Distance Analysis Using ArcGIS 10

Description

Analyzing the distance between two or more locations helps answer questions such as, which areas on the ground will be impacted by noise from a flight path? which medevac unit should be dispatched to an accident scene? and, what is the most efficient path for a pipeline between a reservoir and a water treatment plant? This course teaches how to use ArcGIS Spatial Analyst tools to create raster surfaces that identify the shortest, straight-line distance between locations as well as cost-effective paths that reflect specific criteria important to your project success.

Who Should Attend

GIS analysts, specialists, and professionals working in industries such as utilities and communications, pipeline, environmental management, mining, forestry, and emergency response.

Learn How To

• Create a surface that stores the straight-line distance and compass direction to a given source location from each cell within an area of interest.
• Determine the closest source facility for a group of features within an area of interest.
• Create a surface that represents how a variable, such as slope or land cover, affects the cost of travel across an area.
• Prepare data for a least-cost path analysis by reclassifying values to a common scale of suitability.
• Perform a least-cost path analysis to find the most efficient route between two locations based on travel restrictions and weighted criteria.

To complete course exercises, you need the following software:

• ArcGIS 10.0 for Desktop (ArcView, ArcEditor, or ArcInfo)
• ArcGIS 10.0 Spatial Analyst

Distance analysis using Euclidean functions

• Euclidean distance
• Euclidean allocation
• Euclidean direction
• Some Euclidean analysis examples
• Use Euclidean distance in air ambulance scenario
• Use Euclidean allocation and direction in air ambulance scenario

Weighted distance analysis

• What is weighted distance?
• Creating cost surfaces
• Least-cost path analysis
• Performing least cost path analysis
• Least-cost path analysis workflow
• Prepare data for weighted distance analysis
• Find the least-cost path

• Completion of ArcGIS Desktop II: Tools and Functionality or Learning ArcGIS Desktop or equivalent knowledge is required.
• Completion of Basics of Raster Data (for ArcGIS 10) or equivalent knowledge is also required.