Author: gjnaples

Chapter 9

Chapter 9 went pretty smooth all things considered. The first issue I ran into was during Tutorial 9-2. When attempting to use the Spatial Join tool, The book instructs us to expand the field tab within the tool. Under this tab it says to set Output Fields to AGE_5_17. There is nowhere to set an Output Field under this tab, it is simply a list of the fields. Furthermore, there was nowhere to carry out the next instruction to set Merge Rule to Sum. I spent a lot of time attempting to troubleshoot this tool, however this was in vain. As it was the final portion of Tutorial 9-2, I saved my project and proceeded to the next tutorial. Overall this was the only major issue I found in Chapter 9.

 

Chapter 10

Chapter 10 opened with me not being able to understand what was going wrong. The textbook instructs you to utilize the Raster To Other Format Tool, which is what I chose. After inputting the data that the book specifies, it instructs you to delete LandUse_Pgh.tif and add LandUse_Pgh from the Chapter10 Database. However, After using the Raster To Other Format Tool, the data was not added to the database. I ran the tool a few more times to no avail. After this I restarted the program, and all three of the files magically appeared in the database. While this specific instance in Tutorial 10-1 ended up working, overall I had a lot of difficulties throughout this chapter. Certain files were missing, others wouldn’t show up in the software, etc. I did my best to complete as much as I could.

Chapter 11

Chapter 11 starts off very simple. Viewing the different dimensions of the 3D map was a nice introduction. I thoroughly enjoyed Tutorial 11-3. Creating 3D-Trees on the map is something minute that adds a lot of depth and character to the map. Along with creating the trees, I also had an enjoyable time learning how to create different floors of a building in Tutorial 11-5. My favorite part of this chapter however, was creating and exporting the animation in Tutorial 11-7. I assumed that this capability would be somewhat self-explanatory (which it was), however there were certain things I was required to do that I know I would not have been able to without the instruction of the textbook. Outside of user errors like inputting data to the wrong part of the table, selecting the wrong polygon, etc, I had a really smooth time going through this chapter.

 

Chapter 4

With the first tutorial (Tutorial 4-1), I was immediately stumped. It was going well, until I reached the portion with the subheading Use database utilities in the Catalog pane. The tutorial asks the user to copy the Tracts feature class from YouthPopulation.gdb. There was no Tracts feature class under the YouthPopulation.gdb Database! I eventually figured out that I have the file in one of the folders with content on my hard drive. After this I imported the feature class into the database it should have been in. I copied the feature class to the MaricopaTracts database and continued on with my tutorials. During Tutorial 4-2 I ran into an issue with the instructions in the textbook. Under the Add a field and populate it using the Calculate Field tool I kept getting an error message. Step 7 tells the user “In the Calculate Field pane, double click GEOID in the Fields panel to create the expression GEOIDNum = !GEOID10!. However, When I did this I received an error message and the values of the GEOIDNum column remained completely empty. I figured out that writing the expression “GEOIDNum = !GEOID!” got my data entered correctly. I’m not sure as to why it was written differently than it functions. Nonetheless, I carried on. Overall I had an enjoyable time going through Chapter 4. My main mishaps that I ran into were very minor. I would click the wrong button, open the wrong pane, etc.

Chapter 5

Going into chapter 5 I was pleasantly surprised that there was such a basic map in Tutorial 5-1. I have been missing looking at maps instead of filing through different panes editing information (although the editing information sections are obviously extremely important).  This pleasant surprise quickly turned into being stressed again (haha). My first issue had arisen in Tutorial 5-3. I was going to change the map of California’s coordinate system. When I opened the Map properties pane and navigated to Coordinate Systems, I was instructed to select NAD 1983. NAD 1983 was nowhere to be found. I searched through the different files that came with the tutorials to no avail. I eventually chose to move on to the next Tutorial. Everything prior to this in Tutorial 5-3 was great though! In Tutorial 5-5 the textbook instructed me to download official census data. This is something that I have been specifically waiting to see if it would instruct me where to access this data. Along with actually accessing the data itself, Tutorial 5-5 actually walks you through how to process this data in Microsoft Excel. I have some (using that very lightly) experience using Excel, so this explanation was very helpful. As two things can be true at once, this was also very overwhelming at times. Doing the (VERY) rough math, the Excel spreadsheet had over 450 columns of data. At times it felt like my head was spinning. However, again, it was very nice to see this data outside the curated tutorials from the textbook.

