Instructional Guide for The ArcGIS Imagery Book

Answer Guide

Below are sample answers. The answers can vary 1 percent to 2 percent for exact quantities

and more for answers that have been obtained from online digitizing.

01 Imagery Is Visible Intelligence: A geographic Rosetta stone

Activity 1.1: Show me my home! 2005: The human era of GIS begins

5. List the layers in the Contents pane.

World Imagery Metadata—30 cm

World Imagery Metadata—60 cm

World Imagery Metadata

Imagery with Labels

6-Q1. Write a description of the local area.

The area consists of developed land with open spaces. There are constructed buildings,

but lots of the surfaces are grass or other types of vegetation.

7-Q2. Write a description of the landscape features within the Nairobi administrative

boundary.

The city of Nairobi is surrounded by the Nairobi National Park to the south, the Ngong

forest to the east, and the Kanura Forest to the north. In the eastern part of the city, a water

treatment can be seen by its geometric rectangles.

8-Q3. Write a description of Kenya.

Kenya has a varied geography. It has an eastern coastline on the Indian Ocean and as

you go inland there is arid land to the north and a lush fertile corner in the southwest.

9-Q4. Write a description of Africa.

Africa is surrounded by the Mediterranean Sea, the Red Sea, the Indian Ocean, and the

Atlantic Ocean. The Sahara Desert is in the north, the Savannas or Grasslands are in central

Africa, and the rain forest or the Congo is in the south.

Activity 1.2: Three-dimensional scenes: Where and what?

6. Complete the chart by adding the region and selecting a description from the

choices given.

Location Region Description

Mount St. Helens WA Last erupted July 10, 2008

Mount Whitney CA Highest summit in contiguous US

Grand Canyon AZ Caused by 277-mile river eroding

Bell Rock AZ Butte composed of sedimentary rock

Horseshoe Bend AZ A hairpin turn in the Colorado River

Meteor Crater AZ Meteorite

Bowknot Bend UT Sector of the Green River canyon that doubles back

on itself

Devil’s Tower WY One of a kind flat-topped volcanic formation

Venice Lagoon Italy Enclosed bay of the Adriatic Sea

Mount Blanc Italy Highest mountain in the Alps

Mount Vesuvius Italy Only active volcano in mainland Europe

Ayres Rock Australia Massive sandstone monolith that is sacred to

indigenous inhabitants

Diamond Head Hawaii Name of a volcanic cone on the Island of Oahu

The Badlands SD Dramatic landscapes inhabited by bison, bighorn

sheep, and prairie dogs

Guitar Shaped Argentina Farm shaped like a guitar as tribute to wife who

died

World’s Largest Chile Largest swimming pool in the world

Star Fort Netherlands Fort built in a style during the age of gunpowder

cannon battlefields

Potash Ponds UT Evaporation ponds near Moab

Activity 1.3: Imagery is beautiful: Earth as Art favorites

3. Select your five favorite images from the collection and explain why each is a

favorite by using descriptive words about at least three of these image elements: line, tone,

shape, movement, contrast, and color.

Image number Why do you like it?

Answers will vary Answers will vary

Answers will vary Answers will vary

Answers will vary Answers will vary

Answers will vary Answers will vary

Answers will vary Answers will vary

Lesson 1-1: Obtaining information from imagery: Measuring the Rondônia rain forest

6-Q1 What are the major cities in Rondônia?

The major cities are Anquemes, Jaru, Ji-Parana, Porto Velho, Cacoal, and Vilhena.

6-Q2 Zoom into the city areas. Describe the urban areas.

The urban landscape consists of some buildings, roads, and rows of houses.

9. After clicking the Area icon, digitize around the country by selecting points and

creating a polygon. When the polygon is complete, record the area.

Total area of Rondônia: 91,782 sq. miles.

10. Zoom in and digitize around the areas of Rondônia that have been deforested by

clear-cutting. You need to digitize several polygons and add the areas together for a total.

Total area of deforestation: 40,263 sq. miles.

Total area of Rondônia/total area of deforestation × 100 = 44% of deforested land.

15-Q3. Write a description of the deforested land using the Moisture Index legend.

The deforested land is much drier than the surrounding areas, with some of the areas

recording a very dry index.

16. Follow the same procedure to digitize around the deforested region and perform

the calculation percentage of clear-cutting again. You may use the total area of Rondônia that

you obtained previously.

Total area of Rondônia: 91,782 sq. miles.

Total area of deforestation: 39,104 sq. miles.

Total area of Rondônia/total area of deforestation ×100 = 43% of deforested land.

Lesson 1-2: Layering contemporary imagery with historical maps

Identifying coordinates for historic locations in New York’s Central Park

9. Zoom in to the area of Central Park as delineated by your Central Park map note.

Using the legend symbology, make a list of area features from 1836 that later became Central

Park.

▪ Streets: 86th St., Harsens Road

▪ Two military forts

▪ A powder house

▪ Public buildings (sparse)

▪ Ornamental gardens and squares

▪ Hills

▪ Running streams

▪ Marshland

▪ A two-section reservoir

▪ Fruit trees, orchards

▪ Delineation of future planned streets and avenues

10. Use the Measure tool to determine the coordinates of each of the following

locations in the Central Park area in 1836. Simply click the Measure tool, the Location tool,

and the appropriate location on the map to find its latitude and longitude.

