Life as a grad stuôÙdent, as many of you already know, is a conôÙstant batôÙtle with comôÙpletôÙing assignôÙments on time, keepôÙing up the grades for future fundôÙing opporôÙtuôÙniôÙties and getôÙting enough sleep. My first semesôÙter in the MasôÙter of SpaôÙtial AnalyôÙsis proôÙgram is nearôÙing its end in what seems like the shortôÙest semesôÙter of school Iãve ever taken. DurôÙing this time I have had the pleaôÙsure to strengthen some of my skills in the R lanôÙguage for staôÙtisôÙtiôÙcal comôÙputôÙing for the purôÙpose of water qualôÙity trend analyôÙsis (SA8904 ã GIS Project ManôÙageôÙment). This post will show how I have used R for water qualôÙity trend analyôÙsis, using pubôÙliôÙcaly availôÙable data from the USGS (due to a NDA that proôÙhibits me to share my school work).
The Afghan War Diary, made availôÙable by the WikôÙileaks group, is the disôÙcloôÙsure of interôÙnal US MilôÙiôÙtary logs. WikôÙileaks has been known to release data that conôÙtains latôÙiôÙtuôÙdiôÙnal and lonôÙgiôÙtuôÙdiôÙnal inforôÙmaôÙtion useôÙful for spaôÙtial analyôÙsis. Iãve taken the libôÙerty to map the some-76,000 milôÙiôÙtaryô logs.
The milôÙiôÙtary logs are a colôÙlecôÙtion of top secret clasôÙsiôÙfied corôÙreôÙsponôÙdences that detail varôÙiôÙous milôÙiôÙtary encounôÙters and sitôÙuôÙaôÙtional reports. Some of the most popôÙuôÙlar headôÙings in the log are: eneôÙmies killed/wounded in action, friendôÙlies killed/wounded in action and reportôÙing unit (squad/other).
WorkôÙing with the Crime SeverôÙity Index has been an interôÙestôÙing exerôÙcise. The data are availôÙable through StaôÙtisôÙtics Canada, which tracks police-reported crime severôÙity as well as the volôÙume of reported crimes. The Crime SeverôÙity Index offers a secôÙondary meaôÙsure that helps us to underôÙstand more about the crimesô comôÙmitôÙtedô per Province. GenôÙerôÙally speakôÙing, severôÙity of crime is not corôÙreôÙlated with the volôÙume of crimeô comôÙmitôÙted, but there are cerôÙtainly some outôÙliers. We inherit the inabilôÙity to deterôÙmine whether or not these corôÙreôÙlaôÙtions actuôÙally prove to be true when studyôÙing data aggreôÙgated to such a large (ProvinôÙcial) extent. ConôÙtinue reading ô£
Not unlike other superôÙstores around the world, Costcoãs presôÙence has had someôÙwhat of a proôÙfound impact on our conôÙsumerisôÙtic lives. The abilôÙity to purôÙchase goods at larger than norôÙmal quanôÙtiôÙties, someôÙtimes well below averôÙage retail value, makes it an attracôÙtive shopôÙping expeôÙriôÙence. The first Costco opened in San Diego, CalôÙiôÙforôÙnia, 1976. Itãs growth shows wildfire-like spread throughôÙout the United States west coast. It is only in the mid-to-late 90ãs which show remarkôÙable expanôÙsion of Costco locaôÙtions to cenôÙtral and eastôÙern United States.. ConôÙtinue reading ô£
SomeôÙtimes we stumôÙble upon interôÙestôÙing things and we donãtô necôÙesôÙsarôÙilyô know how we should use what we have just found. A series of maps; snow cover in Canada was an interôÙestôÙing find but not really all that useôÙful for any of my perôÙsonal projects. HowôÙever, I evenôÙtuôÙally came back to it when I realôÙized that not all geoôÙviôÙsuôÙalôÙizaôÙtions occur within a GIS enviôÙronôÙment. ConôÙtinue reading ô£
There exists many methôÙods for geoôÙviôÙsuôÙalôÙizaôÙtion of spaôÙtial pheôÙnomôÙena. As talked about a few weeks ago, popôÙuôÙlaôÙtion denôÙsity can be mapped out using carôÙtograms, or by other more clasôÙsiôÙcal methôÙods, such as the chloroôÙpleth and dot denôÙsity techôÙniques. Another method is shown below, whereby popôÙuôÙlaôÙtion denôÙsity is explored as a 3-dimensional polyôÙgon extruôÙsion. This has been comôÙpleted using ArcôÙGlobe with ESRI basic world population-by-state data. Have a look at the video below! ConôÙtinue reading ô£
Open, free and pubôÙlic. Three terms, which when appearôÙing before the word ãGISã make geoôÙgôÙraôÙphers feel all warm and fuzzy (I think?). GeospaôÙtial data can be very costly, but free alterôÙnaôÙtives may be suitôÙable, if not as useôÙful, as their expenôÙsive counôÙterôÙparts. ThereôÙfore, its worthôÙwhile knowôÙing what data is availôÙable for pubôÙlic conôÙsumpôÙtion. I have comôÙpiled a list of the open GIS data resources that I freôÙquently make use of in my perôÙsonal projects. HopeôÙfully they become as useôÙful to you, as they are to me. ConôÙtinue reading ô£
A week was spent in MonôÙtrûˋal, winôÙing, dinôÙing and explorôÙing both old and new. While there, Heather and I had the opporôÙtuôÙnity to do some geoôÙcaching. Not only was this a new expeôÙriôÙence for Heather, it was also the first time I had been out geoôÙcaching in almost 10 years. Only now do I rememôÙber how frusôÙtratôÙing it can be when you canãt find any of the geoôÙcaches you have set out to look for. Heather and I manôÙaged to locate 1 of 7 geoôÙcaches durôÙing our trip and we took pleaôÙsure out of findôÙing it in the midôÙdle of a conôÙcrete junôÙgle. ConôÙtinue reading ô£
After havôÙing seen the many iterôÙaôÙtions of the global conôÙnecôÙtivôÙity map, I have decided to give it a try myself. The maps are being proôÙduced using thisô data, which offers pubôÙlic air-traffic data in tabôÙuôÙlar forôÙmat.ô The data is availôÙable in three catôÙeôÙgories: airôÙports, airôÙlines and routes. The airôÙports and routes data can be manipôÙuôÙlated, comôÙbined and cleaned-up to creôÙate a comôÙpliôÙmenôÙtary table that lists the lonôÙgiôÙtude and latôÙiôÙtude of each flights oriôÙgin and desôÙtiôÙnaôÙtion. This allows us to conôÙnect each flight oriôÙgin and desôÙtiôÙnaôÙtion. HowôÙever, straight lines of ConôÙtinue reading ô£
As our trip to MonôÙtrûˋal nears, Heather (my girlôÙfriend) and I have been stuôÙdiously keepôÙing track of the places that we would like to explore. One thing is for sure, we are going to be more than preôÙpared because we are using google fusion tables. May it be a raved about restauôÙrant or a groôÙcery store that is closôÙest to our hotel, we have every place of interôÙest accesôÙsiôÙble online as a map or in tabôÙuôÙlar forôÙmat. ConôÙtinue reading ô£