Bethlehem Historic District Explorer

| Kevin McMaster

Founded in 1741, Historic Bethlehem invites exploration through its museums, cultural attractions, historic sites, and walkable streets. To make planning visits easier and to share the area’s rich architectural and cultural heritage, the new Bethlehem Historic District Explorer offers an interactive online experience for both locals and visitors. SymGEO was honored to collaborate with the Bethlehem Historic District Association (BHDA) on this project, building the web infrastructure and training local staff to contribute to this growing digital library.

The project began with a high-resolution wall map of historic properties, an Excel database of property attributes, and a large collection of detailed property descriptions with accompanying digital photos. By georeferencing the map, extracting and geocoding address information, and batch-converting documentation into web-ready formats, the team created an inclusive, immersive spatial database. Originally built with ArcGIS Dashboards, the project soon expanded to include detailed property information hosted on dedicated ArcGIS Hub pages.

SymGEO also provided training and configured web-editing applications to enable BHDA staff to maintain and grow the digital resources. As a new member of the Esri Non-Profit Program partner, BHDA is quickly gaining proficiency with Esri technology and expanding its use of the interactive platform.

“SymGEO was an absolute pleasure to work with and provided timely solutions to complex challenges. The sophistication of the ArcGIS platform allowed us to achieve a product that exceeded our expectations and will enhance the user experience. We anticipate that the Bethlehem Historic District Explorer will allow residents and visitors alike to fully appreciate the history and architecture of our unique community.”

– Bethlehem Historic District Association

Talk to SymGEO today if your organization would like to feature projects or sites using the power of Esri’s ArcGIS Online platform – we are certified experts and here to help.

Greensboro’s Tree Canopy Assessment & Planting Hub

| Kevin McMaster

SymGEO is proud to announce the launch of the City of Greensboro’s Tree Canopy Assessment and Priority Planting Program hub site!

This platform is the result of a collaborative effort between Planning Communities (project lead), SymGEO, Breece Robertson Consulting, and the Office of Sustainability and Resilience for the City of Greensboro, NC. The hub is designed to guide strategic tree planting and stewardship efforts, while also supporting community engagement, education, and policy and program recommendations to grow and protect Greensboro’s tree canopy.

Built on Esri’s ArcGIS Hub technology, the site leverages ArcGIS StoryMaps, Dashboards, and Survey123 to create an interactive experience for residents and tree-planting partners, making it easier than ever to explore Greensboro’s urban forest and get involved.

The hub features quick facts and figures about the tree canopy and its benefits, along with other reports and future plans for the City’s urban forest.

SymGEO led Greensboro’s tree canopy assessment by combining advanced spatial data processing, statistical analysis, and environmental benefit modeling. Using Deep Learning in ArcGIS Pro, high-resolution imagery was classified into distinct land cover types and paired with National Land Cover Data to build a detailed picture of the city’s landscape. Insights from 5,000+ sampled trees were expanded citywide using Forest Inventory Analysis methods, providing a statistically reliable estimate of tree canopy conditions across Greensboro. These results were then processed through i-Tree Eco tools to calculate the environmental benefits that trees provide—such as cleaner air, stormwater management, energy savings, and improved quality of life. This assessment equips city leaders and residents with valuable information to guide urban forestry decisions, prioritize tree planting, and maximize the community benefits of Greensboro’s urban canopy.

The Deep Learning classification method was repeated using historic imagery and then compared to current results to show areas of canopy loss, gains, and future planting opportunities (potential planting areas).

Canopy statistics were summarized in a dashboard featuring both canopy changes and environmental benefits.

The results of the canopy assessment were combined with a detailed vulnerability assessment performed by Planning Communities and summarized in an interactive dashboard that shows where planted trees would provide the greatest benefit.

The hub site also features a resource section that facilitates the exploration of best practices regarding planting, maintaining, and planning for future trees.

A survey to capture new trees planted by residents was built using Survey123 and encourages 2-way stakeholder engagement.

“The hub is an amazing visualization of multiple data points and information uniting on one platform – solidifying a need for continuous growth in Greensboro, one tree at a time!”

