Working with Air Quality and Exposure Data in ArcExplorer

1. Zach Vernon GIS/RS Research Associate Houston Advanced Research Center zvernon@harc.edu Working with Air Quality and Exposure Data in ArcExplorer

2. Outline • Introduction to ArcExplorer • ArcExplorer for Education and ArcExplorer Online • Adding Web Map Services to ArcExplorer • Adding spatial data to ArcExplorer • Discussion of exercise datasets • Investigating and Symbolizing data in ArcExplorer • Selecting and Buffering data in ArcExplorer • Distance calculations in ArcExplorer

3. Introduction to ArcExplorer • Freely available, lightweight GIS data viewer • Basic GIS functions available (buffer, query, measure) • Connect to Internet map servers • Display and query standard ESRI data Sources • Shapefiles • ArcInfo Coverages • Images • ArcIMS Services • Interact with both spatial and attribute data • Symbolize data and create thematic maps • Perform basic spatial analysis • Create maps AND projects that can be shared with colleagues

4. ArcExplorer for Education and ArcGIS Explorer • ArcExplorer for Education, which many of you have installed, is an expanded version of the ArcExplorer software • Supported on Mac • Displays MrSid (a common compressed image format) • Displays CAD data • Can Create Projections (the mathematical transformations used to get 3D data to a 2D surface) • Create data layers from table of x,y coordinates • User Community with lesson plans and data: http://edcommunity.esri.com/software/aejee/ • Political Geography lesson centered around 2008 election • Science lesson centered around N.A. Hurricane Data • History lesson based on Lewis and Clark routing data

5. ArcExplorer for Education and ArcGIS Explorer • ArcGIS Explorer • More CPU-intensive, but more powerful free GIS Data Viewer from ESRI • Supports a wider variety of datasets (geodatabases, KML/KMZ, and layer packages) • Supports ArcGIS Server web mapping services, in addition to ArcIMS • Integrate a wider variety of content, including geotagged photos and videos • Supports 3D rendering, very similar to GE when in that mode • Built-in basemaps and large library of user data

6. Adding Web Map Services to ArcExplorer • Start ArcExplorer • Click the Add Data button • Under “WWW,” select “Add Web Site” • Type in http://geodata.epa.gov • Select “AFS_FS” and add County Boundaries and Air Emissions to add to map. These are the US EPA Regulated Air Emissions Facilities. • Zoom to Houston Region using the “magnifying glass” tool

7. Adding spatial data to ArcExplorer • Click the Add Data button • Browse to where the exercise data is stored • Add each layer by double clicking on it

8. Discussion of exercise datasets • Benzene, from: http://emergency.cdc.gov/agent/benzene/basics/facts.asp • Where it is found and used • “Benzene is formed from both natural processes and human activities.” • “Natural sources of benzene include volcanoes and forest fires. Benzene is also a natural part of crude oil, gasoline, and cigarette smoke.” • “Benzene is widely used in the United States . It ranks in the top 20 chemicals for production volume.” • “Some industries use benzene to make other chemicals that are used to make plastics, resins, and nylon and synthetic fibers. Benzene is also used to make some types of lubricants, rubbers, dyes, detergents, drugs, and pesticides.”

9. Discussion of exercise datasets • Long-term Health effects • “The major effect of benzene from long-term exposure is on the blood. (Long-term exposure means exposure of a year or more.) Benzene causes harmful effects on the bone marrow and can cause a decrease in red blood cells, leading to anemia. It can also cause excessive bleeding and can affect the immune system, increasing the chance for infection.” • “Some women who breathed high levels of benzene for many months had irregular menstrual periods and a decrease in the size of their ovaries. It is not known whether benzene exposure affects the developing fetus in pregnant women or fertility in men.” • “Animal studies have shown low birth weights, delayed bone formation, and bone marrow damage when pregnant animals breathed benzene.” • “The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) has determined that benzene causes cancer in humans. Long-term exposure to high levels of benzene in the air can cause leukemia, cancer of the blood-forming organs.”

