various approaches are used to identify West Nile virus (WNV) exposure areas, including unusual sightings of infected dead birds, mosquito pools or human cases both prospectively and retrospectively. A significant and largely unmet need in WNV research is to incorporate the temporal characterization of virus spread and locational information of the three components of transmission cycle-i.e., birds (reservoir), mosquitoes (vector), and humans (ho…
The relationship between post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, and lung disorders in Northern Plains and Southwest American Indians
Depression, but not PTSD, was associated with lung disorders in AIs living in the Northern Plains. Differences between the Northern Plains and the Southwest underscore the importance of recognizing unique characteristics of tribes and tribal communities. The increasing prevalence of lung disorders in AIs heightens the need for further work to help explain social, cultural, and clinical determinants of these disorders and their associations to PTS…
Reflections on a proposed theory of reservation-dwelling American Indian alcohol use
In their recent article, N. Spillane and G. Smith suggested that reservation-dwelling American Indians have higher rates of problem drinking than do either non-American Indians or those American Indians living in nonreservation settings. These authors further argued that problematic alcohol use patterns in reservation communities are due to the lack of contingencies between drinking and "standard life reinforcers" (SLRs), such as employment, hous…
Parcel Data for Research and Policy
Parcel data, or information about individual plots of land, may be used to examine a broad range of social and environmental issues. While analog parcel information has long been available, the move towards digital georeferenced data offers a more readily available means of using detailed structural and land use information. Parcels map onto useful units of analysis such as individuals and households, and serve as the foci of policy institutions …
Does scale exist? An epistemological scale continuum for complex human-environment systems
Space, Place, and Complexity Science
Complexity Theory in the Study of Space and Place
Researchers across disciplines apply complexity theory to issues ranging from economic development to earthquake prediction. The breadth of applications speaks to the promise of complexity theory, but there remain a number of challenges to be met, particularly those related to its ontological and epistemological dimensions. We identify a number of key issues by asking three questions. Does complexity theory operate at too general a level to enhan…
Functional Disability and Associated Factors Among Older Zuni Indians
Measuring the Quality of Diabetes Care for Older American Indians and Alaska Natives
Objectives. This study evaluated the quality of diabetes care for older American Indians and Alaska Natives. Methods. We analyzed the Indian Health Service Diabetes Care and Outcomes Audit to determine whether completion of indicators of diabetes care differed as a function of age and whether additional patient and program factors were also associated with completion of the majority of the indicators. Results. Completion rates varied by age group…
Self-Organization and the City
Does scale exist? An epistemological scale continuum for complex human-environment systems
Complexity Theory in the Study of Space and Place
Researchers across disciplines apply complexity theory to issues ranging from economic development to earthquake prediction. The breadth of applications speaks to the promise of complexity theory, but there remain a number of challenges to be met, particularly those related to its ontological and epistemological dimensions. We identify a number of key issues by asking three questions. Does complexity theory operate at too general a level to enhan…
Do Physicists Have Geography Envy? And What Can Geographers Learn from It
Recent years have seen an increasing amount of work by physicists on topics outside their traditional research domain, including in geography.We explore the scope of this development, place it in a historical context dating back at least to statistical physics in the nineteenth century, and trace the origins of more recent developments to the roots of computational science after the Second World War.Our primary purpose is not historical, however.…
Social networks in complex human and natural systems
Using Eye-tracking and Mouse Metrics to Test Usability of Web Mapping Navigation
The growth of web-based mapping is transforming geovisualization. Use of web mapping has become ubiquitous throughout much of the world and has sparked greater public interest in GIS and mapping. Despite the rapid growth of web mapping, there has been relatively little study of the design and usability of web maps. Moreover, the design and function of popular web mapping programs are sometimes at odds with standard GIS and cartographic practices …
Intraurban Migration, Neighborhoods, and City Structure
The neighborhood is the central analytical entry point into a wide range of research topics, but it is an open question as to what defines a neighborhood. Most quantitative neighborhood classification methods are based on the assumption that neighborhoods are composed of places with similar spatial and socioeconomic characteristics. While this assumption is both convenient and valuable in neighborhood classification, it tends to overlook critical…
