A Custom Tool for Mapping Trash Cleaned from the Shoreline of Jordan Lake
PROBLEM
Clean Jordan Lake (CJL) is a community partner with a trash problem. Previously, as part of an internship, I mapped the trash that was removed from areas of the lake where stormwater drives the deposition of trash and I performed Optimized Hot Spot Analyses (OHSA) on several variables. These maps were not able to be updated with new data from the ongoing cleanup effort. Clean Jordan Lake needs a custom tool to allow a user to enter data for new cleanup events. A custom tool is needed because more complex calculations are required for some fields and an overlay must be performed to update the total amount of trash removed from each subsection of shoreline. Once the data are updated the user needs to be able to easily update the Optimized Hot Spot Analysis based on a user-input variable.
ANALYSIS
To allow users from CJL to enter data for their ongoing cleanups an Enterprise Geodatabase is required. I installed an ArcGIS Server into a Virtual Computing Laboratory machine to create an Enterprise Geodatabase using a PostgreSQL platform. I created a user for myself and connected to the database with this user to create feature datasets to import the shapefiles that were provided. The workflow for updating fields in the attribute table for the shoreline’s subsections involves an overlay and several calculations (Fig. 1). I created a customized geoprocessing tool to allow the user to select which variable to use for running an OHSA on, simplifying the procedure so anyone can run the analysis (Fig. 2).
RESULTS
The products produced by this project are a customized web mapping tool to allow users from CJL to input the basic data from their ongoing cleanup and have the tool perform all of the calculations needed to update the remaining fields, as well as perform the overlay required to update the shoreline subsection’s table. There is a web-mapping application that allows the user to select a variable from a list for use in OHSA (Fig. 3).
REFLECTION
I have learned much since first coming to work with these data as an intern. With this project I was able to extend the work I had started to create a fully functioning Enterprise Geodatabase system. This system is customized to fit the needs of the client by allowing them to update their data and their maps seamlessly. I look forward to using this knowledge to apply to several ongoing and upcoming research projects to simplify storing and updating the data.