Using Federal Map Tools to Enhance Your Brownfields Assessment
There are many interactive mapping platforms on federal, state, county and municipal websites that will allow you to turn on and turn off layers for environmental data (for example, locations of Superfund sites or flood risk), add layers for jurisdictional boundaries (for example, tribal reservation boundaries, census tracts), and even import data files that you have created yourself (for example, by exporting sites from your BiT inventory). Most of these platforms will allow you to export PDFs or JPG image files for use in your reports; some will also allow you to export spreadsheets and map files (typically SHP or KMZ/KML) for your own analyses.
The maps we will use to obtain data to supplement our brownfields inventories are provided by federal agencies (for example, EPA, FEMA), and are built on the ESRI or MapBox platforms. All of the EPA tools will pull data from the same public databases (for example, all of the Brownfields sites will be mapped from data accessed from the ACRES database). This means that if there is a data layer you want to use, find the platform (e.g. EnviroMapper, Cleanups In My Community, EJScreen, EnviroAtlas, NEPAssist, FEMA National Flood Hazard Layer Map, etc.) that most easily allows you to view, analyze, and download the data you need in a user friendly format.
You will find a series of step-by-step instructions for a wide variety of mapping platforms below. You can also look the case studies since there are different approaches illustrated in each.
Cherokee At-large communities case study
Environmental database tools
The EPA EnviroMapper is part of the EnviroFacts tool and provides a wide range of environmental data that are easy to download for your own use.
You can find an example of how to use EnviroMapper with Google My Maps by clicking here
EPA Cleanups in My Community website
The Cleanups in My Community platform will let you create a map with many useful layers, but it cannot be downloaded and you must print it as a PDF file; however, CIMC will download data from the Lists or Tables page. The Lists/Tables page provides you with a nice interface for choosing from multiple databases to create a CSV spreadsheet file for export.
NEPAssist is an online GIS mapping tool which provides data layers needed for impact assessments. It allows you to visualize many geospatial data layers on an ESRI ArcGIS online map, draw polygons, and export maps in PDF or image file format for reports.
It does not provide a user friendly way to export data - data are saved as a JSON file which may give you problems importing to other platforms.
Go to NEPAssist website which includes training videos
EnviroAtlas provides you with a number of tools that are similar to ArcGIS online, allowing you to do customized analyses.
It also has hundreds of curated data layers that allow you to run scenarios. For example, you can explore the capacity for trees along city streets to improve air quality, or estimate where water flowing off of a contaminated site will end up.
The EnviroAtlas mapping tool does not allow you to export data. You can print it as a PDF, but you can't download the map files. However, you can import your own files in a variety of formats to visualize on the EnviroAtlas data layers.
Environmental Justice Screening Tools
EJScreen is an ... environmental justice mapping and screening tool that provides EPA with a nationally consistent dataset and approach for combining environmental and demographic socioeconomic indicators. EJScreen users choose a geographic area; the tool then provides demographic socioeconomic and environmental information for that area. All of the EJScreen indicators are publicly-available data. EJScreen simply provides a way to display this information and includes a method for combining environmental and demographic indicators into EJ indexes.
The EJ Screen mapping tool does not allow you to export data. You can print it as a PDF, and you can print reports, but you can't download map or data files. You can import SHP files into EJ Screen to help with your analysis.
Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool (CEJST)
CEJST uses datasets that are combined into indicators of burdens in 8 categories: climate change, energy, health, housing, legacy pollution, transportation, water and wastewater, and workforce development.
This information is used to identify census tracts that are experiencing these burdens, designating them as disadvantaged, and provides data as percentiles and thresholds to facilitate comparisons with other census tracts.
In addition, lands within the boundaries of federally recognized Tribes are designated as disadvantaged.
CEJST is a tool used to screen for disadvantaged communities for federal programs, it is not a tool for obtaining the data used for the analysis.
Hazard and Risk tools
The National Flood Hazard Layer (NFHL) is a geospatial database that contains current effective flood hazard data. FEMA provides the flood hazard data to support the National Flood Insurance Program. You can use the information to better understand your level of flood risk and type of flooding.
The FEMA Flood Hazard Layer can be exported for use in the EJScreen and EnviroAtlas
Find the Web Services link click here or use the link below to add the layer to EJScreen and EnviroAtlas (below)
NFHL (effective data only):
https://hazards.fema.gov/gis/nfhl/rest/services/public/NFHL/MapServer
You can also add an image overlay in Google Earth Pro using these instructions click here
Use FEMA Flood Hazard Layer in Google Earth
FEMA Resilience Analysis & Planning Tool (RAPT)
According to the RAPT website:
VISUALIZE and ANALYZE data for all phases of emergency management.
Use data to support critical emergency management decisions.
Support grant applications and presentations with key data that has a visual impact.
Tailor outreach strategies for your community.
Understand the population and infrastructure at risk for forecasted extreme weather.
Inform capability targets for THIRA/SPR, exercises, and Emergency Operations Plans.
Prioritize areas for evacuation, with estimates of nursing home and hospital beds.
Identify at-risk infrastructure assets.
Determine locations for Disaster Field Offices to best serve the community.
Identify food deserts and areas in needs of critical lifeline support.
And more...
According to the NRI website:
The National Risk Index is a dataset and online tool to help illustrate the United States communities most at risk for 18 natural hazards.
The National Risk Index provides relative Risk Index percentiles and ratings based on data for Expected Annual Loss due to natural hazards, Social Vulnerability, and Community Resilience.
Climate Mapping for Resilience and Adaptation
According to the CMRA website:
View real-time maps showing where climate-related hazards are occurring today
Check how your exposure to five common climate-related hazards is projected to change over time
Learn more about climate-related hazards and federal policies relevant to climate adaptation
Find federal funding opportunities that can help pay for climate resilience projects, including those available through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.