GIS 4048 Final Project: Conservation Subdivision Parcel Selection

A group of developers requested assistance with locating vacant parcels in Orange County, Florida, that are suitable for the development of a conservation subdivision. Conservation subdivisions reserve about 50-70% of the buildable land for open space and group the homes on the remaining portion. Conservation subdivisions have higher home values and reduced infrastructure costs (including lower stormwater management needs), benefit wildlife, and provide open space to residents (Allen, et al., 2013). It is a win-win situation. The objectives of the project were to obtain a list of suitable parcels, calculate Euclidean distances based on clients' preferences (near major roads and conservation lands, away from airports, energy plants, and landfills), perform an intersection to remove parcels that could not be used for subdivision development, conduct weighted analyses, determine three vacant parcels that meet the criteria, and provide the results (maps, spreadsheet, and report of parcel information with owner contact information) to the clients.

Such an extensive task seemed quite daunting at first. Deciding what to take on as a project alone was time-consuming. This was a good, practical experience as I learned that finding necessary, accurate, and complete data can be quite difficult at times. Having polygons for the parcels instead of a single point for each parcel would have been more informative for the clients. Along the way there were several accidental discoveries about ArcMap's quirks which I hope to avoid with future projects. Although it was extremely time-consuming, I really enjoyed working on this project. I haven’t done any subdivision work for decades and was excited to discover the concept of conservation subdivisions. A PowerPoint presentation describing the project is available here: Conservation Subdivision Parcel Selection

Examples of Output Generated for Clients

Resources:

Allen, S., Moore, S., Moorman, L., Moorman, C., Peterson, N., & Hess, G. (n.d.).  Conservation Subdivision Handbook (North Carolina Forest Service and North Carolina State University Publication No. AG-742). Retrieved from http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/forestry/pdf/ag/ag742.pdf.

Allen, S., Moorman, C., Peterson, M.N., Hess, G., & Moore, S. (2013). Predicting success incorporating conservation subdivisions into land use planning. Land Use Policy, 33, 31–35. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2012.12.001. (Article in its entirety is available at http://www4.ncsu.edu/~mnpeters/documents/Allen_etal_2013_LUP_000.pdf .)

GIS4043/L Final Project: Bobwhite-Manatee Transmission Line Project

This final project required working as if I were a consultant hired to complete an analysis of the approved Florida Power & Light Bobwhite-Manatee transmission line corridor in Manatee and Sarasota Counties for success in meeting certain criteria. Utilizing all skills, techniques, and knowledge gained throughout the semester along with researching some new GIS tools was required to complete this very comprehensive assignment. I feel as though I should be getting a paycheck for this one!

Wetlands and Conservation Lands Map for FPL's
Bobwhite-Manatee Transmission Line Corridor Analysis

Creating the cartographic model itself was time-consuming but was worth its weight in gold by helping keep the project organized and headed in the right direction at all times. It was a solid document frequently referenced throughout the project.

Repeating what has been said in previous blogs, I could expound ad nauseam on what went into putting together this project, from developing the necessary set of maps (including the one to the left) for analysis to creating a PowerPoint presentation with accompanying narrative, but after checking and rechecking methods and details in the maps and accompanying documents, I am ready to let the work speak for itself. Besides, my dog is giving me the "stink eye" for paying more attention to my computer than her for the past 3 weeks. We are way overdue for a long walk. Enjoy the PowerPoint and slide-by-slide commentary!

GIS3015 Final Project: 2013 ACT® Average Composite Scores and Percent of Graduates Tested

The final project of GIS3015 involved creating a map of 2013 ACT® average composite scores and percents of graduates tested, using data from ACT's website. Project guidelines required that the map be completed as if by an employee of the U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics for the Washington Post's use in an article on high school seniors and college entrance scores. Completing the map required utilizing knowledge, skills, and resources accumulated throughout the semester. Some of these skills were separating out data to create different data frames, changing projections of data frames, selecting classification methods, adding data to an Excel spreadsheet to convert to a .csv file, using Joins and Relates to add data to a layer's attribute table, and using proportional symbols.

2013 ACT® Average Composite Scores and Percent of Graduates Tested

Most of the map was completed in ArcMap with adjustments and finishing touches done in Adobe Illustrator. Having two sets of testing data on one map helps potential relationships in the data stand out. Both of these particular sets of data showed regional patterns when viewed on a choropleth map with proportional symbols. The final project was a realistic representation of what to expect in the working world of GIS.