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Delaware Department of Public Utilities Internship (GIS) Weeks 10 & 11

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“Nathan Sturgill

Internship

November 20, 2021

Weeks 10&11

Throughout the past two weeks, I have continued to work through the training programs of CityWorks online and other programs associated with CityWorks. The CityWorks program I am currently going through is the Designer for AMS. This program is teaching me how the AMS workflows work within the CityWorks system. This training program guides me through the course as an administrator and how to make site-specific configurations as an administrator. These configurations include editing certain categories within the designer systems such as labor, employees, materials, etc. These processes that I am learning throughout the course are helping me how to manage and mitigate workflows in the CityWorks system. This is all preparing me to work with the CityWorks program in the future. The Designer for AMS learning course is also helpful in identifying certain issues that may be overlooked and how to identify these issues properly. 

The CityWorks learning course Designer for AMS is also helpful in learning how to create configurations for GIS-specific CityWorks sites. In the future, I hope to be able to put more of this knowledge into practice for the continuing internship for CityWorks. I also hope to be able to go out into the field to collect data with Janelle Valdinger for both CityWorks and the Department of Public Utilities GIS systems. This will allow me to gain real-world experience in providing data for the GIS systems that I have been working with all semester long. I will continue to make progress with the CityWorks learning courses and review ArcGIS practices to help with the Department of Public Utilities in Delaware Ohio.¬†“

City of Delaware Public Utilities Department

City of Delaware Public Utilities Department GIS Internship Weeks 8 & 9

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Nathan Sturgill

Public Utilities Department GIS Internship

11/04/21

Weeks 8 & 9

– The past two weeks have consisted of progressing through the CityWorks training programs. During the past two weeks, I have gone through the introduction course and the database and environment setup prior to Cityworks installation. The second course of CityWorks taught me how to work through the system using the basic installation method and working through how to mitigate issues involving the setup of the software. The AMS and PLL course also provided me with the information necessary to connect individual users of CityWorks to the system through a SQL server connection. Connecting individual users to the CityWorks system allows them certain access through the system to use its products and functionalities. 

Throughout this semester I have also been going through the CityWorks training programs and being taught by Janelle the ins and outs of the GIS system associated with the Department of Public Utilities. I have been going through the CityWorks training program because I will be an intern for Janelle Valdinger as an affiliate through CityWorks in the spring semester. These past weeks have also consisted of looking for apartments near the CityWorks location of West Bend, Wisconsin and this is because of the upcoming summer internship with the company I am hoping to be a part of. I hope to acquire this position and work with the partners at CityWorks in West Bend, Wisconsin and this has been a desire of mine ever since the presentation CityWorks gave to the students of Ohio Wesleyan University that I attended as well. CityWorks training programs have shown me that with the similarity to ArcGIS software, this would be a very good fit for me in the furthering of my path in GIS systems and knowledge to help me along in my future career. 

City of Delaware Public Utilities Department

City of Delaware Public Utilities Department Internship GIS

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Nathan Sturgill

Public Utilities Department Internship

October 22, 2021

Week 6&7

 

  • To start out week 6 I worked more on the initial basemap for the city of Delaware and the attribute audit for the storm and water systems located throughout the city of Delaware. I finished this attribute audit and was able to make clear to Janelle and the rest of the Public Utilities Department about the missing data in the storm and water systems in the GIS folders containing this data. This will help the department mitigate future problems that might occur when looking for data in the water and storm systems. After I finished the attribute audit I was then instructed to sign up for the Trimble company learning program that teaches the basics about CityWorks as a whole. Janelle instructed me to go through the course at my own pace and to work on the course while also learning the city of Delaware GIS ins and outs as well.

I was able to get started on the CityWorks training program and have so far made some progress throughout the program. I learned that the CityWorks system works very similar to that of Arcmap and ArcGIS in general, but it does have some key differences. For example, base maps in CityWorks do not work on the same editing scale that they do in Arcmap. I have been learning the very basics of the system and how to run everything in the system myself such as the process of making work orders for others to see in CityWorks and how to assign different people in the system to different problems that need to be addressed in the system. I expect to continue working on the CityWorks system and become familiar with the tools necessary to operate the system at a high level. I also continue to learn how to handle record drawings in the Department of Public Utilities and how to insert some of these record drawings into Arcmap with the help of Janelle.

