Lab 8: Thermal & Multispectral Analysis

Wildfire Hotspots

This week we used ArcMap and EDRAS Imagine to create composite multispectral images. Then we adjusted the images band combinations and symbology in order to identify features in the image. In this image of the Ecuador Coast, I adjusted the bands to contrast wildfire hotspots. In the true color image, two of the five hotspots had no smoke plume visible and may have gone unnoticed with out the aid of thermal imagery.

Project 3: Web Applications - Analyze Week

"Working" Tour Map

This week we completed a "working" version of our story map using a web map template from Esri. My map is a walking tour of downtown Hinesville, Georgia. The tour highlights buildings and monuments of historic significance. You can check out my progress here.

Project 3: Web Applications - Prepare Week

Story Map

This week we started on our third project where we learned about story maps. When my wife asked me what a story map was, I jokingly replied, "it's a map, that tells...a story". Yeah, she rolled her eyes at me. According to Esri's website, a story map is a web map that incorporates text, multimedia and interactive functions to inform, educate, entertain and inspire people about a wide variety of topics. For this project I will create a walking tour of the downtown area of Hinesville, Georgia. The map will highlight points of interest within walking distance of the courthouse square. Check out this story map of the recent flood in Fort Collins, Colorado.

Lab 7: Multispectral Analysis

Water Feature

This week we used clues to identify and locate examples of different features within EDRAS Imagine. In this map, identified the feature in the area of interest as water. I chose a color band combination of Red - Layer 6, Green - Layer  5 and Blue - Layer 3 to contrast the water against the other features in the image.

 Snow Feature

In this map, I used multiple views to identify the mystery feature. From the clues led me to this snow capped area where I chose a false color band combination to contrast the snow from surrounding vegetation.

 Variations in Water

And finally, in this map we were instructed to select a color band combination that clearly shows variations in water. I determined the best color band combination to show these features is Red - Layer 3, Green - Layer 2 and Blue - Layer 1.

Lab 6: Spatial Enhancement

Image Enhancement

This map was created in ArcMap with an image that was enhanced in ERDAS Imagine. The original image was striped with diagonal black lines that narrowed from left to right. Using the tools available in ERDAS Imagine, I was able to reduce the striping while retaining most of the detail in the original image.

Project 2: Bonus Assignment

HURREVAC

HURREVAC version 1.3.3, released on August 28, 2013, is a free computer-based program used to assist government emergency managers with hurricane evacuation decisions for their area. The program originated in 1987 as ‘Decide’, with the purpose of computing evacuation decision times for South Carolina. HURREVAC routinely checks for updates from the National Hurricane Center and displays this information in the programs interactive interface. Pre-determined clearance times for the user’s local area are automatically checked against a storms projected path. If the user’s area falls within the storms cone of probability, HURREVAC will prompt the emergency manager and notify them of the danger. The user can easily print maps from the program and use them in planning meetings. This software can be a very useful tool for local governments that do not have a GIS staff. You can obtain more information on HURREVAC at www.hurrevac.com

Project 2: Network Analyst - Report Week

Presentation of shelter locations to public

Hurricane Amber is expected to make landfall in the Tampa area on the evening of Thursday October 17, 2013. The National Weather Service is predicting heavy rain, along with a storm surge which may result in 5.5 ft of standing water in the South Tampa area. The Tampa Bay Blvd, Middleton HS and Oak Park storm shelters will be open before, during and after the storm. It is important to inform the public which shelter is closest to their location and what better way to so than a map. An evacuation service area map was designed in Adobe Illustrator including a map created in ArcMap. The evacuation service area polygons were built utilizing the Network Analyst extension. Network Analyst created each polygon by determining those routes that required the least amount of time to get to one of three storm shelters. The map also includes some helpful reminders for preparing for the storm. This map can easily be distributed to local and national television news agencies, as well as print media and the internet.  Please note that neither shelter capacity nor population density was considered for this study. As a result, overcrowding may become an issue at one or more of the shelters.

Project 2: Network Analyst - Analyze Week

Evacuation Service Areas and Emergency Routes

This week we focused on the Network Analyst extension of ArcGIS. Using point features and the roads feature class we prepared last week, I created two routes to aid in the evacuation of a hospital and three routes to aid in the delivery of emergency supplies to storm shelters. The road network and shelter feature points were also used to create Evacuation Service Areas. This data can be used to create information pamphlets for the public before a storm and driving directions for emergency workers before, during and after a storm.

Lab 5a: Intro to ERDAS Imagine and Digital Data 1

Classified Image of Forested Land in Washington State

This map was created from a subset of Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) imagery of forested land in Washington State. The TM imagery was processed using EDRAS Imagine where an Area field was added to the image attributes in order to calculate the total acreage of each colorband. The final layout was created in ArcMap.

Project 2: Network Analyst – Prepare Week

Hurricane Evacuation Route Planning: Tampa, FL 

This week we prepared data for use with the Network Analyst extension of ArcGIS. This base map shows classified DEM polygons which were used to create a flood zone feature class (not pictured). The flood zone feature class was then used to identify which roads are likely to be flooded in the event of a hurricane impact. Knowing which roads are more likely to be affected are important when creating evacuation routes. This information can then be distributed to residents and local authorities.