Mapping Edmonton: From Air Quality to Place NamesMatthew Dance M.A.@mattdance

OutlineIntroductionMy background and how I came to mapping as part of my career.Mapping CitiesKey conceptsMaps: Volunteered Geographic Information.Maps: Open Data & Power.What roles do maps play?

Introduction: Resume and Research

ResumeBA Physical Geography (Queens 95)7 years field experience - periglacial geomorphology, hydrology, pedology 7 years in environmental policy (various roles 1 facilitation / mediation)3 years to complete an MA in Human Geography (UofA 12)12 years consulting on policy

Undergrad Research MapAsthma and Air Quality

M.A. ResearchSocial science case study research.

How do you understand place?How do you communicate that understanding using emerging novel tech?Why?Whats the gap between 1 & 2?

My lensPlace based thinking - people are experts of their geography.How do people understand place?How does place impact citizens (& vice versa) - happiness, health, community, family?What is the power dynamic between citizens and local government around place?

Mental Maps

NarrativeThere was a path in the woods there, and we call that Moonies run because our teacher, Mr. Moonie, lived right there. My friend played guitar and I played guitar, and we used to take our amps, carry our amps across back and forth across the river. At this point here right in the middle of the bridge was we deemed that as perfectly half way, so we would say, Okay, Ill meet you on the bridge. But yeah, I spent a lot of time down there, in Gold Bar.

Chris

Mental MapsProvide insight into what is important

Demonstrate a range of perception. Why more detail in some areas, by some people?Order of drawing - i.e. route first vs. river first?What is mapping and what is not mapped?What is said in relation to what is drawn?

Mapping Cities

Who cares? Why map cities?

Key ConceptsCrowdsourcing & Volunteered Geographic Information

Open Data (and FOIP as a tool!)

Data visualization

Crowdsourcing.... the process of obtaining needed services, ideas, or content by soliciting contributions from a large group of people, and especially from an online community, rather than from traditional employees or suppliers.

Volunteered Geographic Information (VGI)

VGI refers to a range of activities where volunteers provide some geographically referenced object to the Internet, such as:

Observational data (a Tweet that a tree is down in the River Valley)A geotagging photograph (on Flickr or Instagram for instance)GPS trace (a running route mapped with Strava)

Open Data

....can be freely used, re-used and redistributed by anyone - subject only, at most, to the requirement to attribute and share alike.

Government held data such as the City of Edmonton, Provence of Alberta and Government of Canada.

Power - Citizen/Government

Volunteered Geographic Information

OpenStreetMap:VGI Map Making

Open Edmonton, Open ArtContext: Where are the public art installations in Edmonton?

Questions: How can we gather and map these art installations?Would crowdsourcing work?

By David Rauch (@davidwrauch)

Open Edmonton

VGI Air Quality SensorContext: Emerging air quality monitoring technology that is location (place) based.

Questions: Does it work? Data quality? Ease of use?Power dynamic?

Crowdsourcing AQ

Data quality?

Open Data and Power

Edmonton Bike/Pedestrian CollisionsContext: 1. Bike Land Discussion2. Open City / Open Data / Public Engagement

Q: Where are people were getting hit by cars?

Official A: We dont know & we cant tell you.

Rebuttal: Bullshit.

FOIP

Edmonton Bike CollisionsData FOIPed from City of Edmonton

Map by Darcy Reynard (@geodarcy)

Whyte Ave Data

Downtown Land Use

Context: 1. Bike Land Discussion

Q: How much space does car infrastructure occupy in the downtown core?

Calculated Land UseSurface Parking ~ 15%Roadways ~ 12%Total ~ 27%

Buildings ~ 25%Parks ~ 6%

Trees ~ 2800 individual trees and over 25 species.

Daylight Mill CreekContext: Asked by Dr. Andrew Leach to build a map within on-line discussions around daylighting waterways.

With the construction of the adjacent LRT there is the potential to reroute the Mill Creek channel into its original channel.

1967 map of Mill Creeks original channel.

Mill Creek looking south from the North Saskatchewan River

Ground truthing elevations with a hand held GPS (my iPhone with a GPS app)

Naming Edmonton: The Unmade MapContext: TRC, statements of reconciliation made by Mayor Iveson.Questions: How many of Edmontons named places have FNM names?Are those names geographically and culturally relevant?What is the process of naming Edmonton, and are FNM involved?Who cares?

Edmonton FNM Place Names

First Nations & Metis Names in Edmonton

Inuit Place Names - Baffin Island

Names in EdmontonEdmonton has been occupied for the past 8000 years.Currently over 10 000 named places in Edmonton.128 are related to First Nations or MetisMuch fewer are culturally relevant.

Is this appropriate?

Role of maps?

What role can a map play?Policy

Another way to view data.

Communications tool.

Engage citizens and give people a voice

What else?

Questions?matt dance | matt@matthewdance.ca | @mattdance