Background and Goal:
The Confluence
Project was a cooperative effort between UW-Eau Claire and the Eau Claire
region to make a multi-purpose building including a community arts center,
university housing, and commercial retail complex called Haymarket, LLC
(University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, n.d.). In this lab, the goal was to
use the Confluence Project as a means of depicting spatial data in a report
format. To reach the goal, WebGIS data sets for the City and County
of Eau Claire and Public Land Survey System data were used to make an
informational report on the project.
Methods:
Objective
1- Explore various data sets for the City and County of Eau Claire
This step included learning about the data sets common to government GIS and their purposes in a city. First a new folder was created with a connection to the relevant data in ArcCatalog. Then the zoning feature class was viewed by using the ‘identify tool’ to determine the various zoning areas assigned in the Water Street area of Eau Claire. Centerlines and labels to the map to see the location of the zones in relation to the city of Eau Claire were added afterwards.
Objective
2- Digitize the site for the proposed Confluence Project
In
ArcCatalog, I made a new folder to hold a new file geodatabase titled
‘EC_Confluence.’ To set a coordinate system I chose to import the
BlockGroups feature class to add the Eau Claire County Coordinate System.
Within that geodatabase, I created a blank polygon feature class titled
‘pro_site’ for the proposed site. In ArcMap, I added a world imagery base map,
the empty feature class, and the parcel_area feature class. I used the
‘identify tool’ to find the two parcels that are being used for the project and
proceeded to open the ‘editor toolbar’ to enable the proposed site and digitize
the purchased lots.
Objective
3: Learn about the Public Land Survey System
A
new data frame was added with an imagery layer base map, the PLSS Townships,
Sections, and Quarter-Quarter Sections from the 2009-17-13 EauClaire
geodatabase and the City of Eau Claire geodatabase. Under the ‘symbology’
tab, the sections were symbolized by section number using a stretched color to
see their patterns. Finally, using the Quarter-Quarter sections and the
legal descriptions website the description of the site was formulated
(Hemstead, 2015).
Objective
4: View legal information for the Confluence Project
To create a full legal description of the parcels purchased for the project the City of Eau Claire mapping services, legal description pdf provided of the purchased lots and the ‘identify tool’ on ArcMap were utilized (City of Eau Claire, WI, 2017).
Objective
5: Build a map of all relevant base data for the Confluence Project
Six different maps in six different data frames displaying applicable data to the Confluence Project were created. For all the following maps, a base map, title, scale bar, legend when applicable, and north arrow are added. Each map also had the proposed site of the project highlighted in a bright red color and a corresponding callout to help differentiate it from the background.
The first was of Eau Claire County civil divisions, and this was accomplished by adding data from the 2009-07-13 Eau Claire geodatabase to a base map. The different divisions were symbolized by ‘unique values.’
The census boundaries map is comprised of the BlockGroups and TractsGroup feature classes. The BlockGroups were symbolized as a graduated color map of ‘Population per Sq. Mi’ under the ‘symbology’ tab to see differences in population among block groups and the population number in the legend was limited to 2 significant digits to keep a neat appearance.
The
PLSS frame made earlier was mapped showing only PLSS Sections and Quarter-Quarter
Sections to help in viewing the proposed project in terms of the PLSS system of
Wisconsin and understanding the legal description of the site.
The Parcels in the City of Eau Claire data frame had the Parcel_area, centerlines, and water feature classes added to aid in seeing the location of the project’s parcel referenced in the legal description.
The Zoning map was comprised of the zoning_areas feature class. The features were symbolized by zone in a unique values map based on the zone classes. The specific zoning codes were grouped together into broader classes such as ‘commercial’ to make the map easier to read.
The final map was of voting districts in the City of Eau Claire. Voting districts were denoted by ward number labels which were turned on in the ‘display’ tab.
Results:
Map
1, Civil Divisions of Eau Claire, gives a good overview of the location of the
Confluence Project with respect the the City of Eau Claire and the surrounding
area.
Map 2, Census Boundaries in Eau Claire, shows that the Confluence Project is centered in a more densely populated area of the city and this shows the project to be in a very accessible area for students living in the complex.
Map 3, Parcels in the City of Eau Claire, shows the parcel area of the proposed site, a subsection of the Public Land Survey System used in Wisconsin.
Map 4, Voting Districts, shows the project located in district 31.
Map 5, PLSS features, shows the location of the site using Quarter-Quarter sections. PLSS uses a principle meridian and a base line to divide states into 6-mile townships. Each township is divided into 36 1 by 1 mile sections which are then divided into quarters. The quarters are divided into quarters measuring 1/4 by 1/4 of a mile, or 40 acres. The Confluence Project lots are identified in the PLSS system as NW1/4, Section 20, Township 27 North, Range 9 West in the City of Eau Claire.
Map 6, Zoning, shows the land uses for city property. The Confluence Project is in a public properties zone.
The end results of all these maps is a clearer understanding of the variety of factors and descriptions surrounding the Confluence Project. Civil division, census boundaries, parcels, voting district, PLSS features, and zoning are all important considerations when deciding to build a project as large as the Confluence Project with so many different uses in one area. The maps show the site to be in a single voting district, 1 Quarter-Quarter section, and in one zoning area. This makes building the structure and living there much easier than having multiple voting districts or zoning areas. The lot sits in an urbanized part of town that is close to the UW-Eau Claire campus and the Eau Claire and Chippewa River, providing access to school and to the river. These factors all make the project area a livable and accessible space for college students.
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| Figure 1. Six Maps of relevant data to the Confluence Project of the City of Eau Claire, WI |
References:
Hemstead,
B. (2015). Plss - legal descriptions | plss. [online] Retrieved from http://www.sco.wisc.edu/plss/legal-descriptions.html
[Accessed: 7 Mar 2017].
City
of Eau Claire, WI. (2017). [Legal Zoning Information of Parcels in Interactive
Map]. WG Xtreme: City of Eau Claire, WI. Retrieved from http://eauclairecitywi.wgxtreme.com/
Kupfer,
T. (2012, Mar 15). $85 Million “Confluence Project” coming downtown
[UPDATED]. Volume One: Culture and Entertainment in the Chippewa Valley. Retrieved
from http://volumeone.org/news/1/posts/2012/05/15/3134_arts_center
University
of Wisconsin Eau Claire. (n.d.). Frequently asked questions: The Confluence
Project. Retrieved from https://www2.uwec.edu/News/more/confluenceprojectFAQs.htm
Lippelt,
I. (2002). Understanding wisconsin township, range, and section land
descriptions. [e-book] Madison, WI: pp. 1-4. Available through: Wisconsin
Geological and Natural History Survey [Accessed: 18 Feb 2014].
Source:
City
of Eau Claire and Eau Claire County 2013
