Census 2000 Lab Exercise

The Black population across the US is larger than the other races mentioned later on in this blog. The dark red spots represent the percentages between 53 and 86. This means the black spots in the south eastern parts of the US have more than half the population. This is a very large number since every other person you observe here are black. This probably resulted because of the slavery that existed years ago in the US. Most of the black people still reside in the south eastern parts of the US.

The Asian population across the US is fairly small. Asians mostly reside on the west coast, but there are certain areas in the east coast that have an Asian population. The west coast Asian population resides mostly in California and Seattle. The dark red spots represent percentages between 20 and 46. We can kind of understand why this occurred since the west coast is closer to Asia than the east. As a result, we see more or a higher percentage of Asians in Hawaii since it is even closer.

This map shows the percentage of "some other race alone" population in the US. We see that California has a high percentage of this percentage, and the dark red colors represent the percentages between 22 and 39. The south central part of US also has a high percentage. However, the east coast has a very low percentage. Since light yellow is close to 0 percent, the east coast has nearly 0 percentage of this population.

The Census map series exercise was very interesting since it reveals the diversity of the US. If you look back into the history of the US, these results make sense. For example, the black population resides in the south eastern part since of slavery in the south. The Asian population mainly exists in the west coast since it is closer to Asia. By observing the Census, we can conclude and analyze results. It is a very useful tool to help understand more about the ethnicities of the US.

GIS and this class have taught me the significance of the GIS mainly. The GIS plays a very large role in deciding many factors in life and regulations. For example, on the last day of lecture I learned that GIS played a large role on public safety. By collecting data and analyzing the results, we can help avoid more accidents in areas of high death rates. The GIS helps us make spatial decisions and find causes of problems. The GIS is essential in the modern world today.

Week 8 Lab Exercise

This Map of LA County Station Fire shows the extent of the fire expanding as time goes by. On August 29th, 2009 we see a small area of fire, but by September 1st, 2009 the area of fire has multiplied. The fire was fully contained at 7:00 p.m. on Friday, October 16th, 2009.We can conclude that fire spreads very rapidly and takes a long time to contain. The date of origins is said to be on August 26th, 2009 at approximately 3:30 p.m. A total of 160,577 acres we destroyed as a result of the fire.

The second map on the right titled LA County Station Fire Thematic Map consists of many information. We shall analyze the affect or risk the spread of fire has on communities and natural areas such as parks. First of all, lets observe the parks or wildlife and trees that are endangered. We see that the center and the eastern part of the LA County consists the majority of parks. The Station Fire destroyed a large part of the wildlife already as we see in the map. It also overlaps the shaded park area colored light green, which means this area is destroyed. This seems like common sense, but fires tend to start where there are trees and this map indicates this theory.

After some research at the internet site (http://library.thinkquest.org/C003603/english/forestfires/causesoffire.shtml) I learned some causes for forest fire. Fire needs fuel, oxygen, and heat to survive, and trees and bushes are a great source of this fuel. Therefore, as mentioned above parks help initiate and keep the fire alive. The cause can be either natural or by human. Natural forces such as earthquakes, thunder, and erupting volcanoes can cause fire. Humans setting trees or branches on fire with a lighter can also be a cause.

Going back to the second map, let us analyze the risk the station fire has on the community. The map consists of information about the airport, cities, and hospitals. The airports are very far away from the station fire, therefore it is not a problem. Airports are essential for transportation so the destruction of airports can be a problem. There are a few hospitals and cities that are near the borders of the station fire extent. This is definitely not a good thing since human casualties can arise. Cities are a place full of people and hospitals are significant to help the injured. There are many major cities and hospitals pretty far from the fire, but ashes cause by fire can still affect them. Forrest fire is never a positive thing and can cause injuries and sicknesses. It can cause sicknesses since the ashes inhaled by people can cause cancer. I also learned the risk of flooding and mudslides presented by scorched terrain left behind by the burning from the internet site (http://cbs2.com/goldstein/Station.Fire.Mudslides.2.1179087.html) This can be a problem for the nearby hospitals and cities as well.

The use of GIS can help us analyze these kinds of things. GIS specialists work with related software and programs to create and maintain data and/or maps that can be combined with geographically referenced data. These types of information can be used to predict the outcome of incidents that as station fires and help us make adjustments to fix these problems instantly. GIS is a very powerful tool to solve many types of problems including station fires.

