GIS 5100 - Lab 2 - Least Cost Path and Corridor Analysis

In the lab assignment this week we learned about modeling an Overland Path, specifically Least-Cost Path and Corridor Analysis.  In Part A we followed steps to show the differences between paths and corridors and how to calculate/create different cost layers.
     
Our final task (Part B) was to perform a Corridor analysis to model the potential movement of black bears between two existing areas of the Coronado National Forest in Arizona.  We were provided three criteria layers suitable for black bear habitat: roads, elevation and landcover.  I used the Euclidean Distance tool to create a straight line raster surface for the roads layer and created 3 distance classes (0-100 m, 100-500m, > 500m).  I manually classified the elevation layer to 5 classes (0-800m, 800-1200m, 1200-2000m, 2000-2500,m > 2500m).  In the symbology tab I displayed the unique values of the landcover data.  I reclassified each of the criteria layers to assign their provided, respective suitability values ranging from 1 to 10 with 10 being the most suitable.   

To combine the three criteria I used the Weighted Overlay tool assigning the following relative weights: landcover 60%, elevation 20% and distance to roads 20%.  I used the Raster Calculator tool to "invert" the suitability layer to create a cost surface layer.  Higher habitat suitability can imply lower/preferred travel cost.  The raster calculator formula for the cost surface layer was "10 - Weighted Overlay Output Raster".

Next, I created two Cost Distance surfaces.  Using the Cost Distance tool I created two separate Cost Distance layers.   One Cost Distance layer used the Coronado 1 polygon and the cost surface layer and the other Cost Distance layer used the Coronado 2 polygon and the cost surface layer.   I then used the Corridor tool and created a Corridor Cost surface using the two Cost Distance layers as input.   When attempting to narrow my Corridor Cost surface layer for my map I realized there might be a problem with my Cost Distance layers.  I read the Help page on the Cost Distance tool and read about problems with Polygon layers being used as input source data.  So I went back and converted the Polygon Coronado layers to Raster layers and then reused the Cost Distance tool to create two new Cost Distance layers and then reused the Corridor tool.  

When narrowing down the classes to display the corridor and determine what factors to use it was really a matter of trial and error.  Factors that were too large created a corridor that was too wide encompassing almost all of the Coronado 2 layer.  Factors that were too small created a corridor that resembled disjointed polygons.

The most optimal corridor is displayed in dark maroon and the less optimal paths are in lighter shades of the maroon spectrum.  This was a tough lab.  The model pictures on pages 214-215 and 258 helped keep me on track with Part B of the lab.  These analysis tools are very picky.  You have to be really careful in the tool windows with the various field options.  Even when naming the output raster sometimes I would remove the default .tif extension if renaming the output to something more meaningful and this created a different type of raster (grid vs. tiff).  I also was confused in the Weighted Overlay tool window with the Scale Values.   When not using a default scale and using the From/To/By fields the Scale Values may change.   I had to make sure the scale values were the same as the Field Values since we had already reclassified using the Suitability Values.   I was also confused by the 0 suitability value provided for some Landcover values.  

I also didn't understand how the links provided in the lab assignment on page 11 helped because they mainly discussed using an extension CorridorDesigner that we don't have access to.  I'm sure that tool would be helpful but the articles didn't explain how to help choose factors for narrowing ones corridor.

Overall the confusion helped me because I had to redo many of the steps in the lab so it reinforced the steps necessary to complete the assignment.  Not sure my answer is correct but at least I understand the process.

Least-Cost Corridor Analysis of Potential Black Bear Movement in Coronado National Forest

GIS 5100 - Lab 1 - Suitability Analysis

Lab 1 was a long and challenging module covering Suitability Analyses.  Part A covered a Boolean suitability analysis performed using vector layers.  From provided data we created a slope layer, buffered highway and river layers, and a landcover layer.  We used the reclassify tool to create Boolean criteria layers.  We performed a Union of the reclassified layers and selected features that met all four criteria.

