ORIENTATION TO SUSTAINABLE ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT Mapping workshop
Visualizing Geospatial Data for Analysis and Report Writing
Information about locations that includes addresses, latitudes and longitudes, or other geospatial coordinates, can be visualized on a map. There are many interactive mapping platforms on federal, state, county and municipal websites that will allow you to turn on and turn off layers for environmental data (for example, locations of Superfund sites or flood risk), add layers for jurisdictional boundaries (for example, tribal reservation boundaries, census tracts), and even import data files that you have created yourself. Most of these platforms will allow you to export PDFs or JPG image files for use in your reports. Some will allow you to export spreadsheets and map files (typically SHP or KMZ/KML).
In today's activities we will use data exported from government websites to construct and share maps we create using Google Earth Pro and Google My Maps. Google Earth Pro is a desktop application that you must download to your computer; you may have to have your IT office download it for you if you are on a work computer. My Maps is a cloud based mapping platform that is password protected as part of a Google Account using Google Drive; you will need to be able to access Google Drive on your computer, which may require getting permission from your IT department for use on a work computer. Note: If you cannot access these platforms that is alright, you will be given alternatives that you can use to follow along with today's activities.
The maps we will use to obtain data are provided by federal agencies (EPA, FEMA), and are built on the ESRI platform. All of the EPA tools will pull data from the same public databases (for example, all of the Brownfields sites will be mapped from data accessed from the ACRES database). This means that if there is a data layer you want to use, find the platform (e.g. EnviroMapper, Cleanups In My Community, EJScreen, EnviroAtlas, NEPAssist, FEMA Flood Hazard Layer Map, etc.) that most easily allows you to view, analyze, and download the data in a user friendly format.
The best format for mapping point locations is a CSV file. The CSV file format is a universal spreadsheet format type that you can also open in Excel or Google Sheets. It has the advantage that when you open it as a spreadsheet you can edit and add to it using all of the tools available in Excel or Google Sheets (things like autofill and sort to help with quality control). Once you edit it you can import it into Google My Maps, Google Earth Pro, and EnviroAtlas. Various of the mapping platforms also use file formats such as SHP (used for ESRI ArcGIS and Google Earth Pro) and KML/KMZ (used for Google My Maps, Google Earth Pro and GIS platforms). While CSV spreadsheet files can be used for point data, SHP and KML/KMZ file formats can be used for polygons and lines (shapes) as well as points. In addition, KMZ files will be used in our activities for adding image layers to Google Earth Pro. The disadvantage is that you can't open SHP, KML or KMZ files in spreadsheet programs, so you can't edit them without coding.
Case Study
This redevelopment case study focuses on a vacant building located at 1417-1419 E 62nd Place Chicago, IL. This project will convert a vacant old fire house building into 21 units of elderly housing with 14-Single (400 sq ft), 7-Double (500 sq ft) apartments with commercial spaces in the 1st and 2nd floor. The conversion of this vacant building into affordable housing will utilize extensive measures to improve the quality of life and the vitality of the neighborhood.
Google Earth Pro
Google Earth Pro is a free desktop platform than can be downloaded click here
Below is an image overlay using the case study map, and a Google Earth Pro map made by marking sites from the image overlay along with a quick start guide for using GEP.
Oct 2009
Image from Google Earth Pro timeslider showing grassy lots at the site of the future community gardens
June 2010
Image from Google Earth Pro timeslider showing the 62nd Street and Dorchester Community Gardens
Google My Maps
Google My Maps is a very easy way to start a GIS analysis that can be used to create PDF files for your report, can be embedded in a website and shared with the public, or shared through a link with colleagues for collaborative work. You can also export the map file and then import it into ArcGIS, which allows you to do more sophisticated analytical work.
To begin you must have a Google Account and be able to use Google Drive. If you cannot do this for today's activity because you are on a work computer that doesn't give you permission to access Google tools you can use the map below to explore the map mashup by going to this link for the map.
If the dataset you wish to map includes latitude and longitude as the location data, make sure that it is all entered in the same format, that the format can be mapped, and that it is complete before you add it to your Google My Maps. You can only use one format for locations in each layer, so you will need to make sure all of your data is either in lat/long or street addresses before you upload it. If you have data in different location formats you can load them to different layers. You can use street addresses that have more than one column, for example address, city and state columns can all be mapped.
