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.

Module 1.3: Data Quality - Assessment

For this lab the goal of the accuracy assessment was to determine the percentage difference between 2 road shapefiles put up against a grid overlay in Jackson County, Oregon. The analysis methodology utilized the readings from Haklay 2010 for the most part, and that entailed using the Clip tool, determining lengths within each grid for each road shapefile and then comparing them to get the difference. Tools also used were Intersect and Summarize Within, along with an Excel spreadsheet to compare the data visually easier. Once I had my two data sets I was able to Intersect them and calculate the percentages in ArcGIS Pro. The layout was created using this combined data set in a graduated color symbology to show where the differences between the -103 and 80 percentage data were the most and least extreme. See layout image below.

Comments: I wanted to showcase the grid symbology, but not leave out the roads. Finding a color combination that did not crowd or take over was difficult, but I am happy with the results.

Module 1.2: Data Quality Standards

In continuation of our module about Data Quality, this week we learned about how to determine the quality of road networks, determining postitional accuracy of two road networks by comparison and the methodology of procedures provided by the National Standard for Spatial Data Accuracy (NSSDA). We were given city data and street data shapefiles of Albuquerque, NM along with orthophotos to help us create reference points. From there we were able to create acccuracy statistics worksheets to create a formal accuracy statement per the NSSDA guidelines. Below is an image of my sampling locations.

Summary of steps: Once the reference points were created, I was able to calculate geometry in the attribute tables for city, streets and reference points to get the corresponding X and Y coordinates. From there I exported the data to Excel and created columns for error_x, error_y, error_xy_sqrd, error_xy, RMSE, Mean, Median, 95th Percentile, Minimum, Maximum, 68th Percentile,and 90th Percentile. The NSSDA statistic is determined by multiplying the RMSE (root mean square root) to a 95% confidence level. 1.7308 for horizontal accuracy and 1.9600 for vertical accuracy. For this project horizontal accuracy was being determined. The following statement is the accuracy statement once I multiplied my street RMSE by 1.7308 and my city RMSE by 1.7308.

Street Map Data: Tested __141.6709___ feet horizontal accuracy at 95% confidence level.

City Data: Tested __17.9350___ feet horizontal accuracy at 95% confidence level.

Internship Blog Post #1

The journey from a GIS Padawan to now has flown by. The journey to find an internship felt like an eternity of highs and lows. I only just signed paperwork to become an intern for my local county's GIS department. I still have orientation to attend (unknown date at this time), but hopefully I will have begun by the end of month. During the interview it was noted the Emergency Management office was hoping they had an intern to assist in the revamp of the 9-1-1 service in the county to an updated version. Then also helping in the GIS department with their daily tasks. It is a small room of 4 people, and they have even smaller offices with stacks of documents as high as their monitors on their desks. There is a big conference table in the middle of the room, which I will be seated at with a laptop and 2 large map printers shoved against the wall. I plan to earn credit by showing up, and working hard for them. I love to learn, so anything they can teach me I will soak in and I hope I can teach them things I know too. They are working with an older ArcGIS Desktop version, but none of them have any direct background in GIS college related courses such as the ones we have been taking the past year. I am thrilled at the opportunity and will not let it go to waste. Leave everything you touch better than you found it has been ingrained in me since I was a Girl Scout in primary school, so this chance should continue the tradition.

In the meantime this week, I joined a local GIS user group called Northeast Florida GIS User Group found at this link. They have a straight forward mission statement of to "provide an educational environment for Geospatial Information Systems (GIS) professionals and students, facilitate the advancement of geospatial initiatives, and the exchange of ideas". They accomplish this through a email mailing list and a LinkedIn account. I hope they provide some great information about this area I call home in the future.