Lab 8: Census 2000

Utilizing data provided by Census 2000, I developed three maps detailing racial populations in America: blacks, Asians and some other race by counties. (Counties in America is the constant variable in all three maps). The maps are colored accordingly--the mapped area, title and legend are matched in color for easy identification and readability. These maps give us a better understand of spatial autocorrelation--that is, clustering phenomena and their significance. As evident in the black American population, the highest concentration is the southeast region of the United States. These states include: South Carolina, Virginia, Louisiana, etc. Moreover, areas of predominant black residence are usually segregated; the highest number of black people in a given county is about 85%. While I am unable to cite the reason for such clustering in the southeast region, I may conclude that blacks have been historically and overtly discriminated in the housing market. Case studies have shown how blacks and whites are often segregated into separate neighborhoods, which may lead to black people dwelling in dilapidated areas. Nevertheless, I viewed the (dis)placement of these groups as ramifications of legislation and policies regarding housing accessibility, affordability, gerrymandering and real estate development.

Contrary to the black population, the Asian population in America is quite dispersed. As evident in the second map, there are several coastal regions on both the east and west in which Asians dwell in large numbers. For instance, Honolulu City (surrounded entirely by water, but not shown in above map) ranks the highest in terms of Asian population. Other areas include southern and northern California, as well as the northeast region (states, including Maryland). Unlike black populations, there are not significantly high numbers of Asians in areas of Asian population. In Honolulu, Asians compose of 66% of the county population. Are Asians less segregated than blacks in America? What kinds of housing laws and legislation have permitted Asians to access housing with non-Asians? In relation to the region, are Asians more adapted to living in close proximity to the ocean? Do lifestyles and dietary needs provide us an insight to these answers? While I find it important to discuss these guiding questions which arise from the map, it's equally important to not create generalizations that can be disproved bys more meaningful data.

Quite interestingly, people who identify as "some other race" dwell in the southwest region of the United States. These states include: New Mexico, southern California, Arizona, Texas and New Mexico. The fluidity of racial categories and identification suggests that perhaps people who identified as "some other race" found themselves from a different origin. After all, on several surveys and applications, "whites" encompass people of European and Hispanic origins. While this may not necessarily be the case, the clustering of people of "some other race" toys with the idea that people who often exist in the borderlines of racial categories may not identify with generic racial categories. There is a high percentage of Latinos/Chicanos/Hispanics in the southwest regions: according to the Census 2000, there are 42% in New Mexico; 32.4%, California; 32%, Texas; and 25.3% in Arizona (source: http://www.census.gov/prod/2001pubs/c2kbr01-3.pdf). The high population of Hispanics (and often the aggregation of Hispanics as "whites") may correlate with the significantly high rate of people who identify as "some other race."

The census map series raises several questions and understanding of populations and identity in America. While blacks in America are predominantly in the Southern states, we note that Asians are dispersed along the coastal regions. Moreover, a heavy number of people who identify as "some other race" dwell in the Southwest region of Texas, California, New Mexico and Arizona. Racial categorization often overlooks populations and develop into generalizations. For instance, "Asian" does not allow viewers to understand the different groups swept under the "Asian" umbrella. Does this include or exclude Pacific Islanders? How many people within the Asian population identify as immigrants? Are they Desi/Indian, Southeast Asian, East Asian and Filipino as well? Likewise, "black" does not inform us on whether or not they are African-originated or from different parts of the world. Census maps give us an aggregated data of racial groups, which does not provide enough understanding as to the needs and state of these groups.

I have mixed feelings about GIS as a whole. GIS is undoubtedly a powerful tool; its ability to convey information in a meaningful method is its most strongest asset. However, it is a relatively inaccessible software for those without formal training or education. It is also very time-consuming and requires a series of trial-and-error before users can undertake the task at hand. For instance, joining tables created a wide array of confusion. I continued to link the wrong fields or columns for all the maps, which ultimately led to producing the wrong map. I had to figure out which columns to join on my own, while considering which step I had either skipped or missed. Perhaps there needs to be a more streamlined and simplified ArcGIS; or rather, an outline of all steps taken by users to allow easier back-tracking.

