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

Google Earth Pro Help

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 a block from the Fire Station

June 2010

Image from Google Earth Pro timeslider showing the 62nd Street and Dorchester Community Gardens

Click on the speaker icon in the upper right corner of the slides for audio

Copy of IMW2020: Intro to Mapping with Google Earth Pro

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 locations are 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 but you have to check all of them in the dialog box when you import the spreadsheet.  

Copy of My Maps Mashup

Sample files from website downloads - these are for demonstration purposes only

Envirofacts - Enviromapper

EPA EnviroMapper website

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.

Copy of Enviromapper

Below is a My Maps created from the exported spreadsheet below. Note that the spreadsheet was edited to indicate the cleanup type, which is listed in the "database" column that was added to the CIMC download. The database column was used to style the map so that it is easy to see what

EnviroMapper

Cleanups in My Community

EPA Cleanups in My Community website

Mapping Help

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. 

Cleanups in my Community 2021

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.

cimc_basic_search_result

FEMA Flood Hazard Layer

According to FEMA:

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

Copy of FEMA Flood Map

EnviroAtlas

EnviroAtlas website

EnviroAtlas Help

Data Downloads (this is for advanced users)

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

2023 OSEA EnviroAtlas

EJ Screen

EPA EJ Screen website

EJ Screen Help

According to EPA:

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.

EPA EJScreen OSEA

Climate and Economic Justice Tool (CEJST)

CEJST OSEA 2023

Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool (CEJST)

CEJST uses datasets that are combined into indicators of burdens in 8 categories: climate change, energy, health, housing, legacy pollution, transportation, water and wastewater, and workforce development.

 This information is used to identify census tracts that are experiencing these burdens, designating them as disadvantaged, and provides data as percentiles and thresholds to facilitate comparisons with other census tracts. 

In addition, lands within the boundaries of federally recognized Tribes are designated as disadvantaged.

CEJST is a tool used to screen for disadvantaged communities for federal programs, it is not a tool for obtaining the data used for the analysis.

go to the CEJST map click here

NEPAssist

NEPAssist

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.

https://hudgis-hud.opendata.arcgis.com/