Mapping the Station Fire in ArcGIS

  

      The hottest and biggest blaze that struck Los Angeles County was the largest and most intense station fire to occur in Los Angeles County's modern history. Local residents were terrified by these massive and growing flames for fifty-one days. The fire started in the summer from August 26th to October 16th of 2009. Two courageous firefighters were killed on duty when their truck plunged down a hillside (Los Angeles Times). Despite the unfortunate accidents of these two firefighters, the station fire was contained completely with the help of the Los Angeles Fire Department. Twelve thousand structures were at risk of being destroyed by the fire but only 209 structures were destroyed with 89 of them being homes (InciWeb). Unfortunately, some families had to suffer with the loss of their homes burned down by the fire. Perhaps, the most shocking result of the station fire in Los Angeles County is that it was classified as arson (The New York Times). Homicide investigations searching for suspects who caused the fire was underway. The dedication of people who spent time and energy fighting the flames helped local residents to deal with the harsh effects of the fire and rebuild their lives. 

     The top left map is a reference map of the station fire perimeter in the Los Angeles County. Highways are also shown as lines. The station fire shows the spread of the fire from August 29th to September 2nd of 2009. The perimeters for each date is colored with the same color to indicate the maximum damage caused by the fire. It is obviously shown that the station fire was without a doubt huge enough to spot from miles away. 

    The second map on the top right is a more detailed map regarding the station fire. The map includes highways as blue lines and existing cities as yellow dots. According to the information provided on the map, cities near the 210 interstate were at risk. Major cities under most danger were Pasadena, Glendale, and Burbank. This is a scary thought because my brother used to live in Pasadena. If he was living there even a year before he moved in, his apartment would have been at risk of exposure to the fire. The cities that were most affected by the fire were Altadena La Crescenta. This is also a worrisome thought because my brother's girlfriend used to live in La Crescenta. However, I am unsure on how long or since when she was there. The map also represents green areas which are parks in close proximity of the fire. It is evident that half of the visible park was burning in flames. Different colors are used to indicate station fire perimeters according to their corresponding dates. August 31, 2009 has been placed on the bottom. Therefore, other shaded areas caused by the fire can be easily seen. 

     The next map is interesting because the station fire perimeters are outlined with different colors and hollow to enhance visibility of the changes in area by day. It is clearly evident that the red outline is the station fire perimeter for August 31, 2009. Highways are gray and nearby parks are in grassy green texture. It is incredible to see that the fire started as a small area in August 29, 2009 but enlarged and grew into a massive flame over the course of just five days. Blue shaded areas are populated areas. Residents near the flames either become overwhelmed by the destruction of their homes or watch the fire from a distance (Los Angeles Times). It is almost unbelievable to think that the fire was burning on the mountains above the homes of individuals. Evacuation for some was necessary. It is completely understandable why firefighters were exhausted and overworked considering the size of this fire. 

     Luckily, the station fire was on the main portion of Angeles National Forest. The fourth and final map on the bottom right indicates population density in the Los Angeles County. The fire is colored with different solid colors to help readability between populated areas and fire perimeters. Populated areas are colored in shades of purple, with the darkest purple as the areas with the highest population. The lighter the color, the less populated the area. Fortunately, the fire spread throughout the mountains (grassy green texture) and did not reach highly populated areas. The only interstate affected was highway 2. The 210 highway was at risk. The map proves that the fire damaged only a small percentage of highly populated areas. This is good because citizens are safe. The only downside is that the forest is burning into ashes. Still, it is clearly seen that populated areas were extremely close to the fire, making residents vulnerable to being exposed to the flames and suffering damages to their homes. Residents close enough to the fire were definitely at risk. 

       

Bibliography

"InciWeb the Incident Information System: Station Fire News Release." InciWeb Incident Information 

     System. 31 Aug. 2009. Web. 31 May 2011. <http://inciweb.org/incident/article/9360/>. 

"Los Angeles and Southern California fire photos." Los Angeles Times. 2011. Web. 31 May 2011. 

