Author: segassert

Week 6

 

     The return of 3D in GIS was not a huge shock. I like what it has to offer since it shows what the land/environment/topography actually looks like instead of just a flat map with labels. You can actually insert buildings and build a city with the 3D applications. I also find it interesting how 3D GIS is used for building cities in some movies. I can see how it helps the CGI artists with location accuracy.

 

     This 3D application was a little different from the 3D applications we used in 291. You can add whatever you want, and if too much is added it lags a bit (at least for me). If you really want to use the 3D feature, I’d imagine you need a lot of storage space so that you can use it at its full potential. If it gets too crowded it’s hard to tell what’s going on. 

 

     As for an idea on how to use 3D in cities, it could be used to map out peregrine falcon nests since they like to nest on tall buildings. Biologists could utilize this to figure out how high up the birds tend to nest and the locations in the city they choose. Using the realistic 3D engine would make observations easier, as well as making it easier to find the nesting sites in the real world.

 

Ch. 6

Chapter 6 began with how to create a dashboard to display GIS information. It shows you updated info since it updates the changes for you. The book also guides you on how to use different tools for data collection. 

 

“Stream layers” are introduced here, which are basically features layers with live/real time data updates. It gives an example with traffic cameras to show how the real time updates work. 

 

Just as an idea for an application with real time footage, trail cams or other wildlife recording devices could be set up in a similar way to collect data on animal population, frequency, migration, etc. 

Week 4

 

Ch. 3

This chapter was short and sweet. I feel a little more comfortable with this stuff than the things used in 291 (that’s just my opinion). The 3D maps took a little bit to load, but it worked. I was worried it wouldn’t since I haven’t got the 3D maps to work on the first try in the past section. The focus on this single topic was easy to follow and made it easier to focus.

 

Tutorial for Ch. 3

3D map worked, it just lags a little bit (blaming BishopNet, may try to do later tutorials at home on my own internet). I had a couple issues with the 2D and 3D changes for the maps, but I don’t think I missed anything major. I’ve come to understand that the software isn’t perfect, so I don’t let the discrepancies discourage me. The animations are very laggy which makes me worry about doing the tutorials like this on my laptop as it might make it crash.

 

Ch. 4

The phone application is a little weird, but I get why it’s a thing. I can see how it could be useful to certain groups of people to develop other applications based on it or how to see land maps conveniently. This could be an issue to use if the internet is bad or if you don’t have enough data on your device for everything to work properly. The use of AR is something I’m vaguely familiar with since some mobile games use it (Pokémon Go is a prime example of this, along with the fact it uses location maps to verify where you are and what roads, waterways, or landmarks are nearby). 

 

Tutorial for Ch.4

This tutorial was not as easy as the Ch.3 one. I switched to my IPad to try it, but that didn’t really fix it. Loading times were long for this one too, but it also may just be my device. I would be interested to know how more of the mobile applications work since it’s supposed to make this more accessible.

 

Delaware Data inventory:

I think I did this in 291? I remember going in and reading about what the different things are, not sure if that was the same thing. 

 

End of semester idea:

I want to try to do something relevant to chapters 3 and 4 since that seems a little easier and more accessible to me since I am a commuter. 

Week 3

 

Ch. 1

     Web GIS to me is a little more user friendly as opposed to desktop GIS. Web GIS is more widely used by scientists and even governments to collect data and share information. This first chapter is meant to show you how to develop a Web GIS app, but I’m not entirely sure how to do that yet. 

     WebGIS is meant to be an easier way to work with GIS from anywhere. I find this application easier to work with than what we were doing in 291. There are some similarities, but this one seems just a little bit easier to understand. 

Ch.2

     This next chapter goes over the map layers and what they are. The “feature layers” are used most often to show similar points of interest like buildings, roads, and cities. Hosted feature layers are the most used operational layers (they are a reference to feature layers stored in the GIS system). 

     By reading this tutorial (and googling for confirmation), you’re able to upload your own feature layer data from ArcGIS in the form of a shapefile like we worked a little with in 291, a CSV file, or a file from the geo database. You just have to click on “new item” on ArcGIS online content and upload from google drive. This looks easier to do than I expected, given that you have the files and such ready to upload.