Christopher Cochran GIS Portfolio

GIS in Site Selection and Price Point Analysis for Real Estate Analysis

This example shows how GIS is used to locate a suitable plot of land to develop a new residential community. In addition, it illustrates how GIS can further assist developers in identifying suitable price points for fully developed

residential lots in meeting profitability goals .

Calculation of Developable Sites

Acres of Upland 130

Lot Sizes (Acres) 0.75

Total Developable Lot Sites Available 173

Profitability Calculation Breakdown

Land Purchase Price (33%) $2,800,000

Land Development Costs (33%) $2,800,000

Total Profit (34%) $2,884,848

Total Allocated Monies $8,484,848

FINAL PRICE POINT CALCULATION

Total Allocated Monies $8,484,848

Total Developable 0.75 Acre Lot Sites Available 173

NEW DEVELOPMENT 0.75 ACRE LOT PRICE POINT $50,000/lot

GIS in Site Selection and Price Point Analysis for Real Estate Analysis

Polk County Bus Stop Inventory

This project included the standardization of both a tabular bus stop inventory and tabular ridership data into a format that was compatible with a GIS . Routes and ridership numbers were then mapped. The combined data was used in

the creation of a bus stop inventory web application that was completed and delivered in the summer of 2009 to Polk County Transit.

Map created for USF Administration. Map depicts the distribution of Staff home locations within a 3 mile radius. Data was used for parking and transportation planning purposes.

GIS in Transportation Development Planning The Transportation Develop Plan becomes the provider’s planning, development and operational guidance document, based on a ten-year planning horizon and covers the year for which funding is sought and the nine subsequent years.

Traditional TDP Style Maps

Illustrating demographic trends within the Transit provider’s region using GIS is a critical component of the plan. In the most recent TDP projects, I was given the task of not only providing the traditional scope of data, but to create a new style of map that tells a more complete story of the Census data. A primary goal for the role of GIS in the newest TDPs for CUTR, was to take a more contemporary approach in illustrating critical demographic trend data. The idea in these maps was to provide as much information, without overloading the onlooker with too much information, while at the same time telling a comprehensive story with supporting graphs. The maps were met with an overwhelming positive response from both decision makers and the public.. The redesign of these maps played an important role in separating CUTRs TDPs from other contractors’ plans. These new maps have played an important role in CUTR securing 3 additional TDPs for both 2012 and 2013.

As part of the “Land Use Impacts of Bus Rapid Transit” study by the National Bus Rapid Transit Institute at USF, the below maps were created to illustrate the growth in Condominium development between years 2003 and 2009 within a quarter-mile of the Boston Silver Line Washington Street Corridor. The original maps provided in the past were deemed inadequate for inclusion in the final report. I was given the task of creating a more visually adequate map. The data map before is on the left, the after on

the right.

This project illustrates my skills in developing a Spatial database and map from raw hard copy surveys taken for the “Implementing BRT as a Replacement or Complement to Local Bus Service and Its Impact on Transit Riders” study by the National Rapid Bus Transit Institute at CUTR.

The only spatial related data provided was intersection destination and origin data by riders. All survey data was manually coded to the intersections and a spatial database was created from the survey answers, joined to the origin and destination intersections to allow for accurate mapping.

In addition, the project called for median household income data at the block group level for this study.

FLAGLER COUNTY NEEDS ASSESSMENT – PHASE II

The below maps are part of the Phase II Assessment of Transit Needs for Flagler County. These maps are snapshots of Longitudinal Employer-Household Dynamics (LEHD) data. Project objectives were analyzed and variables were defined and then obtained from the LEHD web application. In addition to assisting in the identification of these variables, I was tasked with obtaining this data for use in creating these maps. These datasets were used as a comprehensive visual aid showing distinct commuter demand patterns between three primary population centers within Flagler County, as well as, Intra-County commuter flow from neighboring counties around Flagler County.

