First Georeference

Hey Everyone,

I've been making some progress with the basemap that I was provided with. I'm still not sure if I'm actually going to use it in my final product though. The Bing Imagery basemap looks a bit more aesthetically pleasing, however it does not contain things like the housing units and roads which I feel are a vital part. I think I'm going to take a look at drawing those things in by editing.

I will present the client with two versions, the Bing Imagery one and the given basemap sometime this week so that we can decide together which one would be better. 
Here is a view of the basemap georeferenced onto the bing imagery that was in my previous post. The basemap by EDP, LLP is translucent so that the Bing Imagery can still be seen.

 I plan to get up to Boice Family Park this weekend to do some more work with the GPS. I need to plot out the orange, blue, and red trails and the perimeter of the parking areas.  I was going to go today but with the remnant wind of Hurricane Sandy still lingering I figured that I should probably wait until the end of the week.


Until next time!

Lets Get Started!

Hello All!

Today I started the very first portion of creating the Boice Family Parks Map. The client and I have been meeting to go over deliverables and logistics (see project proposal). Today we got out to Boice Family Park for my first time to do some field work with the GPS. It was mostly a day to begin to familiarize myself with the park, learn how to get there, and learn  about all of the hard work that the "Friends of the Kayaderosseras" and others have been doing to get this park up and running for others to enjoy.

I took a few rough waypoints with the Garmin etrex 20 GPS just so that I could put them on a map to get a better feel of the location. The conditions were a bit overcast so there may be a small margin of error (within a few feet) on the points. This should be OK though because I plan to go back there a few more times to do some of the actual GPS plotting (which is fine by me; it is a beautiful little park.)

So, just to give you guys a little bit of the feel of the park and where it is, I threw together a rough Draft Map. Just keep in mind that this map is very rough and contains only a few points that may or may not be added to the final map.

Hope this map with Bing Imagery can hold everyone over until I get the rest of the points with the GPS. I also have a basemap that was given to me by the client which will be georeferenced over the Bing Imagery.

NOTE: Here is the website for "Friends of the Kayaderosseras" For anyone who is interested: http://www.kayaderosseras.org/


Check back soon for updates!

Project Proposal

Introduction-

The town of Milton in Saratoga County, NY has just received a 100 acre parcel of land which will be used in the creation of Boice Family Park. With the partnership of the conservation group “Friends of the Kayaderosseras” and volunteer labor a 3 mile network of blazed trails along Kayaderosseras Creek and historical sites and railroads will be used for families, educational groups, and nature lovers alike for passive recreation. The opening of this park along with its trails raises the need for a comprehensive map system to allow hikers to navigate through the 100 acres to the Kayaderosseras Creek and other points of interest. A geographic information system, ArcGIS will be used to create a map system that can be posted along trails and on the “Friends of the Kayaderosseras” web page.

Objectives

• Create a comprehensive trail map
•  Clearly and Precisely label Points of Interest
•  Create “You are Here” Labels for easy navigation
•  Give Maps to Client to put up along trails

Methodology

In order to obtain the necessary info to create user friendly trail maps, GPS locations of trails and points of interest will need to be obtained manually. By hiking the trails and marking the points of interest, this data can then be loaded onto ArcGIS and overlayed onto a base map which will be provided by “Friends of the Kayaderrosseras” (obtained from donor). Once in ArcGIS, labels and legends can be added to create an easy to read comprehensive map of the park.

Deliverables 
Upon completion of the maps, the client will be given two sizes of maps. The first size will be large, to be blown up and placed at an information kiosk at the visitor center as well as strategically placed intersections along the trails. The next type will be small, pamphlet sized maps to be available as a portable trail map to hikers. All maps will be in color and also sent to the client as a .pdf file for future re-printing.

Components and Data Sources

•   Basemap of Boice Family Park- Environmental Design Partnerships, LLP
• Subdivision Included ( future housing complex, water management systems, roads)
•   Trails - Trace in via basemap from EDPLLP or GPS
•   Historic Trolley Rail-GPS
• Parking Areas- GPS
• Unfinished Roads - Basemap
• Finished Roads- Basemap
•  “You are Here” – GPS
• Other Points of Interest (historic factory, NYS fishing access)- GPS

Weekly Work Plan 

October 9 - October 16 : Create blog and revise proposal with client

October 16- October 23: Confirm project contract with client, hike Boice Family Park and collect   GPS data with client to familiarize myself with the parcel and where it is

October 23-October 30:  In Lab - ArcGIS Mapping - Will get final exact sizes that maps will be. Will try to overlay basemap from Environmental Design Partnerships by georeferencing. Will go back to Boice Family Park to obtain more waypoints and hike the trails in their entirety (for GPS tracks if trails from basemap are not feasible).

October 30-November 6:  In Lab- ArcGIS Mapping - will begin to put all GPS points on map, start to create parking areas, visitor center, and other Points of Interest like historical sites and trails. Begin to label the points. Make another trip to Boice Family Park if more data is needed.

November 6-November 13: In Lab- ArcGIS Mapping - Try to get a more finished and revised product. Tweak the map for precision and accuracy. Write Historical Blurbs about railway and pioneer paper mill (historic building). Last chance to go to Boice Family Park if necessary.

November 13-November 20: Present draft maps to client for revisions. In Lab- ArcGIS Mapping based on whatever revisions the client would like to see. Also, begin to work on the final poster for the academic celebration at Siena College.

November 20-November 27: In Lab- ArcGIS Mapping. Revisions and Finalization of maps and poster.

November 27- December 4: Finalization and Presentation of the poster for Siena College and the maps for the client.