http://jjromano.wordpress.com/2010/02/01/reading-presentation-shuurman-p-42-64/

Green Maps-

http://jjromano.wordpress.com/2010/01/20/green-maps/

Delaware Data Comments-

http://jjromano.wordpress.com/2010/03/01/delaware-data-comments/

Green Map timeline/update

http://jjromano.wordpress.com/2010/03/31/water-usage-maps-update/

Final Green Map presentation/Earth Day Information-

http://jjromano.wordpress.com/2010/04/28/utilities-maps/

Water Use on OWU Campus

Rainwater Harvesting Potential-

Water Usage Facts-

Water Use at Ohio Wesleyan-

Total Water Use on Ohio Wesleyan Campus in 2009- (Excluding Campus Center, Corns, and Mowry Alumni Center)

35,205 CCF

Or

26,333,340 Gallons

Total Cost of Water on OWU campus in 2009- (with exclusions)

$83,479

Rainwater Harvesting Potential-

Total rainwater that runs off of buildings around OWU campus-

10,529,835.75 Gallons per year

Amount of money that could be saved using rainwater collection at OWU-

$33,380.52 per year

Delaware County Water Use-

Average Home Water Use per person in United States-

80-100 gallons per day

or

36,500 gallons per year

Estimated Total Home Water Use by entire population of Delaware County-

6,023,449,000 gallons per year

Given the 1.5 L that the U.S. Institute of Medicine recommends the average person should consume each day to remain healthy, the total water used at home by residents of Delaware County each year would be enough to provide ample drinking water for 41,256,500 people per day or 113,031 people per year!

• If each resident of Delaware County saved an average of one gallon of water per day, the entire population could end up saving over 60,234,490 gallons per year!  That’s enough to fill up over 100 Olympic sized swimming pools!

Electricity Use on OWU campus-

Here is the information that accompanied these maps on the presentation board at Delaware Earth Day-

Energy Use Facts-

Energy Use at Ohio Wesleyan-

Total Energy Use on Ohio Wesleyan Campus in 2009-

13,544,312 Kilowatt Hours

Total Cost of Water on OWU Campus in 2009-

$961,644.87

Estimated Total Carbon Dioxide Emissions from Electricity at Ohio Wesleyan in 2009-

12,867,096.4 Kilograms

Ohio Energy Use-

According to the US Energy Information Administration, the average American consumed 11,256 Kilowatt Hours per year in 2005.

Total Ohio Energy Consumption Based on US EIA data-

129,924,012,120 Kilowatt Hours per year

Ohio Energy Facts-

-          86% of Ohio’s electricity comes from coal burning power plants.

-          An average of 1 Kilogram of Carbon Dioxide is released into that atmosphere with each Kilowatt Hour of energy generated by coal.

-          Ohio used 58,953 short tons of coal in 2008 alone!

-          Ohio generated approximately 3,822,925,191,000 metric tonnes of Carbon Dioxide through coal burning power plants in 2008!

-          This equates to an average of 331,200 metric tonnes of CO2 generated per person in the state of Ohio!

-          This CO2 total nearly equals the amount of CO2 released by the entire continent of South America!

Delaware Energy Use-

Total Delaware County Energy Consumption Based on USA EIA data-

1,857,532,656 Kilowatt Hours per year

Estimated Total of Carbon Dioxide Emissions from Electricity in Delaware County-

1,764,656,023.2 Kilograms per year

-          That’s enough Carbon Dioxide to fill around 324,200 dump trucks!

Remaining tasks-

Find out from buildings and grounds-

-Drainage: Where does the water that drains off of building tops go? Does OWU pay to dispose of this water? (Is it included in the cost of the “sewer” utilities?)

-How does the science center’s drainage system work? Is it an internal drainage system? (No visible gutters on the outside of the building)

-How exactly does the steam heating system work?  What are the costs associated with it? Is the cost of the natural gas that powers it included in the system?

Use the CCF (hundred cubic foot) numbers from the utility data to convert CCF into gallons (CCF X 748) and determine how much water goes into the sewers each year from each building and then add them all up together to get the TOTAL amount of water that is released into the sewers per year.   Also calculate the total cost of the sewer utility data as well.

Use Kyle’s Green and Grey map to determine how much rainwater runs off of all the impervious surfaces on campus, to find out a rough estimate of how much water runs off into drainage systems from all over OWU.

Depending on the layout of the overall Green Map, I would like to include little bits of information regarding water usage and suggest ways in which people could conserve water.  I would include this information in two columns on either side of the map.

I have decided not to include a map of potential sites for rainwater collection units.  This would require me to place lots of different points on the maps showing possible locations for these rainwater collection units. However, in a map that stretches from Selby field all the way to the fraternities, I feel that the map would be too broad and the points wouldn’t show precise locations well enough.  In that case, there would essentially be no point to showing these various locations.

