Koenji – Using GIS to Explore a Place

Koenji

Using ARCGIS Online to explore a place

ArcGIS Online is a GIS program that can be opened at http://www.arcgis.com/home/ You can click on ‘Sign-up now’ or ‘Make a map’ to get started. It is free to use the program but there is also the option to take out an annual subscription to access some ways in which the program works.

©Teaching Geography Spring 2014 Martin Introduction – using the resource

This resource has been written to provide ideas for classroom use in relation to the My Place article in Teaching Geography Spring 2014 edition. This article describes living in Koenji, a relatively small and densely built up district on the western part of Tokyo.

The resource makes use of the online ArcGIS Online program. The ideas can be applied by using the program’s resources, tools and functions to the study of any place of a similar scale.

Although written in the format of a pupil worksheet, the resource is intended mainly as a guide to help teachers work with the program. It is intended that a teacher will edit the resource to make it appropriate for the pupils they teach.

Data and information in the form of maps, photos and text have been assembled from a variety of online sources to create this resource. It is, however, important to appreciate that the ArcGIS program is ‘open’, i.e. users can use it to create their own resources on any geographical topic. An option would have been to show how these resources were assembled, though this has not been done in this instance. Instead, the focus has been on showing how the user can use the resources, tools and functions to gain a knowledge and understanding of the Koenji district.

Some resources have been included that are not specifically referred to in the work sheet activities, e.g. a map of the Prefectures in Tokyo. These are to enable the user to take the topic further if required.

Individual teachers and pupils are able to use the ArcGIS program for free from their own home. A teacher can also use the program as part of a presentation in the classroom. For use in a school involving networking and file sharing, it will be necessary to pay the program’s annual subscription.

©Teaching Geography Spring 2014 Martin The Koenji map resource

. Open ArcGIS Online. . Click on the ArcGIS drop down menu on the top left. . Click on Groups.

. Click in the Search box on the right. A drop down menu appears. . Click on Gallery.

. Type Koenji-Viewer in the box

This resource has already been created and loaded with maps and other types of resource.

. Click on Open

Note that you are now looking at the The file opens with a map of map Content Japan. Tokyo is on the east coast.

These are the resources already loaded into the Koenji- Viewer resource. You can switch them on or off by ticking in the boxes. You can add other resources as base maps and Features.

©Teaching Geography Spring 2014 Martin Find Tokyo The Search tool You can see Tokyo on the map, but practice using the Search tool to find a place.

. Type Tokyo in the space. . Choose tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.

The map then zooms in to show Tokyo. . Click on the X to remove the label.

Find Koenji Koenji is a district within the larger area (Special Ward) of Suginami. The name Koenji does not appear on small scale maps or in the Search tool’s database.

. Type Suginami (or Suginami-ku) in the Search box. A popup box shows the location of Suginami-ku. Click on the X to remove the popup box – but remember where the area is!

You need to zoom in to the map to find Koenji. There are two ways to zoom in to see the map in greater detail.

Zoom - Method 1 . Hold down the Shift key and draw a box around the area with the cursor. . Zoom in.

You may need to do this more than once. The easiest way to find Koenji is to first find the Chuo-Sobu railway line (shown on the map as a purple line). This is just above where the name Suginami is shown on the map. Koenji railway station

Zoom - Method 2 Use the Slide bar. This tool is on the left of the map. Scale slide bar . Move the slider bar slowly towards the top to zoom in.

. Zoom in until you can see the Chuo-Sobu railway line with three stations; Nakano on the right, Koenji in the middle and Asagaya on the left.

You are now in the right part of the map to study Koenji.

©Teaching Geography Spring 2014 Martin Move the map centre

You can move the map either by dragging it with the cursor.

Move the map so that Koenji station is roughly in the centre.

First impressions – the street map At first, you are looking at a street map of the area. This is the OpenStreetMap listed in the Contents box – see it at the bottom. This map serves as a Basemap for this resource.

Zoom in until you can see the street pattern in the area around the Koenji railway station. The map slider can be set to 4 or 5 notches from the top.

1 Questions a) What are your impressions of the street pattern in this area? b) How much open (green) space can you see? c) Can you see any gap between this part of Tokyo and the districts around it, e.g. Nakano and Asagaya? d) What is the pattern of main roads (in red)? e) What do you notice about how the railway line passes though the streets – how can it do this?

The street pattern in the central part of Koenji

Overground railway line

There is also an underground station named Shin-Koenji ©Teaching Geography Spring 2014 Martin Access the resources Photos Resources that give information about Koenji have already been loaded on this resource.

. To access these resources, make sure that you are looking at the Content option. Click on it if you are not.

. This shows the Map Layers (the Content) that have already been added to the resource.

. Click on the box beside Koenji district area. This shows the Koenji district shaded in orange.

. Click on the small drop down arrow beside the name Koenji district area in the Contents box.

Transparency tool – quick method for All resources are listed a temporary view in the Contents box. Resources can be ticked to be shown or hidden’ Change symbols The Base map is at the bottom.

Drop down arrow

. Click Change symbol. . Change the Transparency to about 70%. . Click Apply. . Click Done. . Click Done Changing Symbols Change symbol

Change the transparency of the colour so you can see through it.

©Teaching Geography Spring 2014 Martin There is a Measure tool on the top bar.