Reference

http://gis.ats.ucla.edu//Mapshare/Default.cfm

http://gis.lacounty.gov/eGIS/?cat=11

http://www.inciweb.org/incident/1856/

http://www.sacmetrofire.ca.gov/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=122&Itemid=138

http://cbs2.com/goldstein/Station.Fire.Mudslides.2.1179087.html

http://library.thinkquest.org/C003603/english/forestfires/causesoffire.shtml

Week 7 Lab Assignment

The area I was interested and chose is the Oahu Island of Hawaii. I will be going to visit Hawaii this winter break for the first time, so I believed it will be interesting to analyze this area. The coordinates are latitude : 21°26'20.08"N and longitude: 158° 0'0.20"W. The GCS North American 1983 is used here.

Shaded Relief Model

Slope Map Model




















Aspect Map Model

3D Image Model

Map Projections

There are several significances, perils, and potentials with map projections, and there are three types of map projects which include the conformal projection, equidistant projection, and equal area projection. Each projections listed above have their own strengths and weaknesses. Through this lab exercise, I was able to identify these, and the main question of this exercise was the distance between Washington D.C and Kabul.

The first map projection is the conformal projection. The Mercator projection and WGS 1984 PDC Mercator projection are two examples of this. Conformal projections are significant since they conserve angular shapes. Using this projection, we can identify the shape of continents and countries efficiently. Nevertheless, there are weaknesses to this projection as well. Conformal projections can not accurately conserve distance and area. Therefore, this is not a good projection to use to answer the distance between Washington D.C and Kabul.

The second map projection is the equal area projection. The Cylindrical Equal Area projection and Sinusoidal projection are two examples of this. Equal Area projections are significant since they conserve area. Using this projection, we can calculate the area of countries and continents efficiently. However, there are weaknesses to this projection as well. Equal Area projections can not accurately conserve distance and shape. Therefore, this is also not a good projection to use to answer the distance between Washington D.C and Kabul.

The final map projection is the equidistant projection. The Equidistant Conic projection and Equidistant Cylindrical projections are two examples of this. Equidistant projections are significant since they conserve distance. Using this projection, we can calculate the distance between cities and countries. Nevertheless, there are weaknesses to this projection as well. Equidistant projections can not accurately conserve area and shape. Therefore, you will not use this projection to measure area and view shapes, but you will use this projection to calculate the distance between Washington D.C and Kabul.

ArcMap!!!

The five exercises I worked on following the ArcMap Tutorial taught me how the GIS system works. In the first exercise, I learned the basics of the ArcMap program. I learned how to zoom in and out, insert scale bars, legends, and titles, lay out a map, and adjusting the page size. The zooming in and out allows us to analyze the map closer since are perspective changes. Zooming in allows us to see the small details of the map and zooming out allows us to see the whole picture, which can help us analyze the map. All of these things seem very minor, but are very significant since they are the basics. Without the basic knowledge of how to use ArcMap, there is no way we can proceed to the next steps.

In the second exercise I learned how to work with geographic features. I learned how to insert a new data frame in the beginning and to add new layers of different information on a map. Besides the layers, I learned how to insert the vertical bar graph as well, revealing the information of the land use in the noise contour. Next, in the third exercise I learned how to work with the tables better. I learned how to join tables together and also how to create a new field to the table. This allowed me to insert new data to the table and ultimately changing the data on the map.

The fourth exercise helped me edit new features and creating a new map out of it as a result. For example, I went back to the first map of the school data frame and created a new road. This had to be accomplished since the road was not complete and work was necessary to fix the mistake. Using the editing tool bar and snapping, I was able to join the road back together and even named it "Airport Dr". This editing tool bar allows me to edit new features and exhibit them as a new map.

In the last exercise, I learned how to work with map elements. Similar to the basics, I basically changed the background color, added more scale bars, added titles, etc. I learned how to arrange all the new data frames I made from the previous exercises and customize them on the layout view. I was able to organize the three maps and one vertical bar graph neatly on one page. Near the end of the exercise, I also added a title for my page with all the maps and even added an extent rectangle to to show the extent of one data frame within another data frame. Finally, in the end, I edited my page to make it look better. I moved some features around and added drop shadows to make them look 3-D. The ArcMap Tutorial was a long process, but I learned a great deal from it working on it 4 times since I made many mistakes.

