Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Development for Plaster Creek Watershed
Annaka Scheeres, Charlotte Reynolds, Dr. Jason Van Horn
Calvin College is situated within Plaster Creek Watershed, which suffers from a wide range of ecological impairments and environmental inequalities. As one of the most polluted watersheds in
Michigan, it serves as a model example for restoration practices, community engagement, policymaking, and student research. Yet, specific ecological and sociological problems cannot be adequately addressed without first developing a spatial understanding of the watershed. To develop a geographic framework for the watershed, Calvin research students created the online Plaster Creek Watershed interactive mapping application two summers ago. However, this initial version required updating because though it provided necessary scientific knowledge, such as soil type and biological diversity, it did not include key issues of justice, community engagement, and historical context. This summer, we aimed to update the Plaster Creek interactive mapping application and create an online Story Map Journal that incorporates ecological concerns, current restoration efforts, and public health problems into the watershed’s narrative. These maps and interactive web applications integrate data from Calvin’s biology and geography departments and could galvanize future collaboration between these departments. We hope students, community members, and local policymakers can use the updated online mapping application and the new Story Map Journal to better understand Plaster Creek’s challenges and its potential for restoration.
Three overarching objectives defined our summer research: 1) revamp the Plaster Creek
Watershed online GIS, 2) create a publicly accessible Story Map Journal using ArcGIS online, and 3) produce a series of educational videos about the watershed. To begin the project, we constructed an “At a Glance” sheet to outline which map layers needed to be created or updated to effectively expand the
Plaster Creek Watershed interactive mapping application. Even though constructing each map or online web application presented its own set of challenges, we followed similar data management and mapping procedures. Constructing different maps required finding the necessary data from various websites (i.e.,
EPA, CDC, Census Bureau, Michigan Open Data) or obtaining the data from other Calvin research students, formatting this data to be compatible with our mapping software (ArcMap), spatially visualizing these data, and editing each map to ensure its clarity, accuracy, and quality. We also published these maps or individual data layers on the Calvin GIS server and incorporated them into an online Story Map Journal (hosted by ArcGIS online); the journal is an interactive mapping application that combines text, maps, videos, and other media to craft a compelling story.
As of August 1, we have created many new maps, including environmental justice, pollution, and demographic maps, soil hydrology maps, land use maps, and E. coli concentration maps. We have also completed the majority of the Story Map Journal, which can be viewed here . Additionally, we have shot footage and written scripts for the educational videos; before the end of the summer, we hope to create these videos and embed them in the Story Map Journal. Much of my individual work this summer focused on creating the four environmental justice maps that spatially correlate public health and facility pollution data with racial and socioeconomic data. These maps anchor the Story Map Journal because they represent a key narrative of the watershed that often remains untold and expose inequalities within the watershed. Over the next few weeks, I will conduct more detailed analysis about disproportionate pollution burdens on low-income, minority communities within the watershed.
This summer research experience has provided me with GIS skills that far exceed my initial capabilities. I have gained extensive knowledge of ArcMap and ArcGIS online and have learned how to effectively use this software to create high-quality maps and web applications. Perhaps more importantly, I have also honed my spatial reasoning and analysis skills. In particular, through creating the environmental justice maps, I learned that constructing maps requires creativity, diligence, and a willingness to examine spatial problems on multiple scales, as well as a desire to explore complex narratives. I also realized that, as Christians, active concern for our downstream watershed neighbors must be an inevitable manifestation of our faith.