3D Analyst Tutorial
3D Analyst Tutorial
3D Analyst Tutorial
Introduction
Spatial Analyst is the extension ArcGIS uses to conduct
analyses with raster data. 3D Analyst and ArcScene
allow users to display and work with three-dimensional
(x, y, z) data.
Objectives--By the end of this lesson, you should be able to:
Create a new shapefile
Edit a shapefile
Convert a bathymetry grid to a 3D display
Complete viewshed and hillshade analyses
Select features within an attribute table
Buffer a shapefile
As you proceed through this lab answer the questions in the word document
provided to you. The questions should be answered as they are encountered rather
then at the end.
Generating Slope and Hillshade grids using the Spatial Analyst Extension
1. Start ArcMap and add the fb02_1mneg08 grid to the project.
2. Make sure the Spatial Analyst and the 3D Analyst Extensions are turned on.
Go to Tools Extensions.
Check the boxes next to Spatial Analyst and 3D Analyst and click close.
To add the Spatial Analyst toolbar to your window, go to View ToolbarSpatial
Analyst.
3. Add the 3D Analyst Toolbar in the same manner (see image below).
Make sure the bathymetry grid is showing in the Input Surface field.
For now, leave Azimuth, Altitude, and Z factor as their default values of 315, 45, and 1.
Change the Output Cell Size to 1 and choose a filename the same way you did above for
slope. Click on the open folder icon
next to output raster. Navigate to your
bathymetry grid folder and choose an appropriate name for your hillshade. Click Ok.
2. Compare the hillshade grid to the slope grid you made earlier and answer the question
below. Refer to the illustration below to help hone your recognition skills of various
terrain features.
Q1. What are the general ranges of values of slope encountered in these three regions
of your hillshade?
3. Now we will use the Effects toolbar to modify layer transparencies. In the main
menu click on View ToolbarsEffects.
In the Layer box on the Effects toolbar, make sure the fb02_1mneg08 grid is
showing. Click on the Transparency
button. This will bring up a slider bar.
Set the transparency to a value close to 40%. You may experiment with the slider bar
to see what transparency level works best. (Hint: the greater the percentage
transparency used the more the transparent the layer.)
4. Create a map showing your hillshade with bathymetry over it. (Hint: you need to be
in layout view.) Remember to include:
title
north arrow
scale bar
name
date
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neatline
2. In ArcCatalog click the name of the folder in which you want to create your shapefile
in the table of contents window (far left window). Now in the ArcCatalog main menu
bar, click on FileNew Shapefile. In the Create New Shapefile dialog box,
change the name of the file to observer_pts. Make sure that Feature Type is Point
and click Ok.
3. Now close ArcCatalog.
4. Go back to ArcMap and add your observer_pts shapefile to your project. Make sure
the Editor toolbar is visible. If not, add it by clicking on ViewToolbar and
scrolling to check off the Editor option.
5. On the Editor Toolbar, go to EditorStart Editing. A dialog box will appear with a
statement about your shapefile not being in the same coordinate system as the map.
Click Ok.
6. Click on the Digitize Tool
. Make sure that the fb02_1mneg08 appears in the
dropdown menu. Use the digitize tool to add a point to the observer_pts shapefile by
clicking wherever you wish on the map. A highlighted point will appear. Add
another five points wherever you would like.
7. Save your edits by going to EditorSave Edits.
8. Stop editing by going to Editor Stop Editing
You will use your observer_pts shapefile again later in the lab.
9.
3D Analyst
1. Launch ArcScene from ArcMap by clicking the ArcScene button
in the main
menu bar.
2. Add the fb02_1mneg08 and observer_pts files in ArcScene the same way you would
add a layer in ArcMap
Viewshed Analysis
A viewshed analysis shows you what can be seen from a point on a raster file. This
analysis is commonly used to determine what can be seen from a given point or group of
points in an area.
1. Make sure 3D Analyst is turned on by clicking View Toolbars 3D Analyst.
2. Go to 3D AnalystSurface AnalysisViewshed. This will bring up the Viewshed
dialog box.
The viewshed file will now appear in the table of contents. It will be divided into two
areas. One area will represent parts of the terrain that are not visible (termed Not
Visible) from any of the points in the shapefile underwater and one area will represent
parts of the terrain that are visible (termed Visible) from any of the points in the
shapefile. Using the viewshed grid, answering the following questions:
Q2. For what types of applications do you think a viewshed analysis would be useful?
Q3. What industries use viewshed analysis? Search the internet to find out. Be sure to
say where you got your information.
3. Now add the hillshade file you created earlier in this lab to your ArcScene project.
Make sure that the viewshed file is first in the layer list (above all other files in the
table of contents) and that the hillshade file is second in the layer list.
4. Turn off all other layers (click to uncheck the boxes beside them).
5. Set the Base Heights for the viewshed using the fb02_1mneg08 file.
6. Set the Base Heights for the hillshade using the fb02_1mneg08 file in the same
manner. Furthermore, in the Offset box of the Base Heights tab, set an offset for the
hillshade of 10.
An Export Map dialog box will open and in the Save as type pulldown menu
select JPEG (*.jpg).
10. After saving your viewshed image in ArcScene, exit the ArcScene program by
clicking on File Exit.
11. Now open a Microsoft Word Document and Insert your viewshade .jpg file into it.
Save your Word document.
MPA Designation
Designating Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) can be difficult. It is important that the
place chosen to be an MPA protect as many species as possible. Not only must the best
location for an MPA be chosen, but the choice must be sensitive to the people who will
be affected by a marine reserve in their area. There are two kinds of MPAs in American
Samoa: no-take MPAs and MPAs where limited fishing is still allowed. The only notake MPA in American Samoa is Rose Atoll National Wildlife Sanctuary.
5. Open the Attribute Table for ftua_ptsfinal (below left). (Right-click on the name of
the file and choose Open Attribute Table.)
6. Click on the Options Select By Attribute. This will bring up the Select By
Attributes window (below right).
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12. Right-click on the ftua_ptsfinal in the layer list. Choose DataExport Data.
Make sure Selected Features is showing in the Export pull-down menu. In the
Output box, name your file ftua_coral.shp. It is fine to use this layers source
data for a coordinate system. Click Ok. A box will pop up asking, Do you want
to add the exported data to the map as a layer? choose yes.
13. Now turn off the ftua_ptsfinal layer.
14. Open ArcToolbox by clicking on the ArcToolbox icon in the ArcMap menu bar.
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15. In the ArcToolbox window, click on Analysis Tools. Your ArcToolbox window
should look much like the image below.
16. Click on Buffer. The Buffer dialog box will appear as below.
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