Mapping Hurricanes: A GIS Workshop

1. Mapping Hurricanes Working with Digital Vector and Raster Data Sets Presented by Scott White (white_s@fortlewis.edu) Department of Geosciences, Fort Lewis College, Durango, Colorado Cutting Edge Workshop: Using GIS and Remote Sensing to Teach Geoscience in the 21st Century Montana State University, Bozeman August 8-11, 2010 Hurricane Katrina, Aug. 28, 2005, 1515Z (10:15 a.m. CDT) 26°13'59''N, 88°08'03''W Category 5 with maximum sustained winds near 175 mph GOES-12 1 km visible image http://www.nnvl.noaa.gov

2. Fort Lewis College GIS Program • FLC is a public liberal arts college with located in Durango, Colorado; about 3,400 undergrads • GIS is housed in the Geosciences Dept. • GIS Certificate (incl. 4 GIS/RS courses) • primarily Science students (Bio/Geo/Anthro), all levels • ArcGIS (ArcInfo) campus site license

3. Mapping Hurricanes Working with Digital Vector and Raster Data Sets • Outline • Objectives of the GIS Exercises • Exercise #1: Creating a Regional Base Map • Focus on creating a basic map of the region affected by a recent hurricane and/or tropical storm • Use of ESRI map data • Symbology, labeling, and the map layout • Exercise #2: Creating a Regional Thematic Map • Focus on creating a hurricane-related thematic map from the Exercise #1 base map • Mapping Hurricane Katrina Designated Disaster Areas using FEMA data • Symbology, labeling, and the map layout • Exercise #3: Creating Hurricane and Tropical Storm Maps • Map 1: Focus on creating a map showing a hurricane/tropical storm track with positions of the storm and hurricane/tropical storm force wind swaths • Building a spreadsheet of hurricane/tropical storm data using NOAA NHC data • Point features (hurricane/tropical storm locations) and polyline feature (storm track) • Symbology, labeling, and the map layout • Map 2: Focus on creating a map showing the position of a satellite image relative to the base map • Data acquisition from MODIS • Symbology, labeling, and the map layout • Assessment and Conclusion

4. Mapping Hurricanes Working with Digital Vector and Raster Data Sets • Outline • Objectives of the GIS Exercises • Exercise #1: Creating a Regional Base Map • Focus on creating a basic map of the region affected by a recent hurricane and/or tropical storm • Use of ESRI map data • Symbology, labeling, and the map layout • Exercise #2: Creating a Regional Thematic Map • Focus on creating a hurricane-related thematic map from the Exercise #1 base map • Mapping Hurricane Katrina Designated Disaster Areas using FEMA data • Symbology, labeling, and the map layout • Exercise #3: Creating Hurricane and Tropical Storm Maps • Map 1: Focus on creating a map showing a hurricane/tropical storm track with positions of the storm and hurricane/tropical storm force wind swaths • Building a spreadsheet of hurricane/tropical storm data using NOAA NHC data • Point features (hurricane/tropical storm locations) and polyline feature (storm track) • Symbology, labeling, and the map layout • Map 2: Focus on creating a map showing the position of a satellite image relative to the base map • Data acquisition from MODIS • Symbology, labeling, and the map layout • Assessment and Conclusion

5. Mapping Hurricanes Working with Digital Vector and Raster Data Sets • Outline • Objectives of the GIS Exercises • Exercise #1: Creating a Regional Base Map • Focus on creating a basic map of the region affected by a recent hurricane and/or tropical storm • Use of ESRI map data • Symbology, labeling, and the map layout • Exercise #2: Creating a Regional Thematic Map • Focus on creating a hurricane-related thematic map from the Exercise #1 base map • Mapping Hurricane Katrina Designated Disaster Areas using FEMA data • Symbology, labeling, and the map layout • Exercise #3: Creating Hurricane and Tropical Storm Maps • Map 1: Focus on creating a map showing a hurricane/tropical storm track with positions of the storm and hurricane/tropical storm force wind swaths • Building a spreadsheet of hurricane/tropical storm data using NOAA NHC data • Point features (hurricane/tropical storm locations) and polyline feature (storm track) • Symbology, labeling, and the map layout • Map 2: Focus on creating a map showing the position of a satellite image relative to the base map • Data acquisition from MODIS • Symbology, labeling, and the map layout • Assessment and Conclusion

