This project, led by Alachua County, aims to develop an interactive map of the local food system, which includes but is not limited to food security, food retailers, food processing and distribution sites, and farms and food producers.
The GeoPlan Center worked with the county to build a comprehensive geospatial database of these food system components, as one did not exist previously. Building the database involved data wrangling (acquiring, cleaning, organizing data) to fit the needs of the project.
The database includes data such as:
- food production sites: farms, apiaries and breweries
- food retail: restaurants, grocery stores, and farmers’ markets
- food processing facilities: distribution facilities and commercial kitchens
- food assistance sites: senior meal sites and food banks
The Alachua County foodshed map includes 15 counties: Alachua, Baker, Bradford, Clay, Columbia, Dixie, Duval, Gilchrist, Lafayette, Levy, Marion, Putnam, St. Johns, Suwannee, and Union.
Alachua County is currently developing an interactive foodshed map using the geospatial database compiled by GeoPlan.
GeoPlan Team on this project:
- Erik Finlay, Principal Investigator
- Jess Hays, Student in Sustainability & Built Environment