Module 4 - Vector Analysis

    This week, in the fourth GIS lab, was learning about Vector Analysis in ArcGIS Pro. 

    The result of the lab being the map below, where we used certain vector overlay operations to create a map, showing suitable camp sites in De Soto National Forest in Mississippi. The aim of the lab was to find suitable camp sites that were a specific distance from lakes, roads, and rivers but also not in the conservation areas in the national forest. 

    To get what we have below, we applied buffer analysis tools to both roads and water. For roads, we used a set distance of three hundred meters and a variable distance of one hundred and fifty meters for lakes and five hundred meters for rivers. Once both buffer layers were complete, we added a feature field to each so we could note where the roads and water layers overlapped. After doing so, we used the union tool to combine their layers together. From the layered union, we selected the overlapped features and exported them out of the union to their own layer. Lastly, to make sure that no conservation areas were in the layer we made, we used the erase tool to exclude the conservation areas.

    This at last had our map complete. I decided to distinguish them on the available area each polygon had calculated. Where each area amount has unique values, and there being around four distinguished classes for their size. With smallest areas being cyan, where it has the least amount of space (0-3%). The second smallest is lavender, with a slightly bigger amount of space (3-6%). The second biggest is violet and has more space than the last two (6-9%). The largest is pink, which is very noticeable by its size (9-13%). The reason I chose the colors was that each highlighted the sizes of their areas but the colors did not overpower each one. As the small cyan areas are noticeable and dotted around the map, but not distracting from the larger lavender and violet areas. Likewise, pink has the biggest area, but its color does not overpower the rest of the areas. Overall, the map is uniform and gives ample information to see where De Soto National Forest is and the suitable camp sites it has to offer. 


 

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