Intro to GIS - Module 4 - Vector Analysis

This map is the product of the fourth lab module for GIS5050. The main objective of this week's lab exercises was to stress the importance of GIS as an analytical tool and describe the process of how a successful GIS analysis is carried out. The exercises helped to solidify our understanding of numerous GIS analytical concepts and the vocabulary that accompanies them. We then put these concepts into practice through our two lab exercises.

In our initial exercise we learned what a geodatabase is, their attributes, and their purposes followed by looking at key differences between shapefiles and feature classes. The remainder of the first exercise focused on geodatabases and running various queries in order to select desired features. These concepts were carried over and built upon in exercise two.

In exercise two we used various GIS analysis tools to identify suitable camp sites in the De Soto National Forest near Hattiesburg, Mississippi. Our criteria consisted of a specific distance from roads, rivers, lakes, and areas that are not within conservation areas. In order to achieve our objective we used various buffer and overlay tools to get our desired result.

I began creating my map by defining my symbology. I decided that 5 classes seemed to work well and tried to create my intervals with somewhat of an even distribution. I then chose my color scheme which consisted of a set of earthy tones ranging from a light cream beige representing smaller areas to a dark orange/red representing the largest areas. After this, I began creating my layout. I started by establishing my main map frame with the possible campsites map then moved to the inset map. I was able to utilize some data that I found on the MARIS website to use for my inset.  I ran into a little bit of a problem trying to find some data to represent the De Soto National Forest but was able to add two tile packages from ArcGIS Online that worked well. Next, I labeled the roads because I thought it would be imperative for them to be on the map for somebody who was going to use it. I ended by creating my legend and arranging the remainder of the elements to make the map as visually pleasing as possible. Overall, I spent a great deal of time on this lab, but through spending the extra time I was able to better understand the key concepts presented.