Geography 291: Geospatial Analysis with Desktop GIS

Chapter 4 was about file geodatabases and this went pretty smoothly for me with the attributes and such. I attached some screenshots of my work from this chapter. Chapter 5 was more difficult. I ran into some issues with the data I had downloaded because it was different than the book said and I couldn’t find the columns I was looking for to do some of the tutorials. I’m not sure what happened. But after reading the chapter and tutorials, I think that if my data was represented in the way it was in the book, I would have been able to do this easily, so I get the concept. Chapter 6 was mostly fine, I found it interesting. Chapter 7 was super fun actually I liked the polygons! Chapter 8 was also pretty smooth. No big issues to report. I have attached some work from the tutorials as well as my Delaware data in ArcGIS

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I did not have any crazy issues with the tutorials in Chapter 1. This was mostly just introducing to the software itself and finding basics of where things are. It seems really fun and fairly easy to use just from this introduction. I didn’t run into any issues with Chapter 2 either. I really liked chapter 2 with the map design aspects and showing different ways to display data to best symbolize the point you are trying to get across. I had a few more issues with chapter 3; it was not directly related to mapping, but more finding data and sharing the maps. I didn’t have problems with the charts, but sharing was a little tougher. Here are my maps from Tutorial 1-1, Tutorial 2-2, and Tutorial 2-6.

Only really had problems with chapter 10.

10-2 – I couldn’t find the heart attack density for the input raster so I couldn’t finish the tutorial. SS of what I got to below.

10-3 The app crashed out on me when I tried to open the tutorial. I fixed it tho.

Ch 9

Ch 10

Ch 11

 

Chapter 4

Mapping density shows you where the highest concentration of features is, useful for looking at patterns and mapping areas of different sizes more than it is for the location of individual features. A density map using areal units like hectares or miles makes it easier to see higher concentrations of features than by simply mapping the individual points. When making a density map you can map points or lines as a density surface, or you can map information already summarized by defined areas like counties. There’s a difference between mapping features (locations of businesses) or feature values (the number of employees at each business) which can create drastically different patterns and have different use cases. You can map density either by a defined area or by density surface. Dot maps are a defined area density map that collects a specified number of features represented as a single dot. The concentration of thee points will represent density graphically rather than density value. Dot maps provide a quicker sense of density to the reader, as the dots are easier to read. When calculating a density value for defined areas you do so based on the areal extent of each polygon, dividing the total population of features within that area by the areal value. This is usually displayed as a shaded map. Calculating by density surface is usually done through a GIS raster layer, which uses the features found within a cell to define its density value. The cell searches for features within a defined radius around it and assigns itself a value before the GIS repeats this in the next cell, this creates a running average of features per area and results in a smoothed surface.

Chapter 5

People map what’s inside an area to monitor what’s occurring inside it or to compare several areas. This helps people know whether to take action (if drug arrests occur within proximity to a school there’s harsher punishment) and it lets people compare what areas have more or less of certain features (conservation organization targeting areas with the most old growth forest). To find what’s inside you can draw area boundaries over the features, letting you selected and summarize the features contained within. Single area mapping lets you look at service areas around a central facility, or buffer that define a protected distance around certain features, administrative or natural boundaries, manually drawn areas, or the resulting boundaries drawn by a model. You can also find what’s inside several areas you’re treating as one (contiguous like zip codes, disjunct like state parks, or nested like 50- and 100-year floodplains).

Chapter 6

You can use GIS to find out what’s happening within a set distance of a feature, and what’s in traveling range. Finding out within a set distance identifies the area, and the features inside it, that will be affected by an event or activity. This could be a city planner needing to notify all residents within 500 feet of a proposed liquor store, or inclement disastrous weather like flooding. Finding within a set distance also lets you monitor activity within it like preventing logging within stream buffers. Traveling range is measured using distance, time, or cost. Finding traveling range can help design the area served by facilities like fire stations or stores. You can measure straight-line distance, measure distance or cost over a network, or measure cost over a surface. Though it may not immediately seem like it time is a measure of cost. Sometimes it will matter whether you are measuring over a flat plane or over the curvature of the earth. If your area of interest is small like a city, a county, or a state it would be easier to use a flat plane because the curvature does not affect measurements that severely. For larger areas of interest, you’ll need to account for the curvature of the earth.

