Lab 1: Surveying a Miniature Landscape

Introduction:

For this lab, we were required to create a geographic landscape of a smaller scale in a sandbox. This landscape will then have its X, Y, and Z coordinates surveyed, and then imported into ArcMap to create a virtual representation of the created features.

Study Area/ Methods:

This landscape in the sandbox was required to have hills, valleys, plains, and other features present in nature. We decided to construct a riverbed, a plateau, a mountain, several plains areas, and a basin. 

The created landscape

An aerial view of the landscape to be surveyed

Hannah recording coordinates

Zac building a river valley

Drew flattening out the plains

After the landscape is created, it then will be surveyed in a Cartesian coordinate system with grid systems that were deemed appropriate by the group members. Our group decided on 10cmx10cm grids, starting five centimeters from the edge of the sandbox, to avoid the angles in the interior side of the wooden barriers.  X, Y, and Z coordinates were needed for this, and the grid system made the X and Y coordinates simple to record. Z coordinates required measuring down from the top of the edge of the sandbox. As a group, it was decided that we would measure at the center of each box in the grid system, and that value would be recorded as Z for that cell. After taking measurements, we decided to set an arbitrary sea level at -13cm, considering that there were very few values that were actually above the barriers of the sandbox. Below is the list of our coordinates that we measured.

