Homework 8: Mapping the Station Fire in ArcGIS

The Station Fire, which started on August, 26, 2009, is considered to be the most environmentally devastating fire of L.A.County's modern history. In addition to blazing over 160,577 acres of the Los Angeles National Forest and severely polluting the air in the L.A. valleys, the fire also claimed 18 homes and the lives of two firefighters. What's surprising and unusual about the Station Fire is that it was not wind-driven, and in this lab, I tried to uncover an alternate explanation for the fire spread.

The map below shows the Station Fire dynamics from late August to early September. The L.A. county major freeways and DEM are also included for reference. Looking at the map, we can see that the Station Fire broke out in the middle over the course of 5 days, the fire spread northward and outward.

The thematic map below provides just one explanation as to why the fire spread in the direction that it did. The map illustrates the location of fire hydrants in the L.A. county, and as we can see below, at the time the Station Fire broke out, nearly the entire southern perimeter of the fire is met by hundreds of fire hydrants. However, there are none in the middle of the fire. Given this, it is reasonable to conclude that one of the reasons why the Station Fire didn't spread south was because numerous fire-protection resources were already established there. As a result, the firefighters were much better equipped to handle the spread of fire in that direction.

References

Bloomekatz, Ari. "L.A. NOW." Station Fire Is Largest in L.A. County's Modern History. N.p., 2 Sept. 2009. Web. 15 June 2012. <http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2009/09/station-fire-is-largest-in-la-county-history.html>.
Garrison, Jessica, Alexandra Zavis, and Joe Mozingo. "Station Fire Claims 18 Homes and Two Firefighters." Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, 31 Aug. 2009. Web. 14 June 2012. <http://articles.latimes.com/2009/aug/31/local/me-fire31/>.
"InciWeb - Incident Information System." InciWeb the Incident Information System: Station Fire. N.p., 10 Nov. 2009. Web. 15 June 2012. <http://www.inciweb.org/incident/1856/>.
KTLA News. "Firefighters Honor 2 Comrades Killed in 'Station Fire'" KTLA News. KTLA News, 4 Sept. 2009. Web. 14 June 2012. <http://www.ktla.com/news/landing/ktla-firefighters-bio,0,7708207.story>.
"Local News." Dailynews.com. N.p., 30 Aug. 2009. Web. 15 June 2012. <http://www.dailynews.com/news/ci_13235062>.

Homework 7: Census 2000/2010

As we can see from the map above, the highest concentration of people who identify as Asian is along the West Coast, primarily in Southern California and Northern Washington. I expected to see this, but the high percentage of Asians on the East Coast and in parts of Texas comes as a surprise to me. The distribution ranges from 0.01% to 43.04%.

The legend in the map above tells us that the darkest shade of purple indicates that 49.74% to 86.49% of a county's population consist of people who identify as black. A majority of the counties that fall in this category are in the Southeastern United States, which doesn't surprise me at all. However, I thought that the concentration of blacks in Florida would be higher. The entire distribution ranges from 0.01% to 86.49%.

This map shows the percentage of county populations that consist of some other race. By "some other race", we are referring to people who do not identify as Asian, black, white, American Indian, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, or Pacific Islander (according to the Census data). Looking at the map, we can see that most people of "some other race" reside primarily in California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas. Because of these states' proximity with the Mexican border, it seems reasonable to believe that what is meant by "some other race" is actually "Hispanic." If this is the case, I found it interesting that the Hispanic population in Washington state is relatively dense.

Much of the information presented in this census map series will not come as a surprise to people who have a basic understanding of U.S. history. Although these maps don't really provide additional insight into the distribution of race in the United States, I found this lab to be very helpful. Creating these maps allowed me to work with real Census data as an application of GIS, increasing my familiarity with ArcGIS.

Over the course of the quarter, my overall impressions of GIS changed dramatically. It has always been clear to me that GIS is a powerful and highly informative tool for organizing, presenting, and analyzing spatial data, but when we first started working with ArcGIS, my frustration with the program's learning curve eclipsed my understanding of its usefulness. However, as we did more and more lab assignments, I became more and more comfortable with the program. Now I fully appreciate the versatility of ArcGIS and GIS in general. Anyone can use GIS to present virtually any kind of geographic information as long as the data is available, and while this accessibility has some drawbacks, I think the benefits of GIS far outweigh the cons.

