Author: ajoneill

Chapter 1:
This chapter gave me a great introduction to the functions and scope of GIS. Learning how GIS connects people and information globally, I found that being able to layer and visualize data really changes how we can understand spaces without even being there. The exercise on building the app was a useful hands-on example. Overall, it was a straightforward start.

Chapter 2:
Chapter Two was definitely more involved, moving into structuring a full map project. The breakdown of tools helped make it clear how each part of a project builds on another. There was a small mismatch between the tutorial’s layout and what I saw on my screen, which added some extra steps, but I managed to work through it. By the end, I felt like I had a much stronger grasp of how a GIS project can be organized.

Application Idea:
For an application idea, I’d like to create a map of local trails and paths around campus and the surrounding area, gathering both route details and any unique features (like places to sit, views, etc.). This could be used by people in the community or tourists interested in exploring the area. Alternatively, I could make a map of campus trees, including details on species or age, as a guide for anyone interested in the green spaces nearby.

Hello all, my name is Adam and I am majoring in Psychology and Data Analytics. I have never taken a class on geography before, but I love satellites and playing Geoguessr so I figured this would be a fun class!

While poking around my ArcGIS profile I found out that qualified institutions (and their students) like OWU get discounts through the Esri Nonprofit Organization Program. Meaning the cost of the accounts for the students taking this class isn’t as abhorrent-seeming, at $4,200 for the general consumer.

In Get Started: What Is ArcGIS Online I gained a general understanding of ArcGIS and its different capabilities. I didn’t understand a lot of the course, but considering how much ArcGIS can do, I can see why.

I then took ArcGIS Online Basics and completed it. This little course was a lot of fun and showed me hands-on how to manipulate the software in a few ways, like navigating the menus and utilizing bookmarks. It also taught me most of the lingo I think I’ll need to know. I also saw some Esri instructor-led courses that seemed to cost a large amount of money (i.e. a $960 for a course that lasts the length of an 8-hour workday)

I then searched up “ArcOnline forest” on Google Scholar (because I figured ArcOnline had some environmental applications and like forests) and came upon an article on siting for wind power which I found interesting. The image is a map of areas in the Southeast where wind power capacity can be installed with minimal disruption to wildlife and sensitive ecosystems, showing that ample land remains available for wind energy development despite the Southeast’s limited wind power development due to poor wind resources, competing energy sources, and political opposition, advancements in turbine technology and the growing demand for renewable energy suggest that significant wind development is possible in the region.

Feng X, Li S, Kalies EL, Markus C, Harrell P, Patiño-Echeverri D. Low impact siting for wind power facilities in the Southeast United States. Wind Energy. 2023; 26(12): 1254-1275. doi:10.1002/we.2868

I then found a publication that used ArcGIS online to show its capabilities in the field of Natural Resources Management. I thought the article was pretty interesting, here is an image of ArcGIS that they included:

Zhang, Yanli; McBroom, Matthew W.; Grogan, Jason; and Blackwell, Paul R., “Crowdsourcing with ArcGIS
Online for Natural Resources Management” (2013). Faculty Publications. 20.