beaumacd@usc.edu / (213) 740-7164 / AHF B57G /
M.A. 2010, Geography, California State University Northridge
B.A. 2004, Geography/Environmental Studies, University of California at Los Angeles
Beau MacDonald is a GIS Project Specialist for the Spatial Sciences Institute at the University of Southern California. Her recent work includes geospatial data analysis and research on social and environmental determinants of health to support ongoing USC Spatial partnerships with Operation Smile; Children’s Hospital Los Angeles; the Southern California Clinical and Translational Science Institute and the Southern California Environmental Health Science Center at the Keck School of Medicine at USC; the USC Dornsife Center for Economic and Social Research; Center for Religion and Civic Culture; and Department of History; and the Children’s Data Network at the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work.
In addition, Beau co-presents the GIS and Spatial Humanities Workshop with John Wilson. She guides Wilson Map Lab student research teams, which have included many data-driven collaborations with the City of Los Angeles Mayor’s Office that have delivered mobile or online apps and reports to inform city agencies or encourage community engagement across a range of topics: LA’s urban forest; residential stormwater capture and water conservation; small and micro-business persistence; and street-segment-level crime-pattern visualization.
Beau promotes the use of geographical information science concepts and technologies for interdisciplinary synthesis; provides data analysis, geoprocessing, mapping, graphics, and writing support; is experienced with environmental modelling, historical ecology, design and cartography; and is available through the USC Spatial Help Desk.
Beau is an applied biogeographer and Women in GIS advocate with research interests that involve the distribution, resilience, and sustainability of threatened or endangered communities that persist along the edges and within the confines of built environments – including wetlands, urban farms, birds, butterflies and Angelenos. Before coming to USC Spatial, she worked with the Center for Geospatial Science Technology at the California State University, Northridge.
Selected Articles, Graphics, Presentations, and Reports:
Wilson JP, Nguyen H, and MacDonald B. 2019. Unmet Surgical Needs in Madagascar. Report for Operation Smile. USC Spatial Sciences Institute.
Longcore T and MacDonald B. 2019. Reconstruction of Historical Topography to Estimate Erosion and Model Historical Vegetation Distribution on San Clemente Island, California. Final Report Phase I for the US Navy. USC Spatial Sciences Institute.
MacDonald B and Windisch R. 2018. “Showcasing Public Benefits of Stormwater Capture with Geospatial Applications.” URISA GIS-Pro & CalGIS Conference. October 2018.
Figures 1–50 in Wilson JP. 2018. Environmental Applications of Digital Terrain Modeling. Oxford, UK: Wiley.
MacDonald B. 2017. Operation Smile Mexico Needs Assessment.
Paudel S, Benavides JC, MacDonald B, Longcore T, Wilson GWT, Loss, SR. 2017. Determinants of native and non-native plant community structure on an oceanic island. Ecosphere 8: e01927.
Paudel S, Wilson GWT, MacDonald B, Longcore T, Loss SR. 2016. Predicting spatial extent of invasive earthworms on an oceanic island. Diversity and Distributions 22:1013–1023.
Paudel S, Longcore T, MacDonald B, McCormick MK, Szlavecz K, Wilson GWT, Loss SR. 2016. Belowground interactions with aboveground consequences: invasive earthworms and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi. Ecology 97: 605–614.
Los Feliz Congregations in Flory, R et al. 2015. Mapping the new landscape of religion: block-by-block in a changing Los Angeles neighborhood. Boom: a journal of California 5:34–43.
Longcore, T, Rich, C, Mineau, P, MacDonald, B et al. 2013. Avian mortality at communication towers in the United States and Canada: which species, how many, and where? Biological Conservation 158: 410–419.
Longcore, T, Rich, C, Mineau, P, MacDonald, B et al. 2012. An estimate of avian mortality at communication towers in the United States and Canada. PLoS ONE 7: e34025.
