Step 1:   Pre Readings

Please read the short pre-readings section below (title = Pre Preadings) and record any questions that you may have about the material so that you can ask your lab instructor in lab before starting the outdoor activity.

Step 2: Choose a subject of interest (before lab period!).

This lab is an opportunity to delve a little into a subject that interests you. Below are lists of possible map themes that could work well for students, depending on where they go on campus.  The best theme is one that may have meaning for you.  Is there something that would be useful for you to find?  Is there something that you think is important for others to know or visit?  Is there something interesting you would like to document or show those at home or in the community?

The restrictions are that the subject has to be found outside (to get a GPS signal), within walking distance of your lab room, and there must be 4-10 points that can be taken at different spots as part of your subject of interest. The points cannot be too close (each should definitely be more than 20 m apart, so you cannot use 7 trees in a row) but must be close enough that you can reasonably walk between them.

Example campus map themes:

• recycling facilities
• public art
• litter of certain types
• bike racks/facilities for cyclists
• building entrances that are not accessible to people with mobility challenges
• trees of note
• wildlife sightings (birds, squirrels, deer)
• poor drainage
• facilities for smokers
• child-friendly outdoor areas
• the best benches to have a quiet moment to yourself
• gardens of note
• tour of building architecture
• closest naturalized areas to campus
• signs of past extreme heat
• animal sign (tracks)
• places that need a paved path for students
• invasive plant species

If you are ill, and have written permission from your lab instructor, examples off campus themes for urban settings:

• any feature or evidence of processes in the hydrosphere/geosphere/atmosphere/biosphere (rock outcrops, erosion, urban stream sightings, best wildlife viewing areas)
• best coffee shops (or other business)
• public transit stops
• types of trees/gardens/dog facilities
• parks for children
• places of note in your own personal history
• locations needing more pedestrian/accessible facilities (sidewalks/ramps/facilities for neurodiversity)
• evidence of colonialism/Indigenization
• special features of an urban park

Sample themes for natural settings:

Any feature or evidence of processes in the hydrosphere/geosphere/atmosphere/biosphere such as locations of :

• certain plant species along a trail
• types of plant communities
• wildlife sightings
• animal sign
• rock or sediment outcrops
• landforms of note
• excellent viewpoints along a trail
• erosion
• stream/wetland/lake features
• evidence of climatic events (drought/heat/fire)
• culturally important locations on the landscape
• parks and green spaces that are within walking distance (5+)
• Your favourite walking/hiking trail and points of attractions
• Good nature and/or bird watching sites in your local area
• Bus stops, coffee shops, or bookstores (5+ stops, a better option in cities)
• Different tree and/or plant species that can be found nearby
• Best places to eat that are in your local area (better option in cities)

Step 3: Do a little preliminary online research (optional).

If you pick a subject of interest that you know little about, you may want to spend a bit of time researching it online before heading outside. After you have researched the subject a bit, open Google Maps on your computer or smartphone before wandering outside, and look for your address and potential stop points.

If you have chosen something you are already familiar with (i.e., you are looking at birds in your community and you bird watch daily), this step can be skipped.

Step 4: Communicate your initial proposed theme

On our Moodle course website, submit your proposed map theme and general location of mapping to your instructor.

Step 5: Watch the pre-Lab Exercise video (directly below)

Watch the following video in order to get a sense of what you will be doing and to get some important pointers or inspire questions regarding the methods used to create place marks.  The video was created during the pandemic when all labs were done from home and assumes students have done a quick skim of the outdoor instructions.

Video:  Introductory video to the fieldwork for this lab originally filmed for Fall 2020, please ignore the alternative lab number and title.

Step 6: Download the Google Maps app onto your smartphone

Spatial mapping software is a common feature of most smartphones for providing directions. The two most commonly used programs for navigating are Google Maps and Apple Maps. Google Maps operates on all smartphone operating systems and therefore will be the software package we use for the lab.

