Class Project Ideas: Feb. 2, 2009

I was moving some piles of junk and came across a 1934 U.S. Public Works Administration book on Mississippi Valley public works projects (Report of the Mississippi Valley Committee of the Public Works Administration, October 1, 1934).  The book is full of maps and other information graphics influenced by Otto Neurath’s picture language, isotype.  Isotype is visually distinctive and activist and populist in intent.

Some examples of the isotype “language” from a 1937 article by Neurath:

It struck me that we could use isotype inspired maps and graphics for our “dis-orientation” guide and poster.  We are copying the idea of the UNC map, but with an entirely different look.  Isotype – with its activist and populist bent – seems to be very appropriate.  And funky-retro.

Further, I think we can roll the majority of class projects into this poster, or at least some part of each of the projects, so we have a green/sustainability oriented dis-orientation map.  Isotype is certainly related to cartography and GIS and the goals and intent of our projects.  Further, isotype design was at its peak during the 1930s – the last great depression.  That corresponds with the current not-so-great semi-depression.

Otto Neurath (1882 – 1945) was a philosopher, sociologist, and political scientist. One of his many concerns was education, and in particular, enhancing the understanding of statistics and other numeric data.  To this end Neurath, Gerd Arntz, and Marie Reidemeister created the pictorial language isotype. A few examples open this posting.

We may want to have the last set of readings / student presentations focus on the ideas behind isotype – thus focusing on the way we plan to present our work to the eager public.

A few interesting isotype & Neurath resources to look at:

The Isotype Institute carries on the tradition of isotype, and includes many isotype graphics to look at.

1930 Atlas of Gesellschaft und Wirtschaft (Society and Economy): big PDF of entire atlas.  Sybilla Nikolow discusses the atlas in her article “Society and Economy: An Atlas in Otto Neurath’s Pictorial Statistics from 1930.” (PDF)

Ellen Lupton reviews the history and significance of isotype in her article “Reading Isotype.” (PDF)

Neurath and the Vienna Method of Picture Statistics (PDF).  A chapter out of an e-book called Speaking of Graphics An Essay on Graphicacy in Science, Technology and Business by Paul J. Lewi.  Seems like a nice overview of the history of isotype and its characteristics.

The DADA Companion has much information on design and art related to isotype.  Search for “isotype” or “Neurath.”

A new book should be out in April of 2009 called The Transformer: Principles of Making Isotype Charts by Marie Neurath and Robin Kinross.  A copy is ordered for our library.

Gerd Arntz Web Archive. A super collection of thousands of isotype symbols designed by Arntz.  All seem to be free to use.  The site also has a breif biography of Arntz.

Austin Kleon’s blog on graphic design has a nice posting on isotype, comics, and information graphics design. Search the blog for other isotype references.

The web magazine Mute has a feature called The Dutch Are Weeping in Four Universal Pictorial Languages At Least that reviews a series of contemporary exhibits that focus on isotype and related ideas.  One exhibit called After Neurath has a significant amount of information and links.

The New York Times summarized 2007 US and Coalition member deaths in Iraq in a isotype-esque chart (click for larger version):

Stroom De Haag writes (in the online magazine Archined) about Neurath as the “grandfather of open source.”

Lots more out there…

Geospatial Analysis text: Intro + Conceptual Frameworks

A Dangerous Road…

Geospatial Analysis – A Comprehensive Guide

Notes and examples on “Introduction & Terminology” and “Conceptual Frameworks for Spatial Analysis.”

Introduction & Terminology

1. On applications: London GIS Casebook: all related to “environmental justice.”

• Noise Mapping/GIS
• Air Quality
• Crime
• Health and Health

2. GIS, Spatial Analysis, and Software

• overview of GIS and related software (Table 1-1)
• choosing a GIS software package
• visualization, mapping, cartography

3. Terminology & Definitions

• massive array of jargon (Table 1-2)
• statistics & GIS

Conceptual Frameworks for Spatial Analysis

The Geospatial Perspective: “a distinct perspective on the world, a unique lens through which to examine events, patterns, and processes that operate on or near the surface of our planet.”