Here is a link to a great video that describes how it works-

Development of a project like this could become a centerpiece for designing and developing a sustainable community. Not only does it provide a carbon neutral way to create freshwater from sea water, it doubles as a beautiful amphitheater that could easily become a cultural and artistic hotspot in the community. Lots of potential with a project like this, especially in coastal areas of the world where freshwater is a valuable commodity.

The Master data layer provides information on individual parcels of land around Delaware and provides a little bit of information about each address point.

The Annexation layer shows different areas of land that Delaware county has claimed over time and shows the boundaries of Delaware county’s land.

The Archaeological layer shows different archaeological sites around Delaware county.

The benchmark layer shows the locations of all geographic benchmarks around Delaware county.

The building outline layer displays the outlines of buildings in Delaware county and provides information on measurements of the buildings, including total area.

The census block layer shows the different blocks that have been defined by the US Census bureau to aid them in data collection.

The census block group layer shows groups of blocks that have been taken by the US census bureau to aid them in data collection.

The census tract layer again shows different groups of land that have been taken by the US census bureau.

The farm lot layer displays all of the plots of farmland in Delaware county.

The 100 year floodplain shows the area that is encompassed within the 100 year floodplain. The 100 year floodplain is the area that is contained within a major flood event that occurs on average every 100 years.

The 2009 Floodplain layer shows the areas in Delaware county that are contained within the floodplain of every body of water in 2009.

The 500 year floodplain layer is similar to the 100 year floodplain layer, but instead shows the 500 year floodplain instead of the 100 year floodplain

The Delaware Floodways layer shows the different bodies of water in Delaware, such as lakes and rivers that are prone to flooding. It shows the borders of these bodies of water and their location in Delaware.

The Delaware Historical Local layer shows local historical landmarks around Delaware county.

The Delaware Historical National shows national historical landmarks around Delaware county.

The Delaware Hydro map shows the different large reservoirs or lakes around Delaware county.

Delaware Hydro detailed layer shows the reservoirs and lakes like in the other Hydro layer, but it is more accurate to the actual borders of the bodies of water on the map.

The Delaware landmarks map layers show different categories of landmarks around Delaware county.  It includes churches, golf courses, schools and post offices.

The Delaware municipalities layer shows the outlines and borders of different municipalities within Delaware county.

The Delaware natural heritage layer shows different natural landmarks around Delaware county.

The Delaware Orthophoto 2008 shows Delaware county from aerial photos taken in 2008

The Delaware Orthophoto 2008 detailed is just like the orthophoto 2008 layer, but is just more detailed.

The Delaware Parcels layer shows each individual parcel of land in Delaware county and the borders that contain them.

The Delaware Precincts map layers show the different voting zones within Delaware and the different city wards and precincts.

The Delaware Public Land survey System layer shows the Public Land Survey System grid that was used to survey the county in the past.

The Delaware Railroad layer shows the all of the routes of different railroads within Delaware county.

The Delaware Road Center Line layer shows every road in Delaware, from the middle of each road.

The Delaware Road Right of Way layer shows the outlines and borders of all of the streets in Delaware county

The Delaware School layer shows the borders of the different school districts in Delaware County.

The Delaware Soils layer shows all the different types of soil in Delaware county.

The Delaware Subdivisions layer shows the borders and outlines of different subdivisions within the county.

The Delaware Tax Districts layer shows the borders and outlines of the different tax districts in Delaware county.

The Delaware Topography layer shows different township’s topography.

The Delaware Townships layer shows the borders and outlines of the different townships within Delaware county.

The Delaware Historical Townships layer shows the townships in Delaware county in the past as opposed to the current townships.

The Delaware Watersheds layer shows each different watershed in Delaware county.

The Delaware Wetlands layer shows different areas in Delaware county that are classified as wetlands

The Delaware Woodlands layer shows the different areas in Delaware that are classified as woodlands.

The Delaware Zip Codes layer shows the different areas that each zip code encompasses in Delaware county.

The Delaware Zoning layer shows the different zoning plots in Delaware county and also shows the areas in Delaware that are zoned as historical landmarks.

In this section, Schuurman examines the development of generalization in GIS.  Generalization is the elimination of map detail as scale decreases.  As scale decreases on a map, the detail also decreases.  Shuurman also points out that generalization is context sensitive.  This means that the inclusion of geographic objects on a map depends on the theme of the map and its audience.  In cartography and GIS, transportation routes, waterways and settlements are associated with specific symbols.  This means that their symbology is not subject to interpretation and makes generalization easier to transition.

Shuurman then explains in great detail the processes that led to the development of generalization theory.  It began in the 1970s with the Douglas-Peucker line generalization algorithm.  This algorithm was developed to reduce the amount of points to describe a line to simplify the GIS process.  This reduction in the complexity of the GIS models was driven by economic factors, as the hard drives of the 1970s were extremely expensive.

