LAB 8

2009 Los Angeles County Station Fire

Image Courtesy of earthobservatory.nasa.gov

    The Los Angeles County 2009 Station Fire was quite destructive as it burned on the slopes of Mount Wilson. It burned within the Angeles National Forest and near surrounding foothill communities of La Canada-Flintridge, La Crescenta, Acton, Soledad Canyon, Pasadena and Glendale. The steep terrain, abundance of old growth bush and hot dry weather were factors that contributed to the overwhelming fire activity. Two LA County firefighters died when their vehicle plunged off a roadway due to the heavy smoke conditions that reduced visibility. Temporal patterns suggest that the fire spread northward, which meant less harm to the large urban cities in the foothills. The Station Fire is believed to be the largest in Los Angeles County history. Forensic evidence examination determined it was an act of arson that ignited the fire.     

Many roads were closed due to the expansive fire. This included:

• Red Rover Mine Rd @ SR-14
• Soledad Canyon Rd @ Crown Valley Rd.
• Escondido Canyon Rd @ SR-14
• Soledad Canyon Rd. @ SR-14 (exit only)
• Agual Dulce Canyon Rd. @ SR-14
• Placerita Canyon Rd @ Sand Canyon Rd.
• Big Pines @ SR-2
• Aliso Canyon Rd @ Soledad Canyon Rd.
• Angeles Forest Highway @ Mt. Emma Dr.
• Red Rover Mine Rd @ Escondido Canyon Rd.
• Aliso Canyon Rd @ Ave Y-8
• Little Tujunga Canyon Rd @ Ranger Station

    More than 40 miles of the Angeles Crest Highway from La Canada Flintridge to Islip Saddle were closed due to the fire, which burned off road stripping and destroyed guard railings and signage along the scenic route, Caltrans officials reported.  Some of the pavement did not remain intact.. The Angeles Crest Highway, one of the main routes through the San Gabriel Mountains, runs from Foothill Boulevard to State Route 138 northeast of Wrightwood. The two-lane road handled as many 11,300 trips by motorists everyday, depending on the section of the highway.

    The Station Fire did not actually damage any of the railroad tracks within Los Angeles County. However, the map above indicates that in the North West region of the fire extent boundary, it came very close. The one mile buffer zone emanating from the September 2 extent shows that the fire was only about half a mile from damaging the railroad tracks in the San Gabriel Mountains. 
    Also, none of the transportation lines considered to be interstates were damaged. Some portions of the interstate did fall within the one mile buffer of the overall extent of the fire. The neighboring airports also did not get damaged. Air travel in the area did have to take extra precautionary measures due to the copious amounts of smoke the fire was giving off. 
    It is important to note, however, that fires can have long lasting impacts on transportation. Many of the roads were still closed off after several months/years due to their vulnerability to rockslides /landslides as well as mudslides during wetter conditions. The loss of vegetation means the loss of roots that would've held the mountainsides together. They also curb water runoff as the vegetation will take in more water than the soil can by itself. 
    All in all the fire had some great impacts on major roads within the Angeles National Forest in the San Gabriel Mountains. There is an upside since the fired did not descent onto the large urban centers at the base of the mountains. It is unfortunate that many of the roads took some time to open due to their vulnerability due to the lack of mountainside vegetation. There was still much to be thankful for as many areas were threatened, but not necessarily harmed. The Station Fire that burned around 150,000 acres will still be forever scorched in the minds of the people forced to evacuate their Los Angeles homes due to its proximity.

References 

Bloomekatz , Ari. B. "Station fire is largest in L.A. County's modern history." Los Angeles Times(Sept. 2009): n. pag. Web. 9 Jun 2011.

"Station Fire Evening Update Aug. 31, 2009." Incident Information System 8 Auguest 2009: n. pag. Web. 9 Jun 2011.

Weikel, Dan. "Angeles Crest Highway closed indefinitely because of fire." Los Angeles Times(Sept. 4, 2009): n. pag. Web. 9 Jun 2011.

Bloomekatz, Ari. B. "Station fire was arson, officials say; homicide investigation begins." Los Angeles Times (Sept. 3, 2009): n. pag. Web. 9 Jun 2011.

O'Neil, Megan. "Work continues on Angeles Crest Highway." La Canada Valley Sun (May 11,2011): n. pag. Web. 9 Jun 2011.

