This lab was a doozy. There were so many steps between downloading data, unzipping and moving files, creating a whole slew of files, re-projecting and redefining data time and time again, and even using excel.
Don't get me wrong this was a fun lab but it was exhausting. I spent 6 hours on the lab in the GIS lab and was turning to page 20 of the lab prompt and thought I saw the light at the end of the tunnel. Only to find that I had to redo everything from the get go and make my own map. (Now that I think about it I left off two scale bars.)
After I got home and mustered the will to continue the assignment I spent about 5 more hours on it. Much of this time was fighting the map layout, deciding colors that could be seen and messing up re-projecting the same file many times, but mostly fighting the map layout.
I realized by scrolling down on the rubric that I am supposed to include an image of my map but let me say that I had completely forgot and added the ones that I have to the assignment. Not only that but for some reason ArgoApps did not want to register my flash drive for a good while and then did not want me to save. I say this because I had to submit the assignment through ArgoApps instead of my usual web browser which made me unable to copy and paste this blog link, but hopefully I can comment the link to this in the assignment in a bit.
Speaking of fighting the map layout, I was unsure what the assignment wanted as far as three views go so I decided to spend some time getting more familiar with making a map layout while I had the time to. I three maps, one that was zoomed out with the county boundaries and Quad index, one that showed Escambia county with the aerial views, plotted points of the petroleum contamination, major roads, county boundary, quad index, and a light under map to make it look nice, and then a smaller version of the second map but zoomed way in on the Pensacola quad that I chose. I think it looks nice and I am honestly proud.
I have to say that the class confuses me greatly, it seems like so much new information that doesn't make much sense. The labs are confusing because I don't quite know how to answer the questions. I am doing my best and would like to think that if nothing else I am getting better at using ArcGIS Pro, even when I have to flip-flop between computers.
On the subject of what was don't this week I think I grasped the concept that I took data from varying sources, types and projections and re-projected or defined the data in a way that was uniform in GCS and PCS before bringing it all together and making a cohesive map. Not only making a cohesive map but keeping up with all the steps, questions to answer in the process summary and keeping the files and file paths coherent. I usually do a way better job making files in my computer to store things but for some reason this class threw me for a loop, but I would like to think that I am getting the hang of things. I even tried harder to keep the names in GIS format, that I forgot about, even though everything in me wants to add spaces rather than underlines and squishing things together. (I'll include the picture of the files because I am that proud.) While this was interesting I have a feeling that the next lab will rely heavily on this and I have another feeling that it wont be nice and walk me through the steps. And I am not sure if I am quite ready. However this lab is also teaching me to not be so afraid to reach out for help which I have always had an issue with being as I would rather do it myself and not have to bother anyone, but this is subject matter I have to pony up (as someone I know says) and ask.
Anyway, thank you for reading,
~Jo Snow.
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