Welcome to the interactive web schedule for the 2019 Spring NEARC Conference! For tips on how to navigate this site, visit the "Helpful Info" section. To return to the NEARC website, go to: www.northeastarc.org/spring-nearc.html.
The schedule is subject to change (as of May 13, 2019). Please check back for updates.
AUTHORS: Nathaniel Hussey, Antioch University New England, Keene NH; Steven Lamonde, Antioch University New England, Keene NH
ABSTRACT: To confront the realities of high property taxes and increased pressure to be more business friendly, Greenfield MA is debating amendments to its Zoning By-laws to encourage economic development. The amendments proposed on 14 February 2019 pertain to the Major Development review process, will allow for a larger maximum square footage of gross floor area for future non-residential construction projects in all city districts. To identify parcels in specific districts suitable for development per the proposed amendment, a parcel-based suitability model was developed to map development potential within six focus districts in Greenfield. Using GIS data layers from the Massachusetts GIS database, four submodels were created to account for natural features and built infrastructure on the landscape. Submodels were then weighted and combined to analyse each tax parcel?s overall suitability for development. Additionally, two Zonal Statistic analyses were run to determine the suitability of parcels, based on the slope of the landscape, and district-specific dimensional requirements for open space per parcel. This analysis determines which parcels within the six districts are suitable for development. The conclusions found in this analysis will provide a more holistic interpretation of many of Greenfield?s tax parcels. The findings will assist Greenfield?s Planning Board to more effectively review, evaluate and recommend development proposals. Additionally, the findings will assist the Greenfield Zoning Board of Appeals streamline their deliberation process and decision making on issues of special permits and variances under the Greenfield's Zoning Ordinance.
ABSTRACT: This presentation will provide an overview of a visual impact assessment for a proposed wind farm and how GIS was utilized throughout the lifecycle of the project. ERM was involved in the planning and permitting of a wind farm and performed viewshed analysis on existing turbines and potential turbine locations to determine the visual impact of the new wind turbine installation. The viewshed tool is a powerful analytic tool that determines line-of-sight from a ground raster to one or more elevated points. In addition to the standard viewshed utilizing Bare-Earth Digital Elevation Models, ERM acquired additional GIS datasets in order to produce an adjusted model that accounted for the screening effect of forested areas. Field teams used this data on mobile devices in order to ground-truth potential impacts compared to sensitive resource areas.
ABSTRACT: Under the terms of the NPDES Stormwater Permit Program, most municipalities are responsible for the regular inspection and maintenance of their stormwater system. The Control Measures stipulated by the permit include regular monitoring of post-construction runoff and routine, ongoing pollution prevention and "good housekeeping." This burden is time-consuming and costly in terms of personnel and equipment, especially in light of the fact that in any given year, the majority of stormwater structures will not require any major repairs or maintenance. A program of systematic flyovers and inspection by a small unmanned aerial system (sUAS), or drone, dramatically reduces the cost and the time required to perform these inspections and allows the quick prioritization of structures for closer inspection or repair. The information collected can be managed and maintained in GIS. We will discuss the advantages offered by the use of sUAS technology for this purpose, along with some caveats regarding logistical, legal, and privacy considerations.
AUTHORS: Ethan Dickson, DGT Associates; John Lloyd, DGT Associates; Michael Twohig*, DGT Associates
ABSTRACT: DGT Associates has been integrating ArcGIS into it's Subsurface Utility Mapping (SUM) workflow in order to increase efficiency and quality of data collected. Accurately mapping underground facilities is most challenging due to the simple fact that they are typically not observable. The path to delivering the most accurate portrayal of the subsurface environment requires a combination of research and various field work investigation techniques. DGT's SUM team has found ArcGIS to be beneficial in all phases of the process. Georeferencing plans in ArcMap helps the team "set the stage" before commencing data collection work in the field. Often times, a wide variety of plans from multiple sources, of varying accuracies, are required on a single project. ArcMap helps keep the plans organized and identifies areas of concern. While in the field, Collector is used to survey the data and populate crucial attributes. After completion of the field collection, the resulting data can be analyzed, shared and viewed in various formats, helping us meet the needs of the end user.
