Julieta's GIS Blog

Purpose:  This final assignment placed us in the position of a real GIS analyst for the energy company Florida Power and Light (FPL). The task being to analyze key components that had been considered in gaining right-of-way acquisition for the approved Bobwhite-Manatee Transmission Line Project-- a real life project. We are to choose the best route which is both economically and minimally invasive to the environment and communities in Manatee and Sarasota counties using a more generalized and scaled-down version of the original project survey done in 2009. ... Easy, right? It was really helpful to have started this assignment by creating a Cartographic Model and working from there to best organize the data needed each step. Every step required to go back and reference previous lessons from this course. It was as much a challenge as a refresher. Below is 1 of 5 maps done for this final project. Along with the main project analysis, we had to assemble a powerpoint presentati

Purpose: To become familiar with Georeferencing, Georeference data using the Control Points tool, Georeference an unknown raster image of the campus to known vector data, interpret Residual and Root Mean Square errors, digitize new building and road features, practice polynomial transformations, create hyperlinks in ArcGIS to stored data, create Multiple Ring Buffers, customize an ArcMap toolbar, overlay data in a 3D environment. Overall, this was a fairly light lab, but very time consuming in trying to adjust the aerials just right so the image is as straight as possible. The goal here was to georeference two raster images of the UWF campus and have less than 15 RMS error, which I did. In addition to this, we had to create a multi ring buffer (MRB) surroind nearby eagles nests. The second portion of this map deliverable included a 3D map done in ArcScene of the aerials we georeferenced previously.

Purpose:  Create an address locator, conduct geocoding via address matching, conduct a route analysis using the Network Analyst extension, and analyze data in a model using ModelBuilder. It may not sound like much, but this lab was heavy in content to communicate. I have been curious about how professionals apply GIS to day to day utilities and managed to get a brief glimpse of what's involved. It also served to comprehend just how critical it is for the GIS technician or cartographer to provide the most accurate and up to date data possible. For this main exercise, we had to geocode 21 Emegency Medical Services locations within Lake County, Florida. Some sites had no matching addresses which had to be researched using the LakeEMS.org site and Bing maps in order to place them on the map correctly. In addition to mapping EMS locations, we had to select 3 random sites and find the most optimal route. The map below shows my results. \ The second part of this lab required to

ArcPy is the best!... Let's backtrack a bit to review material covered the past two weeks. During week 9, we went through sorting, specified Selections, and Joins in ArcMap using different types of shape files. I'll be repeating the exercise using different scenarios and conditions to make sure I attain a solid understanding of those tools before our final project. Not to mention that it feels like I will be utilizing those tools on a regular basis in the future. Week 10 we continue our lesson in Vectors by going over Buffers,  Overlay types, and Data Management tools in ArcToolbox. We also reviews some basics of how to use ArcPy. Granted the lab only covered a simple, yet handy, reason to use it by creating new layers with modified buffer settings. But I'm looking forward to playing with it in the near future. Below is the result of this week's lab which demanded to isolate possible campsites in the De Soto National Forest in Mississippi that were 300m from roads, 15

Purpose:  Perform our own data search consisting of 5 Vectors, 2 Rasters, and 2 Environmental data files of our choice. Final outcome should be 2-3 map layouts showing all 9 data layers. This is our midterm assignment! I was feeling a bit more confident by the end of last week's lab exercise and became humbled after digging into this lab. Plenty of time was spent gathering data and organizing it in the source folder. I did my best to select the appropriate data from the FGDL site. For the 2 Environmental Layers I chose Land Cover and Invasive Plants because they seemed like a good pairing of data and could potentially be affecting each other. Before opening ArcMap, I also grabbed the necessary DOQQ and DEM files for Indian River County from the LABINS  and USGS National Map sites. Starting with the County boundary map shape file, I decided on the  NAD_1983_2011_StatePlane_Florida_East_FIPS_0901_Ft_US  coordinate system to reproject all my data to. From the bottom up: County

