Spring NEARC 2022

Protecting drinking water is a major concern and one approach is to protect natural land covers and minimize hazards in source areas. Through a project funded by the CT Council on Soil & Water Conservation, UConn CLEAR is creating a set of metrics for parcels in drinking water watersheds and aquifer protection areas. The metrics and their weighting are leading to a parcel map showing the importance of each parcel. GIS methods include creating reusable tools with Model Builder and Python scripts.

There are approximately 5,000 graveyards in the State of Connecticut, 4 of them are maintained by the town of Tolland. They date back to as early as the 1700's. The Town, like countless others, had been using and maintaining burial and ownership records by hand on detriorating paper maps, paper index cards, and disconnected databases in proprietary software systems. Recognizing the need to modernize and preserve their fragile paper files as well as compile all the data into a single form of truth, they sought out a GIS based solution that would provide them with the tools necessary to add efficiency to their record keeping, digitize their maps, and offer a resource that served them better both in the office and the field. This presentation will show the project application of ArcGIS online and field mapping tools to provide a commonly feasible solution to a growing problem across the state. The presentation will also discuss a regional approach to providing GIS mutual aid services.

Over the past few years everyone has had to adapt in one way or another. With the ever-changing climate due to COVID-19, many municipalities have had to transition from in-person meetings to virtual outlets. Initially, there were concerns regarding public outreach but with innovative tools, such as Storymaps, Town's have been able to transparently relay project information in an easy to digest format and solicit feedback in a way that was more convenient and accessible to much of the public. This presentation will provide successful case uses of StoryMaps and other innovative GIS tools to engage the public in more meaning ways and improve project transparency during COVID-19 times.