Assignment 2- Cemetery Data Collection: Part 2

Introduction

• Provide background to the problem at hand.  What are the problems and challenges facing Hadleyville cemetery?
• The Hadleyville cemetery which is located in Eleva, Wisconsin off of highway HH, has lost all of their maps of the cemetery.  Below in Figure 1 is an aerial map showing where the cemetery is.  The loss of their maps has caused them to lose track of what plots are filled, where older stones are, and more.  Some of the headstones date back to the 1800's so it is important to keep records of them.  Many of the headstones are weathered and illegible which makes it even more vital to keep records and maps of them all.  This project will allow the cemetery to have and updated and interactive map and records in order to keep track of everything.

Figure 1: Aerial view of the Hadleyville Cemetery.

• Why is building a GIS of this project better than a simple maps and/or spreadsheet?
• Creating a GIS map of the cemetery allows for a very interactive and more organized way to keep records for the cemetery.  The data for each headstone will be input into the map.  This data can be altered and updated when needed.  If a simple map was used then data could not be attached to each headstone and it would require more work to keep both a separate map and spreadsheet organized.
• What equipment are you going to use to gather the data needed to construct the GIS; i.e. what is the overall approach?
• In order to complete this project a survey grade GPS, UAS, and personal data collection methods were used.  The original plan of collecting the headstone data was to use the GPS to collect the points for each.  But, this method ended up taking too much time.  It was instead collected in a simpler manner which will be explained in the methods section.  Now that the data is collected it will be needed to be compiled into an excel spreadsheet and entered into ArcMap.  This data and software will be used in order to create the final interactive map.
• What are the overall objectives of the method being employed to gather the data?
• The overall objective for this project is to use the aerial images taken by the UAS and georeference it with the points that will be created for each headstone.  This way may be a bit more work because of not having all the GPS points, but it ultimately was the best decision.

Figure 2: Hadleyville Cemetery.

Methods

• What combination of geospatial tools did the class use in order to conduct the survey? Why?
•  The class used a survey grade GPS and UAS to complete the survey.  Simpler tools like manual data collection were also used because it was determined to be the faster and better way to collect data.  These tools were used because they were the most efficient in producing the results we need.
• What is the accuracy of the equipment you are intending to use?
• The accuracy of the survey grade GPS is just a few centimeters.  This is necessary to have a more precise GPS because the headstones are quite close together.  If a regular GPS with accuracy of a couple meters were to be used then most of the points would be inaccurate.  The UAS had a high resolution camera attached to it in order to create a better quality aerial image of the cemetery.  The aerial images available online are blurry and outdated.  By using these two pieces of equipment a high quality map will be able to be produced.
• How was data recorded? List the different methods and state why a pure digital approach is not always best. What media types are being used for data collection? Formats?
• The data was originally supposed to be collected through the survey grade GPS, but it was taking a long time to collect the points.  Only a few points were taken before it was decided that it wasn't the best way to collect the data.  Before the points were even taken the class split up on either side of the cemetery and met in the middle while following the zig zag pattern shown below in Figure 3 to collect the data of the headstones.  The data was taken through writing down a grid on paper and marking X's where the headstones were.  There were also pictures taken of each headstone in order to get the names, dates, quotes, condition of headstones, etc.  A pure digital approach is not always the best way, because it can ultimately take longer than manual data collection.  A manual approach can be also be more accurate than digital.  It just depends on the situation.

Figure 3: Pattern to collect the cemetery data.

• How will you transfer the data you gather into a GIS?
• The data will be entered into an excel spreadsheet and then input into ArcMap. It will then be used to create an interactive map of the cemetery.  The data may need to be altered in some ways to be entered into ArcMap easier.  Consulting between partners will help to decide the best way to do this part of the project.
• What equipment failures occurred if any?  What was done to remedy the situation?
• The only thing that came close to a failure was the fact that the GPS took a long time to collect the points for the headstones.  In order to fix the situation, it was decided to just skip using the GPS unless necessary.
• What might have been done to facilitate data collection in terms of equipment and refining the method?
• It would have been a better idea to make a more concrete plan before gathering all of the data.  Perhaps it would have been better to gather the data for the headstones under the trees and covered by other things because they're harder to pick out from the aerial image.  This could have been done while the data for the open stones was gathered.  This would have worked better because it would be easier to place the points manually in ArcMap for the open headstones and then using the GPS points for the ones under trees, etc.

