Final Draft Map - Sea Turtle Disorientations and Light Pollution in Florida

 

What has been the most surprising aspect of the project so far and why?

The most surprising aspect is how accurately Florida's major cities with high values of light align with the reported sea turtle disorientation events. This shows evidence on how much sea turtles are affected by artificial lighting. Additionally, I found it surprising how well my map has come together!


What has been the most challenging aspect of the project so far?


The most challenging aspect of this project has been adding all the layers to one map and perfecting it. For the first layer (Nighttime lights), I had to change the color ramp a few times to find a color scheme that would show the best. In the second layer (Sea Turtle Disorientation Survey), I had to remove some of the unverified reports that were displayed on the map. Finally, for the third layer (The USA Major Cities) I used select by attributes to create a new layer only showing Florida's major cities. I removed the symbology of the cities and added the label features. The final map was time-consuming, however, I am happy with how it came out.


What questions do you have about your draft maps? What would you like feedback on?


I would like to make sure my interactive web map on ArcGIS online can be accessed and if my map is easy to interpret from an outside perspective. The JPEG posted above is not as clear as the PDF saved within my student folder.


Link to Interactive Web Map:
https://arcg.is/jOi5v0 

Data Sources:
FWC Sea Turtle Disorientation Survey(2018) Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission  https://myfwc.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=83e02c8fdcc444af9afb6125bc19de50 [October 5, 2022]

USA Major Cities (2022) Esri, U.S. Census Bureau. https://services.arcgis.com/P3ePLMYs2RVChkJx/arcgis/rest/services/USA_Major_Cities_/FeatureServer [October 5, 2022]

VIIRS Nighttime Lights Monthly Cloud-Free Composite (2021). Earth Observation Group - Colorado School of Mines Payne Institute for Public Policy. Esri.https://ic.img.arcgis.com/arcgis/rest/services/VIIRS/NighttimeLightsMDNB/ImageServer [October 5, 2022]

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