Part B of the lab was also a Boolean suitability analysis but used raster layers instead.  Instead of creating river and highway buffers we used the Euclidean Distance tool to obtain a raster of the distance from the rivers and highways.  To "combine" the four criteria rasters we used the Raster Calculator to create an expression that would show the cells in the raster that met all four criteria.   Using this calculator made me revert back to my binary number knowledge and really understand what I wanted the expression to do.  We also used the Combine tool on all four Boolean rasters.  Using the attribute table one could then search for rows where all four criteria were met (=1).

Our final step in the assignment, Part C, required us to use weighted overlays to analyze the suitability of land based on the provided criteria layers.  The first run of the tool required us to weight each criteria layer equally.   The second run of the tool required us to weight the criteria layers differently.   My final map is a comparison of the two weighted overlays.

Suitability Analysis Using Weighted Overlay

This lab was a review of previously acquired geoprocessing skills and new tools were introduced as well (Weighted Overlay, Raster to Polygon and Polygon to Raster Conversion, Raster Calculator, Combine).  I also noticed that all provided layers were not in the same projection.  I used the Project Raster and the Project tools to reproject layers as needed.  I also had to refresh my memory about using the Field Calculator and calculating area for raster layers as well as looking at the provided Statistics for a field column.  After reclassifying layers to Boolean criteria, I found it helpful to add a Description text field to help keep track of what the Boolean values represented.
This added field was useful after performing Unions and Selection Queries and kept me from getting criteria confused.

Submission to NWFL GIS User Group Digital Media Competition Spring 2017

As the District 5 School Board member on the Okaloosa County School Board, I am very concerned about our lack of capital funding to address our aging infrastructure.   In Okaloosa County, 84% of the schools are forty years old or older.   We are tied with Gulf County with 64% of our square footage over 40 years old.   Unfortunately, Okaloosa County also has the oldest bus fleet in the state.  School districts in 61 of the 67 counties in the state have some method of obtaining additional sources of revenue.  My competition entry is a map detailing the different sources of additional revenue counties in Florida have for their respective school district.  I hope this visual will encourage Okaloosa County registered voters to become concerned about the state of public school facilities in their county.  Public education is the foundation for economic growth and sustainability in a community.  The Okaloosa County school district ranks #2 in the state for academic performance.  We have proven that all students can succeed and have phenomenal instructors, support staff, and administration.  Our students and staff need facilities that are safe and create an educational environment that enables them to achieve their goals.

Additional Sources of School Revenue for Counties in Florida

UPDATE:

NWFL GIS User Group Digital Media Competition - Spring 2017 Student Winner

GIS Internship - Press Release

QUALITY CONTROL IN GIS:

Shalimar, FL – When lives and property are at stake, every second counts. Properly posted address numbers can be a vital link to your safety. A missing, incorrect or poorly marked address can delay emergency response when seconds can literally mean the difference between life and death!  Using EDEN, an address verification application developed in-house, multiple departments within Okaloosa County are collaborating to ensure that structures on properties within the county are correctly marked and identified in GIS systems.  The Growth Management, 911 Public Safety, and GIS departments use EDEN to alert each other of an addition or change to a given property in their respective systems.  According to Okaloosa GIS Technician II, Colleen Pardue, “Addressing is the foundation for all who live and work in the county.”  In order to keep addresses up to date, the GIS department acquires a new digital image of the county every three years and reviews the image to update the existing WebGIS map.   Melissa Thrush, an intern with the county’s GIS department for the spring of 2017 is working 10-20 hours per week to identify missing or incorrect marked addresses. 

About Okaloosa County GIS

Okaloosa County’s GIS department is leading the way for GIS use in municipal systems in our county.   The department is planning to increase staff to meet the growing needs of GIS within the county.  Melissa contacted the GIS department directly seeking an internship position to gain experience and further her GIS knowledge.  The department is composed of three workgroups that provide GIS data and services to the Board of County Commissioners (BCC) as well as other internal and external organizations within the county, including the Health Department, local Chambers of Commerce, School District, Public Works, Water and Sewer, Property Appraiser, and Tax Collector offices.

