Activity Report 1, Robert Stafford

I am currently trying to organize all of the information I will need for our group presentation. I am also working with my group getting and getting the information to our group leader in a timely manner. Most importantly I am trying to stay focused on the task at hand and working to provide a great presentation.

-Robert Stafford

Activity Report - Cailen 06/05/12

At this moment in ENGL 314, I am continuing research into trail construction methods for our proposed trail from Six Mile to Clemson. I am relying heavily on the research already laid out in the Greenville Bikeville report, for in this report the authors expended a great deal of effort in performing detailed research of bike path construction methodologies. I am also finalizing the justification for the trail location that was chosen from the candidate trail locations.

Brochure Pictures

               For the first visual we chose to have a picture of a well-designed trail that includes people using it and having a good time. The main purpose of the picture is to engage the reader about trails and make them interested in using them. It does so by showing people having a good time while using the trails. The picture isn’t complex and it does not need to be, since the people that would be reading this brochure would be average. The picture is not titled or numbered, but there is a caption to go with the picture and do to its placement in the brochure numbering the picture would make it seem out of place. Since there is no data included with the picture, no cites are needed. On the other hand, the caption includes data and that is referenced. The visual is someone else’s and I did keep the source information to later acknowledge their ownership. It is not included in the brochure because it would distract from the focus. The visual can stand for itself since it has a simple meaning. The visual is uncrowded in the brochure and is appropriate for the need of the photo, to show trails are fun. Lastly, it is easy to locate and it is next to the text that goes with it.

               The next visual used serves the same purpose. It shows how a group of people can find trails enjoyable. Yet again this picture is simple for a simple audience. This picture is not numbered or titled but does not need to be. The picture’s purpose is to entice readers while filling space on the brochure. This way the brochure can include the desired amount of information, while also looking appealing with more visuals for the audience. Again, the photo can stand by itself due to its simplistic meaning. The photo shows elderly people having fun, which also makes it appeal to the older generations. At the same time, it is of a group of people and thus the picture appeals to families and friends, by communicating a message of togetherness. As a result of appealing to a wide variety of viewers, it is a great type of visual to include. Lastly, the photo is easy to locate and is placed next to the benefits section making it in the optimal place.

               The last image is of an area along the trail from Six Mile to Clemson. The image serves the purpose of displaying what part of the trail path looks like. There is a tittle and caption that go with the picture, as well as a location of where the section of the trail goes on the map. As a result, it does not need to be numbered. Since the picture is original, it does not need to be cited. As far as meaning goes, the image could not stand by itself. However it does not need to since it is attached, by a line, to what it represents. It is easy to find and has an adequate amount of borders. Overall, it greatly qualifies for the type of picture needed for an additional picture on the map.

-Alex Whitman

Research update

            The research I have been assigned for this project has to do with convincing people that our proposed trails are a good thing. In the last progress update, I told everyone about the research I found on the benefits of trails. Building from that, getting people motivated about biking and hiking is easier once their desires are understood. As a result, the research I have been conducting for this week entails the wants of the people.

            I created the following survey to examine people’s wants of trails, which I plan to give out in the next few days;

1.)   What is your gender?

2.)   How old are you?

3.)   On a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being seldom and 5 being very often, how frequently would you use trails to commute from place to place, given it was a reasonable distance?

4.)   On a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being no affect and 5 being strongly affects, how would the accessibility of public restrooms affect your likelihood of using trails?

5.)   On a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being very concerned and 5 being not concerned, how concerned would you be about the closeness between the side of the road and the trail path?

6.)   How much do you enjoy walking or biking outside, on a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 meaning you find it dreadful and 5 meaning you find it very joyful?

7.)   On a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being seldom and 5 being often, how often would you use trails by yourself, relative to how often you use trails now?

8.)   On a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being far away and 5 being very close, close to businesses, such as gas station and fast food restaurants, would you like the trail to be?

9.)   On a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being strongly against and 5 being strongly for, how much would you like to see mile markers?

10.)                   On a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being unlikely and 5 being very likely, how likely would you use trails if it meant they were publicly maintained ? For example things like trash and litter would stay on the trails unless the people using them took care of it.

11.)                   If it cost the same to create trails out of any type of material, which of the following materials would you like the trails to be made out of: cement, rubber, dirt, gravel, or grass?