Neogeography!!!

View Japanese Anything (Los Angeles) in a larger map

This is a map of Japanese anything. Basically, it shows all the Japanese stores; from restaurants, cultural centers, hair salons, marketplaces, etc. People that are interested in Japanese culture should definitely check this map out and use it as a guide.




Part 2
Neogeography is new geography and has pitfalls and potentials. Some characteristics of Neogeography are user centered, open to anyone, created by "amateurs", and flexible. For each one of these characteristics, there are pros and cons. They depend on what people value and their point of views.

Neogeography has many potentials. It is open to anyone on the web, so the public can easily access vital information online. For example, if you want to search for Japanese restaurants in Los Angeles, you can find them easily with Neogeography. Information can be easily accessed and people can find places to go smoothly. Another positive thing about Neogeography is the fact that anyone can make their own maps. This does not limit to only professionals now, but the whole public. Anyone can enjoy creating their own maps now.

Neography has many pitfalls as well which lead to negative consequences. One of them is the fact that anyone can access it. The issue of privacy is raised here and some people do not want their pictures up on maps. Another large pitfall is unemployment. Amateurs can easily create maps online now with the help of APIs, so professionals lose their jobs since anyone can make maps now. The profession of "map-making" is endangered.

USGS Topographic maps

1. What is the name of the quadrangle?
The name of the quadrangle is Beverly Hills.

2. What are the names of the adjacent quadrangles?
The names of the adjacent quadrangles are Canoga Park, Van Nuys, Burbank, Topanga, Hollywood, Venice, and Inglewood.

3. When was the quadrangle first created?
The quadrangle was first created on 1995.

4. What datum was used to create your map?
The North American Datum of 1927 and 1983 was used.

5. What is the scale of the map?
The scale of the map is 1:24000.

6. At the above scale, answer the following:

a) 5 centimeters on the map is equivalent to how many meters on the ground?
5 centimeters on the map is equivalent to 1200 meters on the ground.

b) 5 inches on the map is equivalent to how many miles on the ground?
5 inches on the map is equivalent to 1.8939 miles on the ground.

c) one mile on the ground is equivalent to how many inches on the map?
One mile on the ground is equivalent to 2.64 inches on the map.

d) three kilometers on the ground is equivalent to how many centimeters on the map?
Three kilometers on the ground is equivalent to 12.5 centimeters on the map.

7. What is the contour interval on your map?
The contour interval on the map is 20 feet.

8. What are the approximate geographic coordinates in both degrees/minutes/seconds and decimal degrees of:

a) the Public Affairs Building;
34 degrees 4minutes 12 seconds and 118 degrees 26 minutes 24 seconds (34.07 and 118.44)

b) the tip of Santa Monica pier;
34 degrees 0 minutes 36 minutes and 118 degrees 30 minutes 0 seconds (34.01 and 118.5)

c) the Upper Franklin Canyon Reservoir;
34 degrees 7 minutes 12 seconds and 118 degrees 24 minutes 36 seconds (34.12 and 118.41)

9. What is the approximate elevation in both feet and meters of:

a) Greystone Mansion (in Greystone Park);
about 560 feet (about 170.7 meters)

b) Woodlawn Cemetery;
about 140 feet (about 42.67 meters)

c) Crestwood Hills Park;
about 700 feet (about 213.36 meters)

10. What is the UTM zone of the map?
The UTM zone is zone 11.

11. What are the UTM coordinates for the lower left corner of your map?
The UTM coordinates are 3763000 and 362000

12. How many square meters are contained within each cell (square) of the UTM gridlines?
There are 1,000,000 square meters.

13. Obtain elevation measurements, from west to east along the UTM northing 3771000, where the eastings of the UTM grid intersect the northing. Create an elevation profile using these measurements in Excel (hint: create a line chart). Figure out how to label the elevation values to the two measurements on campus. Insert your elevation profile as a graphic in your blog.
14. What is the magnetic declination of the map?
The magnetic declination is 14 degrees.

15. In which direction does water flow in the intermittent stream between the 405 freeway and Stone Canyon Reservoir?
The water is flowing southward towards 10 east freeway.

16. Crop out (i.e., cut and paste) UCLA from the map and include it as a graphic on your blog.