GEOG 483
Final Project

Final Project

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Instructions

Read through this entire document before writing your workflow.

PART 1:

Create a workflow (in outline form) that contains instructions for identifying all of the lands within the region that meet the criteria listed below. Your outline should include just enough detail about the sequence of operations so that the instructor can identify any potential problems with your proposed methodology.

Keep in mind that the workflow you will create is really just a proposed solution to the site selection problem, and not a set of instructions that guarantee the correct results. If your workflow is incomplete, or is otherwise insufficient, the instructor will respond to you with suggestions (or recommend an alternate workflow), which will enable you to complete the analysis.

Priority conservation areas should fulfill the following criteria:

  • Greater than 75 bird and mammalian species combined
  • Less than 10% of each study site occupied by buffered roads, highways and interstates
  • High habitat potential
  • Publicly owned land
  • Forested areas
  • Slope less than 15%

TIP: Use ArcView 9.x to explore the Centre County data. While you are doing this, try to develop a conceptual understanding of the analysis and the relationship between the different data sources. For example, identify which layers, grids, or tables, will be joined, queried, buffered, dissolved, unioned, etc. Experiment with the tools in ArcToolbox and Spatial Analyst so that you get an idea of which methods will be required for this analysis. You should also think about the order in which you intend to analyze the data, as this will have a big impact on the amount of time it takes to process the data. You should structure the order of operations so that in each step you reduce the amount of input data required for subsequent steps. Order is especially important when performing overlay operations (e.g., union) between the roads feature class and any of the other feature classes. Processing time to complete one of these operations can be reduced substantially if you sequence your operations correctly.

PART 2:

Perform the site selection analysis using your instructor-approved workflow. Display a series of screen captures and a brief report (see details in the "Deliverables" section, below) in a Word document.

Data

There are a total of five vector data layers (studysites, roads, habitat, ownership and boundary), two raster data layers (elevation and landuse) and one table (speciesrich). These data contain all of the information you will need to complete this analysis. In addition to using the raster data for analysis, the elevation grid layer should be used as a base layer for displaying the candidate areas. Relevant information about each of these data sets is listed below.

Metadata for the data that you will be using in this project:

  • Projection: Albers Conical Equal Area projection.
  • Standard Parallel: 40
  • Standard Parallel: 42
  • Longitude of Central Meridian: -78
  • Latitude of Projection Origin: 39
  • Datum: NAD27
  • Ellipsoid: Clarke 1866
  • Map units: meters

Studysites

  • Description: Survey plots used for collecting bird and mammal species richness data
  • Feature Type: Polygon
  • Important Attributes: 1) AREA - in square meters; 2) BLOCK_ID

Roads

  • Description: Detailed roads data for Centre County
  • Feature Type: Line
  • Important Attribute: rd_type - contains road type information that can be used to divide the data into classes, (e.g., Road, Highway or Interstate).

Habitat

  • Description: Habitat quality information for Centre County
  • Feature Type: Polygon
  • Important Attribute: HABITATPOTENTIAL - contains one of two values: High or Low

Ownership

  • Description: Land ownership information for Centre County
  • Feature Type: Polygon
  • Important Attribute: OWNERSHIP - contains one of two values: Public or Private

Boundary

  • Description: Centre County political boundary
  • Feature Type: Polygon
  • Important Attribute: N/A (This layer is just meant to show you the study area (county) boundary. You will not need to use this layer in the analysis.)

Speciesrich

  • Description: Bird and mammal species richness values for Centre County
  • Feature Type: N/A (external attribute table)
  • Important Attributes: 1) BLOCK_ID (also found in StudySites); 2) BIRDS - bird species richness (count); 3) MAMMALS - mammal species richness

Elevation

  • Description: Grid theme containing elevation values for Centre County
  • Feature Type: Grid/Raster
  • Attribute: VALUE - elevation in meters. This grid should be used for display as well as analysis.

Landuse

  • Description: Grid theme containing landuse values for Centre County
  • Feature Type: Grid/Raster
  • Attributes: 1) VALUE - landuse codes; 2) S_VALUE - landuse types

Please pay attention to the following items:

  • To calculate the percent road area of each study site, you must approximate the road corridor by creating buffers around each of the road features. Use the rd_type attribute to create buffers around the Roads, Highways and Interstates that measure 20 meters, 50 meters and 100 meters, respectively. Remember: in order to buffer, the map units must be set in the data frame properties. Buffering takes a while. You may not want to dissolve buffers, because it will take a lot longer. Area within the buffers is not suitable land.
  • You were advised not to dissolve the buffers because it takes a long time. However, this will present a challenge if trying to calculate area of the roads. Why? How else, other than finding areas of the road buffers themselves, can you find sites with less than 10% roads?
  • You will need to use a piece of code that was introduced in the course for updating area. This code can be found in ArcGIS Desktop Help. Type fields in tables in the Help Index, then double-click calculating values and choose the Making field calculations topic. Under the Updating area for a shapefile section is the Visual Basic code that can be used.
  • Be sure to include the cell size you plan to use and an explanation for why you made that choice.

Deliverables

PART 1 (due at the end of week 1)

Submit your proposed workflow as an e-mail attachment (.doc or .txt) to your instructor for evaluation. Name the file YourLastName_WorkFlow.

    PART 2 (due at the end of week 3)

    Submit a Word document that displays the following:

      • A series of screen captures illustrating the major steps involved in this analysis.
      • A screen capture of a map layout showing a hillshade of the Elevation grid layer with the candidate reserve areas as an overlay.
      • A brief report outlining the methods used in your analysis.

    Project Evaluation criteria include:

    • Quality and Completeness: 80%
      All required elements should be present.
    • Timeliness: 10%
      Project reports must complete by the end of the second week.
    • Creativity: 10%
      Adequate fulfillment of all the requirements for an assignment merits a score of 90 out of 100 percent. Ten percent (or a fraction thereof) have been reserved and will be awarded for projects with content that exceeds that which is outlined in these instructions. Examples of such work include, but are not limited to: providing particularly good, lengthy description and explanation in the maps' captions; posing a few good questions concerning project content or experimenting with the software and demonstrating new skills or operations.

    References

    Gill, F.B. 1995. Ornithology. W.H. Freeman and Company: New York.

    Opler, P. 1976. The parade of passing species: A survey of extinctions in the US. The Science Teacher 43(9): 30-34.

    Scott, J.M. 1987. Species Richness: A geographic approach to protecting future biological diversity. BioScience 37(11): 782-788.

    Questions?

    If you have any questions or if you would like to request the data please feel free to ask the instructor at info@gis.psu.edu.