– Shree Dorestant, Office of Sustainability and Resilience, City of Greensboro NC

“Creating a place for the citizens to interact with their data in a useful way was a high priority for this project. Every Hub element and dashboard was designed to get the residents to understand how the canopy impacts their house, their neighborhood, and the city as a whole.”

– John Hendricks, Office of Sustainability and Resilience, City of Greensboro NC

Talk to our industry experts if your agency or organization is interested in conducting a canopy assessment or leveraging the power of Esri’s ArcGIS Online and analytical technology – SymGEO is here to help!

Louisiana Register of Historic Cemeteries

| Kevin McMaster

The Louisiana Register of Historic Cemeteries recognizes cemeteries among the most valuable historic resources of Louisiana for their information about events, religion, lifestyles, and genealogy of a local community. Recently brought to life by a Historic Preservation Fund grant awarded to the Louisiana Trust for Historic Preservation (LTHP) from the National Park Service, the goals of the program include increasing awareness of historic cemeteries, for their protection, maintenance and respect of those buried within them. As part of this important effort, SymGEO was honored to partner with LTHP to build the web infrastructure to house the historic cemetery data and enable stakeholders to contribute to this growing, interactive library.

Built using ArcGIS Hub technology, the site features an interactive Historic Cemetery Dashboard that tracks all known historic cemeteries in Louisiana. Clicking on a cemetery icon will give basic information about the site, while cemeteries with detailed information and site pictures are differentiated by symbology.

An innovative twist in the Dashboard is presented by the “Info Needed” tab, where users can see which cemeteries are missing names, locations, or boundaries. If they are familiar with a cemetery on the list (filtered by parish or city), they are presented with the option of updating either the basic geographic cemetery information, or completing a more detailed information form, including picture upload options.

Built using ArcGIS Survey123, the forms include step logic to allow data updates or new cemetery information to be easily added to the growing collection of historic knowledge.

“The first step in protecting and respecting historic burials is to be aware of their location. By crowdsourcing this data beyond our initial research, we are able to learn about historic cemeteries in remote locations which may not appear on topographic maps or have even been used in over a century. The program will benefit descendants; industries such as tourism, real estate and construction; and should foster increased protection and maintenance at cemeteries.”

– Executive Director, Louisiana Trust for Historic Preservation

Talk to SymGEO today if your organization would like to feature projects or sites using the power of Esri’s ArcGIS Online platform – we are certified experts and here to help.

National Forest Foundation: Wildfire Modeling

| Kevin McMaster

The National Forest Foundation (NFF) was chartered by Congress and created with a simple mission: bring people together to restore and enhance our National Forests and Grasslands. Part of this nonprofit mission includes planning for wildfires and mitigating their impact by understanding fire behavior across a landscape. SymGEO was honored to partner with the NFF to explore wildfire modeling approaches and analytical results by combining GIS data processing with the Interagency Fuel Treatment Decision Support System (IFTDSS). The results of this project will help inform internal planning efforts and future studies.

The project area was located in Flathead National Forest, Montana, and was approximately 250,000 acres in size. Extensive modeling was performed using IFTDSS to determine how effective different landscape treatments were at varying treatment patch area sizes and total coverage amounts. Conceptually, treating fewer large patches would be more effective than treating a greater number of small patches distributed across the landscape (based on wildfire behavior). However, determining the level of effectiveness required landscape modeling and statistical analysis. Similarly, other relationships were explored, such as what is the relationship between the total treatment area and treatment effectiveness? Does a 10% coverage result in a 10% decrease in modeled wildfire results? What happens at 50% coverage? Only one way to find out!

GIS processing using ArcGIS Pro was used to screen out areas that couldn’t be treated based on slope, canopy cover, distance to streams, fire return interval, and several other factors. Tessellated grids were then developed at scales ranging from 100-acre patches up to 5,000-acre patches and fit into the treatable areas.

Average flame length was measured for untreated base conditions and then used to measure the effectiveness of treatment options.

Initial results indicate that measurable differences were observed across treatment types, treatment patch sizes, and treatment total coverage areas.

