GIS Projects

Completed Projects

API-Driven Species Mapping Dashboard

For the University of Massachusetts Amherst course Spatial Databases and Data Interoperability, I used Feature Manipulation Engine (FME) to query the API of the Global Biodiversity Information Facility and create an ArcGIS Dashboard to display species occurrence points alongside particular habitat polygons. This was the final project for this Fall 2024 course. This project was intended to improve the workflow for creating similar maps, which formed part of my work in a Middlebury College course (see section Small Mammal Species Range Dashboard).

Access the ArcGIS Dashboard at this link.

Access the slide deck for my project presentation, which provides context for the Dashboard, at this link.

Wildlife Corridor Reproduction Study

I completed the following project with a classmate in the Middlebury College course Open GIScience during the Fall 2023 semester. Using the software R, we attempted to reproduce the steps of a QGIS model which produced a least cost surface for an area in Tanzania. We used packages such as stars, raster, and tmap to create an analogous workflow to that of the QGIS model. I provided CRediT roles to reflect the balance of work between the two contributors at the conclusion of the report linked below.

Access the published Open Science Framework page, created by instructor Dr. Joseph Holler to detail the project, at this link.

Access my version of the report for the project at this link.

Small Mammal Species Range Dashboard

For the capstone requirement for the Environmental Studies major at Middlebury College, I was part of a four-person group to assist the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department in gathering information on small mammals and mesocarnivores for the upcoming 2025 update to the state Wildlife Action Plan. Within my group, I was personally responsible for the creation of 17 public-facing ArcGIS web maps. Each web map displays data on one mammal species from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility and, where applicable, the natural history collections at the University of Vermont. From personal communication with instructor Dr. Alexis Mychajliw, the Mammal Scientific Adivsory Group subsequently used the maps to help update the mammal sections in the forthcoming Wildlife Action Plan update.

Access the ArcGIS Dashboard at this link. Note that the first map may initially take time to load – the user can expedite loading by zooming into the map element (the large rectangle, if it is not loading) and waiting for a short period of time.

Topographic Map Replication

In February 2025, I took on a project to update a topographic map of the UMass Amherst campus for use in the class materials of an introductory Geology course. The professor provided me with a map printed on physical media with no online sources. I used LiDAR, road, and building data within ArcGIS Pro to replicate the extent and style of the reference map while ensuring that contour line features reflected more current topography. The professor, Dr. William Clement, plans to use the new map in his course during the Spring 2025 semester.

View the updated map (first page) and the reference map (second page) below or view in a separate tab.

Climate-based Invasive Species Distribution Model

For the UMass Amherst course Introduction to GIS (Fall 2024), I worked with point data for the plant English Ivy, invasive in some U.S. states, to predict the future distribution of the species in the United States and Canada with forecasted shifts in climatic variables.

View the final product in a separate tab.

Green Needham “Tap Map”

In August and September of 2024, I created a web map showing the locations of water fountains and water bottle filling stations in Needham, Massachusetts for the community environmental organization Green Needham. To construct the map, I collected coordinates of water fountains both outdoors and inside public buildings. I then used the WordPress plugin WP Go Maps to create point data.

Access the map at this link.

Vermont Forested Habitat Block Report

This is a report I composed for the Middlebury College course Conservation Planning in Spring 2023. It involves adding to a forested habitat block model created by instructor Dr. Jeff Howarth to allow for natural communities, a classification system for habitat types administered by the state of Vermont, to be captured in the model. I composed this report with the intent for the methodology to be accessible to those without prior experience with GIS. I used Google Earth Engine and WhiteboxTools to achieve the results.

Read below or view in a separate tab.

Current Projects

Massachusetts Geological Survey Salt Marsh Blue Carbon Viewer

I am currently working as a Graduate Research Assistant under Massachusetts State Geologist Brian Yellen. I am developing a salt marsh blue carbon viewer web application on ArcGIS Online which is based upon spatial analysis I conducted within ArcGIS Pro. The app shows the boundaries of each tax parcel which contains salt marsh in Massachusetts and presents a calculated carbon sequestration rate for each such polygon. The draft app has undergone review by state personnel; the app will be made publicly available after final edits are made to allow tax parcel owners and other interested parties to view the data.

I will link to the web app when it has been finalized.

International Association for the Study of the Commons Web Map

As a project for Dr. Charles Schweik of UMass Amherst, I am developing a web app to help attendees to the International Association for the Study of the Commons 20th Biennial Conference, to be held at UMass Amherst in June 2025, navigate campus. To create the map, I am georeferencing floor plans of campus buildings at which conference presentations are to be held within ArcGIS Pro. I will subsequently share the map to ArcGIS Online and configure a web app.