class maps

Rowan County Explorer

June 16, 2024 by cartography Leave a Comment

Over the years teaching GIS & mapping, Boyd has tried to connect his students with real-world mapping opportunities. One such opportunity emerged when Rowan County, Kentucky, wanted an interactive map showing trails and tourism destinations in the area. Workshopping with students in GEO 305 (Elements of Cartography) and later MAP 672 (Programming for Web Mapping) in UKy’s Department of Geography, he drafted a web map.

Rowan County, Kentucky, trail and tourism explorer — Trail and tourism explorer for Rowan County, Kentucky: https://outrageGIS.com/rowan

The criteria for this map were that it needed to be completely open source (without relying on any for-fee platforms) and self-contained—the project lives in a folder that could be dropped into any web server and would just work. This project uses LeafletJS and public base maps from Kentucky DGI.

The page departs from the traditional web map; marginalia, typically on a print map, was added to this map. A viewer can zoom into the legend! While the creative choices made on this project offered a fulfilling experience, students have their own trajectories and soon pivot interests after a course is finished.

The project is a draft, but it is active. Tell us what you think: https://outrageGIS.com/rowan

Filed Under: All Hikes, Cave Run Lake, DBNF, class maps, Free Maps, Maps, Sheltowee Trace

Canopy height model

May 28, 2024 by cartography Leave a Comment

An analysis estimating tree canopy heights using KyFromAbove lidar point clouds (2019) combined with an NDVI layer derived from NAIP 2018 imagery for Lexington, Kentucky 2019. 19.3% in canopy cover.

Interactive map for existing canopy and for trees removed between 2010 and 2019.

Because of the difference between the lidar and photographic sensors, artifacts are present around tall structures like water towers, powerlines, and buildings.

GEO 409, Spring 2024.

Filed Under: class maps, Maps

Campus change, 2010-2019

December 29, 2023 by cartography Leave a Comment

Winner: Best Spatial Analysis at the 2023 Kentucky Association of Mapping Professionals annual conference.

This analysis shows the difference between two digital surface models (DSM) created from lidar point cloud data hosted by KentuckyFromAbove.gov. DSMs allow us to visualize surface features like buildings and trees. The calculation subtracts the 2010 DSM from the 2019 DSM to find the height difference. The resulting raster layer is multiplied over a shaded relief base map from the 2019 DSM.

The most prominent change is the addition of numerous dormitories, but the more minor changes are the extensive growth and removal of trees. The greatest increase in height (156 feet) occurred at the Commonwealth Stadium expansion and renovation in 2015. The most significant decrease in height (90 feet) occurred after removing a construction crane at the Albert B. Chandler Hospital.

View map and other visualizations of change: https://boydx.github.io/uky-campus/

@boydx Department of Geography at the University of Kentucky. GEO 409 Spring 2023.

Filed Under: class maps, Maps

GEO 509: Report Fall 2022

December 29, 2022 by cartography Leave a Comment

An analysis of flood-prone infrastructure and conditions in selected Eastern Kentucky watersheds.

In July 2022, eastern Kentucky experienced historic and devastating flash flooding caused by 14–16 inches of rainfall in a 5-day period. The National Weather Service gave a 1 in 1000 chance of this much rain falling during this period.

View maps and report: https://uky-gis.github.io/geo509/report-2022

Department of Geography, University of Kentucky, College of Arts and Sciences
December, 2022

Filed Under: class maps, Maps

Lexington Neighborhood Tree Canopy Study

December 20, 2017 by cartography Leave a Comment

Class mapping project

Web page for student maps

NRE 355, Introduction to Geospatial Applications for Land Analysis, is a class at the University of Kentucky (UK) that uses Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to study our environment. Every year NRE 355 constructs various maps centered around an environmental theme. Past themes have included Pilot Knob State Nature Preserve and Pine Mountain, both in Kentucky.

This semester our class focused on tree canopy coverage in specific neighborhood associations inside New Circle Road in Lexington, Kentucky to feature ecosystem services provided by urban tree canopy. We use ArcGIS software to process vector, raster, GPS, and lidar data that determines vegetation density, tree canopy coverage, and tree height. We publish GeoPDF and interactive maps that show our work.

This tree canopy study was conducted in several different neighborhoods within the area of New Circle Road in Lexington, Kentucky.

The neighborhoods involved were:

The neighborhood with the most tree canopy per acre was Ashland Park, while the lowest counted tree canopy per acre was in the MLK Neighborhood. The tallest tree was located in the Ashland Neighborhood, a spruce or tulip poplar measuring, with lidar technology, at 114 feet tall.

Visit the website: https://rvirto01.github.io/NRE355_Tree_canopy_study/

Bird’s eye view of the North Limestone Neighborhood Association showing tree heights relative to building heights