Project Proposal

Introduction:

The Kromma Kill Creek is located in Albany County, New York, and is a major tributary to the Hudson River. Because of its close proximity to Siena College, students who are in enrolled in Environmental Science perform a stream monitoring lab at a location along this creek. Back in the classroom, students are able to view a map of the Kromma Kill watershed on a government website. The map only illustrates the outline of the watershed, it does not exhibit any other components such as the percent of land use within the area.

To enable the students enrolled in Environmental Science to visually comprehend the different characteristics of  this watershed, I will create an interactive webmap of the Kromma Kill Watershed. It will include stream channels, land use percentages, and watershed boundaries. Students taking Environmental Science will be able to access this map during lab, and compute the different characteristics of the watershed.

Objectives:

This project will utilize Arc Geographic Information System (GIS) to create an interactive webmap of the Kromma Kill Watershed in Albany County, NY. The specific objectives include:

• To create an interactive map that can be utilized by students enrolled in the Environmental Science course.

• To create a map that will enable the students to visually calculate different characteristics such as land use percentages, stream channels, and watershed boundaries of the Kromma Kill Watershed.

Methodology:

Data and information on the land use percentages, stream channels, watershed boundaries, and possibly other characteristics of the Kromma Kill Watershed will first be gathered. Then using ArcGIS and ArcGIS.com, a map will be created illustrating the watershed, with additional layers of the calculated characteristics.

Data Sources:

• Basemap from ArcGIS
• Impervious land cover data from the Multi-Resolution Land Characteristics Consortium
• Hydrography Data from NYS Office of Cyber Security, downloaded from NYS GIS Clearinghouse
• Characteristics of Watershed from streamstats website

Work Plan:

Week of February 20th

• Meet with client to finalize deliverables for project
• Find data on Kromma Kill watershed

Week of February 27th

• Revise Proposal
• Meet with client to discuss data and watershed characteristics
• Find basemap on ArcGIS
• Figure out way to export map, or free web application that students can use

Week of March 5th

• Create map exhibiting Kromma Kill Watershed
• Include boundaries and stream channels
• Second Blog posting

Week of March 19th

• Blog post 3
• Collect data on land use within watershed
• Add this to map

Week of March 26th

• Blog post 4
• Work on step by step instructions for students on how to use map

Week of April 2nd

• Blog post 5
• Work on specifics and begin perfecting created maps

Week of April 10th

• Blog post 6
• Perfect maps and tutorial

Week of April 16th

•  Blog post 7
• Work on poster for presentation
• Finalize maps

Deliverables

At the end of this project I will provide my client with a map illustrating characteristics of the Kromma Kill Watershed. So far these include, land use percentages, stream channels, and watershed boundaries. Additionally, I will provide a step by step process on how to calculate these characteristics and illustrate them using a map for students enrolled in Environmental Science.