GIS 5265 Module 2: Chicago Fire of 1871, Queries and Clipping

The first lab of GIS Applications in Archaeology used the topic of the Chicago fire of 1871 to review ArcMap tools that will be important for future projects.  The map above, while relatively simple, conveys multiple layers of information.  We see the geographic footprint of Chicago in 1871 and 1890, thus getting a sense of how quickly the city grew.  We also see the origin and extent of the fire; from this we can see the effects of the wind on the spread of the fire.  Finally, the location of currently extent landmarks built before and after the fire are depicted, showing the destruction caused by the fire as well as the rapid rebuilding in its aftermath.  To produce the final map, the 'clipping' and 'select by attributes' tools were used and the layer selections exported as new layers.  While an inset map was not required, I added one to focus on the landmarks built before the fire; that they are clustered together makes them fit well in an inset map and allows for the main map to remain uncluttered from their labels.

This module was a good refresher and introduction to the course.  The simple tools and techniques of this module could be used for a wide variety of research questions.  I look forward to the next modules and learning more of how to apply GIS to archaeological research.