After all of my work, I was able to come up with a map that encompassed much of what my client, Dr. Kolosvary wanted. I included the layers that she wanted for wetlands, roads, her breeding sites and the park boundary and for the land cover and open area layers she had asked for, we came to an agreement that the raster data was just too cluttered to add to the map. Instead, Dr. Kolosvary said the base map worked well, because we were able to see where the forested areas and open areas were, which was most important. The streams seemed a little too much as well, so we both decided to keep the wetlands, and take away the streams and rivers that took over a lot of the map.
Since I did not have enough time to go to the park after I had learned that the stops along the road and trail maps were another layer she thought of, I did create a separate, georeferenced map which shows where the breeding sites are in relationship to the overall park map. This is the smaller map on the right hand side. I also was able to present my project at the Academic Celebration in the student union, so my poster was printed and displayed at that event, which is something I am very proud of. Below is the final product of my map as well as my poster:
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
Week 7 Progress
This week I created a new map in order to show the locations of the wood frog breeding sites to areas such as the visitors road and trails, by georeferencing an already existing park map. I then added the wood frog breeding site points to the geoferenced map. Below is what it looks like:
I also was able to finally get the land use layer downloaded from the public folder, which is what Dr. Kolosvary had originally asked me to include. However, as of right now my land use is shown below, and I'm not sure how to make this look presentable. Any suggestions? I have already reclassified for foested areas if that's something she may want instead.
As of right now I will have one map with the land use (above), then show Dr. Kolosvary what it would look like if there were three different maps with different layers instead of just that one map.
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
Week 6 Progress
This week I talked to Dr. Kolosvary and confirmed that what I have so far is good, and said I would make time within the next week or so to show her what I have made. I have added the tax parcel data layers to the map, which I found out was a good decision to add because the USA federal lands layer I was originally using for the park boundary was incorrect. Now I am now trying to query out just the Saratoga Battlefield, and creating a layer for that, so that boundary is the only one that shows up. However, I am having trouble deciphering what it is I am looking for in the attribute table that I need to query out for.
I am waiting to send the draft to Dr. Kolosvary until I can get this issue figured out, and make a more presentable map, with the land use layers added in as well. She also asked if I could possibly add in trails that the park has and the spots that cars can stop along their drive to read interpretative signs. This request was a minor detail she said I could add in if I had time, but I am hoping that it is something I will be able to provide for her. Dr. Kolosvary mentioned that in the previous .gif files, these spots were put in already, but since I have been using the map from bingmaps, I need to find a way to get this information.
I am waiting to send the draft to Dr. Kolosvary until I can get this issue figured out, and make a more presentable map, with the land use layers added in as well. She also asked if I could possibly add in trails that the park has and the spots that cars can stop along their drive to read interpretative signs. This request was a minor detail she said I could add in if I had time, but I am hoping that it is something I will be able to provide for her. Dr. Kolosvary mentioned that in the previous .gif files, these spots were put in already, but since I have been using the map from bingmaps, I need to find a way to get this information.
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
Week 5 Progress
This week I have just been working on changing the symbology so that I am able to show all of layers in a way that looks presentable. So far I have not made much progress so I think I may try to intersect certain layers that overlap each other and see how this turns out, or maybe use a different kind of tool from chapter 8 to help me. Next week I hope to have this figured out, and bring a draft to Dr. Kolosvary to see if she would like me to change or add anything else to the map. From there, I will either add what she needs, or begin creating the final poster.