Chapter 4 – File Geodatabases

Tutorial 1 – To import some data, I will want to open geoprocessing, look up ‘export features’ in tools, and then find the things I would like to import. Such as a shape or dataset. I will want to set up the folder connection prior to doing this. To import a set of data into a file godatabase I will first want to have my excel file as a .csv file in order to import it. To get a data table, I will want to look up ‘export table’ in the tools. It will be the same process as the shape data. In order to use the data I will right click databases, then click ‘new file geodatabase’ which is under the catalogue. I had gotten pretty lost at this part, the MaricopaTracts had not saved where I believe the book wanted me to save it. I am going to skip to Tutorial 3 and hope I can figure out this process later.

Tutorial 2 – Due to not completing Tutorial 1 due to a few issues I couldn’t figure out. Some notes I have attached are on the general process for modifying the values for attributes. I’ll want to right click the data I want to create an atribute for in the contents page, then click “Data Designs” then Fields. I’ll want to hold Ctrl while selecting all the rows except for the ones I do not want to mess with, then save while on the Fields tab. While the tracts attribute table is open, I will want to look at the fields view, then add a new field. Then I will want to type in the name of the field and click what I want the data type to be. Then save it. Once I have figured out what I want my attribute to be I will want t ojoin the tata table tothe feature class attribute table, this is done by going to the contents pane, then right clicking the data set i wan to bind, then click join. The rest of the set seems relatively intuitive, however if I run into issues it is found in around page 96 – 97. 

Tutorial 3 – A lot of the content here reminded me of soem intro to computer science stuff, which was making different conditional statements ‘and/or’. In order to get different things and only said things to appear on the map I would want to right click, go to properties, then go to definition queries and enter in my conditional statements. I can also use these conditionals to make the map as broad or as niche as I need it to be. 

Tutorial 4 – This tutorial seemed more about putting some of the skills we have gained together. The only newer thing is the Spatial join, which would have been using the target features that we want to see change, and the join features which would have been what we are using to count the crime rates.

Tutorial 5 – Very similar to tutorial 4, but with points.

Tutorial 6 – In order to create something along the lines of a key, I will want to open “Create Table” and make some sort of code. For this particular case, I wanted to make 2 new fields within the table, which can be found by right clicking the table in the contents section, then adding 2 new fields, which are hierarchy and crimetype. The hierarchy just adds a number, which would be my metadata, while the crimetype adds some description the numbers.  I can then join another larger table to my code, assuming the heirarchy/metadata remains constant, I will want to base it on the hierarchy. 

Chapter 5 – Spatial Data

Tutorial 1 – I learned how to change the map projection, right click go to properties, then go to 

Tutorial 2 – We can do the same thing with smaller places.

Tutorial 3 – I couldn’t get into the living atlas due to the site being deemed insecure by my beloved browser. To center into a certain shape, I will want to make sure that in the project tab, options, map * scene, and special reference. I will want to ensure that the “Use Spatial Reference of First Operational Layer” is enabled. I am also able to change how the coordinate system works through the options found in the coordinate plane rules after right clicking the map and clicking ‘Properties’ and messing around with the coordinate functions. 

Tutorial 4 – It seems relatively easy to do the steps listed here. Importing various sets of data and displaying them onto the map similar to things done in Chapter 4.

Tutorial 5 – I am able to find stuff on the census page, but it will need a lot of narrowing down. From the looks, it appears that there is a lot to do with trimming the data down to precisely only the figures that I want. I will then import the data to an actual map, and I can create layers based off of the data that i have selected. 

Tutorial 6 – I am unsure as to why the lab computer does not like me looking for online data as it does not want me accessing ‘NCLD’. I can look for some extraction info when i look for “Extract by Mask” in tools. I can then go to the national map and find some information on finding contours & elevation from governmental sites. The computer did not want me accessing the hennepin hub. But they can also be used.

Good map sources: 

https://apps.nationalmap.gov/downloader/

 

Chapter 6 – Geoprocessing

Tutorial 1 – Nothing too major other than the picking of data to use for the guides. I could not remember how to put the fire battalion numbers on the selected zones. 

Tutorial 2 – We can turn a lot of map locations into very few by narrowing the data pool down by creating a certain ‘study area’. By creating a selection by attributes group with the ‘name is equal to’ function. After it has been selected, we can go into the data of the attributes we have selected, export features, and then use our new output feature class. 

