I created an interactive map displaying the data from a squirrel counting initiative in Central Park. I combined this information with the base map of the streets and general urban layout of NYC as well as a map showing the slope of the terrain. This second layer reveals information about where the squirrels are most concentrated. It appears as though the squirrels enjoy terrain with little to no slope. One explanation for this could be that most of the New Yorker foot traffic passes through the flat pathways in the park and the squirrels go there to forage for discarded food. I made this map by first uploading the data from the squirrel count, setting my background map, then adding the terrain slope layer on top of it. I also added squirrel icons to correspond to their reported color. My only issue was changing the title. My original second layer was the human population, but this did not correspond much to the squirrel data. For some reason, the change I made to the title did not translate to the public version. I’m still figuring out that glitch, but all in all, I’ve had a good experience!
One reply on “Terrain Slope and Squirrels”
That is a really helpful comparison, and it is interesting to see the conclusions that you were able to draw from it. I wish I could see the updated version of the map! Have you tried saving it as a completely new map instead of overriding the first?