Homework 6: DEMs in ArcGIS

For this lab, I chose to examine the digital elevation model of Northern Arizona (in the Grand Canyon area). As we can see from the shaded relief model, slope map, aspect map, and 3D image map below, there is drastic variation in the elevation throughout this region, reflecting the extreme highs and lows that characterize the Grand Canyon. In my opinion, the map that best visualizes elevation data is the 3D image map because it makes it much easier for me to perceive the heights. Information about the extent and the geographical coordinate system for this area follow:

Extent Info (decimal degrees): 

Top: 34.73

Left: -113.01

Right: -112.16

Bottom: 34.26

Geographical Coordinate System:
Spatial Reference: GCS_North_American_1983

Datum: D_North_American_1983

3D Image Map

Homework 5: Projections in ArcGIS

Equal Area Projections

Distance between Washington D.C., USA and Kabul, Afghanistan
Sinusoidal
Planar: 8,098 miles
Great Elliptic: 6,934 miles

Cylindrical Equal Area
Planar: 10,108 miles
Great Elliptic: 6,934 miles

Equidistant Projections

Distance between Washington D.C., USA and Kabul, Afghanistan
Azimuthal Equidistant
Planar: 8,341 miles
Great Elliptic: 6,934 miles

Two-Point Equidistant
Planar: 6,648 miles
Great Elliptic: 6,934 miles

Conformal Projections

Distance between Washington D.C., USA and Kabul, Afghanistan
Mercator
Planar: 10,112 miles
Great Elliptic: 6,934 miles

Stereographic
Planar: 9,878 miles
Great Elliptic: 6,934 miles

Because the Earth is a 3D object, a 2D map of the world is guaranteed to be distorted in some way. In  cartography and its applications to geographic information systems, map projections describe the process of this mathematical conversion from ellipsoid to plane. We can categorize these projections by the shape of the developable surface (e.g., planar/azimuthal, cylindrical, conical) and by their preserved properties (e.g., equal area, equidistant, and conformal). Every projection preserves particular surface aspects at the expense of another (or even several others), so the most appropriate map projection varies depending on the purpose of the map.

As indicated in the name, equal area projections (also called equivalent projections) preserve the area. That is, the areas on the map are proportional to the areas on the Earth that they correspond to. However, as we can see from the Sinusoidal and Equal Area Cylindrical projections above, the shapes of the land masses can get significantly distorted, especially as we move away from the center of the Sinusoidal projection or the equator of the Equal Area Cylindrical projection.

Equidistant map projections preserve distance from some standard point or line (generally in the center of the projection). Here these projections are exemplified by the Azimuthal Equidistant and Two-Point Equidistant. The former preserves distances along the great circles extending from the center of the projection, and the latter preserves distances from any point on the map to either of two chosen points. Although the Azimuthal Equidistant projection conserves distances, it compromises on the shape and area, distorting more and more in both aspects as we move away from the center. The same goes for the Two-Point Equidistant projection, but instead the shape and area become more distorted as we move away from the two chosen points.

Conformal projections preserve local shapes and angles. This means that the parallels and the meridians must intersect at the correct angles. The most common conformal map is the Mercator projection, which is shown above along with a Stereographic projection. Looking at these, we can see that the areas are completely misrepresented on the maps. For example, in the Mercator projection, Africa is shown to be only slightly larger than the United States, but in reality, Africa is large enough to fit the United States, China, India, and many other countries. The Stereographic map indicates that Africa is actually smaller than the United States.

Although it is impossible to have a map projection that is 100% accurate in every aspect, map projections are still a very useful and informative way of visualizing the world. What's important is that map viewers ask themselves, "What map projection is being used here? What surface properties have been preserved, and what properties have been distorted?" Those who do not employ this kind of critical thinking can be easily misled by textbooks or news information sources, further perpetuating poor geographical knowledge. In some cases, however, the type of projection used is not of critical importance because the map exists solely for illustration purposes. In addition, the type of projection is not important for large-scale maps because the distortions from projections are not really apparent.

