Geography 291: Geospatial Analysis with Desktop GIS

Chapter 9

Starting with Chapter 9, this chapter emphasized the visual aspect of GIS to analyze spatial data. The first section started off well. I made the buffer zones representing the distance between public pools and local youth. Once I reached the second section in multiple-ring buffers, I began encountering some problems with the Spatial Join tool. When I would expand the “fields” section under the tool, the option to select an output field or merge tool were absent. I then encountered the same issue in the third tutorial that hindered my ability to fully complete the section. I also struggled with inputting the information for the gravity table. Moving to the fourth section, the fresh task was to use a tool to locate facilities. This section went well compared to the preceding two. As a pretty drastic shift from the work with public pool proximity was the cluster analysis of crime in the fifth and final tutorial. Thankfully, working with the GIS was smooth sailing and far less serious than the scatter of the serious crimes. 

Chapter 10

Next, was using Raster in Chapter 10. As per usual, I had a lot of weird troubles that I struggled to pinpoint the cause of. The first section started out alright, but then it took a turn for the worst. When I imported the raster dataset to become a file geodatabase, the program ran, but nothing was added to the contents pan. I could not figure out what the problem was because nothing popped up concerning anything incorrect on my information, but nothing changed or was added anywhere once it ran. Then, I had a bit of confusion about the Hillside Shade tool because there are three. However, I could not complete the section anyways because there was no NED_Pittsburgh that I could find in anything. Then, I could not change the symbology because I fumbled about every other preceding step. Continuing to the second tutorial of the chapter, the goal was to make a heat map. Thankfully, I could do this correctly, inputting all of the information correctly, selecting colors, and creating thresholds. For the final section of the chapter, the aim was to create a risk index model. As my pattern follows, things began orderly and grew unruly as I pushed forth through the tutorial. I struggled a bit with writing expressions properly, but I fixed everything to make it all work as intended. 

Chapter 11

Finally, in Chapter 11, I fully realized the extent of my disdain for GIS on the desktop- or possibly just the school’s Wi-Fi. Using the 3D maps, I tried navigating past the command of pressing random buttons that correspond to movements. The navigation was abominable. Some of the keys would not move the map while others would have a five second delay before the map would move in the right direction. The additional capabilities that are expected from an ostensibly powerful system fall short of the expectations set and boasted in the book. The computer also froze for about ten minutes adding to my defeat. My qualms aside, the first two sections went swimmingly. I enjoyed the visual representation of trees on the map. Overall, everything for this section, though tedious, went about as expected. Drawing a bridge was a unique experience compared to what I did last semester in WebGIS, but my navigation quarrels still stand.

Chapter 9 went into “Spatial Analysis”. We started with buffers, which are basically zones around features. You set a distance (like, say, a half-mile radius around all the schools), and ArcGIS draws a polygon. It’s useful for seeing what’s “nearby.” I played around with creating buffers around pools in Pittsburgh, which was a case study that was built on throughout the chapter, to see how many kids lived within a reasonable distance. Then we got into multiple-ring buffers, which are like bullseyes – multiple buffers at different distances, all around the same feature. This allows you to see, for instance, not just who’s within a mile, but who’s within a half-mile, a quarter-mile, and so on. You can get pretty granular with it. The part that got my head spinning a bit was service areas. These are like buffers, but instead of straight-line distance, they measure distance along a network, like roads. This makes way more sense for real-world situations! If you want to know how long it really takes to get somewhere, you need to consider streets, not just draw a circle on a map. I found myself getting a little lost during the section on setting the parameters. The last thing the chapter covered was cluster analysis, which is finding patterns in data points. The example was looking at crime data and trying to find clusters of, say, crimes committed by a certain age group, or a certain type of crime.

Chapter 10 was a shift from the previous ones because it focused on raster data, not vector data. Each pixel has a value, and that value can represent all sorts of things – elevation, land use, temperature, you name it. We started by exploring some existing raster datasets, like elevation data for Pittsburgh. The “hillshade” tool was particularly cool; it’s like shining a virtual light on the elevation data to create a 3D effect to help visualize the terrain. Next, we looked at kernel density maps. It was interesting to see how we could estimate and visualize that distribution using the kernel density tool. A big part of the chapter was about building a model. This was a new concept for me. Basically, you’re creating a set of instructions for ArcGIS to follow, step-by-step. The example was building a “poverty index” by combining different raster layers, like population density and income levels. I got a little confused with the “in-line variable substitution” part, where you use variables to represent values in your model.  The chapter wrapped up with running the model and seeing the results, which was pretty satisfying!