Chapter 6

Chapter 6 opened with Tutorial 6-1 focusing on Manhattan. The tutorial walks the user through how to use the Pairwise Dissolve tool. Using this tool, the textbook teaches the user how to create neighborhoods, or in this case Fire Battalions. The explanations and work for this first tutorial are pretty straightforward. I did not struggle on this first Tutorial. Tutorial 6-3 was so short and self explanatory that I honestly though I missed something. It walks you through the steps of merging feature classes in order to make one feature class with all of the previously separated feature classes’ data. It was so short that the photo given for the beginning is almost the entire length of the actual tutorial. Along with 6-3, Tutorial 6-4 was extremely simple. I imported two files and ran one of the tools. At least 6-3 had a “YOUR TURN” section. Overall I thoroughly enjoyed Chapter 6. While it was challenging, It also felt like a ‘back to basics’ moment for a little bit as there was a lot of instruction regarding how to use tools with the maps, rather than staring at spreadsheets.

Chapter 7

Starting Chapter 7 with the first tutorial, I was kind of excited. The editing of polygon features is something that I have been looking forward to learning how to do. Sounds a little weird and nerdy when I type that out I guess. Although I was very interested in this portion of the software, this did not make it any easier for me to learn the “Edit Vertices” tool. In fact, I was actually lost for more time than I’d like to admit. However, once I realized the Construction toolbar was sitting right in front of my face I moved on rather quickly. Everything was going perfectly fine until I got just barely before the end of Tutorial 7-2. I created the feature class for parking lots to add to the map of the campus. However, when I went to the edit tab to actually map out and create the parking lots I was greet by every feature class aside from the one I just created. There was an error message telling me that the layer was marked not editable. It said that you can control the editability “in the List by Editing view of Contents pane.” I tried clicking through everything to find a toggle once again to no avail. I decided to count my losses and move on. For the final Tutorial, 7-4, I ran into a weird issue. When importing the HBH1 file, the StudyAreaBldgs feature class got messed up somehow? I’m not 100% sure what happened but some of the buildings were moved and scaled down from where they were supposed to be on the map. I tried my best to fix it, however I ended up just transforming the building to the comically small outlined building.

Chapter 8

Chapter 8 felt very overwhelming. I’m not sure if I was running out of steam, if it was genuinely as challenging as it felt, or a mix of both. However, the amount of different panes that I had to go through to successfully complete the tutorials was intense. There was just so much to enter and make sure that these tools are running properly that I kept either second guessing myself, or actually entering things wrong which put me back more and more. However, one big issue that I wasn’t able to troubleshoot was with rematching the attendee data by zip code. The book told me to enter the zip code (15230) into the Rematch Addresses tool, however it was automatically entered. I also could not run the tool. I’m not sure what the deal was, however I went through all the motions that I was able to. lthough it felt like cruel and unusual punishment at times I do know that my skills will be better because I committed to doing these tutorials (as) properly (as I could).

Chapter 1

I was pleasantly surprised by how straight forward the tutorials are. However, it was a struggle for me to begin going through with them. I had a few problems with my hard drive before I could even get started. It is USB-C only, which requires a port that is not on the computers. So I got an adapter assuming that it would work as it has in the past. This was in fact not the case. The adapter allowed the computer to recognize that the hard drive was connected, however it was not accessible on the computer. I then had to get a USB hard drive to start the work. Once I had begun I immediately started to enjoy the process of learning the software. I have taught myself programs such as Adobe After Effects, Sony Vegas Pro, and Final Cut Pro in the past, but those were all essentially me going through the programs randomly under the guise that “you won’t break it.” This was a much smoother and enjoyable experience by miles. I did not have any issues going through the motions of the tutorials from this chapter aside from one specific instance. In Tutorial 1-3, when obtaining summary statistics I had initially gotten the wrong value for the Mean (3174.1) rather than that of what was given in the textbook (4516.6). All other of the statistical values were correct. I ran the Summary Statistics tool for a second time and I was given the correct values for all of the Statistic Types. I honestly don’t know what happened the first time. I found myself getting comfortable navigating through the different windows of ArcGIS very quickly. 