American Indian Psychiatric and Social Problems
Obesity and Overweight in American Indian and Alaska Native Children, 2006–2015
Objectives. To estimate obesity and overweight prevalence in American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) children across genders, ages, and geographic regions in the Indian Health Service active clinical population. Methods. We obtained data from the Indian Health Service National Data Warehouse. At least 184 000 AI/AN children aged 2 to 19 years had body mass index data for each year studied, 2006 to 2015. We calculated body mass index percentiles…
Land system science and the social–environmental system
Regionalization with Self-Organizing Maps for Sharing Higher Resolution Protected Health Information
This paper addresses the challenge of sharing finer-scale Protected Health Information (PHI) while maintaining patient privacy by using regionalization to create higher resolution HIPAA-compliant geographical aggregations. We compare four regionalization approaches in terms of their fitness for analysis and display: max-p-regions, REDCAP, and self-organizing maps (SOM) variants of each. Each method is used to create a configuration of regions tha…
Parcel Data for Research and Policy
Parcel data, or information about individual plots of land, may be used to examine a broad range of social and environmental issues. While analog parcel information has long been available, the move towards digital georeferenced data offers a more readily available means of using detailed structural and land use information. Parcels map onto useful units of analysis such as individuals and households, and serve as the foci of policy institutions …
Space, Place, and Complexity Science
Geospatial Research, Education and Outreach Efforts at the University of Minnesota
Measuring the Quality of Diabetes Care for Older American Indians and Alaska Natives
Objectives. This study evaluated the quality of diabetes care for older American Indians and Alaska Natives. Methods. We analyzed the Indian Health Service Diabetes Care and Outcomes Audit to determine whether completion of indicators of diabetes care differed as a function of age and whether additional patient and program factors were also associated with completion of the majority of the indicators. Results. Completion rates varied by age group…
Epistemological possibilities and imperatives of complexity research
Delineating West Nile Virus Transmission Cycles at Various Scales
Various approaches are used to identify West Nile virus (WNV) exposure areas, including unusual sightings of infected dead birds, mosquito pools or human cases both prospectively and retrospectively. A significant and largely unmet need in WNV research is to incorporate the temporal characterization of virus spread and locational information of the three components of transmission cycle-i.e., birds (reservoir), mosquitoes (vector), and humans (ho…
Adult Attachment as a Framework for Understanding Mental Health and American Indian Families
This article discusses three cases of American Indian families who presented for therapy at an urban mental health center. The framework of adult attachment is used to understand the cross-generational continuity of mental health concerns in these families, and American Indian families more generally, who present with mental health problems. The demographics of American Indian family life are presented, along with a background review of the adult…
American Indian Psychiatric and Social Problems
The Psychiatric Effects of Massive Trauma on Cambodian Children
Wounded spirits, ailing hearts
Principles of Geographical Information Systems
Simplifying complexity
Adult Attachment as a Framework for Understanding Mental Health and American Indian Families
This article discusses three cases of American Indian families who presented for therapy at an urban mental health center. The framework of adult attachment is used to understand the cross-generational continuity of mental health concerns in these families, and American Indian families more generally, who present with mental health problems. The demographics of American Indian family life are presented, along with a background review of the adult…
Multi-Agent Systems for the Simulation of Land-Use and Land-Cover Change
This article presents an overview of multi-agent system models of land-use/cover change (MAS/LUCC models). This special class of LUCC models combines a cellular landscape model with agent-based representations of decision making, integrating the two components through specification of interdependencies and feedbacks between agents and their environment. The authors review alternative LUCC modeling techniques and discuss the ways in which MAS/LUCC…
Healthy Nations
Since 1993, 14 American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) communities have worked diligently to reduce the harm due to substance abuse in their communities. Funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Healthy Nations Initiative I, these communities implemented creative strategies that span the continuum from community-wide prevention, early identification and treatment to aftercare. Drawing upon the unique strengths of their own cultural traditi…
Epistemological possibilities and imperatives of complexity research