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
Week 4 Progress
Last week, I originally found a data set on the clearinghouse which I thought would be helpful entitled "State Historic Sites and Park Boundaries," however this did not show up when I added it to my base map. This week, I was also able to find more information on the NYS GIS Clearinghouse, which was the Saratoga County Tax Parcel Boundaries, which may be a better option for me to determine the correct boundaries for the Saratoga Battlefield. I was also able to unzip the street layers data set from the Clearinghouse. I was also able to find New York State wetland data by looking through the public folder, clicking on hydrography, and then selecting the wetlands. For next week, I would like to have the park boundaries included as well as the land use layer added, which will require meet to do more searching online or in Arc Catalog, because the NYS GIS Clearinghouse does not have this exact data on its site. I also hope to start to edit the symbology to make the map look more professional Below is my map as of now:
Tuesday, April 2, 2013
Week 3 Progress
So far this week I have e-mailed Dr. K regarding changes from the .gif files to the new Bing map. I also included in the e-mail inquiry as to whether or not I should plan on changing my current points. The biggest battle for me this week is to figure out how to get the particular layers I need for this map. I have searched the NYS GIS Clearinghouse to see if I could find the layers such as wetlands, roadways and forested areas and so far I have found several data sets that might help me. However,
I am still looking to find others. As I find these data sets I am also e-mailing Dr. Meierdiercks in hopes to get the password to unlock the New York State Historic Sites and Park Boundary. On ArcGIS online I was able to search for USA federal lands, which outlined the boundaries of the Saratoga Battlefield, which was one of the layers I was looking for, but I will use the NYS boundary data to confirm that this is the correct boundary. Below is a map of the current map as of now:
http://gis.ny.gov/gisdata/inventories/details.cfm?DSID=978 (Historical Land Use and Land Cover)
http://gis.ny.gov/gisdata/inventories/details.cfm?DSID=815 (National Land Cover Data)
http://gis.ny.gov/gisdata/inventories/details.cfm?DSID=1167 (DEC Roads and Trails)
http://gis.ny.gov/gisdata/inventories/details.cfm?DSID=928 (NYS Hydrography)
http://gis.ny.gov/gisdata/inventories/details.cfm?DSID=932 (NYS streets)
I am still looking to find others. As I find these data sets I am also e-mailing Dr. Meierdiercks in hopes to get the password to unlock the New York State Historic Sites and Park Boundary. On ArcGIS online I was able to search for USA federal lands, which outlined the boundaries of the Saratoga Battlefield, which was one of the layers I was looking for, but I will use the NYS boundary data to confirm that this is the correct boundary. Below is a map of the current map as of now:
Below are the sites from the GIS Clearinghouse that I hope to find the data layers I need from within the next week or two. One question I need to get the answer of is how to use the zip files once I obtain them.
http://gis.ny.gov/gisdata/inventories/details.cfm?DSID=815 (National Land Cover Data)
http://gis.ny.gov/gisdata/inventories/details.cfm?DSID=1167 (DEC Roads and Trails)
http://gis.ny.gov/gisdata/inventories/details.cfm?DSID=928 (NYS Hydrography)
http://gis.ny.gov/gisdata/inventories/details.cfm?DSID=932 (NYS streets)
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Week 2 Progress
This week I edited the points for the study site locations in the excel file to change the degrees and minutes for latitude and longitude into decimal degrees. I was then able to convert these points to shapefiles, which I made in a separate map, and uploaded them to my map. I was having issues getting the points to show up on my initial map with the "tif" files uploaded, so I began a new map, using all of the study site locations, with a bing map as the basemap instead. This has given me a much better start to this project, and I can proceed from here. I hope to speak to Dr. Kolosvary by next blog post, so I can confirm that what I have changed will be okay with her.
One question I have as I proceed is where do I find the New York State Clearinghouse database? I have searched on ArcGis online, but I am not so sure I am finding the correct data for the layers I need at this site. By next blog post, I hope to include whatever layers I can find on the NYS clearinghouse that will be important to the research of the wood frog populations.
One question I have as I proceed is where do I find the New York State Clearinghouse database? I have searched on ArcGis online, but I am not so sure I am finding the correct data for the layers I need at this site. By next blog post, I hope to include whatever layers I can find on the NYS clearinghouse that will be important to the research of the wood frog populations.
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Week 1 Progress
This week was very busy with other GIS activities, but I was able to upload both the raster data as well as the location of the points taken at and around ponds at the Saratoga Battlefield. I understsnd that, in talking to Dr. Kolosvary, these points are subject to change, but I think having these to work with right now will help me get started. Since this information is mostly just on the computer and has not been generated into something more meaningful yet, this is what I hope to accomplish by next week. I also hope to add other layers found on the New York State Clearinghouse database, that can help add to the overall purpose of this map.
One question I have so far is, why do the coordinate points generated in an excel spreadsheet not work when I click to "display XY data"? Instead an error screen comes up that says "one or more layers failed to draw." If I could figure this out, it would make it much easier to proceed onward. Other than that, everything seems to be going smoothly, and by next week my goal is to have a substantial draft to post.