Chapter 2

Getting into the second chapter of the textbook, I had to use a little more brain power to complete the tutorials. I was still having a pretty easy time completing the tutorials, however there were more instances in this chapter where I had to reread the instructions to understand what the actions I had to complete were, rather than just going through the motions. I had made very minor mistakes throughout these tutorials. One example of a mistake I made was when creating the definition query (Tutorial 2-3) I had missed that the program automatically set the ‘OR/AND’ option to AND, preventing the facilities from showing up on the map. However I quickly was able to troubleshoot what I did wrong and successfully create the query. After this, the next problem I ran into was directly after in Tutorial 2-4. When I opened the project the “Neighborhoods” feature had an exclamation mark next to it. When I moved into the Symbology pane I was greeted by a lovely message telling me that the “Neighborhoods” layer did not have a valid data source. I troubleshooted in the program before Googling my issue to see if anyone else had run into this. Luckily for me there was a posting on the Esri website from someone with my exact issue. They had solved it by dragging the Neighborhoods feature class from the catalog pane into the contents pane. After this I deleted the original useless “Neighborhoods” feature. From here it was smooth sailing for me in Tutorial 2-4. The next issue I ran into was in Tutorial 2-6. When importing the symbology to use the swipe to compare feature I missed a step. I forgot to set the Target Field to U18MHHFOOD. Due to me forgetting to set this field correctly the swipe feature did not work. After importing the symbology again, I realized my mistake and corrected it. After this the swipe feature worked perfectly for me. Overall I thoroughly enjoyed Chapter two of the tutorials. They were challenging enough in comparison to Chapter 1, however they were not overwhelming in the slightest.

Chapter 3

Chapter 3 started off okay for me. The first few steps of Tutorial 3-1 went smoothly. This was until I reached the point where you create and insert a chart. I was able to open Chart Properties and enter the data that was provided for me. However, when the instructions begin to refer to the chart being on the screen (Adjust the size of the map pane so that the  bars on the chart are at the height you prefer) I cannot see the chart. After searching throughout the different tabs, I was able to insert the chart. However, this is not the completed chart, as I need to select the top 10 states for the chart to reflect the information the tutorial intends it too. After a very prolonged and unnecessary moment of frustration, I remembered to try and restart the software. After I restarted the software and opened the project, the chart appeared exactly where it should have been all along. Tutorial 3-3 was surprisingly challenging for me. I think that because I am used to using modern forms of social media that I assume I can use any website. While this is almost always true, I am not a natural at blog post style websites. However, once I got the hang of the phrasing the book was using it was smooth sailing. Tutorial 3-4 was very enjoyable. It wasn’t perfect as I am obviously still learning, however I enjoyed utilizing the different elements on the dashboard and incorporating them. As I had gotten the hang (generally) of how the usability of this website works in the previous tutorial I could just complete the tutorial without fighting with the website.

Chapter 4: 

Chapter four opens discussing density mapping. The purpose of this style of mapping is to more accurately portray clustered information who’s data would be hindered rather than elevated had it been individually mapped. It utilizes a standard unit of measurement, such as square miles, to provide a map with a clearer distribution. One of the main examples for when density mapping is useful is census tracts and counties. The book explains that due to their often arbitrary boundaries, these divisions of land can inaccurately represent data.

The chapter discusses the different ways that density mapping can be carried out. Using a dot map or calculating a density map for each area are the two ways given on page 110. A dot map is exactly what it sounds like, a map that you add dots to to represent the data. Rather than one dot representing each individual data point it represents a ‘specified number of features’  (e.g. 1 dot = 100 households). These dots are distributed randomly within each area meaning they don’t represent the data’s specific location either. The closer these dots are together the higher the density of the feature being represented is in that area. In order to calculate the density of an area, “you divide the total number of features, or total value of the features, by the polygon. Each area is then shaded based on its density value.” There are many map comparisons throughout the explanations that show how density surface becomes more effective when comparing mapped individual features.

The chapter also discusses the importance of your search radius. A larger search radius allows the GIS to consider more features when making calculations. While smaller search radiuses allow the GIS to represent more localized variation. It also makes an important emphasis on the point that the radius and density units do not have to be the same. 

 

Chapter 5:

The explanation and example of why to map what’s inside of an area made it much more interesting to read about. It took me a moment to comprehend what was different about “mapping inside” of an area vs creating another kind of map. However, the way in which this chapter explains this to be used as an ever-evolving tool puts it into a much better perspective. Mapping inside of a specified area allows us to monitor what’s occurring inside it, or to compare features from inside several areas. This can often shift the need for action or not. Distinguishing whether or not you need to map inside one or multiple areas will determine how much work is required to create these maps. Mapping inside single areas provides you with a lot, such as; A service area, a buffer, an administrative or natural boundary, a boundary you create, and other features. When mapping instead several areas, you are able to compare the findings, thus comparing these multiple areas. 

Discrete and continuous features were a topic that was very informative. Discrete features exist in well-defined boundaries. They represent things that occur at very specific locations. These would be things such as roads, buildings, etc. Continuous features exist over a broader scale. These are things that take large amounts of distance to change. These are things such as temperatures or elevation. 

