‘You are here’... Wow! How do they know? That’s so cool!
- Twister, A Shot In The Park (2007)
Urban Woodlot of UW
On December 4, 2015, I gave my final portfolio for my geomatics class. A written explanation for the maps and the course was given as well, but for this page, I would like to present you with the maps I created along with a short explanation of each map. Please feel free to click and drag on each map to explore the entire campus. The default setting focuses on just the woodlot.
Please note that the maps may look very strange on mobile due to how CartoDB uses its embed code. I apologize for the issue. It may help to rotate your device to landscape in order to better see the maps.
All maps were created in CartoDB and ArcGIS. Data was collected from the University of Waterloo, from Landsat 8 imagery, and from class collected data using an app called Fulcrum.
Please note that the maps may look very strange on mobile due to how CartoDB uses its embed code. I apologize for the issue. It may help to rotate your device to landscape in order to better see the maps.
All maps were created in CartoDB and ArcGIS. Data was collected from the University of Waterloo, from Landsat 8 imagery, and from class collected data using an app called Fulcrum.
Areas of Sensitivity Inside the Urban Woodlot
This map shows the woodlot boundaries along with set areas called a "Protected Area", which was defined by a set buffer around mature trees, Red Tailed Hawk nests, and around the creek that permeates the woodlot. I've also drawn in a path I created that I believed would efficiently span the woodlot and keep the environmental impact of the path low.
Areas of Sensitivity of the Urban Woodlot
This map features the woodlot boundaries and a clipped overlay of the sensitive areas of the urban woodlot. The sensitive areas were found by using infrared imagery from Landsat 8 to calculate NDVI values. In essence, the imagery was used to find the amount of infrared radiation that was reflected from plants and this amount of radiation is used to calculate an NDVI value, which is used to gauge the plant's health. Areas that contain an average NDVI value within a certain range are deemed "stressed" and are highlighted on the map. European Buckthorn, an invasive species, is also mapped because it was believed that this species may compete with neighbouring native trees for resources and cause stress.
Once again, a proposed path is placed, and shows that the path does not intersect too much stressed area, thus preventing large amounts of additional stress.
Once again, a proposed path is placed, and shows that the path does not intersect too much stressed area, thus preventing large amounts of additional stress.
Proposed Path Through the Urban Woodlot
Finally, a map was created that shows a path through the urban woodlot that I am proposing to be built. This path was featured on the last two maps, and is further highlighted here due to its efficiency. I use annotations along the path to showcase exactly why I built this path in such a manner, and highlight how much it protects environmentally sensitive areas.
Conclusion
I am very fortunate to be able to perform this project. I learned a lot about just how many resources there are to assist in cartography, and about how useful GIS can be. I really appreciated being able to use ArcGIS' advanced techniques, like layer clipping, while being able to use the callouts and other design elements of CartoDB. I also love the ease of sharing that comes with CartoDB. In the future, i'd like to perform a similar project on another tool, like QGIS, so that I can branch out my skill set. I will definitely begin to think about data in a new way by asking "How does this relate to the space that it's in?" and "What can I do to best map this data and get my point across to the reader?"