Geographical Information Systems (GIS)
Various samples of work I have done with GIS over the years, professionally, as part of the University of Cincinnati's Urban Planning program, and to satisfy my own curiosity or learn a new skilll.
Various samples of work I have done with GIS over the years, professionally, as part of the University of Cincinnati's Urban Planning program, and to satisfy my own curiosity or learn a new skilll.
Geocoding Client Addresses for Santa Maria Community Services
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My internship with Santa Maria Community Services (established in 1899 to "help communities help themselves) allowed me to use my technical Planning skills to build the organization's capacity. In conversation with my supervisor one day, I learned that the organization wanted to get a better idea of where they should do outreach in the community, e.g. in what areas of the neighborhood do residents not currently utilize their services. I was asked if I had any ideas on how to do this, and was told that the organization recorded the home address of every client served in the previous year.
Instantly I knew GIS offered a perfect solution to answer this question. I converted the Excel spreadsheet to a database and then geocoded client addresses. I chose to display this data on top of a base map that indicated residential land use, in order to differentiate between residential areas of low service use and commercial or industrial areas that would have low service areas due to low populations. The result of this map was that other staff at the organization could then maximize their outreach efforts, concentrating on residential areas of the neighborhood where less individuals used the organization's services. |
Visiting family in Chicago - a map of vacation excursions
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Over the July 4th holiday I visited family in Chicago, IL. It was one of my first extended visit to the "City by the Lake" and I had a unique opportunity to see much of the city from several hundred feet up in the air, as well as on the ground. My husband's aunt and uncle live in a high rise in the Streeterville neighborhood, and have lived in the city for decades. We did nearly all of our travel by walking, bicycling, and public transit and Aunt Glory had a wonderful list of places for us to visit during our stay.
After the trip I created a photo album, and decided to create this map too - partially to help me get my bearings with the city, and partially to show family just how far we traveled by walking and biking! 
The view upon waking up each morning!
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