I really appreciated the A summary of a numeric attribute section. There is nothing better than a book that can be explanation-dense just giving the reader a list of definitions. Thankfully all of the most common ones listed are basic concepts from the Statistics class I am also taking this semester. One of the very helpful aspects that has been very strong in this chapter is the What the GIS does headings. As i’m writing this I am going back over one of these sections that refers to overlaying areas with continuous values. Hearing the processes of the software helps me understand the actual uses for these actions.

 

Chapter 6:

Chapter six opens with discussing mapping ‘nearby.’ This is something that I guess I have never really considered to be as extensive as the chapter lays it out being. One part of mapping ‘nearby’ that intrigues me is how you define what is ‘nearby.’ As my interests usually lie in urban planning, this often looks different depending on the type of location you’re operating in. According to page 182, “Deciding how to measure ‘nearness’ and what information you need from the analysis will help you decide which method to use.” The term area of influence also caught my attention whilst reading. The idea of mapping a feature’s impact and scaling it is an extremely useful and exciting feature. Mapping the distances between places like schools and corner stores that sell nicotine products cannot always immediately point out the issues. 

I had a somewhat difficult time understanding what the text was referring to when the phrase costs were used to reference the measurement of something that’s nearby. For a minute I really thought we were talking about gas pricing or how much a subway card costs, when the discussion of time being a cost began on page 184 it started to make a lot more sense. This addresses one of my main concerns about ‘mapping nearby.’ As the United States has been bulldozed for vehicles, I was concerned that ‘nearby’ would be confined to a physical closeness.

Chapter 1:

Chapter 1 focuses on an overall introduction to GIS. This introduction does not reduce GIS to ‘only a software,’ but also emphasizes the impact it has made across diverse disciplines. Through new technologies, researchers sharing their findings online, and advancements in the software itself, GIS has created a space for itself in disciplines from healthcare to construction. However, while this emphasis of the diversification of uses for GIS is important, what is more important is how the standard use of GIS has not changed. A user must still be able to structure their analysis properly and know which tools are applicable to the tasks they are carrying out. The part of GIS that has always interested me (without even knowing what GIS is) has been comparing mapping changes. Growing up in the rust belt in the early 2000s, much of what I remember as my hometown has been torn down. I remember neighborhoods upon neighborhoods of abandoned homes, however now even the streets they once stood on are gone. Chapter 1 goes on to expand upon what GIS Analysis is and the process of carrying it out. The portion under the subheading Frame the Question, “Or you may need to present results to policy makers or the public for discussion, for scientific review, or in a courtroom,” truly stuck out to me. I am currently taking Dustin’s Scientific Communication class. This concept of angling research and the language of said research to your audience is something that has interested me since beginning my undergraduate career. The way geographic features were described and explained was something that I cannot say I have ever seen before this reading. However, that being said I believe that these definitions are extremely valuable and should be introduced to those working outside the discipline of Geography/GIS. The skill of being able to read maps (both those for travel and information) is something that people my age are extremely lacking in. Taking these concepts such as ‘Discrete Features,’ or ‘Continuous Phenomena’ are elements of maps that I have often seen/heard of. However, this is the very first time I have ever been given a name to put to them.

 

Chapter 2:

As I’m reading through the first few chapters of this book, it is doing such a good job explaining these concepts that I often try to, but fall flat with my family/people outside of my major. It is very refreshing to see definitions that use simple language without diminishing content. The example, on page 24, of police mapping where crimes occur seems well intended, however, in practice wouldn’t this need exponentially more context and information? If implemented exactly how the example is written, could the GIS use be directly linked to potential over-policing? I appreciate the sections in the book where it is written in a way that prevents you from overthinking. For example, on page 26, it discusses using appropriate features, implying sometimes ‘less is more.’ Much of this chapter is introducing basic ‘rules’ to follow when mapping. Things such as creating multiple small maps if information is too compact, or choosing bright colors for important information and leaving more pastel/dull colors for necessary yet not critical info are themes that run strong throughout this chapter. All of this information, while it may seem lackluster or somewhat boring, is actually very crucial to making high quality legible maps. This portion of the chapter can also be related back to Dustin’s Scientific Communication class. In order to make your map as effective as possible, you must know your audience. A crucial part of ‘knowing your audience’ is changing the formatting of information without diminishing the quality of said information. In providing the reading multiple different examples of how to communicate the same information, the book is preparing future GIS users on adapting to their audience. One portion of the chapter that I am still not fully comprehending is the discussion of how GIS uses coordinates. I understand the basic premise discussed that you select the coordinates where you would like a symbol, to define boundaries of a land parcel, etc, however, are these coordinates that I have to retrieve on my own? If so, what is the process of doing so? I could be totally overthinking this (which would be a relief).