7. Mapping Hurricanes Working with Digital Vector and Raster Data Sets • Outline • Objectives of the GIS Exercises • Exercise #1: Creating a Regional Base Map • Focus on creating a basic map of the region affected by a recent hurricane and/or tropical storm • Use of ESRI map data • Symbology, labeling, and the map layout • Exercise #2: Creating a Regional Thematic Map • Focus on creating a hurricane-related thematic map from the Exercise #1 base map • Mapping Hurricane Katrina Designated Disaster Areas using FEMA data • Symbology, labeling, and the map layout • Exercise #3: Creating Hurricane and Tropical Storm Maps • Map 1: Focus on creating a map showing a hurricane/tropical storm track with positions of the storm and hurricane/tropical storm force wind swaths • Building a spreadsheet of hurricane/tropical storm data using NOAA NHC data • Point features (hurricane/tropical storm locations) and polyline feature (storm track) • Symbology, labeling, and the map layout • Map 2: Focus on creating a map showing the position of a satellite image relative to the base map • Data acquisition from MODIS • Symbology, labeling, and the map layout • Assessment and Conclusion

11. Mapping Hurricanes Working with Digital Vector and Raster Data Sets • Outline • Objectives of the GIS Exercises • Exercise #1: Creating a Regional Base Map • Focus on creating a basic map of the region affected by a recent hurricane and/or tropical storm • Use of ESRI map data • Symbology, labeling, and the map layout • Exercise #2: Creating a Regional Thematic Map • Focus on creating a hurricane-related thematic map from the Exercise #1 base map • Mapping Hurricane Katrina Designated Disaster Areas using FEMA data • Symbology, labeling, and the map layout • Exercise #3: Creating Hurricane and Tropical Storm Maps • Map 1: Focus on creating a map showing a hurricane/tropical storm track with positions of the storm and hurricane/tropical storm force wind swaths • Building a spreadsheet of hurricane/tropical storm data using NOAA NHC data • Point features (hurricane/tropical storm locations) and polyline feature (storm track) • Symbology, labeling, and the map layout • Map 2: Focus on creating a map showing the position of a satellite image relative to the base map • Data acquisition from MODIS • Symbology, labeling, and the map layout • Assessment and Conclusion

17. Mapping Hurricanes Working with Digital Vector and Raster Data Sets • Outline • Objectives of the GIS Exercises • Exercise #1: Creating a Regional Base Map • Focus on creating a basic map of the region affected by a recent hurricane and/or tropical storm • Use of ESRI map data • Symbology, labeling, and the map layout • Exercise #2: Creating a Regional Thematic Map • Focus on creating a hurricane-related thematic map from the Exercise #1 base map • Mapping Hurricane Katrina Designated Disaster Areas using FEMA data • Symbology, labeling, and the map layout • Exercise #3: Creating Hurricane and Tropical Storm Maps • Map 1: Focus on creating a map showing a hurricane/tropical storm track with positions of the storm and hurricane/tropical storm force wind swaths • Building a spreadsheet of hurricane/tropical storm data using NOAA NHC data • Point features (hurricane/tropical storm locations) and polyline feature (storm track) • Symbology, labeling, and the map layout • Map 2: Focus on creating a map showing the position of a satellite image relative to the base map • Data acquisition from MODIS • Symbology, labeling, and the map layout • Assessment and Conclusion

18. Mapping Hurricanes Working with Digital Vector and Raster Data Sets • Data sources and websites • ESRI Data & Maps (DVD included with ArcGIS products): • http://www.esri.com/data/data-maps/index.html • FEMA Mapping and Analysis Center Hurricane Katrina Declared Disasters: • http://www.gismaps.fema.gov/2005pages/katrina.shtm • NOAA NHC Hurricane Katrina Advisory Archive: • http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/2005/KATRINA.shtml • NASA MODIS Rapid Response Gallery: • http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery

19. Mapping Hurricanes Working with Digital Vector and Raster Data Sets