Getting Started With Spatial Analysis

This post is going to cover an Esri tutorial which presents the basics of spatial analysis. The tutorial is called "Getting Started With Spatial Analysis". Before we get started, it's important to understand what spatial analysis is. Whenever you look at a map, you naturally start to analyze the features and relationships presented. You begin compiling various types of information by identifying patterns and determining trends. This natural process of looking at and analyzing a map is technically spatial analysis. The visual aspects of a map may give you a higher level of understanding the given features, but you can always dive deeper. The map presentation may not give insight into the data's patterns or relationships. You can use spatial analysis techniques to move beyond the visual aspects of data and further explore locations, attributes, and relationships of features. 

Figure 70: Map example from Esri tutorial

Spatial Analysis Workflow

The spatial analysis workflow begins with asking questions and ends with making a decision. Spatial analysis is not a tool that you can run. It's a workflow that gives you a different way to approach solving problems. For example, as you run through an analysis, you may think of a new question, which would require some steps to be revised or repeated. You would want to work through the steps based on the new question until you have the answer that you need to continue the analysis workflow.

Tutorial

1. We began by opening the data in ArcGIS Pro and expanding the database to find "FarmAnalysis.gbd" 
2. On the Map tab, in the Inquiry group, click the Measure down arrow and select Measure Area

Figure 71: Measure Area Tool

     3. The measure information box shows that the wheat field is about 7 acres. By using the measure area tool, we are able to answer the question, "How big is the wheat field?"

We will now use spatial analysis to answer the question, "Which farmers market locations are within 20 miles of the farm?"

1. On the analysis tab, click tools to open the Geoprocessing pane.
2. In the search field, type in "Select layer by location" and open the tool

Set the following parameters:

• Input feature layer: Choose FarmersMarkets
• Relationship: Choose within a distance
• Selecting Features: Choose farm
• Search Distance: Type 20 and choose miles
• Selection Type: Choose new selection

      3. Click Run

Figure 72: Select Layer By Location Results

By using spatial analysis, we were able to present information to the farmer to make decisions about the farm. These are the final two steps in the analysis workflow.