City of Delaware Public Utilities Department

Week 5 Delaware Department of Public Utilities GIS Internship

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Nathan Sturgill

Department of Public Utilities Internship (GIS)

October 8th, 2021

Week 5

To start out week 5 I was instructed to continue my ongoing work from last week, which included making a base map of my own through ArcGIS that I can work out of to help Janelle and the Public Utilities Department mitigate ongoing problems. In the ArcGIS base map, I have been using I have now learned how to properly create a definition query that can be used to find missing data in the City of Delaware GIS data sets. I was guided through this process by Janelle and have begun to create my own definition queries to find missing data and solve these problems with new values. The definition queries I have created and use are to find the missing data such as missing information about water valves, meters, and pipes located across the city of Delaware. This data is vital to maintaining the quality of water and drainage systems in the city of Delaware. I have also used definition queries to identify which record drawings created by engineers have missing values when placed into Delaware’s ArcGIS maps and also which record drawings contain a broken link that can help GIS technicians such as Janelle when identifying the problems associated with missing data in the record drawings.

I have begun working on an attribute audit for the different record drawings representing the different sections making up the city of Delaware. As of now the attribute audit only concerns the water and storm systems located throughout the city of Delaware and this missing data is the primary goal of the attribute audit. While creating the attribute audit I use a definition query to see what missing data lies in the attribute table for each water system and storm system. Creating this attribute audit has been a difficult task because all of the variables involved along with creating a definition query that is specific to finding a certain type of missing data and this can be very time-consuming. For the coming week, I will continue to work on this attribute audit that will help Janelle and others work within the department. I will also soon be instructed how the City Works GIS system is used by the city of Delaware by Janelle.

City of Delaware Public Utilities Department

Weeks 3&4 Department of Public Utilities Internship GIS

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Nathan Sturgill

Delaware Public Utilities Department GIS internship

October 1, 2021

Weeks 3 & 4

 

      For week three I went over more ESRI tutorials and learned how to get started with LIDAR imagery used in remote sensing. This can be a very useful skill for the future and will help me stand out amongst my peers. I also reviewed the basics of ArcGIS to prepare me for week 4 and this included becoming familiar with all the basics again and learning to use ArcOnline more efficiently for the internship. 

     Week 4 has been the most informative week of the semester thus far. I have learned more about the city of Delawares GIS system and what goes into creating their base maps in ArcGIS that aid workers in placing work orders and mitigating problems across the city of Delaware. I am also learning to create my own base map as an intern and plan to help aid Janelle in creating solutions using GIS technology. I have learned to create a map of storm drainage pipelines located beneath soon-to-be-developed land within the city of Delaware and during this process, I have learned to distinguish between manholes, inlets, and outlets that are connected to the larger storm drainage system in place. A project like this can help engineers when planning and constructing the soon-to-be-developed land. Adding things in from Arc Catalog has taken some time because of the amount of data that the city of Delaware contains in their ArcGIS inventory. With all of this said I am excited to start another week for the internship and I look forward to working with more fieldwork/data in the future. Next week I will also continue the progress on creating my base map for the internship and will learn to create a definition query that can help solve problems related to the functionality of the system. On the agenda as well will be to work with different record drawings that show the layout of certain areas of the city and working on the details of these drawings to translate them into ArcGIS. 

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City of Delaware Public Utilities GIS Internship Weeks 1&2

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Nathan Sturgill

Delaware Public Utilities Internship(GIS)

September 23, 2021

Weeks 1 & 2

I first began the internship with an orientation meeting at which I met with the GIS technician for the Department of Public Utilities Janelle Valdinger. After orientation I began to familiarize myself with the office and the layout of my space in the office where I would be working as the GIS intern for the remainder of the semester. In the first week I worked with ArcUser information that allowed me to see how ArcGIS software works in the real world and how it can be applied to a variety of fields, not just the field of geography. Also during the first week I attended a Cityworks GIS seminar that explained what the company of Cityworks GIS does on a day to day basis and the different types of clients they have that use the Cityworks GIS software, including the public and private sector. The Cityworks GIS seminar also described in detail the upcoming paid internship they would be offering in the summer of 2022.

