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GPHY 243, Lab 3: Coordinates and Data Collection

Introduction (2 marks)

A very important GIS skill is ingesting a list of measurements taken in the field and plotting them on a map. Great care must be taken that the coordinates are correctly interpreted and that the coordinate systems of the file and of the map agree. Being able to do this is at the heart of the GIS data collection process. Of great importance is differentiating Geographic from Projected Coordinate Systems. This ESRI blog can supplement what you learn in the class lectures.

The lab is out of 20 marks. By the end of the lab you should be able to do the following:

1) Identify coordinate reference systems and datums

2) Import lists of coordinates in a GIS

3) Display coordinates on a map

4) Plan and acquire field data for a GIS project 

Question 1 (2 marks): What is “Null Island”? Why was it believed that there was an island there? Conversely, how did the location data logged by the fitness app Strava reveal the location of real secret bases? Do some internet research and be sure to cite your sources below (1 mark for “Null Island”, 1 mark for Strava). Please use sources other than Wikipedia for your answer, although Wikipedia is an acceptable starting point for your research. This “how-to” gives you a good starting point.

It is strongly suggested that you work on the Results and Discussion component of the lab in the first lab session.

Methods and Materials (10 marks)

This section will give you some practice manipulating coordinate systems in ArcGIS Pro. So-called “blunders” can happen when the wrong coordinate system is selected to display coordinates. Complete this short tutorial and answer the question below.

Question 2 (1 mark): Show a screenshot of the data displayed on the Light Gray Canvas basemap before and after the coordinate correction (1 mark; 0.5 before, 0.5 after)

A CSV file is a sort of text file commonly used with spreadsheets like Excel. It is also well suited to storing coordinates. Complete this short tutorial on how to add coordinates from a CSV file to map.

Question 3 (2 marks): Once you’ve imported the HeronNestLocations data into ArcGIS Pro, show a Light Grey Canvas basemap with the layer Heron Nest Locations enabled. Use a different symbol for the point than the one used in the tutorial (1 mark). Give a screenshot of the attribute table for ProposedBuildings once Add XY Coordinates has been run. POINT_X and POINT_Y should be clearly visible in the screenshot (1 mark).

Complete this tutorial on coordinate systems. The exercises will show you how the choice of ellipsoid can change the position of our data.

Question 4 (2 marks): Given a snapshot of another small island in the “Why maps need coordinate systems” that show the differences between the three spheroids (1 mark). Give the geodetic measurement in metres between WGS 1984 and International 1924, and give a measurement between International 1924 and Clarke 1866 (1 marks; 0.5 marks for each measurement).

Question 5 (2 marks): In the “Assign GCS” exercise change the colours of the countries to “Basic Random” in symbology. Show a screenshot of the African cities imported with proper spatial reference and “Square 3” selected as the symbol (1 mark; it MUST use the Basic Random colour scheme for the countries). Provide a screenshot of the clustered cities without spatial reference (1 mark).  

Question 6 (3 marks): (Arctic National Wildlife Reserve): What is the area in decimal degrees of the Arctic National Wildlife Reserve and Boundary 1002 (1 mark). Project the Boundary 1002 and ANWR polygons into Albers and give the resulting areas in square kilometres (2 marks).

Results and Discussion (5 marks)

The following activity will require you to collect your own GIS data using the Field Maps app for Android or iOS. Please contact the instructor if you do not have access to a suitable mobile device to complete this lab. Follow this sequence of simple tutorials. In them you will create a form to collect data about park amenities, and use the Field Maps app for Android and iOS to collect data about a park in Kingston (pick one that is conveniently located). Be sure to include your first and last name in the title of the form. In the tutorial “Build a form with Field Maps Designer”, instead of the ParkNames.csv file provided, use this csv file of Kingston Park names instead to populate your form. To collect data on your phone, follow this tutorial. Add the basic amenities and features of the park you select.

Make sure that the web form you create is shared with the group GPHY 243 W26 (select Owner and find the group with that title). When you’ve finished collecting your data, the TAs will grade the maps they see in this group.

Question 7: Collect information on park benches, trash containers, recycling containers, light posts and restrooms in one city park in Kingston. Take a photo of each park amenity and report whether the amenity has any damage. Describe any damage you see. (3 marks)

Question 8: Walk the paths in the park to get the path features (1 mark). Collect points to get the boundaries of the park (1 mark).

Conclusion (2 marks)

Question 8: Using a “layout” use your data in ArcGIS Pro to create a basic park map. The map should include scale, a north arrow and a legend for full marks (2 marks).

References (1 marks)

Question 9: Give references to all of the tutorials used in the preparation of this lab in APA format (1 mark).