▪ Powder House 40.768908, −73.97315

▪ Fort Clinton 40.794726, −73.952658

▪ Fort Fish 40.795019, −73.954439

▪ The Receiving Reservoir 40.781144, −73.966884

▪ Woods (one or more areas) 40.797715, −73.956585

▪ An orchard (one or more areas) 40.790665, −73.96398

▪ Marshland 40.786636, −73.961327

The ArcGIS Imagery Book, chapter 1

Questions for reading comprehension, reflection, and discussion

1. What advances in the use of imagery for intelligence and reconnaissance were

developed during World War II?

Offset photography (pairs of photographs of the same area of interest) produced

imagery that appeared three dimensional when viewed through 3D glasses. These 3D aerial

photographs enabled analysts to identify precise locations of highly camouflaged rocket

technology developed by Germany.

2. What can satellite imagery reveal that photography cannot?

Satellite imagery employs sensors that detect both visible (to the human eye) and

nonvisible information such as infrared and near-infrared energy. This expanded “view” enables

us to better understand Earth processes and changes over time and to thus make more fully

informed decisions about the critical issues facing Earth and all its life-forms.

3. Imagery has a wide range of uses and applications. What are some of the unique

insights and capabilities that we derive from the use of imagery?

▪ Continuously expanding collection of information about virtually everything on or near

the earth’s surface.

▪ Observation of change over time.

▪ Constantly improving technology facilitates ever-growing potential uses for imagery:

before-and-after views for disaster response, rapid exploitation of newly collected

imagery, image interpretation and classification, and the ability to derive intelligence.

▪ Raster format enables rich analysis, insights, and perspectives.

4. Imagery processing systems and GIS have common characteristics that allow them

to work together today in ArcGIS. What are some of those shared characteristics?

▪ Both systems founded on geography; Information sets for both need to be geospatial.

▪ Information is organized as geographical layers.

▪ Information layers are georeferenced so they can be combined, mashed up, and overlaid

with other layers.

5. Look at the various maps that are linked from this chapter in 01 Imagery Is Visible

Intelligence. Identify and briefly describe uses of modern imagery that these maps reflect.

▪ Observing seasonal patterns of moisture and vegetation

▪ Monitoring moisture levels on Earth

▪ Forecasting and tracking daily weather

▪ Identifying global land cover (densities or types of developed areas, agricultural lands,

and natural vegetation regimes)

▪ Revealing distance to water supply for people living in remote regions

02 The Nature of Remote Sensing: Information gathered from a distance

Activity 2.1: Satellite Map: The constellation of Earth-orbiting satellites

3. Identify by number the country satellites

3,725 American Satellites

3,285 Chinese Satellites

5,261 Russian Satellites

4. Watch the video referenced at the beginning of the chapter, and then complete the

chart below.

Satellite Type Owner Passive/Active # of satellites

GPS NavStar US Active 31

Landsat Spectral USGS/NASA Active 2

Before you complete the chart below, you should define the following words:

Elliptical orbit—paths taken by satellites around Earth, sometimes referred to as

elongated circles or ovals.

Perigee—point of an orbit when the satellite is closest to Earth.

Apogee—point of an orbit when the satellite is farthest away from Earth.

Geosynchronous orbit—an orbit around the earth with the orbital period exactly the

rotation period of Earth, which is one day.

Geostationary orbit—an orbit directly above Earth’s equator that revolves in the same

direction the earth rotates.

Orbit Name Shape Distance from Earth Number of Satellites

Low Earth circular 2,000 km 10,604

Medium Earth elliptical 2,000–10,000 km 664

Geosynchronous elliptical 10,000 km 996

Geostationary elliptical 10,000 km 323

High Earth elliptical 10,000–500,000 km 52

5. How many man-made objects are junk? Junk consists of spent rocket boosters or

debris from satellite collisions. Calculate the percentage of manmade objects that are junk.

10,589/13,926 × 100 = 76%.

6. List the countries in order of the number of satellites they have launched.

Australia: 1

Canada: 5

Japan: 57

France: 364

United States: 2,892

China: 3,107

Russia: 3,956

7. How many satellites have been launched by decade that are considered Not Junk?

1950–1960: 2

1960–1970: 1,274

1970–1980: 1,463

1980–1990: 1,307

1990–2000: 5,290

2000–2010: 644

2010–2020: 351

Activity 2.2: Natural color: Image resolution versus ground accuracy

6. Repeat steps 3 to 5 for the following locations and complete the chart below:

Name Date Resolution (m) Accuracy (m) Data Source

Washington, DC April 23, 2015 0.08 m 0.30 m DC Aerial Photography

Ayres Rock, Australia August 31, 2012 0.50 m 10.20 m WV02

Machu Picchu, Peru July 9, 2013 0.50 m 8.40 m WV02

Moscow, Russia May 20, 2012 0.50 m 10.00 m Pleriades

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil July 6, 2013 0.50 m 10.00 m Pleriades

Cape Town, Africa October 13, 2013 0.50 m 10.00 m Pleriades

Reykjavik, Iceland May 20, 2012 0.50 m 4.25 m WV02

Activity 2.3: Imagery application trends: Urban planning

Matching

Which network (A, B, or C) best describes the highway pattern in each city?