While data collection may be the most strenuous and time-consuming task (85% of the time!), GIS nevertheless allows data interpretation to occur. Granted, GIS is a relatively inaccessible software for everyday users and requires a certain degree of computer navigation and technical information. However, GIS is a truly effective software for our understanding of the world. It provides context and allows further research; it shed lights on historical and sociopolitical aspects of living. For instance, with the help of GIS, we can identify the clustering of certain types of businesses (i.e. marijuana dispensaries) in particular locations (i.e. Westwood). Mapping all of these out can give us more information into understanding the people (including sex offenders) and history of the Westwood area. By heightening our awareness and probing our curiosity, GIS is a giant leap into the future.

Lab 7: Station fire

The outbreak of a blazing fire is no unfamiliar sight in Los Angeles. Given Southern California’s brush and grass fires, such incidents are quickly ignited. But some of these fire incidents are intentional, with only 10 percent of arson fires end up in criminal charges. The Old fire destroyed nearly one thousand homes in San Bernardino County and led to six deaths. In 1993, the Malibu fire killed three people and caused $375 million in damage while the 1994 Laguna Beach fire destroyed 441 homes and caused $528 million in damage. The 2006 Esperanza fire led to the deaths of five firefighters. And most recently, from August to September of 2009, two firefighters were killed and 160,577 acres were scorched in the foothills and canyons beginning in the San Gabriel Mountains, and spreading to the Angeles National Forest.
Burning over 250 miles of the San Gabriel Mountains, the Station fire was finally contained in the evening of October 16. The fire crews relied on the moderate rainfall in the San Gabriel Mountains to alleviate the fire, in which they then hiked and contained the portion of the fire in the wilderness. The rainy weather and winter conditions at higher elevations (as demonstrated in the digital elevation model) played key roles in controlling the Station fire. Otherwise, the fire would persist for months.
Interestingly, the Station fire incident is regarded as a homicide investigation, which started adjacent to the Angeles Crest Highway (SR 2), which is about one mile above the Angeles Crest Fire Station on August 26. The reference map details the beginnings of the fire (during late August) as beginning close to a major highway, before spreading upward. As the fire spreads forth, it ascends further from the highways and homes. Though injuring 22 people, the Station fire does not have detrimental effects on properties—as in other cases of homes with high property rates (i.e. Laguna Beach, Malibu). Thus the Station fire is regarded as a forest fire, because the higher elevations of the San Gabriel Mountains (with timber retaining heat) has prolonged the effort to suppress the fire.
Despite the Station fire’s perimeters in a non-residential area, its effects impacted residential areas. As evident in the reference map—the Station fire was mainly contained in the national forest. According to the South Coast Air Quality Management District, air-flow drainage overnight from the mountains brought little smoke to foothill areas of the San Gabriel Valley. Likewise, ocean breezes will move smoke northward into the mountains and out of the basin. Nevertheless, evacuation in the Glendale, La Canada, La Crescenta and Tujunga area were highly encouraged for safety.
The practical applications of mapping tools allow us to analyze the data in multifarious forms. At face value, the reference map gives us a simplistic portrait of the fire outbreaks and provides context in terms of location and highways (and thus residential or populated areas). However, the map also implicitly provides us information in regards to health hazards. For instance, because of the fire’s placement within a forest area, its containment within this area does not contribute to lethal (although bothersome and unhealthy) hazards. Likewise, the digital elevation map shows us the terrain of the fire spreading throughout the month. What are the elements of maintaining heat, or exacerbating fire? By asking such questions, we may also gain insights behind the motives and techniques of not only people who incite arsons but ways to contain the fires.

Works Cited

“LA County Enterprise GIS.” Fire Perimeter GIS Data. 2009. Los Angeles County Enterprise GIS. Accessed 23 Nov. 2009. http://gis.lacounty.gov/eGIS/?m=200908.

“Mapshare: UCLA’s Spatial Data Repository.” Los Angeles County. 2006. University of California, Los Angeles. Accessed 23 Nov. 2009. http://gis.ats.ucla.edu//Mapshare/Default.cfm.

Pojawa, Jane. “Station Fire Strikes Angeles Crest.” The Insider. 2009. http://media.www.gccinsider.com/media/storage/paper1339/news/2009/06/1 9/Campus/Station.Fire.Strikes.Angeles.Crest-3759302.shtml.

"Station Fire." InciWeb the Incident Information System. Nov. 10 2009. Accessed 23 Nov. 2009. http://www.inciweb.org/incident/1856/.

“The National Map Seamless Server.” United States Data. 2009. United States Geological Survey. Accessed 23 Nov. 2009. http://seamless.usgs.gov/index.php

Winton, Richard. “Station fire probe yields little evidence, no suspects.” Los Angeles Times. 21 Nov. 2009. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-arson21- 2009nov21,0,7372132.story.

