BSEN 6220

GIS LABORATORY VII

Carson Edge

November 7, 2014

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
GIS LABORATORY VII: Where is Waldo?

INTRODUCTION.................3
GIS STEPS TO FIND WALDO...3
LESSONS LEARNED...4
APPENDIX: Finding Waldo.....5

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INTRODUCTION:
For the past few labs we have been dealing with analyzing feature data but GIS also has the
capability of analyzing raster data. Raster data can be defined as rows and columns of cells where
each cell contains a value. Each of these cells contains a value that relates to a certain set of
information such as elevation or temperature. Analysis can become complicated when a project
utilizes both feature and raster data. However, GIS has the capabilities and tools to efficiently
analyze these two types of data at the same time.
PROCEDURES:
The procedures for this lab are listed in the GIS Lab 7 handout. These procedures involve analyzing
raster and feature data. The purpose of this lab is to use GIS tools to analyze the given data to
determine the location of Waldo.
GIS STEPS TO FIND WALDO:
1. Create buffers for Colonel Bastages backyard, road, and the stream buffers using the
buffer wizard according to the GIS Lab 7 handout.
2. Intersect these buffers to find the possible area of Waldos location.
3. Begin analyzing the elevation raster data by finding elevations greater than 300 meters.
Use Raster Calculator under Map Algebra to find these elevations. The SQL equation
that is used is elevation >= 300.
4. This will give you another raster data set with true and false values of 1 and 0 respectively.
To find these true values, use the Extract by Attribute tool under Extraction using the
SQL equation VALUE = 1.
5. We now have to find these true values within our possible area that Waldo is located. Using
the Extract by Mask tool allows the user to compare raster and feature data together. This
tool was able to narrow down the elevations greater than 300 meters within the possible
area.
6. A similar process is used to find the slopes greater than 15 degrees and a slope facing
northwest. The Slope tool under Surface calculates the slope for the elevation raster
data. To find the correct slopes, the Raster Calculator is used with a SQL equation
slope > 15. To find the possible site values for slopes of 15 degrees use the procedures
listed in steps 4 and 5 above. Finding the slopes facing the northwest is a similar procedure
for finding the slope. Use the Raster Calculator tool with a SQL equation of aspect >
270 and use the Extract by Attribute and Extraction by Mask to find the possible site
locations.
7. To find Waldos possible location, use the Fuzzy Overlay tool under Overlay and
choose the three different raster data sets for the possible site for the elevation, slope, and
aspect. This will give one location where Waldo is located.

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LESSONS LEARNED
Throughout this lab, I had to use the help file quite a few times because of the use of both feature
and raster data that needed to be analyzed within the same map. Through this process of utilizing
the help file I was able to find out that I could use the Extract by Mask tool to compare feature
and raster data. Overall I found this lab to be straight forward and took only a few hours by
understanding the tools before I used them. I also realized that if I used the processing extent tool
for the feature intersect, the raster data gets off-set relative to raster processed to the entire
elevation raster data set. Going through the process as described above I ended with three points
where Waldo was instead of one. I thought using the environment processing extent tool would
process the data faster, but it actually introduced quite a bit of error into my analysis.


Finding Waldo
Datum: D North American 1983
Projection: Transverse Mercator
Coordinate System: NAD 1983 UTM ZONE 18N

Legend
Possible Area
BastageLand
streams

350

175

350 Meters

Biosystems Engineering
Carson Edge
11/10/2014