A Atlanta A. radial highways network

B Auckland B. linear highways network

C Buenos Aires C. irregular highways network

C Cairo

A Dublin

A Johannesburg

Challenge Answers will vary.

Find another example of each pattern

radial highways network

linear highways network

irregular highways network

Lesson 2-1: Using MODIS imagery in ArcGIS Online: Tracking Super Typhoon Yolanda

12. Use the following table to write an appropriate description for each date.

Date Description

11/6/2013 classified as a super typhoon

11/7/2013 landfall in Guiuan, Eastern Samar—195 mph winds

11/8/2013 4 more landfalls—emerges weakened over South China Sea

11/9/2013 moves northwest across South China Sea

11/10/2013 final landfall in Vietnam near Haiphong

11/11/2013 storm dissipates over Guangxi, China

Lesson 2-2: Farming alfalfa and corn in Nebraska

7-Q1 Which fields are most suited for corn?

Fields 1 and 4 are most suited to grow corn.

10-Q2 Which fields are most suited for alfalfa?

Fields 3 and 2 are most suited to grow alfalfa.

The ArcGIS Imagery Book, chapter 2

Questions for reading comprehension, reflection, and discussion

1. What technological innovations combined to create the modern field of remote

sensing during World War I?

Practical air flight and photography combined to establish the modern field of remote

sensing. The impetus for this combination of technologies was the need for reconnaissance of

enemy movements and positions during World War I.

2. Match the imagery collection tool on the left with a common use listed on the right.

[Note: some listed uses may be addressed by more than one of these tools.]

B

Geosynchronous orbiting satellites

A. Acquire high quality aerial and

orthophotography

C

Sun synchronous orbiting satellites

B. Monitoring changing phenomena

such as weather conditions

B

Atmospheric satellites

C. Compare images from the same

season over several years

D

Jet aircraft

D. Collect imagery over disaster

areas in a very short time

A

General aviation aircraft

E. Street level imagery

D

Drones

E Ground-based/handheld imagers

3. The section titled “Imagery application trends” demonstrates how remote sensing is

being used in a range of industries. Pick three of the industries listed below and write a brief

description of a) the type of remotely sensed imagery they are using and b) how that imagery

is used in the specified industry.

Precision agriculture Imagery: yield (previous season), soils, NVDI,

weather (temperature and precipitation), crop

health

Value: farm management: supporting informed

decision-making - planning (based on imagery

from prior year), planting (based on weather and

soil data), growing (monitor weather and crop

health), and harvesting

Humanitarian aid, Syrian refugee camp Imagery: aerial photography, satellite imagery

Value: observe change over time, distinguish

features of built-up areas, identify impervious

surface, observe growth of infrastructure

Forestry Imagery: Corine Land Cover, Europe (data based

on satellite imagery and aerial photography)

Value: Distinguish extent and change in artificial

surfaces, agricultural areas, forest and other

natural land cover, wetlands, and water bodies

across Europe over time

Mining Imagery: aerial photography

Value: observe extent of excavation as well as

scars and damage caused by surface mining,

hydraulic mining, oil sands mining, open pit

mining, and mountaintop removal

Natural disaster assessment, Hurricane Sandy Imagery: aerial photography

Value: compare pre- and post-event imagery,

identify extent of storm damage

Engineering and construction, Pflugerville, TX Imagery: aerial imagery

Value: show future location of components under

construction in a Community Improvement Plan

(CIP)

Oil and gas exploration, Kentucky geological

survey

Imagery: aerial imagery, lidar imagery

Value: observe relationships and patterns among

land use, environmental protection, and economic

development data relating to oil and gas

exploration

Urban Planning, Urban Observatory Imagery: satellite and aerial imagery

Value: compare and contrast data and imagery of

cities around the world using a set of 26 “themes”

4. Which of the imagery types listed on the right would you be most likely to use to

answer the questions on the left?

C How is logging in western

Oregon affecting the health of

old growth forests?

A. Natural color

A Where, in the surrounding

region, has the city of Las

Vegas, NV, expanded since

1950?

B. False color

B How are cloud formations

influenced by landforms on

Earth’s surface?

C. Color infrared

5. Natural color, false color, color infrared, and panchromatic imagery are products of

a passive imaging sensor, while lidar, radar, and sonar images result from active sensors.

What is the difference between an active and a passive sensor?

Passive sensors capture and measure energy reflected from the scene they view, usually

reflected sunlight.

Active sensors emit energy toward Earth’s surface, and then capture and measure

radiation reflected from that surface.

6. The section of chapter 2 called “Eyes in the sky” tells us that space is getting

crowded. What does this mean?

When you add the constantly growing number of Earth-observing satellites (over 3,000)

and over 10,000 pieces of “space junk” (left over from 50 years of space exploration), the

“space” beyond Earth’s atmosphere is cluttered with scientific instruments and debris.

