GIS 4930 Final Project

This should be my final week of GIS certificate courses, but due to a scheduling error last summer, I will be taking one more class this coming summer. This final week of GIS 4930, Special Topics, was once again focused on the forestry category.  I have to say, this has not been my favorite topic, but I think a lot of that comes from all of the confusion that I have been faced with over the last six weeks.  It certainly didn't make it any easier, but it was not nearly as bad as statistics.

I chose to find the maple sap production potential of a 1,400 hectare study area in New Brunswick Canada. Finding the production potential included using an array of ArcGIS tools including ArcToolbox tools Merge, Multiple Ring Buffer and Overlay, joining feature classes and tables, Select by Attribute, and Field Calculator.  Also used to assist in analysis was the use of Pivot Tables in Microsoft Excel.

Use the links below to see a brief abstract and the results of my analysis.

Abstract (Word format)
Abstract (PDF format)
Deciding Maple Syrup Production Potential (pptx with audio)
Deciding Maple Syrup Production Potential (PDF - no audio)

Forestry Analysis Presentation

To culminate the end of Project 4, Forestry, we were to take all the data a research that we have collected over the past few weeks and present it in a poster format. I believe clearcutting is good, but it must be properly managed.  Stands should be kept small, site preparation must be methodical, and it creates jobs which in turn stimulates the economy, especially in Georgia.

Click to open in Adobe Acrobat

Forestry Analyze Week - Cited Works

This week we continue our analysis of clearcutting and the effects it has on the economy, the ecology, and the aesthetics.  We are to list our citations of the articles that we are using to form our opinions of clearcutting that we will display next week.  The assignment was to list the citations using Chicago style formatting.  Now, I haven't had proper indoctrination in the different report styles that are required, so I'm not guaranteeing this is correct, but I think it is.

Harlow, R. F., R. L. Downing, D. H. VanLear. 2000.  Responses of wildlife to clearcutting and associated   treatments in the eastern United States. Department of Forest Resources Clemson University June 1997 Technical Paper No. 19 Posted February 2000

Beck, D. E. and R. M. Hooper. 1986. Development of a Southern Appalachian hardwood stand after   clearcutting. South. J. of Appl. For. 168-172.

Duffy, D. C. and A. J. Meier. 1992. Do Appalachian herbaceous under stories ever recover from clearcutting? Conserv. Biol. 6:196-201.

Elliott, K. J. and D. L. Loftis. 1993. Vegetation diversity after logging in the Southern Appalachians. Conserv. Biol. 7:220-221.

Johnson, A. S., W. M. Ford, and P. E. Hale. 1993. The effects of clearcutting on herbaceous understories are still not known. Conserv. Biol. 7:433-435.

Stienbeck, K. 1993. Vegetation diversity after logging in the Southern Appalachians. Conserv.
Biol. 7:221.

Stransky, J. J., J. C. Huntley, and W. J. Risner. 1986. Net community production dynamics in the herb-shrub stratum of a loblolly pine-hardwood forest: effects of clearcutting and site preparation. USDA For. Serv. Gen. Tech. Rep. SO-61. South. For. Exp. Stn., Orleans, LA. 11p.

Palmer J. F.  2008. The Perceived Scenic Effects of Clearcutting in the White Mountains of New  Hampshire, USA.  Journal of Environmental Management. Volume 89, Issue 3, November 2008, Pages167–183. College of Environmental Science and Forestry, State University of New York, Syracuse, New York 13210

R.H. Becker, 1983. Opinions about clear-cutting and recognition of clear-cuts by recreation visitors. Journal of Environmental Management, 17 (1983), pp. 171–177

R.G. Ribe. 2005. Aesthetic perceptions of green-tree retention harvests in vista views: the interaction of cut level, retention pattern and harvest shape.  Landscape and Urban Planning, 73 (2005), pp. 277–293

Varnedoe Jr. L. E. 1998.  Forestry on a budget. University of Georgia school of forest resources extension bulletin 1032. 5/1998 Revised May, 1998

Forestry Preparation Week - Assessing Clearcutting Activities

A new project was started this week and is covering the topic of forestry.   My experience in forestry can only be summed up in that I have been to a forest on many occasions and can identify only a few types of trees and plants.  Good thing I work in the utility industry.  Our project will be focusing on the environmental, economic, and aesthetic effects of clear cutting in a region of New Brunswick Canada.  The map below highlights the study area just south of the capital city of Fredericton.

Web Maps

Web maps are fast becoming a useful tool in today's fast paced, instant information age.  Unfortunately, what is fast and instant for the end user, takes some very meticulous back end work on the part of the creator.  ArcGIS online allows for the visual sharing of geographical data and maps.  Click on the link below to view my web map.

http://students.uwf.edu/jdw47/SpecialTopics/Project3/index.html

Network Analyst - Report Week

This week we finished up our project on Network Analysis and were asked to share a couple of the maps we created.  I chose a couple of gray scale maps that were created for use by supply route drivers during a hurricane.  Each route was created last week using data that had been prepared the previous week.  I can see a lot of applications for network analysis.  Any industry that travels from point A to point B can utilize this tool.  The use of restrictions allows for routing around obstacles like road blocks or flood zones. Both map depict a multi-turn route from the armory to the selected shelter.  Orientation of the map and eye flow of the directions are important things to keep in mind.  You don't want your driver to be scanning the page looking for his or her next turn.

Network Analysis - Analyze Week

This week we worked with Network Analysis.  Now, this is something I understand.  On a daily basis, I work with network analysis, however instead of road, I am analyzing power lines and everything attached to them.  Using Network Analysis tools in ArcMap, I have created routes for use in an emergency situation should a hurricane approach Tampa.  The flood zone that was created last week was used a restriction attribute when creating the routes from the armory to the the shelters.

Network Analysis

Network Analysis Prepare Week

This weeks module has us preparing data to be used for Network Analysis of Tampa area streets to be used for hurricane evacuation routes.  Below is the base map that I created for this week.  I didn't show all of the streets for aesthetic reasons, but I will be using them all during the analysis phase of the project.

Statistical Analysis - Prepare Week

Back at it again after two weeks off.  Personally, I'm not off to a great start.  I can feel the stress levels going up already.  This week we begin preparing data for statistical analysis.  We will be analyzing data from the US Census Bureau and US Drug Enforcement Agency to see if there is any correlation between socio-economic factors of the population and the location of known meth labs. Our study area is the metro Charleston, WV area including Kanawha and Putnam counties.