GIS Gazette

 Module 6: Geometries This week’s lab was an exciting challenge that compiled six weeks of python for ArcGIS crash course into a logical and useful application. The process was interesting and somewhat challenging. The objective in this exercise was to print out information on 25 different rivers and organize them into a TXT file. The information included the river name, coordinates, and object ID. we had to use our newly acquired knowledge from last module to implement a search cursor, and also learned a lot of new techniques regarding geometry manipulation. The Successful   implementation  of this code results as follows: 

 Module 5: Exploring and Manipulating Data  This module focused on the implementation of cursors and dictionaries within newly created geodatabases. We learned a lot of different functions and techniques applying to geospatial data. The most notable problem I encountered this week was compiling the search cursor queries into one script. One of the steps in the project was to create a Search Cursor for the cities layer to find the Name, Population (POP_2000), and Feature of all County Seat Cities. Initially, I could only get the cursor to run by dividing each of these categories into a separate cursor file, generating a long list of either city names, populations, and features, respectively. This was for all intents and purposes functional, but was practically illegible and a definite eyesore. By trial and error I was able to create separate variables, and vitally separate print row.getValue statements for each of my fields to make the same script generate all inquiries simulta...

This module focused on the script design and implementation of geoprocessing tools in ArcGIS.  I particularly enjoyed the portion dedicated to model building, and the interaction of a graphic interface with python script. I find it much more intuitive to construct a logical model. It's extremely useful to have the ability to export these diagrams into python script (even though they may require some tweaking afterwards.) The diagram we built used the clipping tool to select all soils in a shapefile denominated basin, creating a layer called Soils_Clip. Afterwards, the select tool was used to single out the attribute in soils for unusable farmland, making another layer called Soils_Clip_Select. Finally, we erased the unusable farmland from the map, crating a new map of the basin that highlights all soil in the basin except for the unusable farmland. the final map looks like this:  Scripting wise, the class was instructed to add a coordinate system and 1000m buffer to a shapefil...

Module 3: Debugging Mod 3 Script 1 results:                                                                                   Mod 3 Script 2 results:  Mod 3 Script 3 results:                                                        For Script 3, there was an exception error that had to be remedied, using the try-except function.  The first step that was taken to figure out where the try-except statement was supposed to go, was toggling through the debugger to identify what line of code the exception error was on. The Debugger was able to identify the run-time error was present...