{"id":32199,"date":"2025-04-11T12:45:56","date_gmt":"2025-04-11T19:45:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/?p=32199"},"modified":"2025-04-11T15:12:15","modified_gmt":"2025-04-11T22:12:15","slug":"a-more-meaningful-map","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/2025\/04\/11\/a-more-meaningful-map","title":{"rendered":"A more meaningful map\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
On a soggy Saturday in March, more than 30 volunteers gathered in Kenmore\u2019s Saint Edward State Park to help re-map the trails that wind through the popular green space. University of Washington Bothell student intern Janelle Adsuara led \u201cMapping the Park 101,\u201d which attracted individuals and families who were mapping hobbyists, outdoor enthusiasts and neighbors eager to try out geographic information systems technology. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
All paths in project leader Adsuara\u2019s life seemed to point to Saint Edward State Park. She grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area, where she explored the region\u2019s parks, beaches and trails by foot and bicycle. The similarities she found in greater Seattle, where big cities snug up to vast natural spaces, influenced her decision to pursue a degree in Environmental Studies and a minor in GIS at UW Bothell. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019m fascinated by the intersection of urban and natural environments,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s a unique experience that makes me more aware of social injustices \u2014 racial, class, public health. How can we make the world more sustainable?\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Annika Halvorson, a volunteer at the event and a recent graduate from the UW in Seattle, had a similar childhood experience outdoors \u2014 and desire to make an impact now. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI grew up going to the playground in the park and the trails, and I would always get lost,\u201d she said. \u201cI wanted to give back to my community and use my knowledge to do some good for the park that I have always loved.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Volunteer effort ends the \u201clost\u201d decade<\/strong> <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Adsuara kicked off the mapping event with a presentation about GIS and the software that volunteers would use to capture data about trails and other park features. Since 2018, the park has grown by 16 acres. It now encompasses more than 330 acres of forested trails and lawns that surround a former Catholic seminary. Over the years, hikers and mountain bikers have created a half dozen more informal, or social, paths that don\u2019t appear on the park\u2019s official map. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI frequently get comments from the public about difficulty finding where they are,\u201d said Daryl Kline, park ranger. He last mapped the trails a decade ago \u2014 without the benefit of GIS technology. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Adsuara was determined to set things right with real-time data. After coaching the volunteers and assigning them tasks, she donned a backpack outfitted with antenna, receiver and a tablet mounted on a tripod. As she walked, she collected data through the tablet. Volunteers had the opportunity to try the tablet, but they mostly relied on their phones. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
By using Global Navigation Satellite Systems technology, Adsuara and her team maximized mapping their accuracy. GNSS is more precise than GPS methods alone, she explained, because receivers can simultaneously connect to a series of satellite constellations. This ability provides better coverage and allows the collection of highly accurate data from the source. These data can be further improved with real-time differential correction methods, which help pinpoint a user\u2019s location as they walk the terrain. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/figure>\nCommunity volunteers studied existing maps and learned the technology before hitting the trails. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Data supports restoration and conservation<\/strong><\/strong> <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Along with foot paths and mountain bike trails, Adsuara and her crew focused on features such as bridges, culverts, notable views (Lake Washington), trail hazards (holes, fallen trees) and invasive species \u2014 Himalayan blackberry, English holly, English ivy and two types of laurel: cherry and Portuguese. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI came out of the day with so much more knowledge of the ecology of the area and how restorations efforts work within the park,\u201d said Halvorson. \u201cI had absolutely no clue there were different types of laurel before, but I definitely do now after mapping them!\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Armed with the data collected by Adsuara and her volunteers, Ranger Kline will update maps at all of the Saint Edward State Park trailheads. In the long term, he plans to reroute foot traffic to formalize a social trail, creating a more scenic hike to the lakeshore. \u201cThis data gives me the power to develop the plan and implement it,\u201d said Kline. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
He also intends to close a section of the existing trail to allow rehabilitation of a swath of forest. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHearing that made me feel like my project isn\u2019t just some silly little thing, a theoretical project,\u201d said Adsuara. \u201cI\u2019m taking data that can be used and put to work for restoration and conservation.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\nAnnika Halvorson, volunteer. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
CoSEE series forges community connections<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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