The document describes plans to visualize a rain garden being installed at a property in Roseville, Minnesota. It provides context about the city's rain garden program and watershed. It outlines the methods to be used, including surveying the site, modeling water flow, and creating maps and animations to depict the garden over time. The goal is to portray the project from inception through construction and beyond to demonstrate the benefits of rain gardens.

1. Visualizing a New Rain Garden
via Geodesy and Animation in
Week 7 of Advanced Modeling at
St. Mary U. under Mr. John Ebert
__________________________________________
Kevin Byrne
October 20, 2009

2. Goal
To visualize rain garden planning along with an early
phase of installation in the Midland Hills neighborhood of
Roseville, MN. (Surveying then geovisualizing the front
yard site of one parcel prior to construction can serve as
a dramatic before/after portrayal from garden inception
to summer 2010 and beyond.)

3. Minor Watershed, Southern Portion of Rice Creek
20067
20070
20068
20069
20115
20113
20116

4. Walsh Lake Subwatershed
WL-7
WL-8
WL-5
WL-9
WL-4
WL-6
WL-1
WL-2
WL-3B WL-3A
0.25
Data Source: Roseville GIS
Map: Kevin Byrne
Miles

5. Context
• The City of Roseville (MN) launched a rain garden program in 2008
with the purpose of mitigating substandard drainage in its Midland
Hills neighborhood located in the southwest quadrant of the city.
• Cost of full sewer pipe replacement was estimated at $1 million.
• City Council instead funded the subsidy of rain gardens atop 15 of
its 130 parcels in order to greatly improve infiltration of runoff.
• All residents were volunteers and the project was funded by sewer
fees collected annually by the city from all of Roseville’s residents.
• Roseville’s Department of Engineering and City Council hope the
savings will be half the pipe replacement total.

11. Method
1. Gather .shp assets in order to geovisualize context, with initial foci: minor-,
subwater- and sewer-sheds.
2. Do site visits to exemplary Roseville and Arden Hills’ rain gardens.
3. Do a complete and accurate 2155 parcel geodesy: survey streetside of
the 2155 parcel with SMU’s Total Station and rec. grade Garmin GPS.
4. Create a custom .xls table showing feature numbers, HR, HD, VD, and
elevation attributes, then do spatial-join. Compare this with Garmin GPS.
5. Layer all files in ArcMap (.mxd) and ArcScene (.sxd) then iteratively refine
using Spatial Analyst and 3D Analyst extensions. Ponder flood factors.
6. Sequence multiple maps and compare with landscape architect’s plan.
7. Animate with ArcScene, export to video; photodocument the construction.

12. 2100-2200 Draper Avenue (Sequence) 1 of 6
ELAND AVE N
HIGHWAY 36 W
INTERSTATE 35W HIGHWAY 36 W
W
I35
NB
SAINT ANTHONY BLVD
TO
W
35
N BI
SB I35W TO CLEV
COUNTY ROAD B W
W
35
TE
STA
R
TE
IN
BROADWAY ST NE
FAIRVIEW AVE N
ROSELAWN AVE W
INDUSTRIAL BLVD
HIGHWAY 280
EUSTIS ST
CLEVELAND AVE N
Legend
HENNEPIN AVE E LARPENTEUR AVE W
roads
0.5
water
miles

13. 2100-2200 Draper Avenue (Sequence) 2 of 6
ELAND AVE N
HIGHWAY 36 W
INTERSTATE 35W HIGHWAY 36 W
W
I35
NB
SAINT ANTHONY BLVD
TO
46 W
35
N BI
SB I35W TO CLEV
COUNTY ROAD B W
W
35 2091
TE
TA
RS
TE
IN
Legend
roads
BROADWAY ST NE water
FAIRVIEW AVE N
Draper Av. homes
ROSELAWN AVE W steep slopes
INDUSTRIAL BLVD
HIGHWAY 280
class
2067
1
2
EUSTIS ST
elevation
61 1834
CLEVELAND AVE N
Value
3024 High : 1221
HENNEPIN AVE E LARPENTEUR AVE W
Low : 660
0.5
1833 sewersheds
3022 3161
3023 3021
miles 1832
1832