Prior to the lab, download the Google Maps app to your smart device. Take some time to experiment with Google Maps before the start of the lab. There are a wide range of introductory Google Maps tutorials on the web to help you practice the following:

• Opening Google Maps in map view (the default view).
• Typing in an address and asking for walking (pedestrian symbol) and driving (car symbol) directions from where you are.
• Typing in a feature and asking for directions on public transit from where you are. Look for the bus icon. Which bus should you take? How long does it take?
• Searching for a category of things. For example, search Grocery Store.
• Switching to satellite view and back to map view. Take some time to scroll around where you live using the satellite view. Can you find any forested areas?
• Dropping a pin at a location. On a smartphone, this involves pressing and holding on a chosen location.

We will use this last skill in the lab, and you can experiment with this prior to the lab.  To mark a point:

1. Zoom in to the location where you wish to mark a point. Do this by pinching two fingers in to zoom out, and apart to zoom in.
2. Place your finger on the location you wish to mark, and hold it until a Pin is dropped on that location.
3. The latitude and longitude of the location in decimal degrees will be displayed in the top menu bar. These can be written down.
4. The point can be shared with yourself by clicking on the share icon. You can email or text the point in order to keep it.
5. You can click on Label, choose a name for the point and then save the point to your device.

Step 7: Prepare your field notes before lab.

Open the Field Notes Template on Moodle. The provided template includes a table for recording your stop descriptions and point coordinates, and a space for a field sketch of your route. This page can either be printed out, or reproduced on paper you have on hand. Make sure you have this ready to go before going outside.

Safety note: do NOT complete this exercise until receiving a safety briefing and filing the proper paperwork (if applicable). Your first responsibility when arriving at a site is to ascertain whether or not the terrain is safe to traverse. If not, find a new location.

Step 1:  Enable your smartphone Location Settings

You will be mapping locations in the field during the lab using mapping software built into your mobile device. Make sure that you have determined how to turn on and off your device’s location settings. In Android, it is under your main device settings. In some versions there is a Location setting. In other versions, you may have to look under Biometric and Security. You may also be able to swipe down from the top of your screen to access a quick link to turn location services on and off. On Apple devices, Location Services is found in Settings → Privacy. Typically, when you turn on any mapping app such as Google Maps, you will be prompted to turn on your location service, in which case you won’t need to search in your settings to turn on your GPS.

Step 2: Locate and go to your first stop. Collect coordinates, notes, and a photograph.

Once you are at your first stop, open Google Maps on your mobile device. (Make sure the data option is enabled if you don’t have this set as the default). You should see the location that you are at. As a reminder, mark a point at your current location:

1. Zoom in to the location where you wish to mark a point. Do this by pinching two fingers in to zoom out, and apart to zoom in.
2. Place your finger on the location you wish to mark, and hold it until a Pin is dropped on that location.
3. The latitude and longitude of the location in decimal degrees will be displayed in the top menu bar. Write this down on your field notes.
4. The point can be shared with yourself by clicking on the share icon. You can email, or text the point in order to keep it.
5. Click on Label and choose a name for the point, and then save it to your device.

Record a description of your point and the latitude and longitude on your field notes. Then take a photograph of the subject of interest at this stop in landscape orientation. It is recommended that you take multiple photographs so you can select the best one later.

Step 2: Repeat Step 1 for the remainder of your stops.

Go to the second stop and collect coordinates and a photograph, then go the third stop and collect coordinates and a photograph, and so on. You need to have a minimum of 5 stops (a maximum of 10), and they need to be within a reasonable walking distance of each other, but not too close. If you can throw a ball between stops, they are too close.

Step 3: At your final stop, produce your (very basic) field sketch map.

Produce a field sketch of your route, including all of the stops. Since you have pinned your stops on Google Maps, you can zoom out and see them all at once. This will help with the general shape of your route, and relative distances between each stop. Your field sketch should also include a point of reference. A good point of reference is something that would show up on Google Maps or Google Earth if searched for, like a named school, library, or park. Your field sketch must be completed outside, and you are not permitted to reproduce it once inside. An example of a field sketch is provided in Lab 01 Figure 1.3.

Important:  Before leaving the field, take the following two photos:

1. A close-up of your field notes with the coordinates and sketch map.
2. A selfie of you and your field notes in front of your final stop of interest.  Alternatively, you could photograph a piece of non-sensitive ID and your field sketch in front of your final stop of interest.

Step 4: Return to lab.

