Module 4: Vector Analysis

 

The lengthiest part of this lab was creating the map. I am still not proficient in the editing tools of laying out the map if ARC GIS Pro. It often feels like I could physically draw a better map with all the elements I am wanting to place faster than learning how to use the editing tool to “do it for me”. As with any program there is a learning curve and for ARCGisPro there is a much bigger one than I would’ve expected. The command search tool at the top is a lifesaver when trying to find the tools discussed in the directions. I initially thought that the remove overlap tool would’ve gotten rid of the overlapping layers so that I could exclude the conservation areas, however no matter ho many YouTube videos I watched I couldn’t get it to do exactly what I was looking for. Finally, I was able to use the overlap layer tool and find the erase function inside this tool, this achieved the desired effect. I then added back layers I has turned on such as the road and water and created a criteria to highlight areas with the most area, the most area of possible sites being the black areas on the map and the least being the yellow areas on the map. I chose to make these highlights somewhat transparent so that you could still see the road and water inside the areas of interest. I then played around with different base maps to find which one would provide the most geographical information without being too distracting from the purpose of the map. I chose to round the area as percent totals off to a whole number to make it easier to read on the legend but the colors displayed stayed the same in reference to the original percent totals that were automatically drafted when creating the symbology. Map is attached, it depicts possible campsites with the De Soto National Forest that avoid conservation areas. The sites with the largest area are depicted in black with a 14% area total, red is 6% area total and yellow with the smallest area total is showing sites in the 2% area total.