7. How does an image with a small ground sample distance (GSD) differ from one with

a larger GSD?

An image with a small GSD is composed of pixels that have small height and width in

ground units (e.g., feet, meters). Such images provide greater fidelity (resolution) than images

comprised of pixels with larger dimensions when viewed at the same scale.

03 Defining Imagery: GIS and imagery are synergistic

Activity 3.1: Land cover

2. Write a detailed description of the spatial distribution of land cover in the United

States. For example, the East Coast states, the Gulf of Mexico states, and the Great Lakes

states have a significant number of wetlands.

The United States shows a concentration of developed land on the East Coast with

agricultural and grassland in the central portion, and the Northwest coast has a concentration

of evergreen trees.

3. Describe the West, central US, Northeast, and Southeast.

The West has a predominant amount of pasture and range, whereas the central US

consists of croplands. The Northeast and Southeast have pockets of highly concentrated urban

areas. The urban areas can be clearly seen by the red pixels.

Activity 3.2: Rasters can represent time

Before you look at the Seasonal Changes app, take this simple quiz.

For each pair of cities or places, identify the one that is most likely to be snow-covered

in the given month by putting a check (√) next to its name.

Month City/place 1 City/place 2

January Sapporo, Japan Vienna, Austria

February Quebec City, Canada Copenhagen, Denmark

March Seoul, South Korea Murmansk, Russia

April Barrow, Alaska, USA Bucharest, Romania

May Cape Dyer, Canada Reykjavik, Iceland

June Helsinki, Finland Valle Nevado, Chile

July Auckland, New Zealand Thredbo Village, Australia

August Whakapapa Glacier, New

Zealand

Valparaiso, Chile

September Toronto, Canada Yellowknife, NW Terr., Canada

October Berne, Switzerland Okha, Russia

November Van, Turkey Minneapolis, USA

December Beijing, China Riga, Latvia

Lesson 3-1: Zaatari refugee camp

Measure area of Zaatari refugee camp

4. Record the area in square meters: 5,273,694 square meters.

5. Complete the following chart:

Date Refugees Square Meters/Refugee Condition

2012 15,000 3,515 square meters/refugee Acceptable

2013 76,000 69 square meters/ refugee Acceptable

2014 79,000 66 square meters/refugee Acceptable

2015 84,000 62 square meters/refugee Acceptable

2016 80,000 65 square meters/refugee Acceptable

Lesson 3-3: Disappearing lake

Calculate change

1. Record your findings and calculations:

Year Area of Water

square miles

Change in

square miles

% Change Number of Years % Change/Year

1974 22,305

1989 15,238 7,067 31% 15 2.06 % / year

1999 10,071 5,167 33% 10 3.3 % / year

2004 7,773 2,298 22% 5 4.4 % / year

2009 2,888 4,885 62% 5 12.4 % / year

2015 2,509 379 13% 6 2.1 % / year

4. Calculate the percent change per year for the 41-year-period.

{(total change in square miles)/original area of water) × 100}/ 41 years

{ ( 22,305 − 2,509/22,305) × 100}/41

The ArcGIS Imagery Book, chapter 3

Questions for reading comprehension, reflection, and discussion

1. Images are also called rasters. Briefly explain what a raster is and how it stores and

displays data.

A raster is a grid of cells tied to a specific space. Each raster cell stores data about its

geographic space (e.g., elevation, temperature, and so on.).

2. Give some examples from chapter 3 of different types of data that can be managed

and stored in a raster.

Moisture content of soil and vegetation

Soil types

Vegetation health

Elevation

Land cover

Volume of precipitation in a specific time period

Average snowpack through a year

Slope

Major roads

Protected lands

Arctic Sea ice extent

3. How is the metadata for remote sensing images different from metadata for digital

photographs from a cell phone or hand-held camera?

Digital photo metadata: date, location.

Drone, aerial, and satellite imagery metadata also includes amount of cloud cover and

other properties.

4. What characteristic of raster data makes it possible to combine imagery with layers

of vector data (points, lines, and polygons) in a GIS?

Imagery data has a spatial reference that enables it to be overlaid and used with all

other GIS layer types.

5. What does it mean to orthorectify an image and why is this process necessary?

Remotely sensed images have distortions resulting from the sensor system used to

collect them. These distortions may result from the sensor view angle, sensor orientation, or

ground terrain. When an image is orthorectified, such distortions are corrected.

6. What are the “bands” that the Landsat 8 satellite collects?

Band 1 Coastal Aerosol

Band 2 Blue

Band 3 Green

Band 4 Red

Band 5 Near Infrared

Band 6 Shortwave Infrared 1

Band 7 Shortwave Infrared 2

Band 8 Panchromatic

Band 9 Cirrus

Band 10 Thermal Infrared

Band 11 Thermal Infrared

7. Complete the table below.

Band combination Band composition Use/s

4,3,2 red, green, blue Natural color: broad-based analysis of land and

underwater features, urban studies

4,5,3 red, near infrared, green GLS (Global Land Survey) Land and Water Boundary:

Emphasizes edges between land and water

6,5,4 Shortwave infrared 1, near infrared,

red

Vegetation analysis

8. What are mosaic datasets and what are the advantages of using them?

A mosaic dataset combines georeferenced images into one continuous surface. That

continuous surface is composed of tiles created from individual georeferenced images. Mosaics

are used to create a continuous image surface across large areas.

