Using Clip and Query to Examine and Interpret Historical Data

 

This lab focused on using the clip and query functions in ArcMap to answer questions about the Chicago Fire of 1871 - where it started, the extent of the fire's destruction, the direction the fire travelled and where the wind was coming from, and how Chicago grew after the fire in terms of geographic expansion, the building of new landmarks, and the restructuring of some of the wards, especially in the fire zone. 

 

Another useful skill we learned this week was how to take an Excel file with Lat./Long. information for all the landmarks in the Chicago area, and create a new shapefile showing their locations as points on the map. That file can then be used to select for various attributes, such as address or year built.

 

More data is available within these layers that would be useful to answer different questions - clearly these tools will be very useful in many situations.