Geocoding in ArcGIS: The Spread of Target and Walmart
Catherine Riihimaki, Drew University
Summary
Students geocode the locations of Walmart and Target stores across the US, create a map for each company, and interpret the distribution of stores using ArcMaps graphing functions.
Context
Type and level of course
The course is an upper-level introduction to GIS aimed at environmental studies students and other students from across campus.
Geoscience background assumed in this assignment
None.
GIS/remote sensing skills/background assumed in this assignment
Add shapefiles, understand attribute tables, and change symbology. Export JPEG maps.
Software required for this assignment/activity:
ArcView 9.3
Time required for students to complete the assignment:
6 hours, including followup assignment
Goals
GIS/remote sensing techniques students learn in this assignment
Students download data tables of store addresses.
Students geocode store locations using ArcGIS Online resources.
Students perform a spatial join to determine the number of stores in each state.
Students use the ArcMap graphing tools to compare state attributes with the number of stores in each state.
Other content/concepts goals for this activity
Students analyze the distribution of big box stores.
Higher order thinking skills goals for this activity
Students formulate and test a hypothesis of store distribution. They then critically evaluate the distribution to present a "consultant" report of the distribution for either an environmental or business organization.
Description of the activity/assignment
Students geocode the locations of the "big box stores" Walmart and Target from addresses that they download. They then compare the spatial distribution of stores at the state level by performing a spatial join with a shapefile of US states, and comparing the distribution of stores with the population of each state. Finally, they write a report of their results as a recommendation for future action, either by an environmental group or a development group.
Determining whether students have met the goals
Students turn in files, jpeg maps, and a written report. They are assessed by a variety of criteria including technical (did they geocode the addresses correctly, did they correctly perform a spatial join), design (are their maps "professional"), and analysis (did they analyze the data correctly).
More information about assessment tools and techniques.
URLs and References
Store locations can be downloaded from:
http://www.econ.umn.edu/~holmes/data/WalMart/store_openings.csv
http://flowingdata.com/2009/10/22/target-store-openings-since-the-first-in-1962-data-now-available/
State files can be downloaded from https://nationalmap.gov/small_scale/.
Animations of the spread of Walmart and Target stores are located at
http://project.flowingdata.com/target/
http://project.flowingdata.com/walmart/
Download teaching materials and tips
Other Materials