14. 2100-2200 Draper Avenue (Sequence) 3 of 6
ELAND AVE N
HIGHWAY 36 W
INTERSTATE 35W HIGHWAY 36 W
W
I35
NB
SAINT ANTHONY BLVD
TO
W
35
N BI
SB I35W TO CLEV
COUNTY ROAD B W
W
35
TE
STA
R
TE
IN
BROADWAY ST NE
FAIRVIEW AVE N
ROSELAWN AVE W
INDUSTRIAL BLVD
HIGHWAY 280
EUSTIS ST
CLEVELAND AVE N
HENNEPIN AVE E LARPENTEUR AVE W
0.5
miles

15. 2100-2200 Draper Avenue (Sequence) 4 of 6
2155
Legend
roads
water
ROSELAWN AVE W
Draper Av. homes
slope
by percent
CLEVELAND AVE N
0 - 13
14 - 38
39 - 85
0.1
86 - 480
miles

16. 2100-2200 Draper Avenue (Sequence) 5 of 6
Legend
CLEVELAND AVE N
roads
2155
water
Draper Av. homes
steep slopes
class
1
2
slope
ROSELAWN AVE W
by percent
0 - 13
14 - 38
0.05 39 - 85
86 - 480
miles

17. 2100-2200 Draper Avenue (Sequence) 6 of 6
CLEVELAND AVE N
2155
Legend
roads
water
Draper Av. homes
ROSELAWN AVE W
elevation
Value
High : 1221
0.05
Low : 660
miles

18. 2100-2200 Draper Avenue: Flow Directions
CLEVELAND AVE N
2155
Legend
roads
water
Draper Av. homes
rams
direction
ROSELAWN AVE W
from-to
High : 255
0.05
Low : 1
miles

24. backyard hub 96
7
2155 Draper
Pre-Rain Garden
97 96 96
0
97
9 8
97 73
975 97
2
9
97
Survey (Draft)
4
1
97
2
6
98
982
97
5
984
980
3
977
98
983
97
7
986
4
979
981
978
p
NE house cnr
fence post cnr
AC
maple tree
p
p
fruit tree N
978
p
SW house cnr p
hpeak
97
concr-asph NE p
brickwall N
974
9
concr-asph W
concr-asph SE
p p
W parcel line driveway no fruit tree E
p
birch tree N
brickwall S p p
w parcel line
p p SE parcel cnr
p
garden cntr so parcel line evergreen tree
hydrant
driveway ctr birch tree S p depression
976
975
SW parc cnr water
97 p
p 8
976
SE-most curb
curbline
curbline
974
977
front curbline
975 Byrne
mailbox curbline
5
97
974
driveway sw
973
20090726
SW-most curb curbline

25. 2162 2154 2146
11
10
960
47
970
990
11
00
980
1080
10
1030
1010
90
1000
1040
10
1020
80
1060
1070
1070
0
106
1030
2155
70
10
1070
2165 0 2145
105
48
1080
40
10
46
0
105
0
106
103
49 102
0
64 72 0
54
104
10 60
0
59 51 50 10 0
97
53
1030
58 57 60
1050
10
50 73
10
50
0
96
55
20
10
20
950
71 70 74
1030
69
1010
104 1030
0 75 40 1050
1040
1080
1070
62 68 39 441100 41 45 980
52
1060
66 990
105 56 63 1000
0 61 0
102
10
1020
109
90
42
65 0 67
1080
0 1000
101 1100 1120
0
109 1140 70
0 11
990 990 113 1160 1190
970 1210 1240
0 260 290
122 0 1 310 1 0
980
50
10
0
1060
1020 96 11 200 1
11
5
1020 1 50 127 320 70 13
100 1070 80 1 13 1410
0 1060 11 12
10
1100 1110
10

