2014 GIST Master Projects
Projects | Date and time | |
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Designing Web-Based MapsAuthor: William Beaver, wjbeaver@gmail.com web mapping; springs research; design patterns; annotation; Springs Stewardship Institute Application design is a broad concept that uses design at three levels: layout and style; user interface and experience; and code design patterns. In this paper the author describes these design concepts with respect to web applications, in particular web mapping applications. Web mapping design concepts are used to develop the application called SeepApp for the Springs Stewardship Institute. SeepApp allows a user to verify existing springs and to add newly found springs to a map. The application includes the ability to annotate photos and video and to upload spatial tracks associated with the springs and/or the video. The application reads jpeg image metadata (EXIF data) from the photos to capture UTC (Coordinated Universal Time) date/time, GPS coordinates, and orientation of the camera. The photos are tiled and a drawing program allows for markup of large resolution photos. The project accomplishes the following tasks: development of a working web application; a template which others can use; and a body of working knowledge which can be applied to future projects. All source code for this project is available at https://github.com/wjbeaver/Hide-Seep. The application currently resides at http://overtexplorations.com/seepApp.html. |
12/17/2014 - 6:00pm to 6:20pm |
Projects | Date and time | |
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Alternative Build-Out Analysis and Land Use Designation for Hillside Preservation in Santa Cruz County, ArizonaAuthor: Deni Huffman, denihuffman@email.arizona.edu Hillside preservation; build-out analysis; suitability analysis; development; Santa Cruz County; Arizona This project develops an alternative build-out analysis and proposes a new Land Use (LU) designation for preservation of hillside open space that is within active private land parcels for Santa Cruz County, Arizona. This study analyzes Santa Cruz County’s current land use plan and discusses an alternative method of build-out analysis, following existing plans and regulations. Santa Cruz County currently does not have a hillside ordinance to restrict building on lots with steep slopes. A comparison to the standard that is currently used and the alternative method highlights the differences in future land use patterns and capacity of County build-out. A suitability analysis used the analytic hierarchy process (AHP), thus arriving at criteria that would be most useful. The criteria I used is the distance to a Conservation Area, Lot size, and Steepness of Slope to establish the suitability of parcels that should be placed in the new Hillside Preservation Area LU Code. The resulting analysis identifies areas that meet my criteria. Utilizing GIS as an alternative method to assessing the build-out demonstrates the need for adoption of a new hillside preservation ordinance and land use designation in Santa Cruz County, Arizona. |
12/11/2014 - 6:20pm to 6:40pm | |
A Comparison of Remote Sensing Indices and Temporal Study of Cienegas at Cienega Creek from 1984 to 2011 Using Multispectral Satellite ImageryAuthor: Natalie R. Wilson, nrwilson@usgs.gov cienegas; arid region wetlands; Cienega Creek; Landsat Thematic Mapper; remote sensing indices Desert wetlands, in particular those slow moving bodies of water known as cienegas, are important sites for biodiversity in arid landscapes and serve as indicators of hydrological functioning on the landscape-level. One of the most extensive systems of cienegas, historical or extant, in southeastern Arizona lies along Cienega Creek, located southeast of Tucson, Arizona. Satellite imagery analysis is heavily utilized to determine landscape-level trends, but cienegas present a challenge to traditional analysis methods. The Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), the classic measure of vegetation greenness, reacts counterintuitively to open water and is affected by open ground, both common occurrences in cienega habitats. Additional remote sensing indices have been developed that balance sensitivity to these environmental elements. This research explores these remote sensing indices at Cienega Creek applying one topographic index to current elevation data and five spectral indices to Thematic Mapper imagery from 1984 to 2011. Temporal trends were identified for all spectral indices and all indices were compared for suitability in cienega habitats. Temporal trends were analyzed for spatial clustering and spatial trends identified. The Normalized Difference Infrared Index utilizing Landsat Thematic Mapper band 5 outperformed other indices at differentiating between cienega, riparian, and upland habitats and is more suitable than NDVI for analyzing cienega habitats in such circumstances. |
12/11/2014 - 6:40pm to 7:00pm |
Projects | Date and time | |
