Big Darby Accord, Franklin County, Ohio

These maps are part of the map series Understanding the Physical Environment prepared for the Big Darby Accord Watershed Land Use Plan. This plan provides for the long-term protection of the Big Darby watershed in central Ohio and coordinates efforts among 10 different jurisdictions. One of the primary goals of the plan is to preserve, protect, and improve, when possible, the Big Darby Creek watershed’s unique ecosystem. GIS analysis and mapping were extensively used to analyze various resources such as hydrology, soils, geology, vegetation, land use, infrastructure, and population growth trends and to provide input to hydrologic and water quality models.

The map series was created using ArcInfo and Adobe InDesign for the final layout. A seamless workflow process was established to import ArcInfo software-generated PDF format maps and legend output into an InDesign template. Microsoft Excel and Adobe Illustrator were used to generate the graphs.

For the Environmental Sensitivity Analysis map, the ModelBuilder application within ArcInfo was used to generate high-, medium-, and low-sensitivity zones by combining various environmental resource layers according to a ranking system. This map was used as a critical base for generating subsequent land-use alternatives and best management practices.