12.)                   Would you rather bike, walk, or run on trails?

These questions are designed to observe the desires of people based on their age group and gender. After I have conducted the study I will be able to appeal to all types of people and list benefits accordingly. This will make advertising the project to be more successful.

      In addition to finding the people’s interests, I’m assigned the task of finding out who we should contact about making the trails a possibility. The first step would be proposing our information to the mayor. The mayor of Six Mile, Roy Stoddard, can be contacted by email at roy_stoddard@sixmilesc.org. Also, we would need to arrange a meeting with the council, which could be done by calling 864-868-2653. The council also meets on the first Tuesday of every month, so we could propose our ideas at that time. This information was obtained from the following website: http://thetownofsixmile.wordpress.com/2010/08/20/hello-world/.

      In addition to communicating with the government of Six Mile, we would need to talk to the government of Clemson. To do that we would first need to arrange a meeting by contacting Mr. J. C Cook III at Mayor@cityofclemson.org or  (864) 653-2030. This information was found from http://www.cityofclemson.org/city/city-council. Overall in order to make the trails a reality, we would have to finalize all our information, including the funding, costs, benefit, people’s opinions, and our ideas about where the trails could be constructed. Then we could present it to the two city councils to discuss the possible growth and development of trail transportation.

-Alex Whitman

Funding report

Funding Report:

            The Six Mile Hiking and Biking trail will be a great asset to the surrounding community. The key to this project will be a cost effective build with little or no financial help from the community.  This project will combine government grants, funding from the SCDOT, our sponsors, other state funding and programs. The Federal government has a few grants available depending on need and location. The SCDOT gives money from the SAFETEA-LU federal fund. These programs require anywhere from zero to twenty percent fund matching. Our sponsors as of now are Clemson University, the Town of Six Mile, and Daniel High School. These organizations are willing to provide assistance for upkeep as well as helping with funding if needed. Since Clemson University owns the experimental forest which houses some of the trails we use, they will provide rest areas, kiosks, and markers for this area. The state of South Carolina provides funding in a few different ways. The Safe Routes to School program provides funding for safe travel to school.  The Recreational Trails Program gives funding for trails around the state. The Highway Safety Improvement Program provides funding for sidewalks and bike lanes on existing roads to provide safer travel for walkers and bikers. There are also other programs available for funding. The American Greenways program, the Bikes Belong Grant, and the Adopt a Bikeway, Sidewalk and Trail Programs, which help with upkeep of the trails. If extra funding is needed some states have implemented taxes that help with the upkeep of the trails such as a bike tax, and a 1/10^th percent addition to the gas tax. 

-Robert Stafford

Research Progress Report - Cailen

                My contributions to the project are going splendidly in my opinion. I am tasked with the geographical layout of the trail and its construction methods. I have admittedly done little research on construction methods, and I have been focusing more on the trail layout.

                I began my research on trail layout by defining some important characteristics of a good trail. For this trail, I decided that the relatively difficulty of the trail should be low so that novice riders can use it and riders who rely on it for daily commuting are not tired out by it. This was my absolute primary goal in researching trail locations. Secondary considerations were also defined, but these became obsolete as the primary criterion was used to cancel all but one possible trail route. I took three different road routes from Clemson to Six Mile and paid close attention to the terrain as I followed along. In general, roads are graded to reduce hilly terrain, so I paid more attention to the hills and geographical features along the side of the road than I did to the road itself. The trail would likely have to follow near the road, although it is not necessarily coincident with it, so this research strategy was justified.  In travelling the three different routes, I immediately noticed that two of the potential routes were far too hilly to be considered as possible bike routes. As the routes neared Lake Hartwell, they became especially unfriendly to casual bikers. Even the road had long uphills in excess of a quarter mile. Exploring the routes between these main candidates proved that the terrain was equally hilly between. I eventually settled on the middle route, which parallels SC Highway 133, as its terrain was the simplest for casual riders. This is also likely why they built a main highway along this route; the terrain is gentle.

