Module 5 - Spatial Analysis - Geocoding

 Module 5 was a wonderful exercise in the area of data creation. As someone who has little experience with Excel, this lab assignment gave me a new avenue in which to challenge myself and feel confidence as I grow into a GIS practitioner. I started out learning the fundamentals of tabular data creation and effective use of such data in ArcGISPro with the prerequisite lab titled AddXY. This built the foundation for working with .csv or .xlsx filed imported into ArcGISPro from Excel. 

The Geocoding exercise was far more in-depth than the XY lab. Data was not spoon-fed from an instruction manual. Rather, I was prompted to download data from various sources such as that of the Florida Department of Education. I learned how to effectively "clean" this data to fit an Excel format with aptly named fields and their corresponding information for all schools in Manatee County, FL. Upon importing the resulting table into ArcGISPro, I then created a point shape corresponding to the geographic location for each school as a feature layer with the information about each school embedded into the point. This is a process known as geocoding. I was able to achieve accurate and cohesive display of the data by projecting this data, along with other downloaded data, in the proper and same map projections using the Project tool in ArcGIS. I delivered the finished map with updated symbology as a web layer. Follow this link to view it:

https://pns.maps.arcgis.com/home/webmap/viewer.html?useExisting=1&layers=660909bed74f4ca9b2f3a4af67c7384a

The image above is the key features of the map layer linked previously. Layer shows the location of Manatee County in Florida, any feature of the county with a linear edge (such as streets, roads, railways etc.), as well as the geocoded locations of all schools (excluding schools deemed "Other" by the Florida Department of Education). There is also a standalone table named "Schools" that provides more information such as address, zipcode, and phone number for each school. This information can also be seen by clicking each point on the layer. All features are projected in NAD1983 (2011) Harn State Plane Florida West FIPS 0902 Feet. Location boundaries for all other counties in Florida are provided as well. The layer is intended for educational purposes only.