Results
This map is a combination of the distance to emergency services and social vulnerability that was calculated by standardizing the survey results to creating the weighting factor. The green areas around False Creek do not show the social factors due to missing information from the census data. However, with information about the area and the vulnerability of surrounding areas, we acknowledge that it would not be categorized as 'least vulnerable.'
The results show how income greatly affects a persons vulnerability mostly due to the correlation between income and other factors like education. Based on these social factors, the City of Vancouver has a large population that are more vulnerable in the event of an earthquake.
Social Vulnerability Based on Distance from Emergency Services and Standard of Living in the City of Vancouver
Sources of Possible Error
Human error in locating the emergency services can cause misleading data. All addresses were researched to ensure they are still active fire halls, EMS stations, etc.; however, the chance of error still occurs. The 2006 Census data also leads to errors including, but not limited to, the omission of areas around False Creek, outdated data that can affect vulnerability like education level, and false reporting on the census.
Areas for Future Research
The survey that was used for the analysis also discussed questions regarding transportation (airports, skytrain lines, etc.) and infrastructure (pipelines, bridges and tunnels, etc.). To further the analysis, mapping the results for the other types of infrastructure and combining it using the standardized weighting should be completed. This will provide a well rounded analysis that includes all major influences in an earthquake.