There and Back Again

  https://pns.maps.arcgis.com/home/item.html?id=b3f61de43d574da0a2993fb8d56a6d28     This week we practiced using the XY Point Data function to extract coordinates from a CSV file to plot on a base map.  This involved converting raw data into a usable form by using an Excel formula to convert degree data to decimals.  Secondly, we had a geocoding exercise where we downloaded a dataset of county level school location and contact info from a Florida Department of Education website. We used the sort and text to columns functions to clean the data up. Once there, we imported the table to Arc GIS Pro, created a geolocation tool, and geotagged all the schools from the table data we had created. Finally, we manually geotagged the remaining schools that were unable to be automatically tagged, doing research and finding the correct buildings from a satellite view by comparing with Google Earth.

 This week we worked on several things: setting static and variable buffer zones, querying data by different variables and creating new layers with the results, combining layers, and excluding sections of layers by selected criteria.  My final map is a selection of DeSoto National Forest that displays potential campsites based on the criteria that they be near roads and water, and outside of conservation exclusion zones.  This was easily the hardest week I've had so far, and I had to backtrack on multiple steps to figure out why something went wrong, or look in the forums to see if other classmates were having the same problems. However, I also learned a lot, and complicated spatial queries feel a lot more understandable now.

This week, we had two distinct lab projects. In the first, I generated a map of of a local area in ArcGIS using a world topographic map, then exported it to Arc Online, which I then accessed using a smartphone app called Field Maps. Using Field Maps, I geotagged and photographed multiple public safety features (fire hydrants), then exported them back to Arc Online. Then, I learned how to export my finished map as a map package and a Web Map, and export my data as a KML file to upload to Google Earth. In the second unit, we learned about map projections, and I created a map of Florida using three separate projections, and compared the area calculations of each. We learned about how ArcGIS interprets data in different projections and coordinate systems, and how it will draw a map in the absence of a defined coordinate system.  

  Hello again! This week we worked on creating a map that featured the UWF main campus, that incorporated map features such as a north arrow, scale, legend, inset, roads, and major rivers. There were a lot of challenges in this unit: some of the steps involved changing the projection and the output to degrees, and the class had to discover a workaround when some students had trouble with the output.  One of the interesting aspects of this assignment was in considering stylistic choices for the placement of map elements, such as managing clutter, extraneous information, and maintaining readability. We also touched briefly on color theory and the use of colors in maps, including things like the cultural and emotional connotations of color, and ways to communicate data effectively and efficiently with color.