9. What data was used to determine habitat suitability for mountain lions in the

example provided in the section called “Combining rasters in models”? Briefly describe how

each data raster contributed to the final habitat analysis.

▪ Land cover data was classified by its habitat suitability.

▪ Elevation data was used to calculate the ruggedness of terrain.

▪ Major roads data was used to identify the distance from each cell to major roads.

▪ Protected lands data was used to assign a suitability level according to conservation

restrictions and human activity.

By combining (overlaying) the results of these four analysis processes, the level of

habitat suitability for each location across the study area is identified.

10. Dawn Wright tells us that the ocean is the “new frontier” of Earth exploration.

How are scientists using remote sensing to learn about the ocean?

Scientists rely on active sound sensors that detect the extent of a sound wave’s

reflectivity as it bounces off objects in its path. This process enables them to visualize the water

column, and to resolve the shapes of objects and the character of the ocean floor. This data is

collected on acoustic-sensing voyages.

04 Perceiving the Imperceptible: Sensors give us superhuman eyes

Activity 4.1: A world of squares

How about squares? Can you find squares in world imagery too? Think about

agricultural fields, street networks, or public plazas? What other types of squares could you

find? Use the World Imagery basemap to find five examples of natural or human-made squares.

Record your discoveries in the chart below. [Note: You may have difficulty finding examples of

“natural” squares.]

Answers will vary.

Latitude, Longitude City/State or Province/Country

What kind of feature is it? (street grid, building, etc.)

Bonus: What is it?

Activity 4.2: The big three: Spatial, spectral, temporal

In this activity, you will look at three different types of remotely sensed images; describe

their spatial, spectral, and temporal components; and record your findings in the chart below.

Satellite Spatial Resolution Spectral Resolution Temporal Resolution

Landsat 8 30 meters 8 spectral bands Every 16 days

MODIS True Color 250 and 500 meters Bands 1, 4, and 3 Daily

NAIP Preview 1 meter RGB and Near Infrared Yearly

14-Q1. Which of the three images shows the most detail?

NAIP Preview

14-Q2. Which of the three images has the most spectral reflectance information?

Landsat 8

14-Q3. Which of the three images has the shortest and the longest temporal interval?

Shortest—MODIS True Color

Longest—NAIP Preview

Lesson 4-1: Landsat Explorer app

Washington, DC—urban area

11. Looking at all the Spectral Profiles, write a summary of how spectral reflectance is

reflected in the spectral profiles of different objects.

Water has a low spectral value in all bands. All types of vegetation spikes in the NIR and

SWIR 1 band, and concrete, desert, and snow have high spectral values in bands 1–5.

Wadi As-Suh, Saudi Arabia—agricultural area

4. Which band combination shows the circular fields the best?

Both the Vegetation Index and the Moisture Index show the circular fields.

Princess Charlotte Bay, Queensland, Australia—ocean area

3. What color displays the coral reefs?

The coral reefs are green in color.

4. Calculate a spectral profile for the ocean.

The spectral profile of the ocean gets lower from Coastal to SWIR2.

5. Calculate a spectral profile for the coral reef.

The spectral profile of the coral reefs starts at a higher reflectance and gets lower at

Near Infrared.

6. How do the two spectral profiles compare?

The spectral profile for the coral reef is higher.

Abu Dhabi—desert area

4. Describe one pattern of an eolian formation.

Ripples are one pattern of an eolian formation.

Lesson 4-2: Visualizing the Shenandoah National Park Fire in the summer of 2016

Compare fire image with image after the fire

1-Q1. Describe where the fire is located within the park. Can you easily identify the

fire?

The fire is at the bottom of the image and can be identified as a purple splotch and

smoke is visible.

3-Q2. Is the fire as visible?

The fire is not as visible. Vegetation is already returning.

Lesson 4-3: Change detection after Hurricane Matthew in Les Cayes, Haiti

11-Q1. Taking the default for positive and negative values, how many square

kilometers between the scenes have decreased?

Answers will vary.

11-Q2. What type of land cover has changed the most? Where?

There has been the most change in vegetation, and the beaches have gotten smaller.

Lesson 4-4: Using a mask to define flooded areas in Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Identifying Cedar Rapids, Iowa

4-Q1. Does the city of Cedar Rapids lie on both sides of the Cedar River?

Yes

4-Q2. What do you think the very bright sections of red are?

Healthy vegetation

Using a mask to calculate flooded area of Cedar River

4. Record the Area Covered.

Answers will vary.

8. Record the area covered by the mask.

Answers will vary.

9. Compare the amount of water at the height of the flood (September 26) and on a

nonflood day (November 13, 2016).

Answers will vary.

Isolating the city of Cedar Rapids

7. Record the Area Covered.

Answers will vary.

7-Q3. How much land was flooded in the designated are?

