This project involved several steps within ArcGIS, beginning with data acquisition and data wrangling, followed by spatial analysis, styling, and map configuration to produce the final interactive maps.
Data Acquisition and Preparation: The core data layers were sourced from NYC Open Data:
Borough Boundaries: Obtained from "Bytes of NYC" to define the study area.
Health Code Regulated Child Care and Universal Pre-K Programs: Retrieved from NYC Open Data.
MTA Subway Stops and Subway Lines: Acquired from NYC Open Data.
Significant data wrangling was performed on the raw spreadsheets to isolate only the necessary data for mapping. Specifically for MTA Stations, data was extracted, and the CSV was edited to incorporate corresponding borough information.
Analysis and Geoprocessing in ArcGIS: Several geoprocessing steps were crucial for integrating and enhancing the data:
Joining Features for Child Care Programs: A spatial join was performed to link the child care programs to their respective boroughs. This involved joining the child care programs layer to the "all city boroughs" layer using their geographic locations (summarize data and join features to join boroughs to child care programs).
Joining Features for MTA Subway Data: Subway stations and subway lines were joined. This "one-to-many" join linked multiple subway lines to individual stops where they intersect
Converting Subway Stops to Lines: The Points To Line Geoprocessing Tool was used to transform MTA subway stop points into continuous line features, representing the actual train routes. This is essential for visualizing the flow of the subway system.
Map Styling and Configuration: After the data was prepared and analyzed, the map's visual elements were meticulously configured:
Symbology for Child Care: The "child age range" attribute (0-2, 2-5, 3-5 years) was used to symbolize the child care points, with distinct colors as described in the legend.
Symbology for Pre-K Programs: The "Program type" attribute was leveraged to differentiate between NYCDOE and NYCEEC Pre-K programs.
Legend Creation: A clear legend was created to accurately reflect all the data representations used on the map.
Labels and Icons: Icons representing trains were added for subway stops. Labels were configured for both train lines and child care location names, with careful consideration for scale-dependent visibility to prevent clutter when zoomed out.
Pop-up Configuration: Pop-up windows were carefully configured to display essential information for a general audience, with field names altered for clarity and user-friendliness.
