Post on 15-Dec-2015
Presentation Outline
• Arboretum Background/Overview
• GIS Overview/Requirements
• My Internship
• Observations/Learning
Arboretum Background
• Non Profit Foundation established 1929 by Dawes Family
• Mission
– promote study and appreciation of trees & shrubs
– foster scientific education in horticulture, natural history and Arboretum history
• Free and open to the public
Beman and Bertie Dawes ->
Arboretum Overview
• Plant collections cover 1600+ acres near Newark, Ohio
• Hiking Trails, Nature Center, Historic Structures, Bird Boxes
• Additional surrounding property owned
• 16,000+ labeled plants on grounds
• about 1,000 new plants added to collection each year
• about 500 plants removed from collection each year
Arboretum GIS Overview
• Background/Requirements
• Applications
• Data
• Processes
• People Involved
• Software/Hardware
Arboretum GIS History
• Before GIS:
– computerized non-spatial plant records in existence prior to GIS
– grid system maps documented on paper in binders for plant location
• 1997:
– GIS needs assessment done by an OSU class under Duane Marble
– 1 full-time GIS coordinator hired
• 1998: data collection begun
Arboretum GIS Requirements
• Goal - use GIS as planning tool
• Goal - address spatial needs of all departments
– horticulture, history, nature, administration, business, maintenance
• features - plant collections, utility systems, bird boxes, trails, and historic structures
• plant collections need sub-meter location accuracy
• measurement attribute data + location data needed
Arboretum GIS Current Status
• Original Data Collection being fine-tuned
• Data Collection maintenance
• Application Development and Analysis to come
Applications • Future
• Ability of staff & visitors to generate their own maps
– Plant collections, trails, etc.
– Utilities
• Analysis
– detect patterns in poor plant growth and analyze reasons
• And more…
Data• OrthoPhotos - 1998
• GPS data files
– differentially corrected location data
• Some location data obtained using surveyed control points
• Features
– Plant Attributes: Measurements, label-type, Accession Number, GridLocation
– Other Features - trails, trail markers, birdboxes, grid corner pins
Data - GPS Limitations• Canopied Environment
• Need line of sight to at least 4 satellites
• Multipath - signal will bounce off nearby objects (trees)
• Need differential correction for sub-meter accuracy
• Reference stations - Fish Hatchery, Miami U.
• Used post-processing
Processes
• GPS Data Collection Fine Tuning – Field Map Generation in ArcView– Field Checking - ensure data agrees with reality– Re-GPS work– Correcting/updating location & attribute data
• Ongoing Plant Addition & Removal Processes
People Involved
• GIS Coordinator
• GIS interns
• Plant Records Specialist
• Labeling Specialist
• Horticulture & Maintenance Staff
• Other departments - Nature, History
• Director & Board of Trustees
Software
• GIS Software
– Current - ArcView 3.2 / ArcGIS Desktop 8.3
– Planned - ArcGIS Desktop 9.0 + ArcReader & ArcPublisher
• Non-spatial Plant database - In House application built on FoxPro
– ArborbaseConnect - available to all staff via network
• GPS data processing software - Pathfinder 2.10
Hardware
• PCs (2) - Windows XP
• Plotter
• GPS Equipment – Trimble ProXR– Laser Rangefinder, Range Pole, Shoulder Strap
Configurations
• LAN
Internship - Data Collection
• Learning the Grounds
• GPS – Setup/takedown, care of equipment
– Positioning equipment in the field; awareness of PDOP
– Rangepole - small plants, no canopy interference
– Rangefinder - tall plants, near canopy
– Shoulder Strap - polyline features - beds
• Plant Measurement – Height, Width, Canopy, Caliper, Dbh
Internship - Software Use
• Using ArcView 3.2 – making field maps– viewing Orthophoto for plant location
• Pathfinder 2.10– uploading GPS files from GPS data logger – editing files– generating an Almanac - SVs & PDOP– differential correction
Internship - Quality Control
• Field Checking - maps vs. plants on grounds– existence or non-existence of plants– existence/correctness of labels– positional accuracy
• Researching unknown plants– ArborbaseConnect, Binders, Planting Sheets,
Removal Sheets
Internship - Quality Control (2)
• Documenting file corrections– Verifying needed changes in non-spatial and
spatial records– Make records on paper documents of each GPS
file for each change– update the GPS file - change attributes or delete
feature
Internship - Miscellaneous
• Attended staff meeting
• Tour of surrounding Arboretum property
• Application development for Field Map Application
Observations/Learning• Quality Data is a huge investment
– Cost and limitations of technology– Training– Ongoing data maintenance
• Importance of appropriate accuracy requirements– Understanding tradeoffs - accuracy vs. cost– For example - a display garden such as Inniswood, with
annual beds instead of individual specimens, might not need this level of accuracy for mapping plant collections.