Margaret McKeen has developed her skills in GIS and spatial analysis over more than 30 years, (over 28 years of which within the institute), using mainly ESRI software, particularly using ModelBuilder and scripting, using Python and R. She applies her skills across most of the areas of research and commercial work undertaken within the institute including forensics in the UK and abroad. Margaret occasionally tutors colleagues who request help with GIS and spatial analysis and occasionally assisting on licensing and copyright issues.
Margaret has more than 20 years’ experience in working on visualising renewable energy projects using various software, including Windfarm software, to run visibility analysis for proposed renewable projects and produces high quality graphics, mainly for wind power and contributing to environmental statements for windfarm planning submissions and consultations by SNH, (now NatureScot) on visualisation techniques in wind farm development and undertaking research contributing to planning strategies for local authorities.
Margaret very much enjoys the Knowledge Exchange, (KE) aspects of her work having produced everything from photomontages for planning application, to coordinating and collating materials for conferences and exhibitions, (e.g., All Energy) to producing materials such as colour by soil character maps and quizzes for public open days and school visits.
Within the environment of the Institute she frequently handles, manipulates and analyses national datasets, such as the 1:250 000 National Soils Map [1] data and Land Cover of Scotland datasets [2] and OS datasets such as MasterMapTM working across a range of research themes. She provides GIS support for colleagues from all areas of the research programs, for both internal and external projects. She has worked on projects ranging from peat restoration, soil mapping to mapping community resilience during Covid-19 restrictions.
Margaret provides GIS and spatial analysis support to six of the work packages from 2023 - 2028 Rural Affairs, Food and the Environment (RAFE) Strategic Research Programme [3],
She has also contributed to research which has fed into visualisation for planning guidelines for windfarm development for The Highland Council and contributed to the SNH consultations regarding the revision of their LVIA guidelines. She has worked with Scotland's Centre of Expertise for Waters (CREW) [4] on a project to build a Scottish Digital River Network from existing local authority and Scottish Water culvert data and OS MasterMapTM Water features and to feed into subsequent OS MasterMap Water Network LayerTM [5] releases. She has also worked with ClimateXChange (CXC) [6] on projects looking at influences on the effects of climate change, such as the increase in impermeable surfaces across Scotland and has worked on various projects and contracts for Scottish Government over the years over and above the work included in the Rural Affairs, Food and Environment Strategic Research Programme.
She is also provides GIS support and analysis for a range of EU funded projects e.g. complteed project, Social Innovation in Marginalised Rural Areas (SIMRA), European Union H2020 [7] and has provided GIS and analysis for forensic projects throughout the UK and Europe, providing collation of data and building GIS applications to allow mapping of the data collated.
Most recently Margaret has worked on projects looking at potential peatland restoration both in Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Links:
[1] https://www.hutton.ac.uk/learning/natural-resource-datasets/soilshutton/soils-maps-scotland/download#soilmapdata
[2] https://data.gov.uk/dataset/c373c59e-7b4b-4852-ab1d-553324655917/land-cover-scotland-lcs-1988
[3] http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Research/About/EBAR/StrategicResearch/strategicresearch2016-21
[4] http://www.crew.ac.uk/
[5] https://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/business-and-government/products/os-mastermap-water-network.html
[6] http://www.climatexchange.org.uk/
[7] http://www.simra-h2020.eu/