Deriving Rasters for Terrain Analysis Using ArcGIS 10

• GIS analysts, specialists, and other experienced ArcGIS users who need to visualize terrain landforms and perform raster-based analyses.
• GIS professionals working in industries such as utilities and communications, energy, agriculture, environmental management, mining, forestry, and emergency management may find this course of particular benefit.

Prerequisites

• 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.

• Derive slope and aspect surfaces to quantify terrain steepness and exposure to atmospheric phenomena.
• Determine if the resolution of a raster surface is appropriate for terrain analysis at the required map scale.
• Identify locations in an area of interest that meet elevation, slope, and aspect criteria.
• Create a hillshade surface and combine it with an elevation surface to create a visually appealing shaded-relief map.
• Generate contour lines to represent elevation measures on a map.
• Create a viewshed raster to identify areas that are visible and areas that are not visible from one or more surface locations.

Quantifying terrain surfaces

• Deriving and using a slope surface
• Deriving and using an aspect surface
• Derived raster quality
• Choose a quantification technique
• Quantify a terrain surface

Visualizing terrain surfaces

• Deriving and using a hillshade surface
• Deriving and using contour lines
• Deriving and using a viewshed raster
• Choose a visualization technique
• Visualize a terrain surface

To complete course exercises, you need the following software:

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