During week two of the internship at the Department of Public Utilities in Delaware, I have been working on ArcGIS training through the ESRI training software. The first training software that I experienced was becoming acquainted with the basics of spatial analysis and how analyzing maps created using ArcGIS can help cities, states, and organizations better manage workflow and problem solving. The second training exercise that I went through was exploring the cloudburst issue and the flooding it creates in Copenhagen, Denmark. This exercise had a goal of using a geoprocessing model created with elevation data that marks the low lying elevations in a city that are prone to flooding caused by a cloudburst (extreme rainfall or precipitation in a short period of time). This exercise guided me step by step in how to identify blue spots, or at-risk areas/buildings in a city, and analyze these blue spots to assess at-risk areas in a city and help predict the rainfall required to fill these low lying areas that are prone to flooding. This is yet another example of how ArcGIS software can be applied to help mitigate problems in major cities or countries. 

Next week we will begin working on creating a base map in ArcGIS that will relate to the city of Delaware and go further in depth with what the city of Delaware Public Utilities Department does on a daily basis with ArcGIS. I will also explore how this department solves problems within the city using GIS software and how they capture data regarding specific problems within the city itself. We will also be working with field data and how the GIS technicians within the department use this information to directly coordinate with the rest of the department about which problems should be looked at by the city. I will also be taught how to capture this data in the field myself and I am looking forward to this opportunity.

Stratford Ecological Center

Developing a Solar Activity

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For this week of my internship, I have been focusing primarily on my second continuation activity, which is concentrated on learning about solar energy. After researching various solar activities, I came across one focusing on the sun as the source of all energy and how it transmits energy to other sources. I felt that this would be a good activity to educate grade school children about energy and the many forms it takes. In addition, I included a simple continuation experiment for children to try at home to better-understand solar energy.

Free Sun Drawing, Download Free Clip Art, Free Clip Art on Clipart LibraryWhat are Sunbeams?

Objective: To understand the primary source of energy is the sun. To examine how energy from the sun changes and takes many forms; to understand how these forms come to us.

Background: Energy gives us the ability to perform actions such as running, playing sports, and even thinking. This is because energy is stored in our body in our muscles and brain cells. Energy allows things, and people, to move and do work and it exists in many forms, like energy that is used to light a streetlamp, cool buildings during warmer months, and cook our favorite foods.

The sun is the source of all energy, but energy can be stored in many things such as natural gas, food, coal, water, and wind. Energy does not have a shape and therefore we cannot hold it in our hands; however, energy can be changed from one form to another. When gasoline is burned in a car, the energy in gasoline is converted to heat energy. When we stand outside in the sun, light energy is changed into heat as well.

Materials:

  • Paper (yellow construction paper to cut out the sun and sunbeams; OR regular paper for children to draw their own sun)
  • Markers or crayons to label sunbeams
  • Optional: Scissors, glue (to attach sunbeams if you choose not to draw a sun)

Procedure:

  1. Draw or cut out a picture of the center of the sun (a circle); label the circle ‘Energy’ and think about what kinds of energy we get from the sun.
  2. Make a list of all examples of energy you can come up with; the objective is to help children understand that the sun is the primary source for many different things (food, wood, oil, gas, coal, light, heat, plants, etc.) Provide a helpful explanation for less obvious examples.
  3. Draw or cut out several sunbeams (rectangles/strips of paper) and write an energy word from the previous list on each beam. Attach sunbeams to circle if necessary.
  4. Have children share their sun with each other; look for similarities or unique examples of energy. Ask children how their energy examples would be different if we had no sun, two suns, or a sun that was closer/further away.

 

Further Learning Experiment:

Preschool science experiment: Water and ice

Melting Ice

Objective: To provide additional understanding of how solar energy works.

