1. Mapping the Gracelawn Cemetery Information Technology/GIS
City of Edmond
Information Technology/GIS
Christy Batterson
Ian Peebles
OKSCAUG
2013

2. Overview 2013 OKSCAUG Background of project Process
Result and Challenges
Future Plans
OKSCAUG
2013

3. Background 2013 OKSCAUG History of Cemetery:
Gracelawn Cemetery was established by the citizens of Edmond in April 1895 and is located at the northwest corner of East Danforth and North Boulevard.
Original section of Grace Lawn Cemetery designed in a wagon wheel design in honor of the 1889ers that settled the town of Edmond
In late 1934, the Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA) announced it would provide funds to construct a rock wall on the east and south sides of Grace Lawn. WPA workers completed the wall in A WPA shield embedded in the cemetery wall reads: “USA, 1940, WPA, Oklahoma.”
Veterans Memorial located in the SW corner of Gracelawn Cemetery. This memorial consists of 4 granite markers representing the branches of the armed services, surrounding a central granite marker dedicated to the memory of all. Buried at the site are the historical scrolls naming the veterans, contributors, area pioneers, Edmond city officials, and community leaders.
Maintained by the City of Edmond Parks and Recreation department and the City Clerk’s office processes all records.
OKSCAUG
2013

4. Need to migrate: 2013 OKSCAUG
Information was stored in Q&A flat file database
and hand written records
City Clerk’s office was looking at software specific
to cemetery record keeping
Capability for public to search records
GIS provided the best solution
OKSCAUG
2013

5. Creating the Dataset 2013 OKSCAUG Data Sources
The following data sources were collected:
Hard copy cemetery maps that were scanned.
Documents showing blocks, lots, spaces and additional notes.
An export of the Q&A database containing all cemetery records.
GPS data of corner markers.
OKSCAUG
2013

6. Creating the Dataset 2013 OKSCAUG Cemetery Data Design
The GIS Team worked with City Clerk’s office and Cemetery Staff to discuss the design of the cemetery dataset.
A spreadsheet was produced to document all data structure changes.
The datasets were designed based on the source data and application requirements.
OKSCAUG
2013

7. Creating the Dataset 2013 OKSCAUG Cemetery Data Structure
Cemetery Space Fields
Cemetery Data Structure
Following the design, the cemetery feature dataset was created and added into SDE.
2 feature classes (cemetery lots and cemetery spaces).
Cemetery lots contains 9 fields.
Cemetery spaces contains 53 fields.
Cemetery data uses 3 domains.
Datasets
Cemetery Lots Fields
OKSCAUG
2013
Domains

8. Creating Lots and Spaces
Building Cemetery Lots
Following steps were used to build cemetery lots:
1. With the use of the latest air photo and ground control from the GPS data scanned maps were georeferenced.
2. Measurements of the lots were retrieved from the georeferenced maps. Using CEDRA and ESRI editing tools, block and lot lines were generated.
3. Built polygons and copied into SDE. Populated block, lot, and Gracelawn Lot ID numbers in attributes table.
4. Performed QC of block and lot
numbers based on scanned
maps and data exported from
Q&A database as well as additional
notes from hand records.
OKSCAUG
2013

9. Creating Lots and Spaces
Building Cemetery Spaces
Following steps were used to build cemetery spaces:
1. Existing polygon lot features were divided into sections based on the number of spaces within the lot.
2. Centroid points were generated for each section and then copied into the cemetery spaces feature class in SDE.
3. Populated missing block and lot information in attributes table. Also generated the Gracelawn Lot ID and Gracelawn Space ID.
4. Performed QC of block and lot
numbers based on scanned
maps and data exported from
Q&A database as well as additional
notes from hand records.
OKSCAUG
2013

10. Data Mapping 2013 OKSCAUG Data Mapping
Following steps were used to process and populate cemetery records:
1. Exported latest copy of cemetery records from Q&A database into a dbase (.dbf) file format.
2. Joined Q&A table to Gracelawn Cemetery Spaces datasets based on Space ID number.
3. Performed QC to determine which records that did not join from Q&A table to Cemetery Spaces dataset.
4. Worked with Cemetery Staff to determine correct Space ID number for records that did not match.
5. Staff decided how they want to handle special instances where there were shared spaces in source data. Additional points were added for shared spaces.
OKSCAUG
2013

11. Data Mapping 2013 OKSCAUG Data Mapping cont.
6. Staff modified source data when inconsistencies were found.
7. Received new export of Q&A database and performed join again……again…..again and again.
8. Performed QC to ensure all cemetery records were joined.
9. Used the table join to calculate fields in the cemetery space feature class based on the fields from Q&A table.
10. Performed QC to ensure all cemetery records were populated accurately.
11. All original Cemetery Space ID numbers from the Q&A database were stored in a Legacy ID field in the Cemetery Spaces feature class.
OKSCAUG
2013

12. Results 2013 OKSCAUG Cemetery Dataset Overview
The Cemetery Lots feature class contain nearly 4,600 records.
Cemetery Lots are symbolized based on lot usage including:
- Lot (gravesites)
- Bench
- Building and Maintenance
- Right-of-Way (ROW)
- Unavailable Lots
- Vegetation
The Cemetery Spaces feature class contain 15,785 records.
Cemetery Spaces are symbolized by a status including:
- Available
- For Sale By Owner
- Occupied
- Pending
- Unavailable
OKSCAUG
2013

13. Challenges 2013 OKSCAUG Source data had inconsistencies (weird data)
Old plats, hand records
and hand drawn maps
No corner pins – no
bearings or distances;
wagon wheel
Different people managing cemetery over time – i.e. record keeping; spaces on top of each other……….no records…..eeriness….
OKSCAUG
2013

14. Web Application Overview
An ArcGIS Server web application solution was developed to allow City Clerk’s Staff to update, retrieve, and find cemetery records.
Application was built using the ArcGIS Server 10.0
Web ADF.
Contains basic navigation tools (pan, zoom, identify and measure).
Search tools are provided including: Find Block, Find Block and Lot, Find Owner Name, and Find Deceased Name.
Editing is provided, but only for editing feature attributes. Modifying feature geometry is not part of this application.
A custom data editor form tool provided by CEDRA is included to modify cemetery records.
Planned migration to Javascript solution.

15. Web Application Demo
OKSCAUG
2013

16. Future Plans 2013 OKSCAUG Migration to JAVA script based application
Collecting imagery of monuments – hyperlink
Public use – preparing application and data
OKSCAUG
2013