. Click on it. . Click on the distance measuring tool. . Draw lines on the map to measure distances – double X to finish click to finish a line.

Measure tool

Measure Measure distance area tool tool

2 Questions a) Draw lines from north to south across the shaded area of Koenji – what is the distance in metres? b) Measure the distance from east to west – what is the distance?

. Click on the X when finished with this tool.

You can also measure an area . Click on the Measure tool. Then click on the Measure an area tool beside it. . Draw a box around the shaded area by tracing around the outline. Click to change direction. The tool draws in straight lines.

3 Question a) What is the size of the area in sq kms? b) Imagine this sized area around where you live or around your school - where does it include?

. Click on the X when you have finished with this tool.

. Remove the tick from the box beside Koenji district area when you have finished looking at it.

©Teaching Geography Spring 2014 Martin Looking at information and photos

Information and photos have been added to the map Information and photos at at pinpoints. Note that many of these are not each pin point. Click to intended to be in exactly the right location. show what is there.

. Click on Koenji photos in the Contents box.

The map now shows pinpoints with photos and information. Click on a pin to see what is there.

Popup with information and photo. The photo is linked to a web site.

4 Questions a) What are your impressions of how densely the land is used – how close the buildings are to each other? b) What do you notice about the variety of types of building design? c) What kinds of shops can you see – how big are they and what variety of goods are on sale? d) What do you notice about the width of the streets? e) How do people travel around in the area? f) What do you notice about the amount of vegetation – where does it grow? g) What evidence is there that this is a lively part of Tokyo and fun to live in? h) How do people travel out of the area - are the trains electrified? i) Does this look like a colourful or a drab place in which to live? j) What evidence of traditions can you see?

Click off the Koenji photos when you have finished this work.

©Teaching Geography Spring 2014 Martin Satellite image view

A satellite image has been loaded as a Map Layer.

. Click the box beside World Imagery to make this satellite image appear. . You can switch the Koenji district area back on and set it to a low transparency if you get lost on the satellite image!

Zoom in to the greatest magnification you can. The map goes blank with Map data not yet available when you zoom in too far.

Satellite image The satellite with railway line image shows up layer switched on to 3 notches from the top of the slide bar.

You can choose other map layers to switch on and off. For example, the main railway line may be switched on. . Tick the Chuo railway line box. These other layers will help you to find your way around the satellite image.

5 Questions Looking at the satellite image a) What extra information about the buildings and streets does this give you (compared to the street map and photos)?

More maps There are also maps in the Map Layers showing open spaces and housing density in Tokyo. You can tick the box to show them and untick the maps you don’t want to see on the screen.

Switch off these map layers when you have finished looking at them.

People in Koenji and everywhere else in Tokyo, are always at risk from an earthquake.

. Zoom out to look at the whole of Japan on the Basemap (OpenStreetMap). . Click on the Map layer to show the Earth’s tectonic plates.

6 Questions a) Name the three plates in this area – on which one is Tokyo? (Click on the map to see). b) Use the measuring tool to find the distances from Tokyo to the nearest plate boundaries. How close are the nearest plate boundaries and why is this risky?

. Click on the Earthquakes map. This shows all earthquakes in the last 90 days. . Click on the map Legend to understand the map symbols.

7 Questions a) How close was the nearest earthquake to Tokyo? b) About how many earthquakes were recorded in the last 90 days? c) What can you tell about the number of small and larger earthquakes? (Magnitude 3 to 5 is fairly small).

8 Questions Open the Volcanoes map layer. a) Find where the nearest volcanoes are to Tokyo. How near are they? Name them (click on the symbols to find out). b) You could do some further research to find out how active they are.

Volcanoes map layer

Popup box with information

You can explore other parts of Tokyo using the same maps and tools. Find out how other districts compare in their street layout, buildings, land use and street scenes.

These places are listed as Local districts in the Contents menu and marked on the map – you will need to find and switch them on to see them. You can switch the railway symbol on to show the route.

You can follow the Chuo-Sobu railway line to the west and look at the districts of; Kichijoji Mitaka Kokubunji Kunitachi Tachikawa

or heading East, you could look at: Shinjuku then south around the loop along the Yamamotoe line to Shibuya Shinagawa

This work could be shared as group work so that different areas can be compared.

You can zoom in to these districts then look at the maps, satellite images and other resources to compare them to Koenji and to where you live.

Google Earth – type a search for Koenji station 3-D views and street scenes are available in this program

Tokyo statistics and planning http://www.metro.tokyo.jp/ENGLISH/PROFILE/appendix02.htm

Japan Bureau of statistics http://www.stat.go.jp/english/index.htm

Tokyo statistical yearbook – a source of Excel data for Tokyo’s districts Data is available for Tokyo’s districts in Excel spreadsheet format. http://www.toukei.metro.tokyo.jp/homepage/ENGLISH.htm

Maps to show different definitions of Tokyo, e.g. the Tokyo Major Metropolitan Area. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greater_Tokyo_Area

The special wards of Tokyo – map http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Tokyo_special_wards_map.svg

Koenji http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K%C5%8Denji

Outlines of these inner 23 Special Wards of Tokyo have been drawn in the Layers menu. You need to find and switch them on to see them on the map. You can create a database for these Special Wards using statistics from the Japan Bureau of Statistics. These can be saved as a CSV file and imported. You will need further Help to see how to do this.

Koenji