Basic GIS Analysis

 Basic GIS Analysis

Kendrick Wittmer

Date: 2/26/2025

    The objective of this assignment was to engage in spatial analysis through the creation of a series of maps in ArcGIS Pro. The assignment focused on two common GIS operations: buffering and overlay and applied them to identify acceptable areas for campsites in Hugo, Minnesota. Through a step-by-step process, fixed and variable distance buffers were generated, spatial overlays were applied, and land ownership was analyzed to narrow down suitable private campground sites.

Roads and Lakes with Buffers in Hugo, MN

    This map shows buffer zones around roads and lakes. A fixed buffer of 300 meters was created around roads, while variable buffers were applied to lakes based on size class—smaller lakes received smaller buffers (50 meters), and larger lakes had wider zones (up to 300 meters). The variable buffer required creating a custom field in the attribute table and assigning buffer distances to each lake before running the buffer tool. Transparency and layer order were adjusted to clearly show overlapping zones.

 Acceptable Campsite Areas in Hugo, MN

    To identify potential campsite locations, the road and lake buffers were combined using the Union overlay tool. This created a new layer showing areas that fell within both buffer zones. A selection was made for areas with a value of 1 in both the road and lake buffer attribute fields. These selected features were exported as a new layer called Acceptable Areas, then converted to singlepart features. A new field was added to calculate the area of each polygon in hectares. The total acceptable area was found to be approximately 760 hectares, and this information was included in the map layout.

Acceptable Campsites on Private Land Only

    This map refines the analysis by removing any acceptable campsite areas located on public land. Using the Erase tool, the public land polygons were subtracted from the acceptable campsite layer, leaving only areas on private land. The result was a new layer showing privately owned areas still suitable for campground development. The polygons were again converted to singlepart features, and their areas recalculated. The final total for acceptable campsite areas on private land was 745 hectares, nearly all of the originally suitable area.

    These maps demonstrate a complete GIS workflow, from data preparation and field calculations to advanced spatial analysis techniques. The final results support land-use planning decisions by clearly identifying where campsites could be located with proximity to lakes and roads, while considering land ownership. This lab showed how GIS can answer complex spatial questions through logical and visual analysis.