Functional Disability and Associated Factors Among Older Zuni Indians
Measuring the Quality of Diabetes Care for Older American Indians and Alaska Natives
Objectives. This study evaluated the quality of diabetes care for older American Indians and Alaska Natives. Methods. We analyzed the Indian Health Service Diabetes Care and Outcomes Audit to determine whether completion of indicators of diabetes care differed as a function of age and whether additional patient and program factors were also associated with completion of the majority of the indicators. Results. Completion rates varied by age group…
Self-Organization and the City
Space, Place, and Complexity Science
Complexity Theory in the Study of Space and Place
Researchers across disciplines apply complexity theory to issues ranging from economic development to earthquake prediction. The breadth of applications speaks to the promise of complexity theory, but there remain a number of challenges to be met, particularly those related to its ontological and epistemological dimensions. We identify a number of key issues by asking three questions. Does complexity theory operate at too general a level to enhan…
Does scale exist? An epistemological scale continuum for complex human-environment systems
Reflections on a proposed theory of reservation-dwelling American Indian alcohol use
In their recent article, N. Spillane and G. Smith suggested that reservation-dwelling American Indians have higher rates of problem drinking than do either non-American Indians or those American Indians living in nonreservation settings. These authors further argued that problematic alcohol use patterns in reservation communities are due to the lack of contingencies between drinking and "standard life reinforcers" (SLRs), such as employment, hous…
Parcel Data for Research and Policy
Parcel data, or information about individual plots of land, may be used to examine a broad range of social and environmental issues. While analog parcel information has long been available, the move towards digital georeferenced data offers a more readily available means of using detailed structural and land use information. Parcels map onto useful units of analysis such as individuals and households, and serve as the foci of policy institutions …
Delineating West Nile Virus Transmission Cycles at Various Scales
Various approaches are used to identify West Nile virus (WNV) exposure areas, including unusual sightings of infected dead birds, mosquito pools or human cases both prospectively and retrospectively. A significant and largely unmet need in WNV research is to incorporate the temporal characterization of virus spread and locational information of the three components of transmission cycle-i.e., birds (reservoir), mosquitoes (vector), and humans (ho…
The relationship between post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, and lung disorders in Northern Plains and Southwest American Indians
Depression, but not PTSD, was associated with lung disorders in AIs living in the Northern Plains. Differences between the Northern Plains and the Southwest underscore the importance of recognizing unique characteristics of tribes and tribal communities. The increasing prevalence of lung disorders in AIs heightens the need for further work to help explain social, cultural, and clinical determinants of these disorders and their associations to PTS…
Geospatial Research, Education and Outreach Efforts at the University of Minnesota
Using Eye-tracking and Mouse Metrics to Test Usability of Web Mapping Navigation
The growth of web-based mapping is transforming geovisualization. Use of web mapping has become ubiquitous throughout much of the world and has sparked greater public interest in GIS and mapping. Despite the rapid growth of web mapping, there has been relatively little study of the design and usability of web maps. Moreover, the design and function of popular web mapping programs are sometimes at odds with standard GIS and cartographic practices …
Intraurban Migration, Neighborhoods, and City Structure
The neighborhood is the central analytical entry point into a wide range of research topics, but it is an open question as to what defines a neighborhood. Most quantitative neighborhood classification methods are based on the assumption that neighborhoods are composed of places with similar spatial and socioeconomic characteristics. While this assumption is both convenient and valuable in neighborhood classification, it tends to overlook critical…
Social networks in complex human and natural systems
Patterns in Residential Urban Forest Structure Along a Synthetic Urbanization Gradient
The environmental sciences increasingly need to understand the ecological effects of urbanization. This is especially true for the urban forest, a major component of the urban environment that is relied upon to provide ecosystem services such as air pollution removal and stormwater interception. The urbanization gradient is a popular organizing concept for assessing ecological response to varying urbanization intensity, and recent methodological …
Geographic Information Systems and Remote Sensing
Computer Science (18 works) · Geography (15 works) · Medicine (12 works) · Land Use and Ecosystem Services (11 works) · Sociology (11 works) · Data science (10 works) · Engineering (8 works) · Population (6 works) · Psychology (6 works) · Cartography (5 works)