The domain of geospatial analysis is the surface of the Earth, extending upwards in the analysis of topography and the atmosphere, and downwards in the analysis of groundwater and geology. In scale it extends from the most local, when archaeologists record the locations of pieces of pottery to the nearest centimetre or property boundaries are surveyed to the nearest millimetre, to the global, in the analysis of sea surface temperatures or global warming. In time it extends backwards from the present into the analysis of historical population migrations, the discovery of patterns in archaeological sites, or the detailed mapping of the movement of continents, and into the future in attempts to predict the tracks of hurricanes, the melting of the Greenland ice-cap, or the likely growth of urban areas.

Geospatial Analysis: what happens where, and makes use of geographic information that links features and phenomena on the Earth’s surface to their locations.

1. Basic “Primitives”

• place: rather complicated: Wikipedia
• attributes: “any recorded characteristic or property of a place” + measurement levels + examples in ArcGIS
• objects: raster (images) & vector (points, lines, areas): here and below (from Making Maps):

• maps: defining maps and more defining maps (PDF)
• multiple properties of place: attributes & classification
• fields: discrete (example) and continuous (example) phenomena
• networks: example & example
• density: example & example
• detail: scale and generalization (from Making Maps):

• topology: here and here.

2. Spatial Relationships

• co-location: correlation of asbestos (vermiculite ore) & asbestosis, lung cancer and mesothelioma
• distance and direction: routing emergency vehicles (network analysis)
• spatial context: more or less the same as co-location
• neighborhood: defining a neighborhood in GIS and buffers
• spatial heterogeneity: “The results of any analysis over a limited area can be expected to change as that limited area is relocated, and to be different from the results that would be obtained for the surface of the Earth as a whole.”  In essence, places are complicated and prediction from place to place difficult.
• spatial dependence: even though places are complicated: Tobler’s “First Law of Geography”: “All things are related, but nearby things are more related than distant things.”  Example: Bike trails and property values
• spatial sampling: weather map and terrain:

• spatial interpolation: filling in between known data

• smoothing and sharpening (generalization; see above)

3. Spatial Statistics

• Spatial probability: probability of landslides
• Uncertainty: variation in how certain we are about what we analyze and map with GIS: soils and water quality
• Statistical inference: figure 2-5 and inferring who you are for marketing

4. Spatial Data Infrastructure

• Geoportals: available GIS data for Delaware Co. Ohio and the world.
• Metadata: NSDI

• Interoperability: standards for spatial data (so everything works together): OGC

…All this jargon…

Mapping Environmental Justice in Delaware County Pennsylvania

Mapping Environmental Justice in Delaware County Pennsylvania

• Use as a model for a similar project in Delaware County Ohio
• What is missing?  Not applicable?
• Changes in emphasis and organization
• Personal interests of students in the class in regards to the different topics

Contents:

Preface

A note about the mapping process
Figure 1: Municipalities

Introduction: Environmental Justice

From Here to There: Transportation and Industrial History
Figure 2:  Transportation

Natural Setting: Green Spaces and Waterways
Figure 3:  Land Cover

Demographic Distributions: Income, Race, Education, Unemployment and Age
Figure 4:  Income
Figure 5:  Race
Figure 6:  Unemployment
Figure 7:  Education
Figure 8:  Age

Pollution Flow: Air and Water
Figure 9:  Air and Water Pollution

Current Waste Disposal Sites: Landfills and Incinerators
Figure 10:  Waste

Abandoned Waste: Superfund Sites and Inactive Landfills
Figure 11:   Abandoned Waste

Hot Spots: Top 15 polluters in the County
Figure 12:  Top Fifteen Polluters

Conclusion: What does this mean for Delaware County?

Appendix 1: Glossary
Appendix 2: Environmental Organizations in Delaware County
Notes…

Mapping Environmental Justice in Delaware County OH

A draft of an outline for our course project is below. We may expand some of the sections, and may not get to some, but I think this is a good start.

Please review, comment (here, or to me), and think about which sections you would like to work on. I assume most of us will work in groups (they need not be the same one’s we had earlier).