Chapter 11 was visually the most exciting! It’s all about working with data in three dimensions, which opens up a whole new way of looking at things. We started by exploring a global scene of Pittsburgh, which uses the earth’s curvature. I learned how to navigate around (pan, zoom, tilt) using the mouse and keyboard shortcuts. Then we switched to a local scene, which is better for smaller areas where the earth’s curvature isn’t as important. We created a TIN surface, which is a way of representing terrain using triangles. It’s like connecting a bunch of points with lines to create a 3D model of the ground. The book reads that you can use it to create the surface on which features like buildings will be rendered. The coolest part was working with lidar data. Lidar is like radar, but with lasers, and it creates incredibly detailed 3D point clouds. We used it to visualize buildings and even to estimate the height of a bridge, measuring the distance between the top and bottom of the bridge’s span. We also looked at procedural rules to make 3D buildings automatically. You can set parameters like building height and roof type, and the software generates the building for you. This seems like it would be incredibly useful for creating large-scale city models. I did run into an issue where I was using the incorrect view, but I think I got that sorted out. At the end, I made an animation, which was a fun way to end the chapter. It’s like creating a fly-through of your 3D scene. I’m still a bit confused about all the different options for exporting the animation, but I managed to create a basic movie.

Chapter 9

Chapter 9 went pretty smooth all things considered. The first issue I ran into was during Tutorial 9-2. When attempting to use the Spatial Join tool, The book instructs us to expand the field tab within the tool. Under this tab it says to set Output Fields to AGE_5_17. There is nowhere to set an Output Field under this tab, it is simply a list of the fields. Furthermore, there was nowhere to carry out the next instruction to set Merge Rule to Sum. I spent a lot of time attempting to troubleshoot this tool, however this was in vain. As it was the final portion of Tutorial 9-2, I saved my project and proceeded to the next tutorial. Overall this was the only major issue I found in Chapter 9.

 

Chapter 10

Chapter 10 opened with me not being able to understand what was going wrong. The textbook instructs you to utilize the Raster To Other Format Tool, which is what I chose. After inputting the data that the book specifies, it instructs you to delete LandUse_Pgh.tif and add LandUse_Pgh from the Chapter10 Database. However, After using the Raster To Other Format Tool, the data was not added to the database. I ran the tool a few more times to no avail. After this I restarted the program, and all three of the files magically appeared in the database. While this specific instance in Tutorial 10-1 ended up working, overall I had a lot of difficulties throughout this chapter. Certain files were missing, others wouldn’t show up in the software, etc. I did my best to complete as much as I could.

Chapter 11

Chapter 11 starts off very simple. Viewing the different dimensions of the 3D map was a nice introduction. I thoroughly enjoyed Tutorial 11-3. Creating 3D-Trees on the map is something minute that adds a lot of depth and character to the map. Along with creating the trees, I also had an enjoyable time learning how to create different floors of a building in Tutorial 11-5. My favorite part of this chapter however, was creating and exporting the animation in Tutorial 11-7. I assumed that this capability would be somewhat self-explanatory (which it was), however there were certain things I was required to do that I know I would not have been able to without the instruction of the textbook. Outside of user errors like inputting data to the wrong part of the table, selecting the wrong polygon, etc, I had a really smooth time going through this chapter.

 

Chapter 9:

This chapter introduced the Service Area Layer tool, which enables the addition of a network of elements. The section covered various functionalities, including the creation of scatterplots and the use of DemandWeight for calculations. Additionally, the chapter introduced K-means clustering, which is used for grouping similar data points. I enjoyed this chapter, did not have many issues. 

Chapter 10

This chapter introduced some new concepts and tools. We also got a chance to use ModelBuilder and build models in ArcGIS Pro. I think this tool could be really helpful if you are creating something. Additionally, the drop shadow under the process and output boxes symbolizing they have been run is cool. The Validate button can also be used  to ensure they are ready to run again or edit.  I learned that you have to click save before rerunning the model for there to not be error marks by these parameters. I eventually  got the model to work.