2010 Urbanized Area Designations

US Census Urbanized Areas are a critical component in the analysis of demographic trends based on both US Census data as well as the American Community Survey and used regularly in transit analyses. The below map illustrates the expansion of the 2000 Lakeland Urbanized Area to the newly designated 2010 Urbanized Area. Graphs incorporated into the maps help in supporting the visual representation. This analysis and mapping was completed for all 30 Urbanized Areas within the State of Florida. Accompanying data was acquired from the use of ESRI’s Community Analyst extension. Data analyses within Community Analyst are based on geographic boundaries created in ArcGIS and then imported into Community Analyst and subsequent reports are created from data provided online exclusive to the geographic boundary provided.

Transit Accessibility Analyses

These maps were created using both US Census population data and route network data provided by the local transit authority. The one to the left is an aggregation of block group population data. Where buffers split block group boundaries, proportional population calculations were done to best estimate true population accessibility to the transit network being researched. The below map represents an aggregate population that illustrates the potential reach of proposed and new transit routes to riders within a quarter-mile of the transit line.

Pinellas County Roadway Jurisdiction This project was in conjunction with multiple departments within CUTR as well as multiple agencies within Pinellas County. Below is an example of one of the 260 legal description documents dating back to the mid 1970’s that assign road section jurisdictions to Municipality, State, and County level agencies within Pinellas Counties. Based on the documentation provided, road jurisdictions were assigned by CUTR researchers, debated by associated governments, and returned for final analysis and mapping. The challenge lied in maintaining static segment IDs that crossed between jurisdictional boundaries. Linear referencing was used to help solve these issues. Additionally, the results mapped had to illustrate the resulting jurisdictions based on 3 separate scenarios (in the following slide).

Other Examples

Public Buildings Locations To Communities in Pasco

2011 NASA Langley Research Center Internship Research Study: Detection of Harmful Algal Blooms Using NASA’s A-Train Satellite System

http://www.earthzine.org/2011/08/10/detecting-and-monitoring-algal-blooms-through-nasa-remote-sensing/

Abstract: Harmful algal blooms (HABs) have become a significant problem: They not only pose a threat to fish and humans due to their often toxic nature, but they also are a threat to the ecosystems in which they exist. Humans have altered environmental processes through various actions. Destruction of wetlands and increased urbanization has resulted in increased eutrophication, contributing greatly to the growth of algal blooms. Coastal population is on the rise, yet these communities are especially susceptible to the effects of HABs. Negative impacts to the environment, human health, and the economy make it necessary to predict future bloom occurrences. Through specific studies of climate change and urban growth on the southeast coast of the U.S. over a 20- year period, we have constructed a monitoring and prediction model utilizing NASA Earth observations for future blooms in the Chesapeake Bay and Southern Florida.

NASA DEVELOP 2011 Map Contest Runner-up Created with Google Earth and Google Sketchup

The original satellite that was to be used for evaluating the feasibility of monitoring HABs on the Atlantic coast (SeaDAS) became unresponsive in January of 2011. Subsequently, we were tasked with determining a possible alternative satellite. Using ERDAS Imagine and ArcGIS, we determined that a normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) analysis could be used to detect the chlorophyll that is associated with many of the algae species that cause HABs.

Normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) image of an algal bloom in the Potomac River during May 2000, from the NASA and USGS Landsat 4-5 Thematic Mapper (TM) satellites. Created by the 2011 NASA DEVELOP Atlantic Water Team.

2011 NASA Langley Research Center Internship Research Study: Detection of Harmful Algal Blooms Using NASA’s A-Train Satellite System

http://www.earthzine.org/2011/08/10/detecting-and-monitoring-algal-blooms-through-nasa-remote-sensing/

Bathymetry Data of the Chesapeake Bay was downloaded and processed in ArcGIS. The square represents the area that the NDVI was run on in the previous slide.

ArcHydro: Modeling a Dam Flood Footprint on an Upstream Landscape

As part of my GIS in Environmental Management course, ArcHydro was used to model the impact of a proposed dam on the upstream landscape.

From a DEM, a TIN was created and Contours were rendered. From these vertical Z values, water volumes estimates allowed for an area estimate based on the contours of the area and the Dam location