NIAGARA COLLEGE-GIS GM

ArcGIS
Applications
ArcGIS Major Assignment Assignment #3

Marc Michael Mancino

For: Janet Finlay

10 Jessica Drive St. Catharines Ontario L2M 6V7

(905) 935-8366 marcmancino@gmail.com
December 11th, 2014
GISC9301D3
Janet Finlay
Niagara College
135 Taylor Road
Niagara-on-the-Lake
Dear Janet Finlay:
RE: GISC9301 ArcGIS Applications Deliverable 9301-D3
The purpose of this deliverable is to use all of the skills we have gathered
from previous deliverables using ArcGIS, to create a personal geodatabase
and to analyze the spatial data that are a part of a dataset. The geodatabase
provides all the necessary feature classes that were created, by diligently
following the procedures noted in the terms of reference. The spatial analysis
was conducted after all of the objectives in the terms of reference had been
completed. The development of the geodatabase and the spatial analysis
have been proven useful in solidifying my knowledge of ArcGIS and further
enhance my ability to perform like a GIS expert.
Should you require further information, please do not hesitate to contact me
at your convenience. I look forward to your comments and suggestions on
this deliverable.
Sincerely,
Marc Mancino
MM/
Enclosures: 1.) Hardcopy formal report
2.) Personal geodatabase on a disk

Abstract
By undertaking a spatial analysis, using ArcGIS, a geodatabase was created
containing the feature classes used to demonstrate each step of the process
for analyzing contamination in the Niagara Region. Each winery was
responsible for contaminating the surrounding area depending on the type of
wine they were most dominant in making. A buffer for contamination was
created for each winery and intersected with the buffer of the stream
hydrology. An overlay was created to see how much contamination would
leech into the streams, if chemical additives were to migrate. Each feature
class represents a part of a list of ten objectives. The procedures for each
objective were followed diligently and completed as such. The maps created
display all of the required data for completing the analysis.

Table of Contents
Introduction.....................................................................................................1
Background......................................................................................................1
Goal Statement................................................................................................2
Methodology....................................................................................................3
Objective #1.................................................................................................3
Objective #2.................................................................................................3
Objective #3.................................................................................................4
Objective #4.................................................................................................5
Objective #5.................................................................................................7
Objective #6.................................................................................................9
Objective #7...............................................................................................10
Objective #8...............................................................................................12
Objective #9...............................................................................................13
Objective #10.............................................................................................14

Findings..........................................................................................................16
Conclusions....................................................................................................16
Bibliography...................................................................................................17
Appendix........................................................................................................18
Figure 1......................................................................................................18
Figure 2......................................................................................................19
Figure 3......................................................................................................20
Figure 4......................................................................................................21

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Introduction
The scope of this project revolves around using a powerful application called
ArcGIS. ArcGIS is a user-friendly application capable of manipulating and
distributing geographic information (ESRI, 2014). It has many different ways
of storing data in certain file formats depending on their purpose in a map
project. A geodatabase is the most common method of storing data in
ArcGIS. Its name is derived from a database that houses spatial data (ESRI,
2014). It allows for the storage of GIS data, such as feature classes and can
be easily accessed and managed from a central location (ESRI, 2014).
Feature classes are a collection of common features, such as points, lines, or
polygons that form the foundation of how a map takes its shape (ESRI,
2014). For example, a feature class named Bench would simply display all
of the benches on a map as points. Their colour, size, and shape can all be
customized to the users liking as well. Shapefiles could be described as a
more primitive form of a feature class in the way that they still represent
points, lines, or polygons, but instead simply store the geometric location
and attribute information. In order for them to be operational and
manipulated in ArcGIS, they need to be converted to feature classes (ESRI,
2014).
With a more clear understanding of how data is used in ArcGIS, an
introduction to some of the applicable processes in the project can now be
addressed. The main process and entirety of this project is based on the
completion of a spatial analysis. A spatial analysis is a procedure for
analyzing spatial data (Carleton College, 2010). The locations of the objects
being analyzed dictate the result of the analysis (Carleton College, 2010).
ArcGIS will utilize its many unique features and tools to create a map of the
Niagara Region. This map will display the locations of various wineries and
their contamination radii. A resultant overlay will be created and analyzed for
the potential severity of migrating chemical additives.

