Network Analysis of Community Colleges

Network Analysis of Community Colleges

Using tools in Arc GIS, the distance from any kind of place from a community college within the Massachusetts road network was processed and visualized. This is a more realistic display of distances rather than an euclidean distance away from a point.

This is another map that displays the euclidean distance compared to the networked distance.

Massachusetts Community Colleges

Massachusetts Community Colleges and Geo-coding

Geo-coding is a process used in mapping software to place points on a map from street addresses. A list the address of community colleges was researched by looking up community college websites through masscc.org and transcribing them into an Excel spreadsheet. Arc GIS then took the spreadsheet and placed each address onto the map and gave a spacial reference to each. Additional data on Massachusetts hospitals was added and analyzed.

Additional Analysis

Many community colleges in Massachusetts offer certificate training programs in various fields. It's common for students to take classes during the day and work at night at the place they plan to use their certificate at. Many of these certificate programs involve positions at hospitals. The bottom map shows community colleges that are within 1 mile of a hospital that would be a quick commute for students who want to go to school while they earn seniority at a nearby hospital they plan to work at.

St. Mary's Abby Wind Turbine Viewshed Analysis

St. Mary's Abby Wind Turbine Viewshed Analysis

St. Mary's Abby wants to build a wind turbine but the citizens in the nearby towns don't want their views obstructed and property values lowered by the 120 meter structure

Google Earth Web Apps
Here's a more interactive look at the data

Flow Charts of GIS Process

Basic Elevation View Shed

Tree Line View Shed

Extra Masking Step for Tree Line View Shed to Eliminate Non-Forest Areas

Detailed Analysis of Homes Affected
This is a more detailed analysis of the viewshed with additional information on the viewshed's impact on residential communities and structures within that viewshed area.