Introduction
Developing a data collection procedure from scratch is an essential skill when working in the field and requires a sufficient amount of preparation in ArcMap. This week the class is visiting the Priory and using a Trimble Juno GPS unit to collect data there. In the same groups as all the previous activities this semester, each member is responsible for setting up a database in ESRI ArcMap 10.1 and using the ArcPad extension to deploy the data to the GPS unit for data collection when out the field. My group seeks to collect data on the various signs and garbage materials that are on the site. This report will include a description of the study area, a step by step detailed explanation of the methods, and an evaluation on the success of the experience.
Study Area
The Priory is located just south of the Eau Claire, Wisconsin city limits on Priory Road (Figure 1). The former monastery chapel used to be named Benedictine Hall until the UW-Eau Claire foundation purchased the property to turn it into a new children’s center, which is now called the Children’s Nature Academy. The 100 plus acre property adjoins Interstate 94 to the north and is surrounded by a low density residential neighborhood in rural Eau Claire. Now that the weather is turning over to spring, the trails are more visible making it easier to move through the thick wooded areas that cover most of the property. My group expects to find most of the signs and garbage in the parking lot of the children’s center.
Figure 1: Priory Locator Map
Methodology
There
are numerous steps in conducting a data collection project in the field from
scratch, which involves significant preparation in the mapping software. My
group will collect data about the different types of signs and garbage
materials that are found at the Priory. The project is laid out in the
following methods: creating a Geodatabase and setting up separate feature
classes for signs and garbage materials, establishing domains for the created
feature classes, deploying the Geodatabase for ArcPad to a Trimble Juno for
field data collection, collecting the actual data in the field at the Priory,
and using ArcPad to get the data from the Juno GPS to the Geodatabase in
ArcMap.
The
first method is to create a Geodatabase and set up two feature classes; one for
signs and the other for garbage materials. This portion of the project can be
done in ArcCatalog by creating a new folder and right clicking that to create a
file Geodatabase. Once a Geodatabase is built, the user can create a feature
class for one of the items in the study by right clicking the Geodatabase and
choosing “create feature class”. Since signs and garbage materials are not
continuous features, these will be displayed as point feature classes. These
features will be projected under the NAD_1983_HARN_Wisconsin_TM meters
coordinate system in the software. In order to distinguish between the two
types of items being collected in the field, signs will be displayed as yellow
points while garbage materials will be displayed as blue points. It is
imperative to pick colors that stand out and are easy to read outside when
creating a feature class in ArcCatalog because this will transfer over to
ArcPad and be displayed on the Trimble Juno GPS unit. Since data has not been
collected yet, these new feature classes will appear blank when brought into
ArcMap. Different fields for each feature can be created allowing the user to
input more information about a specific feature when collected in the field. These
fields will store a category of the data in a table of the same data type
whether it is text, date, or float. Since the data for signs and garbage
materials will be mostly names, all of the data types in this study are text. The
following fields will be used for signs: shapes, color, type, material, and
notes for any additional information about the feature whereas the following fields
will be used for garbage: material, size, type, and notes.
The
second method is establishing the domains for the feature classes, which is
also done in ArcCatalog by going to the feature class’ properties followed by
clicking the subtypes tab and then the Domains button. Domains are the rules
that describe the allowable values of a field type, giving a means for
enforcing data integrity. In other words, these constrain the values permitted
in any specific attribute for a feature class. Domains are created before the
actual fieldwork so that the user has a set of options to choose from when
collecting data from a particular feature. For example, in the material field
of the garbage feature class, a coded value domain is established as it
provides distinguishable characteristics about what garbage is made out of.
Figure 2 shows the domains and coded values used for this field. Domains are
created for each field in the signs and garbage feature classes.
Figure 2: Garbage Material Domains and Coded Values
Figure 3: Trimble Juno GPS Unit
The fourth
method is to go out to the field and collect the data with the Trimble Juno
GPS. Since the Geodatabase for the project has been deployed to the device, it
should be found in the project folder that the user saved it in. My group
walked around the property in the areas where our data types would most likely
be found. Although many signs are found in the parking lot of the Priory, the
trails are lined with markers that we can collect and designate as navigational
signs.
The
Fifth method is to transfer the data collected out in the field from the
Trimble Juno GPS to ArcMap using the ArcPad extension again. A basemap with the
same projection can be displayed underneath the points feature classes to show
the distribution of the signs and garbage found at the Priory. Figure 4
displays the data collected from my Trimble Juno GPS and Figure 5 displays my
group’s data.
Figure 4: My Signs and Garbage Data Collected in the Field
Figure 5: My Group's (Me, Hannah, and Kory) Signs and Garbage Data Collected in the Field
Discussion
The
ability to develop a data collection procedure from scratch can help a
researcher better understand the data that is being collected in the field.
There were no software related issues for building a Geodatabase and deploying
it onto the Trimble Juno GPS, however when we were out in the field most of the
garbage/litter was found close to the dumpsters shown in Figures 4 and 5. Since
our mission was to collect every single garbage material that we ran across, we
decided to take a few data points in this area and call it a cluster of
garbage. Garbage from the dumpsters could have been blown and scattered around
the area close to the dumpsters during the fall and winter months. Halloween
wrappers were found indicating that they had been covered with snow since then.
We were also fortunate enough to go out in the field in time just days before a
historical record breaking May snowstorm hit the Eau Claire area dumping almost
10 inches of snow. If this would have happened before the day of going out to
the field, only the signs would have been collected.
Conclusion
The goal of this project is to
create a data collection procedure from the ground up for signs and garbage at
the Priory. These skills in the preparation stages of fieldwork are important
because it involves the use of technology in many of the duties. I have taken a
lot out of this experience by learning how to successfully set up a database
for deployment to the field.
