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.