Assignment #8 - Mapping the Station Fire in ArcGIS

Map 1

Map 2

Out of the LA county, the September 1, 2009 Station Fire remained in the mountainsides towards the northern area of the county. However, it spread quickly that day bordering close to the more densely populated Metropolitan area.

By 3:20pm on September 1st, 53 structures were destroyed as well as two more communication sites (InciWeb online article). There were also around 500 commercial buildings threatened.

Although there were several infrastructures within the Station Fire Perimeter (as can be seen in Map 2 by the grey dots within the Station Fire Perimeter), the main focus was its proximity to the suburbs and metropolitan areas of southern LA county. The fire had "...grown to more than 121,000 acres and has forced thousands of evacuations as fire crews struggle to contain its expansion..." (PBS online article). 

The smoke from the Station Fire could be seen from downtown Los Angeles; on the Station Fire website a variety of pictures show the smoke billowing behind downtown Los Angeles and the fire in the mountainside. 

It is said that the Station Fire was heavily undermined by the US Service Forest Officials (Paul Pringle). They downsized the fire's strength and it spun out of control. Maybe the officials should come up with new tactics that incorporate Physical Geography and GIS in order to predict wildfire outcomes. Especially when the LA county is located on a climate region that must have fires to produce a healthy wildlife.



References:
"Countywide Building Outlines – Now Public." Los Angeles County GIS Data Portal. WordPress & Atahualpa, 1 Nov. 2012. Web. 10 Dec. 2012.

Markgreninger. "Station Fire Perimeters September 1st Morning AS IS." Los Angeles County Enterprise GIS. WordPress & Atahualpa, 1 Sept. 2009. Web. 10 Dec. 2012.\

Pringle, Paul. "Station Fire's Strength Was Miscalculated Forest." Latimes.com. Latimes.com, 27 Sept. 2009. Web. 10 Dec. 2012. <latimes.com/news/local/la-me-fire27-2009sep27,0,6025715.story>.

"SoCal Fire Grows, Threatens Los Angeles Suburbs." PBS. PBS, 1 Sept. 2009. Web. 10 Dec. 2012.

"Station Fire." Station Fire. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Dec. 2012.

"Station Fire Morning Update, Sept. 1, 2009." InciWeb the Incident Information System: Station Fire News Release. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Dec. 2012.

Assignment #7 - Census 2000/2010

The census of the Asian race shows that many Asians tend to reside in the Southern Californian to Arizonian counties of the United States. Furthermore, this depicts their populations on the continental US. These are the Asian populations that were accounted for in the US census bureau. The data used for this map came from their sources. The lighter shades depict low percentages while the darker shades depict the higher percentages.

The census of the Black race shows that many Blacks tend to reside in the southeastern counties of the United States. Furthermore, this depicts their populations on the continental US. These are the Black populations that were accounted for in the US census bureau. The data used for this map came from their sources. The lighter shades depict low percentages while the darker shades depict the higher percentages.

The census of the "Some Other" race shows that many "Some Others"  tend to reside in the western and southwestern counties of the United States. Furthermore, this depicts their populations on the continental US. These are the "Some Other" populations that were accounted for in the US census bureau. The data used for this map came from their sources. The lighter shades depict low percentages while the darker shades depict the higher percentages.


CONCLUSION:

For all three maps, the USA Continguous Lambert Conformal Conic was used as the projection. The purpose of this choice was to depict the sizes of the counties more accurately, providing more clarity between the shades of each county.

My census map series allows a nice overview of different races throughout the country and where these people are most populous. Using GIS and ArcMap to create the census map series was very useful. It is easier now to use the program; making myself more familiarized with the system has allowed me to understand the elements of the program better. GIS is fun now that I know how to use the programs more efficiently.

Assignment #6 - DEMs in ArcGIS

A 3D image of the location from the bottom

A 3D image of the location from the top

Honolulu, Hawaii is an interesting geographical location because of its mountains and surrounding water. The island is very descriptive in terms of elevation. In this particular section of the island (eastern side of the island with the cities of Kahana and Kaaawa), many rivers flow into the Pacific Ocean such as the Kawa and Kahana streams. The coast is very close to the mountain range and therefore there is not a lot of flat lands in this section.