Answers will vary.

The ArcGIS Imagery Book, chapter 4

Questions for reading comprehension, reflection, and discussion

1. Briefly explain the chapter’s subtitle: “Sensors give us superhuman eyes.”

Human eyes only see visible light (ROYGBIV), and there are many wave lengths reflected

from Earth’s surface that we do not see (near infrared, shortwave infrared, and so on).

Multispectral imagery allows us to “see” such nonvisible light by displaying it as a visible color

(red, green, or blue).

2. By assigning data from three multispectral bands to the red, blue, and green

(visible) display, it is possible to create visualizations that reveal patterns invisible to the

naked eye. Give an example from chapter 4 of a phenomenon made visible through various

band combinations.

▪ Vegetation and crop health

▪ Soil and vegetation moisture

▪ Species variability and locations

▪ Weather systems and cloud moisture types

▪ Urban development

▪ Land use

3. In one sentence, briefly describe how multispectral imagery can play a role in the

following areas:

Marine mammal detection

Infrared imagery leads to more accurate species inventories because it can be collected

both day and night.

Locating particular minerals

Shortwave infrared imagery makes it much easier to differentiate between different rock

types than natural color imagery.

4. How are drone-borne multispectral cameras helping agricultural growers?

Drones are inexpensive and can be flown as often as necessary. When drones are

equipped with cameras that can detect the “Red Edge” (a zone that is an indicator of crop

health and vigor), growers can fine-tune irrigation, fertilization, and the application of

insecticides.

5. How are lidar, radar, and sonar alike? How are they different?

Alike:

▪ Active sensors (emit pulse of energy and monitor return of energy)

▪ Equally effective day or night

Different:

▪ Emit different kinds of energy: lidar–laser, radar–radio waves, sonar–sound waves

6. How can lidar provide insight into catastrophic events?

By comparing lidar imagery before and after an event such as a landslide or hurricane, it

is possible to gain a detailed understanding of the changes to the landscape caused by the event

(e.g., shoreline configuration, river channels, and so on).

7. What is unique about the elevation data collected by the Shuttle Radar Topography

Mission?

SRTM data provides the first near-global high-resolution elevation data of Earth.

8. How is “working in image space” different from “working in a map coordinate

system?” How are they connected?

When you work with an image in a map coordinate system, it is georegistered and you

see it in a specific geographic context. Working in image space means the image has no

geographic context; the image is simply the camera view. Applications such as building

inspections frequently use both image views and map views.

05 Turning Imagery into Information: Analyzing imagery to create

understanding

Activity 5.1: A Closer Look at Land Cover

1-Q1. What states make up the Great Lakes region?

Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York

5. Record the numbers for all the other regions.

Region Forest Agriculture Wetlands Water Developed Shrub Grass Barren %change

1996-

2010

Great Lakes 33% 28% 17% 9% 7% 4% 3% 4%

Northeast 51% 13% 9% 13% 9% 4% 1% 4%

Southeast 19% 18% 28% 13% 7% 10% 1% 15%

West Coast 38% 6% 5% 16% 6% 6%

Gulf 18% 20% 21% 12% 5% 17% 6% 1% 13%

6. Write a summary of your findings. Include such things as which region has the

highest percentage of change and which region has the least. In your summary write about

the most significant land-cover change in each region.

Answers will vary.

Activity 5.2: Understanding the Global Ecosystems Map: Combining four global units

together using GIS

2-Q1. Write a brief definition of bioclimate.

A bioclimate is a climate that influences and is influenced by biological organisms.

3-Q2. Write a brief definition of landforms.

A landform is a natural feature of the solid surface of the earth.

4-Q3. Write a brief definition of lithology.

Lithology is the scientific study and description of rocks.

5-Q4. Click land cover to observe the classes. How was the land cover derived?

Land cover is derived by classifying Landsat satellite imagery into different classes.

6. Pick three places that represents different areas of the world. Compare the layers

that make up the ecological units in the chart below:

Answers will vary.

Region Bioclimate Landform Rock Type Land Cover

7. Search for the administrative boundary where you live and explore your ecological

units.

Answers will vary.

Lesson 5-1: Identifying causes of deforestation and loss of biodiversity in Indonesia

4-Q1. Where are the most significant areas of forest loss on each continent?

North America

▪ Central Alaska and north central Canada

▪ Atlantic Canada and far northeastern US

▪ East central Canada

▪ Southeastern US

▪ Eastern Central America and the Yucatan

South America

▪ Amazon Basin

▪ Central Chile

▪ Gran Chaco

Europe

▪ Scandinavian Peninsula (Sweden, Finland)

▪ Portugal

Africa

▪ Equatorial region

▪ Madagascar

▪ Southeast

Asia

▪ Central Russia

▪ Lena River, south of

▪ Southeast China

▪ Southeast Asia

Australia (Oceania)

▪ Western south coast

▪ Tasmania

▪ Northern New Zealand

9-Q2. Where are the principal biodiversity hotspots on each continent?

