GIS 1 Lab 1: Base Data

Background: The focus of Lab 1 was to act as an intern for Clear Vision Eau Claire developing a basic report for the Eau Claire Confluence Project. The Confluence Project is a joint public-private between the University of Wisconsin Eau Claire and the Eau Claire Regional Arts Center (Haymarket, LLC) and will consist of a new community arts center, student housing, and retail commercial sites in downtown Eau Claire.

Goal: The focus of this lab project was to become more familiar with spatial data sets of the area where the Confluence Project will be built in the context of public land management, land administration. These spatial data sets were then used to develop six maps of the proposed location.

Methods: I read the various documents provided by the instructor and utilized ArcGIS to examine spatial data of the proposed Confluence Project site using the included feature datasets and feature classes. The result was six maps portraying spatial relationships between several data sets and the proposed location of the Confluence Project. More detail is provided under each objective header.

Objective One: Explore various data sets for the City and County of Eau Claire.

During this lab objective, the PARCEL_FEATURES, TRANPORTATION, DEVELOPMENT, POLITICAL_FEATURES, and CENSUS_FEATURES (all located in the feature datasets were examined individually to become more familiar with the information held in each. During this initial objective, I read the zoning_definitions.pdf to understand what city land areas were used for by how they were defined by zoning codes. I also read the legal description of the locations of the land parcels where the Confluence Project will be built.

Objective Two: Digitize the site for the proposed Confluence Project.

Digitizing the Confluence Project site was the next objective for this lab project. I started by creating a new geodatabase titled EC_Confluence and created a new feature class in the geodatabase titled pro_site (proposed site). To import the parameters of the Eau Claire County Coordinate System I clicked the CENSUS_FEATURES feature dataset then BlockGroups and then add. I then added the pro_site feature class the map, World Imagery from Basemaps, the parcel_area (used in conjunction with LegalOutline.jpg to find location of proposed site on my map), and then digitized the proposed site using the editor toolbar . A high contrast purple was used to easily see the proposed site areas.

Objective Three: Learn about the Public Land Survey System.

Both the 2009-7-13 and the City of Eau Claire geodatabases were used during this objective by adding the PLSS_Townships feature datasets from each. These were added to a new blank map that also had a Basemaps imagery layer added. The townships were then numbered and a stretched color scheme was used to identify patterns in the sections. I then used the identify button to examine the attributes of the section where the proposed Confluence Project site is located after adding the PLSS_Quarter_Quarter_sections and PLSS_qq layers from the two geodatabases to the map. This data provided me with the information needed to legally define the proposed site of the confluence project (Hemstead, 2015).

Objective Four: Examining legal information regarding the proposed site.

 By using the City of Eau Claire’s GIS website I was able to find more information about the parcel, including a summarized legal description. I then viewed the legaldescription.pdf which allowed me to view other information including the parcel number, adjacent streets, and ward location (Legal Description, 2014).

Objective Five: Build a map of all relevant base data for the Confluence Project. 

During the final objective, I created six maps with each displaying relevant spatial data concerning the Confluence Project. Each includes a map scale in miles, a north arrow, legend and a title describing what is represented in each map.

Civil Divisions Map I added the Civil_Divisions located under POLITICAL_FEATURES and changed the symbology and transparency to easily see the divisions and the map underneath. The map was of a smaller scale so a callout was added to identify the location of the proposed site.

Census Boundaries Map The BlockGroups and TractsGroup feature classes, under CENSUS_FEATURES, were added showing population densities in the area around the proposed site of the Confluence Project. I changed the name of BlockGroups to population density and changed the numeric values of density for simplicity.

PLSS Features Map The PLSS_qq data was used to show the parcel division of the areas around the proposed site of the Confluence Project.

EC City Parcel Data Map This map was developed using the Parcel_Area, Water, and Centerlines_3Mile feature classes from the City of Eau Claire geodatabase. I added a transparency effect to the water and highlighted the parcel areas and centerlines to provide a high contrast, easy to read map.

Zoning Map This map added the zoning_areas and Centerlines_3Mile feature classes located in the Eau Claire City geodatabase. The zoning classes were simplified for presentation, using the symbology menu, into six classes based on type, such as residential and industrial and each were given a color based on their unique values.

Voting Districts Map The VotingWards2011 feature class from the City of Eau Claire geodatabase was added to the map, representing voting districts in the city. A halo effect was added to the numbers for them to be more easily discernable.

Results

The results indicate that
-the site of the Confluence Project is located in the City of Eau Claire
-the site is located in a densely populated area; density is between 3,600 and 5,000 people per square mile
-the site is located in a central business district
-the site located in Ward 31
-the site is at the confluence of two rivers in downtown Eau Claire
-the site is located in a central, scenic, and readily accesible location.

References

Hemstead, B. (2015). Plss-legal descriptions plss. [online] Retrieved from http.//www.sco.wic.edu/plss/legal-descriptions.heml [Accessed: March 10 2017].

Legal Description. (2014). [online] Retrieved from file:///Q:/StudentCoursework/Strand/GEOG.335.001.2175/DROSTEJ9710/lab1/legaldescription.pdf [Accessed: March 10 2017].

Lippelt, I. (2002). Understanding wisconsin township, range, and section land descriptions. (online pdf) Madison, WI: pp. 1-4. Retrieved from: file:///Q:/StudentCoursework/Strand/GEOG.335.001.2175/DROSTEJ9710/lab1/PLSS_WI.pdf [Accessed: 7 Mar 2017].

Mapping Services. (n.d.) Retrieved from: http://www.eauclairewi.gov/departments/public-works/engineering/mapping-services [Accessed: March 10 2017].

Zoning Districts and Maps. (2011). [Online] Retrieved from:  file:///Q:/StudentCoursework/Strand/GEOG.335.001.2175/DROSTEJ9710/lab1/Zoning_definitions.pdf [Accessed: March 10 2017].  

Sources 
City of Eau Claire and Eau Claire County 2013