Using GIS Models to Explore Farmland Preservation in Cherokee County
I used ArcGIS to create a model of farmland in Cherokee County. I gathered data from ESRI, Inc. and the Cherokee County GIS/Mapping Department. This data included spatial data for waterways, infrastructure, population density, and land parcels. After adjusting the data so that everything would work together in the same map, I have each parcels scores for distance to water, cities, and roads, as well as a population density score. After scoring all the parcels, I set about creating my models. The models were essentially just maps that used different formulas for putting all the scores together. I created three models, because I wanted the policy makers in Cherokee County to understand how malleable, useful, and powerful GIS models are.
I learned that there’s a reason that science teachers tell you to write down what you do. After completing a model for my GIS class in the fall semester, I realized that I wanted to change a few things, as well as utilize new data I had access to. Unfortunately, I had forgotten how I had created the model, and so had to set about relearning the process and essentially started from scratch.
My models are important for a number of reasons. The first and foremost, at least in my mind, is that GIS models can be used to make sure that the citizens are on the same page. Models allow citizens, through town hall-style meetings or surveys, to give important input as to what makes farmland worth preserving. Keeping citizens in the loop makes them more likely to follow, utilize, and maybe even trust the plan once it is implemented. The models are also important for policy makers to understand why, exactly, they should spend money preserving and protecting a particular parcel of land over another. It’s all well and good to hand policy-makers a 100 page report of findings, but having a map to look at really brings the point home.
ArcGIS Student License |
$100.00 |
Printing & Shipping Costs for Final Report |
$13.92 |
Poster |
$3.00 |
TOTAL |
$116.92 |