     <http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-bigpicturefire,0,5985825.htmlstory>. 

Markgreninger. "All Station Fire Perimeters (as of September 2, 07:02) - Complete set." Los Angeles 

     County Enterprise GIS: Geospatial technology for the citizens of Los Angeles County. 2 Sep. 2009. 

     Web. 30 May 2011. <http://egis3.lacounty.gov/eGIS/?s=station+fire>. 

O' Connor, Anahad. "Los Angeles Fire Was Arson, Officials Say." The New York Times. 4 Sep. 2009.

     Web. 1 June 2011. <http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/04/us/04fires.html>. 

UCLA Mapshare. GIS at UCLA. Web. 30 May 2011. <http://gis.ats.ucla.edu/>. 

Mapping Census 2000 with ArcGIS

         The map on the top left indicates the population change in the U.S. in the year of 1990-2000. The color ramp includes two shades of color, green and pink. Green is displayed for the positive growth in population. Higher growth in population is colored in a darker green. Areas in the U.S. with less growth in population is marked by a lighter green. The negative change in population is colored in pink. The color pink turns darker as the population change decreases.
         The map on the bottom left indicates population density in the U.S. in the year of 2000. The color ramp includes shades of blue. Navy blue is the darkest color indicating the most dense areas. The lighter color of blue represents areas that are less dense. The color would be darker for the areas that are denser in population. The population density is calculated in units of people per square mile. A field calculator is used in ArcMap to calculate the values. The number of people in the year 2000 is divided by the area of the country. In other words, the population density is calculated based on the number of people focused in a specific area. In this case, the number of people in U.S. is considered.
         The top right map indicates percent change in the U.S. for the year of 1990-2000. The color ramp includes two shades of color, purple and yellow. Purple indicates an increase in percent change. Purple is darker for the population that has the greatest percent change. Lighter shades of purple is used for percent change that is not as great. Yellow represents negative percent change in the population. More negative percent change has darker shades of yellow.
         The bottom right map indicates the number of people in the U.S. for the year of 1990-2000. Shades of purple is chosen for the color ramp. The symbols are flipped and sorting is reversed, as it is for the first three maps. So, darker purple specifies a higher number of people in the U.S. in 1990-2000. A less populated area is displayed with a lighter purple. It would be confusing for the reader to determine which areas are more populated if higher populated areas are marked with lighter shades of purple. It is more relevant and logical to color the higher populated areas with darker colors.

DEMs in ArcGIS

The area I have selected to analyze is Big Bear Lake, California. It is known to be the largest recreation lake in Southern California. The primary attraction in the summer is fishing for trout, bass, and catfish. Horse riding, hiking, and biking is also popular for guests. However, the most popular activities for visitors are skiing and snowboarding in the winter. The coordinates used were 116.42947W to 117.4041W longitude and 33.9555N to 34.3842N latitude. The geographic coordinate system used is the GCS North American 1983 and the datum is the North American Datum of 1983.

Projections in ArcGIS

            





      

         The GCS WGS 1984 projection is a conformal projection with local shapes and angles preserved locally. Parallels and meridians intersect at right angles. There are distortions present especially on the top and bottom of the map. The distance between Washington D.C. and Kabul on a GCS WGS 1984 projection is recorded to be 6,986 miles apart. The Mercator projection is also a conformal projection but the distance between Washington D.C. and Kabul is significantly higher. It is recorded to be 10,072 miles apart. It seems to be that the right and left sides of the map have been squeezed inwards towards the center. The Mercator projection also has distortions especially on the top and bottom of the map.