10. Emissions Inventory Data • National Emissions Inventory 1999 • Facility-based annual average emission rates of HAPs and criteria pollutants of interest from industrial point sources for 1999. Values in Avg TPY. • TCEQ State Implementation Plan Facilities 2001 • Facility and process-based speciated point source emissions inventory used by TCEQ modeling staff for modeling 8-hour ozone SIP (August/September 2000 episode) in Houston for 18 VOC classes. Values in Avg TPY.

11. Exposure Data • National Air Toxics Assessment 1999 • Tract-based annual average ASPEN-modeled ambient concentrations and HAPEM-modeled population exposures at census tract level for Harris County for RIOPA VOC, carbonyl and PM2.5 compounds. Values in µg/m3. • Relationships of Indoor, Outdoor, and Personal Air (RIOPA) 2001 • Personal exposure, outdoor and indoor concentrations measured at residences during each visit. The concentration of air pollutants were in eight separate tables based on the analytical types; VOC, Carbonyl, PM mass, PM XRF, PM ICPMS, PM OC EC, Particle phase PAH, Gas phase PAH). Aggregated by Census Tract. Values in µg/m3. • Questionnaires (Technician Walkthrough, Baseline Survey, and Activity questionnaire) results, air exchange rate, house volume, and average temperature and humidity inside and outside during the sampling. Also collected information concerning time and location of microenvironment where participants spent time during sampling.

12. Investigating and Symbolizing data in ArcExplorer • Open the Properties for the NATA ASPEN dataset • Under the symbols tab, select “Graduated Symbols” • Select 10 classes and use “ASPENTotal” as the field • Select a custom color as Start color – select a light green • Select a custom color as End color – select a dark red • Apply

13. Investigating and Symbolizing data in ArcExplorer • Click the Labels tab • Select “ASPENTotal” • Font = Calibri, 10, Bold • Click effects and add a White Glow • Repeat this process and set up symbology and labels for the other polygon layers, use your own colors and label styles based on the fields listed below • NATA HAPEM 1999 Benzene: HAPEMTotal • RIOPA Outdoor Benzene: BENZ_OUT • RIOPA Personal Benzene: BENZ_PER

14. Investigating and Symbolizing data in ArcExplorer • Open the Properties for the NEI 1999 Benzene layer • Under Symbols, select graduated Symbols • 8 classes, using “AvgOfEmiss” • Change the Style to Traingle • Start color: Cyan, Start size: 10 • End color: Custom – dark blue, End size: 26

15. Investigating and Symbolizing data in ArcExplorer • Label using “AvgOfEmiss” • Font = Arial Black, 10, Bold, White Color • Click effects and add a black glow • Repeat this process and set up symbology and labels for the other point layers, use your own colors and label styles based on the fields listed below • NEI 1999 low level point sources Benzene: AvgOfEmiss • RIOPA Outdoor Benzene: AvgOfBenzene

16. Selecting and Buffering data in ArcExplorer • Turn on the NEI 199 Benzene Layer, the NATA HAPEM layer, and County Boundaries • Highlight the NEI 1999 Benzene Layer and Open the Query Builder • Build an expression that read “( AvgOfEmiss > 10)” and click execute • Click “Statistics” and run them on the AvgOfEmissions field • Click the Buffer tool • Select a buffer distance of 5 miles, and hit apply • Clear buffer

17. Distance calculations in ArcExplorer • Select the Measure tool • Measure the distance from the highest emission average to the highest exposure average, record this distance • Clear your selection by clicking the Eraser • Highlight the NEI 1999 Benzene Layer and Open the Query Builder • Build an expression that read “( AvgOfEmiss > 10)” and click execute • Now run a Buffer using the distance you just recorded • Center your map by zooming in or out and go to Edit>Copy Map Image to File and save your map as a jpeg • If time allows, create additional overlays using other datasets, such as the TCEQ 2001 emissions data with the RIOPA Exposure data