John Bartram Arboretum at Kendal at Oberlin
Guide to the Geographical Information Systems (GIS) Map
The aerial image of the Kendal Campus was kindly supplied by the Lorain County Auditor’s office. The Spring 2023 aerial is the most recent high resolution image available. It has a higher resolution than Google Maps. Use the hand pointer to grab and move the map (click and hold).
Markers represent individual trees. Use your mouse or pointer to click on a marker. A dialog box will appear presenting the common name and the binary or the scientific genus-species name of the tree. Latitude and longitude are also displayed. Clicking on markers for the Heiser Circle Tree Walk also produces a clickable link to an external web site that provides additional information about the tree. Click on the markers for commemorative trees to produce information about the honoree and donor.
Here is what else you will see:
- When you open the map, you may be asked whether it may use your current location. If you click yes, a blue dot with a light blue halo will appear showing your current location. (The halo is an estimate of the position accuracy based on cell phone signals.)
- The + and - buttons allow you to zoom in or out of the image. You should also be able to zoom with your mouse or touch pad.
- On the upper right corner there is a small ruler. Click on this to measure the distance between points on the map.
- A legend is in the upper right hand part of the map. Click or unclick the box next to the descriptor to show or remove a layer.
- The magnifying glass-like icon is a search feature. Enter a tree number and a red circle will appear around the numbered tree.
- Commemorative trees, Oaks at Kendal and trees on the Heiser Circle Tree Walk are identified by different colored markers. Some trees are in more than one category.
- Grids and boundaries are identical to those used in the Kendal at Oberlin Master Landscape plan...
The creation of a GIS map requires accurate latitude and longitude data for every feature on each layer. For most features these data were acquired by identifying it on the Lorain County Auditor's aerial images. The Auditor's map has a tool that displays a highly accurate latitude and longitude of any clicked location. Some tree locations were determined by using a Trimble Geo 7X and associated software.
The map was created using QGIS 3.28 “Firenze.” This is free, open-source GIS mapping software. Maps were created by adding layers and defining characteristics for each. The web version was created from the basic map using the qgis2web plugin. Leaflet layering was employed. See www.qgis.org for more information and links to tutorials.