         The Equidistant Cylindrical projection is unique in that the distances from the center of the projection to any other place on the map are the same in all directions. It seems to be longer vertically. Hence, making the distance between the two cities significantly less at 5,116 miles. The map with the resemblance of cheese is Equidistant Conic. This is a conical projection with the distance between Washington D.C. and Kabul being 7,079 miles. The Equidistant projection preserves distance. The scale on the Equidistant Conic projection is the same along all meridians. The Sinusoidal projection is Equal Area which means that the areas on the map maintains the same proportional relationship to the areas on the Earth. In other words, it preserves area. The Sinusoidal map projection is a pseudo-cylindrical projection with curved meridians. Only the central meridian is not a sine curve. The north-south scale and east-west scale are uniform throughout the map.  The distance between Washington D.C. and Kabul is 8,125 miles. The map the shape of a heart is also an Equal Area projection called Bonne Equal Area. However, the distance between two cities is closer at 6,752 miles. The Bonne Equal Area projection has segmented meridians with meridians bending at the equator. This is a pseudo-conic projection with parallels beings equally spaced arcs. The Bonne projection reduces distortion of shapes in the temperate and tropical areas but it has distortions along the edges.
         The Mercator projection is a conformal map projection. It preserves shape and direction. It is easy to recognize a mercator map projection because their lines of latitude and longitude intersect at right angles. The area for Greenland seems distorted in that it looks much larger. Similarly, Antarctica is also distorted in that the area is increased dramatically. Mercator projections are poor projections for world maps but it has been popular due to its rectangular grid and shape. Geographers would find it useful for wall maps, atlas maps, and maps in books. As a matter of fact, it has become the standard map projection for most mental map of westerners. However, it is important to remember that there are distortions such as Europe looking larger than it really is. It is because of such distortions that rectangular world maps are discouraged for general purposes and artistic displays. Mercator map projections promote erroneous conceptions by representing distances and routes incorrectly. Still, the most widely used rectangular map is the Mercator projection.
        In a Mercator map projection, direction is preserved. However, area and distance is distorted. The Mercator distorts the size and shape of large objects. As the scale increases from the Equator to the poles, the large objects become infinite. The Mercator map projection is narrow in shape in size whereas the GCS WGS 1984 projection is wide and stretched. The Mercator map projection distorts areas such as Greenland, Alaska, Finland, and Antarctica. Africa is much larger than Greenland but Greenland takes as much area as Africa on a Mercator projection. Similarly, Alaska is smaller than Brazil but takes as much area. The same goes for finland when compared to India. Antarctica appears to be the biggest continent when in fact it is only the fifth largest of them all. The GCS WGS 1984 projection is a standard projection for cartography and navigation. It includes the standard coordinate frame for the Earth and a standard spheroidal reference surface, which is the datum or ellipsoid. It also includes the geoid. GCS WGS 1984 projection represents the reference coordinate system that is used for GPS. 

ArcGIS: ArcMap Tutorial

                                                

            The main purpose of experimenting with the ArcMap tutorial is to gain knowledge and understanding of ArcGIS, while utilizing ArcMap skills and creativity to solve basic problems associated with specific counties and maps. The first step is to identify the issues involved. Residents are complaining about the noise affecting schools and houses near by and increased traffic along roads. A map is created displaying the locations of schools near the airport. The noise contour helps to see which schools are affected by the airport. The noise contour indicates areas that suffer from more than 65 decibels of noise, which is averaged over a 24 hour timeframe. this map allow the schools to prepare for future noise disruptions by building soundproof walls or other mitigation measures. The results prove that there is only one school, Northwestern Prep, that is within the noise contour. Geographic layers are clearly visible in the table of contents and the map display area includes map elements such as the title, legend, and scale bar, as well as the map itself. 

             ArcMap allows the practice of adding data to the map, editing geographic data, and exploring with data tables. Most fascinatingly, it allows the ability to display map features. The second map, which is the middle posting, describes the amount of each land use type within the noise contour. This map requires the selection of specific features and summarizing them on a graph. Unfortunately, the graph did not export in color for an odd reason and it had to be posted in black and white. Awkwardly, it is in color as shown on the ArcMap display screen. However, the color is set to Palette and the color scheme is Excel. The graph identifies the relationship between land use types and the number of parcels. ArcMap extracts data in a variety of formats and manipulates them into a uniform format. ArcGIS is an analytical tool that is extremely complex to master. 