Mapping Environmental Justice in Delaware County, OH

Cover
Table of Contents
Location in Ohio

map: Ohio, US maps w/Delaware County

Preface
Municipalities in Delaware County OH

map

Data Sources and Mapping Process, coordinates, projection, scale
Transparency Overlays: how to use
Introduction: Environmental Justice

What is it?
What we mean by it

The Environment

map: land cover (forest, open, water) + hydro
map: green spaces
map:

Demographic Distributions: data, classification (Hoffer, Steffen)

table: comparison of Delaware Co. to Ohio stats
map: population density
map: income
map: race
map: unemployment
map: education
map: age
map: poverty
map: crime (?)

Property Parcel Information (Brockfield, Decker)

map: age of structure & lead paint possibility
map: residential housing values
map: owner occupied vs rent/lease

Delaware as a Global Locality (Bucceri, Janney, Woods)

map: source of energy (plants elsewhere pollute, benefits Delaware Co)
map: local energy sources (solar, wind)
map: garbage export?
map: source of food: 5 common grocery items w/problematic sources (global)

Agriculture (Fowler, Salk)

map: current agricultural areas
map: mega-farms and other intensive agriculture
map: pesticides & fertilizers
map: poison lawns & yard waste
map: organic and sustainable agriculture

Transportation and Industry (Wilkens, Wagner and Rosendaul)

map: historical railroads and industrial sites in county
map: current road & railroads in county
map: current industrial sites in county
map: brownfields
map: green business
map: non-carbon transportation options

Pollution and Toxins (Martin, McLaughlin, Pinault)

map: air emissions (w/quantities?) + emission types (table?)
map: air quality problems
map: water emissions (w/quantities?) + emission types (table?)
map: water quality problems (well, surface waters)
map: water sources & wastewater (sewage) disposal
map: poison lawns

Waste Disposal (Brockfield, Decker)

map: waste sites (hazardous, municipal waste, industrial waste)
map: waste types
map: abandoned waste sites

Top Polluters (Martin, McLaughlin, Pinault)

map: location (w/quantities?) + emission types (table?)

Recycling (Bucceri, Janney, Woods)

map: recycling options and locations
map: top sources of recyclable waste (SWACO)

Environmental Justice Overlays

maps: transparencies
comparison of Delaware Co. environmental justice situation to selected other
places in the world.
suggested correlations w/discussion (correlation vs causation)

Contacts
Terms
Notes

Delaware GIS Data Exercise

Each student will create an ArcMap map with the following Delaware GIS data layers & describe (sentence or two) all data layers except those marked ‘ignore.’ (the ignore folders have data that is not relevant, or newer versions of the data are in other folders)

In essence, you are creating a very brief set of metadata (data about data) for all the available layers of information. There may be several shape files (.shp) in these folders, make sure to review all of them.

Keep your brain engaged: how might some of these layers help our course project?

Put your metadata comments in a blog posting.

You will use some of this data for your take-home mid term exam.

DUE: Mon March 3.

Delaware GIS Data Metadata is here.

If any data folders are missing please talk to your instructor.

Delaware GIS Data Layers:

Annexations
Census-Block
Census-BlockGroup
Census-Tract
City_Trails (ignore)
Del_Co_bike_green (ignore)
Delaware_Address_Pts
Delaware_Buildings_1
Delaware_Buildings_2
Delaware_Cemeteries
Delaware_Conversion (for data conversion demo only)
Delaware_DEM (ignore)
Delaware_Farmlots
Delaware_GolfCourse
Delaware_Municipalities
Delaware_Parcels
Delaware_Parks
Delaware_PostOffice
Delaware_Schools
Delaware_Subdivisions
Delaware_Trails (ignore)
Farmlot (ignore)
Floodplains
GPS (ignore)
Historical-Archeological
Historical-Delaware
Historical-National
Hydro-detail
Master-point
Mental Maps (ignore)
Natural Heritage ODNR
Old Dalis Data (ignore)
OrthophotoAp2006
Parcels (ignore)
Precincts
Public Land Survey System
RailRoad
Road Centerline (ignore)
Road Rightofway (ignore)
School
Soils
Subdivisions (ignore)
Tax Districts (ignore)
Topography
Townships_historical
TWP (ignore)
Traffic-MORPSE
Utilities-Sewer (ignore)
Utilities-Water (ignore)
Watersheds-ODNR
Wetlands
Woodland-ODNR
Zip2004
Zoning

Planet Hazard: Mapping Enviro Hazards

Planet Hazard maps toxic sites with Google Maps.

