
Before even looking at other green maps out there…some ideas from my brain:
Deadline: Delaware’s Earth Day, April 22
Format: poster or series of page-size maps and web site / app
- poster: who pays for printing? page size: camps copy center (cheaper, but still $$)
- “dissected green map” – page or smaller size maps that fit together into a poster; expandable for future projects, trading card idea for promotion (“collect them all!”).
- digital: development platform? long term maintenance?
- set up web site for “crowdsourcing” local environmental information?
Audience: how might different audiences shape the content of the map?
- Delaware community members, kids vs adults
- OWU students, faculty, staff
- potential OWU students: using green amenities to promote OWU (Admissions Office)

Goals: a map that engages people and includes sophisticated content; how can we use GIS methods to do more than just show where “green” stuff is? What can we include that will catch people’s attention, maybe make them change their behavior? Balance “I have a nightmare” and “environmental douchebag” stuff with motivational and positive information.
ex) buffers and riparian zones: what, who is close to rivers?
ex) how much area would a year’s worth of garbage from OWU or Delaware cover? Or one person’s garbage?
ex) rainforest cut each day (hour): map out area in Delaware
ex) carbon put in atmosphere each week/month/year mapped out on OWU/Delaware
ex) map out green spaces around OWU/Delaware then cut them out and put them in one place
ex) walk vs drive calories burned map, walking/biking distance to burn off particular food items
ex) mapping soils, geology beneath us, characteristics, soil-tasting tips
ex) enviro games: frisbee golf (hit as many species of trees as possible), geocaching (with cell phone), plant and animal “hit lists” (web based?)
ex) crowd sourcing specific environmental problems, cool stuff (web site)
ex) walkability (OWU / Delaware)
ex) open space for gardens (derived from air imagery)?
ex) infrared imagery: vegetation health
ex) heat mapping: wasted energy
ex) light pollution mapping
ex) animal/plant habitats in Delaware/OWU: living together in relative harmony
ex) Delaware/OWU remapped as “ecosystems” or mini-biomes: apply bio-methodologies to urban area
ex) map carbon footprints?
ex) mapping “tiny wildernesses” in our own backyard
Look at Strange Maps for strange map ideas.
Use personal knowledge / major to enhance project: computer science, zoology, biochemistry, geography, economics, environmental studies, economics management, …
Content: now: where stuff is is important: recycling, bike infrastructure, public transport, green organizations, farm markets, where to buy local food, etc.
Content: historical: any reason to include the environmental history of the OWU/Delaware area?
Content: future: speculative Green spaces (as with the bike trails map, these speculations can become reality): removal of Highway 23 bypass
Notes based on what students found first round:
Green Map – official site, with symbols showing locations
Too much information: overwhelming and complex
Composting Map: focus on one category – so a series of maps focused on different subjects (a series of 8.5 x 11 maps or legal size)
Green Infrastructure: biome or ecosystem map, protected, parks, wildlife, “habitat” – data source for Delaware area? Student and community derived info? Some on the paper map and updatable web map? Bit by bit building up the “green infrastructure.” Community green ecosystem data collection.
Green Business: promote and fund the project
Univ Kentucky: sustainable living/efforts vs green locations map
What have other student projects looked like?
A series of smaller maps divided up by geography (Delaware S, E, N, W, OWU)
Towson University Student Green Map: campus focus, aimed at students alone: too restrictive
Glasgow map mashup Green Map: too much human infrastructure
Birding Trail Maps: focus on birds, environment, activity – birdwatching
DC Tree maps: too much information – derive it somehow?
Locations of Green stuff: what categories, where do you stop?
Open Green Map: template, generic
Stress data and information that is more stable over time, but include other info (businesses, etc.)
Environmapper: toxins; relate to environmental justice
Flip over green vs grey maps (double sided) of OWU / Delaware: good vs evil
Stress activities that promote green
Poll students on cool green eco enviro things to do near campus: crowdsourcing
Potential green: passenger rail thru Delaware
Microenvironments: SEM images
Mini maps of green sites: and how to get there: “outsets” (insets?) of green spaces away from OWU/Delaware.
Rainstorm: safe places to sit out in the rain
Liability
DATA bus system
Chartwells: carbon footprint of a dinner, or specific items; local global impact of specific items
Perspective: oblique view vs view from above
Solar Panel Permits: other permit based data
Alachua County Florida Interactive Green map: lots of useful layers
Tokyo green bike map
King’s County Emerald Green Map: campus sponsored but regional in scope
Geology, etc. natural world (more natural “infrastructure”)
Funding
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Brainstorming: Monday January 25
- This is difficult! Weird! Confusing!
- You are defining a viable, interesting, and doable project
- Combines issues of audience, format, content goals, data, with maps & GIS analysis
- This is difficult! But real: engagement, application, active
To these ends…
1) Form reading presentation groups: 5 groups of 3
2) Same groups: synthesizing the course project: pulling order out of chaos!
- Who is our audience?
- What is the format of the final project?
- Poster, page-maps, web, apps
- Green vs Grey map (two sided)
- What are they goals of the project? Develop 3-5 key terms/phrases & examples of content/data/information that serve to promote these key terms/phrases all in the context of a “green map” and GIS
- ex) activity/engagement: green “games”
- ex) green “infrastructure:” counter the typical human infrastructure map
- ex) community integration: campus vs Delaware community split
- ex) awareness: toxic neighbors
- ex) understanding/education:
- ex) promotion
3) Presentation of ideas (today and/or next time)
- Monday Feb 1: Group blog posting, possible re-organizing groups
- Wednesday February 18: Project proposals (from re-organized groups)
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Below: junky notes (Jan 27) that I will revise.
Perc Tops
data set: Bibhas: where students are during the day:
field work: bike count, transect (other cool stuff to collect)
360 trash analysis data – where recycling focus
model where people are / where they want to be then put stuff there
ex) placement of bike racks
Local Foods vs what we currently eat on campus and where it is from (“A Tale of Two Scales”)
Where to go do green things: audience is students who want to do stuff, not locals who already know. But could be new faculty, new locals: so audience is new Delaware people.
Removing stereotypes
Contact with community members and nature
Education: aim at K-12 audience (but can be used by OWU students
New Possibilities
Wildlife: habitat, on campus, in region
Geology: Passive GeoThermal potential
Transportation: non car (DATA, bikes, walking): relates to many different projects
Map with symbols: link to cards with more details (specific bird, geologic feature): kids
Birding, hiking, target people who don’t do this stuff
Building electricity use: requires access to this data!
Where does electricity come from for campus?
metric: energy use taking into account number of people in space & size
Use where students are data
Quick energy assessment study OR
Wasted energy: inventory: set up a survey with a defensible sampling method
Building cards: with Green info (Admissions)
Raise awareness: unplug, turn off, green mini-activites
Recycling locations
Get maps on the web site – cycle thru on main page
Assess “green businesses” based on how they operate (rather than what they sell): assessment procedure.
Air pollution / health / where to get data, scope/scale,
Waste reduction NCAC thing
Energy, heat waste (regroup?)
Water usage? Waste?
Rainwater harvesting potential – use for?
Encouraging walking: methods to show that walking is possible (comparative),
MPG of vehicles on campus: sample
Audience: new students, potential students
Important audience: potential and new students.