Lab 1: Applications in GIS

Lab 1 introduced suitability modeling with raster and vector analysis tools.  After using the tools, I compared the different approaches used.  Another key part of the lab was to adjust parameters to see how it can affect the output.

To create this map, I reclassified the land cover shapefile.  I also reclassified the soil shapefile.  Next, I created a slope raster with the elevation layer with a suitability rating of 1-5.  I used Euclidean distance to create a 1000 distance around the streams and also used the Euclidean distance tool to create a distance to roads raster.  This was broken into 5 classes using the 1-5 suitability rating.  After the suitability rating was applied to all the layers, I used the weighted overlay tool twice.  The first time, I used equal intervals.  The second time, I used different variables for soil, slope, streams, and roads.

It is clear to see how added more weight to a criteria can influence suitable area.  To see how much area was the most suitable, I change the layer to polygons and calculated the geometry.

Suitability Modeling