Procedure:

  1. Place ice cubes outside in your backyard on a sunny day. Place one cube directly in the sun and place another cube in full shade.
  2. Ask children which ice cube they think will melt faster.
  3. As the cube in the sun turns into a puddle first, explain that the heat energy from the sun made it melt faster (The light energy from the direct sunlight turns into heat energy, warming the ice cube and melting it more quickly).

 

Stratford Ecological Center

Pollinator Garden Activity

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The past 2 weeks I attempted to visit Stratford for another program shadowing experience. However, due to unpredictable weather and other extenuating circumstances, I was unable to shadow April and I am now planning on returning next week. With that being said, the past two weeks I have focused on developing the backyard pollinator habitat activity April and I discussed. I will be formatting the activity guidelines and information below into one of Stratford’s Field Trip Activity sheets before submitting the project.

Gardeners can do their part to provide habitats for pollinators | Amy Dixon | journalnow.com

Creating a Backyard Pollinator Habitat

Objective: To provide nectar and larval host plant sources to native pollinator species. Observe how the presence of specific organisms changes in your backyard after your pollinator garden begins to grow.

Background: We often think of conservation efforts as contributing to a larger-scale phenomenon, such as switching to a more sustainable lifestyle or donating to various conservation organizations. However, we can take conservation initiatives in our own backyards! By simply creating a small strip of native plants in your backyard instead of mowing it over you can ensure that your native pollinators have healthy food, a place to nest, and a livable habitat.

Where Should I Create My Garden?

Your pollinator garden should be in the sunniest spot possible. Pollinating insects need to be warm to be active, so ensuring that your garden is in a sunny location will help them warm up even when temperatures begin to cool.

What Should be in My Garden?

A general pollinator garden should have brightly colored native flowering plants. There are many native wildflowers to choose from, but some examples of Ohio wildflowers are: Common Milkweed, Blue-Eyed Grass, Butterflyweed, Purple Coneflower and Gray-Headed Coneflower. If you are hoping to attract a specific species, like the Monarch Butterfly, for example, make sure to also plant the larval host plant for that species. It is also important that your garden blooms from early summer through the fall season in order to provide a constant source of nectar for your pollinators, so be sure to choose wildflowers that bloom at various times. And remember to make sure that the plants you choose are all native plant species!

Stratford Ecological Center

NEW: Green Energy Machine at Stratford

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This week for my semester internship with Stratford, I have focused on developing activity ideas for my final project- the two continuation learning activities. April also contacted me this week with an exciting update: the Environmental Education staff at Stratford met with a non-profit organization who created the “Green Machine”, a portable solar education display that can be used for outreach and onsite programs, and she hopes to incorporate the solar activity I develop for my internship with this new educational tool they have added to their center.

The Green Machine is essentially a simplified solar kit geared specifically toward K-12 learning and variations of this machine have been in the works for approximately 10-20 years. This newest model of the Green Energy Machine includes real-time data collection and in addition, the Green Machine is a fully functioning solar generator that can be used during events, outdoor programs, class sessions, etc.

This upcoming week I plan to visit Stratford to learn more about the Green Machine and the potential activities I could help generate to go along with it. Here is the one-page information flyer April passed along regarding the Green Machine and its purpose:

The Green Energy Machine — One Pager — Summer 2020

Stratford Ecological Center

The History of Environmental Education

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My recent focus for this internship has been diving into the origin of environmental education and how it has transformed throughout history. The importance behind this focus area of my internship is to fully understand the initial purpose of environmental education and what it has looked like historically, so that I can better understand how it needs to continue to progress in order to meet modern and future education goals. Interestingly, the idea of environmental education dates further back than one may expect.

The original emergence of the idea of environmental education can be traced back as early as the 18th century. Jean-Jacques Rousseau, a Genevan philosopher, was the first to suggest the importance of education focused on the environment in Emile: or, On Education (Stanford 2010). Similarly, there was another famous scholar who had a crucial impact on the start of environmental education. Philosopher Louis Agassiz, a Swiss-born naturalist, mimicked Rousseau’s sentiments a century later and encouraged his students to study the natural world rather than books (Berkeley 1996). Agassiz was a known biologist and geologist of his time, and his philosophical views centered around a scientific perspective.