LAB 7

ArcGIS & A SECONDARY SOURCE

The 2000 US Census

        The maps created below depict the percentage of Asians, Blacks or some other race in every county in the continental United States. They are the results of the 2000 Census which asked respondents to choose one or multiple races to describe themselves. This Census tried to place better focus on understanding  the diversity across the country. The majority of the people, 98%, chose only one race to describe themselves (Cassidy & Grieco 2011). The maps are visual interpretations of the results and shows the physical/spatial distribution of some of these races. I chose this specific yellow to brown color gradation because it shows great contrast between high and low concentrations of people. 

         About 10.2 million people, or 3.6 of the total population, chose their race as Asian (Cassidy & Grieco 2011). A large percentage of Asians live on the West Coast of the United States especially in central and southern California and the north-west of Washington. Throughout the rest of the continental United States, there are scattered counties with high percentages of the Asian race. The high concentrations in the west may be explained by immigration history. In the early decades of the 19th century, many Asian immigrants were processed through Angel Island in San Francisco, California and stayed within the state. Because the counties in the west are so large, if taking the number of counties in consideration, one could say that Asians do not have large percentages in too many counties. It is also important to note that the highest percentage a county has of Asian race is 46%, which is a great contrast to the highest percentage of Blacks. 

            The map above shows the there are many counties in the United States that have at least 25% of Blacks. Approximately 34.7 million people, or about 12%, reported only their race as only Black (Cassidy & Grieco 2011). Of all the three maps, this one shows the most grouped concentrations of one race. There are very few blacks in the western plains of the country.  It is clear that the majority of African Americans reside in the south or south east coast of the United States. There is a gradual decrease outward from the counties with the highest percentage of Blacks. A very plausible explanation of this distribution of people can be traced back to slavery in American history. In its early history, the slaves in the country worked in the deep south, working for huge plantations. Through marginalization and other setbacks even after the end of slavery, many Blacks did not have a good chance to leave the south. 

          This last map shows the percentages of people that reported being of some other race. Of the total population that reported, about 5% (15.4 million) chose this category (Cassidy & Grieco 2011). The highest percentage is about 39 and it is in the counties that are in southern mid-west and the western coast. As you move to the northward and eastward, the percentages drop significantly. This category of race consists predominantly (97%) of people of Hispanic origin (Cassidy & Grieco 2011). This may explain the distribution because the counties with high percentages of some other race border in close proximity to Mexico. 
        These choropleth maps can give us a greater understanding of the distribution of diversity in the United States. And even though these were the results from a Census taken eleven years ago, they give us clues about the people of the time. Those percentages and densities not only tell us about the physical distribution of people, but it can also be associated back to the cultural and social history of the nation. 




Reference:
Adapted from U.S. Census Bureau, Overview of Race and Hispanic Origin, by Elizabeth M. Grieco and Rachel C. Cassidy, Census 2000 Brief Series. Wednesday, 26-Jan-2011 
http://www.nationalatlas.gov/articles/people/a_race.html 

LAB 6

DIGITAL ELEVATION MODELS IN ArcGIS
Yosemite National Park

   
        The area I selected for my digital elevation model was Yosemite National Park, which is the largest habitat block set aside in the Sierra Nevada. I chose it because I have been making plans to visit it in the summer and so I wanted to create something that was of real interest to me. It covers 761,268 acres and over 3.7 million people visit every year. It has an elevation range of 500 to 4000 meters and so allows for various vegetation zones which houses great biological diversity. Its an inspiring place filled with waterfalls, deep valleys and mountains, which are showcased in the digital elevation models that I have created. Above is a ground level view from one of Yosemite's many valleys.

Extent Information 
   In decimal degrees:

• North 38.0188888882
• East 119.406111111
• West -119.825555555
• South -37.6013888882    

Spatial Reference

• GCS North America 1983
• Datum: D North American 1983
• Angular Unit: Degree (0.017453292519943295)

Digital Elevation Models

Three-Dimensional Rendering

LAB 5

MAP PROJECTIONS 

Significance, Perils, & Potentials 

of Map Projections 

       Map projections are important because they are a way to translate the three dimensional world onto a two dimensional surface. However, because it is impossible to retain all the three dimensional aspects, it is important to know which projection is best for the information you are trying to convey. All maps have some distortion, but different projections maintain specific aspects of the three dimensional world. These three projections include conformal, equal-area, and equidistant.