Extent:
top = 21.5940740743
left = -157.931018519
right = -157.837962963
bottom = 21.5379629632

Spatial reference: GCS North American 1983
Angular Unit = Degree (0.0174532925199433)
Datum = D North American 1983


Scale = 1:36,112

Assignment #6 - Example

Slope

Hillshade with 45% Transparency

Aspect (ned)

1. A one paragraph description of the area you selected AND the extent
information (in decimal degrees), as well as the information about the
geographic coordinate system (this can be found under the ‘Source’ tab
of your original DEM);
2. A shaded relief model of the area using a hillshade model layered above a
color-ramped DEM;
3. A slope map of your location;
4. An aspect map of your location;
5. A 3D image of your location (this does not need to include north arrow,
scale bar, etc.);

Assignment #5 - Projections in ArcGIS

Mercator (Conformal)

Albers Equal Area Conic

Cylindrical Equal Area

Equidistant Conic

Equidistant Cylindrical

Lambert Conformal Conic

Map projections are needed for their different capabilities. One is convenience. When a map user needs only specific information, then a certain map projection is helpful. If a map user needs a map with a good distance measure, then they can use an equidistant map. If he or she needs a map for the equatorial region, he or she can use a Universal Transverse Mercator map. With all the map projections, choosing the right one will help people with whatever they need their map to relay. However, with map projections, this trait is also its downfall.

Map projections cannot display all of the qualities that a globe can display. One quality is always distorted in map projections. For example, in an equidistant conic projection such as the one above, the shapes of the continents are distorted. However, in this conic projection the distances from place is equal throughout the whole map. The smaller the area of your map, the greater accuracy it has as well. Because a map projection is a two-dimensional palette, it cannot display the qualities and attributes of a curved three-dimensional globe.

Even though there are perils of map projections, there are still many more potentials. Using the correct projection, depending on what one is using the map for, the map projections can be accurate. For example, for a good representation of Europe, a person can use the Mercator map projection (like the one shown above). Another good example is the equidistant conic projection, which many pilots use because of its accuracy in distance.

Using ArcMap to change the different types of map projections helped greatly. Switching easily from projection to projection allowed me to see the different types much faster and more accurately than looking at papers. Map projections are very helpful depending on what you are using it for. There are hundreds of ways to make a map projection based on whether you use conical, cylindrical, planar, etc. Map projections are good instead of carrying a globe everywhere you go.

Assignment #4 - Introducing ArcMap

Potential and Pitfalls of GIS

Throughout my experience with ArcGIS, I always felt confused. There were times when doing the same step (from the tutorial) would clarify what I was doing. For example, re-entering a new layer each time through the catalog became simple enough. Yet, there was so much more that I didn't quite grasp. 

It seems to me that to understand ArcGIS in particular, one would have to know a vast amount of information in order to fully grasp the concepts of what he/she was doing on this program. The advantages of GIS far outweighs the disadvantages.

GIS reveals areas for further inquiry and questioning because of the way it brings data together. It reveals the relationships and patterns in maps. Furthermore, GIS can be used in virtually any area of business not just map-making.

The disadvantages come into play with the data. There is an enormous amount of data that can be sectioned off into more intricate databases. Also, many types of GIS software may exist, but ESRI is the main software that many people use.

Assignment #3 - Neogeography

View Hospitals/ Clinics in a larger map
This map shows the location of various hospitals in some parts of the LA region. Located towards the more richer towns of Beverly Hills are various hospitals and specialized clinics. However, towards the more substandard areas to the south, there are less specialized hospitals and more space between the general hospitals.



Neogeography:

Neogeography allows people to create their own maps without much knowledge in GIS. It is a much more user-friendly. Also used in social networking, banking, and social events (such as games and flash mobs), neogeography gives the public an increased general awareness. This lets people know where something is virtually anywhere on earth at real time.

But this could also be a bad thing - privacy is no longer available to many people through neogeography. There are downfalls to neogeography. Furthermore, look at my neogeographical map above. I searched only for hospitals in certain places. I'm not entirely sure that those are the only hospitals and clinics south of Beverly Hills. The information on neogeographical maps may not always be true.

The general public has heightened expectations of what their technology can do. Instant updating of a person's location accurately is an expectation. If the technology states that that person is somewhere he or she is not, that expectation adds to the aggravation towards what technology should do.

However, GIS needs neogeography as much as neogeography needs GIS. Neogeography is user-centric, while GIS is map-centric. While GIS is accuracy driven and far more detailed, the uses of neogeography drive the improvement of GIS and neogeography needs GIS to run.