Homework 4: Introducing ArcMap

Shown above is a compilation of several maps showing how the noise from a proposed airport expansion could potentially affect the surrounding areas. To create these maps, I utilized ESRI's geographic information system software, ArcGIS. GIS is a database that allows users to input, manage, view, edit, analyze, and display geospatial data in the form of maps. Used correctly, GIS is a very powerful and highly informative tool that can help with planning or presenting ideas, but as I learned from my experience with ArcGIS, there are detriments as well as benefits.

Much like neogeography, one of GIS's major strengths is its accessibility. Anyone, non-experts included, can create a map as long as they have access to data that is compatible with their GIS software of choice. This accessibility increases geographical awareness for both map creators and map viewers. Of course, the maps that come out of GIS wouldn't be very interesting or informative were it not for the system's ability to effectively handle large quantities of data. In this week's lab, I followed an ArcGIS tutorial which helped me get started on organizing and manipulating data sets related to school locations, land use, and population densities. Being able to visualize these data layers together makes it much clearer how these regional features relate to one another.

Another pro of GIS is its ease of customization. Not only is it incredibly simple to change colors, alter the arrangement of data layers, or add symbols, GIS software can automatically generate map features (e.g., legends, scale bars, and tables) that would otherwise be very time-consuming to create. From my ArcGIS experience, I also found the ease of manipulation to be very helpful as well. The ability to switch between views (i.e., data view and layout view) and to enable/disable data layer visibility made it possible to analyze the data in many different ways.

However, some of the features that make GIS such a useful and important tool are the very things that contribute to its pitfalls. For example, although customizing and manipulating maps with GIS is very easy, it takes a while to get the hang of it. ArcGIS in particular has a steep learning curve because the system's capabilities are seemingly endless, and the program isn't the most user-friendly one. Even though I've gone through the ArcGIS tutorial a couple of times, I still don't feel 100% comfortable with it.

GIS's accessibility is a double-edged sword as well. Regardless of their geography education and training, anyone can create maps using GIS, which means that these maps may not be completely trustworthy. Users of GIS can also be motivated by their own biases, intentionally misrepresenting the data in their maps by either hiding or selectively presenting certain information. Moreover, the technical nature of GIS output can make results seem more reliable than they really are, which may lead to map viewers passively trusting and accepting the professional-looking information in front of them.

Despite its pitfalls, GIS's strengths make it a great and powerful tool for managing, analyzing, and presenting geospatial data, and I look forward to continuing to work with ArcGIS over the course of this quarter.

Homework 3: Neogeography

View Donner Party Route in a larger map

One example of neogeography at work is shown above. I created my own map using a pre-existing toolkit, Google Maps, to share location information and convey knowledge about the world. In this particular map, I drew the route taken by the Donner Party when they traveled the perilous road to Sutter's Fort, CA. To help illustrate their path, I embedded a video of present-day Donner Pass and an 1847 photo of Sutter's Fort.

Neogeography has multiple purposes; it can enhance people's understanding of the past, illustrate important and relevant data, or provide details into someone's personal life. No matter what the goal, the interactive and accessible nature of neogeography allows both the map creator and the map viewer to explore the world without leaving their home. Neogeography provides a user-friendly means for non-experts to share information about their experiences or interests with friends and other visitors, subsequently playing a huge role in increasing geographical awareness.

However, neogeography has its pitfalls as well. Although it makes geography highly accessible, this accessibility can give rise to inaccuracy. With the advent of Web 2.0, absolutely anyone can make a map about anything, even those without the proper background and education to do so. This increases the risk of biased or inaccurate data, and assuming the map is public, this misinformation would be available to thousands of online users.

For example, the information in my own mashup is somewhat misleading. Although I did my research to ensure that my map of the Donner Party route was as accurate as possible, I could not escape the fact that I had no way of knowing the exact route. I used Google Maps' "Draw a line along roads" feature because I didn't want to connect the points with a straight line, but back in 1846, those roads didn't exist, thereby rendering my map inaccurate. Likewise, I had no way of knowing the exact location in the cities that the Donner Party passed through. Although neogeography has made it possible for me to visualize my understanding of the Donner Party's journey, my mashup would not be the best choice for anyone who is looking to find the most historically accurate map.

