Green Energy!

Solar and wind energy will supplement and possibly replace the current energy sources with methods that are more economical, ecological and sustainable as options for the Earth's future.

A Green Energy Committee has formed and has asked GIS Experts in Geography to join a team that will find suitable sites for combined solar and wind farms.  The proposal examines the best slope and aspect for the solar panels, with wind speed specifications for wind turbines using three main criteria: 

1. The site has to have a slope angle of 15° or less (it also can be flat). 

2. The slope has to have a southerly aspect (135° to 225°). 

3. The wind speed at 30 m has to be above 5 m per second. 

The study looked at two towns in Plymouth County, Massachusetts to identify potential locations.  
For this project potential locations were processed and analyzed in the towns of Kingston and Marshfield using site selection, geo-processing, and spatial analyst tools. After initial site selection criteria has been met, further analysis will be needed to find the best suitable locations to site a combined solar and wind farm. The resulting research and analysis is the map poster below.

Fig.1.  Potential locations for a solar wind farm in the towns of  Kingston and Marshfield, Massachusetts.

Go here to view these potential locations in an ArcGIS Online web application.

You can also view the potential locations from Google Earth!

This is Kingston:
This is Marshfield:

City of Brockton Biotechnology Park

This assignment required finding the City of Brockton a suitable parcel for a proposed Biotechnology Park.  Working with the planning department's requirements, site selection process was completed using ArcGIS geoprocessing tools.  The parcels all needed to meet three main criteria:

1. Must be 10 acres or greater.
2. Must be in industrial and/or commercial zones.
3. Must be located 50 feet or more from any water feature; including ponds, lakes, rivers, streams and wetlands.

The research result includes a table listing each of the 13 potential parcels, the details of their map location, and size of the parcel in acres.  The analysis also includes a map illustrating the potential parcels that meet the above criteria.

A written report is included and can be viewed here.  The report includes a copy of the map below, the table listing potential parcels, a flowchart and details describing the process, with analysis and recommendations for this site selection.  From this data further criteria and analysis can then be discussed and decided upon by the City of Brockton's planning committee to determine the best possible site location for a new Biotechnology Industrial Park.

Figure 1. Map of potential parcels for a new Biotechnology Industrial Park

Town of Bellingham Pulaski Revitalization Project

Town of Bellingham
Pulaski Boulevard Corridor Plan - Revitalization Project

This assignment was in response to the Town of Bellingham's need for GIS resources in analyzing current parcels of land, land use, urban features and available space for a new revitalization plan of the Pulaski Boulevard.

Using GIS tools and software, parcels were separated, coded and color symbolized by category types, and maps were created to illustrate and analyze the data.   Each map breaks down parcels that are: Conforming/Non-Conforming, Business and Mixed Use Parcels, Residential parcels and Vacant parcels.

In addition to the parcel maps created, charts and graphs were implemented to break down and distribute data for the quantitative and categorical information.

Hopefully the work done by students of Bridgewater State University's Geography department will be useful and helpful toward their goals.
Good luck to the Town of Bellingham in their efforts for improvement and vision for the future!