Lab 7: Population Census Map

         The map above displays the population density of Blacks per U.S. county according to Census information from the year 2000. The density is in percentage, and the differences in percentage are indicated by a red color scale gradually moving from lighter red (small Black population) to darker red (large Black population). Using this map as a reference, you can see that the counties with the higher population densities of Blacks are mainly located in the South-eastern part of the United States. Some of those counties are colored the darkest red, which means that the density of the Black population within these counties could range anywhere from 53% to 86%, which is a significant amount because that is more than half of the entire population of those specific counties.  The fact that there is more of an abundance of Blacks in that part of the country relates and corresponds to the history of the United States, as that is where most of the awful institution of black slavery occurred before the Civil War. Even though some have migrated to other parts of the country over the years, like California, it seems like most Blacks, after they were freed, stayed in that relative area to start their families.

        In the map above, U.S. counties are shown according to the percentage of Asian population density within each of them given by Census data in the year 2000. According to the legend and color scale, the counties colored the darker purple are those in which most Asians reside. From this map, you can see that much of the Asian population of the United States is concentrated on either the West Coast or the East Coast. This fact it somewhat intuitive and can, again, relate to United States history as most Asian immigrants throughout the years have come to either the East or West Coast. More specifically, the state of California is clearly shown to have the highest percentage of Asians, with some Californian counties having an Asian population density ranging from 21% to 46% according to its darker purple coloring. Historically, Asians worked on railroads and gold mines of California and many probably stayed and raised generations of families. Also, crossing the Pacific Ocean from Asia to get to the West Coast of the United States may have been a more direct, easier route. Therefore, California was the most accessible state to reach when migrating from the Asian continent and the Asian immigrants chose to stay and live there. 

        The last map above indicates the population density of "some other race" per U.S. county according to Census data of the year 2000. The differences in population numbers between counties is again represented through percentage that corresponds to a green color scale. Although "some other race" is not specified, you might infer that it could be the Hispanic race, as statistics show that a higher number of Hispanics reside in the South-west and that is the part of the map where there is more dark green. Regardless of what race population (or maybe even a combination of races) this map is actually showing, you can definitely see from this map that the Western part of the country seems to have more diversity in comparison to other parts of the country such as the mid-west. This could possibly be because the West coast is the newer part of the country, in regards to American history.

        In conclusion, this census map series conveys a lot of information in an easy to understand way. Many people could look at these maps and realize what information it is sharing. I also personally enjoyed this lab because I could really see and understand the resulting map products. However, it was a bit of a struggle to begin, with going through the tutorial which had a couple of mistakes relating to the actual program. Also having to change the headers on the Excel data tables downloaded from the Census website was a bit confusing. Despite all this, once I made the first map and understood how to synthesize all the data, join the tables, etc., the lab became a lot more comprehensive and easier to do.  And, again, I really like the end results. These maps look like something I would Google and use as references on other projects, but I actually created them myself!

        Overall, I have mixed impressions and feelings about GIS. I can see that it is very useful and very prominent in today's society. Since taking this class, I've noticed aspects of GIS everywhere! The types of information conveyed using GIS are numerous and are super important in today's world, from social media applications to aiding in emergency situations, etc. I am also impressed by the end results of maps made through GIS. Once you utilize the program and follow the right steps, you can create something pretty cool and informative. However, a lot of the GIS concepts and aspects were confusing to me because I was so new to them. Labs using ArcGIS, especially, are sometimes super frustrating because I don't fully understand how to navigate the program, or all the technological terminology and processes, etc. Also, because I am taking this class as just a GE, I've never really been too interested in things like GIS. Even though I probably won't continue with GIS, my newfound knowledge has made me more aware of my spacial surroundings and I get to show everybody all the cool things that I, myself, have created.

Lab 6: DEMs

3D Elevation Model

In this lab, I created four different maps in ArcGIS that serve as digital elevation models of a particular area. These maps include a shaded relief model, a slope map, an aspect map, and a 3D rendering of the DEM data. I encountered various potentials and pitfalls while creating these models in ArcGIS. Creating these different models was relatively easy for me once I had downloaded the right DEM data. It was just a matter of allocating and saving the data in the right place in the right way (input raster as DEM data and output raster to my USB drive).  I actually thought it was pretty fun being able to play with the different color scales for my maps, the transparency, and such. One could really see the difference in the land when choosing different colors or transparencies, which gives a more detailed look at the information presented. Thus, that is a potential and benefit with working with DEMs in ArcGIS as elevation information presented can be presented in a more aesthetically appealing way that also could be easier for a viewer to understand. For example, you can clearly see where the ground is higher in the 3D elevation model (which was my favorite one to create and play with). However, there are some pitfalls that come with creating DEMs in ArcGIS, mostly due to certain technological glitches. For example, on the Slope Map, even though I chose to change the units to "percent rise," the values came out in large number (as indicated by the legend) which makes it seem like something went wrong.  And, of course, you have be somewhat technological savvy to work through the program and create such models through ArcGIS, ArcScene, etc. Overall, I had a positive experience with this lab in creating different DEMs because it was relatively simple to work through and it was interesting to see the different effects applied to the same data.