One question I have so far is, why do the coordinate points generated in an excel spreadsheet not work when I click to "display XY data"? Instead an error screen comes up that says "one or more layers failed to draw." If I could figure this out, it would make it much easier to proceed onward. Other than that, everything seems to be going smoothly, and by next week my goal is to have a substantial draft to post.
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
Final Proposal for Wood Frog Breeding GIS Project
Representation of
Wood Frog breeding locations at Saratoga National Historic Park
Dana Tricarico
Siena College
Loudonville, NY 12211
February 26, 2013
Introduction
The Wood Frog is a type of common frog between
one and three inches long. Its color ranges from pinkish-brown, tan, to dark
brown but is most easily recognized by its “mask” which stretches past both
eyes to the eardrum. This frog species is found in the woods, both by water and
far from the water, depending on its life cycle, in 31 states and 13 Canadian
Provinces (Wood Frog Species Page). They are also known for being one of the
first species of frogs to breed in early Spring (Moran). Typically, Wood Frogs
utilize the water woodlands by using vernal pools formed by spring rains and
snow melt as breeding pools, then spend their active season typically away from
standing water (Wood Frog Species Page).
Once breeding season comes, adult wood
frogs moves to the breeding pools, which are mainly favored due to the fact
that there are not fish or egg predators. However, these pools are subjected to
unpredictable aspects such as weather conditions (Wood Frog Species Page). Wood
Frogs, as well as all other amphibians are forced to deal with ecological
pressures associated with human activities (Wood Frog Species Page). The loss
of habitat and breeding pools due to factors such as deforestation and road
building as well as forms of air pollution, also contaminate breeding pools and
can cause serious damage to not only adult frogs but also their eggs, embryos
and tadpoles (Wood Frog Species Page). Because of these specific factors that
may alter the fluctuating numbers of Wood Frogs, it will be important to include
areas throughout the Saratoga Battlefield such as roads, wetlands and forests.
By looking at both abiotic and biotic variables it may help to determine a
relationship between some of the potential data layers I will use and the Wood
Frog breeding populations overtime.
Objectives
- Learn how to correctly add layers onto data given to me from Dr. Kolosvary
- Developing a well-designed, professional map to help researchers Dr. Kolosvary and Alexandra Natale predict the relationships of wood frog breeding fluctuations and outside factors
Methodology
The GIS analysis will use techniques to
create a predictive model for Wood Frog Breeding populations and abiotic and
biotic factors that can be determined by creating appropriate data layers.
These data layers will include road, wetlands, forest, land cover, streams, open areas, and whatever else may be
a factor on the Saratoga Battlefield that may be creating the fluctuations of
wood frog breeding populations. These data layers will be included, along with
the main piece of information consisting of a map of the breeding pools at the
park as well as point coverage of study locations and the populations
themselves, based on GPS locations recorded last year.
The information being used will be
accumulated by Alexandra Natale, an undergraduate at Siena College, but will
also include a long-term dataset. This dataset will encompass wood frog clutch
size at breeding pools at Saratoga National Historical Park, from 2003 until
the present research this spring. Finally, an extent indicator will be included to show those unfamiliar with the site of the Saratoga Battlefield, where exactly in New York state it is. A boundary of the battlefield will be incorporated into the design of the map as well.
Data Sources
- GIS coordinates for wood frog populations
- NYS GIS Clearinghouse
- GPS shapefiles for wetlands, roadways and forested areas using the Saratoga battlefield GIS Dataset
Deliverables
- Map saved as an image or PDF file to be printed out later on or used on Powerpoint slides
- Any new shape are expected to be given to Dr. Kolosvary as well
Work Plan
Week of March 5 Meet
with Dr. Kolosvary and obtain source information for GPS
coordinates,
as well as shapefiles of the Saratoga Battlefield.
Week of March 12 Begin
working on the map. Add coordinate points as well as layers
given.
Week of March 19 Continue
to work on the map, adding whatever other shapefiles
And
data layers that are necessary for a cohesive map.
Week of April 2 Adjust
the symbology of each data layer to make sure each makes
Sense
for the context of the research being done.
