Loewenstern.weebly.com



Why there, Walmart?

Instructions: Answer the bolded questions in this activity in complete sentences on separate sheet(s) of paper. Number your responses. There are 13 questions total.

1.) Go to , login, and click on “Map”.

2.) Click “Add.” Then click “Search for Layers.”

In the “In” window, select “ArcGIS Online”.

In the “Find” window, type “walmart distribution”.

In the list of results you should find “WMT and AMZN distribution centers”. Click on “Add

to map.”

Make sure that “ArcGIS Online” is selected in the “In” window each time and search for the following

additional layers and also add them to the map:

“World Transportation”

“USA Population Density” Near the top in list of results you should find “2012 USA Population

Density (Mature Support)”

Click “Content.” Click on the three dots under “2012 USA Population Density (Mature Support)”

Click on “Transparency” and move the transparency to around 50%

Click on “done adding layers”. Click on legend so that you can see how population density is

measured.

3.) Pan the map. Which general areas of the U.S. are more concentrated with distribution centers? Why? Zoom in on Texas. Where are distribution centers located in Texas? With a focus on Texas, what conclusions can you make as to why these locations for distributions centers were chosen by Walmart? You can see a similar pattern in other areas of U.S.

TIPS: Be sure to click and unclick layers in the “Contents” tab to see what you want to see more clearly. To get to “Content” and “Legend” tabs, click on “Details” tab first. Also, click the home button to zoom back out with the entire U.S. in focus when needed.

4.) Click “Add.” Make sure that “ArcGIS Online” is selected in the “In” window and type in “Walmart”. From the list of results choose following additional layer and also add it to the map: “Walmart in US and Canada”

The sheer number of Walmart stores is somewhat overwhelming when zoomed out to the national scale but when you zoom in to the state or city scale, you can see distances between stores more clearly.

5.) Zoom in on the greater Austin metro area. How many Walmart stores are there in Austin?

In the search box that says “Find Address or Place” type in your home address. Click “Measure” and choose “distance” (the ruler). Measure (click to start, double-click to stop) the distance from your house to the closest Walmart. What is the distance? Zoom back to your home. Above the map, click the “Add” button, choose “Add Map Notes,” and use the “Map Notes” template by clicking “Create.” Drop a pushpin on your home. Repeat the process to drop a pushpin on the nearest Walmart to your home.

Why do you think some of the Walmart stores are so close together? Glimpse at stores in San Antonio, Houston or Dallas/Fort Worth and you will see a similar pattern.

6.) Zoom back in on Austin. Find the Walmart on Anderson Lane. What stores are located nearby? Walmart prompted the opening of other businesses in Northcross Mall. How? Explain.

7.) Make sure that “ArcGIS Online” is selected in the “In” window and search for the following additional layers and also add them to the map:

“World’s 50 Biggest Container Ports”

“Global Shipping Routes”

Click on “done adding layers”. Then click on legend so that you can see what the features that you have added to map are showing.

Take a good look at some of the largest shipping routes. Zoom out to follow the routes and zoom in to see where the routes start and end. Where do you think the majority of Walmart retail items are produced? Name 2-3 locations of ports in the U.S. with high volumes of imports.

Measure the distance from one large port to a Walmart distribution center. What is the distance?

Time Permitting:

8.) Make sure that “ArcGIS Online” is selected in the “In” window and search for the following additional layer and also add it to the map:

“2014 USA Per Capita Income”

Zoom in on Austin. Are there any patterns? What observations and conclusions can you make about per capita income and Walmart locations? Zoom out to see surrounding counties. What other observations can you make?

Relevant Vocabulary Connected to Wal-Mart GIS Activity:

Instructions: look up definitions of the following terms and write them down. Then, in 1-2 sentences and in your own words, connect each term to the GIS Walmart activity in some way.

DUE A – 9/2, B- 9/1 (due on same day as U.S. Political Map Quiz).

functional region -

spatial distribution -

location theory -

scale -

per capita income -

break of bulk -

agglomeration -

globalization -

supply chain -

logistics -

“USA Population Density (Mature Support)” ???

................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download