Geomasking sensitive health data and privacy protection: an evaluation using an E911 database

Geomasking is used to provide privacy protection for individual address information while maintaining spatial resolution for mapping purposes. Donut geomasking and other random perturbation geomasking algorithms rely on the assumption of a homogeneously distributed population to calculate displacement distances, leading to possible under-protection of individuals when this condition is not met. Using household data from 2007, we evaluated the performance of donut geomasking in Orange County, North Carolina. We calculated the estimated k-anonymity for every household based on the assumption of uniform household distribution. We then determined the actual k-anonymity by revealing household locations contained in the county E911 database. Census block groups in mixed-use areas with high population distribution heterogeneity were the most likely to have privacy protection below selected criteria. For heterogeneous populations, we suggest tripling the minimum displacement area in the donut to protect privacy with a less than 1% error rate.     

Mass fraction spatiotemporal geostatistics and its application to map atmospheric polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons after 9/11

This work proposes a space/time estimation method for atmospheric PM_2.5 components by modelling the mass fraction at a selection of space/time locations where the component is measured and applying the model to the extensive PM_2.5 monitoring network. The method we developed utilizes the nonlinear Bayesian maximum entropy framework to perform the geostatistical estimation. We implemented this approach using data from nine carcinogenic, particle-bound polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) measured from archived PM_2.5 samples collected at four locations around the World Trade Center (WTC) from September 22, 2001 to March 27, 2002. The mass fraction model developed at these four sites was used to estimate PAH concentrations at additional PM_2.5 monitors. Even with limited PAH data, a spatial validation showed the application of the mass fraction model reduced the mean squared error (MSE) by 7–22%, while in the temporal validation there was an exponential improvement in MSE positively associated with the number of days of PAH data removed. Our results include space/time maps of atmospheric PAH concentrations in the New York area after 9/11.     

西藏丁青弧前蛇绿岩的地球化学特征

丁青蛇绿岩位于班化湖－丁青－怒江蛇绿岩带的东段，其地幔岩出露规模是该带中最大的。本文报道的丁青蛇绿岩主要由地幔橄榄岩、堆晶岩、辉长岩和斜长花岗岩组成。蛇绿岩剖面上覆硅岩中的放射虫化石是早株罗世和晚三叠世诺利克期的，中侏罗统砂岩和砾岩不整合覆盖在蛇绿岩之上，由此确定丁青蛇绿岩是晚三叠－早侏罗世的，在中株罗世之前侵位，丁青蛇绿岩属于玻安岩系，玻安岩的特点是富Si、Mg和大离子亲石元素（LILE），贫高场强元素（Ti、P、Zr、Y、Yb和Nb）。丁青蛇绿岩的堆晶岩、辉长岩和辉绿岩均具“U”型REE分布，暗示丁青玻安岩是由于亏损的地幔源岩和来自消减带的水和流体两组分的混合形成的。丁青玻安岩的地球化学特征类似西太平洋第三纪玻安岩，而明显不同于MORB的地球化学性质， 表明丁青玻安岩应当形成于洋内岛弧的弧前环境，属于弧前蛇绿岩。