-Cailen

Brochure Update

Here's a sampling of the visuals used on our brochure. I will apply the checklist in Chapter 12 of the online book to these visuals, with the numbering below:

1. Does the visual serve a valid purpose (clarification, not mere ornamentation)?
2. Is the level of complexity appropriate for the audience?
3. Is the visual titled and numbered?
4. Are all patterns identified by label or legend?
5. Are all values or units of measurement specified?
6. (Question omitted for relevance, seems this question is more appropriate for graphs/charts, which you won't find in this post)
7. Are captions and explanatory notes provided as needed?
8. (Question omitted for relevance, all visuals herein are original and are not derived from sources)
9. (Question omitted for relevance, all visuals herein are original)
10. Is the visual introduced, discussed, interpreted, integrated with the text, and referred to by number?
11. Can the visual itself stand alone in terms of meaning?
12. Is this the best type of visual for my purpose and audience?
13. (Question omitted for relevance, no data tables here)
14. Is the visual uncrowded, uncluttered, and free of "visual noise"?
15. Is color used tastefully and appropriately?
16. Is the visual ethically acceptable?
17. Does the visual respect readers' cultural values?
18. Is the visual easy to locate?
19. Do all design elements achieve balance?
20. Is the visual positioned on the page to achieve balance?
21. Is the visual set off by adequate white space or borders?
22. (Question omitted for relevance, no data tables here)
23. Is the visual placed near the text it is helping to describe?

This is an excerpt of the map created for the brochure. The entire map is too large to include here.

(1) This map is essential to the brochure. Without it, we would simply be describing some imaginary concept with no ability for its readers to see it
(2) The map is not very complex, although it does assume the reader is familiar with local roads and landmarks, and that the reader can comprehend basic map elements such as a key-symbol system and scale.
(3) Although not shown here, in the brochure the map is titled. No number is used since it is not competing with other maps for recognition
(4) A legend is provided to identify map markers
(5) Mileages are given for the trails. No other quantities are unit-signed
(7) Explanatory notes are given for each side trail. This is more visually pleasing than labeling them with markers and referring to these markers elsewhere in the brochure (an alternative method considered).
(10) This is not visible here, but in the brochure the map is not expressly referred to. However, the map takes up the entire back three panels of the brochure, so it is difficult for the reader to miss it.
(11) This map could likely stand alone and still be interpreted correctly. No outside context is required.
(12) This map is the best way to show a trail and familiarize readers with it. A video would also be useful, but that is not possible to put in a brochure and keep the brochure at a comfortable bulk and economical cost to produce
(14) The map is as free from visual noise as possible. The map shows only topographical features and city names. A more cluttered map could have easily been made by also showing roads and unrelated points of interest. Care was taken to avoid this.
(15) There are no garish color schemes.
(16) No ethical concerns are brought up by this visual.
(17) To my knowledge, this map does not offend any cultures.
(18) The visual will be easy to locate on the brochure. As stated in (10), it takes up the entire back panel of the brochure, so it will be difficult to miss.
(19) Balance was attempted in this map. The trail notes were spaced evenly on either side of the map instead of grouping them all together on one side of the map.
(20) The map is centered on the back panel of the brochure. It is balanced.
(21) The map has white space surrounding it to keep it from overwhelming the space it is assigned.
(23) Although not shown in this excerpt, an explanatory note is found at the top of the map explaining specifics of the map. The proximity of the note to the map it describes could not be more optimal.

This is one of the explanatory notes attached to one of the side trails on the map.

(1) The purpose of the visual is to provide the reader with an idea of what this side trail looks like, to help him or her decide whether it is worth pursuing.
(2) The visual is not complex.
(3) The visual is titled by the name of the trail it describes.
(4) The bike scale is identified by the legend for the entire map.
(5) Mileage is labeled
(7) Captioned
(10) It's not referred to by number, but its leader line on the map clearly points to what part of the map it is referring to.
(11) This visual could not stand by itself very well, unless the reader was already preinformed that he or she was looking at descriptions of trails.
(12) I believe a picture is the best way to show what the trail is supposed to be.
(14) The picture is simple and easy to understand in purpose and composition.
(15) I believe the borders and fill color are tasteful.
(16) I believe this is ethically neutral.
(17) No cultural values are offended I would hope.
(18) The visual is easy to locate on the map it is a part of.
(19) It's a pretty balanced visual.
(20) It has nice borders. There's no clutter.
(22) The visual and text are right next to each other.

This is another trail explanation box on the map. Its checklist answers are similar enough to the box above that I won't answer all the questions again. Note that in this picture, the strenuousness of the trail is being focused on by the actions of the model, since the trail itself has no real striking visual features to harp on.

-Cailen