This allowed me to put the rodent sighting calls into context, producing a bar chart showing other changes besides this one category. After finding out the top 9 types of requests for the entire dataset, the numbers for each of these categories were also collected before and during the lockdown. In order to see the larger picture, the total amount of 311 calls collected during the 2 time periods was also collected. This allowed me to generate a line graph showing the trend of when people are reporting rodent sightings during the data, as well as running a Chi-squared test to see if there is a correlation between the rodent sighting-related complaints about these time periods before and during the lockdown. I then grouped all rodent sighting-related calls to 3 different time periods of the day: 12 am to 8 am, 9 am to 4 pm, and 5 pm to 11 pm. Because NYC Open Data display dates and time in the column, the column was also separated into two. The two datasets were then uploaded to OpenRefine so that all the irrelevant columns and null values can be removed. For the purpose of this project, the complaint reasons were limited to only rat and mouse sightings so that the focus is narrowed. Rodent-related 311 calls are classified into five categories: signs of rodents, conditions attracting rodents, rat sighting, mouse sighting, and rodent bites. ![]() Then the same time period was subtracted from the day before the lockdown to determine the first date before the lockdown period, which was Nov 18, 2018. The lockdown went from to Jun 23, 2021, which was 474 days. For the second part of the map, 2 other distinct colors were chosen to distinguish between its goals, and slightly longer paragraphs were written to explain the findings, especially when it comes to data analysis.Īfter deciding to use the 311 Service Request dataset available on NYC OpenData website, the lockdown period was selected and the duration of the lockdown was calculated. With these goals in mind, I decided to use simple and easily understandable color pallets, combine with shapes and lines to guide people’s eyes to navigate the main map. ![]() With more visuals than words, it will also benefit those who are less fluent in technical terms and attract audiences. Now knowing how to use geospatial data and software like QGIS, I decided to produce a series of infographics accompanied by short paragraphs, so that people can see the changes with more clarity. It was also in the form of a report, which was long and hard to read. The previous project merely used R Studio to create heat maps representing the rodent report, housing, and restaurant hotspots on the New York City map, which made it hard to see and understand. This was a continuation of one of my previous projects. It also looks at the amount of rodent sighting-related calls compare to other types of 311 complaints, as well as call volume distribution through different time periods of the day to further discuss what are some of the possible causes of this increase in rodent activity change. This project aims to visualize rodent activity changes before and during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown since March 2020, especially concerning restaurants closing and people staying home. Thus, it is important to monitor and study changes in urban rodent’s population and behavior in order to effectively manage these pests. Because urban rats depend on human as resources, their population is bound to be affected by the changes in human behavior following natural catastrophes. They cost billions of dollars to society due to contaminated foods, the spread of disease-causing pathogens, infrastructure damage, and fires from electrical short-circuits caused by gnawing every year (Parsons et al., 2021 Bedoya-Pérez et al., 2021). These rats are commensal rats, which include Norway rats, roof rats, and house mice, and they live off humans and animals. muricide) and cannibalism in New York City (NYC) (as cited in Parsons et al., 2021).Ī 2014 study estimated that there were around 2 million rats (☑50 000) in New York City (Auerbach). As the measures stretched out through 2020, media and pest management authorities suggested increased sightings of rats, including aggressive behaviors during daylight hours, and in close proximity to people, as well as an increase of lethal competition between rats (e.g. ![]() Around March 20, a state-wide stay-at-home order was declared, and all non- essential businesses were ordered to close, including restaurants. ![]() Social distancing and lockdown measures soon followed this order to curtail the spread of the virus. New York declared state of emergency on Main response to the spread of SARS-CoV-2.
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