An email
This is an email I wrote to someone regarding the production of a map. The question was, "Can you estimate how long it takes to make a prototype of the ###? And is color acceptable now?"
I took out some of the specifics, but anyone who knows the agency will know what I'm talking about. I just think it's funny...
Hello-
Make sure you have the version of Arc that you want to have on your computer until you are done making the ###. So try to anticipate if you can deal with all the bugs that pester you daily for another five months or so. I would dedicate almost 8 hours to downloading the right tools, making sure your computer is compatible, and installing....both Arc9.3 if you don't have it already and all the PLTS , templates, and tools for ### production.
Then you get the data and begin with "production." You will probably go through some iterations of this and then just end up faking it. This means you run through the steps of grabbing the database data, joining it to your routes layer, and then seeing if it symbolizes correctly...convincing the appropriate people to change the database if it doesn't look right, then connecting it to the routes again. Repeat approximately 10 times. If you end up faking it because of a timeline, unsupportive personnel, or both (like me) the next time you download data out of the database, you will have to do all that manual "faking" all over again.
Alright, you've got your data and you *faked* with it enough so it's symbolizing the way you want. Now you try to figure out which template to use. You will likely try them all and probably follow the production guide, which will lead you to templates you hate, some that ~may~ work, and some that you like but no one else does. You'll find that using MPS Atlas is a pain in the butt and wonder if it would just be easier to use two .mxds. which you most likely will end up doing if you're anything like me. You'll check the website and look through what other people are doing. Finally a light will shine down from the sky, you'll get really excited, and begin working immediately to make your dream a reality. That's the 8 hours when things make sense.
So then you're editing the routes physically to cut out unnecessary roads (connectors, county, private, etc) or to add roads (connectors, county, private, etc). That's followed by autolabeling using Maplex (using the production guide to figure out the nationally mandated size, font, color, etc) and then converting to annotation. The fun work begins now...you get to move each road and trail label by hand! (Don't worry, they come across feature-linked so generally they follow the road/trail...generally. When they become UN-feature-linked and you try to point it to the correct road/trail it will follow a section line, or a river, or something entirely wrong.) You play with the grids, dislike how they make the map look, then take them off. You’ll find out you aren't supposed to remove them so have to re-create them...but then your District also wants township and range on there, so you make that work by hand-editing. You add landmarks that will aid in navigation, again manipulating that by hand…and changing that based on what 10 other people think are important landmarks. Then you must make another layer of trailheads, information sites, and campgrounds...then spend a couple hours trying to find the right symbology within hundreds of sub-symbol types to match the production guide. (Don't invert white for black, no matter how much it makes sense....they will tell you to change it back.)
You'll get tired of working on the spatial side and the collar information will bug you. So you dive into that and begin adding the easy stuff (forest name, contact info, etc.) Then you realize everything is an "element" and is all grouped together as a graphic. It takes time to move that around, make sure it's straight, change wording, change order, cut out stuff that doesn't pertain to your District, etc. This leads you to trying to put the nationally mandated stipple around all routes that allow dispersed camping. Your map turns into a Pollock shotgun pattern piece. Yes, add the other two words to “piece.”
By this time a new production guide will come out and things will have changed. This causes you to go back and check all that you've done to try to make things that didn't work...work, see if any leniency was given on the use of color, national mandates, etc.
Hopefully you can get the Python script for auto-producing the seasonal and special designation tables to work. Otherwise, you're doing it by hand like I did. That takes a couple of hours to query out the correct data and make it look "just right." When you run your query you will come up with other District’s data and have to try to figure out what pertains to your District and organize it accordingly. This is followed by making a short route table by staring at your map and trying to figure out where you put the nationally mandated short route identifiers. You will overlook some and then have to change your table. Guaranteed.
But by now, you're getting really close and the time you are taking on this is winding down. You cut out plss sections that don't cover your Forest to make the map cleaner. Then you look for a photo of yourself to put on the collar and send it to the R.O. for review after having internal review meetings, having meetings with the S.O. and the appropriate local staff, and making any changes that come up.
Here's how my time on this broke out from May of this year to yesterday:
May = 8.75 hours (not into it at all)
June = 20.5 hours (playing with tools, getting familiar and finding a good template)
July = 35.75 hours (I started to get into it)
August = 27.0 hours (cleanup and refinement)
September = 18.5 hours (details and final refinement)
That only totals 110.5 hours or 13.8 days!
All in all, I wouldn't balk at a solid 20 days to develop a prototype...so, basically a month of your time. Don't forget that you will be working on all the other projects, miscellaneous work, addressing plotter / computer issues, annual / sick leave, hunting season, missing key personnel because of holidays / use-or-lose / and hunting season, and meetings at the same time. So this process will be drawn out over quite a chunk of time...for me, it was obviously about 4 months.
And color is still very unacceptable even though county roads look a whole lot like rivers. It’s a good thing county roads never follow rivers…ha.
Hope this long winded, drawn-out, verbose, effusive, garrulous email didn't bore you.
