Spatial data analysis
vector data,
Geo-processing
Introduction to GIS 9th Edition chapter 11: pages from
229 to 249
Spatial analysis
• A process by which raw spatial data is transformed into
useful information to pursue scientific reasoning or decision
making
• Spatial analysis is done in order:
• To detect patterns, anomalies that are not obvious
• To find answer to geographic questions/geographic problems
• To test or confirm theories
• Deductive reasoning
• To generate new theories and generalisations
• Inductive reasoning
• To add value to geographic data
• Support decision-making
• Can reveal things that might otherwise be invisible-it can make
what is implicit explicit
Functional classes
• Geo-processing (Retrieval) – spatial queries to retrieve features
selectively using user defined logical conditions
• Measurements
• Aspects of geographic data, length, area, etc. computing distance
between features or along their perimeters or counting
• Classification – (re) assignment of a thematic, characteristic value to
features in a data layer
• Overlay functions – Forms the core computational activity of GIS.
• Involves combining data layers and deriving new information by creating
features in a new layer.
• Different layers are combined using arithmetic, relational and conditional
operators
• Neighbourhood functions - Evaluate the characteristics of an area
surrounding a feature’s location i.e. buffer zones
• Connectivity functions – Evaluate how features are connected i.e.
road networks, water courses and coastal zones
Geo-processing
• Geo-processing is any GIS operation used to manipulate
data. A typical geo-processing operation takes an input
dataset, performs an operation on that dataset, and returns
the result of the operation as an output dataset or derived
data.
• Common geo-processing operations, like:
• Geographic feature selections
• Data conversion.
• Geo-processing allows you to define, manage, and analyze
geographic data used to make decisions.
• In other words, any alteration or information extraction you
want to perform on your data involves geo-processing.
Geo-processing
• In ArcGIS® Desktop, you are provided with a framework
for addressing geo-processing tasks, which includes an
extensive list of geo-processing tools organized within a set
of toolboxes.
• You can employ the tools directly or chain them together to
model in a particular workflow. You can put geo-processing
tools to work in custom scripts and you can create your own
tools and toolboxes.
Executing Geo-processing Tasks
Tool
Command
Model
Script
Geo-processing Tools
• Extracting Features by Attributes
• Extract features by Location
• Geo-processing Tools
• Dissolve
• Merge
• Clip
• Intersect
• Union
• Spatial Join
Attribute Query Extraction
• You have an EA map for some part of SA but you want one
sub-municipality only code of the municipality is 003
A
Attribute Query Extraction
Select EA by sub-municipality ID
Export Selected Features
Right-click to export selected features
Add Exported Layer
Select by Location
• Identify spatial relationships between layers
• Finds features that are within another layer.
•Select feature to extract EA’s to (city outline)
Other Select by Location Queries
Points near a line
Toxic release sites within 1 Km of a river
Other Select by Location Queries
Pointsnear points
Schools within ½ km of polluting companies (are within a distance of)
Other Select by Location Queries
Lines intersecting polygons (Intersect)
Other Select by Location Queries
Buildings whose centers are in emergency zones (have their centre in)
Geoprocessing Tools
• Clip
• Dissolve
• Intersect
• Union
• Append
Clip
“Cookie cutter” to select features
=
Clipping Features (Points, Lines,
Polygons)
X Y Z
=
Line (Arc) Clipping
Input layer - Streets
Clip layer – Central
Business District
(selected)
Output layer - Streets within
Central Business District
Clip Geoprocessing Tool
Difference Between Clipping and Select by
Location
Clip: Select by Location:
Clean “cut” Dangle edges
Dissolve
Aggregates items that have the same value
Dissolve Functions
ArcToolBox or Command Line Window
Append
Appends features together
Append Streets
Separate street layers for neighborhoods
Append Streets
Choose both street layers to append
Resultant Layer
One street layer with all records and field items
Union
Use Union when you
want to overlay two
polygon layers
The resulting output
layer: has the combined
attribute data of the
polygons in the two inputs,
and contains all the
polygons from the inputs,
whether or not they
overlap.
Union
Intersect
Use Intersect when you want to overlay a layer with the
polygons in another layer
The resulting output layer has the combined attribute data
of the features in the two inputs, and only contains features
that fall within the spatial extent of the overlay polygons
Intersect
Flood zones that intersect buildings
Intersect
Result is only building polygons that intersect flood zones with
combined data fields
Spatial Join
Joining the attributes of one
feature to another based on the
spatial relationship between
them
A spatial join matches the rows
from Join Features values to
Target Features values
Subsequently two new fields,
Join_Count and TARGET_FID
Neighbourhood: buffering
Neighbourhood: buffering vector
• Buffers
performed on
point, line, and
area features to
create a
polygonal
layer in which
boundaries are
defined by
their distance
to features in a
"source" layer.
Neighbourhood: point buffering e.g.
Model Builder
• Workflow processes can be complicated
• Automates functions together
Model Builder
Problem:
You have national census EA data with population data
and a PMB municipality boundary map. But you want
only population for Pietermaritzburg municipality
Solution:
Use Model Builder functions to clip census EA into
PMB boundary and dissolve to aggregate data to
Pietermaritzburg neighborhoods
Model Builder Example
Clip only EA’s whose centers are located within
Pietermaritzburg neighborhoods
Union the census EA and neighborhoods
Summary
Extracting Features
Attribute Queries
Select by Location
Geoprocessing Tools
Clip
Dissolve
Union
Intersect
Append
Spatial Join
Model Builder