Homework 2: Reading USGS Topographic Maps

1) The name of the quadrangle is Beverly Hills.
2) The names of the adjacent quadrangles are: Canoga Park, Van Nuys, Burbank, Topanga, Hollywood, Venice, and Inglewood.
3) The quadrangle was first created in 1966.
4) The horizontal data used to create this map are the North American Datum of 1927 and the North American Datum of 1983. The vertical datum used to create this map is National Geodetic Vertical Datum of 1929.
5) The scale of the map is 1:24,000.
6a) 1200 m
6b) 1.89 mi
6c) 2.64 in

6d) 12.5 cm

7) The contour interval for the map is 20 ft. The supplementary contour interval is 10 ft.

8a) Public Affairs Building: 

      degrees/minutes/seconds:

      34° 4' 30" N, 118° 26' 30" W

      decimal degrees:

      34.075° N, 118.442° W

8b) the tip of the Santa Monica Pier: 

      degrees/minutes/seconds:

      34° 0' 30'' N, 118° 30' 00" W

      decimal degrees:

      34.008° N, 118.5° W

8c) the Upper Franklin Canyon Reservoir: 

      degrees/minutes/seconds:

      34° 7' 20" N, 118° 24' 30" W

      decimal degrees:

      34.122° N, 118.408° W 

9a) Greystone Mansion elevation:

      560 ft or 170.688 m

9b) Woodlawn Cemetary

      140 ft or 42.672 m

9c) Crestwood Hills Park

      740 ft or 225.552 m

10) The UTM zone of the map is zone 11.

11) The UTM coordinates for the lower left corner of map are 3,763,000 m northing and 361,500 m easting.

12) 1,000,000 square meters (1 square kilometer) are contained within each cell (square) of the UTM gridlines.

13) See below:

14) The magnetic declination is 14° E.

15) The water in the intermittent stream between the 405 freeway and Stone Canyon Reservoir flows from North to South.

16) Screenshot of UCLA:

Homework 1: Maps

1) Prevalent Languages Other than English and Spanish in the United States

(source: Modern Language Association, 2000)

This language map from the Modern Language Association depicts the linguistic and cultural diversity in the United States. The data for this graphic came from responses to the question, "Does this person speak a language other than English at home?", as collected by the U.S. Census Bureau in 2000. From this map, we can see that in the Eastern United States, French is the most prevalent language (aside from English and Spanish). We can also see that Native North American speakers tend to reside in the Western United States. In looking at this map, I did not expect to learn that German is fairly widespread, especially since I have never met an American citizen who is bilingual in English and German. However, I have encountered many Vietnamese-speaking communities, particularly in Southern California, and I was surprised to find out that Vietnamese is not more prevalent. Tagalog seems to be the dominant language in Southern California (aside from English and Spanish), which is quite surprising to me.

2) Tracery of Wind Flowing Over the United States

(source: Hint.fm, March 21, 2011)

Click on the source link to view the actual animation, which illustrates the direction and strength of wind flow in the United States on March 21, 2011. The surface wind data for this visualization is from National Digital Forecast Database. According to the map, it was very calm in Southern California on March 21, but winds in the Northwest and Southeast were moving very rapidly toward the middle of the country, reaching peak speeds in Northern Texas. When I looked up weather-related articles published on March 21, I learned that there was a tornado in Texas on that date, which explains why the strong winds in that area seem to form a spiral. I find this wind map really interesting because it's a very creative and elegant way of representing data.

3) L.A. County Homicide Victims

(source: Los Angeles Times, 2011)

This graphic maps out the 613 Los Angeles County homicides in 2011. The size of the red circles represents the number of homicides  in that area. If you click on the source link, you can even interact with the map by zooming in or hovering over the circles to find the exact number of homicides that occurred in that location. The above screenshot shows that most of last year's homicides were concentrated in the Compton (127) and Inglewood/Huntington Park (140) areas. Although the Compton numbers don't surprise me, I did not expect Inglewood/Huntington Park to have a high crime rate of any kind. What I find most interesting about the map was the difference between the UCLA and USC areas. When I zoomed in on UCLA, I found that the nearest and only homicide occurred about 3 miles from campus. However, when I zoomed in on USC, I saw that the surrounding area was littered with red circles, with the closest homicide about 1 mile away from campus. This makes me feel grateful to be attending school in a relatively safer area.