Background
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Becoming more familiar with the applications and processes involved in

undergoing a spatial analysis, allows for a background on the project. The
GISC9303 - GIS Database & Data Warehouse course introduced the concept
of constructing a database using Microsoft Access. This Microsoft application
was used to form the basis of the skills required to add successive sets of
data about the wineries in the Town of Niagara-On-The-Lake, to form an even
more detailed database. The foundation of this project was based on the
importance of extracting the location of the wineries from a tabular data set
and converting to them into a graphical representation, using ArcGIS. Even
though the database used to begin this project was given to us so that
everyone was working with the same database and not their previous,
potentially erroneous, one, the skills used to complete the steps up to this
point still apply.
Proper procedure involving the creation of an ArcGIS map file always includes
the creation of a geodatabase. As previously mentioned, a geodatabase is
used to store GIS data, such as feature classes. The geodatabase acts as a
solid source of all the information used to create the map and can be saved
and distributed just as required by the terms of reference; submission by
disk. The creation, organization, and naming of the geodatabase, as well as
the information it contains, allows for the chance to present our work with a
professional, GIS expert approach.
The introduction of this project yielded some interesting encounters with new
types of data sets. The typical feature class manipulation involving the use of
existing feature classes to create new ones was the most common practice.
Some of the objectives required transforming tabular data into a point
feature class to display its information in ArcGIS. Other objectives focused on
the conversion of one file format to another, such as the AutoCAD Release
2000 feature classes and Arcinfo Version 7.x Coverage format shapefiles;
converted into feature classes, so that they were operational in ArcGIS. There
was also work with Geographic Coordinate System (NAD27) shapefiles.

Goal Statement
The winery chemicals that are used to create various wine types require
varying chemical additives. The additives all have differing probabilities of
migrating off site to contaminate nearby waters. If the chemical additives
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were to migrate off site, the surrounding buffer, demonstrated by the

overlay, is the indicated area of effect. Our goal is to determine how much of
the stream network running throughout the region would be affected, if
chemical additives were to theoretically leech into it. In order to determine
this, a spatial analysis, using ArcGIS, will be conducted on a designated
number of wineries in the Town of Niagara-On-The-Lake.

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Methodology
Before any data was used, all the required files were transferred to an
external hard drive. The file pathways were used to find what was required
and then saved so they could be worked on from a source other than the X:
drive. This prevented future complications and the potential corruption of
data. Never work off the X: drive!
Objective #1
ArcCatalog was used to locate the DOI raster imagery following the file
pathway: X:\ GIS Resources\ GIS - First Semester\ GISC9301 ArcGIS Applications\
Assignment 3\ Data\Nad83\ SID Imagery\ NIA_FULL_B.sid, indicated in
Procedures for completing objective #1. After the imagery was displayed in
ArcMap, the colour ramp was inverted to eliminate the unappealing black
color representing the area outside the Niagara Region.

Screen Capture (SC) #1 Colour Ramp of the DOI Raster Imagery.

Objective #2
ArcCatalog was used to locate the d3RawWinery geodatabase following the
file pathway: X:\ GIS Resources\ GIS - First Semester\ GISC9301 ArcGIS
Applications\ Assignment 3\ evenYear\ d3RawWinery.mdb\ .This geodatabase
contains the tblWineryLocation table, which is required to display the
locations of the wineries as points in ArcMap. This table contains the X and Y
coordinate data that can be used to add the points to the map. By setting
the UTM Easting and UTM Northing as the X and Y coordinates, we create
points on the map that represent that locations of each of the wineries. The
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points will be displayed, but they will be displayed as events. The

WineryLocation feature class was created from those events and placed
inside the Mancino2014.gdb geodatabase.

SC #2 ArcMap menu displaying the process for converting tabular

information into graphical information.

Objective #3
The ArcCatalog application was used to locate the Mancino2014.gdb
geodatabase following the file pathway:
E:\GISC9301ArcGISApplications\Assignment#3\Data\Mancino2014.gdb on an
external hard drive. The metadata was edited so that it demonstrated the
purpose and description of the project as well as credit the people who were
involved with providing data and helped in the process of developing the
map.

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Objective #4
ArcCatalog was used to locate the d3RawWinery.mdb geodatabase following
the file pathway:
E:\GISC9301ArcGISApplications\Assignment#3\evenYear\d3RawWinery.mdb\tblWin

which contains table tblWinery. The WineryLocation feature class was

joined with table tblWinery by their Winery IDs using the Add Join function
from ArcToolbox. The data from tblWinery was added to the attribute table
of the WineryLocation feature class.
ery,

SC #3 ArcMap menu displaying the process for adding the data of a table
to the attribute table of a feature class.

The attribute table of the WineryLocation feature class was also modified to
include a field for Wine Type, which is required for the buffering phase of the
spatial analysis. The WineryRed, WineryWhite, and WineryRose feature
classes were created from the WineryLocation feature class using the query
builder, and were placed inside the Mancino2014.gdb geodatabase.

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SC #4 - ArcMap menu displaying the process for creating a new feature class
from an already existing one.

SC #5 - ArcMap menu displaying the use of a query to extract unique values.

