Tara Smedbøl

Welcome to my website! This page includes my portfolio as well as reblogged items that make me ponder our surroundings, movement, and/or how GIS can be employed to display these investigations! I am inspired by vibrant cities, inclusive health care policies, progressive transportation infrastructure, local food initiatives, & creative use of public spaces. I hold an advanced diploma with distinction in GIS from BCIT, as well as a Masters degree in Local Economic Development from Waterloo.

[tarasmedbol]

My return to blogging aka “Creating an online portfolio”

I have decided to follow the sparkle in my eye and jump back into making maps that build on my curiosity about my surroundings and to further develop the skills I gained through my GIS diploma. As such, my first step in brushing the dust off of my map making skills was to create the background to my website! 

As reference, this is the image I created:

The process started off with sourcing contour data that would make my heart sing and feel good to look at as I build content for my portfolio. I knew in my heart of hearts that it had to be of the Valhalla Mountain Range that I grew up looking at from our porch, from my Grandma’s kitchen window, from our summertime lake adventures on Slocan Lake, and where my heart has always felt at home. 

For starters, I looked at the open data portal for the RDCK (the regional governing body for where I grew up), I combed the BC government open data, I googled - all in the search to find free contour data of these mountains that I love. At last, after not too much searching, and also after finding several data sets that I hope to explore in the coming weeks, I discovered that iMapBC is easy to use, has a load of layers to choose from and emails you layers you request in the extent you choose (restricted to the Province of BC). 

One of the first steps is to click “Data Sources” and then “Add Provincial Layers”. There is a LOT here, so I would recommend searching for keywords. In my case I searched for “contour” and found a nice variety of contour levels. For the sake of generality and purely artistic purposes, I chose the 250m contour file. 

Once that loaded, I panned to the region I was looking for (the Slocan Lake/Valhalla Mountain Range in the SW of BC), and then clicked “Export” > “Provincial Layer Download” and selected the extent I wanted the data for, which layer(s) I wanted, and hit “Prepare Order”. Once I had filled out the format I wanted the layer in and my email address I was ready to...sit back and wait while the data got assembled (per the email I received from “NRSApplications”). Instead of truly sitting back though, I decided to try my luck and request the entire layer for all of BC. I was not disappointed - my request went through for that one too. 

After very little time waiting for the files (a whopping 2 minutes), I was excited to see that the files were ready and waiting for me. I took no time in loading them into QGIS so I could start visualizing the data and choosing colours etc. Ihave worked in QGIS previously and found the set up/installation easy (and it’s open source). As well there is excellent documentation to help if you get stuck: https://www.qgis.org/en/site/forusers/trainingmaterial/index.html

My last step was to “smooth” the contour lines as they were appearing jagged, like, you know, the line was made out of connecting points or something. I tried a couple of plugins in QGIS but ultimately was not seeing the results I was looking for so turned to the good old trusty work horse of FME. After using the “Generalizer” tool, connecting it to the reader and writer, and reading the help documentation for the tool, I decided to use the NURBfit (Smooth) Algorithm and gave it a Degree of Basis Polynomial of “10″. I ran the workspace, loaded the output into QGIS and was extremely happy with the smoothed contour lines so proceeded to export and refine my extent for optimal viewing. 

Et Voila! A fresh background and return to blogging has now officially happened. 

[tarasmedbol]

Great tips to stay current and develop your Spatial Analysis skills.

[tarasmedbol]

"To create stronger communities, design of our cities must be diverse. This ‘something for everyone’ philosophy helps bring more people together and at varying times of the day." This is a great summary of Jane Jacobs' philosophies.

[tarasmedbol]

I could drool over this for days and days.

[tarasmedbol]

Beautifully crafted map of routes/flow of bike share usage.

[tarasmedbol]

Public transit heat map reveals Vancouver's travel habits

A new public transit heat map of Vancouver, created by data visualization website The 10 and 3, reveals who really uses transit most in our city.

An unsurprising result from a heat map of usage of Vancouver, BCs transit system (highest usage along skytrain and b-line to UBC).

[tarasmedbol]

This is an incredible visualization of the world's shipping routes

Ships carry 11 billion tons of goods each year. This interactive map shows where they all go.

I’m finding this interactive map of shipping routes mesmerizing. 

[tarasmedbol]

Inspiring discussion about our way forward regarding transportation planning and the public realm.

[tarasmedbol]

Old meets new. Always captivating. #nyc #mynyc #urbanism

[tarasmedbol]

Biking, above all other forms of transportation, provides me the best opportunities to connect with fellow commuters, whether it is commenting on someone's awesome lights, the weather, or discussing intersections. It is this level of engagement, opportunity to connect, and neighbourliness that brings a smile to my face, joy to my heart, and the power to keep pedalling.

[tarasmedbol]

You should be able to arrive at your perfect destination any number of ways.

- David Anderson's dream where a wise old Japanese man imparted great advice.

[tarasmedbol]

One city on the list [of cities that have had the largest increases in the share of walk commuters between 2007 and 2012], Atlanta, is well known for its frequently-clogged interstates. It’s a factor that has contributed to more people opting to live closer to their jobs and walk.

According to Joshuah Mello, Atlanta’s assistant director of transportation planning. http://www.governing.com/topics/urban/gov-most-walkable-cities.html

[tarasmedbol]

We all know old mobility. It's you sitting in your car, stuck in traffic. It's you driving around for hours, searching for a parking spot. Old mobility is also the 55-year-old woman with a bad leg, waiting in the rain for a bus that she can't be certain will come. New mobility, on the other hand, is freedom distilled.

Eric Britton as quoted in http://www.theguardian.com/society/2013/nov/01/secrets-worlds-happiest-cities-commute-property-prices

[tarasmedbol]

I've always been intrigued by secret paths/halways/stairs, and this review of Secret Staircases in California satisfies that itch a touch, even through the podcast. It also addresses the importance of building cities according to a variety of transportation options, and these staircases offer shortcuts and/or routes that are off busy and not so pleasant roads. But the BEST part is the sneak peak into the way ppl live in their backyards.

Description of the podcast:

"Wherever there is sufficient demand to move between two points of differing elevation, there are stairs. In some hilly neighborhoods of California--if you know where to look--you'll find public, outdoor staircases. "The large number of hidden public staircases is part of what makes California so great. Charles Fleming is one of the world experts of coastal California's public stairs. He has documented and mapped walking routes through nearly every useable public staircase in San Francisco's East Bay, as well as in Los Angeles (where he lives). Charles published his findings in two walking guides, appropriately titled Secret Stairs. "Producer Sam Greenspan met with Charles in the Pacific Palisades, where people from all over Los Angeles had gathered to attend one of Charles' monthly stair walks."

[tarasmedbol]

Watched Detropia last week with my brother and was blown away. I was expecting it to be more about the devastation Detroit is facing, but it was also about the struggles with hope, success, and human connection. In short, I loved it!

Would you move to save your community?