Abstract

Completing the Countywide buildout analysis using the NJDEP OPSC model
Track: Urban and Regional Planning
Authors: Meghan Leavey

The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, Office of Planning & Sustainable Communities released an ArcGIS model builder application to estimate residential & non-residential buildout. An ArcToolbox with 7 models was provided each with a variety of geoprocessing tools specifically identity, erase, calculate field, etc., with all other calculations performed in Microsoft Access. Upon exploration of the model it became apparent that some of the provided data was outdated, the directions were incomplete, and acute quality control measures would be necessary to achieve accurate results. This paper and presentation resulted from the challenges that were met while attempting to use a model demonstrated with a small-scale example but expected to be used for a large-scale task. The model user became reliant on creative approaches to step-by-step problem solving and recognizing the approach necessary to prepare a comprehensive spatial analysis tool for a variety of skill levels of a user audience.