North America

▪ Western US

▪ Mexico and Central America

▪ Caribbean

South America

▪ Andes

▪ Southern Brazil

Europe

▪ Mediterranean coast

▪ Caucasus

Africa

▪ Mediterranean coast

▪ West Africa—southern coast

▪ Horn of Africa

▪ Eastern and Southern coastal areas

▪ Mitumba Mountains, Great Rift Valley

▪ Madagascar

Asia

▪ Northern Middle East

▪ Southwestern Arabian Peninsula

▪ West coast: India

▪ Himalayas

▪ Central Mountains

▪ Southeast Asia

▪ Japan

Australia (Oceania)

▪ East coast

▪ Southwestern region

▪ New Zealand

12-Q3. Approximately how much of Indonesia is characterized as a biodiversity

hotspot?

All but Papua—about 75% to 80% of the country

15-Q4. The total area of tree cover loss is approximately equivalent to what percent of

Indonesia’s total land area?

(Area of forest cover lost/total area of Indonesia) × 100 = Percent of total area lost

(18,507,771 HA/187,516,402 HA) × 100 = 9.87%

Explore indicators of forest change in Indonesia

4-Q5. What pattern do you see in comparing tree cover height to tree cover loss?

Tree height is greatest in areas that have not experienced tree cover loss and

significantly less in areas that have experienced loss.

Observe patterns of land use in Indonesia

3-Q6. What is the most frequent land cover designation in areas that have

experienced tree cover loss?

Rain-fed croplands and cropland forest mosaic

Observe patterns of plantation agriculture in Indonesia

2-Q8. What other types of plantation agriculture do you see?

Predominant: Oil palm plantations

Other wood fiber/timber, rubber, fruit

3-Q9. Where are the agricultural plantations in relation to areas of tree cover loss?

The plantations are located in areas that have experienced tree cover loss—especially

the oil palm plantations.

Investigate agricultural concessions in Indonesia

3-Q10. How are concessions different from plantations? Which cover more area?

What are the implications of that difference?

Concessions (managed forests, oil palm plantations, wood fiber/timber plantations)

Government allocates land to companies for harvesting timber for wood fiber and

timber, or palm oil.

Concessions are land areas that have been approved for resource removal or

development in the future. Plantations are land areas that are currently harvesting timber or

palm oil. Typically, plantations are in areas where a forest was cleared to make room for the

operation.

The implications of this is that concessions reveal that deforestation will continue with

government approval.

3-Q11. Tell the story of deforestation and biodiversity loss in Indonesia. Make a

bulleted list of three or more factors that contribute to deforestation and biodiversity loss in

Indonesia.

Answers will vary.

Lesson 5-2: Understanding elevation and derivative layers

World Bathymetry: Display

7-Q1. What is the lowest and highest elevation shown on the imagery server?

8,700 meters is the highest, and −11,000 meters is the lowest.

Derivatives of Elevation: Slope, Aspect, and Hillshade from Terrain

9- Q2. Where on the map is the greatest slope represented? Why?

Slope is greatest on the west coast, where the high mountain ranges are.

10-Q3. What are the conelike features?

Volcanic mountains

11-Q4. What are the names of the conelike features?

Mount Rainier, Mount St. Helens, Mount Hood, Mount Adams, Mount Baker

12-Q5. How do the contour lines represent the slope?

The closer the lines, the steeper the slope.

21-Q6. Write a paragraph description of Terrain, Slope, Aspect, and Hillshade.

Answers will vary.

Lesson 5-3: Elevation profiles

USA Profile

18-Q1. What are the units for the x-axis and y-axis?

X-axis is distance in miles, and y-axis is elevation in feet.

18-Q2. On the profile and the map, try to identify the elevations of the following

features:

San Joaquin Valley—valley in California

Rocky Mountains—mountains in Colorado

Appalachian Mountains—mountains in Virginia

Great Plains—plains in Midwestern states

Landform profiles

Draw a profile through each of the following landforms. The

Landform Sketch Elevation Definition

Mount

Rainier 14,500 ft. A volcanic mountain, part of the Cascade

range of mountains.

Grand

Canyon 0.1 ft. Canyon made by the Colorado River.

Merrick

Butte 6,220 ft. An isolated hill with steep, often vertical

sides and a small, relatively flat top.

The ArcGIS Imagery Book, chapter 5

Questions for reading comprehension, reflection, and discussion

1. The introduction of chapter 5 tells us that “… imagery data—with its cell-based data

structure—allows for the systematic and controlled analysis of a vast array of

phenomena across multiple layers.” How does the strategy used to identify potential

mountain lion corridors (Cougar Corridors of Southern California) reflect that

statement?

Goal: identify mountain lion corridors between known habitat areas.

Strategy:

▪ Use four weighted raster layers: forest and shrub land cover, terrain models, legal

protection status, and distance from roads to identify areas likely to have high density of

mountain lions (suitable habitats) as core habitats.

▪ Identify paths of most suitable habitat between three core areas and a Park Service

designated hub by weighting the same four variables to establish a pixel value

(suitability rating).

▪ Focus preservation efforts on corridor lands.

2. What four components are combined to create the ELU (ecological land units)?

▪ Bioclimate

▪ Landforms

▪ Rock type

▪ Land cover

3. Briefly explain the similarities and differences between image classification and

image segmentation.

