Seedleaf Community Mapping
Community Partner:
Seedleaf
Ryan Koch – Executive Director
Rebecca Self – Education Director
Project Members:
Jon Finnie
Jamie Keyes
Contact Information
Seedleaf
seedleafinfo@gmail.com
www.seedleaf.org
ryan@seedleaf.org
rebecca@seedleaf.org
Table of Contents
Project Summary
Needs Assessment Report
Progress Report
Data Dictionary
Products
Conclusion
Project Summary
The objective of this project was to provide Seedleaf with information
products that will assist in two ways, both internally and externally. To provide
information to external parties that are interested in Seedleaf, several maps were
created. Utilizing the website BatchGeo, an embeddable map was created that
Seedleaf can utilize on their website so that people can easily find public Seedleaf
resources, such as community gardens and compost bins. BatchGeo was chosen
because it is simple to use and easy to maintain, this makes it possible for Seedleaf
to update information on the map with little to no hassle.
To provide for Seedleaf’s internal needs, a series of locative maps were made
using ArcMap 10. Each map located certain assets of Seedleaf, e.g. a map of their
Seedleaf Farms Also, as a means to utilize geospatial technology to improve
Seedleaf’s planning, a map displaying the percent change in people living below the
poverty level was created.
Needs Assessment Report
I. Project background information
Seedleaf is an organization whose primary activity is “nourishing
communities by growing, cooking, sharing, and recycling food so that we can
increase the amount, affordability, nutritional value, and sustainability of food
available to people at risk of hunger in central Kentucky” (seedleaf.org). Seedleaf is
responsible for eight community gardens, eight half-acre Seedleaf Farms which
produce food for local markets and restaurants, and 25 drop-off sites for compost in
Lexington, Kentucky. They also utilize various spaces around downtown Lexington
for workshops and activities that conform to the organization’s mission.
II. Goal and objectives
Our group will collaborate with Seedleaf to produce maps and information
products that will assist Seedleaf in two primary ways: (1) to inform the public of
Seedleaf’s assets and (2) to inform Seedleaf’s internal operations in the way of
planning and strategizing their programming.
To meet Goal 1, we will create a map(s) for the organization’s website that
will locate gardens and compost bins.
To meet Goal 2, we will map demographic data that will identify the areas
which will be best served by Seedleaf. This map will be created using ArcMap 10
and will be presented to Seedleaf for their internal operations.
III. Data acquisition and preparation steps
The data needed are as follows. The use of italics indicates tentative need.
Data Type One: Site-Based Data
For map of Seedleaf’s programming
I. Addresses




community gardens
Seedleaf farms
Composting sites (bins, where compost is processed)
Compost pickup sites
II. Site-based attributes
 Community gardens
o
o
categories of food grown at each location
open gardening hours (hours of operation)
o
o
yield totals
Volunteer data:


Avg number of volunteers at each location
Volunteer demographics



Volunteering at site via organization (are they volunteering there as
a function of involvement in a service organization, church, student
group, or simply by their own individual volition?)
Age
geographic origin: are they volunteers from the neighborhood or from
a non-contiguous area?
 Seedleaf Farms
o
o
o
Categories of food grown
End location of food: where or to whom is food sold?
Yield totals?
 Composting
o
o
composting totals – weight or volume (in gallons) of compost processed
 breakdown of composting volume by location?
Post composting: where does compost go?
 this just shows link between composting & gardening programming
Data Type Two: Demographic Analysis Data
For strategic/planning map. Data would be collected for
 Seedleaf’s region of operation
 Possible areas of expansion
I. Census Data
 Population Density
 Race
 Mean or average age
 Mean or average income
2. Non-Census Sourced Demographic Data
 K-12 free and reduced lunches
 Rates of diet-related illness and disease
Steps for maps of Seedleaf assets and programming:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
compile addresses of Seedleaf assets and programming in Excel files
geocode these addresses to create a shapefile
build an attractive basemap
create symbology and labels
make sure attribute tables contain all data and metadata we’ve collected
Steps for Demographics maps:
1.
using Census sources and email correspondence, collect aforementioned
demographics data
2. Format data in Excel as needed
3. Find out where stores that sell fresh produce are located. Also ask Seedleaf for a
list of corner stores that have committed to or expressed interest to selling
produce.