Conclusion

• How did the methods transfer to the overall objectives of the project?
• The methods transferred well in order to complete the project.  Some alterations were needed to make in order to finish quicker and more efficiently.  Looking back on the data collection, there could have been organized collaboration between the class, but ultimately the data that needed to be gathered was indeed gathered.
• How did the mixed formats of data collection relate to the accuracy and expediency of the survey?
• Through collaboration with the class the results turned out well.  While there were some complications, things were sorted and eventually the project was a success.  The mixed formats of data collection may be confusing as first when trying to input the results into ArcMap, but once it is more organized and discussed it will become obvious how to present the data with GIS.  The data will be accurate because multiple people took the same data and if there is any confusion it will be possible to compare data and find the most accurate result.
• Describe the overall success of the survey, and speculate on the outcome of the data.
• The survey was a success and once the data is altered and input into the map it will create a better and updated map for the cemetery. As stated before, it could have been collected in a more organized manner, but it ultimately turned out well.  The outcome of the data will most likely be more accurate than that currently available on the internet.

Assignment 1- Cemetery Data Collection: Part 1

Introduction

• Provide background to the problem at hand.  What are the problems and challenges facing Hadleyville cemetery?
• A local cemetery in Eleva, Wisconsin has lost all of their maps and records of the cemetery which can produce a vast amount of problems.  This cemetery is rather old, with stones dating back to 1865.  Some of these headstone are broken, missing, weathered, or do not have any identification markings.  This makes it difficult to know how many plots are filled or empty, where the plots actually are, and more issues.    
• How will GIS provide a solution to this problem?
• GIS can offer a solution to this problem in that a detailed map of the cemetery can be produced.  With the map, attributes of each headstone will go along with it.  Examples of these attributes are the name on the headstone, date on the headstone, condition of headstone, etc.  This data will ultimately help to keep the cemetery more organized.
• What makes this a GIS project, and not a simple map?
• To go off of the above question, the reason that this is not a simple map is because of the data to go along with the map.  The data changes this simple map into a more informative element.  This data can be used in different ways which makes this map more diverse in use.
• What equipment are you going to use to gather the data needed to construct the GIS?
• A UAS will be used to take an aerial image of the cemetery.  This is needed because the current aerial images available are of low resolution.  The high resolution images that will be taken by the UAS will give us a better look at the individual headstones and will help to produce a higher quality map.  We will also be using a GPS to give the most precise coordinates for each headstone.  
• What are the overall objectives of your proposal?
• The main objectives of this proposal are to obtain a high resolution image of the cemetery along with collecting data from each headstone in order to input that data into a map that can be used for the future of the cemetery.

Methods

• What is the sampling technique you chose to use?  Why?
• A GPS will be used in order to create a point for each headstone.  The data associated with each headstone will be written in a field notebook and later entered into a table in order to later input the data into an interactive GIS map.  The headstones coordinates will not be recorded in a random manner.  After discussing different ways of collecting the coordinates for each headstone and the pros and cons of each way, it was settled that the headstone coordinates will be gathered by starting at one corner of the cemetery and walk straight towards the other corner.  This will be done from one side of the cemetery to the other by going back and forth from side to side.  An example of this process is shown below in Figure 1.  After looking at the current aerial images, it is obvious that the headstones are not in straight lines.  This sampling technique may have to be altered when in the field, but as of now this is the technique that will be attempted to follow.

Figure 1: Hadleyville Cemetery data collection technique.

• What is the accuracy of the equipment you are intending to use?
• The accuracy of the equipment will have to be quite precise in order to create an accurate map of the cemetery.  The headstones are pretty close together so if a GPS with an accuracy of two or three meters is used it could cause all of the data to be inaccurate.  A very exact GPS will be needed in order to differentiate each headstone especially those that are just inches apart.  A high definition camera will also be needed for the UAS to take a high resolution aerial image of the cemetery to provide a more clear and accurate image.
• How was the data entered/recorded?  Why did you choose this data entry method?
• The data for the headstones will be tracked on a GPS along with the attributes being written down in a field notebook.  This method was chose because it is the most simplistic and easy to transfer onto the computer in order to transform into a map.
• How will you transfer the data you father into a GIS?
• This data will be transferred into a GIS by entering the written data into a table on the computer.  This will then be inputted into ArcMap along with the coordinates of each headstone.
• What drawbacks are there to the method you propose?  How do the pros outweigh the cons of this method?
• A possible drawback to this method would be that the sampling technique may not work the way it is intended to.  It could possibly be too simple or just not work when in the field.  Alterations to the method can be done in the field along with consulting with other groups for advice.  The pros do outweigh the cons in this method, though.  As stated before it is a more simplistic route without many complications.  There could be more advanced ways of collecting the data and creating an interactive map with it, but through this way only the needed information will be collected that will make this assignment a success.

Conclusion

• How do your methods transfer to the overall objectives of your proposal?
• These methods will help attain the objectives of the proposal for this project.  The proposal once again was to create an interactive map of the Hadleyville cemetery in order to replace the maps they had lost.  The purpose of this map is in order to help people find where their loved ones are, and for the cemetery to know which plots are filled and which are open.  The methods that will be used to collect the data will help to accomplish both of these goals.  By collecting all of the attributes for each individual headstone along with a picture the objectives of the assignment will be fulfilled.