I was able to use the layer wizard to allow users to look at specific states using a search bar. This will be helpful if the user wishes to look at a smaller scale of map by state, instead of the entire country comparatively. This can also be done if you were to use a disease outbreak map, similar to the one I mentioned in the last post. With an outbreak map, the layer wizard could be used to create a search bar that would allow the user to search for specific outbreaks on a map…so the creator could have multiple disease outbreaks on one map.
This is a Google Fusion Table that shows the approximate number of coal plants in each state. As you can see, the states that are pink have the largest number of coal plants and the states that are orange have the fewest number of coal plants. A chart such as this would only be effective if the person wanting the data visualization wanted to represent ranges of numbers. For instance, if someone wanted a data visualization to show where outbreaks took place, rather than the approximate number of outbreaks per state.
**Note: I was unable to embed the Google Fusion Table in this post, so the map featured in this post is a picture of the Google Fusion Table I created.
For my assignment I used a polygon map of West Hartford, because that is the only area that my partner organization focuses on. There is no data from my organization that I can use yet, as I am currently compiling possibly a useful list of locations in West Hartford such as pediatrics, early dental care units etc, so for now I used Jack’s data of early care providers. This illustrates perfectly what I believe my organization wants with the right information and data. The final product to show a layer of different organizations that are beneficial for early childhood care in West Hartford.
This was my first attempt at layer wizard so there is a lot that needs to be worked on, such as maybe putting the point layer over the polygon data and then changing the colors of the points etc. I believe this is a great first step and once I meet with my partner again I think I will have a clearer understanding of where they want to go from here.
As we move forward with our projects, I have honed down on two specific ideas I would like to work on for this semester. One idea we would like to expand on is the Water Quality Story. Many streams and tributaries begin in the smaller areas outside Hartford and the more suburban towns, such as West Hard Hartford. As of right now, I am still in the process of searching for data on the water quality measurements, whether that be water sediment or levels of pH, etc. We would like to observe how affected the streams become as they begin flowing from the cleaner suburban regions to more urban environments. By depicting this data to the public, we can learn where pollutions are being dumped into the streams through point and non-point sources. Hopefully, with adequate data, we can be efficient in discovering how our neighborhoods and towns can work together to create a cleaner stream system.
Here is an image of the Park River near Flatbush Ave., Hartford, CT.
The second idea includes working with public data about the different types of schools (public, private, etc.) and levels of education (primary/elementary education, high school) that reside in the Park River Watershed. Specifically, we would like to examine school systems that were built along the main rivers in the watershed. This knowledge will allow schools to build a greater and stronger network within their science programs as well as with each other. With a better support system, students will be able to foster their environmental interests further, and school officials and teachers will have an easier time implementing interactive science into the education system.
With school information around the Hartford area that Professor Jack Dougherty has given me, I was able to upload the data onto Google Fusion Tables to create a Point Map. Utilizing this tool for these points of schools is a great way to portray what my partner organization and I would like present. Below, the red dots on the interactive map show the different types of schools in and around the city of Hartford.
I have also found a shapefile layer of the Park River Watershed, which can be converted into a .kml file and can easily be uploaded to Google Fusion Tables as well. In the map below, the watershed can be seen outlines in red.
I would really like to be able to merge the the point map and the polygon layer of the watershed into one map. The polygon layer would need to be somewhat transparent in order to show the points. I believe this type of dataviz created does fit my partner’s needs in terms of illustrating a map that shows school points over the Park Watershed. Once I learn how to combine points with a polygon layer, this map will look more like what I have envisioned.
Here’s a couple examples of how I would like my merged map to look like.
The map below displays an estimate that the growing minority population will continue to be concentrated in urban areas, which will reinforce current levels of segregation in Connecticut. I used the Connecticut town boundaries, Census 2010 from MAGIC UConn Libraries and then I obtained the Increase in Minority Population (2010-2030) from the Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Report that Erin Kemple had given to me. In this report there is a static map impeded onto a PDF, which had been made using ArcGIS. I have not yet received the ArcGIS maps and shapefiles for these maps so for this assignment I had to manually add the increase in minority data manually by adding another column in Google Fusion Tables through looking at the pre-made map in the report. So for the map below, if you click on a certain town you will not get the exact data, since I have not received it yet. I also am unsure of how to get rid of the red shading at the bottom of the map.
