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Image from a Japanese newspaper looking at my study area.

Comparison of disaster relief products produced by Space Charter members in the week after the tsunami and earthquake.

A comparison of vegetation on Wakabayashi ward from before and after the tsunami.

Week 9 - The Station Fire

           Charring over one hundred sixty thousand acres in the Angeles National Forest, the Station Fire of 2009 was one of the largest fires in California history and claimed the title for largest wildfire known to have occurred in Los Angeles County (Bloomekatz September 02, 2009, “Cal Fire Incidents – Station Fire” October 16, 2009). The fire itself, believed to have been arson (Bloomekatz September 03, 2009), started on August 26, 2009 and was not fully contained until over a month later (“Cal Fire Incidents – Station Fire” October 16, 2009). The effect of the fire on the residents of the Los Angeles Metropolitan was dramatic, with several hundred families evacuated from their homes and ash falling all throughout the region (Los Angeles Daily News August 30, 2009). Sadly, it also claimed the lives of two firefighters who crashed their truck and were unable to escape the reach of the flames (Becerra August 30, 2009).

            Geographic information systems like ArcGIS allow us to analyze spatial events and processes like the Station Fire. In the first map above, the perimeter of the Station Fire as it burned over the period August 28, 2009 to September 2, 2009 is layered over a digital elevation model of the area. As is readily apparent by the single highway that bisects the burn zone, much of this fire took place in a very remote area with rugged terrain. These factors likely a contributed to the deaths of the two firefighters mentioned previously.

            Also visible in this map is that the fire started near the single highway in the region; implicit support of the notion that arson was the likely cause. This highway is locally known as Angeles Crest and the effects of the Station Fire upon it lasted longer than the fire itself. The loss of vegetation around the highway was cited as a primary factor when sections of the highway were washed out by the 2010 storm season. It did not fully reopen until June 2011 (Bloomekatz June 05, 2011).

            In the second map, the perimeter of the Station Fire on September 2, 2009 is layered in a yellow outline on top of a digital elevation model of the area. Instead of being for general reference though this map has a few thematic elements. First, a dataset and shapefile was retrieved from the Los Angeles County eGIS database displaying census tracts and population data from the United States Census Bureau. From this data set, only census tracts that were within five miles of the perimeter of the fire were selected and the number of elderly individuals living within their boundaries was graphed onto them. Once that data was selected, the highways bisecting or touching census tracts within reach of the fire were selected and labeled as possible evacuation routes.

            Given that the southern extent of the fire remained so close to its origin point, it is likely that the location of nearby population centers played a major role in determining the tactics used to contain the wildfire. Tools like ArcGIS allow us to visually represent decisions like these. They can also be of use in developing new policies. In the case of the thematic map above, a policy could be developed to help streamline the evacuation of a vulnerable population like the elderly who may not have access to personal transportation. Through applications like these, the adoption and utilization of geographic information systems has the potential to better the world around us. 




Bibliography

Becerra, Hector. Los Angeles Times, "Two Los Angeles County firefighters killed in vehicle accident near Station fire [Updated]." Last modified August 30, 2009. Accessed June 13, 2012. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2009/08/2-los-angeles-county-firefighters-battling-fire-killed-in-vehicle-accident-.html.

Bloomekatz, Ari. Los Angeles Times, "Station fire is largest in L.A. Count'ys modern history." Last modified September 02, 2009. Accessed June 13, 2012. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2009/09/station-fire-is-largest-in-la-county-history.html.

Bloomekatz, Ari. Los Angeles Times, "Station fire was arson, officials say; homicide investigation begins." Last modified September 03, 2009. Accessed June 14, 2012. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2009/09/station-fire-was-arson-homicide-investigation-begins.html.

Bloomekatz, Ari. Los Angeles Times, "Fans can't wait to hit the reopened road." Last modified June 05, 2011. Accessed June 14, 2012. http://articles.latimes.com/2011/jun/05/local/la-me-0605-angeles-crest-20110605.