Chapter 11:I really enjoyed learning the keyboard shortcuts for moving around the map in this chapter. By selecting Mapproperties for 3D-> illumination-> date and time, you can see the shadows and 3D features of the map in real time, which I thought was cool. I thought it was cool how we were able to display 3D images on the map like the trees. We also used the Create LAB Dataset tool in 11-4 which made a really cool 3D model of the city. I thought it was cool how we could modify the scale of the building.

Chapter 9 

The beginning of chapter 9 was pretty easy for me. It focused on the different uses of buffers. The first part was using buffers for proximity analysis. The second section expands on this by introducing how to use multiple-ring buffers. Buffers are really important for real world applications. I had some issues with 9-4 and had to move on from that section, but the rest of chapter 9 was straightforward.

 

Chapter 10

Chapter 10 focuses on the raster part of GIS. Until this point, most of the book was dedicated to vector feature classes. Raster layers are for things like topography and images of the earth, or continuous features. The first part of this chapter was importing a raster dataset into a file geodatabase. Tutorial 2 was making a kernel density map, which was the easiest part of the chapter for me. I had a little bit of trouble with 10-3, but eventually I got the hang of it.

 

Chapter 11

Chapter 11 was by far my favorite chapter. It was interesting and involved what I like the most, exploring maps from the 3D view. The first tutorial was getting used to the 3D view, and it was fun playing around with the keyboard and exploring the United States map with different basemaps. I was able to find my old high school with ease. The rest of the chapter was more work with 3D maps and buildings. For example, in tutorial 11-6 I added height to a building. In the same tutorial, I was introduced to a 3D layer that allowed me to see individual buildings on a street including textures and things like trashcans. It was cool and felt like an old videogame.

Chapter 4-  I liked that Chapter 4 of hands-on exercises that reinforced spatial analysis concepts, making it easier to understand how GIS tools can be applied in real-world scenarios. The step-by-step instructions were clear and practical, which helped in grasping complex topics. However, I didn’t like that some explanations felt a bit technical without enough background for beginners, making certain sections harder to follow without prior experience. Additionally, I would have preferred more real-life examples to illustrate the applications of the techniques covered.

Chapter 5-I liked how Chapter 5 introduced advanced geoprocessing tools with clear, practical exercises that reinforced key concepts. However, some steps felt repetitive.

Chapter 6-   focused on spatial analysis techniques and provided clear, structured exercises to reinforce learning. The step-by-step instructions made it easy to follow, and the hands-on approach helped in understanding complex tools. However, some sections felt a bit dense, and certain concepts could have been broken down further for better clarity.

Chapter 7- provided a detailed exploration of data management techniques in GIS, which I found useful for organizing and maintaining large datasets efficiently. The exercises were well-structured and helped reinforce key skills, such as editing attributes,  and optimizing databases. I appreciated the clear instructions, which made it easier to follow along with complex processes. However, some sections felt a bit tedious,  and I would have liked more emphasis on troubleshooting common issues that arise in data management. Despite that, the chapter was valuable. 

Chapter 8- focused on creating and editing spatial data, which I found engaging . The exercises provided clear guidance on  modifying attributes, and ensuring data accuracy, which helped reinforce key concepts. I liked how the chapter built on previous lessons, making the workflow feel more natural and progressive. However, some tasks felt time-consuming, especially when working with intricate details, and certain tool functions could have been explained more thoroughly. Overall, the chapter was useful for developing precision and control in spatial data editing.

Chapter 9

This chapter was quick and easy to follow. It focused on buffers, which help analyze proximity and find what’s near a location. I can see how they’d be useful for businesses and city planning by helping with location-based decisions. Another part of the chapter introduced scatterplots and the Multivariate Clustering tool to analyze data. I can see how these tools could be very useful to analyze data.

Chapter 10

This chapter covered rasters and was pretty short and simple. It was my first time working with raster datasets, and I learned how to import them, create hillshade maps, and generate elevation contours. It also showed how there are multiple ways to display the same data, depending on what you want to highlight. The second tutorial introduced the Kernel Density tool to create a density map. The last section focused on ModelBuilder, which was a bit tricky but well explained.

