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Contact Information |
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In 2005, Douglas Thomas came from Kalamazoo, MI to NIST’s Office of Applied Economics located in Gaithersburg, MD. He received his bachelor’s degree in history and Latin in 1994 and his master’s degree in applied economics in 1995. Currently, his research at NIST focuses on the following projects/issues: Guide to Resources for developing a Cost-Effective Risk Mitigation Plan, Currently, there is no central resource that guides building managers, planners, and other stakeholders to find the resources needed to develop a cost-effective risk mitigation plan for natural and man-made disasters. The goal of this project is to develop this resource and update it annually. Wildfire and the Wildland Urban Interface, Several projects are being developed from this topic. They look at the impact of wildfires in the urban interface, wildfire ignition, and damage mitigation. One such project focuses on the location of wildland arson fires and whether they originate in “broken window” communities. Using statistical and GIS software, this project analyzes data from the National Fire Incident Reporting System, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Department of Justice, United States Geological Survey, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, and other entities. Arson, Police departments often utilize GIS to create hotspot maps in order to determine patrol routes and allocation of resources. These maps are used because many crimes occur repeatedly in the same location and or circumstances. Our arson research utilizes GIS to model incidents and identify primary factors influencing arson attacks. Arson incidents are both spatially and temporally clustered, therefore, knowing the cause of these clusters can assist in reducing these attacks. Life-Cycle Cost of Residential Dwellings, Recent events in the economy have brought to light the significant amount of volatility that exists in the housing market. Since the mid-90’s home prices have soared and homeownership has been seen not only as a part of the American dream, but also an investment -- so much so that renting an apartment is seen as “throwing money away.” This social belief has permeated throughout society even though few have actually calculated the full costs and benefits of homeownership versus renting. Construction Industry Statistics, Various economic statistics on the construction industry are frequently needed for research projects in the Building and Fire Research Laboratory. This project includes the development of these statistics and documentation of the methodology used. Fire Statistics, In 2005, there were an estimated 323 900 fires reported in the United States causing 490 civilian deaths and 1 500 civilian injuries, according to NFPA figures. Understanding when and where these fires occur is an important factor in reducing them. This project includes the development of these statistics and documentation of the methodology used. |
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Douglas ThomasEducationWestern Michigan University, B.A., History and Latin, 2004Western Michigan University, M.A., Applied Economics, 2005 PositionEconomistOffice of Applied Economics BFRL Headquarters Building and Fire Research Laboratory |
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Information Last updated: 6/3/2009