Memorandum

To: Dr. Eric Greenfield, Instructor

From: -------------------------

Date: September 30, 2005

Re: Introduction to georeference concepts using ArcGIS: a case study of locating possible sites for alternative energy placement in the city of Syracuse, NY.

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Georeferencing concepts were introduced in the context of exploring the possibility of locating solar and wind energy collection devices within the city limits of Syracuse New York. Included in these concepts are models of the earth, various datum, coordinate systems and projections. Other points of interest included variable and data types.

ArcGIS was employed to answer various questions concerning the various concepts of georeferencing (see attached answer sheet). In order to understand the distortion effect of various projects a series of 5 map projections were analyzed for the area of the city of Syracuse, NY. ArcGIS was utilized to overlay various digital data sets representing the city limits of Syracuse, the local road system, and the slope and aspect of the Syracuse area. Regions were sought that had elevation greater than 200 m to serve as possible sites for installation of wind turbines and regions with slopes greater than 10% with southern aspect within range of the current road system to serve as possible sites for photovoltaic equipment to harness the sun’s energy.

The various map projections yield very different area measurements for the city of Syracuse, NY. The projection with the greatest area differed from the projection with the smallest area by over 400,000 m² (Table 1). The city of Syracuse was found to possess some region with elevations greater than 200 meters and regions with 10% slope with southern aspect that are also within range of the current road system.

Based on the requirements of a 10% slope with southern aspect I would make the suggestion that Syracuse pursues a proposal to install solar energy collectors. The requirements of high elevation (greater than 200 m) for wind turbines is also met within the city limits of Syracuse and should also be explored as an alternative energy resource. The possible sites for these installations may require a heavy financial investment in infrastructure in order to make the sites accessible. Therefore the costs must be weighed against the initial and long term benefits of investing in these alternative energy sources.

This project required approximately four man hours to complete, not including time for assessment and communication. If additional information is required you my contact me at xxxxxxxxxxx@xxx.