“SymGEO provided expert guidance around the analytical approach to explore fire resiliency GIS modeling. The IFTDSS modeling they provided was appreciated along with the framework to help the National Forest Foundation continue this important endeavor. They are excellent to work with and highly engaged in the process.“

– GIS Program Developer, National Forest Foundation

Talk to SymGEO today if your organization wants to explore data modeling processes and analytical results using ArcGIS Pro together – we are certified experts and here to help.

Preservation Society of Charleston Site Dashboards

| Kevin McMaster

The Preservation Society of Charleston (PSC) is a nonprofit organization established in 1920, dedicated to the preservation and enjoyment of the distinct character, quality of life, and diverse neighborhoods in Charleston, South Carolina. To assist in these efforts, SymGEO partnered with PSC to build a pair of project dashboards to feature their Charleston Justice Journey (CJJ) and Historic Marker program sites. The dashboards were built using ArcGIS Dashboards technology and designed to be mobile responsive for information on the go.

The Charleston Justice Journey (CJJ) project was launched in 2019 to recognize sites significant to African American history and the ongoing journey toward racial equality in Charleston and the Lowcountry. This online research and mapping initiative is a growing resource for deepening our collective understanding of people, institutions, movements, and events that shaped the course of the region’s civil rights history. Through this project, PSC is partnering with the community to elevate the full narrative of Charleston’s history.

The Historic Marker program was established in 1959, with well over one hundred markers placed around the city so far. The PSC sought to create a digital database of markers, that would be a resource for Charlestonians and visitors alike, with baseline stats and photographs of the markers, properties, historical photographs, drawings, and other information related to associated historical figures and events. Using the PSC Historic Marker Database, members of the public can create their own walking tour, research from afar, and learn more about the city’s vibrant cultural and architectural history.

“SymGEO played a key role in helping us build both of these important digital platforms. After listening carefully to our goals and answering every one of our questions, they helped us create two distinct interactive platforms that are user-friendly, informative, and advance our mission to protect and make Charleston’s cultural and architectural fabric more accessible to all.”

– Preservation Coordinator, Preservation Society of Charleston

Talk to SymGEO today if your organization would like to feature projects or sites using the power of Esri’s ArcGIS Online platform – we are certified experts and here to help.

One Tree Planted Projects Site

| Kevin McMaster

To complement our donor portal with One Tree Planted, SymGEO is pleased to announce a new project impact site experience that tracks the progress and positive environmental benefits of One Tree Planted nonprofit projects to date and features a data-driven dashboard using ArcGIS Dashboards. The dashboard has all current project metrics and locations that can be filtered by project type, status, location, or impact.

The site also features:

An interactive map that reveals the millions of trees planted around the world,

A deep dive into several project-specific stories showcasing the environmental benefits of planting trees,
A Forest Note video series that shows all the dedicated, determined work that goes into successful tree planting projects.

“The impact portal of global reforestation projects provides users with an immersive experience to navigate and better understand the impact One Tree Planted is having around the globe. Through interactive maps and insightful data visualization, it empowers users to witness the collective impact of reforestation efforts, fostering a deeper connection with the worldwide initiative to restore and preserve our planet’s vital ecosystems.“

– Geospatial Systems Manager, One Tree Planted

Talk to SymGEO today if your organization would like to feature projects or impacts using the power of Esri’s ArcGIS Online platform – we are certified experts and here to help.

Lincoln Institute of Land Policy Hubsite

| Kevin McMaster

The Lincoln Institute of Land Policy seeks to improve quality of life through the effective use, taxation, and stewardship of land. As a nonprofit private operating foundation whose origins date to 1946, the Lincoln Institute researches and recommends creative approaches to land as a solution to economic, social, and environmental challenges. Through education, training, publications, and events, they integrate theory and practice to inform public policy decisions worldwide.

SymGEO partnered with the Lincoln Institute to build an internal, central ArcGIS Hub platform and support five of their Centers and Initiatives. This involved curating and displaying authoritative data layers detailing resource equity, population demographics, historic redlining information, land zoning information, and historic city spending and revenue information among others.

Configurable applications, including ArcGIS Dashboards and web applications, were built to facilitate the exploration of data and visualization of analytical results.

