Lab 8 Mapping Census 2000 with ArcGIS

Overall, I am very happy that I take this Geography 7 class. With the guidance of great TA Jida and Professor Shin, my interest and sense of satisfaction in ArcGIS are further developed. Revising all the 8 labs I have done, I feel amazed about the ability I have learned for manipulating and applying GIS into mapping. In the first lab, I introduced the characteristics of the places I lived using different maps. This assignment has aroused my understanding that  different maps have different purposes. For instance, I used the weather forecast map to illustrate the moving direction of storm in Hong Kong. Next, we studied about map reading and scale conversion in the second lab. We also gain knowledge of identifying quadrangles, UTM zones, magnetic declination, and geographical coordinates as well as cropping out a feature from a map. In lab 3, I can create my own map using Google map. That was my first time to generate a route with all the geographical features. Most importantly, I realized the potentials and pitfalls of neogeography.  Furthermore, I practiced to utilize ArcGIS to produce different map layouts, integrate them with research, and analyze the results in the latter five labs. For instance, I engendered a proposed airport expansion map layout with titles, legends, scale bars, and north arrow in lab 4. Moreover, I am able to comprehend conformal, equidistant, and equal area map projections because of my practice in lab 5. As for lab 6, I carried out hillshade, slope, and aspect maps of DEMs using ArcMap. More interestingly, I was able to make and visualize a 3 dimensional map due to Arc Scene. In addition, lab 7 allows me to reflect and interpret the temporal pattern of station fire in California on a map.  Last but not least, I understand how to show spatial distribution and population density of different races and analyze the data in the last lab. Therefore, I have absorbed so much useful knowledge and techniques in this class. I appreciate the opportunity to study Introduction to GIS so I will recommend other students to take it.  

Lab 7: Station Fire and My Map Interpretation

The Station Fire extended northwards and in uphill direction. When I researched from Wikipedia, I am shocked to know that the fire was the largest and deadliest of the California wildfires in 2009, burning 251 sq miles. The Station Fire burned on the slopes of Mount Wilson, threatening numerous television, radio and cellular telephone antennas on the summit, as well as the Mount Wilson Observatory. It started in the Angeles National Forest near the U.S. Forest Service ranger station on the Angeles Crest Highway. The blaze threatened 12,000 structures in the National Forest and the nearby communities of La Cañada Flintridge, Glendale, Acton, La Crescenta, Littlerock and Altadena, as well as the Sunland and Tujunga neighborhoods of the City of Los Angeles (Wikipedia).

My hypothesis for this incident is that fire tends to move towards uphill direction. As we can see from the temporal pattern from August 29 to September 2 on the map above, the fire expands its size from the lower to upper elevation. This can be proved by the hillshade which provides us a visualization of the slopes and aspects. One possible reason for the upward movement of the fire is that warm air and gas tend to rise. It is because they have lower density and thus less heavy. Besides lower density of warm air, the dry weather of California also facilitates extension of fire.  

In addition, the fire happened next to the network of highway. Thus, there might be a chance that a driver threw out his or her used cigarette from the car, which burned the nearby dry vegetation and caused the fire. Moreover, Relief work for the people who are suffered from the fire would be convenient. It is because there are lots of hospitals and freeways around the area. 

According to the map, I also indicate that the fire covered Angeles National Forest and some LA country parks. This implies that the fire damage lots of vegetations. Therefore, it caused tremendous environmental detriment. According to the U.S. Department of the Interior, "the secondary effects of wildfires, including erosion, landslides, introduction of invasive species, and changes in water quality, are often more disastrous than the fire itself." Lost vegetation and exposure of bare ground increase the risk of flooding and debris flow. "Sediment, burned debris, and chemicals affect water quality" (Suite101).

Furthermore, wildfires worsen air quality. When inhaled, smoke and ash can cause negative and lasting health effects, including lung disease. On the other hand, wildfires may have some environmental advantages. The Department of the Interior mentioned that "Many species depend on wildfires to improve habitat, recycle nutrients, and maintain diverse communities." However, the destructions related to the fire outweigh benefits. The chemicals used to battle fires are also perilous to natural world (Suite101).

Works Cited

2009 California Wildfires. Wikipedia. 1 November 2010. 25 November 2010.    <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009_California_wildfires>

Map Share. UCLA. 18 February 2009. 25 November 2010. <http://gis.ats.ucla.edu//Mapshare/Default.cfm>

Maps & GIS. Los Angeles County Department of Regional Planning. 2009. 25 November 2010. <http://planning.lacounty.gov>

Parent, Jason. “North American Wildfire-Causes and Prevention.” Suite101.com. 3 September 2009. 25 November 2010. <http://www.suite101.com/content/north-american-wildfires-causes-and-prevention-a144814#ixzz15lkuJoS3>

The National Map Seamless Server. USGS. 30 September 2010. 25 November 2010. <http://seamless.usgs.gov/website/seamless/viewer.htm>

Lab 3: Create my own map =) Fun Eastern Washington Road Trip

View Fun Eastern Washington Road Trip in a larger map

      As for the potential of neogeography, online interactive maps assists to extend information rapidly and straightforwardly. User-created maps are well-organized methods of assigning important information to people who dislike a paper maps. Moreover, neogeography lets us share our individual analysis of the same geographical area. The individualized maps also add a social understanding of the vicinity. However, this extensive data source holds some risks according to how the data is explained and applied. 

      Because these types of maps can be edited with no trouble and they look proficient, they may endow with misinformation. People would be misinformed into trusting the wrong data. Furthermore, the fact that the advanced programming does all of the thinking for the users may lead to a dilapidation in users’ investigative skills. Another drawback of neogeography is a threat to privacy and security. Neogeography allows for an exchange of personal information among the crowd, such as sexual orientation and political alliance. This implies that people can be targeted for crimes. Last but not least, if we over-rely on online maps, we may get lost if the area does not have internet access on the way of our trips. Therefore, paper maps are still worthwhile and reliable to be used in addition to google or yahoo maps.