Abstract:
This study analyzes food access patterns on the Southern Oregon Coast using GIS technology. The utility and capacity issues of GIS technology are explored as well as the ability for community-based organizations to apply GIS analysis at a local level. A comprehensive literature review is presented which addresses the definition of ‘food deserts’ and the applicability of different methods to measure food access in urban and rural areas. Throughout this paper, the qualitative and quantitative differences between urban and rural food deserts are illustrated. Two types of analysis are employed in order to examine the food environment of Coos and Curry Counties. One method involves using a coverage measure to determine the location and characteristics of all food stores in the study area. This measure will establish whether there is a pattern of unequal supermarket access between higher and lower-income areas. For proximity measures, several methods are used to investigate whether the study area has low-income areas lacking access to supermarkets that would be considered ‘food deserts.’