Lab 5: Map projections

Map projections derived from an attempt to transform a 3D spherical model of the earth onto a 2D plane. Needless to say, transforming all the points of a sphere results in compromising accurate images and characteristics. The six maps depicted in this blog entry are examples of conformal, equidistant, and equal area map projections. Each projection has individual nuances and characteristics due to their distortions in area size, shape, distance, and coordinates. Nevertheless, there are practical reasons and applications for the use of each projection. For example, the mercator projection is useful for navigation due to constant angles throughout the entire map. The three different map types are all developed from a different surface shape and hold different properties. The equidistant map projections were developed from cylinder and sphere surfaces, and thus conserve distance. The equal area projections conserve accurate area size of objects being mapped. In regards to the conformal map projections, they are developed from a cylindrical surface and contain an accurate coordinate system.

Map distortions, and their inconsistent effects on distances, reflect the need to understand the significance of each type of projection. The recorded distance for each projection, between Washington, D.C., and Kabul, Afghanistan, varied greatly. The three projections (conformal, equidistant, and equal area) all have particular advantages and pitfalls. For instance, conformal maps preserve longitudinal and latitudinal gridlines, which intersect right angles, as evident in the Mercator and northpole stereographic. The Mercator projection is the most common type of projection used in mapping because it preserves the size, coordinates and shapes. Equal area maps preserve area; the whole of the equal area map has the same equivalent area as the Earth as a whole, as depicted in the Mollweide projection. Equidistant maps show true distances along certain designated lines or from the center to other points. However, the relationship between points further away from the center, or point to people, do not convey an accurate relationship.

Nevertheless, we must cognizant of how each map projection portrays yet manipulates points and coordinates. For example, although conformal maps are very good at preserving angles between gridlines, these types of maps distort the sizes of areas. Equal area maps also have disadvantages despite ability to preserve area: they do not preserve gridline angles, nor do they sustain accurate area. A disadvantage of equidistant map is that these types of maps do not offer true distances while preserving equal areas. Though these distortions occur, understanding how to create and differentiate the disadvantages and advantages of each projection allows us to optimize the functionality of each type.

Lab 6: DEMs in ArcGIS

I chose a rocky terrain in Utah--in part because Utah is geographically interesting (Park City!) and I have very close ties to Utah because my family lives there. The elevation is quite startling due to the range of mountains and peaks; at most, the elevation is over 3,500 (3,568) feet yet settles to about 1300 (1365) feet in the valley areas. The slope map indicates the prevalence of steep slopes. As evident in the aspect map, elevation is variant in all directions and areas due to the rocky mountainous terrain of Utah.

Here are the decimal degrees: Bottom: 38.398 | Top: 54.583 | Left: -110.434 | Right: -111.554

Lab 4: ArcGIS

The ArcGIS is a tool with a myriad of possibilities and pitfalls. In spite of the uncertainty and frustration garnered during my experience, the benefits were manifold. If classroom lecture was the time for theories to be introduced, then surely our lab—namely, our experience with ArcGIS—is praxis. The complex nature of ArcGIS allows users to utilize data effectively but may still cause confusion for new users (including myself!).

The program is truly effective in its ability to analyze spatial relationships between objects in the context of their environment. Such analysis can be integral in policymaking, social changes, and the way people interpret the world they live in. Our maps of schools and the noise contour emitted by airports provide a visual, accessible data. Users are able to interpret the data—and provide developers and engineers with valuable information in regards to school construction, sound mitigations, health hazards and other such decisions based on the data.

Within my microanalysis of ArcGIS, the program’s details can cause setbacks to the user’s performance. Its tremendous amount of detail can be a tedious process for new users (as well as experienced users) alike. By not being attentive, users may accidentally overlook an aspect when constructing a chart and be forced to reevaluate his or her input.

Nevertheless, despite the advantages and abilities of ArcGIS, the program has pitfalls. Maps are constructed with given data; any error in the process of data collection can offset the ability of the ArcGIS map to be an accurate representation of reality. Within the software itself, ArcGIS is very useful in conveying details through tables and data groups. The many tools available in ArcGIS allows users to be effective in constructing the maps and formulas for charts, graphs, and tables. Unlike neogeography, ArcGIS caters toward computer-savvy, programming types. With its steep learning curve and time consumption, ArcGIS does not necessarily allow its users to create quick and accessible maps, based off of their own experiences.