        Conformal maps preserve angles. So if two curves intersect at a specific angle, the images of the two curves on the map also intersect at the same angle. The Mercator map projection was  the standard map for nautical purpose because of its ability to represent lines of constant course as straight segments. This map preserves angles and small shapes because the linear scale remains constant. It does come with obvious distortions of the size and shape of large objects as the scale increases from the equator to the poles (note that Greenland is larger than the US). The stereographic projection also preserves angles, but neither area or distance. Like the Mercator map it creates more distortions towards the poles, but does not look as extreme (compare Antarctica and Greenland between both).

        A second type of map projection is one that maintains equal area such as the Bonne and cylindrical equal-area projections. The Bonne projection is pseudoconical with all parallels being concentric arcs of circle, all equally spaced and all standard lines. Scale is correct along the straight vertical central meridian. However, deformaties increase towards the edges of the map. The cylindrical equal-area projection is quite a contrast with the Bonne projection, but it does conserve area. It has straight parallels and meridians. The projection stretches the continents east to west and distortions also increase towards the poles.

       The third category of map projections is equidistant maps that preserve distance from one standard point or line. With the equidistant conic projection the scale is the same along all meridians because it has constant parallel spacing. It is not equal area or conformal and obviously distorts the south pole. With sinusoidal map projections, distances along parallels are preserved. It shows relative sizes fairly accurately but distorts shapes and directions. There is no distortion along the central meridian or equator.

        I have given examples of the different categories of map projections as well as specific examples for each category. Even though two maps may try to preserve the same thing, there are still discrepancies in distances as noted by the variable measurements from Washington DC to Kabul. Also, I have only provide two examples of each type of projection but in reality there are a plethora that can be found that falls under the three categories and there are even some that do not fall under any, such as the popular Robinson map projection. Note that although some projections may preserve more than one thing, it is impossible to preserve all. Nevertheless, it is important to understand the different projections and what they conserve to appropriately convey a certain set of information. These projections have been used for many years and will continually be used for many more to come because they are so integral in understanding distances, angles, and areas of places around the world. 

Examples

LAB 4

ARCGIS TUTORIAL

Proposed Airport Expansion

       The ArcGIS tutorial was great because I really got to see how different layers can be compiled together to form a very informative visual. Through the map/model that the tutorial made me create I got to really see its use. This map in particular allows someone looking at it to see the impact a proposed airport expansion would have on the community. I really enjoyed creating it. 

 Pitfalls and Potential of ArcGIS

        ArcGIS was designed by ESRI as a geographic information system modeling and mapping program. Through the tutorial that was provided I became a little more familiar with what accompanies the task of using ArcMap as well as ArcCatalog. The program allows creativity, as made possible by the many different commands that can be utilized to create more than I  had imagined. Different editing techniques allow for a multitude of possible combinations of attributes that allow for many different map creation. Graphs can also be integrated as a supplement to maps.

       Though the tutorial provided step by step guidance as well as visual aid, I still found it to be tedious and very detail orientated. With ArcGIS, patience is a must because it can be very time consuming, but after awhile I started seeing consistencies of where certain commands were located. I can tell that getting a good grasp of the program is going to take a lot of time and practice. Making sure the progress was saved properly was also a difficult task that frustrated  me and many of my peers. Of course if all the students were able to work through their own computers then it would not be a problem. This is not possible because the program is really expensive. However, it is obvious that if someone was serious in pursuing digital modeling and mapping, this is a great program. 

       GIS has great potential in spatial analysis because so many different layers can be included in a creation. There are many ways to  represent the data and features. Mapping has come a long way with the advent of this program and it has given and will continue to give great contributions to the study of geography all around the world. It is also great because a seasoned professional can map and and compile data as long as he is provided the proper attributions without surveying an area himself. 

      The ability to properly utilize ArcGIS needs experience and a lot of practice. This means that its more suitable for professionals. Although maps can be professionally made, it does not necessarily mean it is 100% accurate. Human error is common and although the map/model creator may be accurate and precise, the data and attributes he uses for the projection may not be accurate.  It is important to still be wary of this fact. Overall, ArcGIS has much more potential and positive contributions than its pitfalls. As it becomes  utilized and updated more and more, I am sure that it can only get better. I personally cannot wait to become proficient in employing this program.

