Chris Stephenson UWF GIS Blog

 This week's lab was about identifying different types of land use. Identifying features in different areas allows you to determine what the land is used for. We utilized a small section of Pascagoula, Mississippi to start identifying the different land use codes. This area was mostly residential, but there were pockets of business, services, industry, as well as transportation. I have vast experience in identifying these features from my prior experiences as a GEOINT analyst in the Air Force. I was a Collateral Damage Estimation Subject Matter Expert. In the CDE process, our main goal was to identify all structures around a target location to minimize risk to the civilian population. I became pretty good at identifying locations based on shape, size, and attributes on and around the structures.

      Module one was a simple introduction to GIS tradecraft, identifying features, as well as annotating features. I thought this was a simple and well developed introduction. I have a lot of experience when it comes to imagery analysis. I have 12 years of experience as a Geospatial Intelligence Analysis in the Air Force, so this was pretty simple. However, it was a flashback on some of my favorite things to do while I was serving. I especially liked learning how to do this in ArcGIS Pro for the first time.     The image above annotates Pensacola Beach in 1970. I identified the hotel and the beach recreation and park area. The hotel can be identified with the pool in between the symmetrical buildings with parking areas just outside the those buildings. There is also an admin building in the drive. The beach recreation area, most likely filled with a couple restaurants, possible go-cart track (covered in sand) as well as a mini golf course(also covered in sand)....

 Link to StoryMap: https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/8b0a9515344d47a1a4433178988ca529  This week was the final project for GIS5050. To be honest, I flopped with this project. I waited until the last minute and provided a sloppy product. If I could redo the project, I would not create map layouts within ArcGIS Pro, but I would have created a web map to flow with the storyboard. As for the class, I believe the class is well-organized and has a great balance. The skills we derived in each module were directly applicable to the final project and will help us retain those skills for further coursework. I have had the opportunity to practice this tradecraft for almost 13 years now, and this is the best intro course I have taken. Like I said before, I managed my time poorly and could have improved upon my skills, which doesn't give credit to this course. 

This week's lab dealt with georeferencing imagery to align with objects on a coordinate plane. I had fun with this lab, it brought me back to my early days in the USAF when I learned how to do this in SoCET GXP. Let me say, it is much easier in ArcPro. This process was done with the Georeferencing tool (go figure!) and starts with fitting the unreferenced image into the frame where we are trying to align it. You then select reference point and align it with unreferenced point and the tool helps start the alignment. After selecting multiple points in different areas of the image, the tool starts to align the referenced and unreferenced areas. 

      This weeks lab was data intense. We had to find and download data, clean the data, and import it into ArcGIS pro. Using data from the state of Florida and the US census bureau, we were able to identify and locate schools in Manatee county, Florida. Once we had the data, we had to clean it up within excel and parse the data so that each attribute had is own column. When the data was clean, we could add the data into Pro. With the data in the program, we could create a locator and geocode the addresses within the table. Once geocoded, we were able to place the points onto the map.     This labs focus on data manipulation and its importance will play a factor in the coming weeks. We will be utilizing these tools to help us in the final project so we can properly portray our maps.  Link to webmap:  https://pns.maps.arcgis.com/apps/mapviewer/index.html?webmap=81d9894c2bef4f89adab4ec687536c68 

 This weeks labs was about analyzing vector data. We did this by creating buffers around different types of vector data. Using specialized geoprocessing tools within ArcGIS Pro, we were able to create buffers around our roads and waterways. Using these buffers, we were able to intersect the different areas that incorporated  both of these buffers. Using this data would help identify possible campsites within Desoto National Forest. These locations would give a camper the ability to be near the road, but also have the ability to visit the different waterways in the area. Once we identified these zones, I was able to create an additional feature showing just the areas that may become the possible campsites. I chose these colorways because it provides a vast difference and it is easily identifiable.

      This week's lab was divided into multiple sections. The first section showed how to create a feature layer, add it to a map, upload it online and use Esri's FieldMaps for ArcGIS application. I thoroughly enjoyed this section and found the FieldMaps app quite enjoyable to use. There is an instant gratification to upload all those data points from the palm of your hand, rather than finger-mashing the data on your PC.      The second section of the lab discussed map projections and how to select and update spatial references for your projects. Understanding map projection is crucial in delivering correct geospatial information. For example, within the lab we uploaded an image of UWF onto the Albers map. When placed on the map, the image ended up in the middle of the ocean. After geoprocessing the layer and updating the spatial reference, we were able to put the image in the correct place on the map.