This is the second in a two part series on the Align Rasters Toolbox. In this post I use a worked example to illustrate how the Align Rasters Toolbox works. I recently posted these tools as geoprocessing samples on the Esri website - https://www.arcgis.co/home/item.html?id=4f5e9d4e3b974890991d33e7e5251231 Aligning rasters such that their bounding extent and cell sizes match precisely is a tedious, time consuming, and challenging task. East-to-use tools have been lacking up until now. Many modeling approaches require rasters to be perfectly aligned. For example, a common workflow using R would ..read more

This is the first in a two part series on the Align Rasters Toolbox. I recently posted these tools as geoprocessing samples on the Esri website - https://www.arcgis.co/home/item.html?id=4f5e9d4e3b974890991d33e7e5251231 Aligning rasters such that their bounding extent and cell sizes match precisely is a tedious, time consuming, and challenging task. East-to-use tools have been lacking up until now. Many modeling approaches require rasters to be perfectly aligned. For example, a common workflow using R would be to stack rasters and then do subsequent predictive modeling using the stacked rasters ..read more

There are many circumstances where we are interested in obtaining area statistics yet the areas overlap. These might involve extracting land use data in cases where some of the features of interest are overlapping or even highly overlapping.  There are three ways to go about this in ArcGIS, all of which are deeply flawed. One approach is zonal statistics.  However, the standard zonal statistics tool will lead to erroneous results when the zones overlap. The second approach is to use a moving window followed by extracting the values to points. This approach is useful in many cases, es ..read more

We’ve all seen them. The colleague that has 30 or 40 layers in a map document. It usually takes 15 minutes each time he/she refreshes the map. Each time their data gets moved their world is destroyed because every data link is broken. Migrating from one software (e.g. ArcMap, ArcGIS Pro, QGIS) to another is equally or even more traumatic. A corrupt map document might spell the end of their project/career. Don’t be that person! By following a few simple rules and sticking with them you can transform yourself from a map-centric GIS user to a data-centric GIS user greatly enhancing your productiv ..read more

  I've made 10 meter VRML (localized Vector Ruggedness Measure) data available for download HERE.The new localized version of Vector Ruggedness removes some issues in which smooth ridgelines and smoother drainage ways might be confused. For example, the top left image shows the original VRM layer for a mountain range in southern Nevada and the lower left image shows VRML for approximately the same area. Note that the line features are very apparent in VRM but not so much in VRML. We plan to submit a paper on this approach in the upcoming weeks. For the 10 meter Nevada data I've used a 9 ..read more

I have a new tool out that can be used to generate background/available points for habitat modeling (resource selection functions) in ArcMap.  It should work in ArcGIS Pro as well since it is entirely built within ModelBuilder and doesn't rely on any python. The user provides 1) their used points (e.g. occurrences), 2) a buffer from which available points can be selected, and 3) the ratio of used to available points. The tool will also combine multiple files into a single file using the filename to differentiate. This tool would be useful to wildlife biologists and others who work with r ..read more

  Here is a screenshot of my 2021 GIS Day poster also available HERE. You can also download the National Topographic Ruggedness at 90 meter resolution for the USA by clicking HERE ..read more

  There is a new(ish) report available on Research Gate - "Geomorphic Sensitivity and Ecological Resilience of Great Basin Streams and Riparian Ecosystems. Part I. Sensitivity and Resilience Concepts, Components, and Categories Part II. Assessment Protocol." You can access the report by clicking HERE. There is also a data publication that goes along with this report.  It is "Geospatial data for Great Basin perennial montane watersheds - geomorphology, hydrology, vegetation, disturbance and species" and it is available by clicking HERE ..read more

I posted this idea for a searchable website showcasing when new geoprocessing tools are introduced with each version of ArcGIS. You can view the idea by clicking HERE.   ..read more

Similar to the concept of a watershed being the contiguous area draining into a central point or a viewshed being the area that is visible from a given point a skished is an area that accessible immediately downhill from a given point without requiring uphill travel.  The skished also provides an objective definition of vertical drop/gain, which is an important criterion for evaluating the amount of effort required to ascend a peak.  Vertical drop/gain can complement other commonly-used metrics for mountains, such as summit elevation and topographic prominence.  Skished can also ..read more