Chapter 11

This was a short but interesting chapter introducing 3D modeling. The first tutorial covered navigating 3D scenes, and then we learned about triangulated irregular networks (TINs). One of my favorite parts was creating 3D trees with z-enabled features. There were a ton of options for symbolizing different tree types, which I didn’t realize ArcGIS had. Later, I worked with LAS Datasets, which I found confusing but still managed to complete. The last tutorials focused on 3D buildings. I struggled with getting the correct Z height, but got the idea. The final tutorial let me create an animation.

 

Chapter 9:

Tutorial one taught me how to use the pairwise buffer tool to find select attributes around an area. Tutorial two expanded on this by teaching me how to use the multiple-ring buffer tool, which creates layers of rings around a point. Tutorial three taught me how to use these buffer tools to create a service area around a space.  Tutorial four taught me how to use network analysis to visualize the demand relationships between places. Tutorial five taught me how to perform a cluster analysis using the multivariate clustering tool.

Chapter 10:

Tutorial one was really enlightening.  It taught me more about how to use and manipulate raster data, which is really useful for remote sensing. Tutorial two taught me how to create a kernel density map, which is a useful way to visualize statistic data spatially. Tutorial three builds on this by teaching me how to use a kernel density index to create a risk model.

Chapter 11:

The first tutorial taught me how to explore a global scene, which is a map with elevation. It also taught me how to apply shading to more accurately depict certain times of day, which was cool.  Tutorial two taught me how to work with a TIN, which we just started talking about in remote sensing. Tutorial three taught me how to create z-enabling features, which lets you visualize things like trees. Tutorial four taught me how to use lidar data to generate different types of raster and determine elevations. Tutorial five taught me more about navigating and working with 3D features in arc. Tutorial 6 taught me  how to use procedural rules to visualize buildings, and how to visualize multi patch models. Finally, tutorial seven taught me how to create an animation, which was something I didn’t even know Arc could do.

Chapter 9

This chapter went over things like making buffers, service areas, facility location models and clustering. This chapter was pretty easy and self explanatory except I did have some issues towards the end of 9-3 so I just saved what I had and moved on to the next part which I had no problems with.

Chapter 10:

Chapter 10 covered topics like extract and symbolize raster maps, create hillside maps, smooth data, build raster based risk index and models. This chapter took me way longer than I thought it would because it was only 3 parts, but the parts were very long and had lots of steps in them with lots of reading. I enjoyed making the hillside map and creating the models weren’t too bas either just took a long time.

Chapter 11:

The last chapter, finally, involved exploring global scenes, navigating scenes, creating  TIN surfaces, create z enabled features, creating 3D buildings and bridged from lidar, working with 3D figures, using procedural rules and creating an animation. So lots of stuff was covered in this chapter and it was kind of overwhelming at some points but I got through it eventually. Again there were many steps and reading to this part. I liked working with 3D models and the TIN surfaced but in section 11-4  I had so much trouble with actually creating the 3D city and couldn’t even ge tot he bridge part. Everything else was pretty straight forward though and I thought the last part where I had to make an animation was pretty cool.

I would like to start this blog post by damning every tool within the GIS application. Throughout the entirety of part 2 anything with and output and a run button did not work because the tutorials are ‘read only.’

Starting about half way through chapter 5 just about every tutorial is about a specific tool, which eventually broke by he end. Most of them were straightforward enough to make plenty of sense even if the result I got was an error, but a few of the outputs that couldn’t be created in the read only folders and couldn’t be saved anywhere else did break whole tutorials later on.

Chapter 6 was a whole hullabaloo of issues considering that everything was some sort of exporting or changing of the base files that GIS didn’t want to happen. I think I have the general idea of what many of the tool do though.

In chapter 7 I encountered a different issue that I have probably looked for a solution for more than working on learning how to use the tools. For some reason no matter what I do after I select anything from the Tools section of the Edit tab I could not select any polygons to work on. Eventually I figured out that if I just opened the tool then went back to selecting normally I could select polygons to use with the tool, but then it just gave me more accessibility errors and I had to throw in the towel.

I don’t have much to say or share about chapter 8 because I couldn’t get past any of the steps and just had to pretend like they were happening to get through it.