Final Blog Post

Final Map

Hello Folks,
This is it, my FINAL blog post, my FINAL map for the course of Introduction to GIS. I must say that I am quite impressed with the work I was able to accomplished in this course. I started out with absolutely no knowledge in using the software ArcMap and I must say I am very impressed with how far I've come. I can even see it in my maps. Comparing my first and last map I can definitely see the different.
So let me tell  you a little about my final map. The main goal for this assignment was to learn how to import tabular data onto my Arcmap worksheet. Tabular data can either be found on an excel spreadsheet or access database. In addition, tabular data can be used to get other data such as X and Y data which represents Latitude and Longitude. To produce this really amazing map we were given a scenario, whereby we were supposed to make a map based on a lawsuit on contaminants and property value of Bayou Texar. We were then given tabular data about the plaintiff's properties, a table containing information on the sample location of the contaminants and lastly  a table containing property values and other parcel values.So basically, to put this map together we had to walk through some practice maps and then with the knowledge gained I was able to produce this map.
Well guys, my last map. Hope you enjoyed visiting my blog. Thank you 

Geo-Referencing

Geo-referencing

Hey guys:

This activity covers methods to manually add geographic referencing to an unreferenced dataset and to create geographic data from non GIS ready maps and photos. The basic process for georeferencing a photo which we did is as follows: 

First - We added an unreferenced raster and an already referenced dataset showing the same area.

Second - We used the fit to display feature to bring the layer we wanted to reference into the current area we were viewing and manipulated data.
Third - We identified features present in both layers and used the add control points feature to create links.
Fourth - We reviewed our total RMS errors and made changes as needed.
Fifth - We chose a transformation type and update our georeferencing data. 

Projections and Coordinate Systems

Projections and Coordinates

Hey Guys

In this activity I learnt about projections and coordinate systems. In the image above, the first image is projected in an UTM projection type while the second map is projected in an Albers type projection. While doing this activity I learnt how to use different tools in ArcMap and my knowledge about the program has expanded. 

GPS Data Collection

Hello Folks,

To create the above map, I was put into a group of three. Together we collected GPS points, using a handheld GPS, of a building, a road and three trees of the school I attend which is the University of Belize. Of the data collected, our lecturer created the main shapefile needed and from that we created three different shapefiles. The shapefiles we created were of trees, roads and buildings. We also added the different non-spatial data collected for the trees, road and building. For tree we added its specie name and height, for the road we added its condition, and for the building we added its name and its area calculated by the GPS. Apart from adding the non-spatial data we also had to to change the feature type. For example, road is a polyline, building is a polygon and trees are points. All of these shapefiles were created using ArcCatalogue and then they were transferred to ArcMap. Using arc map we connected the points of the building and the road to create a polygon and polyline respectively. This was done using the editor tool box, which was a new feature I learnt. We added a basemap to our map and the one we used was called "Imagery". Our map was then created and we added the basic elements to it which were: Title, Scale Text and Bar, Legend, North Arrow and Inset Map. This map was fairly easy to created especially with the aid of my group members. Three heads are better than one! 

Data Search and Collection

ORANGE WALK

Hey folks,
The above image is the district of Orange Walk in Belize, Central America. This map is depicting settlements, roads, water bodies and protected areas that are located in Orange Walk. This map is very significant to me because I did majority of it all on my own. My lecturer gave us an outline of the information he wanted on the map and where these information could have been found. However, I choose what information I wanted to show and how I wanted to represent them.

 This activity was quite interesting. For the most part I enjoyed doing it because I got to interact and experiment more with the program ArcMap in  order to produce the map. I got to apply knowledge learnt in previous classes and I also learnt new techniques such as using the Clip Tool. Overall the activity was very educational because it allowed me to become familiar with the program and I am now more comfortable using it. 

References:

 Additional Resources | National Protected Areas System. (n.d.). Retrieved October 7, 2015. 

 Browse Data - GeoNode. (n.d.). Retrieved October 7, 2015.

BERDS Mapping Spatial Data Warehouse. (n.d.). Retrieved October 7, 2015. 

Cartography

Figure 3: Boundaries of the Mexican States

Figure 4. Map of Mexico

Figure 5. Map of Mexico

Hey there amigos,

Last week in my GIS class I learnt about cartography - which is the study and practice of making maps. In this exercise I learnt how to manipulate the way datasets are displayed and touched on some techniques used to create clear and effective maps. In addition to using ArcMap to create these maps, I also learnt how to use a second component of ArcGIS which is ArcCatalog. ArcCatalog helps GIS users by providing an integrated and unified view of all data files, databases and ArcGIS documents available to ArcGIS users. ArcCatalog is the program you use to organize and manage these various datasets and documents in both file-based workspaces and in geodatabases. This program allows you to connect to your data source locations; browse through your workspaces; examine or explore the data; manage data, tables and metadata; and search for data and maps.

Figure 3, Map 1. Is a map which displays the boundaries of Mexican States. In order to create this map, we used two layers from ArcCatalog which is Mex_boundaries and Americas_Admin. However, since the Americas_Admin layer did not focus specifically on Mexico, I had to create a new shapefile containing only a subset of features which in this case only those within Mexico. I did this by selecting the features that are states of Mexico and exporting them to a new layer containing only these features. I "selected by attributes" to select all the Mexican States. In other words, this was done by creating a SQL query to select features based on the contents of the attribute table. This new layer was then created by exporting it. After the Mexican States were clearly defined, I then applied labels to the map by using the 'Labeling Feature' icon. The last thing done to this map was changing the color scheme, adding title, scale, scale bar and legend which I learnt how to do in previous classes.

Figure 4, Map 2. Is a map displaying Mexican urban areas, rivers, railroads and roads. The focus of this map is learning how to organize many layers. More layers were added from ArcCatalog which are mex_rails, mex_rivers, mex_roads, and mex_urban which are all different features of Mexico. The map produced after adding these many layers was a bit cluttered, however, I simplified it by selecting the necessary elements and deselecting unnecessary elements for this exercise. After I created the desired map I changed the color scheme, added labeling and  I even added an inset map which shows where the location of this map is in a broader geographic context.

Figure 4, Map 3. Is a map displaying the elevation for all of Mexico using a stretched symbology.


References:

Cano, A. (2015, September 14). Lecture

World Map using ArcMap

Figure 2: World Map using ArcMap

Hey Guys,

          Last week Monday, September 1, 2015, I was taught the basics of the program ArcMap 10.2.2. The above map is the result of what I learnt. First of all, ArcGIS is a platform for viewing and manipulating geographic data and does not use internal datasets, so then the first thing I learnt was how to add this data. However, this data was given to us in a zip file so we had to unzip it before adding it to the program. The data added was in the form of two GIS layers which are called shapefiles. Layer one refers to world countries which are represented by the different shades of blue. While, layer two refers to world cities which are represented by the little black dots. 

          Our next task was to become familiar with the different tools and their functions. With this I discovered how to change the color scheme of the countries and I went with several shades of blue. I also learnt to change the cities and I chose little black dots to represent them. Moreover, by becoming familiar with the tools I inserted a North Arrow which can be seen in the top right hand corner, I also inserted a scale text and scale bar and gave the image a title. Overall, the lesson was very educational because now I know the foundation of ArcMap and can maneuver myself around the program.