Hadleyville Cemetery Final Part

Introduction:

The problem that was faced during this project was to try and recover all of the lost data from Hadleyville cemetery. In order for these issues to be resolved, field work where data will be collected from all the legible headstones is a necessary part of this activity. This will allow a map to be created representing Hadleyville cemetery. To learn more about the problem at hand and the methods that was used to collect the data click here: Intro. and Methods


Methods:

There were two different tools that was used to collect all of the data and imagery, the first tool was a survey grade handheld GPS device and the second was an UAS. The GPS was used because it will allow the data that is collected to be as accurate as possible to it's real life location. Unfortunately the allotted time was not enough to collect all of the grave sites with the handheld GPS device, so a majority of the data was collected by hand and organized in an attribute table styled fashion by pencil in a notebook. The UAS was very helpful because it allowed the study area to be mapped using a high resolution camera that will capture 95% of the study area that needs to be mapped.

Once all of the data was collected and the images captured, the next step was to transfer all of the hard copy data towards use in ArcMap. The project team was split into groups, each group collected a few rows of data, each row contained different amounts of grave sites but all were accounted for. The data was then compiled onto an online excel spreadsheet where the data can be organized in the correct manner. The data was organized by rows and columns, so then once the data is mapped it will be that much easier to find the grave site in question. Below is Figure 1 which is the row and column mapping system that was created.

Figure1: Organized System for Grave Sites created by Marcus Sessler 

The hardest challenge that the class faced when trying to compile all of our data into one was making sure that everyone had collected the same type of attributes. Some groups had collected different types of attributes so there were some problems, but all was resolved when the missing data was found. Other than that the normalization of data was pretty simple because everyone was working together and trying to help one another so it was a smooth process. The map was created and a feature class named "Gravesite" is included, which is all the locations of the grave sites on the map. This feature class contained fields such as Point ID, which makes it really simple to join the table to the digitized points in the map.


Results:

Below is Figure 2, this figure represents all of the fields that were used to organize all of the data that was collected at the study area for each grave site.

Figure 2: Attribute Table for the Grave Locations

In figure 3 the final product is presented, the main image is the cemetery in question and all of the red spots are grave sites. The map below the main image shows the location of the study area within the state of Wisconsin.

Figure 3: Hadleyville Cemetery

If one was to click on one of the grave site locations a window would pop up telling you what row and column the grave is and much more. Figure 4 below presents what would happen if you were to click on a location.

Figure 4: Grave Site Location Attributes

Once one of the grave site locations is selected windows exactly like the ones in figure 4 will pop up. One window will show the picture of the gravestone and the other window will show all of the attributes for that particular headstone.

The data collection methods took the majority of this project when compared to how long it took to create the GIS part of the project. The survey grade GPS device wasn't used very much in the data collection, only for a few headstones. As mentioned before a majority of the data collection was by hand, this was due to the GPS was taking too much time and all of the data needed to be collected. Some sources of error for why the survey grade GPS wasn't used was because of stability, the GPS device was on a stand and it was hard to get it perfectly straight. Possible data entry errors, taking pictures with the GPS device may not be included, certain headstones not being accounted for and much more. A way for this to be solved may have been for a single group to go through the cemetery with the GPS so then they would have more time to collect all of the data rather then taking turns with the GPS device. Another possibility of refining the method was to have a single person take the pictures of all the headstone so then it would be easier to gather information, rather than going to multiple people for different pictures just go to one with all of them. Also creating a grid system of the study area before going there initially would have made the process of collecting all of the data much smoother. But this would have all relied on the information that was provided of the cemetery initially, which was very little.


Conclusion:

Overall all of the methods that were used accomplished the final goal which was to create a map through the use of GIS that would be able to locate grave site locations in Hadleyville Cemetery while providing all of its attributes and an image of the gravestone. The data that was collected came in multiple formats which in the end may decrease the accuracy by a bit but not much. Having all of the data compiled onto an online excel spreadsheet made the project very simple, the only task to be done was a table join which was completed and joined all of the data points or grave site locations with its corresponding GPS location. The final product that came out of this project provides much more information than the original information that was provided, this product shows all headstones that were accounted for and all the attributes for each of them. The survey ended up being a success and this final product will continue to be updated as time goes on and more plots are added, so than all graves will be accounted for.