Tutorial 3 – Nothing major, but to merge data sets go to the merge tool.

Tutorial 4 -Nothing major, but in order to make a conglomerate data set I will want to use the append tool.

Tutorial 5 – As a reminder to myself, in order to join 2 tables, I will want to right click a table, find the join section, and then the rest is self fulfilling. 

Tutorial 6 – Joining tables can be very revealing about a certain type of data set. I will want ot be careful and know what I want to join in particular though. 

Tutorial 7 – Tabulating can create some good comparisons.

Chapter 7 – Digitizing

Tutorial 1 – When splitting a polygon, I will want to mess with the attributes to give them proper names.

Tutorial 2 – To create a new polygon for a new class, I will want to open the create feature class tool and make sure the geometry type of a polygon. Afterwards I will change the color and look for the ‘create features’ within the edit dab. Afterward I can create features.

Tutorial 3 – Smoothing is fairly easy, but important for presentation. This is done through the smoothing tools!

Tutorial 4 -It is fairly easy to import a computerized drawing, however in order to do anything with it, I will need to import the initial polygon, thn open its data to export features. 

Chapter 8 – Geocoding

Tutorial 1 – This was fairly easy and felt like it brought everything together in a way to show a certain statistic. In this case that would be amount of people attending a certain event. If there were ‘false’ parts of the data set, there is a solution to match addresses within the data tab.

Tutorial 2 – Create locator seems to be a core part of this chapter, it can be fairly easy to use to highlight a certain set of data from the map and given data.

Chapter 1: Introducing GIS Analysis

GIS analysis is a process for looking at geographic patterns in data and the relationships between features. A framing question helps you figure out what information you need. The next step is understanding your data and what you need it to do to help answer your questions. The features, and attributes, and potentially needing to make new data by calculating new values in the data table. You then choose a process to get the information you need process the data and analyze the results. There are a lot of different types of features: discrete, continuous phenomena, or summarized by area. Discrete lines and locations can be pinpointed, continuous phenomena like temperature can be measured anywhere (there’s no place that has no temperature). Continuous data is usually interpolated from a series of discrete points. Summarized data is the count/density of individual features within defined boundaries (number of households in a county). Geographic features can be represented with vectors or rasters. Vector features are a row in a table, and features are defined by x,y locations in space, good for discrete data. Rasters represent features as a matrix of cells in continuous space, best for continuous numeric values. Continuous categories can be represented by either. Raster can be used for discrete features when combining them with other layers. Categories are groups of similar things that help you organize and make sense of your data. Ranks put features into an relative order of higher to lower. Counts and amounts show you total features, counts are the actual number of features on a map and amounts are any measurable quantity associated with a feature. Ratios show the relationship between two quantities and are created by dividing one quantity by another for each feature. Proportions are a ratio that shows you what part of a total each value is. Densities show the distribution of features or values per unit area.

Chapter 2: Mapping where things are

People use maps to see where or what an individual feature is, but by looking at the distribution of features on a map patterns emerge that help you better understand the area you’re mapping. Mapping where things are can show where you need to take action or what areas meet your criteria. You can explore causes for patterns you see. What information do you need from the analysis? Just whether features are present or not, or whether certain features occur in proximity to one another or repeatedly in the same areas. When preparing the map its important to cater the level of detail to your audience, whether technically skilled or general public level of knowledge that will require two different levels of information in order to be effective. In preparing your data each feature needs geographic coordinates, they need category values to identify its type and potentially subtypes. To make a map you need to tell the GIS what features to display. You can map them as a single type with a single symbol, or you can map by different categories and symbolize them distinctly. The number of categories is important to keep condensed in order to be easily understandable, at smaller scales you can get more detailed. There’s details on grouping categories effectively, choosing symbols, mapping recognizable reference features, all of which help make your map understandable. All of this comes together to assist in your analysis of geographic patterns. Features clustering together or appearing in patterns may infer meaningful relationships between those features or a common underlying cause.

