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Project Goal
The goal of this initiative was to provide our community a comprehensive hub of trail resources to help visitors match trails to their physical abilities and desired outdoor experience. The Trail Explorer dashboard and Open Data Midpen hub site work in tandem to provide high-quality and detailed information about Midpen’s expansive 250-mile trail network. Visitors can filter for up to 10 different trail criteria including slope, cross-slope, width, surface material, sun exposure and more. This alternative approach to a traditional trail difficulty ranking system is unique and inclusive, allowing visitors of all mobilities and backgrounds to make informed decisions when planning a preserve outing.Business Problem Solved
Inspiration for the solution was reinforced by the results of two in-person surveys Midpen conducted in 2018 and 2020. Two-thirds of our surveyed visitors agreed that slope, or trail steepness, is critical to trip planning. Sun exposure (shadiness) and trail width were also ranked highly. These results subsequently informed the trail database design, data collection strategy, and web application functionality. As such, slope is featured prominently on the map with bold and intuitive colors and users can filter for up to 10 different trail criteria. Trail data views are shared through our open data catalog for users to download and import trail layers into their preferred native app. The positive reception since launch has validated these decisions, with users expressing enthusiasm for the inclusion of slope and numerous filterable trail characteristics.
Technology Implemented
ArcGIS Enterprise, ArcGIS Pro, ArcGIS Online, ArcGIS Hub, ArcGIS Dashboards, ArcGIS Field Maps, Survey123, Python Notebooks, Arcade, Spatial Analyst
Development Team Biography
Jamie Hawk, GIS Program Administrator, manages the enterprise GIS team within the Information Systems & Technology Department and leads geospatial technology implementation and adoption across the organization. Fran Lopez Tapia, Data Analyst, built and deployed the solution and was instrumental in driving the design, development, and promotion of Trail Explorer. Nathan Greig (Senior Technologist) and Anna Costanza (GIS Technician) provided testing support during development while Casey Hiatt (IST Department Manager) provided executive sponsorship. This was a collaborative effort spanning many departments and personnel. Special thanks to Jared Hart (Planner III) and Arianna Camponuri (former Planner II) and the Planning Department interns who collected field data across 250+ miles of trail: Giselle Beld, Kevin Chang, William Dornbach, Rachel Frost, Adeline Kikut, and Ocoee Wilson.