Final lab

               The last lab included an analysis of the wildfires that took place in California in the summer of 2009. On August 26, 2009, the largest wildfire, known as the Station Fire, spread across LA County in California. Los Angeles is particularly prone to wildfires due to the enormous amount of dead vegetation covering the surface.  The wildfire further progressed as a result of the hot climate and high winds. The fire burned approximately 160,577 acres of land, destroyed over 200 buildings, and took the lives of two firemen. The Station Fire ended on October 16, 2009. However, the Station Fire damaged many infrastructures, caused delays throughout Los Angeles County, and damaged the environment.

            My first map is a reference map that displays the progression and the areas the fire spread to over a 5-day period. On August 26, 2009, the fire started a few miles away from the Angeles Fire Station on the Angeles Crest Highway. The legend displays the progression of the fire on a day to day basis. On August 29, the fire spread slowly throughout the mountains. On September 2, the fire nearly doubled in size and expanded in the west and east directions. The reference map serves as a vivid representation of the total area the fire covered.

            My second map is the thematic map which displays how transportation was affected by the Station Fire. The black lines on the thematic map represent the highways throughout Los Angeles County. As seen by this map, many freeways connecting to counties outside of LA County were inaccessible. Additionally, major airports such as LAX, and Burbank airport were affected by the Station Fire. Due to the close proximity of the Station Fire, many flights were delayed and traffic delays increased.

            I decided to create a shaded relief map to display the features of the surface such as canyons, mountains, valleys, and the differences in elevation. The map displays these features in relationship to the Station Fire. It is evident from the map, that the fire spread on the mountain as opposed to the flatter terrain. The lighter green areas on the map represent the mountain, whereas the darker green color represents the lower elevation regions where the fire was not as prominent. Fires tend to burn faster on steeper terrain as opposed to flat land. Since the fire originated in an area near the mountain, I am sure it contributed to the rapid spread of the fire.

            The reference map above displays the damage and impact the fire had on the surrounding areas of Los Angeles. The Station Fire was recorded as the largest fire in Los Angeles history and the 10^th largest fire in California. The fire burned for over a month and affected the environment, buildings, and people living in the area. Major highways and airports were impacted as a result of the fire. Animal habitats were destroyed and natural water sources were polluted with soot and ashes.

Bloomekatz, Ari B. "Station Fire Was Arson, Officials Say; Homicide Investigation Begins."LA Times. Tribune, 3 Sept. 2009. Web. 14 March 2013.

"InciWeb the Incident Information System: Station Fire Announcement." InciWeb the Incident Information System: Current Incidents. Web. 14 March 2013.

"Mapshare: UCLA's Spatial Data Repository." GIS at UCLA: Mapshare DB. Web. 15 March 2013.

Pringle, Paul. "L.A. Now." L.A. County Fire Doubles in Size; More Homes Destroyed; Mt. Wilson Threatened [Updated]. N.p., 31 Aug. 2009. Web. 16 March 2013.

Randal C. Archibald. "After a Devastating Fire, an Intense Study of Its Effects. The New    York Times. The New York Times Company. 2009. Web. 15 March 2013.

lab 7

           This map displays the percentage of people that identified themselves as African-American across the United States in the year 2000. It is evident from the map that the majority of African-Americans are heavily concentrated in the southeastern region of the United States. The western states are the least concentrated compared to the southeastern states. The lightest colors of pink and blue, represent at least 10% of the population that is black. Based off of the map, the majority of counties in the United States have less than 10% of black people.

          This map displays the percentage of people that identified themselves as Asian in the United States in the year 2000. This map displays the western and eastern regions of the United States such as California and New York having the most people of Asian ethnicity. The largest percentage of Asians in a specific county barely reaches 50%. On the other hand, the lowest percentage of asian population is .0085% . Based off of the legend, it is evident that Asian populations are relatively low throughout most of the United States.

        The last map displays the percentage of people that identified themselves as "some other race" in the United States. The "some other race" category consists of people with various or mixed racial ethnicities. The Census Bureau indicates that the "other race" category is mainly comprised of people of latino or hispanic descent.  The most notable aspect of the "some other race" census is the amount of diversity on the western region of the United States. Someone observing this map may infer that the United States is very diverse in the west compared to other parts of the country, when in fact it is mainly representing the percentage of hispanics/latinos.

         The three maps we created were helpful in visually seeing where certain ethnicities within the Unites States reside. It is also important in identifying certain similarities and patterns evident in the maps. For example, the western regions and coast seemed to have the densest concentration of Asian, black, and "some other race" ethnicities. Based off of this information, I would assume that these regions are probably the most diverse regions of the United States.
       This lab is very beneficial in terms of personal and profesional applications. Initially, using the tutorial guide became tedious and confusing. However, our fantastic TA showed us how to complete the lab and it became much easier and more enjoyable than the tutorial. This lab was another great GIS application that can be applied to real life. I also think this lab was a great way to show how easy it was to add data from a reliable source in order to generate maps. I am excited to use GIS and learn more about the software and its endless capabilities.