Lab 4

 

Example Proposed Airport Expansion

GIS means using hardware, software and data to organizing, managing and analyzing geographic information. It is widely used in many places to solve problems by analyzing data. This lab asked us to analyze a issue about an airport expansion next to a school through a tutorial. We needed to consider many factors about this issue, including noise, population and land use, to decide whether to approve it. 

The software we used this time was called ArcMap, which is a main component of ArcGIS. First we needed to make a map about the area around the airport and found the connection about the airport and the school. Then we were asked to create a land use map and a table about population density. Finally we needed to work with map elements and organize those maps and table in right places. I really learned how to create a sophisticated map and manage geographic data through this lab. 

GIS is so popular because it has many merits. First of all, people can work more efficiently with the help of GIS so that problems can be solved much easier. Take this lab as an example, we can decide whether it is good to expand airport by analyzing the given data. Besides, it is easier to estimate the future by GIS since we have many data records like land use and population density. 

Nevertheless, GIS also has some pitfalls. Through this tutorial, I found the GIS software like ArcMap needs much  knowledge about using computer and I cannot complete this lab without the tutorial. As a result, this kind of software is too professional for many people to access. Maybe some easier programs like Google Map are more suitable to public.  Moreover, it is too complicated to collect GIS data and analyze them, so it costs much time to do that work. For me, I spent nearly 7 hours on this lab, which was the longest so far. 

Lab 3

https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msid=202284496586944025909.0004cc0c07a00fc7208b2&msa=0&ll=30.246055,120.152664&spn=0.026063,0.045447

This map is about traveling West-lake, the famous scenic point of my hometown Hangzhou. I choose a route of journey that I think is the best one to appreciate the beautiful scenery of West-lake. This itinerary begins from Bai Di, a picturesque causeway in West-lake, and ends at Taiziwan Park, which is one of the most beautiful parks in Hangzhou. I guarantee that you will enjoy yourself and fall in love with attractive West-lake if you come to Hangzhou and follow this itinerary.

Neogeography applies many geographical techniques used for personal activities so it is unique and original. The contents of these maps are always very interesting, which are different from other official maps. As a result, neogeography can provide a new perspective for users to explore the resources of a place that they are interested in. However, I think neogeograohy also has some drawbacks. Sometimes the information provided by it is limited. Besides, neogeography contains many personal views so that it may cause some prejudices that can mislead people.

Lab 2

1. The name of this quadrangle is Beverly Hills Quadrangle.
2. The names of adjacent quadrangles are Canoga Park, Van Nuys, Burbank, Topanga, Hollywood, Venlce and Inglewood.
3. Quadrangle was created in 1995.
4. National geodetic vertical datum of 1929
5. The scale of map is 1: 24000
6. (a) 1200
    (b) 1.894
    (c) 2.64
    (d) 12.5
7. 20 feet
8. (a) 34°04′00″，118°26′30″；34.07°，118.44°
    (b) 34°00′50″，118°30′10″；34.01°，118.50°
    (c) 34°06′00″，118°25′00″；34.10°，118.42°
9. (a) 500 feet; 152.4 meters
    (b) 140 feet; 40.7 meters
    (c) 800 feet; 243.8 meters
10. Zone 11
11. 3763000'N, 362000'E
12. 1000000 square meters
14. 14°E
15. The water in the intermittent stream flows from north to south. 
16.
                      

Lab1

1.

This is a street map of Los Angeles and it shows the freeway and main street of this city. Besides, this map shows different districts and four famous beaches of Los Angeles. I am interested in Los Angeles because now I live in there and study in UCLA, which is located in westwood, west part of this city. I think I will live there for at least four years so I need to get familiar with Los Angeles.

http://www.worldexecutive.com/locations/north_america/usa/california/los_angeles/los_angeles_map_1.html
http://www.worldexecutive.com/cityguides/maps/los_angeles/los_angeles_map_1.gif



2.


This is the transportation map of Hong Kong. I had been to Hong Kong three times before and was really impressive by its subway system, which is extremely convenient for citizens there. This map shows seven subway lines and three parts of Hong Kong. People can go anywhere of the city by subway and then transfer other communication media conveniently.

http://www.travelchinaguide.com/map/hongkong/transportation.htm
http://www.travelchinaguide.com/images/map/hongkong/hongkong-mtr-map-s.gif



3.

This is Zhejiang, which is located in southeast China and is next to Shanghai. My hometown Hangzhou is the capital of Zhejiang province and its political and economical center. This map contains the main cities around Hangzhou, railways, freeways, famous scenic area and four highest mountains in Zhejiang. It is interesting because I have been to all cities, scenic area and mountains in this map before.

http://www.travelchinaguide.com/cityguides/hangzhou.htm
http://www.travelchinaguide.com/images/map/zhejiang/zhejiang-s.gif