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Objective #5
ArcCatalog was used to locate the NTDBS data using the following file
pathway: X:\GIS Resources\GIS - First Semester\GISC9301 ArcGIS
Applications\Assignment 3\Data\Nad27. The Roads2003 feature class was
created from the ROADL_Revised.shp shapefile and the Roads2006 feature
class was created from the road_l.shp shapefile and both were placed inside
the Mancino2014.gdb geodatabase. Since both feature classes were
created from shapefiles that used Geographic Coordinate Systems (NAD27),
they were defined and then projected as Projected Coordinate Systems
(NAD83) using the tools in the ArcToolbox: Define Projection and Project.
These feature classes represent the road network of the Niagara Region.

SC #6 ArcMap menu displaying the process for creating a new feature

class from an existing shapefile.

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SC #7 - ArcMap menu displaying the process for defining the projection of a

feature class.

SC #8 - ArcMap menu displaying the process for projecting a feature class.

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Objective #6
ArcCatalog was used to locate the Hamilton/Niagara Municipal Boundaries
data in an AutoCAD Release 2000 format using the following file pathway:
X:\GIS Resources\GIS - First Semester\GISC9301 ArcGIS Applications\Assignment
3\Data\Nad83\Municipal Boundaries\Hamilton-Niagara Municipal

The AutoCAD Polygon feature class was imported

into the Mancino2014.gdb geodatabase as another feature class named
Boundary, so that it could be properly displayed in ArcMap. Since this data
was using a Geographic Coordinate system, it was defined and then
projected as a Projected Coordinate System (UTM Zone 17N, NAD 1983)
using the tools in the ArcToolbox: Define Projection and Project.
Boundaries.dwg\Polygon.

SC #9 - ArcMap menu displaying the process for defining a projection of a

feature class.
SC #10 - ArcMap menu displaying the process for projecting a feature class.

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Objective #7
ArcCatalog was used to locate the stream centreline data in an ArcInfo
Version 7.x Coverage format using the following file pathway: X:\GIS
Resources\GIS - First Semester\GISC9301 ArcGIS Applications\Assignment

The ArcInfo arc shapefile was

imported into the Mancino2014.gdb geodatabase as a feature class named
Hydrology, so that it could be properly displayed in ArcMap. Since this data
was using a Geographic Coordinate system, it was defined and then
projected as a Projected Coordinate System (UTM Zone 17N, NAD 1983)
using the tools in the ArcToolbox: Define Projection and Project.
3\Data\Nad83\Hydrology\hamniaghydro\arc.

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SC #11 - ArcMap menu displaying the process for creating a new feature
class from an existing shapefile.

SC #12 - ArcMap menu displaying the process for projecting a feature class.

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Objective #8
The dominant wine types were determined in Objective #4 and feature
classes for each wine type were created as a result. ArcCatalog was used to
locate the Mancino2014.gdb geodatabase following the file pathway:
E:\GISC9301ArcGISApplications\Assignment#3\Data\ Mancino2014.gdb . Buffer
rings were created around the WineryRed feature class points with an input
distance of 1600 meters and output to the Mancino2014.gdb geodatabase
as a feature class named WineryRedBuffered. Buffer rings were created
around the WineryWhite feature class points with an input distance of 500
meters and output to the Mancino2014.gdb geodatabase as a feature class
named WineryWhiteBuffered. Buffer rings were created around the
WineryRose feature class points with an input distance of 2500 meters and
output to the Mancino2014.gdb geodatabase as a feature class named
WineryRoseBuffered. These buffer rings had their edges dissolved during
their creation for a smoother look and were created using the tool in the
ArcToolbox: Buffer.

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SC #13 - ArcMap menu displaying the process for creating a buffer zone
around a feature class.

Objective #9
ArcCatalog was used to locate the Mancino2014.gdb geodatabase following
the file pathway: E:\GISC9301ArcGISApplications\Assignment#3\Data\
Mancino2014.gdb. Buffer rings were created around the Hydrology feature
class lines with an input distance of 1200 meters (distance from the stream
centreline) and output to the Mancino2014.gdb geodatabase as a feature
class named HydrologyBuffer. These buffer rings had their edges dissolved
during their creation for a smoother look and were created using the tool in
the ArcToolbox: Buffer.

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SC #14 - ArcMap menu displaying the process for creating a buffer zone
around a feature class.

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Objective #10
ArcCatalog was used to locate the Mancino2014.gdb geodatabase following
the file pathway: E:\GISC9301ArcGISApplications\Assignment#3\Data\
Mancino2014.gdb. The WineryRedBuffered, WineryWhiteBuffered, and
WineryRoseBuffered feature classes were combined using the Union
function from ArcToolbox and output to the Mancino2014.gdb geodatabase
as a feature class named UnionOfWines. In order to intersect the two
buffers, they need to both be dissolved and since the hydrology buffer was
already dissolved during its process, the wine buffer requires it now. The
newly created feature class UnionOfWines was input into the Dissolve
function from ArcToolbox and output to the Mancino2014.gdb geodatabase
as a feature class named UnionOfWinesDissolve. The HydrologyBuffer and
UnionOfWinesDissolve feature classes were then input into the Intersect
function from ArcToolbox and output to the Mancino2014.gdb geodatabase
as a feature class named BufferOverlay.