Upload the photos of your stops and your field sketch to your computer and save to a known location. Submit the field sketch according to instructions provided by your instructor.

Step 1: Set up Google Earth (Web).

Even if you are familiar with Google Earth – do NOT skip this step.

Open Google Earth (Web) in your internet browser (Google Chrome is recommended) and click Launch Earth in the top right corner.

Click the Tools menu on the top of the left hand menu to open the primary Google Earth menu. Click Settings to open the settings menu. Scroll way down and make sure Units of measurement is set to Meters and kilometers. Change to this setting if it is not. Then, change Latitude/Longitude formatting to Decimal. Click Save.

We now have Google Earth (Web NOT Pro)) set up the way we wish and are ready to enter data.

Step 2: Create your stops as points (placemarks) and upload photographs and descriptions.

If you have not done so yet, email yourself the photographs from your field walk-around and save them on your computer. Your instructor will show you if you have a dedicated drive at  your institution. Make sure to label the photographs so you can attach them to the correct stop numbers.

In Google Earth (web version no Google Earth Pro) , press the + New the fifth button from the top on the left hand menu looks like a pin over top of a square. Click this icon and a dialog window will pop up to Make a new project. Click Create and then Create KML file do NOT create from Google Drive. If prompted with a pop up asking if you allow Google to save to your computer, you need to allow it.

Click the pencil icon and enter Lab 13 <your name> as your project name, then enter a short description about what your subject of interest is and the general location where you completed the project. Click Enter or click outside of this window to save.

Click New feature and then click Add placemark. You can loosely point to your first stop, or you can randomly select a location for now. Title this place Stop 1: <stop title> and make sure you are adding it to your Lab 2 <your name> project. Then click Edit place and a window will pop up that will allow you input your photograph, a description, and the decimal degrees coordinates your recorded from Google Maps:

1. Click the icon that looks like a camera with a + on it. Drag the photograph for stop one in to the drop box (or click Select a file from your device). Your image should now appear in the edit place window.
2. In the info box (text box underneath Title), type Coordinates determined from Google Maps using an <your device> and a short description of why you chose this location. Leave the Info box as Small info box(the default setting once you have typed anything into the info box).
3. In Placemark, click Show Advanced Options. Replace Latitude and Longitude with the coordinates you obtained from Google Maps. Click outside of the window and your placemark should move to your entered coordinates.
4. Leave Grounding as Clamp to Ground.
5. Under Set view manually, click Reset to defaults. Click the back arrow at the top left of this window to return to your project.

Your placemark for Stop 1: <stop title> will now be listed in your project, and you can go back in to look at or edit anything by selecting it and clicking the pencil icon.

Note: Do not just add photos to a link on Google Drive.  links get broken.  Repeat this with all remaining stops. Your number of placemarks should be equal to the number of stops you made along your route. Double-check this before proceeding.

Step 3: Add a path between your stops to show the route you took.

Zoom out and pan until you can see all of your pushpins.

1. In your project window, click New feature then Draw line or shape.
2. Single left click at the tip of your Stop #1 placemark. This will set the first point of your route path.
3. Then, place points along the path you walked until you reach Stop # 2. In other words, add enough points so that you have reasonably described the way you got to the field area. You will need to use judgement as to how many points you put in around curves. Place a point at the tip of your Stop #2 placemark.
4. Continue placing points along the path you walked until you reach Stop #3. Place a point at the tip of your Stop #3 placemark. Continue doing this until you have reached and placed a point at the tip of your final pushpin.
5. Click the final point a second time or press enter. Enter Route traversed as the Place title, make sure it is being saved in your Lab 2: <your name> project folder, then click save. Your path will now be listed in your project.

Step 4: Export your Google Earth output as a KML file.

Click the 3-dot icon in the top right hand corner of your project window, then click Export as KML file. This will download your project as a KML file. Navigate to your downloads folder on your computer to find the file.

Submit the KML file according to instructions provided by your instructor.

Step 5: Build a pdf with screenshots of each stop, a photo of your field notes, and the answers to the reflection questions.

With your project in presentation mode (press the present button), grab a screenshots of each stop displayed. Paste your screenshots in order into a document set up in landscape mode.  After the screenshots, add a photo of your field notes, then your answers to the reflection questions.