IV. List of maps and analyses



demographic analyses map – created in ArcMap
map of Seedleaf assets: gardens, farms, compost operations – created in ArcMap
online application mapping gardening activities and volunteer opportunities –
using Google Maps
V. Steps required
for demographic analysis map:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
compile demographic data in Excel spreadsheets
geocode these data to create a shapefile
build an attractive basemap
spatial join basemap to shapefile
create symbology and labels
confirm that attribute tables contain all data and metadata we’ve collected
present map and accompanying Excel spreadsheet to Seedleaf
for assets and programming map (Google maps):
1.
2.
3.
4.
compile address data in Excel spreadsheets
chart these addresses on Google Maps
add photographic data to features on Google Maps
use soon-to-be-identified application to embed map on Seedleaf’s website
for assets and programming map (ArcMap)
1.
2.
3.
4.
compile address data in Excel spreadsheets
geocode these address data to create a shapefile
spatial join pre-made basemap to shapefile
create symbology and labels, differentiating among different categories of
programming and assets
5. confirm that attribute tables contain all data and metadata we’ve collected
6. present map and accompanying Excel spreadsheet to Seedleaf
Progress Report
I.
Tasks Completed:
a. Created a master spreadsheat that contains the locations of Seedleaf assets
b. Geocoded all of Seedleafs Assets locations
c. Created several maps depicting Seedleaf assets and a poverty level map.
II.
Questions and/or Problems to be resolved.
a. Is it possible to find actual 2010 census income data, not just estimates
b. Is it possible to obtain all data that Brad Gosser obtained about school free and reduced
lunches
III.
Summary of mid-project meeting.
a. Met with Ryan at Coffea, discussed details about mapping project.
IV.
Any changes to project goals?
a. Due to absence of Brad and the data that he obtained and time constraints, was not
possible to do any analysis containing school free and reduced lunch data. Decided to use
data available from the 2000 census and Federal Financial Institutes Economic Council
concerning poverty levels to perform a rudimentary analysis concerning poverty level
changes in regards to location of Seedleaf resources.
V.
Maps
a. Created an online Map using BatchGeo that Seedleaf can embed on their webpage, and
update data seamlessly, that shows the locations of community gardens and compost bin
locations
b. Created hard copy maps for community garden locations, market garden locations, compost
bins and compost partners. Also created a map showing the % change in poverty levels by
census tract for those census tracts that data was available.
Data Dictionary
1. 2000_Census_Poverty_Data: Census tract-level data for Fayette County containing poverty data
from the 2000 Decennial Census.
2. Batch_Geo_GARDENS.xlsx: an Excel spreadsheet containing the names, location, city, state, zip
code, type, image URL, work time, and relevant contact email for each of Seedleaf’s community
gardens.
3. Batch_Geo_GARDENS_COMPOST.xlsx: an Excel spreadsheet containing name, location,
latitude, longitude, city, state, zip code, type, image URL, work times, and relevant contact email
addresses for Seedleaf’s community gardens and compost processing sites.
4. comm_garden_geocode_2012.shp: a shapefile of the geocoded addresses of Seedleaf’s
community gardens (companion files include comm_garden_geocode_2012.dbf,
comm_garden_geocode_2012.prj, comm_garden_geocode_2012.sbn,
comm_garden_geocode_2012.sbx, comm_garden_geocode_2012.shp.xml, and
comm_garden_geocode_2012.shx).
5. Comm_Gardens_Geocoding.xls: an Excel spreadsheet with Seedleaf’s community garden
addresses formatted for geocoding in ArcMap
6. Comm_Gardens_Locations.xls: an Excel spreadsheet detailing the addresses, urls, contact
information, work times, and partner organizations for each Seedleaf garden.
7. comm_gardens_polygon.shp: a shapefile containing polygons of Seedleaf’s community, drawn
using the Create Polygon function of ArcMap 10’s Editor Toolbar (companion files include
comm_gardens_polygon.dbf, comm_gardens_polygon.prj, comm_gardens_polygon.sbn,
comm_gardens_polygon.sbx, comm_gardens_polygon.shp.xml, and
comm_gardens_polygon.shx).
8. compost_bins_geocode.xlsx: an Excel workbook derived from compost_processing_sites.xlsx.
Sheet 1 features address data for the locations of certain Seedleaf compost bins, Sheet 2 features
the latitudinal and longitudinal coordinates for the remaining Seedleaf compost bins. The
spreadsheet is structured and formatted to allow for address geocoding from Sheet 1 and XY
lat/long geocoding from Sheet 2.