North (cm)	East (cm)	Elevation (cm)	Elev Conv(+13)
5	5	-7	6
5	15	-7	6
5	25	-7	6
5	35	-7	6
5	45	-7	6
5	55	-8	5
5	65	-9.5	3.5
5	75	-10	3
5	85	-9	4
5	95	-9	4
5	105	-8.5	4.5
15	5	-9.5	3.5
15	15	-10	3
15	25	-12	1
15	35	-9.5	3.5
15	45	-7	6
15	55	-5	8
15	65	-6	7
15	75	-7	6
15	85	-9	4
15	95	-10	3
15	105	-11.5	1.5
25	5	-8	5
25	15	-8.5	4.5
25	25	-8	5
25	35	-8	5
25	45	-6	7
25	55	-14	-1
25	65	-15	-2
25	75	-14	-1
25	85	-10	3
25	95	-9	4
25	105	-11.5	1.5
35	5	-10	3
35	15	-10	3
35	25	-8	5
35	35	-11	2
35	45	-7	6
35	55	-7.5	5.5
35	65	-11	2
35	75	-9.5	3.5
35	85	-13	0
35	95	-13	0
35	105	-12	1
45	5	-9.5	3.5
45	15	-11	2
45	25	-9.5	3.5
45	35	-11.5	1.5
45	45	-8.5	4.5
45	55	-10	3
45	65	-10	3
45	75	-11	2
45	85	-10	3
45	95	-8.5	4.5
45	105	-9	4
55	5	-8.5	4.5
55	15	-10	3
55	25	-12	1
55	35	-10	3
55	45	-12	1
55	55	-12	1
55	65	-15	-2
55	75	-15	-2
55	85	-10	3
55	95	-5.5	7.5
55	105	-5.5	7.5
65	5	-10	3
65	15	-10	3
65	25	-10	3
65	35	-6.5	6.5
65	45	-7	6
65	55	-5	8
65	65	-7	6
65	75	-10	3
65	85	-14	-1
65	95	-11	2
65	105	-4	9
75	5	-11	2
75	15	-10.5	2.5
75	25	-9.5	3.5
75	35	-5	8
75	45	-0.5	12.5
75	55	-0.5	12.5
75	65	-1	12
75	75	-4	9
75	85	-12	1
75	95	-11	2
75	105	-7	6
85	5	-11	2
85	15	-11.5	1.5
85	25	-9	4
85	35	-6	7
85	45	-8	5
85	55	-10	3
85	65	-9	4
85	75	-7	6
85	85	-4	9
85	95	-4	9
85	105	-10	3
95	5	-10	3
95	15	-14	-1
95	25	-12.5	0.5
95	35	-11	2
95	45	-11.5	1.5
95	55	-10.5	2.5
95	65	-9.5	3.5
95	75	-11	2
95	85	-12.5	0.5
95	95	-13	0
95	105	-8	5
105	5	-7.5	5.5
105	15	-7.5	5.5
105	25	-7.5	5.5
105	35	-7.5	5.5
105	45	-7.5	5.5
105	55	-7.5	5.5
105	65	-7	6
105	75	-7	6
105	85	-7	6
105	95	-8	5
105	105	-7.5	5.5
115	5	-7	6
115	15	-7	6
115	25	-7	6
115	35	-8	5
115	45	-8	5
115	55	-8	5
115	65	-8	5
115	75	-7.5	5.5
115	85	-8	5
115	95	-7.5	5.5
115	105	-7.5	5.5
125	5	-13.5	-0.5
125	15	-10	3
125	25	-6	7
125	35	-9	4
125	45	-11	2
125	55	-13	0
125	65	-13	0
125	75	13.5	26.5
125	85	-14	-1
125	95	-15.5	-2.5
125	105	-17.5	-4.5
135	5	-12.5	0.5
135	15	-9	4
135	25	0	13
135	35	0	13
135	45	-8	5
135	55	-11.5	1.5
135	65	-10.5	2.5
135	75	-12.5	0.5
135	85	-15.5	-2.5
135	95	-16.5	-3.5
135	105	-16.5	-3.5
145	5	-13	0
145	15	-5	8
145	25	0.5	13.5
145	35	-1	12
145	45	-6	7
145	55	-7	6
145	65	-5	8
145	75	-10	3
145	85	-14	-1
145	95	-13	0
145	105	-12	1
155	5	-12	1
155	15	-9	4
155	25	-9.5	3.5
155	35	-11	2
155	45	-10.5	2.5
155	55	-9.5	3.5
155	65	-10.5	2.5
155	75	-13	0
155	85	-13	0
155	95	-13.5	-0.5
155	105	-10	3
165	5	-10	3
165	15	-10	3
165	25	-9.5	3.5
165	35	-8	5
165	45	-8	5
165	55	-8	5
165	65	-8	5
165	75	-8.5	4.5
165	85	-8	5
165	95	-9	4
165	105	-10.5	2.5
175	5	-9.5	3.5
175	15	-9.5	3.5
175	25	-8	5
175	35	-8	5
175	45	-8	5
175	55	-8	5
175	65	-8	5
175	75	-8	5
175	85	-9	4
175	95	-9.5	3.5
175	105	-9	4
185	5	-13	0
185	15	-12	1
185	25	-12	1
185	35	-12	1
185	45	-4	9
185	55	-4	9
185	65	-4	9
185	75	-11	2
185	85	-9	4
185	95	-11	2
185	105	-13	0
195	5	-11	2
195	15	-12	1
195	25	-13	0
195	35	-12	1
195	45	-4	9
195	55	-4	9
195	65	-4	9
195	75	-12	1
195	85	-11	2
195	95	-13.5	-0.5
195	105	-12.5	0.5
205	5	-10	3
205	15	-10	3
205	25	-10.5	2.5
205	35	-12	1
205	45	-4	9
205	55	-4	9
205	65	-7	6
205	75	-12	1
205	85	-10.5	2.5
205	95	-10	3
205	105	-11.5	1.5
215	5	-8	5
215	15	-9	4
215	25	-9	4
215	35	-10	3
215	45	-9	4
215	55	-12	1
215	65	-9.5	3.5
215	75	-9	4
215	85	-8	5
215	95	-9	4
215	105	-9	4

Discussion:

Our landscape that we created, complete with a basin, a riverbed, mesa, and plains were decided because of the dynamic environment that it represented. Most of these features do not occur together, so once the points are imported into ArcMap, the unique surroundings can be manifested in a way that creates a visually appealing setting. Our decision to make the sea level for Z coordinates at -13 centimeters is a decision that should assist in the data importation in the next lab. The collection of the points was difficult with the temperature being -10 degrees at the point of landscape creation and surveying. Several breaks had to be taken in order to warm up, which caused the collection process to take longer than expected. But thankfully, this was the only issue that we ran into, and the rest of the procedure was simple and uncomplicated.

Conclusion:

Creating the landscape to be surveyed, and establishing the coordinate system that needed to be used in order to accurately record the features that were built was a fairly straightforward process. Despite the cold weather of -10 degrees during the point of collection, accurate measurements were attained, and it should be simple to transfer these points the Excel sheet to ArcMap.