Purpose:  Learn how to find spatial data, define spatial references for that data and applying a projection to it. This lab started with conducting a data search to map eagle nest locations in Cantonment, FL, located in Escambia County, using the State Plane projected coordinate system. It was required to projected vector files from Albers to State Plane projection and learn how to verify new vector files are using the desired coordinate system. The last portion of the practice exercise required creating Tabular data in Microsoft Excel and making a shape file from it in ArcMap. The data sample for this was small in order to comprehend how coordinate data worked at its core in an excel sheet. The second part of this lab demanded to repeat most of the sample exercise steps in order to map Petroleum Tank Contamination sites in Escambia County. Using the quadindex.pdf as a guide to quads in Escambia County, I went with Perdido Bay, which falls on Quadrant #5160. While working on thi

Purpose: To view and project data into three different projected coordinate systems in ArcMap. Then quantify the difference in area between data displayed in the three projected coordinate systems  and map them in multiple data frames. The big task this week was comprehending how Projected Coordinate Systems work, why they're important, and how they apply to a map you create. To lay this out, we worked with a single shape file for the state of Florida and modified the coordinate system using ArcToolbox. In order to view the differences in Projected Coordinate Systems, a number of counties had to be selected and highlighted in the maps using Attribute Tables for each layer. Then the area of the four counties was calculated and recorded on a table to include in the map below.

Purpose of lab: Create a "Top 10" list, map the data compiled from scratch, then share content via ArcGIS Online, and Google Earth. For starters, usually we only need access for MS Word and ArcMap. The following items were necessary for this particular lab.: ArcMap Excel (or Google Spreadsheets) MS Word arcgis.com account Google Earth I enjoy going on hiking adventures from time to time with loved ones and have been fortunate enough to visit a decent number of locations in my home state. California is huge though, I'm sure there's plenty I have not heard of yet. With that in mind,   I decided to go with top hiking spots in California using information off  exploretheusa.com  f or my "Top 10" list. Residents can be very territorial here when expressing benefits of particular regions. So I tried to select a list that seemed balanced and included locations throughout the state. Next we gathered specific data about these 10 locations: Rank, Name,

Purpose of lab:   Learn how to utilize ArcCatalog, continue exploring data layouts and symbology options, exporting data, customize raster files, how to create maps, manipulate cartographic data, how to organize manage multiple data frames, and manipulate legend information. There was a wealth of information to process and continue to absorb this week. Without having experienced many other GIS fields of practice yet, I do have a keen interest in Cartography and want the challenge of learning if it's for me. We had the opportunity to utilize ArcCatalog and see how it is linked to ArcMap for map making. I loved the pin feature in ArcMap! It's very handy being able to simply drag and drop data files onto a blank map file from ArcCatalog once you've organized data files. Below I will further recount my experiences while creating three different maps of Mexico. Map 1: States of Mexico by Population This map exercise allowed to practice layer management in the To

This week’s lab allowed us to go a bit deeper in customizing a map in ArcMap. Last week we had the opportunity to explore feature placement and get a feel for prioritizing the information needed. This exercise was a challenge in that it introduced how to add an inset map while still communicating where it fits in a regional map, or part of it. The more thought I put into how it could be read by a random person, the more complex something such as color selection became. ...Not that I was stuck here for two hours. But it was something new I learned while going through the steps. This was important. More important though was focusing on the goal of this map, which was to direct someone to the UWF campus on a general map of Escambia County in Florida. I found the steps in customizing land features, such as roads and rivers, very useful. To be honest, I had not put that much weight into selecting a clear color choice for these before. But they’re equally significant to stand out against t

 I've had the opportunity to work with ArcGIS software before, but not in a remote environment setting. Fortunately everything seems to run smoothly! The purpose of this week's lab is to create our first map. We were given two data sets to add to a blank document in ArcMap: Cities and one for World Countries. I found this to be a really good introduction, or re-introduction for some, exercise to ArcGIS software. The lab document seemed intimidating at first, but with good reason. It did a great job in mentioning alternative ways to find certain tools or do things. It's very helpful. What I probably enjoyed most was going through metadata and looking over how the information within an attribute table affects the outcome. This exercise also presented a good opportunity in visual customization of one's map through a layer's Properties. The map's focus is to show Countries by Population. I decided to go with light blue for background, so as to not leave so much em