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Above is an online version of the interactive
multimedia openspace prioritization map. Click on survey sites
to zoom in on specific parcels from the study. As you click
on parcels, you will notice that some survey sites are comprised
of multiple parcels. In the case of undeveloped lots around
Ninigret and Quonochontaug Ponds, eligible parcels were determined
systematically by locating undeveloped parcels that lie within
a quarter mile radius of the pond edge. Others, such as views
from roads, include all parcels that lie within visual boundaries
of a given site.
Data gathered from the visual inventory and survey
has been organized spatially in two formats: GIS and an online
interactive map. Because planning is rapidly shifting to a reliance
on information organized via GIS, it is important to provide
local planners with results that have the most potential for
useful applications. When a parcel comes under consideration
for openspace preservation, planners use GIS to assess the presence
and degree of natural resources. This coverage from the Prioritization
Project will allow them to assess the cultural context of parcels,
based on resident valuation of sites for openspace preservation.
A coverage of all survey sites was created, using a multimedia
GIS application. In effect, both GIS and online multimedia
formats facilitate access to project findings in the same way.
By zooming in on survey sites and selecting specific parcels
for which data has been collected, planners can access a parcel's
specific survey findings, recommendations and visual inventory.
However, the online format is limited in that GIS allows for
more advanced integration of this information with other spatial
data.
An example of this can be seen in an analysis
that was conducted in conjunction with a concurrent project,
which sought to understand how GIS can be used to productively
model openspace acquisitions based on different prioritization
scenarios. Click
here to learn more about this project. Information from
the Prioritization Project was used to create a GIS coverage
that ranked cultural value of potential openspace sites. Using
results from Question
6 of the survey, each site was assigned a score to rank
sites for their significance in contributing to Charlestown's
unique character. This question was used to provide Charlestown
with its first town-specific cultural GIS coverage. Much like
URI's Critical Lands methodology, the conjunctive Charlestown
GIS project used three coverages to assess cultural resources:
Scenic Areas from the RI Landscape Inventory, Historic Districts
as registered with the NPS's National Register of Historic Places
and Districts, and proposed greenways as prepared by RI DEM.
While these coverages provide some understanding of cultural
resources within Charlestown, none of this information defines
areas of cultural importance from the perspective of community
residents. The coverage created from Prioritization Project
results is an attempt to begin building a more comprehensive
inventory of cultural resources for Charlestown planning purposes.
This coverage, coupled with survey results for community openspace
objectives, was used to drive the GIS model for openspace acquisition.
Click
here to see how following the objectives as prioritized by residents,
and using the cultural coverage for openspace prioritization,
results in the most efficient prediction of openspace preservation.
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