Lab 3: Neogeography

View Ethnic Enclaves in Southern California in a larger map

My mashup contains information on the ethnic enclaves around and about Los Angeles. View the map of ethnic enclaves here. As a multicultural and multiethnic city, Los Angeles composes of the largest population of certain communities outside their respective homelands (i.e. Cambodians in Long Beach or Tahai population in Los Angeles). Often, an immigrant group's presence in a region results in the revitalization of the area. This map explores the overall significance and historical settlement of immigrants in Los Angeles, as well as visually gives us an understanding of behavior patterns. We may ask ourselves the following questions: where do immigrant groups tend to congregate? What are particular reasons for their settlement in a region? How does this area reflect their cultural values and sociopolitical circumstances?

Neogeography is both interactive and user-friendly, allowing people to create maps based on their own terms, experiences, and categories. Its accessibility to the public also increases spatial awareness and understanding for all people. In this respect, the roles of maps and geography will be integral in shaping GPS and data analyses in forthcoming years. For instance, mapping relevant information (such as locations of McDonald’s across the nation) in a geobrowser effectively organizes information relating to people—their lifestyles, preferences and overall welfare.

Despite the accessibility and convenience of neogeography, there are multiple pitfalls and challenges. For instance, neogeography brings about the issue of bias and exclusivity. Someone who creates a map based on a personal interest (i.e. McDonald’s) will intentionally exclude pertinent information (i.e. other fast food restaurants). For viewers choosing fast food locations, they will only see a certain angle or aspect of fast food restaurants—contingent on the creator of the map. Moreover, neogeographers are not professional nor are they credible; they are everyday people who do not know the technical functions of mapping. In this regard, maps may be inaccurate, ambiguous, or wrong. There are not any regulations or confirmation of validity for these maps; they can misleadingly pass as truth in false light.

Additionally, neogeography may infringe on privacy. As evident in the mashup of Proposition 8 supporters and donors, such maps provide personal information to the public and may also result in violence, hate mail, and other such vices. Names and addresses can thus result in detrimental safety for people identified in the mashup. Likewise, users of maps may be confined with the limited existing tools to create their maps. Integrating a multimedia walking tour in Westwood online may be impossible due to the restrictions of programs (i.e. Google). In this sense, users must rely on the development of the program to advance their projects.

Nevertheless, neogeography allows people across the world to take ownership of their environment. By creating accessibility, users can selectively design their maps to exchange information, provide context, and spread awareness.

Lab 2: USGS Topographic Maps

1. What is the name of the quadrangle?
Beverly Hills

2. What are the names of the adjacent quadrangles?
Canoga Park, Van Nuys, Burbank, Topanga, Hollywood, Venice, and Inglewood

3. When was the quadrangle first created?
1966

4. What datum was used to create your map?
North American Datum of 1927 (original), North American Datum of 1983 (update)

5. What is the scale of the map?
1:24000

6. At the above scale, answer the following:
a) 5 centimeters on the map is equivalent to how many meters on the ground? 1,200 meters
b) 5 inches on the map is equivalent to how many miles on the ground? 1.89 miles
c) 1 mile on the ground is equivalent to how many inches on the map? 2.65 (or 3) inches
d) 3 kilometers on the ground is equivalent to how many centimeters on the map? 12.5 cm

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;

34° 04' 25" N or 34.0736° N

118° 26' 20" W or 118.4338° W
b) the tip of Santa Monica pier;

34° 0'30" N or 34.0083°

118°29'55" W or 118.4986°W
c) the Upper Franklin Canyon Reservoir;

34° 07' 10" N or 34.1195° N

118° 24' 40" W or 118.4111°W

9. What is the approximate elevation in both feet and meters of:
a) Greystone Mansion (in Greystone Park); 581 feet or 177 meters
b) Woodlawn Cemetery; 141 feet or 43 meters
c) Crestwood Hills Park; 636 feet or 194 meters

10. What is the UTM zone of the map?

Zone 11

11. What are the UTM coordinates for the lower left corner of your map?

3,733,000 Easting

362,000 Northing

12. How many square meters are contained within each cell (square) of the UTM gridlines?

1,000,000 sq. 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 (hint: create a line chart). Figure out how to label the elevation values to the two measurements on campus. Insert your elevation profile as a graphic in your blog.

14. What is the magnetic declination of the map?

14°

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

North to south

16. Crop out (i.e., cut and paste) UCLA from the map and include it as a graphic on your blog.