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A Web-Based Evacuation Status Map System for Santa Cruz County, Arizona Emergency ManagementAuthor: M. Gwynn Harlowe, harlowe@email.arizona.edu emergency management; evacuation; National Incident Management System; Incident Command System; Common Operating Picture Emergency events that necessitating building evacuation can easily turn chaotic and disorganized, resulting in a negative impact on public safety. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) developed the National Incident Management System (NIMS) and the Incident Command System (ICS) to provide an organizational framework for various agencies to work together seamlessly during an emergency situation. This framework enables various departments and agencies from the federal, state, and local governments as well as nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) to work together by describing the protocols that allow them to communicate with each other. This communication depends on adherence to Common Operating Picture methodology. A web-based evacuation status map created in this study greatly enhances the common operating picture of an incident. This map provides the various agencies secured web-based access to the status of an evacuation zone, and provides detailed evacuation status of individual buildings within the zone. Although this information is presented via the internet, access is restricted to emergency operation center personnel. Providing an up to date picture of the evacuation status will allow for a more efficient evacuation resulting in lives saved. |
12/15/2014 - 7:00pm to 7:20pm | |
A Vegetation Monitoring Program for Pima County, ArizonaAuthor: Jason B. Kennedy, jasonbkennedy@email.arizona.edu Endangered Species Act; Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR); Remote Sensing; Vegetation Monitoring; and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs); Semi-Global Matching (SGM) The Endangered Species Act Section 10 permit requires municipalities to monitor temporal change in vegetation on land owned and administered by that particular municipality. Due to the most recent advancements in remote sensing technologies, Pima County, Arizona, would like to employ these technologies to remotely monitor vegetation change. Traditional monitoring methods entail physical contact with study areas, resulting in less cost effective data collection. This study investigates the following remote sensing technologies for vegetation monitoring in Pima County, Arizona: Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR), Stereo photogrammetry, multi and hyper-spectral imagery, and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). Each technology has intrinsic benefits when reviewed alone, but combining the different technologies provides the best option for complete understanding of vegetation change over time. Given limited funding for municipalities, combining all of these technologies is impractical. Therefore, finding one or two technologies that yield the best results while minimizing costs is essential. This study concludes that UAVs and hyper-spectral imagery are not cost-effective or conducive to monitoring the 200,000+ acres of land Pima County owns and or operates. The use of LiDAR and stereo photogrammetry, using a Semi-Global Matching (SGM) routine, is the most beneficial and cost-effective method for Pima County, Arizona to remotely monitor their vegetation. A 2015 collection of LiDAR and orthophotography has already been planned, which will place Pima County in an excellent position to begin this monitoring program next year. |
12/15/2014 - 8:15pm to 8:35pm | |
A Site Suitability Model for Photovoltaic Solar Panel Installation on Mine Tailings in ArizonaAuthor: Leanndra Arechederra-Romero, Lareromero@gmail.com surface mines; mine tailings; suitability analysis; Solar Radiation Tools; renewable energy Solar energy is an unlimited renewable energy resource. This project explores how a GIS-based site suitability analysis identifies solar energy opportunities on traditionally unusable, contaminated, large, open-pit/surface mine tailings in seven Arizona Counties. In the analysis, a point ArcGIS Solar Radiation tool determines the amount of insolation or radiation for each mine tailing location, and an area tool determines the radiation for the counties. To calculate suitability for a site, the analysis uses the Weighted Overlay Tool. This tool uses several criteria Area Solar Radiation, Slope, Aspect, and Distance to Major Roads to produce an overlay of low, medium, and high suitability. The mine with the greatest amount of insolation or annual solar radiation for 2014 is the Morenci Mine. This analysis results in a suitability map that illustrates high suitable areas to place solar panels exist in all counties. This project serves to provide a baseline for site selection of solar panel installation on mine tailings in Arizona. |
12/15/2014 - 6:20pm to 6:40pm |