DataCollection

1. Slope

Slope is a critical factor when planning any sort of construction project. Having relatively flat terrain to build on is ideal to minimize costs, because as the degree in slope goes up so does the cost of construction. For example, a steeper slope would require more land to excavated to make a level site. Not only is the degree of slope important for minimizing cost, but in the case of a rugby field having a flat surface is critical for maintaining a flat playing surface. To obtain slope I used a DEM (25 meters) that i obtained from the Provincial Government (Land - Data B.C.). Originally I wanted to do a different project involving this DEM, but because it was sent to me late in the semester it was of little value for that project. Subsequently I had to scrap that project and begin work on this project. Nevertheless I was able to incorporate the DEM into my project. It work out to my benefit as it was on a finer scale than the GVRD DEM (50 meters) that is available on the S: drive.

2. Land use

With Port Moody being such a small city, finding available space for development becomes an important task. In order to minimize cost and conflict I decided not to build on any land that was already developed (i.e. residential, commercial, industrial). Secondly, I decided not to build on any land that was classified as park land or protected areas. This is to maintain the ecological integrity of the natural environment of Port Moody and the surrounding areas. After eliminating these land uses form my decision process, the remaining land use choice was undeveloped land. I was able to obtain land use from the GVRD file on the S: drive.

3. Streams

As with any construction project, building around a watercourse is a sensitive issue. Both the City of Port Moody and the Provincial Government have regulations for construction projects that occur near or on a watercourse. Although a rugby field would have minimum environmental damage in comparison to a residential development it still must follow the set guidelines. In order to minimize damage of riparian vegetation and to prevent sediment from entering the stream I decided that I would establish a 50 meter buffer around any watercourse. This will sufficiently meet the needs of both the city and the government. Rather than take the stream data straight from the S: drive, I contacted the city to see if I could obtain some recent stream data that was collected by the city's environmental technician Rick Saunier. I new that the data would be a lot more detailed then the stream data on the S: drive, because Mr. Saunier had painstakingly used GPS to map all the watercourses in Port Moody for another project. Fortunately for me the this data was easy to work with as it was already a shape file and was the same projection as the rest of my data.

4. Roads

    Accessibility is a key factor when determining where to locate a new facility. For my project road type didn't matter as long as a new road could be connected to the road infrastructure. However I did decide having a 200m distance from roads would be adequate to minimize construction costs. I was able to acquire this data directly from the GVRD file on the S: drive.

5. Schools

    In order for the game to develop amongst students, especially high school, I decided to plot the locations of all the schools in Port Moody. By locating a the field near a school it would increase exposure to the game and would allow for students to access the field much easier. (a game after school). An example of this is evident at Semiahmoo Secondary in White Rock, with the school being located right next to two rugby only fields. This allows students to be more exposed to the game increasing the interest and participation levels. Currently Port Moody Secondary School doesn't have a field that can support an actual rugby game. In order to play a game the team is constantly moves around playing on what ever field is available to them. Building a rugby field in Port Moody would eliminate this constant disarray experienced by the school, by having play them play at their "home" field. I decided on a 500 meter boundary around schools to encourage the construction of a field near a school. I created this data by directly digitizing school locations in IDRISI. I used my local knowledge to plot the point, but to reduce error I decided to consult a map of school locations in district 43. To accurately digitize these points I used the Port Moody land use and roads layer as a base to increase the accuracy.

6. Pubs

    This was my change to have a little fun with the project. For those not familiar with the rugby culture, beer and rugby go hand and hand. Even after the clubhouse closes down for the night a some of individuals still want to partake in libations. In order to accommodate for these select few I decided to plot the location of all the pubs within Port Moody. Again I used by significant local knowledge of these establishments, but to be as accurate as possible I used a local business map of Port Moody to determine the exact location. For this criteria I decided that a 1000 meter buffer would be sufficient in catering to that particular group. Like the pervious criteria I used the digitizing method to place them on a map.