Chapter 9
Chapter 9 focuses on spatial analysis techniques, providing hands-on experience with proximity analysis, service areas, facility location modeling, and cluster detection. The service area analysis with Network Analyst caught my attention too—it made me think about how healthcare access in affected communities could be mapped and improved. The facility location modeling was cool because it helps optimize the placement of cleanup or medical facilities, something I hadn’t considered before.
Chapter 10
This chapter introduced me to raster data processing, which felt like a whole new way of thinking about GIS. I found kernel density mapping especially interesting—it’s a great way to visualize concentration patterns. The risk index modeling was another highlight because it combines multiple factors into a single predictive map. I also liked how raster data allows for continuous data representation, making it ideal for environmental applications like pollution spread or elevation modeling.
Chapter 11
This was probably the most visually exciting chapter so far. Seeing geographic data in 3D made patterns much more obvious, especially when extruding data to show differences in contamination or population density. I really enjoyed creating local scenes because it felt more immersive. The line-of-sight analysis was a cool concept. Overall, this chapter made me realize how 3D GIS can make spatial data more intuitive.
