Vector Data Analysis

Analysis of various datasets is a central component in the use and power of GIS as a scientific tool, and is an area that my skills are admittedly a bit limited.  Very "entry-level" GIS positions, such as the ones I've held, don't really require the use of these types of analyses, and are mainly centered on the creation of maps as purely visual tools.  GIS has a plethora of applications and methods of analysis though, and I look forward to learning more about them in earning this degree.  

As a basic introduction to spatial analysis, this map was fairly simple to create.  The idea was to produce an output of locations within the above area in DeSoto National Forest in Mississippi that meet some criteria as potential campground sites.  The locations had to be within a certain distance of roads and water, and could not overlap a mapped set of "conservation area" locations.  ArcGIS, as mentioned previously, includes a wide range of tools to solve this type of problem, including processes to create buffer zones (to isolate locations within specified distances of features), and also tools to further narrow the selection of areas to those meeting multiple criteria.  This week's assignment even gave an introduction to creating programming script, using the programming language Python, to run multiple processes at once on various datasets.  To be perfectly candid, the notion of writing computer code is a bit intimidating, but (as with most things) starting small and simple, as we did here, definitely reduces some of the anxiety.  I believe I may be safe in saying that at this point I am ready, willing and able to begin learning the advanced functions of a GIS.