Week of April 9 Begin
editing the rough draft. Make the layout format look
Presentable.
Week of April 16 Turn
in a finished rough draft to Dr. Kolosvary
Week of April 23 Use
the edits to make the final touches on the map
Week of April 30 Have
a finished draft of the map due
Works Cited
Moran, Mark. "Wood Frog: Rana
Sylvatica." Northern Virginia Ecology. Fairfax County
Public Schools, n.d. Web. 05 Mar. 2013. <http://www.fcps.edu/islandcreekes/e
cology/wood_frog.htm>.
"Wood Frog Species Page." Wood
Frog Species Page. The Pennsylvania State
University, 16 Feb. 2006. Web. 05 Mar. 2013. <http://www.psu.edu/dept/nkbi
ology/naturetrail/speciespages/woodfrog.html>
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Project Proposal Rough Draft
Representation of
Wood Frog breeding locations at Saratoga National Historic Park
Dana Tricarico
Siena College
Loudonville, NY 12211
February 26, 2013
Introduction
The Wood Frog is a type of common frog
is between one and three inches long. Its color ranges from pinkish-brown, tan,
to dark brown but is most easily recognized by its “mask” which stretches past
both eyes to the eardrum. This frog species is found in the woods, both by
water and far from the water in 31 states and 13 Canadian Provinces (PSPU).
They are also one of the first species of frogs to breed in early Spring
(fcps). Typically, Wood Frogs utilize the water woodlands by using vernal pools
formed by spring rains and snow melt as breeding pools, then spend their active
season typically away from standing water (PSU).
Once breeding season comes, adult wood
frogs move to the breeding pools, which are mainly favored due to the fact that
there are not fish or egg. However, these pools are subjected to unpredictable
aspects such as weather conditions (PSU). Wood Frogs, as well as all other
amphibians are forced to deal with ecological pressures associated with human activities
(PSU). The Loss of habitat and breeding pools due to factors such as deforestation
and road building as well as forms of air pollution also contaminate breeding
pools and can cause serious damage to not only adult frogs but also their eggs
embryos and tadpoles (PSU). Because of these specific factors to the
fluctuating numbers of Wood Frogs, it will be important to include areas
throughout the Saratoga Battlefield such as roads, wetlands and forests. By
looking at both abiotic and biotic variables it may help to determine a
relationship between those as well as Wood Frog breeding populations overtime.
Objectives
• Learn how to
correctly add layers onto data given to me from Dr. Kolosvary
• Developing a model to
help predict the relationships of wood frog breeding fluctuations and outside factors
• Learning
how to make a comprehensive, professional GIS map
Methodology
The GIS analysis will use techniques to
create a predictive model for Wood Frog Breeding populations and abiotic and
biotic factors that can be determined by creating appropriate data layers.
These data layers will include road, wetlands, forest and whatever else may be
a factor on the Saratoga Battlefield that may be creating the fluctuations of
wood frog breeding populations. These data layers will be included, along with
the main piece of information consisting of a map of the breeding pools at the
park as well as point coverage of study locations and the populations
themselves, based on GPS locations recorded last year.
The information being used will be
accumulated by Alexandra Natale, an undergraduate at Siena College, but will
also include a long-term dataset. This dataset will encompass wood frog clutch
size at breeding pools at Saratoga National Historica Park, from 2003 until the
present research this spring.
Data Sources
•
GPS
coordinates for wood frog populations
•
NYS GIS
Clearinghouse
•
GPS
shapefiles for wetlands, roadways and forested areas
Work Plan
Week of March 5 Meet
with Dr. Kolosvary and obtain
source information for GPS coordinates,
as well as shapefiles of the Saratoga Battlefield.
Week of March 12 Begin
working on the map. Add coordinate points as well as layers given.
Week of March 19 Continue
to work on the map, adding whatever other shapefiles
And
data layers necessary for a cohesive map.
Week of April 2 Adjust
the symbology of each data layer to make sure each makes
Sense
for the context of the research being done.
Week of April 9 Begin
editing the rough draft. Make the layout format look
Presentable.
Week of April 16 Turn
in a finished rough draft to Dr. Kolosvary
Week of April 23 Use
the edits to make the final touches on the map
Week of April 30 Have
a finished draft of the map due
Works Cited
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