Tuesday, February 18, 2014

GIS 1 Lab 1 Base Data

The purpose of this lab was to analyze and map the different kinds of data that will affect the decisions made regarding the Confluence Project here in Eau Claire. Specifically this lab was focused on the two lots of land that are being considered for the location of the new fine arts building and student housing. The overall goal in the lab was to explore and become familiar with different data sets that are involved in the project and created maps illustrating those data sets.
I started out by exploring different types of data sets and answering questions about them. I explored the zoning feature, political features, transportation features and many others all relevant to the Confluence Project. The next thing I did was digitize the site for the Confluence Project. I started with a base map of Eau Claire and added the parcel feature class or the different chunks of land that Eau Claire is split into. I then used the editing tool snapping which allowed me to trace the two parcels of interest and then add a fill color to them so they stand out from the rest of the map. Next I learned about the Public Land Survey system. In other words it is a way of categorizing each individual parcel of land into categories like township, county or city. Step 4 was to make a legal description of the of the two parcels of land being considered for the project. This included information like the parcel number, street number, street name, owner's name and what the land is used for, industrial, commercial, residential, etc. All these steps were analyzing data now it’s time to display that data in maps.
 Map 1 or Civil Divisions is displaying the areas of cities, towns, and villages in Eau Claire County. I did this by adding the county boundary and then adding the civil divisions data. Then I change the civil division properties so that cities, towns and villages would be different colors so they are easy to tell apart on the map. I also included the digitized or traced parcels of the proposed site. 
Map 2 or Census Boundaries. This is simply showing the boundaries of census areas and I have changed the properties so that the boundaries are different shade of red based on the population density in them.
Map 3 or City of EC Parcel Data is displaying all the individual lad parcel contained in the city of Eau Claire. I did this by adding the parcel, centerline or street data, and water data. Then I highlighted just the outside of the parcels so the map is still visible under them. The centerline data highlights the roads in Eau Claire and the water data shows the river.
Map 4 or Zoning shows the different zones the parcels of Eau Claire are split into. I changed the properties so that each kind of zone has its own color. The zones include commercial, industrial, transportation, public etc.
Map 5 or Voting districts shows the different voting districts by their ward number. I added the voting districts data and went into the properties and highlighted the line of each ward as well as labeled each ward with its number. 
Map 6 or PLSS data just shows the quarters and sections that Eau Claire is split into from the survey service. I put in the Quarter data and I also included the proposed cite so you can see what quarter it lies in. 

I learned a lot about the data that goes into all he properties and land in the city and county of Eau Claire. The maps I created do a good job of illustrating the data and I hope you enjoy them.

Sources: City of Eau Claire and Eau Claire County 2013

 
Lab 1 Map Confluence Project Data

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