Introductory Gis Final Project Assignment

ABOUT SITE SUITABILITY SELECTION

Site Suitability Analysis is a crucial application of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) which helps in identifying the best locations for specific activities, based on certain criteria. It involves several steps.

• Criteria Definition: Before initiating a site selection analysis, it is essential to define the criteria that are crucial for the analysis. Criteria are the conditions that must be met for a location to be considered suitable for siting the school.

• Data Collection: Collecting relevant spatial and attribute data is critical to the process. Such data can include transportation networks, land use, natural resources, population density, and other relevant items.

• Data Analysis: Using GIS tools, the collected data is analyzed to determine the suitability of different areas based on the predefined criteria. GIS allows for the analysis of multiple layers of data simultaneously, which is essential for site selection analysis. For analysis of your criteria, use the Boolean (yes/no) approach that you used in the lab exercises. Analysis will reveal areas that do meet the condition and/or do not meet the condition.

• Visualization: GIS tools allow for the visualization of the analysis results, making it easier for decision-makers to understand the findings and make informed decisions.

• Decision Making: Finally, the results of the site selection analysis guide decision-makers in selecting the most suitable sites for specific purposes.

DATA LAYERS

WARNING

If students go wrong in this project, they tend to begin by examining the county and deciding where to put the school and then define the criteria and collect the data. Do not do this! The whole point of site selection is to answer the question, “given these criteria, where is the best location for the school?” Chain retailers do site selection all the time. Think of a store like Target. The Target corporation extensively defines criteria to determine what location characteristics are necessary for locating a profitable store. They don’t randomly identify a location and hope that the store can stay in business. Locating a school is no different. Define the criteria that the school location must meet and then determine where in the county such locations exist.

You should not have an outcome where either most of the land area in the county meets your criteria or only one location meets the criteria. If you end up with either, you will need to modify the criteria so that you end up with a handful of locations that meet all the criteria.

Some categories that can help you decide on criteria include:

• Mandated Requirements

1. The available land for the school must be at least 40 acres.
2. The school cannot be in an existing city or town (use the Census Places layer for these locations).

• Characteristics that are advantageous for the school’s location.

1. Are there certain features that the school should be within or near?
2. Commonly used criteria relate to things like slope, nearby roads, nearby parks and recreation areas.

• What characteristics should you avoid when locating the school?

1. Are there things that the school should not be within or near?
2. Commonly used criteria relate to things like waterbodies, slope, power lines, flood zones, railroads, industrial areas. Should you put the school in a lake? What about a flood zone? What about along railroad tracks or under power lines?

• What characteristics should be examined when considering accessibility.

1. For example, is proximity to roads important? If so, what type of roads are better to be near? (Does it matter if the school is on a gravel or dirt road compared to a highway? How close should the land be to take advantage of road access?)

These are not the only items to consider, just prompts to get you thinking about what to include.