9. compost_partner_geocode_2012.shp: a shapefile containing the geocoded addresses of businesses
and nonprofits participating in Seedleaf’s Compost Partners program. Derived from the dataset
included in compost_partners_geocode.xlsx. Companion files include
compost_partner_geocode_2012.dbf, compost_partner_geocode_2012.prj,
compost_partner_geocode_2012.sbn, compost_partner_geocode_2012.sbx,
compost_partner_geocode_2012.xml, and compost_partner_geocode_2012.shx.
10. compost_partners_addresses.xlsx: an Excel spreadsheet featuring the addresses of businesses and
nonprofits participating in Seedleaf’s Compost Partners program.
11. compost_partners_geocode.xlsx: an Excel spreadsheet featuring the addresses of businesses and
nonprofits participating in Seedleaf’s Compost Partners program, formatted for geocoding in
ArcMap
12. compost_processing_sites.xlsx: an Excel spreadsheet featuring a comprehensive list of latitudes,
longitudes, and addresses of Seedleaf’s compost processing sites.
13. farmcropped.JPG: a cropped JPEG image of Seedleaf’s “Seedleaf Farms” logo.
14. FFIEC_Data_2010.xlsx: an Excel spreadsheet containing 2010 census tract-level poverty data
collected by the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council, downloaded from
http://www.ffiec.gov/.
15. market_garden _addresses.xlsx: an Excel spreadsheet containing the addresses of Seedleaf’s
Market Gardens (Seedleaf Farms).
16. market_garden_geocode_2012.shp: a shapefile containing the geocoded addresses of Seedleaf’s
market gardens (Seedleaf Farms). Derived from market_garden_geocoding_2012. Companion
files include market_garden_geocode_2012.dbf, market_garden_geocode_2012.prj,
market_garden_geocode_2012.shx, and market_garden_geocode_2012.shp.xml.
17. market_garden_geocoding_2012: an Excel spreadsheet containing the addresses of Seedleaf’s
Market Gardens (Seedleaf Farms), formatted for geocoding in ArcMap.
18. Pov_diff_2000_2010.shp: a shapefile visualizing the quantitative analysis of
Poverty_changes_2000_2010.xlsx. Companion files include Pov_diff_2000_2010.dbf,
Pov_diff_2000_2010.prj, Pov_diff_2000_2010.sbn, Pov_diff_2000_2010.sbx,
Pov_diff_2000_2010.shx.
19. Poverty_changes_2000_2010.xlsx: an Excel spreadsheet that draws from data found in
FFIEC_Data_2010.xlsx and 2000_Census_Poverty.xlsx to show economic dynamics on a census
tract level in Fayette County, Kentucky.
20. Seedleaf logo.jpg: a JPEG image of Seedleaf’s green logo.
21. Seedleaf white logo.jpg: a JPEG image of Seedleaf’s white logo.
22. tl_2010_21067_tract10.zip: Census tract geometries for Fayette County, Kentucky from the 2010
Decennial Census.
23. XYSheet1$.shp: a shapefile containing the geocoded latitudinal and longitudinal coordinates of
certain Seedleaf compost bins. This file is derived from the dataset found in
compost_bins_geocode.xlsx. Companion files include XYSheet1$.dbf, XYSheet1$.sbn,
XYSheet1$.sbx, XYSheet1$.shp, and XYSheet1$.shx.
Products
BatchGeo Map with community gardens and compost
bin locations.
http://batchgeo.com/map/8597071cdaeab8d6fe57481812
70cfdf
Seedleaf master spreadsheet containing locations of all
Seeleaf assets.
Seedleaf Farms map
Seedleaf Community Garden and Compost Bin map
Poverty Change Map
Conclusion
The maps and data products created will help to improve Seedleaf’s internal
and external functions. Even the Excel spreadsheets—which simply list the
addresses of Seedleaf’s gardens, Compost Partners, compost bins—represent a
major step forward in terms of Seedleaf’s data needs.
The analytical map that was created suggests two things: first, it appears
that the areas closer to the “East End” have been becoming poorer, whereas the
areas nearer Limestone and the NoLi area are becoming more affluent. Since the
gardens that have received the most attention—London Ferrill and North Pole—are
located in areas of less economic need. In future analyses, it would be beneficial to
find income and poverty data on the Census block level so as to analyze these
geographic patterns in finer detail (Census block data was not used in this analysis
only because 2010 decennial Census income and poverty level data for Fayette
County on even the Census Level have not been released). At present, Seedleaf
might use these maps to prioritize their programming: since the mission of Seedleaf
is to provide services to disadvantaged populations, Seedleaf might use these maps
to increase its efforts in the areas of greater need.