Saturday, February 28, 2015

GIS Data Quality and Data Search

Hello readers,
        The focus of this post is the half way point culminating midterm lab for my intro to GIS course. This was the biggest project to date for the class which focused on emphasizing as the title suggests, data searching and data quality. We were given select element criteria and a randomly assigned Florida county, and (with a few helpful hints) told Go!
         Here is a small break down of the process I went through for building to my maps:
  1. The Collection: I collected all of the useful data layers I already had on hand. For example, county boundaries. 
  2. Initial Search: I did a quick search to determine what I could find easily.
  3. Brainstorm: I brainstormed layout and data presentation, mostly by exploring the data I found by viewing it in ArcMAP. 
  4. The Search Continued: I continued to search for the more pesky data, or data to fill gaps in my brainstorming.
  5. The Big Conversion: convert all the data layers to a particular projection and Geographic Coordinate System
  6. Getting into the Nitty Gritty: Here was the bulk of the data organization, and the break down of what data should go on what map. 
  7. Own My Map: I made sure I had all the basic map design and cartographic processes covered to the best of my ability.
  8. I patented it, packaged it, and slapped it on a plastic lunch box. Just kidding, but I did compile the deliverable. 
So with all of the above said. Here are my two maps for Dixie County Florida.

Map 1

Essentially I wanted to start with a broad overview of the county through its land use scheme. This lumped in well with the digital elevation model being overall big background information for the entire county. You can also see the distribution of towns around this area, and how relatively non-populous the county is overall. you can also see that there is not much elevation change for the county with the to the north being 27 feet. This makes sense as the county does sit next to the Gulf Of Mexico. It does look almost heart shaped doesn't it?

Map 2


One of the requirements of this project was to incorporate one Digital Orthographic Quarter Quad (DOQQ), which in total is the image on the right. To make proper use of this requirement I chose to have one map zoomed in to the working area presented by one DOQQ. Given for comparison you have the other frame showing subdued priority ranking for the surrounding Strategic Habitat Conservation Areas. Note that, there isnt much conservation in the County seat town of Cross City, but relatively high priority surrounding it. The inset also gives you a good overview of where the priority areas are for this county are concentrated. Looking at the previous map you can compare this again to the fact that the majority of the conservation area is for agricultural land.

Overall I hope you have enjoyed this limited presentation on Dixie County. There are so many facets of mapping and data out there that could be applied to any county anywhere. It is amazing to see what is being produced now compared with 7 short weeks ago. Thank you.

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