Introduction
What are the problems and challenges facing Hadleyville Cemetery?
All previous maps and records of this cemetery were lost, and government officials wish to preserve the community history through the production of a new map.
Why is building a GIS for this project better than creating a simple map and/or a spreadsheet?
This project is a GIS project because of the complex nature of the information being collected. While a simple map could display general plot location and plot names, using GIS allows more specific location information, complex attributes such as the condition of the stone (broken/whole/missing), as well as embedded pictures of the plots.
What equipment are you going to use to gather the data needed to construct the GIS?
- Drone
- Survey-grade GPS
What are the overall objectives of the method being employed to gather the data?
The purpose of this project is to design an accurate map of the Hadleyville Cemetery that will be useful to government officials. Information concerning plot location, plot occupancy/vacancy, plot names, plot birth and death dates, and condition of the stone should be accessible and understandable to map readers.
Methods
What combination of geospatial tools did the class use in order to conduct the survey? Why?
The class used the following geospatial tools to conduct the survey:
- Drone
- Survey-grade GPS
What is the accuracy of the equipment used?
The survey-grade GPS unit used was highly accurate, which is very important since the study area was very small. The drone also provided high-quality aerial imagery.
How was the data recorded? List the different methods and state why a pure digital approach is not always best. What media types were used for data collection?
Data was recorded both digitally and manually for this activity. Data collected with the survey-grade GPS unit was recorded digitally by entering attribute data on the handheld device as well as attaching a picture of the headstone to this data. Data recorded manually was done so by hand in field notebooks. Some class members took notes regarding headstone condition, inscriptions, number of headstones in the rows, etc. while others took pictures of each stone. A pure digital approach is not always best when considering aspects such as time constraints. For example, in this activity, the survey-grade GPS took way longer to collect data than the manual method.
How will you transfer the data you gathered into a GIS?
The digitally recorded GPS data will be transferred into a GIS using cables and a USB port. The manually recorded data will be transferred into a GIS by keyboard entry.
What equipment failures occurred if any?
A large portion of the cemetery was shrouded in shadows due to tree cover, causing a number of equipment problems. Due to this, the GPS unit struggled to ascertain the exact locations of the headstones, causing the data collection process to take a longer amount of time.
What might have been done to facilitate data collection in terms of different equipment or refining the method?
The data collection process could have been refined by developing a class plan before collecting data. This may have involved developing a common grid system for note taking, as some of the students did. Additionally, the GPS unit could have been used in the areas of the cemetery where there weren't any tree coverage problems, leaving the areas with shadows to be documented via manual note taking.
Conclusion
How did the methods transfer to the overall objectives of the project?
The methods transferred fairly well to the overall objectives of the project, enabling the class to more or less effectively gather the data needed to produce an accurate map of the cemetery.
How did the mixed formats of data collection relate to the accuracy and expediency of the survey?
The mixed formats of data collection were beneficial in terms of accuracy and expediency of the survey. After determining that the GPS unit was taking too long to acquire location information, the class was able to utilize other formats of data to fill in the blanks. While the GPS unit only collected information about the first two rows, the class was able to manually record data about the entire cemetery. Aerial imagery was collected of the entire cemetery as well.
Describe the overall success of the survey, and speculate on the outcome of the data.
While the class was able to gather a substantial amount of information during the first field outing to the cemetery, more data must be collected for the survey to be a complete success. Since GPS points were unable to be taken for the entire cemetery and aerial imagery was affected by shadows, there may be unknowns in the data. Additionally, since many of the students developed their own methods for manually recording data, it may be hard to consolidate all of the notes into a cohesive set of data.
