Lab 3: Navigation Map

Introduction 

In the initial part of this two part lab activity, students were required to construct a navigation map document, composed of two maps.  Ultimately, my partner Audrey and I will use the maps we created, in conjunction with our pace count, to complete a navigational course which will be the 2nd part of this lab exersize. The first portion of this lab is essentially getting our resources in order so that we are prepared to complete phase two to the best of our ability.  The methodology discussed in this lab report will detail the creation of navigational maps, collecting our pace count, and discussing important factors of our navigation maps.  

Methods

Pace Count

As a class on 2/16/16, we utilized the unseasonably warm weather to record our pace count. The class left the classroom to conduct this activity at about 330 pm, and we reconvened outside of the Phillips science hall.  My partner Audrey and I were left to create the 100m course which the class was to use to record their individual pace count.  Two do this, we had to use two 50 m long measuring tapes and put them end to end.  While the whole class went, I stayed at the junction of both the measuring ropes and held them in place to provide the rest of the class with an accurate 100 m distance.  After they were done, someone replaced my position, and i was able to conduct my 2 trials, both of which yielded 60 strides for a 100 m.  

The definition of 'a stride', that the we as class used was every time the right foot made a forward plant.

After about 30 minutes, everyone had their pace counts and we went back into the computer lab to start working on our navigational maps:

Navigation Maps 

A navigation map is a map that preserves direction in order to allow those who use it two get from point A,B,C by providing accurate representation of feature locations in a given area.  There is no stead fast rule about what essential elements are needed to create a navigation map, in principle. However, there are guidelines that one should follow if a navigation map is to be of a any use for naivigational purpose.  The general rule is this: Make sure you map contains only features and details that are are helpful to those relying on it to navigate.  

The area assigned to the class to map is what is known as The Priory.  The Priory is a plot of land owned by the University of Wisconsin Eau Claire, and is located just south of the city of Eau Claire along a highway.  The land is used for university research, and is composed of a mix of open land, forest, and building structures.  Along with these varying land types, the area also has varying topography it has both hills and flat land.  When dealing with varying topography,  its important to someone how reference that in the map.  Just as well, when dealing with varying land types, both natural and man made, those also must be referred to in the map.

On top of mapping the actual area itself, its also important to include an appropriate reference grid that allows users to provide a generally accurate coordinate to their assumed position.

To make sure that both of these elements are highlighted in a navigation map, the most important things that the map needs to have are some sort of elements that makes both of these things apparent to the user.  For this reason, I decided to use imagery of the area, contour lines, and a boundary box as the main features for the Priory's navigational map. below, in figure 1, is what i ended up creating.

figure 1: On the left is a navigational map of the priory.  On the right, is a reference map providing context to where the priory is in the greater Eau Claire Area.

Discussion 

As you can see, the map here shows the priory location at two different scales.  Doing this shows both detailed elements of the Priory to be highlighted while also providing a location context to where the priory is in the greater Eau Claire Area. The more detailed map, on the left, was assigned a UTM grid that provides 50 x 50 meter grid blocks. The important numbers are the larger black ones since they are the only ones which will variate in the small area that makes up the priory ( up to the thousand value).   The map on the right, uses a GCS degree coordinates, which better suits areas represented at smaller scales.

Overall, I thing the maps i created could be used to serviceably navigate the area.  However, I think there could have been a better way to represent both the topography and the land cover in a way that doesn't compromise the detail of the other. The contour lines, especially in the hilly regions, hides the land cover beneath and shows little detail, besides the presence of a hill.

Perhaps the best approach would have been to digitize the the land cover based on its differing types (grassland, natural forest, planted forest, building, parking lot, ect) and overlay that with the contour lines at a not such a precise level, having lines every 5-8 feet instead of every 2 feet.  That way, a user could more clearly see the nature of the land cover while also understanding the topography around them.  If available, another interesting way to do this idea would be to create 3 maps, using both of the of the current maps, but removing the contour lines.  In the 3rd map, there would be a lidar based DEM that would show highly accurate elevation information.  This new 3rd map, would be at the same scale as the map with the imagery, with the same grid, so that the user could refer to them both simultaneously.

Conclusion.

The key to making a good navigation map is to not do to much.  Its important that the what the user is seeing is not over crammed with details.  It needs only what is necessary.  In that sense, making a good navigation map is not that difficult,  yet all the the while, its equally as easy to mess one one. Along with the map, its also important to include information about the spatial reference system being used, along with information containing where the data was obtained from, through what organization, and for what use.