Developing a nationwide geospatial dataset and repeatable processing workflow to support UW–Madison Law School research on Tribal communities and surrounding political or administrative geography.
2024 · STATE CARTOGRAPHER’S OFFICE / UW–MADISON LAW SCHOOL RESEARCH COLLABORATION
ArcGIS Pro · ModelBuilder · U.S. Census Data · Geoprocessing · Workflow Automation
Project Context
In 2024, UW–Madison Law School researcher Torey Dolan approached the State Cartographer’s Office for geospatial support for research involving Tribal communities across the United States. The research examined relationships between Tribal communities and political or administrative geography, including questions around boundaries, representation, voting populations, boundary changes, and geographic fragmentation.
My Role
I developed and processed a nationwide geospatial dataset focused on Tribal communities and their relationships with surrounding geographic and political boundaries. The work relied substantially on U.S. Census geographic data, including nationwide Census block data, preparing, processing, aggregating, and organizing geographic information for consistent use in the Law School research.
Workflow Development
To make similar geoprocessing operations scalable and repeatable across a national study area, I developed ArcGIS ModelBuilder workflows. The workflow supported Census geographic-data preparation, feature aggregation, dissolving or combining features where appropriate, repeatable geoprocessing, and preparation of research-ready spatial datasets—reducing repetitive manual GIS processing.
Research Application
The resulting data and repeatable processing infrastructure supported investigation into how Tribal communities intersect with county and other political or administrative boundaries. It enabled geographic research questions concerning fragmentation, Tribal lands and boundaries, representation and voting populations, and the possible implications of boundary changes without asserting conclusions beyond the larger research effort.
REPLACEABLE VISUALS: MODELBUILDER WORKFLOW · NATIONWIDE RESEARCH GEOGRAPHY · CENSUS-PROCESSING WORKFLOW