 

Chapter 3:

Chapter 3 keeps the focus on this set of ‘rules’ that are important to remember when making effective maps. However, where chapter 2 took a strict focus on the interpretability of maps, chapter 3 focuses on the quantitative aspects of these maps. Opening with the concept of mapping the most and the least, this first topic discusses how to successfully and efficiently communicate your numbers through the map. A very good example of this is the comparison between the mapped Locations of businesses vs. Businesses mapped by number of employees on page 52. The concept of Continuous Phenomena was somewhat difficult for me to grasp at first. I do believe that I was fully overcomplicating it for myself. However I still do have some questions about it. As continuous phenomena can be defined as areas or a surface of continuous values, how would I determine which is more effective? Is this something that I would just have to evaluate on a case-by-case basis? Am I thinking too much into this? Page 56 discusses the different ways that you can present this quantitative data and how this would impact the perspective of your audience. This portion of the chapter focuses on whether the use is ‘exploring the data or presenting a map.’ I have been consistently, pleasantly surprised by this book. I had assumed that these chapters were going to be boring, strictly informational pages discussing the actual usability of GIS. However, this approach of providing a user the practical, real-world uses for the software is very refreshing. It is getting me excited to stare at maps for hours on end. The section discussing counts, amounts, ratios and ranks was very helpful for me. As someone who does not have a brain for math, the explanation of what to use when was exactly what I needed.

Hey! My name is George Naples and I’m a Junior from Youngstown, Ohio. I am double majoring in Environmental Studies and Geography.  In my free time I enjoy collecting vinyl records, going to concerts, learning about cars, and watching TV. I also have an almost 2 year old golden doodle named Arlo.

   

In reading Schurrman’s first chapter of GIS: A Short Introduction, I expected a far more textbook, scientific explanation of the software. As most of my previous studies have leaned toward the field of Human Geography, this was a pleasant surprise. After all, Geography can always bend and be applied to what you are researching so this shouldn’t be too shocking. Although this summary was not limited to developments from a Human Geography perspective, the necessary scientific explanations were present. It created an easily digestible culmination of the uses of this versatile software. The simultaneous development of GIS in completely separate countries was very interesting to read about. This entirely emphasizes the importance of this software and the necessity of it being developed. The use of overlays from the original physical pieces of paper to what we now know as overlays was something that I had never considered. The section in which Schurrman defined the difference between ‘mapping’ and ‘spatial analysis’ was a critical section to explain the importance of GIS. “Mapping represents geographical data, with varying degrees of fidelity, in visual form.” Spatial analysis generates more data upon the geographical location than that of mapping can provide.I was pleasantly surprised to learn of how many unique uses GIS has in modern application. The application that caught me the most off guard was when Starbucks was mentioned. I have worked at Starbucks for almost five years consecutively at this point, and this company does not come off as tech-savvy in the slightest. I had heard that Starbucks considers a number of factors when finding locations for new stores such as median household income, traffic volumes, etc, however I did not get the impression that this process would have so much overlap with my academic goals. This diversity of uses within GIS makes perfect sense when understanding the definition of spatial analysis. 

For the first application of GIS, I searched “household income GIS.” I was presented with an entire mapping of the continental United States with information for every census district in 2023. In order to have a small, more digestible population of data, I chose my hometown. Youngstown, Ohio is part of the midwest rust belt. This means that the inner cities are known for levels of poverty reaching far past the national average. While the data does still determine that this trend of poverty has not changed, it does show an improvement from what these incomes were when I was growing up. When I was growing up in the mid to late 2000s, I remember household incomes averaging around $20,000. This data showed that the area in the city with the lowest median household income averages around $12,000. While this specific piece of data does not indicate any growth , the rest of the city shows averages  from $20,000 to $40,000.

   
https://owugis.maps.arcgis.com/apps/mapviewer/index.html?webmap=9e256998acd64827a2ec22574c4bd923

For my second application I searched “Heat map GIS.” I once again chose to focus on my hometown. This map showed different statistics of urban heat in metropolitan areas. This issue with heat is linked to underinvestment not only economically but also infrastructurally. This map shows that the same areas with low household income averages are shared by areas that have urban heat challenges. However, they are not entirely the same. This is due to the lack of any inhabitance in large portions of Youngstown after Black Monday in 1977 which caused a mass exodus from the city. Youngstown has worked tirelessly over the last 45+ years to ‘clean up’ the city. This included demolitions of completely abandoned neighborhoods. The heat map certifies that these efforts have made an improvement. However, the impoverished neighborhoods of the inner city where a majority of the population still resides needs a solution.

https://www.arcgis.com/apps/mapviewer/index.html?layers=d77c640241d84b6889ab290cd4cb755b