Intro to GIS Final: Bobwhite-Manatee Transmission Line Project

students.uwf.edu/tc35/fpl_project.pptx

students.uwf.edu/tc35/commentary.pdf

Cartographic Skills Final Project

   
   This week was the final project for Cartographic Skills. I was given an assignment designed to showcase my newly learned skills as if I had just been hired by U.S. Department of Education to create a map for The Washington Post to use in an article on high school seniors and college entrance scores. The primary goal of the project was to use the methods and techniques that I have learned in the course to create a single map displaying two related sets of data: 2013 mean SAT scores by state and 2013 SAT participation rates by state. I was not given any step by step instructions for this lab; I was only provided with a link to the College Board from which I downloaded my data. The rest was up to me!
     To create this map, I used both ArcGIS (to organize my data) and CorelDraw (to complete my design). I decided to use a chloropleth map to depict the mean SAT participation rates by state. I wanted to do this so that I could overlay the mean SAT scores as graduated symbols on top of this map to display the two sets of data clearly. I used Natural Breaks as the classification method because I felt that the class limits for this method did the best job representing the data in a way that coincides with the goal of the assignment. I decided to go with a blue color scheme for the participation rates because it shows contrast very clearly and the color blue is often associated with higher education in American culture. I used graduated solid black circles for the mean SAT scores for a few reasons. For one, I did not want to overcrowd the map with too much variability in color or small detailed symbols since it is to be used in a news article and I can't be certain how small or large the map would be represented.  Another reason for choosing the color black is that I wanted the symbols to really stand out so that one set of data would not overpower the other; the color black is very bold and stands out nicely against the variable shades of blue. I used 5 color classes and 5 graduated symbol classes because I felt that 5 class divisions is the perfect amount to display the data in a way that shows variability amongst the states, without overpopulating the map with data that is hard to differentiate. On my map I included a short paragraph about how the data on the map was calculated so that viewers can have a better understanding of the data being represented. I used an inset map to display the New England area because in this area, states are very small and it was hard to fit the symbols in there without it looking confusing. Although I used a different projection for the separate portions of this map - the contiguous United States, Alaska, and Hawaii - I was sure to include notes that Hawaii and Alaska were not to scale with the scale bar on the map so that viewers could not be misled. This is what is traditionally done on most American maps of the United States. In my opinion and for the purposes of this map in particular, it makes sense to display the states this way because the majority of the American population is used to seeing maps displayed in this fashion and that is the audience that will be viewing my map. In addition, I did not want to distract from primary message of the map by trying to make everything to scale. Finally, I decided to use a grey background so that my data would stand out clearly and be aesthetically pleasing.
     Creating this map was a challenge, as I had to pull from all of my skills that I learned this semester and really think hard about every decision going into creating the final project. Despite the challenge, I had fun with it. Being able to work on an independent project from start to finish was very satisfying and I am proud of the final result. Also, it is really interesting to see how my fellow classmates decided to depict the same or similar data as me. I look forward to continuing my education in map making for my GIS certificate! This has been a really cool class and looking back, I am proud of how far I have come as a cartographer.

Module 12: Google Earth

     This week our lab assignment was completely different than any other lab assignments we've had in this class. Instead of using Corel or Arcmap, this week was all about utilizing the Google Earth software. Google Earth is a 3D mapping software available for free download. It is very popular and is used by many as their means to explore the world. Google Earth contains a plethora of data, such as cities and roads from all over the world as well as user uploaded photos and much much more. There are many features of this software that allow the user to create a personal and unique experience. For example, the user is able to add their own layers specific to what data they want to be presented, this can be done within the software or a KML layer file can be opened with Google Earth too. Other features include celestial settings, where you can explore the sky, moon or mars, historical imagery, which gives a visual timeline of an area that shows the changes over the years, as well as tours and sightseeing tours, Google Earth offers sightseeing tours of landmarks and popular places within an area, also tours can be customized according to what you would like to see.
     In our lab assignment we learned how to convert a map document from ArcMap to a KML file that can be opened in Google Earth as well as converting a layer file to a KML file. This is an important skill to know for those that use mapping software often such as ArcMap because it offers additional features only available on Google Earth which helps to make your map easier and more fun to interpret by other map users. The next part of the assignment was to create a tour of South Florida using the dot map document that was converted from ArcMap. This part of the lab taught us how to navigate around Google Earth and how to use some of it's important features, such as adding place marks, and how to manage layers.
     This screenshot is from my tour of South Florida, it is of downtown Tampa. I chose this shot because I preferred how these 3D models looked over the other 3D models in the tour, this is because remote sensing technology was used to collect data in downtown Tampa resulting in photo realistic 3D models.

