Vanessa's Geo Lab 4

Working with the ArcGIS program for the first time was not as hard as I had expected, because of my familiarity with other common programs such as Microsoft Publisher and C++ programming. The hardest part of the tutorial was probably finding the files I needed to make different maps or data tables. Nonetheless, it is probably easier to maneuver through those things when I make a map with my own found data. The whole process of creating a detailed map or geographical outline is just more time consuming than I imagined, but the final result is something that anyone can do and understand.

One of the potentials of the ArcGIS program is that it can take a large amount of data and turn it into a layout of easy to read graphs and maps. For example, when I started the tutorial I did not know what the maps were even about but after the first couple of steps the information on map was easy to follow although it was incomplete. Then, as everything was coming together, all the information became easier to understand as a spread sheets or images.

Another potential of the ArcGIS program is the precision that cannot be accomplished with hand written maps and data collections. At one point in the tutorial we were asked to calculate a column with an equation of data from other columns and had I had to do those calculations by hand it would have been much more difficult. Furthermore, I was able to combine the data of different layers with ease and efficiency. Again, the end result was a clean layout of the collected information.

ArcGIS has some pitfalls as well, for instance the long time it would take to create layouts of information. In addition, while I was working with the program it seemed as if all the parts of my projected were stringed together in such a way that if I messed up on part of it I had to start over. For example, I constantly struggled with the maps resizing because I was trying to scroll to the upper or lower parts of the page but instead it would zoom in or out. On the other hand, I had times where I would think I put in the correct data but it came out wrong and I had to start over, costing me more time on the same project.

Vanessa G's Map, Lab 3

View Sweet Treats in LA in a larger map

This map is of places I have been to throughout the greater Los Angeles that sell a variety of desserts.  It also includes the places I would like to go. Although I was careful with my placement of the markers, the problem with inaccuracy still arises. This is one of the main problems with Neography because anyone can create anything on the internet and others would assume it is accurate. Even when being carefully accurate, amateurs like myself have biases over what they include and what they exclude.  For example, I only chose to include Crumbs Bake Shop over Sprinkles because I have a personal preference to Crumbs.

For everything that is progressive about Neography there is a negative side. For instance, Neography helps anyone find out the locations of a great hole in the wall business to bring it more business. On the other hand, it could also give wrong information about any business and the comments of viewers can blemish the reputation of places more severely. With Neography there are many maps about anything, so that information about places can be displayed in a dynamic way. However, then there are people who create confusing maps that do not help present any ideas.

Vanessa G's Second Lab

Geography 7: Lab 2

     

1. Name of the quadrangle is Beverly Hills.
2. Adjacent quadrangles are Topanga, Canoga Park, Van Nuys, Burbank, Hollywood, Inglewood, and Venice.
3. The quadrangle was created in 2012
4. The North American Datum of 1983 was used to make this map.
5. The scale of the map is 1:24000.
1. 5 centimeters on the map is 1200 meters on the ground 
2. 5 inches on the map is equal to 1.89 miles on the ground
3. 1 mile on the ground is equal to 2.64 inches on the map
4. 3 kilometers on  the ground is equivalent to 12.5 centimetres on the map
7. The contour interval of this map is 20 feet.
1. Public Affairs Building (34˚  4’30*N= 34.075˚N;118º 26′ 15″ W = 118.438º W)
2. The tip of Santa Monica pier (34º 0′ 30″ N = 34.0083º N; 118º 30′ 2″ W = 118.501º W)
3. The Upper Franklin Canyon Reservoir (34º 5′ 55″ N = 34.0986º N;118º 24′ 20″ W = 118.406º W)
1. Greystone Mansion (560 ft= 170.7 m)
2. Woodlawn Cemetery (140 ft = 42.7 m)
3. Crestwood Hills Park (680 ft = 207.3 m)
10. The UTM zone of the map is zone 11.
11. The UTM coordinates for the lower left corner is 3763000 northing and 362000 easting.
12. There are 1,000,000 meters^2 within each cell.
13. Below
14. The magnetic declination is 12º
15. The stream flows from North to South.

Vanessa Gutierrez's Interesting maps

This map is from the prequel to J. R. R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Hobbit. It maps out the journey of the protagonist, Bilbo, throughout the book including his encounter with the dragon drawn on the map, Smaug. This map interest me because The Hobbit is one of my favorite books and I am excited to watch the film adaptation this December. 

The Lord of the Rings map The Hobbit. N.d. Photograph. WallpapercasaWeb. 2 Oct 2012.   <http://www.wallpapercasa.com/The_Lord_of_the_Rings_maps_The_Hobbit-635403.html>.

This map is of the two mile radius of where my hometown is in South Los Angeles. The red dots mark the shootings reported last year, and this is interesting to me because for the 20 years I have lived there I have only witnessed one shooting. In addition, this is interesting to me because last week my cousin witnessed a drive by shooting near my house.

Lopez, Robert. Man slain by gunfire in Florence-Firestone neighborhood. 2011. Photograph. Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles. Web. 2 Oct 2012. <http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/.a/6a00d8341c630a53ef014e8946229b970d-pi>.

This is map is of Disneyland park in Anaheim, California. I find it interesting because it is a place where my family and I have spent the most time together. Moreover, I was able to spend my happiest memories here with my extended family. Lastly, I find this map interesting because my grandma was there the first day it opened and it is interesting to see how it has changed through out the years.

Duval, Rich. Disneyland-2004 Map. 2004. Photograph. Theme Park Brochures, Anaheim. Web. 2 Oct 2012. <http://www.themeparkbrochures.net/maps/2004/dland2004.html>.