Historic Sites of Buncombe County

This project sprang from the inspiration of finding a listing of the National Historic Register sites in Buncombe County. This included a great deal of old photos of Asheville. With my love of history this was an impossible opportunity to pass up.

Data acquisition began with a KML file from the National Park Service. This file showed all Historic Register sites in Buncombe County. This file named a number of historic districts, but failed to fully define those districts. I was able to locate maps of three districts on the internet, which I loaded into ArcMap and georeferenced.  This still left a number of gaps in district definitions. In search of the boundaries of the remaining districts, I got in contact with both the Buncombe County and the state historic agencies. Both agencies were more than happy to supply their shapefiles of historic registry sites and districts. I completed my data search by contacting the D H Ramsey Library and filing a one time use agreement. My use agreement stated no publication or web postings so those pages will not appear here, but I have included a sampling of the pages that do not have the historic photos. 

One important lesson to remember, which I encountered in this project, is to know the nature of the data acquisition used and the degree of accuracy applied in the creation of the shapefile. In comparing the multiple shapefiles in ArcMap, it became obvious that there were several slight differences in the placement of points. Michael Southern, Senior Architectural Historian/GIS Coordinator at the N.C. State Historic Preservation Office was kind enough to explain the method used in creating the Site Survey used in the application for listing on the National Historic Register. He explained that the site survey is often prepared by historians who often have only a basic knowledge of GIS. They are asked to use a clear overlay, with UTM coordinates displayed on it, to determine the exact coordinates of a site by simply counting tick marks to make the determination. This leads to a result that is limited to the care taken in that process. Fortunately the NCSHPO has taken the time the time to confirm locations by using parcel records and satellite imagery. Where possible I used geocoding and knowledge of the sites to confirm the discrepancies between layers. One site yielded very interesting results. The NPS and NCSHPO showed different locations for the same site and geocoding resulted in a third location, all seperated by major geographic features. As expected, the NCSHPO shapefiles proved to be extremely accurate and most complete by defining all historic districts and became the basis of my maps.

Western North Carolina Mapping Project

This project involves a number of new concepts. This is being prepared for a competition dealing with application of technology. The major sponsor of this contest is Google. Consiquently our project involves a web site that takes advatage of Google Maps to promote the many outdoor activities of Asheville. In addition the prime objective is to obtain information in the public domain. Our team has also focused strongly on use of open source software whenever possible.

Because of some limitations of Google Maps, we will focus on a mixture of using points for as many features a possible and then uploading individual layers to overlay Google Maps for the trails. To supplament Google Maps, a link will be included to access full maps with traditional elements.

The maps are not tweeked fully yet and comments are most welcome on the maps that I have included here.

Asheville Bike Routes Project

The latest project involves preparing an update of the NCDOT Bike Route Map for Buncombe County. All data and layers for this project are available for free download to anyone with an internet connection. The final document will be printed as an E size document. Consiquently the image at 300 dpi is too large to upload to this site easily with my DSL. The jpeg to the right has been scaled down and will not properly represent the final document. The map lower right is a redesign to facilitate a smaller file size. This map is designed for a standard letter size document with some features turned off and with some minor changes to symbology. This rework was prepared from the base map in a matter of ten to fifteen minutes. 

Selecting Color Schemes and Converting Colors

One of the most important aspects of making a map look professional is selecting colors. In our last project, I spent a considerable amount of time trying to select custom colors that worked well together and did not overpower other elements of the maps. In doing reasearch for another class I happened upon a site devoted to assisting in the selection fo colors for maps. The site is http://colorbrewer2.org/ . At first glance this page seemed somewhat interesting, but the more I explored, the more useful things I found. It is possible to create a complete color scheme including selecting the colors or roads and city names, and then, at the click of a mouse the map can be toggled between several color schemes to show the difference in appearence. You can even select schemes that are freindly to colorblind readers. This site includes a link to a fully functional colorscheme generator that is an extension for ArcGIS 9.x. You will also find a downloadable Excel file that list every color scheme with the number settings and color swatches. This is worth a quick investigation.

For an initiation to annotation, this was a good project. It clearly demonstrated the advantages of annotation for truely detailed maps. ArcMap can dynamicaly place labels and with enough time and patience a very satisfactory outcome can be acheived, but to reach a level of detail and accuracy suited to professional maps, annotations are critical. Labels that are intended to contour to natural features like rivers can suffer from the limited intelligence of ArcMap. Labels for curved features required a good deal of  adjustment to improve the appearence of the lable.
To the right are two final maps. The lower right map was prepared using the standard labels and annotations in ArcMap. The map, top right, is labeled using the Maplex extension. Although the map, prepared with dynamic labels and annotations in ArcMap, is more visualy attractive, it took far longer to label and did not contain as much detail.
For users of ArcMap who have access to, but have not used, the Maplex extension, it merits some serious investigation. To activate the Maplex extension click help in ArcMap and type in Maplex. If Maplex is available it will only take a few clicks of the mouse to begin testing this feature.

Western North Carolina Mapping Project

The attached map is an incomplete map at this point. I am still working on annotations to present the maximum amount of information.
The intent of this project is to supply a map of Western North Carolina and surrounding areas. This map is designed as a base map for many possible mapping purposes. By removing selected layers, this map can easily be configured to focus upon selected features. Removal of urban areas and some or all road types, would yeild a map suitable for watershed mapping or fish and wildlife data.
I have included four images of my map. Each is intended to be printed with a standard inkjet printer on 8.5 x 11 paper. At this point there is more work to be done but this shows the versatility of the map. All four images were created and added to this blog in less than five minutes and just a few clicks of the mouse.

I welcome comments to this project.

Newbridge Landslide

     Here in Western North Carolina, we are fortunate to have beautiful mountains in every direction, but protecting this resource is a very serious issue that residents deal with every day. We have seen first hand the importance of careful developement and emergency planning. In the last year we have seen several land slides that have obstructed traffic, destroyed homes, and in one case entirely closed a major highway for months.
     For this assignment we were asked to prepare a handout for a public meeting to inform the public of the potential impact of landslides. The handout was designed to be printed on 8.5 x 11 paper and prepared using ArcMap. The map is intended to be easy to use in either color, which I posted, or in black and white. Data was obtained for free from the Buncombe County GIS Department. An accompanying report was also prepared using ArcMap to show the potential financial impact within the zone of potential impact.
     To the left you will find links to both the handout and the companion report. Please feel free to offer comments in the link directly below this posting. I look forward to your comments.
  

First Class

This journal is not an authoritative blog about everything that is latest and greatest in the world of GIS, but rather a means of sharing with fellow students and all those interested in the world of GIS and its future. My current class deals primarily with the preparation of physical maps for various presentations and uses. Over the course of this semester I will be posting maps prepared in class for your comments. The maps will be prepared for various groups and media types. Where pertinent, I will include the stated purpose and intended method of presentation for the map. All visitors to this site are welcome to review these maps and offer comments and suggestions. In addition I will be adding links to any interesting articles, blogs, videos or any other form of media that deals with the ever expanding world of GIS.