26. Garmin waypoints and tracks, with lines between features sketched and labeled
960
47
10
970
990
80
1080
980
1030
1040
1010
1000
1020
1070
1070
0
106
1030
70
1070
10
1060
50
10
48
1080
1060
2155
2165 10
40 2145
0
105
east
p ar ce
house
l line
10
30
49 102
64 72 0
54
104
0 10 60
50 10
brickwall
59 51
1030
53
asphalt-garden
58
10
57 60
10
50
1020 1030 1040
50 73
20
border
10
y
55
0
e
20
101
drivewa
centerlin
e
lin
990
el
71 70 74
ar c
104 1030 69
1050
0 1050
south parcel line
1000
75
1080
40
tp
1070
39
s
62
1060
11
we
52 68 44 41
56 63 66 00
curbline 0
102
61
109
0
65 67 1090 42
0 1000
101
0
110
990 990 40
0 11 0
1050
970 980 3
11 0 119
8
0 11 30
10
1020 0
96 15
1060
11
1020 0 01 1200 12 80
100
0 1060 1100
1080 1070 1090 112 17 12
10
1
10
25
Feet

27. backyard hub
2155 Draper Ave.
975 976
Roseville, MN
96
8
97
96
97
0
Pre Rain-Garden
9
1
97
2
Survey Map
97
977
3
979
97
4
978
p
NE house cnr
fence post cnr
AC
maple tree
house
p
p
p
SW house cnr
978
fruit tree N
hpeak
brickwall N
979
concr-asph NE p
concr-asph W
p
concr-asph SE
W parcel line
driveway no
p
p p
brickwall S birch tree N
fruit tree E
p
p
p
garden cntr p
p
975
SW parc cnr so parcel line SE parcel cnr
driveway ctr
p
garden hydrant
6
97
zone
water
974
Kevin Byrne
5
SE-most curb
97
SW-most curb front curbline driveway sw curbline
draft 2, 20090726
curbline curbline curbline
975
974

29. backyard hub 2155 Draper Avenue,
Roseville, Minnesota:
975 976
96
8
97
96
A Pre Rain-Garden
97
0
9
1
97
2
Survey and Map
97
977
3
979
97
4
978
station 25
p hub feet
Parcel shown in subwatershed locator map of northern Twin Cities suburbs.
NE house cnr
fence post cnr Figs. 1-4 depict some small white markers and
AC chalk crossings placed near survey features.
Some features are labeled. Contours are in feet.
Below: current flower gardens in foreground,
maple tree
future rain garden site outlined in red.
2 house
p
1
p
p
SW house cnr
978
fruit tree N
brickwall N
concr-asph NE hpeak p
979
concr-asph W
p
concr-asph SE
W parcel line
driveway no
p
p p
brickwall S birch tree N
fruit tree E
p 3
p
p
garden cntr p
p
975
SW parc cnr so parcel line SE parcel cnr
future
driveway ctr
p
hydrant
6
garden
97
water
5 974
SW-most curb
97
driveway sw front curbline
zone SE-most curb
Total-station help courtesy Charles Skelton,
curbline curbline curbline
975 Michelle Lichtig, and Brendan Byrne. Hub
curbline
4 placement courtesy Dana Stevens. Geodesy
974
and cartography by Kevin Byrne, August 2009.

46. What I learned
• Look and feel of a dozen rain gardens in two northern
suburban communities
• Specific criteria for rain garden planning and architecture
• Slope derivation from a DEM applied to my immediate
neighborhood (as opposed to someone else’s!)
• Landscape architecture of one Roseville parcel (2155 Draper)
• Animating in ArcScene via keyframing and scene-managing
• “Chats” are important with rg workers and it’s fun to do photo-
documentation “in the trenches” of garden installation at 2155

47. What’s still left to acknowledge and pursue
• It’s complicated
• Get the lead engineer’s (consultant hired by Roseville)
number into your cell phone – so you can stay on her/him!
• The onsite job manager is different than the lead engineer,
talk to her/him, give her/him and crew early Halloween treats!
• ArcScene’s animation menus and routines have some bugs
• ESRI’s online course titled Learning ArcGIS 3D Analyst isn’t
too expensive (approx. $100) and well worth the expense

48. Software and Researched Assets
• ESRI ArcGIS (ArcMap and ArcScene)
• ESRI extensions
o Spatial Analyst
o 3D Analyst
• SMU’s Total Station along with Garmin recreation-grade GPS
• Google Earth Pro versions 4.3 and 5.1, PC and Mac
• Shapefile assets from MetCouncil and DataDeli
• ESRI’s online course titled Learning ArcGIS 3D Analyst