NEW TNMCorps Mapping Challenge for Schools in OH, MI, & IN!

There is an abundance of seed data for this challenge with many points needing to be edited (i.e., red) or reviewed (i.e., green).  However, in addition to confirming existing schools, volunteers should also check for missing schools.

Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details

Not sure what each point color represents?     

Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details

See the article titled Editor Roles and Point Colors in our November 2018 newsletter for an overview of our tiered editing process.   

Tips and tricks for this challenge:  

Existing Schools  

1. Volunteers can locate existing schools by using the dropdown filters on the web editor’s edit tab to filter by feature type and edit status.   
2. Remember we are not collecting preschools or childcare facilities.  If you come across an existing point for a childcare or preschool, please document your findings in the ‘Comment’ field and delete the point.   
3. If you come across a school that is no longer in operation, document your findings in the ‘Comment’ field and delete the point.  
   • If a school has moved from one building to another, do not delete the point and recreate it on the new building.  Instead, click and drag to move the existing point to the new building. 
   • If a school has permanently closed (i.e., it has not relocated) but a new school opened in the same building, do not delete the point.  Instead, update the name, symbol, and attribute information of the existing point to match the new school.   

Missing Schools 

1. To search for missing schools, volunteers should search the web editor for each of the schools on a district website to see if they have a point.    
2. Use the web editor’s search tab to search for the school’s name or address. 
3. If the school does not yet have a point, locate the correct building in aerial imagery and place a point for the school on the center of the building. 
4. If a point does already exist, review the point’s geographic location, symbol, and attribute information against the school’s website and make any adjustments necessary.  
5. Be sure and check nearby points for duplicates as well. 

School Symbols 

1. Not sure which symbol a school should receive?  Check out our Structures List, our Tips and Tricks, or this decision tree for guidance.  
2. Our expanded Structures Definitions also provide further insight into what each school represents.  

Possible Sources 

1. Remember to find an authoritative source (e.g., a school or district website) for each feature.   
2. The Ohio Department of Education contains a directory of schools that users can filter by county.  Results include which district the school is in and grade levels served by that school.  
3. The Indiana Department of Education contains a downloadable list of schools in *.xlsx format.  The ‘CORP’ tab lists school districts and corresponding websites; the ‘SCHL’ tab lists schools along with grade levels and websites; the ‘NONPUBLIC’ tab lists private schools and their grade levels and websites. 
4. The Michigan Department of Education uses a portal known as MI School Data to store its school data.  The portal has a School Index that is capable of searching for schools by school name, district, city, or county.    

Proper Point Placement 

1. Our March 2019 newsletter includes an article on aerial interpretation for school structures. This article walks you through the process of using aerial imagery to find the correct building on which to place a point. 

If you have any questions during the mapping process, reach out to us at nationalmapcorps@usgs.gov and someone will be happy to assist!  Thank you for all that you do, and happy mapping!