Google My Maps: Landing page for Google My Maps
Google My Maps Help: Documentation and support articles about My Maps.
Google Drive: You can create My Maps directly from Google Drive.
Collaborative Mapping With Google My Maps: Workshop held at Geo for Good Summit 2019.
Convert Lat/Long between degrees minute second format and decimal format
Envirofacts - Enviromapper
The EPA EnviroMapper draws data from many different EPA databases so you can easily access what you need for your case study. You can export point data as CSV and KML files for use in Google My Maps and Google Earth Pro. You can also print maps as PDFs.
Below is a My Maps created from the exported spreadsheet below.
Cleanups in My Community
EPA Cleanups in My Community website
The Cleanups in My Community platform will let you create a map with many useful layers. CIMC will also download data, but you must do it from the Lists or Tables page, not from the mapping tool. Using the Lists or Tables page you can create a custom spreadsheet to download; you can then open the file in Excel or Google Sheets to edit or add your own data, and you can import it into My Maps and Google Earth Pro as well as EnviroAtlas. One nice feature of the data export is that it gives you live links to the public databases, so you can find additional information about the sites.
Below is a My Maps created from the exported spreadsheet below. Notice that there are live links in the map markers that you can use to access site data.
FEMA Flood Hazard Layer
The National Flood Hazard Layer (NFHL) is a geospatial database that contains current effective flood hazard data. FEMA provides the flood hazard data to support the National Flood Insurance Program. You can use the information to better understand your level of flood risk and type of flooding.
The FEMA Flood Hazard Layer can be exported for use in the EJScreen and EnviroAtlas
Find the Web Services link click here or use the link below to add the layer to EJScreen and EnviroAtlas (below)
NFHL (effective data only):
https://hazards.fema.gov/gis/nfhl/rest/services/public/NFHL/MapServer
You can also add an image overlay in Google Earth Pro using these instructions click here
EnviroAtlas
The EnviroAtlas has hundreds of curated data layers that allow you to run scenarios. For example, you can explore the capacity for trees along city streets to improve air quality, or estimate where water flowing off of a contaminated site will end up. You can use the
The EnviroAtlas mapping tool does not allow you to export data. You can print it as a PDF, but you can't download the map files. However, you can import your own files into it to use in your analysis
EJ Screen
EJScreen is an EPA's environmental justice mapping and screening tool that provides EPA with a nationally consistent dataset and approach for combining environmental and demographic socioeconomic indicators. EJScreen users choose a geographic area; the tool then provides demographic socioeconomic and environmental information for that area. All of the EJScreen indicators are publicly-available data. EJScreen simply provides a way to display this information and includes a method for combining environmental and demographic indicators into EJ indexes.
The EJ Screen mapping tool does not allow you to export data. You can print it as a PDF, but you can't download the map files. You can import SHP files into EJ Screen to help with your analysis.
NEPAssist
NEPAssist is an online GIS mapping tool which provides data layers needed for impact assessments. It allows you to visualize many geospatial data layers on an ESRI ArcGIS online map, draw polygons, and export maps in PDF or image file format for reports.
It does not provide a user friendly way to export data in CSV, SHP or KML/KMZ formats for use in your own GIS or mapping platform - data are saved as a JSON file which may give you problems on platforms other than NEPAssist.
The data files that go into the layers, however, can be accessed from other databases and downloaded for your use on other platforms.
We can access data from EPA EnviroFacts/EnviroMapper and EPA Cleanups in My Community, and link the EJ Screen to provide demographic data.
Below is NEPAssist embedded in this website. It is interactive so you can try it out.
HUD 2021 Choice Neighborhoods
https://www.huduser.gov/portal/maps/CN/home.html
According to the HUD website:
This tool assists Choice Neighborhoods applicants to prepare data to submit with their grant application by allowing applicants to draw the exact location of their target neighborhood. The tool will then calculate the number of housing units, the average poverty rate, and the vacancy rate of the area drawn and send an email back to the applicant within a few hours. The email will have an attachment containing the necessary data for the Choice Neighborhoods application, along with information HUD can use to confirm the intended program area. The applicant should then submit this document with their grant application.
You can also go to the HUD Geospatial Storefront and access a variety of maps. Below is an example embedded in this website that is interactive so you can try it out.