         

          

         

LAB 3

NEOGEOGRAPHY

Mashup/Dynamic Map

   
    Learning about neogeography is important to so that we can "reinforce and extend important geographic, mapping and GIS concepts " (as specified on the assignment sheet). A great way to extend our understanding was to create our own maps. I chose to create a map that was not within my area of comfort and recognition so that creating it would also give me a greater understanding of an area I am not familiar with. I made a map that would help summer tourists decide how and what attractions they could visit in Central Park within a day. I stayed in New York for a month this past summer and if I had this map for myself back then then I probably would have had a much more straightforward and less confusing trip in the park. If I decide to go back again in the future then this map will prove to be useful to me, just like the future tourists I purposed it for. 


Central Park Summer Attractions

View Central Park Summer Attractions in a larger map

Pitfalls, Potential, & Consequences of Neogeography

       
       Neogeography has expanded very quickly as technology spreads and becomes more widely available. Web 2.0 allows users to become increasingly interactive with the world wide web. Because the contents online are globally available, anyone can utilize high tech mapping technology. This includes the ever popular Mapquest and Google Map websites. Their availability to the general public means they are free to customize and personalize maps however they wished. This means the world is more adept at mapping and the technologies that accompany it, which also expands their knowledge of geography. 

     However, increased accessibility has narrowed the gap between professionals and amateurs which makes some of the information less reliable because the compilation of data may not follow the proper and professional procedures. Nevertheless the reliance of these virtual map is continually increasing which may hinder mental spatial awareness when confronted with an internet breakdown. There is such as thing as being too reliant with these technologies. However, the expansion of neogeography has made travel more efficient which has broadened people's geographic reaches. Anyone can explore unfamiliar areas just by sitting at their desk. As more people utilize neogeography, the field will expand as reliance and interest also increase.  

     

LAB 2

USGS TOPOGRAPHIC MAPS

The Beverly Hills Quadrangle

1.) What is the name of the quadrangle?
The Beverly Hills Quadrangle

2.) What are the names of the adjacent quadrangles?
Unnamed (The Pacific Ocean), Canoga Park, Van Nuys, Burbank, Topanga, Hollywood, Venice, Inglewood

3.) When was the quadrangle first created?
1966

4.) What datum was used to create your map?
The North American Datum of 1927 (NAD 27) for horizontal information and also the National Geodetic Vertical Datum of 1929 

5.) What is the scale of the map?
The scale is 1:24,000 

6.) At the above scale, answer the following:

    a. 5 centimeters on the map is equivalent to how many meters on the ground?     
 

        5cm/x   = 1/24,000

        x=120,000cm

       100 cm= 1 m

       120,000 cm / 100= x

       x=1200 meters 

    b. 5 inches on the map is equivalent to how many miles on the ground?

        5 in/x=1/24,000

        x=120,000 inch

       1 mile=63,360 inch

       120,000/63,360= x

       x= 1.89 miles 

    c. 1 mile on the ground is equivalent to how many inches on the map?

        1 mile = 63,360 inches

        x/63,360inches= 1/24,000

        x= 2.64 inches

    d. 3 kilometers on the ground is equivalent to how many centimeters on the map?

        1km= 100,000 cm

        3km= 300,000 cm

        x/300,000cm= 1/24,000

        x=12.5 centimeters

7.) What is the contour interval on your map?
20 feet 

8.) What are the approximate geographic coordinates in both degrees/ minutes/ seconds and decimal degrees of:
    a. The Public Affairs Building
         Latitude: 34°04'32'' N or 34.079° N
         Longitude: 118°26'28'' W or 118.438° W
    b. The tip of Santa Monica Pier
         Latitude: 34°00'25'' N or 34.007° N
         Longitude: 118°29'57'' W or 118.496° W
    c. The Upper Franklin Canyon Reservoir 
         Latitude: 34°07'15'' N or 34.124° N
         Longitude: 118°24'35'' W or 118.410° W

9.) What is the approximate elevation in both feet and meters of:
   a. Greystone Mansion (in Greystone Park): 560 feet or 170.688 meters
   b. Woodlawn Cemetery: 140 feet or 42.672 meters
   c. Crestwood Hills Park: about 630 feet or 192.024 meters


10.) What is the UTM zone of the map? 
UTM Zone 11


11.) What are the UTM coordinates for the lower left corner of your map?
361,500 easting 
3,763,000 northing


12.) How many square meters are contained within each cell (square) of the UTM gridlines?
1 square kilometer  or 1,000,000 square meters


13.) Obtain elevation measurements, from west to east along the UTM northing 3771000, where the eastings of the UTM grid intersect the northing. Create an elevation profile using these measurements in Excel. Figure out how to label the elevation values to the two measurements on campus.  