Shuurman then talks about the differences between “model” and “cartographic” generalization in GIS.  She points out that in order to grasp the difference between these two aspects of GIS, one can think of the cartographic aspect as the tip of an iceberg, while the body of the iceberg, the database, is hidden below the surface.  Model based generalization focuses on reducing the detail in the database, while cartographic generalization simplifies the display.  Model generalization consists of either filtering or aggregating data while cartographic generalization is concerned only with the modification of map entities and their arrangement.  However, she explains that while these two aspects are very different from one another, they are inseperable. She concludes by mentioning that centuries of cartographic tradition led to a focus of the map as a sole object of simplification.  However, with today’s digital cartography, it is the database that generates the information and objects and is the very base of the map.

Human Geography and GIS in the New Order-

In this section, Shuurman looks at the relationship between human geography and the development of the GIS field.  Shuurman describes “critical geography” and the importance of critical geography in many different fields.  Critical geography is an umbrella term for a varied and varying  group of geographical concepts and procedures centered on opposition to repressive and inequitable power relations.  With the onset of environmentalism and feminism in the past thirty or so years, GIS has become a major tool for special interest groups.  Another major impact that GIS has had on these fields is that it creates a convenient and effective means for research.  GIS critical to gathering information about human geography and has led to major advances and theories in numerous different fields.

Chapter 3: The Devil is in the Data: Collection, Representation, and Standardization-

Shuurman begins this chapter by mentioning that GIS can be described from multiple perspectives.  For this reason, she mentions that data may not necessarily be a transparent manifestation of reality in digital terms.  She points out that data is often collected from people with specific points of view and can be easily analyzed in ways that benefit a specific argument or viewpoint.  However, not all data is subjective.  With the expansion of GIS in recent years, data has become increasingly shared amongst users.  Despite this, it is still extremely difficult to find and define “good data.”

Examples-

Republican map 1

Republican map 2

Democratic map 1

Democratic map 2

The Politics and Practicalities of Data Collection-

Shuurman points out that data collected by government censuses are generally accepted by the public as reliable data.  This is because the data is collected from an unbiased and governmental group.  However, census based data collection is not free from criticism.  In the late 1990s, democrats and republicans debated over the legitimacy of the census data.  Democrats argued that many people may be unaccounted for, such as the homeless or disenfranchised.  Since the government bases allocation of federal and state funds, many believed that some areas would not be sufficiently represented.  An underestimation of even a several thousand people could end up costing cities or counties tens of millions of dollars from the federal government.

Shuurman then examines the different data collection techniques for things such as precipitation and sea-level depths.  This data is acquired by using scientific methods and are not subjective at all.  Shuurman then talks about the importance that GPS and satellite technology in the GIS field.  GPS is based on a system of twenty-four NAVSTAR satellites that circle the earth continuously.

With the onset of GPS, cartographers now had access to a critical way to collect primary data.  Primary data is data that is captured using direct measurements specifically for use in a researchers project.  However, secondary data, such as census data, scanned aerial photos and digitized maps, are collected for another purpose and must be converted for use in GIS.

Organizing Data-

In this section Shuurman explores different ways to store and organize data.  Tables and spreadsheets are the most common form of digital data storage and organization.  She then talks about several key elements of spatial data that transcend data models.

Location data is a fundamental data set to GIS.  Without location, data are useless for spatial analysis.

Attribute data describes a particular data set.  Attributes are characteristics of spatial objects defined in a GIS.

Consistency must be maintained in the data collection and is essential for its use in GIS.  Missing or excluded data could render the map ineffective for analyzing.

Scale must cater directly to each map’s goals and context.  Ineffective scaling of a map could undermine the effectiveness of a map.

Metadata is defined as “data about data.”  Without metadata, questions could arise about the legitimacy of the data collection and the spatial analysis that is conducted through the map.

I also found an article about the so called “founder” of the green map system. The article provides a link to what is called “Open Green Map.“  I browsed around the maps that are on the site, and while they are interesting, they definitely are very limited. It seems like only a few cities around the country are really accounted for in this “green map.” I did take a look at a few places around my former hometown of San Antonio, Texas. It was interesting that they labeled the “Upper Salado Creek Greenway” that is right by my house, as a “green site.”  In recent years this area has seen a huge amount of suburbanization and the so called “greenway” is just a small gully with a bridged road going across it. I passed by it every day on my way to school for 8 years and not once did I even think about that area as being a “green area.”

I also found this interesting green map of the Greater Columbus Area. It is not very conveniently laid out on the website and unfortunately the link to the interactive map is not working. However, this map would be an interesting green map to look at. It looks like it contains “green” topics such as native plant and animal species, green businesses and services, sustainable energy sites, parks and bike paths and much much more.

All of these sites could definitely be useful when we make our own green map. It would be interesting if we could possibly make an interactive map on the web, just like the Columbus map is supposed to have.

I also found this website from the EPA. It maps out and lists different reported EPA violations around the country.

And just another random “green map” of sorts. Just a map of the different Tesla Motors stores around the world.

.