Otterbein Community Garden GIS Project Kevin Svitana

Otterbein Community Garden GIS Project Kevin Svitana Otterbein University

Otterbein overview Small private liberal arts college located in Westerville Ohio Suburban campus, geologically challenged Approximately 3100 students

What is GIS at Otterbein? An introductory class offered once per year multi-disciplinary in scope – – – – – – Natural sciences Environmental sciences Sustainability studies Sociology Economics and business Political science Each offering is somewhat customized for that year’s student population

Structure of the course Overview of GIS concepts Vector data Raster data Application exercises-land surveying to help conceptualize space and dimension Group assignments-mapping campus utilities Individual term project-finding usable data in an area of one’s interest

This year’s group assignment-the community garden mapping Otterbein college’s new equine facility Sustainable practices at the equine facility – Wetlands enhancement – Pasture management – Manure composting – Creating a community garden

History of the equine facility Kilgore Manufacturing-incendiary bomb assembly, World War II and Korean conflict land gifted to Otterbein in 1962 Investment holding 1990s Brownfield realization 2007-No-Further- Action notice and beginning of facility construction

2009 Opening of the Equine Center Marking the wetlands Layout of the community garden Sampling soil for potential hazardous content

Kilgore, 1953

2010 GIS Class Community Garden Project Collecting GIS data – Defining the garden perimeter – Location of soil samples – Delineating no-mow boundaries of wetlands Formatting GIS data

The data!

Creating a Google earth (KMZ) files

Summary GIS intended to be an all-encompassing introductory class Experience with “real” data Team learning Term project related to students individual interests

Thank you!