Cal Fire, "Cal Fire Incidents - Station Fire." Last modified October 16, 2009. Accessed June 14, 2012. http://cdfdata.fire.ca.gov/incidents/incidents_details_info?incident_id=377.

Los Angeles Daily News, "People, animals evacuating from Station Fire path." Last modified August 30, 2009. Accessed June 13, 2012. http://www.dailynews.com/news/ci_13239831.

Lab 7 - Census Data

     The first map produced in this exercise shows the population distribution for Blacks in the United States. As with the additional two maps that were generated for this lab the data is represented as a percentage of the population by county. As you can see in this map the largest concentrations of Blacks in the United States can be found in the South and Southeast.

     The second map created in this series maps the population distribution of Asians in the United States. The Asian population in the United States appears to be more dispersed than the Black population, but little centers of aggregation do occur on the West Coast. The two areas that appear to have the highest Asian populations are the San Francisco Bay area and Houston, Texas. The West Coast makes a lot of sense considering it is the closest part of the United States to Asia. Houston however may not. Having previously resided in Houston I would guess that this has to do with the large Vietnamese population that rivals Westminster and Garden Grove in Orange County, California.

     The final map generated in this series was compiled using data termed “Other” by the Census Bureau. The distribution of “Others” appears to be centered in the Southwest and Western United States. After looking through the various available tables offered by the Census Bureau, I am under the impression that this dataset represents the Hispanic population within the United States.

     These three maps show interesting patterns in terms of place or residence for the different culture groups and races. I would be curious to compare the Black Population map with maps showing population growth and decline for each county to see if some of these areas are experiencing an exodus of the non Black population. In any case, I think the most likely explanation for why these patterns are what they are can be found in the fact that each group finds itself best represented within the population in areas where they tend to arrive in the United States. 

            

     While the census data represented in these maps are definitely interesting, the aspect of this exercise that I appreciated the most was seeing the versatility of the database management tools ArcGIS comes with. Having had some experience with database management software before I found these tools to be amongst the easiest I have ever used for creating joins and relations. Being able to simply drag over tables in excel or csv format and have them relate so effortlessly really is a breath or fresh air.

            

     My overall impressions of ArcGIS are that it is an incredibly powerful tool with nearly unlimited potential. The ability to create these maps using freely available data distributed through the internet has managed to get me interested in making maps that aren’t specific to a class project or my own research. GIS in general and the ability to perform spatial analysis so easily will definitely be on my mind as I move forward with my academic career and consider future research projects. 

Lab 6 - Digital Elevation Models

         These maps portray an area within central Colorado that I used to live near and hike. This area had a large amount of variable terrain and this can be seen clearly in all of the maps, perhaps most dramatically though in the three dimensional one that was created using ArcScene. The GCS North American 1983 geographic coordinate system was used to create these maps. The geographic extent displayed is as follows:

North = 38.387 degrees

South = 38.164 degrees

East = -106.187 degrees

West = -106.601 degrees

Lab 5 - Projections

            Being a three-dimensional object, the earth cannot be readily represented on a two-dimensional surface like a map. In order to accomplish this task cartographers have developed projections using complex mathematical formulas. If you look at the maps above, you will note that each projection displays a different distance for the route between Washington DC and Kabul. This is because of differences in the mathematical calculations and the specific intentions of the cartographer. When working with a map projection you have to decide which real world features are most important. Is distance between two designated points most important or do you want that feature more generalized across the entire map? Cartographers have to take this and similar questions into account when they make their maps.

            Conformal projections, like the Mercator and Hotine projections above, attempt to preserve shape locally. These maps are popular but have limited use in doing good spatial analysis. The Mercator projection for example expands area as one moves away from the equator. The Hotine projection also displays similar area distortions.

            Equidistant projections, like the World Azimuthal Equidistant and World Equidistant Conic projections, have distance calibrated from the center of the map. From this calibrated center accurate distance is preserved. In the maps above however, neither Washington DC nor Kabul are at the center so accurate distance remains distorted.