             The third map presented is a map that displays population density for the county. This helps identify where people are concentrated. Population data is added for each census tract and population density is calculated. Calculating attribute values is a complicated process and therefore needs the power of the computer to achieve results. The population density is calculated by dividing the population by the area of each tract, which gives the number of people per square mile. Calculations are possible most effectively only with the editing functions. The map focuses on how many people are concentrated in relation to the airport and major roads. 

             Perhaps the most interesting part of the project is to create and name a road. The airport road is extended to create a new loop that connects to an existing arterial road. Also, it is important to note that an extent rectangle represents the extent of one data frame within another data frame. It is a general representation of where the noise contour is within the county. Since the Schools and Noise Contour map is a close up view, readers would get a clearer understanding as to where exactly the proposed airport expansion is in relation to the county boundary. ArcMap is a powerful visualization tool. It is difficult to interpret large sets of numbers but with ArcGIS, data is presented in an easier manner, making it much easier to comprehend. ArcGIS is a program capable of doing complex operations. Thus, ArcGIS is designed only for the professional, completely opposite from neogeography purposes. 

Neogeography Lab Assignment

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Reference: Youtube, Google Images.
http://www.wheelfunrentals.com/theirftp/StearnsWharffile2.jpg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ybHa8LnPLWE
http://www.tfaoi.com/am/6am/6am184.jpg
http://www.mrsfergusonsclass.com/erroll1.jpg


        Neogeography increases geographic awareness and spatial thinking. It is highly user centric that allows the ability to create a unique and personalized map. The map is created according to the individual's imagination and creativity. The creator combines elements of an existing toolset such as Google Maps. By creating a detailed map, it is possible to share location information with friends and visitors. It is also efficient in helping shape context and improve the level of knowledge and understanding of a place. Nonetheless, it questions authority since it is purely personalized and self made. Sometimes, there exists errors that fails to correspond to the purpose of the map. These mistakes must be corrected in order to provide proper readability.
        Creating an informative and purposeful mashup of a dynamic map can create consequences that lead to disaster. One small mistake can alter directions to incorrect destinations. Precisely indicating the right points and routes is crucial in obtaining a well finished product. Substantive content must be revised and thoroughly examined before having viewers follow it for guidance and direction. The last thing that is intended is for the viewer to become confused and lost. This can cause significant trouble for the traveler. Connecting the lines for routes seemed to be a problem for Windows since a spot can not be held while moving the screen up or down to a different spot. Only Macbook allows such capabilities. Otherwise, there would be a problem with having too many spots with all of them containing the same exact information. Multimedias must be posted properly with relevant instructions. Wrongly posted multimedia will drive people astray and make them wonder if they are at the right place. The map is supposed to convey clear thought and easy reading. It should be accurate and simple to read. It should look fun and less eye straining. It should have content appropriate for all ages.

Beverly Hills quadrangle

1) Beverly Hills 

2) Canoga Park, Van Nuys, Burbank, Topanga, Hollywood, Venice, Inglewood

3) 1966

4) National Geodetic Vertical Datum of 1929 and North American Datum of 1927 and 1983

5) 1:24,000

6) (a) 12,000 m (b) 1.89 miles (c) 2.64 in (d) 12.5 cm

7) 20 ft

8) (a) 34º04'25"N, 118º26'30"W, 34.0736ºN, 118.4417ºW   

    (b)34º00'25"N, 118º30'00"W, 34.0069ºN, 118.5000ºW

    (c) 34º07'15"N, 118º24'34"W, 34.1208ºN, 118.9667ºW

9) (a) 540 ft, 164.59 m (b) 140 ft, 42.67 m (c) 800 ft, 243.84 m

10) 11

11) northing ³⁷63, easting ³61.5
12) 1,000,000 m²

13) 
Note: Elevation value 520 is for West campus of UCLA and 440 is for East campus of UCLA


14) +14 degrees
15) North to South

16)