About WebGIS and 911 Public Safety

In the interest of public safety, Okaloosa County has passed a Property Numbering System Ordinance, number 91-06.  This ordinance requires that all homes and businesses display a correct, visible street address.  The address numbers must be clearly visible from the public or private right-of-way on which the building fronts.  Likewise, it is vital for GIS systems used by 911 dispatch to accurately locate the driveway and structure where public safety is needed.  GIS Services Coordinator for Okaloosa County, Kimberly Steele, states “without proper addressing, GIS functions would not run as smoothly”.  Scheduled quality control verification ensures that GIS systems are up to date with the most accurate location information.  Additionally, quality control verification can reveal inconsistencies between different GIS systems and procedures can be put in place to safeguard data integrity.

Contact

To learn more about this collaborative effort, please contact

Melissa Thrush, GIS Intern

Kimberly Steele, GIS Services Coordinator

1250 Eglin Pkwy N Suite 303

Office: (850) 651-7570

Fax: (850) 651-7576

mthrush@co.okaloosa.fl.us

ksteele@co.okaloosa.fl.us

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GIS Day!

I created my own GIS Day celebration on Wednesday April 12^th, 2017.  With three of my four children as a captive audience we gathered around the kitchen table.  My plan was to show them what GIS/Mapping was like before Google maps, smartphones, and even personal computing devices; yes, I am that old.

We began by looking at a printed map of the southeastern United States that I had to pay $8 for at the local gas station.   We then pretended we were traveling from our home in Niceville, FL to Grandma’s house in Raleigh, NC.   During my childhood, my dad would have my sisters and I look at printed maps and plan our trip.   My mom preferred to avoid interstate highways, so we often had interesting routes to calculate.   I showed my kids the map scale in the legend and how I would use it to estimate our travel distance and time for two routes; one via Atlanta, GA and the other through Jacksonville, FL

Next, we opened Google Maps and I showed them how Google has not only enabled you to instantaneously view map route distances and travel times, but you can also view restaurants, hotels, shopping, etc. nearby.   I explained that you didn’t have these options when traveling in my childhood.   We also briefly looked at Google’s My Maps where you can create customized maps.  https://www.google.com/maps/about/mymaps/

The printed map displayed latitude and longitude lines which we discussed and then compared to the lat/long lines on our family globe; yes, we actually have one.  My kids already think I am so old, but I explained that I grew up with only a globe, atlas, and maps.   Now they can see virtually anything, anywhere.   We briefly discussed the equator and the prime meridian as my 8- year-old has been discussing geography and topography recently in 2^nd grade while creating his own “continent”.  

Our discussion then segued into satellites and GPS.   I showed them images from the recently deployed GOES-16.   A recent NPR post showed images from the lightning mapper.  http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/03/06/518776626/watch-tracking-lightning-strikes-from-space

Seeing the lightning images sparked a conversation about the light spectrum.   Everybody but me knew that bees can see ultraviolet wavelengths.   The infrared lightning images sparked my middle school girls to let me know about the “thermal camera” in Photo Booth on my iMac and how it always shows the kitchen is hot.

We then went to the GOES website and found a multitude of links that were terrific. http://www.goes-r.gov/spacesegment/glm.html

The kids really liked the Lego Model under the Outreach tab.   There also are great student and educator resources.

Since my high school student missed our Wednesday event, I thought I should add that after reading Week 5’s GIS in Education reading assignments, I shared some links with her since she is taking AP Human Geography.   GIS had been briefly discussed in her class but the ConnectEd site had some impressive Social Studies lessons.  http://www.esri.com/connected

Always fun to learn with and from others.  The kids were engaged and I learned, too!

Reid/Thrush GIS Day - April 12, 2017