GEOG 4/575 Lab 8: Dynamic Segmentation and Network Analysis

 

Due Nov 29 before class.

The full score for this lab is 15.

 

The exercise comprises two parts related to two themes in linear feature analysis in GIS: dynamic segmentation and network analysis. The former focuses on applications that require location information on linear features. The latter emphasizes more on the connectivity of linear features than on the locations.

 

            For the first part, finish all but the 1st task in Chang’s Chapter 17. If you have not done geocoding (i.e., address matching) before, you should do Task 1 on your own. For the second part, finish Tasks 3, 4, 5 and 6 in Chang’s Chapter 18. Answer and submit all questions listed at the end of this instruction. Lab exercise data are available in: I:\Students\Instructors\Geoffrey_Duh\Chang_4e\datasets_v4\chap17 and 18 (or on the textbook CD). Please copy all these folders to your working directory in c:\Users before you start.

 

Part I (Chapter 17)

 

Additional notes:

  1. Task 4, Step 1. Please refer to Task 2 in Chapter 14 for instructions on how to create the final slope shapefile.

 

Part I Questions:

1)      What is the data source information in the properties dialog window of the “SpeedLimitsDecAll Events” layer that you created in Task 2? Is “SpeedLimitsDecAll Events” a polyline feature class? If it’s a feature class you should be able to find it in a geodatabase or as a shapefile.

 

2)      In Task 4, how many rest areas are located in forested areas?

 

3)      The identity tool in “Analysis Tools, Overlay” toolset can associate polygon attributes to linear features, a task very similar to the procedures you did in Task 4. The only difference is that identity tool won’t generate linear referencing measures. Describe one application that you need to use the procedures that you did in Task 4 instead of the identity tool.

 

4)      The Route5_cities.dbf event table you created in Task 5 contains a new field call distance. What does a negative distance value, such as -1439, mean? Use ArcGIS online help to locate the help on “Locate Features Along Routes” and look up the definition of this distance field. You can use Distance field as the Offset field in the Add Route Events tool to verify the distance values.

 

Part II (Chapter 18)

 

Additional note:

  1. Task 3, step 4. You need to set the layer to uscities to complete the select by attribute task. In step 6, the name of the button at the upper right corner of the Network Analysis window should be “Route Properties,” not “Layer Properties.”
  2. Task 4, steps 1 and 8. The attribute table of moscowst.shp doesn’t come with the Oneway and meters fields. Please add oneway as a text field with a length of 10 characters and add meters as a double field. Then, for oneway field, assign “T” to the records whose direction value equals 1 and “F” to those with a value of 0. Assign the value of the length field to the meters field.

 

Part II Questions:

1)      What is the data source information in the properties dialog window of interstates_ND that you created in Task 3? If you rename interstates.shp to something else, will you still be able to see the interstates_ND network?

 

2)      Insert maps (screenshots) of the shortest path you generated in Task 3 step 7, Task 5 step 4 and Task 6 step 4. Make sure you clearly label each map.