GIS Portfolio

The final assignment in the GIS Certificate Program was to create a GIS Portfolio. It went as I expected. It is hard to write about yourself and even more tedious trying to decide the layout of information you would like to present and what order to present it in. I had my supervisor look it over, and she felt that it represented me, which was my goal. I wanted to showcase some of my favorite maps and techniques used, while also having my 'About Me' page reflect who I am as a person as someone looking in and not really knowing me from the start. I hope the goal was a success. Please enjoy my portfolio linked below:

Jenna's GIS Portfolio

GIS Day 2022!

My GIS Day was a bit lack of luster, but I tried to see what everyone else was doing. I asked my coworkers if they have ever participated and they said one year they went to a Esri conference in San Diego, but this year the workload overtook the opportunity to do anything but talk about it.

So, on my own, in my little peach colored office, I wanted to see what Esri would be up to, so I found their interactive map where people were posting the location and info for their GIS Day celebrations. I clicked all over the world and quickly became excited to see it in even the most unexpected places. Some people had links and noting their employer names, so I was able to look up various companies and see all the different ways people are using GIS in their lives. Missionary groups are using it, Egyptologists are using it, even locally I had 4. Some were even for children and that is awesome! My solo GIS Day evolved into dinner conversations with my mom telling her all the people and places I could remember that I saw on the map that interested me. Maybe next year, with hopefully some coworkers that are just as excited about GIS as I am I won't have to go solo and can do anything with them. My town is still recovering from the hurricane, so we have been busy, and we have had to produce data on the fly for fire zones, damage assessments, and there are always addressing needs in my ever-growing county. Here are all the GIS Day links that were posted this year.

Topic 3 Module 1: Scale Effect and Spatial Data Aggregation

This week we were involved in scale effects on raster and vector data, gerrymandering. The relationship between scale and geometric properties is that the large-scale maps show fewer properties than the small-scale maps. This is due to the generalization where information is “lost” because fewer vertices are used to represent features. Along with exclusion, where scale matters and can cause a decrease in the level of hydrographic feature detail. After reading the Goodchild, M.F. 2011 article and seeing other Esri documentation on the web I understand that my findings in this lab are as expected and that I have lost detail as the scale changes. The level of detail of features represented by a raster or vector data is often dependent on the cell (pixel) size, or spatial resolution, of the raster/vector. The cell must be small enough to capture the required detail but large enough so computer storage and analysis can be performed efficiently. However, more is not often better especially when considering compuation times and data storage limits. As for gerrymandering, it has a very negative history and is defined by manipulating the boundaries of (an electoral constituency) so as to favor one party or class. Basically it is the redrawing of polygons and can be measured by compactness and community. Below is a screenshot of a district with failing to have district 'compactness'.

Internship Blog Post #3

I chose to update you on my internship. It is going very well, and I am happy to report that I am learning a lot more than I expected. There is so much more going on depending where your internship is, and mine has opened insights into CAD, 911 Operations, Emergency Management, Survey123, and even ArcMap. While ArcMap may be going away one day, I am learning how to use it because that is what my office is using. It is different than Pro, but the same functionality exists. It's just not always in the same spot that we were taught in Pro. All good. I keep the ArcMap help website pinned on my computer just in case. My supervisor sits next to me and we are able to work on things together or separate. She has a few ongoing projects that she hopes we can get more into while I am there. One involves creating a Survey123 to collect data on mile markers down a desolate road, and another project is awaiting data from a local state park, so that we can enter it into 911 CAD, so if someone needs help out there they can find them fast. I have made a few maps already, and that has been fun to interact with the needs of the map and the data they have. I love going to the office there, and everyone is a delight to work with. Hoping good things continue and I learn as much as I can in the little time left.

Module 2.2: Surface Interpolation

This week we covered topics in surface interpolation techniques in GIS, including Theissen, Inverse Distance Weighted (IDW), and Spline. We critically interpreted the results from the techniques to compare and contrast them. The lab consisted of exploring water quality data for Tampa Bay, FL in the Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) in milligrams per liter. Data consisted of 41 sample points in assuming random locations. Determining the best way to accurately represent the data was a bit up to us. Theissen technique uses polygons to define an area of influence around its sample point, so that any location inside the polygon is closer to that point than any of the other sample points. IDW assumes that things that are close to one another are more alike than those that are farther apart. Spline estimates values using a mathematical function that minimizes overall surface curvature, resulting in a smooth surface that passes exactly through the input points. After looking at the statistics of the data for each technique and the overall output for any anomalies I chose IDW interpolation as my image to display below. This is because it is an exact interpolator, good use for water data because of how it works, and there were no adjustments needed to make the data work for the technique. It was the sufficient and accurate way to go for this particular data set in my opinion to show the water quality conditions in Tampa Bay.

Module 2.1 Surfaces - TINs and DEMs

This week we laid it all out, literally. Surfaces can be an interesting topic when discussing elevation models and 3D visualizations. We read about TIN and DEM elevation models, compared them, examined their properties, and practiced creating and modifying them. In my exploration of of TINs and DEMs I learned about suitability modeling, how slope, aspect and edges effect the appearance of them, and especially how symbology plays a major role in how the data is shown for a final layout. While these topics and tools such as Raster to TIN, Reclassify, Slope, Aspect, Create TIN, Spline, and Contours are not entirely new, it is necessary to practice more with them for a greater understanding. The screen capture below is a colorful example of exxagerated terrain of Death Valley near the Furnace Creek area. By adding the TIFF image as an elevation surface in a New Scene and increasing the vertical exaggeration to 2.0 it becomes this.

Internship Blog Post #2

This week we were tasked to conduct our own GIS job search. By looking at openings, requirements and things I may need to learn in the future will only give me more tools for my toolbox. I started with Google and checked out Indeed and ZipRecruiter finds, but nothing seemed to fit me right away. I wanted to see if I could find a job posting a little more obscure that combined my archaeology degree, Navy knowledge from being active duty and of course GIS. In that effort I was able to find a company that was seeking Nautical Archaeologists and GIS Analysts, and they happen to do government contracts, so I would even understand some of the lingo there. Dream job material for sure, but location is a little too far from home. Similar companies must exist in Florida, but some key takeaways are to think beyond just searching for GIS Analyst, as there are other names that use ArcGIS Pro. Also timing. We are currently sitting right at the end of a fiscal year and another one beginning, so budgets and upcoming job listings are up in the air. End of year seems to be the word on the street to start seeing more listings. Overall, great assignment and gets our brains thinking ahead for when we will be looking for employment in GIS.