GIS I Lab 1: Base Data

Goals and Background: My first lab assignment for GIS I presented me with a variety of tasks to complete and data to collect. First, I would learn how to navigate the public land systems that the city of Eau Claire uses to manage the city, as well as the county. Then I would compile the data I found into 6 maps focused on the Confluence Project, a public-private works project in the downtown of Eau Claire. All of these goals would be completed using ArcGIS and the city website.
  For me to successfully complete the lab, I had to finish a list of various objectives.

1. Find data from the City and County of Eau Claire that could answer nine questions about the datasets.
2. Locate the Confluence Project in ArcGIS and digitize its location.
3. Become familiar with the Public Land Survey System (PLSS).
4. Craft two legal descriptions and reports for the two parcels of land that would be used for the project.
5. Create six maps that would present the data from the main feature classes I had used previously.

Methods: The lab was a long process that I would separate into two phases. One, was data collection and management. The second phase entailed the map making process.

  Objective 1 had me familiarize myself with the data I would be using. Using ArcCatalog, I answered numerous questions about specific data, such as how many feature classes are in Topology or which fields contain the zoning information.

  Next for Objective 2, I would begin the digitization process of the Confluence Project. I created a blank geodatabase, EC_confluence. Into this blank geodatabase, I placed "pro_site" (Proposed Site). I used the same coordinate system that Eau Claire County used by selecting their "CENSUS_FEATURES" dataset and importing it.

  After getting my data all set to go, I uploaded a blank map and added  "World Imagery" as a base map. With the "parcel_area" added, I found the two sites of 128 Graham Avenue and 202 Eau Claire Street by using the identify tool. Once located, I turned on the editor toolbar. This allowed me to craft a shape over the two parcels using the Polygon tool.

  Objective 3 was the next step. I inserted a new data frame and added the "PLSS_Townships" layers from both the city and county geodatabases on top of the "World Imagery" basemap. After the adding the quarter-quarter sections from both geodatabases, I answered a question about the location of the Confluence Project using the identify tool.

  Using the Parcel ID from the attributes I acquired using the identify tool previously, I uploaded these ID's into the city's property and assessment search engine. I was able to compile data on these two parcels and created a brief report for each one. To finish Objective 4, I created two maps with each parcel highlighted and labeled. A quick note, ArcGIS must have had an outdated Parcel ID for 202 Eau Claire Street, so I used the address "202 Eau Claire Street" to search instead of the Parcel ID.

  Objective 5 had me re-size the layout of ArcGIS, changing the size to 11 X 17 and placing it in a landscape orientation. I then inserted six new data frames, each one containing separate themes. Data had to be added into each frame. I also placed titles, legends, and scale bars on all of them. By changing the transparency on each layer, I was able to create aesthetically pleasing maps that also revealed the imagery beneath.   

Results: The following image contains my six maps, each showing where the Confluence Project is. The first, going from left to right on the top row, features the types of municipalities that are in Eau Claire County.. My second map lists the census boundaries. The census uses tracts, further subdivided into the smaller blocks, to organize spatial data. I then had the Block class symbolize population per square mile. The third map shows the Quarter Quarter sections of the PLSS.

  Starting the second row, the fourth map shows each parcel and the centerline of each road. Lakes and rivers are also symbolized by the Water feature. The fifth map shows the zoning districts in the city of Eau Claire, chiefly those around the Confluence Project. The centerline of roads are also added to this map. The final map shows the numerous voting districts for the city of Eau Claire.

Sources: City of Eau Claire and Eau Claire County 2013

City of Eau Claire, Wisconsin. (2015).

   Mapping services [Data]. Retrieved from

   http://eauclairecitywi.wgxtreme.com/