Monday, February 20, 2017

Projections Part II - Like a Champ!

Projections Part II - Like a Champ!

Projections Part II - GIS5050/L


This week's lab was extremely long and tedious. However, I learned a lot. So much, in fact, that I was able to assist other students in class who were working on the assignment. Some of the difficulties I ran into were minor, but required repetition of reprojecting and defining that has permanently embedded the process into my brain. Another skill was having to pay attention to the projections of multiple layers, and how they were layered, in order to produce the finished product you see above.

The above map depicts the potential petroleum spill locations in Escambia County, Florida, based on tank coordinate data. I chose to make the quad index transparent, and I laid it over my Florida counties layer so I could see how well the quad aerial images lined up.

Reprojecting and defining coordinate systems are important skills that I am sure I will use extensively in the future. There is clearly a wealth of information accessible online to GIS practitioners, so knowing how to convert the data for optimal accuracy and use is a key component of using the full benefits of GIS.

All in all, despite my struggles, and some hair pulling, I feel comfortable and confident with the skills we learned this week. I look forward to putting them into practice regularly.

Monday, February 13, 2017

Georeferencing & Projections Part I

Georeferencing & Projections Part I - Week 5

Georeferencing & Projections Part I

This week we investigated the differences that are present when you use different coordinate systems and projections. We focused on counties of Florida that were represented in different coordinate systems, which made their area different. This highlighted the necessity of using the correct coordinate system, depending on what you want to show, in order to display the most accurate information. Albers Conical Equal Area is the one most often used for the contiguous United States and it was, indeed, the one that seemed most accurate for the area of each county. The Albers and State Plane systems were clearly the better two of the three options. The differences that were present in the area of each county had to do with many of the counties being in UTM zone 17, not 16, and also that they were spread across different State Planes. 

I struggled a bit with getting my maps to look the way I wanted them to. I utilized the example map as a framework, but had some difficulty editing the Legend to display the information I wanted and in the font style and size I wanted. It turned out okay, but they formatted differently, even though I spent a long time trying to make them the same. The point of the lab, however, was clear, and I am getting better at navigating the software.

We also did an exercise with a raster image of the UWF campus and placing it on the map. Associating a coordinate system with it, so the program could put it in the correct place. This was also a useful skill that I'm sure will be needed in the future.

I made sure to include all my essential map elements and, in general, feel pretty good about this weeks lab.

Thursday, February 9, 2017

Sharing is Caring - Week 4 

 

Sharing GIS Map Data - GIS5050/L - Week 4 

 

This week we learned to share map data in three different ways, Map Packages, Maps in ArcGIS online, and google earth. The assignment was to find a ranked list about something, create an Excel spreadsheet with the data, convert it to a text document, and then share the map with the online GIS community and the general public. The most time consuming part of the project for me was finding a ranked list that I could actually use. I wanted to map the Top 10 best wines of 2016, but ran into some address issues for my spreadsheet since different countries display addresses differently. Next I tried to do oldest breweries in the US, but also had address conflict based on the list I found. I tried to do the Top 10 California wines of 2016, but they weren't "ranked" per se. Anyway, I decided on Colorado's delicious craft beer breweries, ranked by "science" as per Thrillist (https://www.thrillist.com/drink/denver/colorado-s-10-best-craft-breweries-new-belgium-brewing-odell-brewing-great-divide-brewing). I chose this so when I visit Colorado, I can go on my own little brewery tour. I also figured there may be a lot of other thirsty travelers who would like this information.

My map can be viewed in ArcGIS Online here:
http://arcg.is/2jVV79n

The lab was informative and it is really nice that you can create data in an Excel spreadsheet and make it accessible to others in the GIS community. It also allows for being able to generate GIS data pertaining to just about anything, which will come in handy for what I do most, archaeology. I did run into the issue of time again, but that may have been more of a product of trying to find a ranked list than of the difficulty of the lab. There are a lot of steps to remember in each form of sharing, so I will have to return to the lab instructions to remember all of them in the future.

All in all, I feel like I shared something I care about (beer), with the GIS community and general public. Locating delicious beer is an important part of any roadtrip and when traversing Colorado, I and anyone who uses my map, will be able to easily quench their thirst.