14.) What is the magnetic declination of the map?
North +14 degrees


15.) In which direction does water flow in the intermittent stream between the 405 freeway  and the Stone Canyon Reservoir?
Southward


16.) UCLA  

     

LAB 1

TRANSPORTATION PATHWAYS

Introduction

        I chose these maps because they are all different in terms of their scale, the information they convey, their extent of detail as well as their importance. The first map is global and something that is applicable to almost everyone. The second is useful for a New Yorker, but probably more so for an unfamiliar tourist. And the third map is closer to home and something that I feel is significant to everyday transportation in Southern California.

Map 1

 http://www.flickr.com/photos/97373666@N00/3264396897/

    

     This map indicates the world passenger airline routes. The creator's name is not specified but he used data from Google Maps, Airlineroutemaps, and individual airline websites. It is a very general map and does not even show the different continents but interestingly enough the routes actually kind of outline the different land masses. Through my mental map I can tell that the large density of connections in the middle is most likely Europe and the high density to the left of it is North America. Through this map it is clear that the Northern Hemisphere dominates in terms of airline transportation. The United States, Eastern Asia and especially Europe have and utilize their airports and planes the most. This can  probably be related to a location's degree of globalization as well as development. Places that don't seem to be as developed probably have a difficult time building airports. South America and Africa seem to be fairly lacking in airline routes and density probably due to the lack of advanced transportation infrastructure. So, overall I found this map interesting because it is aesthetically pleasing as well as informative if looked at from a thoughtful perspective. It demonstrates that maps can be a form of art as well as an information tool. 

Map 2

 

http://www.mta.info/nyct/maps/submap.htm

       I found this map on the Metropolitan Transportation Authority site and specifically under the New York City Transit. It shows that the subway can be used as a means of transportation throughout Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bronx and to a small portion of Queens. It provides a lot of information because it includes the streets that act as stops as well as the location where you can transfer to different trains. The lines and colors represent the different trains and pathways of the New York City subway system. I find this map very interesting because I actually had to use it when I went to vacation in New York over the past summer. I stayed in Brooklyn so I had to figure out ways to get to Manhattan, where the main tourist sites are. At first it was very difficult and confusing, but after some experience the map proved to be really helpful. It helped me navigate throughout Brooklyn and Manhattan. Being a California resident, I had no sense of direction or mental map about New York so I needed a physical map to navigate around a place I had never been to. 

Map 3

  http://www.sigalert.com/Map.asp?region=Greater+Los+Angeles&gclid=CPWUiK3R-acCFQUDbAodqkUesA#lat=33.85478&lon=-118.04776&z=2

       I actually took a snapshot of this map through the Snipping Tool program from Windows. It was from the Sigalert site, which provides real time information about the traffic in the freeways. I took the snapshot at 1:25 pm March 31, 2011. It shows the freeways of LA and Orange County as well as some of the cities adjacent to them. The colors indicate the decree of flow on the freeways with green indicating free, fast moving flow. Yellow, orange, and red indicate slow movement, back ups and stops respectively. I find this map really important because I live in Costa Mesa and I have to travel to UCLA and back fairly often. To make sure that I don't get stuck in the 405 traffic, I always check the site to make sure there are no back ups and accidents. The 405 is also not the only highway I use so that is why I chose this map. My boyfriend attends UCSB so understanding the flow of the 101 is also important. When I am back home in Orange County and I want to go to the different malls the area offers the 55 and the 5 prove to be the quickest transportation. Also, not only is the map crucial when I am going to use the freeway, but I have noticed that it affects traffic on the streets that provide exit and entrance ramps for the freeways. Around 5:00pm I have to take a shuttle back to my apartment and it usually takes twice as long to get back due to the traffic of cars that are mostly trying to get onto the 405 freeway through Wilshire Ave.