Multi-criteria raster suitability model for the Laguna and Cuyamaca Mountains, San Diego County

• Question. Where could the county build a new summer campground that is cool, flat, accessible, and forested?

• Data. 10 m DEM, vegetation cover, and major roads for eastern San Diego County.

• Methods

  • Scored elevation, slope, road proximity, and aspect from 0 to 5 points each. Aspect was added as a cooling factor, since north-facing slopes stay cooler in summer.

  • Screened out all vegetation except conifer, oak woodland, and mixed forest.

  • Combined scores with map algebra into a 20-point suitability index.

• Findings. About 1,124 acres scored 15 or more points, just 2.2% of the eligible forest. Only 77 acres scored 18 or higher. The best sites form a corridor along Sunrise Highway, with the highest-scoring cluster near the community of Mount Laguna.

• Tools. ArcGIS Pro (Spatial Analyst)

• Images. Candidate sites over imagery; topographic map