SC #15 - ArcMap menu displaying the process for uniting multiple feature
classes into one.

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SC #16 - ArcMap menu displaying the process for dissolving a feature class.

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SC #17 - ArcMap menu displaying the process for intersecting two feature
classes to create an overlay.

Findings
After conducting a spatial analysis, using ArcGIS, on a designated number of
wineries in the Town of Niagara-On-The-Lake, there is a strong indication
that, if the chemical additives were to migrate, approximately 78.5% of the
surrounding hydrology will likely experience contamination and/or water
quality impairment. That 78.5% accounts for a total calculated area of
approximately 64.5 square kilometers. The remaining 21.5% of the
surrounding area will be unaffected. That 21.5% accounts for a total
calculated area of approximately 17.7 square kilometers. The total calculated
area for the maximum potential affected area, assuming the entire buffer
zone of each winery affects a waterbody, is approximately 82.2 square
kilometers. Being so, that five of the buffer zones (extents of Konzelmann,
Sunnybrook, Reif, Inniskillin, and Marynissen) exceed the land boundary, it is
also expected that there is potential for harm to Lake Ontario as well.
With nearly 80% of the surrounding hydrology likely to be affected, water
quality can also be drastically affected. Chemical contamination can affect
many water quality parameters resulting in the harming of ecosystem
processes and the aquatic wildlife inhabiting them. Drastic changes in pH
can cause harm to animals and plants when the water is too acidic or too
basic (USGS, 2014). Compounds containing nitrogen act as nutrients in water
ways, however, nitrate reactions in fresh water can cause oxygen depletion
(USGS, 2014). Oxygen is a necessity for all forms of life and tolerable
dissolved oxygen concentrations are necessary for good water quality (USGS,
2014). Suitable oxygen levels in the water provide food for oxygen feeding
life forms, which are part of natural water purification (USGS, 2014).
Phosphorus is a key element for essential plant and animal growth, however,
in elemental form can be very toxic and can be subject to bioaccumulation
(USGS, 2014). Healthy amounts of phosphate in a system can stimulate
plankton and plant growth, thereby increasing fish population. Too much in
the system, however, can cause algae and wild plants to grow wildly, taking
up oxygen and essentially choking up the system (USGS, 2014). The rapid
increase of aquatic vegetation is caused by eutrophication (over-fertilization)
and decreases dissolved oxygen levels in the system and can cause the
death and decay of aquatic vegetation and life (USGS, 2014).
The chemicals additives used in winemaking dont necessarily include
compounds with those elements, but modern-day wine additives are much
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more use-restricted, so the leeching of such additives may not be as harmful

to the environment as one would expect.

Conclusions
After completing the spatial analysis, using ArcGIS, it can be concluded that
the migration of chemicals into the surrounding hydrology would have a
devastating effect on water quality. It is recommended that the wineries
reinforce stringent rules and regulations regarding which chemical additives
are used during processing. This will ensure the least amount of harm if
chemical additives do happen to leech into the surrounding hydrology.

Bibliography
1) USGS. (2014). Water Properties and Measurements. Water Properties,
U.S. Geological Survey Water Science School. Retrieved on December
7th, 2014, from http://water.usgs.gov/edu/waterproperties.html
2) ESRI ArcGIS Resources. Introduction to ArcGIS. (2014). Retrieved on
December 7th, 2014 from http://resources.arcgis.com/en/help/gettingstarted/articles/026n00000014000000.htm
3) ESRI GeoCollector Series. Overview. (2014). Retrieved on December
7th, 2014 from http://www.esri.com/software/arcgis/geodatabase
4) ESRI ArcGIS Resource Center. What is a shapefile? (2014). Retrieved
on December 7th, 2014 from
http://help.arcgis.com/en/arcgisdesktop/10.0/help/index.html#//005600
000002000000.htm
5) Carleton College. What is a Spatial Analysis? (2010). Retrieved on
December 7th, 2014 from
https://apps.carleton.edu/collab/spatial_analysis/SpatialAnalysis/

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Appendix

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Figure 1: Pre-requisite Data atop the DOI Raster Imagery for the Town of
Niagara-On-The-Lake
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Figure 2: Results of the Winery Buffer Analysis indicated by the Buffer

Zones for the dominant type of wine of each Winery
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Figure 3: Results of the Hydrology Buffer Analysis indicated by the Buffer

Zones for the Stream Network
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Figure 4: Results of the Overlay Analysis indicated by the intersection of the

Winery Buffer Zones and Hydrology Buffer Zones
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