“SymGEO has the unique ability to distill content into compelling visual geospatial products and narratives that tell a story and help track impacts. They are very proactive, responsive, great communicators, and can spin up apps quickly as proof of concepts that help with design decision-making. It has been a great experience working with them collaboratively, and I highly recommend SymGEO as a geospatial solution expert.”

– Director, Partnerships and Strategy, Lincoln Institute of Land Policy

Talk to SymGEO today if your organization would like to build a central spatial data hub framework using the power of Esri’s ArcGIS Online platform – we are certified experts and here to help.

One Tree Planted Donor Portal

| Kevin McMaster

One Tree Planted wants to make it simple for anyone to help the environment by planting trees. By partnering with 680+ organizations across 80+ countries, they have restored forests, created habitats for biodiversity, and made a positive social impact around the world by planting over 100 Million trees! Learn more about the critical importance of their nonprofit mission in the following educational video.

Keeping track of the positive impact of 680+ partners can be a daunting task. Fortunately, through a collaborative effort with SymGEO, One Tree Planted built an interactive Donor Portal prototype that helps communicate project-specific information to funding partners. The portal was designed so that each partner will have their own specific page, featuring just the projects that their funding helped to support. The donor portal was built using ArcGIS Experience Builder, and leverages Dashboards, StoryMaps, and embedded content to provide data transparency and inspiration.

Projects are geo-located to show the global breadth of a partner’s funding impact.

Project-specific information is presented upon selection with links to the detailed project report.

Projects are also displayed on a dedicated mapping page and can be searched by name or geography.

The map links to a detailed project dashboard with key information and a virtual fly-through of each planting site.

The report section of the portal links to the most recent planting report, highlighting key achievements of the year.

The monitoring section uses before and after imagery to convey the landscape scale impact of the planting projects and details the methods used to monitor and ensure planting success.

“The impact of the prototype on our donors was nothing short of astounding. Collaborating with SymGEO to craft a functional prototype during the feedback-gathering phase proved instrumental in cultivating a comprehensive catalog of requisites across all donors.”

– Geospatial Systems Manager, One Tree Planted

Talk to SymGEO today if your organization would like to feature projects or impacts using the power of Esri’s ArcGIS Online platform – we are certified experts and here to help.

APTA Industry Footprint Update

| Kevin McMaster

Public transportation is a $79 billion industry that employs 430,000 people and supports millions of private-sector jobs. As the public transportation industry advocacy leader, the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) is dependent on accurate, current data to help inform critical decisions of their nonprofit work. The newly updated Industry Footprint is designed to collect, analyze, and present key statistics at national, state, and local levels. This application, produced in collaboration with our development partners at GeoMarvel, provides insight into APTA membership, public transportation providers, transit service, manufacturing and supply chain, and congressional/legislative contact information.

Learn more about all the innovative platform enhancements in the APTA Industry Footprint Storymap.

“The SymGEO team worked on a tight schedule to deliver a series of impressive updates and fixes to our existing application, including a whole visual re-imagining. We are excited to work on even more innovations to the tool going forward together.”

– APTA Senior Director, Policy Development and Research

Would a custom mapping application like this be useful to your organization? Talk to our solution experts today about your unique GIS needs, the SymGEO team is here to help!

Urban Wood Reuse Case Study

| Kevin McMaster

Client: Urban Forestry Division of DDOT

Challenge: Teaching kids the importance of nature, recycling, history, and culture is a lofty goal. The Urban Forestry Division (UFD) offers an environmentally friendly program called Urban Wood Reuse that provides DC Public Schools, public charter schools, and parks with wood products to improve grounds at no cost. Community outreach was needed to spread the word about this amazing program.

Solution: SymGEO was excited to develop the community outreach component of the Urban Wood Reuse program by designing and launching the Wood Reuse Hub site using ArcGIS Hub and Survey123 technology. This solution established two-way communication between the UFD and DC schools and parks interested in “sitting on a piece of DC History”. The site shares knowledge and products from the UFD while gathering the school’s product ideas and requirements.

Client Feedback: “The new elements from Urban Wood Reuse have been well-received by our community and have enhanced our space. We are very grateful for their efforts that directly support our garden hideaway in the middle of the city.” – Mundo Verde Bilingual PCS

Read the full story here.