            Equal area projections, like the Hammer Aitoff and Sinusoidal projections, aim to maintain consistent area. Compared to the Mercator or Hotine projection these maps represent the amount of area that each continent takes up on the globe more accurately. In terms of accuracy for distance these kinds of maps are also skewed.

Lab 4

           ArcGIS is an incredibly powerful software suite. It has become an indispensable tool for geographers and policy makers, but has the potential to be used in a number of fields. This particular tutorial would have been useful for an urban planning commission deciding on whether or not to grant a permit to expand the airport. By using ArcGIS to create maps displaying the geographic areas that would be most affected by an expansion within the noise contour, questions about whether or not an expansion would be advisable can be answered.

            As demonstrated in this tutorial, ArcGIS allows for users to display and represent geospatial data from multiple layers and through relations. In one of the exercises it was necessary to join data from two tables where one outlined the census tract data and the other had population density data. I liked how easy it was to perform a join in ArcGIS, as this can be a really frustrating thing to do correctly in some relational database management software packages. Being able to do this within the program itself rather than requiring the user to manage their data through an outside database is definitely a plus for user friendliness. I also found the way it allows the user to customize their maps and enhance presentation to be very intuitive. In this exercise we used pre-designated styles, but for someone working on a personal project they have hundreds of options. Multiple maps can be created, arranged, formatted, and presented in ways that fit all kinds of different contexts without needing to utilize an outside graphic design suite.

            Despite the user friendliness of database manipulation and built in abilities to enhance presentation, ArcGIS has a steep learning curve. In this tutorial I found myself running into problems every twenty minutes or so. The first problem I ran into dealt with maintaining scale between the data and layout views. I eventually realized I could change it in the toolbar at the top and pan, but initially it just wasn’t working for me. I also closed the table of contents at one point and it took me ten minutes to figure out how to retrieve it. The most frustrating experience however dealt with the exercise in which we were asked to expand the street route going through the airport. I hit something that deleted the arterials_new layer from the table of contents and couldn’t figure out how to bring it up again. After taking a break however I remembered that it had been saved as a data source within the geodatabase.

            For the general public, the usefulness of ArcGIS compared to neogeography tools depends on the questions being asked. ArcGIS isn’t very useful for people who are simply trying to show their friends their favorite surf breaks, taco shops, or other specific geographic locales like these. Simply put, the amount of work that would go into creating a map like this would be excessive. If one were however trying to show the effect of a broader phenomenon upon a general area or population, using ArcGIS would be ideal. 

Lab 3 Neogeography

View Important Archaeological Sites In Southern California in a larger map

Neogeography is a revolutionary new concept within geography built upon the foundation of the social web. Through interaction and collaboration, neogeography makes geographic information easier than ever to share. Take for example the map above, in which the locations of several archaeological sites are noted. Such information isn't widely available to begin with, but through the neogeography tools offered by Google it is all there in one place complete with a driving route. Given the versatility of tools like this, it's possible that neogeography could be useful in helping to gather support for strengthening the laws protecting these sites and in further promoting civic activity in the public at large. Best of all, these maps are easy to create and anyone can make them.

Neogeography is not without its problems however. First and foremost is the issue with reliability. Anyone can go out and create a neogeography map, but there's no guarantee that the information presented within will be accurate. Also, these tools appear to be less precise than professional GIS solutions. In the shapes labeled "CA-ORA-83" and "CA-ORA-85" I had to try and eyeball the shape of the site off of another map. If I had been able to look at the topography I probably could have made these shapes more precise. I imagine that with a professional GIS solution I will be able to create a more accurate representation of these important sites.

A final thought that I had on neogeography occurred to me as I was setting up the map itself. Google offers the ability to either share these maps publicly or keep them private. I decided to keep this map private because of the sensitive nature of the Newland site in Huntington Beach. It is located in a park where children can often be seen riding bikes or playing in the grass. The thought of teenagers from a local high school finding out about the site and deciding to go and disturb what remains in the ground made me realize that while neogeography has the potential to make information easier to share, the information that we decide to share through these tools need to be carefully considered.