Happy Friday!
I took out some of the specifics, but anyone who knows the agency will know what I'm talking about. I just think it's funny...
Hello-
Make sure you have the version of Arc that you want to have on your computer until you are done making the ###. So try to anticipate if you can deal with all the bugs that pester you daily for another five months or so. I would dedicate almost 8 hours to downloading the right tools, making sure your computer is compatible, and installing....both Arc9.3 if you don't have it already and all the PLTS , templates, and tools for ### production.
Then you get the data and begin with "production." You will probably go through some iterations of this and then just end up faking it. This means you run through the steps of grabbing the database data, joining it to your routes layer, and then seeing if it symbolizes correctly...convincing the appropriate people to change the database if it doesn't look right, then connecting it to the routes again. Repeat approximately 10 times. If you end up faking it because of a timeline, unsupportive personnel, or both (like me) the next time you download data out of the database, you will have to do all that manual "faking" all over again.
Alright, you've got your data and you *faked* with it enough so it's symbolizing the way you want. Now you try to figure out which template to use. You will likely try them all and probably follow the production guide, which will lead you to templates you hate, some that ~may~ work, and some that you like but no one else does. You'll find that using MPS Atlas is a pain in the butt and wonder if it would just be easier to use two .mxds. which you most likely will end up doing if you're anything like me. You'll check the website and look through what other people are doing. Finally a light will shine down from the sky, you'll get really excited, and begin working immediately to make your dream a reality. That's the 8 hours when things make sense.
So then you're editing the routes physically to cut out unnecessary roads (connectors, county, private, etc) or to add roads (connectors, county, private, etc). That's followed by autolabeling using Maplex (using the production guide to figure out the nationally mandated size, font, color, etc) and then converting to annotation. The fun work begins now...you get to move each road and trail label by hand! (Don't worry, they come across feature-linked so generally they follow the road/trail...generally. When they become UN-feature-linked and you try to point it to the correct road/trail it will follow a section line, or a river, or something entirely wrong.) You play with the grids, dislike how they make the map look, then take them off. You’ll find out you aren't supposed to remove them so have to re-create them...but then your District also wants township and range on there, so you make that work by hand-editing. You add landmarks that will aid in navigation, again manipulating that by hand…and changing that based on what 10 other people think are important landmarks. Then you must make another layer of trailheads, information sites, and campgrounds...then spend a couple hours trying to find the right symbology within hundreds of sub-symbol types to match the production guide. (Don't invert white for black, no matter how much it makes sense....they will tell you to change it back.)
You'll get tired of working on the spatial side and the collar information will bug you. So you dive into that and begin adding the easy stuff (forest name, contact info, etc.) Then you realize everything is an "element" and is all grouped together as a graphic. It takes time to move that around, make sure it's straight, change wording, change order, cut out stuff that doesn't pertain to your District, etc. This leads you to trying to put the nationally mandated stipple around all routes that allow dispersed camping. Your map turns into a Pollock shotgun pattern piece. Yes, add the other two words to “piece.”
By this time a new production guide will come out and things will have changed. This causes you to go back and check all that you've done to try to make things that didn't work...work, see if any leniency was given on the use of color, national mandates, etc.
Hopefully you can get the Python script for auto-producing the seasonal and special designation tables to work. Otherwise, you're doing it by hand like I did. That takes a couple of hours to query out the correct data and make it look "just right." When you run your query you will come up with other District’s data and have to try to figure out what pertains to your District and organize it accordingly. This is followed by making a short route table by staring at your map and trying to figure out where you put the nationally mandated short route identifiers. You will overlook some and then have to change your table. Guaranteed.
But by now, you're getting really close and the time you are taking on this is winding down. You cut out plss sections that don't cover your Forest to make the map cleaner. Then you look for a photo of yourself to put on the collar and send it to the R.O. for review after having internal review meetings, having meetings with the S.O. and the appropriate local staff, and making any changes that come up.
Here's how my time on this broke out from May of this year to yesterday:
May = 8.75 hours (not into it at all)
June = 20.5 hours (playing with tools, getting familiar and finding a good template)
July = 35.75 hours (I started to get into it)
August = 27.0 hours (cleanup and refinement)
September = 18.5 hours (details and final refinement)
That only totals 110.5 hours or 13.8 days!
All in all, I wouldn't balk at a solid 20 days to develop a prototype...so, basically a month of your time. Don't forget that you will be working on all the other projects, miscellaneous work, addressing plotter / computer issues, annual / sick leave, hunting season, missing key personnel because of holidays / use-or-lose / and hunting season, and meetings at the same time. So this process will be drawn out over quite a chunk of time...for me, it was obviously about 4 months.
And color is still very unacceptable even though county roads look a whole lot like rivers. It’s a good thing county roads never follow rivers…ha.
Hope this long winded, drawn-out, verbose, effusive, garrulous email didn't bore you.
Happy Friday!
posted by geotracker12 at 10:28 AM
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