Advanced Cartography   9/8/99

                       

TUTORIAL #01 - Fieldwork Mapping & Database for Buildings/Sites
Developed by Carol Gersmehl, Geography Department -  Macalester College

DUE:   partial for Friday, Sept. 10;  need database for Monday, Sept. 13; maps due on Friday, Sept. 24

OVERVIEW:  This is the first of a set of three tutorials. All together they constitute your first project.

GOALS:            *Construct a sketch map for a real-world neighborhood.

*Plan a purposeful use for a database about buildings/sites in the neighborhood.

                        *Create a spatial and attribute database from fieldwork--for use in ArcView eventually.

                                    Include both nominal and ordinal/quantitative “fields” in database.

                        *Provide metadata for map readers.

SPECIFIC STEPS:

A.  Choose a neighborhood near campus.  It should have interesting contrasts in land use or building use.      You may include part of campus.   Make sure you’ll be safe.

                Stay within 2 miles of campus because we have DOQ ready for areas nearby.

 

B.  Draft a purpose statement. You should want to know more about this neighborhood because eventually you will try to answer a question or address a problem using this neighborhood. 

 

C.  Make a sketch map that shows the following:

            __ At least 4 streets (lines)

                __ At least 20 buildings/sites (points)  --  labeled with unique ids

                __ Other point or line features that  fit your purposes

 

 

D.  Make a database for buildings/sites.  The database should have some preplanning.

Think about how you might map your field-data later to answer a question or  reveal a pattern.

Coming soon:  In a future class lab period, you will digitize building points using a digital orthophoto (DOQ) as a basemap in ArcView.   Then, you will enter data into an ArcView table for each building point.

 

 

E.  Your database table should include for each building:

-- a unique identification code (id) for each building/site

-- at least 4 fields where each field classifies the building/site according to a specific criterion

            Purpose:   Think about how a particular field might eventually show useful or

      interesting spatial differences.  One of our summer students thought

      of a useful field regarding “safety,” for example.

Cushion:  What does a database table about buildings/sites look like?   (HINT:  rows, columns)

                        Field 1             Field2                          Field3                          Field4

                        Unique ID            ______                                    ______                                    ______

            Row1        a                      ____                            ____                            ____

            Row2        b                      ____                            ____                            ____

            Row3        c                      ____                            ____                            ____

 

Eventually, you will query the table and also make thematic maps about your building information.

 

 

F.  Write a metadata summary that explains coding decisions in your database.

      Describe categories/criteria for building database  (coding decisions, accuracy/uncertainty).

 

 

 

 

 

 

G.  Reflections on this tutorial:   for discussion

 

problems?,  opportunities?,  questions/clarifications?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TURN IN      draft on Monday, Sept. 13

 

Sketch map  --  Is it reasonably clear?

 

Draft of purpose --

         (question to be addressed, pattern to be looked for)

           

Database table (handwritten) with a row for each building/site and a column for each field

         (include at least one nominal field and one ordinal/quantitative field)

 

Metadata that explains coding decisions regarding fields

 

 

TURN IN    final version on Friday, Sept. 24

 

Final version of purpose --

         (question to be addressed, pattern to be looked for)

 

Database table (digital) with a row for each building/site and a column for each field

         (include at least one nominal field and one ordinal/quantitative field)

 

Metadata that explains coding decisions regarding fields

 

 

Maps     - that result from using your database

  - that address a question or reveal a pattern