Module 1 Scenario 2 - Suitability Analysis / Least Cost Path Analysis
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| Map Layout Comparing Two Weighted Overlay Methods |
The second scenario of this module's laboratory assignment was based around us helping a property developer determine if a parcel of land is worth buying. Essentially, I was to use a multitude of land factors to determine which parts of the land would and would not be suitable for development. For example, those with lower slopes, closer to roadways, and with adequate soil are more suitable for development. I used a variety of ArcGIS Pro tools in this analysis, including the Polygon to Raster, Euclidean Distance, Slope, Reclassify, and Weighted Overlay tools.
Steps Taken in Completing the Suitability Analysis
First, I decided to reclassify the raw data to assign different factors of the data suitability levels. This was essential in having each raster containing the same value scale. I ran the Euclidean Distance tool on both the rivers and roads shapefiles to have a distance output that would be used in this reclassifying process. Essentially, the developer desired to have land further away from rivers and closer to roadways for their development purposes. I also used the slope tool on the elevation data to create a slope raster, in degrees, that could be used for relassification. I used the Polygon to Raster tool to convert the soils data to a raster to be reclassified. After reclassification, I used these newly reclassified files in each Weighted Overlay tool. I changed the percent influence of each category based on the percentages given in the lab instructions. After computing each weighted overlay, I placed them side by side in layout view to be used for my final analysis.
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| Scenario 2 Flowchart |