Site Suitability Analysis

I used ArcGIS Pro 3.0.2 to solve this problem. The main geoprocessing tools that I used include “Slope”, “Feature to Raster”, “Distance Accumulation”, “Reclassify”, and “Weighted Overlay”. The data to solve this problem include shape files of roads, streams, trails, and vegetation categories, as well as a raster file of elevation. The data are provided by the class.

I first reviewed the data format of roads, trails, streams, vegetation types, and elevation, the criteria for black bears’ favorable habitats, and identified the steps needed to conduct the suitability analysis. Then imported all data into ArcGIS. Because the raw data doesn’t directly contain the information needed for suitability analysis, I derived relevant information for each layer. I used ModelBuilder to run all relevant geoprocessing tools. For the layers of roads, streams, and trails, I used the “Distance Accumulation” tool to derive the distance to these layers. For the layer of vegetation types, I transform the vector data into raster data by using the “Feature to Raster” tool. For the elevation layer, I used the “Slope” tool to derive the slope in degrees. All the newly created layers then went through the “Reclassify” tool to transform all the data into a common scale of 1 to 3, with 3 being the most favorable condition. When defining the intervals for each suitability scale for trails, roads, and streams, I conversed the unit from miles to meters, given that the default unit was meter. After all layers were reclassified into the same 1-3 scale, I used the “Weighted Overlay” tool with all reclassified layers as the inputs. I gave 20% weights for all layers to assign equal weights. Then the output layer was identified as the suitability analysis results.

“Weighted Overlay” is a powerful tool for me to learn. I better understand how suitability analyses are conducted. Practicing model building is also very helpful. As an avian ecologist, we often need to assess the suitable habitat for a species of conservation concern or track the distribution of suitable habitat changes over time. A possible scenario would be that the NC wildlife managers want to identify new nesting survey sites for Wood Thrush in Wake County in an effort to monitor the breeding population of Wood Thrush.

Problem description: As a GIS specialist, I am asked to perform a Suitability Analysis with a weighted overlay to identify suitable habitats of Wood Thrush in Wake County.

Data needed: Tabular data of poverty level in census tracts of Wake County and shapefiles of census tracts of Wake County.

Analysis procedures: We know that Wood Thrush prefers to nest in deciduous forests, moisture soil, close to streams, and far from roads and developments. So, I will gather data from these layers, extract relevant information, and reclassify them into a 1-3 scale. Then I will use the “Weighted Overlay” tool to identify the most favorable nesting locations for Wood Thrush and design new survey sites in those locations.