GIS4043 Weeks 7 & 8: GIS Data Search

A subtitle for this lab's project very well could have been "Comprehensiveness". Everything that has been learned to date was put into action, often multiple times, during this lab. Developing a set of maps about one county in Florida which included multiple layers covering everything from general map features (roads, cities, boundaries, water forms) to more specialized environmental topics (in this case invasive plant locations and Strategic Habitat Conservation Areas) was the goal.  To complete the required series of maps, multiple data sites were accessed in the quest for needed data.  This was the most time-consuming portion of the lab because the data files had to be compared against each other for coverage and date in order to find the most complete and recent information.  Many more files than were needed had been viewed in the map itself to visually compare coverage, looking for gaps or overlaps to ensure the most efficient but complete coverage. This was especially the case with the public land layer.  During this process was when I really learned to pay close attention to the details in the metadata to avoid spending time downloading files that would not be helpful.

Map 1 ~ Lake County, Florida: Cities, Roads, Elevation, Aerial

Something that sped up the creation of the map set to cover all the topics was using the same general format between all three maps.  By planning ahead and keeping the main data frame, the locator map, and some essential elements in the same location in the map, I could just duplicate the original map layout for each of the remaining maps. This gave me a jump start on the other maps, and allowed me to make changes to the rest of the layers and map elements easily.  From the map user’s perspective, the same general layout provides a sense of cohesiveness which enables efficient referencing between each of the maps.

The first map provided the general information for the map series.  It included the major roads (labeled), cities and towns (labeled), elevation data, and one aerial photo.  Because of its significant difference from other roads in the area, Florida’s Turnpike was given its own label and symbology in order to stand out.

Map 2 ~ Surface Water, Public Land, and Invasive Plants
 of Lake County, Florida

For purposes of clarity, the aerial photo, elevation data, road names, and city names were eliminated from the remaining two maps. Surface water and public lands were featured on the second map along the locations of invasive plants. Showing these all on the same map seemed important because of the management involved with minimizing the spread of invasive plants.  Retaining the roads and cities in this map is also significant in that the locations of these are likely linked to the spread of invasive plants.  Note the location of invasive plants in the southwest portion of the county.  With other sources of information, this very straight diagonal line is easily identified as the Van Fleet State Trail, a rails-to-trails path. Some relation between the former railroad grade and the spread of invasive plants is very probable.

Map 3 ~ Strategic Habitat Conservation Areas
 of Lake County, Florida

The third map shows the Strategic Habitat Conservation Areas (SHCA), ranked by priority. Showing the surface water and public land layers in this map helps the map user see potential connections between SHCA and water bodies or public lands.  Placing the surface water layer below the SHCA layer ensured that habitats which are water-based would show in their entirety rather than being overlaid by the edge of the water body itself. Retaining the roads layer helps the map user stay oriented with respect to location of the SHCA.

This lab took quite a bit of time to complete, but it was a very practical and pertinent exercise.  I can't wait until the technical aspects of ArcMap become second nature to me and I can allow additional time for experimenting with the  more artistic aspects of map-making!