Lab 5: Map Projections

 

Map projections are vital and prominent in the world of cartography and GIS. They are a way of transforming Earth's three-dimensional surface into a two-dimensional flat map that are most efficient for use. However, map projections are ultimately abstractions and each one creates some type of distortion to either Earth's area, distance, direction, or shape because it is not possible to accurately translate all spatial characteristics from a spherical globe to a flat surface. Some of the most common projections include conformal, equal area, and equidistant which all encompass their own  perils/potentials and advantages/disadvantages. Despite these inaccuracies, map projections all have their own significance as they enable convenient representation of the world's surface in a relatively efficient way that creates easier use and distribution among consumers.

Conformal projections, such as the Mercator and Hotine Oblique Mercator above, retain local shapes as they preserve the angles of boundaries of countries, continents, and other features. However, by maintaining angles, the actual area within certain features becomes distorted. For example, in the Mercator projection above, the recognizable shape of Greenland remains but it seems way larger than the country of Mexico, which is almost its spatial equivalent in actuality. You can see the area distortion again in the Hotine Oblique Mercator, as the island chain of Indonesia looks as large as the continent of Africa.

Equal Area projections, like the Cylindrical Equal Area and the Eckert VI projections.,  preserve the amount of space/area within map features. In both equal area projections shown above, Greenland and Mexico are projected to be about the same size, which corresponds to the actual area in reality. Also, The continent of Africa remains larger in size than the continent of South America, which again corresponds to reality. However, equal area projections distort all other properties such as shape, direction and distance. When measuring and comparing the distance between Washington D.C. and Kabul on both the Cylindrical Equal Area and Eckert VI projections, one can see the drastic difference in measurement. The distance measured between the two cities on the Cylindrical Equal Area is a little over 10,000 miles, while the distance measured between the same two cities on the Eckert VI projection is only about 7500 miles.

Equidistant map projections, like the Equidistant Conic and the Azimuthal Equidistant above, preserve the distances along designated lines and/or outward from the center. Nevertheless, this type of projection does distort area of features, as can be seen in the Azimuthal Equidistant projection where the continent of Australia looks larger than that of Africa. This type of projection also does not always show true distances between various points, which is conveyed by the different measurements of the distance between Washington D.C. and Kabul found in the Equidistant Conic (about 7000 miles) and the Azimuthal Equidistant (about 8400 miles).

In conclusion, the concept of map projection does have its various significances, perils, and potentials. Since it is impossible to accurately translate a three-dimensional Earth onto a two-dimensional flat surface, all projections will have some type of disparity and distortion in its features. Therefore, it is important to recognize that each projection is best used for specific inquiries and data to avoid false measurements and findings. Despite the inaccuracies of projections, map projections are still essential in making the spatial analysis of the Earth possible.

Lab 4: ArcGIS Tutorial

Pitfalls and Potentials: 

GIS possesses a lot of potential in its use for compiling data into meaningful maps. The options of either layout view or data view in ArcGIS allows users, like myself, to add/edit data in a straightforward way that cleanly organizes and presents the map and the information that is trying to be spread to consumers.  In my own experience, the tutorial for GIS was another added benefit because it allowed for unexperienced users like me to create such a complicated project in a relatively easy manner. Its step-by-step instructions and screenshots made the tutorial pretty easy to follow and helped my navigate my way around the program as a whole. 

Other potentials for GIS include its variety in ways to convey and present the data. It has a multitude of  symbols, colors and added features to make the information more aesthetically pleasing for the consumer and makes the information easier to understand. For example, in this lab, it was easy to create an actual bar graph representing Land Use in the Noise Contour to accentuate and emphasize the data being presented in the corresponding map. Also, with those symbols, points, lines, etc., one can point out whichever feature needed. Another potential for GIS is its power and effect. The information organized and presented with GIS can be easily spread and many users have a chance to share their opinions. Like in this tutorial, this project of "Proposed Airport Expansion," with all the information and data shown through the maps, could aid the citizens of the area in fighting the proposal and preventing their community from having to deal with the noise that would come from the airport expansion.

However, GIS definitely has its share of pitfalls. I can vouch for these as I had to deal with them personally while working through this tutorial. First and foremost, a huge pitfall for GIS is that a user must be pretty technologically savvy when working with the program. This could be a problem for casual users and/or those who are of older age and inexperienced with such complicated technology. It just isn't too user-friendly and a bit difficult to understand thoroughly. If it wasn't for the step-by-step tutorial, I would have had no idea how to navigate my way through making these maps.  If I made one mistake, it would have the potential to mess up everything else. 

Also, I feel like there were some technological glitches in some of the GIS applications which could create issues. For me, I had the most frustrating time joining the two tables involved in creating the "Population Density" frame. I cannot count how many times I had to delete the parts involved, rejoin the two tables, retype my calculations in the field calculator, etc. until I finally got the population density numbers to show up accurately on the attribute table and the map. I still don't know exactly what the problem was and what exactly fixed it but, thankfully, something worked. Another example of a technological mishap is the fact that the colors of the "Land Use in Contour" bar graph did not translate onto my exported JPEG image of my map poster. I followed the directions and applied the "palette" colors for the graph and it is shown in color on the actual ArcGIS program, but for some reason, the colors do not show up when in JPEG form. 

Lastly, the fact that a user can add/edit so many aspects of information and data on the maps can be a dangerous pitfall. It was relatively easy for me to add a street that previously was not there and name it "Airport DR." Therefore, the accuracy and reliability of maps and presented data is threatened. Consumers could easily be lead to believe wrong information. 

In conclusion, my first personal experience with GIS was quite interesting. Working through the ArcGIS tutorial, I could definitely see, for myself, the various potentials and pitfalls of GIS because my experience correlated with those potentials and pitfalls.