Chapter 3: Mapping the most and the least

People map the most and the least to find places that meet their criteria and take action or to see the relationships between places. Mapping features based on quantities adds a sense of feature density that just the location of features doesn’t provide. Like before you can map discrete features, continuous phenomena, or summarized by area. Locations and linear areas usually represented by graduated features and areas are often shaded to represent quantities. Continuous phenomena can be defined areas or a surface of continuous values. Areas displayed as graduated colors and surfaces can be graduated colors, contours, or a 3D perspective view. Data summarized by area usually displayed by shading each area based on its value or using charts to show the amount of each category in each area. You want to keep in mind whether you’re exploring the data or presenting a map to your audience when you’re constructing your map. Quantities can be counts, amounts, ratios, or ranks. Counts and amounts let you see the value of each feature as well as its magnitude with other features. Counts and amounts can be used for discrete features or continuous phenomena. If summarizing by area using ratios will make it clearer, because using counts or amounts can skew the patterns if the areas vary in size. Using ratios evens out differences between large and small areas, or areas with many features and those with few. Averages are good for comparing places that have few features with those that have many. Proportions show you what part of a whole each quantity represents. Densities show you where features are concentrated. Ranks put features in order from high to low and show relative relationships rather than measured values.

Chapter 9

The first few tutorials went well. When I got to 9-3, I couldn’t calculate the fields for UseRate. Only a couple of the values worked. I tried some stuff and nothing helped so I just moved on. I also struggled to make a scatterplot because I couldn’t find the chart properties button and I gave up looking for it. The rest of the chapter went well and was pretty quick.

 

Chapter 10

I really enjoyed doing the contours and things in this chapter. It was very enjoyable. The only issue I had was that the PovertyIndex.lyrx wasn’t downloaded into my folder, so I couldn’t add that to my map. Other than that, everything went smoothly.

 

Chapter 11

In 11-4 I had trouble adding Z as the field for the summary statistics tool. After that the rest of the tutorial got weird so I moved on. Other than that it went really well. Making the animation was cool, and not something I expected to be doing!

 

Delaware Data Inventory

The process for this was super simple it just took forever to download everything to my folder.

Hydrology: contains all major waterways in Delaware

Street centerline: contains public and private paved roads in Delaware

Parcel: contains property lines for Delaware (makes sense why this one took so long to download haha)

I couldn’t figure out how to add the stuff to a map but I’ll figure it out and add the map image to my post next week!

Update: I figured it out lol

Files for chapters 6 through 9 on my flash drive got deleted the first go around. I’ve re-downloaded the tutorials and this post is gonna be those  chapters.

Chapter 6

Nothing much to report on, now that I actually have the files I need and they’re formatting properly everything is pretty smooth sailing.

Chapter 7

Same as above, easy to grasp, everything went well.

Chapter 8

8-1 says 1120 of 1123 should have been matches, but none of mine did. I double checked all previous directions and I don’t think I’ve made any mistakes so I’m unsure how this happened. After a quick scroll through the attribute table it looks like 100% of the addresses have zip codes listed, so I have no idea how this happened or what data to use to rematch attendee data by zip code. Every single entry is also marked “U” for unmatched. Moving on because I’ve dealt with enough corrupted files. 8.2 went fine.

Chapter 9

I got through 9-1 and 9-2 before my data deleted, so I’m starting with 9-3.  TheFields tab within the spatial join tool doesn’t have what the book describes and I can’t select FacilityID as the OutputField, there’s no MergeRule option. Moving on. 9-4 went well, no issues. Same with 9-5

 

Chapter 9: This chapter went ok, but when I use the spatial join tool and have to expand the field there are no options for input or output.

Chapter 10: This chapter went smoothly besides my Hillshade map being super blurry, I am unsure why that happened but at least I was able to make it.

Chapter 11: This one was more difficult for me overall as I kept having many little problems here and there. I plan on looking at this chapter and chapter 9 more over this weekend. Seeing maps in 3D was fun though.

Chapter 9

Everything went well except for some aspects of the Spatial Join tool. I could not locate the “Output Fields” entry, and because of that, could not create the proper tables. This led to my being unable to complete Tutorial 9-3, including the Scatterplot section. Other than this, I had no issues, and I feel I am becoming very comfortable with using the software at this point.

Chapter 10

Absolutely no problems here, but I felt that a lot of what we learned in this chapter was more niche than the rest. However, still good to know.

 

Chapter 11

I ran into issues across the board while trying to translate height onto the maps. I couldn’t get the Bldgs, Steel Tower, or the Bridge to actually do anything. I’m going to try and go back this weekend to look over it with fresh eyes if I find the time.