“Learn about the unknown hazards around you – the toxins you may be breathing. PlanetHazard uses information from the EPA to map over 86,000 companies throughout the United States that emit hazardous air pollutants.”

Blog Post Check

Please check that you have blog entries related to the following readings and assignments for Geography 355 complete this week.

Reading presentations: post a blog entry with your notes for the presentation. Indicate that you presented the material. If the material is on someone else’s blog, include a blog entry with a link on your blog.

1) Schuurman ch 1 & “Geography Matters” handout
2) Three GIS applications w/descriptions & links
3) Longley ch 1 & 2
4) Mitchell ch 1
5) Schuurman ch 2 & 3
6) Schuurman ch 4 & 5
7) Summary and overview of research on course project focus topic

Today (Feb 4)

8 ) Mitchell ch 2, 3, & 4

Wednesday (Feb 6)

9) Mitchell 5, 6 & 7
10) What is Environmental Justice? 500 words including 5 sources;
In particular relate to our model (Delaware PA) and course
project (and the specific topics you are researching).

Monday (Feb 18) to Monday (March 3):

Please complete a brief blog entry for each chunk of the tutorial as indicated on the course schedule.  Let me know you completed the tutorial, any problems you had, questions, comments. etc.

Basic Project Sources: DALIS Project & EnviroFacts

Delaware County geographic information @ Dalis Project web site.

EPA environmental information @ EnviroFacts web site.

Geography 355 Project Proposal Example

The link below goes to a PDF of a proposal from a previous class project in Geography 355, focused on wetlands mapping in Delaware State Park.

Clara Englert: Project Proposal: Delware State park Wetlands Mapping and Assessment Project (April 2004)

This project proposal is a model to consider as we plan our various projects that together will comprise Environmental Justice in Delaware Co. Ohio.

The key to a successful project is adequate planning and a comprehensive project proposal (completed prior to starting the project).

A paper copy of the proposal is included in the Class Project 2000-2005 handout you received earlier in the semester (about half-way through the handout).

What is Environmental Justice?

From Mapping Environmental Justice In Delaware County, PA.

When it comes to the environment, geography matters. When we talk about our environment, we are referring to the conditions that surround us every day, including natural attributes such as air and water, and manmade attributes such as buildings and roads. The features of our environment may also include hazards that are sources of danger to our collective health and well-being. Environments are different everywhere; some places have more hazards, others more green spaces, and others combinations of these. Location, then, is important in this context. Think about where you spend the hours of each day. How many hours do you spend at home? How many hours do you spend at school? The air we breathe and the water we drink can change depending on where we are and what else is nearby. Environmental policies are implemented and enforced on a local level, and health hazards are almost always the most severe for those who experience the greatest exposure in their homes and workplaces. It is an examination of this inequality that leads to a discussion of environmental justice.

According to the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), environmental justice means that all people, regardless of their race, age, job, income, or education level, enjoy the same degree of protection from environmental and health hazards. The notion of environmental justice has been around since the 1980s, but the official definition was first established as a federal mandate in 1994 by President Clinton’s Executive Order 12898. This legislation sought to focus federal efforts on ensuring that poor and minority communities were not disproportionately burdened by environmental hazards and that these communities had more say in the legal process that brought environmental hazards in the first place. The federal definition, then, says that the government and the affected communities are both responsible for making sure that any given area has a just distribution of hazards. This project is able to show you how the county looks right now, but not much about the process by which the county came to be this way. As you look through the booklet, think about who is responsible for bringing pollution to a given area, and also who you think is responsible for protecting communities. Are environmental hazards distributed equally? Fairly? If not, what can be done to fix this?

Italics added.