Week 12: Geocoding and Modelbuilder

This week we had two lab assignments. Both lab assignments were relatively short and easy. The first assignment was a geocoding lab. In this lab, I created a map showing Emergency Management Services in Lake County, FL and an optimal route to one of the locations. I used ArcMap and created the map using geocoding by address matching and I created a new route analysis using network analsyst to compute an optimal route for a selected destination. The second lab assignment was a tutorial lab. In this lab, I used ESRI Virtual Campus to learn how to build models for GIS analysis using ArcGIS. I was able to explore the various tools and functions of the model builder to get a basic understanding of its usefulness. In section 3 of the virtual course, we are assigned to create a practice model using ArcMap model builder which I have displayed in a screen shot below the image of my map from this week. I believe the modelbuilder is going to be a very useful tool in future projects because the modelbuilder makes it easy to visualize all of the steps in an analysis process at once and it is easy to edit each of the steps within the modelbuilder. 

Note: This post was published late because I did not realize it was only saved as a draft and not published last week! D'oh!

Module 11: 3D Mapping

     This week was all about 3D data, with focus on visualization and mapping techniques. We did not create a map to present this week. Instead, we learned about how to work with a little 3D data, some of the various applications of 3D data, and the pros and cons of 3D data. I really enjoyed this weeks lab because prior to this lab, I did not know anything about 3D data. The ability to create 3D images opens up endless possibilities to cartographers. It can be used to depict a lot of the same data as a 2D map, but using 3D adds visual interest and can help a cartographer get their message across more effectively in some cases. An example of an application of 3D mapping is using 3D to model a crime scene to give investigators a whole new perspective. In another example, 3D can be used to depict weather phenomena in a way that is much easier to understand than a simple 2D image. So as you can see, 3D mapping can be incredibly useful and beneficial. Some of the pros of 3D mapping are as follows: with 3D you can show vertical information that can not be depicted in 2D, it is sometimes easier to recognize terrain in 3D, a viewer relies less on a legend or table of contents because the symbology is intuitive, it's easy for humans to interpret this kind of data because we are used to seeing it all of the time, and it really makes a project stand out when given that extra dimension. Although 3D mapping has so many amazing advantages, it also has its challenges. Some of the cons of 3D mapping are: it is sometimes hard to maintain a consistent scale or symbology throughout a 3D model which distorts the perspective of that model, 3D objects often overlap so it is hard to see everything that is going on, 3D models can be hard to navigate which leaves some users disoriented and limits what can be done with the model, since there is so much data in a 3D model performance issues can occur often, and creating a 3D design can be very complicated.
     For the lab this week, we worked with ESRI Virtual Campus, ArcMap, ArcScene, and Google Earth. There were 3 parts to this lab. The first part of the lab was 3D training, in which we accessed ESRI's My Virtual Campus Training to complete the 3D Visualization Techniques Using ArcGIS course. For this course, we watched a few videos, answered some questions to test our knowledge along the way, and completed 5 exercises. These exercises were really interesting to me because I have never worked with 3D images before. The second part of the lab consisted of converting a 2D building layer to a 3D feature using ArcMap. I enjoyed doing this because the end result was really cool and gave me an interesting perspective on an urban area. The third and final part of the lab was a continuation of learning the concepts of 3D data using CityEngine, which is an extension of ESRI desktop software used for designing, planning, and modeling urban environments in 3D. We explored a 3D image of Napoleons March on Moscow. This image was a little confusing to me, but it was cool being able to look at the image from all different perspectives and see yet another application of 3D mapping.

Module 10: Dot Density Mapping

For this week's module, we learned about creating dot density maps. Dot density maps utilize dots to represent conceptual data for enumeration units, particularly when it is necessary to "show that the underlying phenomenon is not uniform throughout the enumeration units". This lab started off relatively easy. I started working on the map earlier this week, going through the steps provided in the lab manual to create a map showing the population of South Florida using dot density only in urban areas, It looked great and felt good about it. Today, when I went to edit my map and add the finishing touches, I turned off masking so that the software would run less slowly and not crash. Unfortunately, when I turned the masking feature back on, the software completely gave up on me. The dots no longer showed up in only the urban areas; instead, they showed up in the surface water areas. Time and time again I went through the entire process of trying to include the dots only within the urban center layer. It seemed as though the software was completely disregarding my commands, and every time I went to open the properties for the dot density population layer, the settings had to be implemented again (they were not being saved even though I was clicking "okay" and "apply"; it just kept going back to setting my control layer as surface water no matter how many times I tried to change it back to urban areas). A screen capture demonstrates this issue:

So for me, this lab was very frustrating to say the least. I tried everything I could think of to get the dots to show up in the right places again. Since it worked the first time, I was completely confused as to what was going on. My downfall was waiting until today to finish up my map because I ended up having to submit something that I know is incorrect. 

Module 9:Vector Analysis 2

For this week's lab, we continued our study of vector analysis using ArcMap. We learned about buffer, overlay, intersect, and union tools, while placing focus primarily on the buffer and overlay tools. In addition, we practiced working with Python to run these tools.  I enjoyed working with Python because I found it to be an easy and convenient way to run several processes at once. We used our new knowledge to create a map depicting potential camping sites for Desoto National Park, Mississippi.  We started with a map of  all roads, bodies of water, and conservation areas in Desoto National Park. We ran these features through a series of vector analysis tools to create the map showing only areas where it would be possible to camp. The criteria for these areas are as follows: the campsite must be within 300 m of a road, within 150 m of a lake, within 500 m of a river and outside of a conservation area.