Classification: Identifying locations having specific shared characteristics and

designating or “classifying” those locations with the same descriptor (for example, broadleaf

forest, suburban fringe, and so on). On a map, each classification category will be symbolized

differently—for example, with different colors.

Segmentation: A process of partitioning an image into homogenous groups so that each

region is homogenous. It is the equivalent of extracting locations with each image classification

to create one homogenous layer.

Similarities: Both are created from imagery.

Differences: Classification deals with the range of characteristics found in an image

while segmentation pulls out a single characteristic.

4. Define the task known as suitability analysis and provide an example of suitability

analysis described in chapter 5.

Suitability analysis, also known as site selection, is an analytic procedure designed to

find the best place to put something or do something. Suitability models calculate best locations

by considering a range of criteria. Sometimes suitability models weigh the relative importance

of each variable.

Examples from Chapter 5:

▪ Identification of suitable wildlife corridors for mountain lions in Southern California

▪ Using land-cover data to predict water quality at a specific location

▪ Rooftop solar potential

6. Give an example of hydrological analysis of flood events (real or potential) that GIS

can provide? What data is used in these analyses?

▪ Identify areas of greatest risk for flash floods in flood-prone areas

▪ Calculation of flooding frequency

7. What does Gerry Kinn mean when he says that image analytics is not just about

making a pretty picture?

Rather than making features visible and therefore interpretable, the emphasis for image

processing today is to facilitate better understanding of Earth’s human and natural processes to

better forecast and manage those processes. Imagery allows us to be proactive rather than

reactive in such arenas as agriculture, urban planning, traffic management, forestry,

environmental resource management, and even law enforcement.

8. How can lidar imagery contribute to analysis of coastal damage caused by

hurricanes and inform decision-making for the recovery process?

Lidar images from just after the event can:

▪ Identify the extent of storm damage to landscape and property

▪ Identify changes in coastal elevations

▪ Inform planning and implementation of infrastructure rebuilding

▪ Facilitate measurements and estimations of needed resources to replace those lost in the

event

06 Creating Mirror Worlds: Enabling a new dimension with 3D imagery

Activity 6.1: 3D Across All Scales

Explore 3D

2-Q1. What do the colors mean?

Gradient from green meaning most precipitation to red meaning least precipitation.

2-Q2. Describe the precipitation pattern of South America.

South American has a high amount of precipitation in the north and central portion of

the continent with less precipitation along the western coast.

2-Q3. Describe the precipitation pattern of Africa.

Africa has very little precipitation in the north and south with a band of high

precipitation in the middle.

3-Q4. Explain what the global thickness is measuring.

A colorized image and contour lines for the total sediment thickness of the world’s

oceans and marginal seas.

4-Q5. Describe the regional view.

The regional view shows less thickness near the coast of continents and more in the

open ocean.

4-Q6. Explain what ecological land units are.

Ecological land units (ELUs) are areas of distinct bioclimate, landform, lithology, and

land cover that form the basic components of terrestrial ecosystem structure, which represent

the most accurate, current, globally comprehensive, and finest spatial and thematic resolution

data available for each of the four inputs.

4-Q7. Pick one world and one regional or local layer and write a description of the

scene. Explain what layers are displayed.

Answers will vary.

Activity 6/2: Realistic and procedural texturing for photorealism

2. There are 15 examples of realistic texture. Pick three and complete the chart.

Realistic Textures

Name Location Texture

Kilimanjaro Tanzania, Africa Contour Lines

Answers will vary. Answers will vary. Answers will vary.

Answers will vary. Answers will vary. Answers will vary.

Answers will vary. Answers will vary. Answers will vary.

3-Q1. Write a short paragraph describing the procedural textures of Indianapolis and

Philadelphia.

Answers will vary.

Lesson 6-1: Exploring hurricane variables in the 3D scene viewer

Analysis

11-Q1. Using the visualization write an analysis listing all the variables and their

relationships. Specifically include the relationship of wind speed to location on land versus

water, wind speed to depth of water, and wind speed to atmospheric pressure.

Answers will vary.

11-Q2. Looking at the variables, where would the hurricane be the strongest?

Barometric pressure is indirectly proportional to wind speed. The hurricane itself

decreases in intensity over land and intensifies over water.

The ArcGIS Imagery Book, chapter 6

Questions for reading comprehension, reflection, and discussion

1. 3D imagery has evolved rapidly. What sorts of changes have facilitated this process?

▪ Software development and accessibility

▪ Increasing computer power and performance

2. Describe the four fundamental 3D scales and provide an example of how each

might be used.

▪ Global: climate, oceans, global transportation …

▪ Regional: agriculture, ground transportation, weather …

▪ Local: farm management, land-use planning, built environment

▪ Site: building interiors, park planning and design, development alternatives

3. What two active remote-sensing technologies are used to create elevation models

in raster format?

Lidar and radar

4. Identify the four key elevation models and provide an example of how each is used.

▪ DSM, digital surface model, includes topography and all objects on the earth’s surface,

such as trees and buildings. Drape imagery over it to create a virtual world.

▪ DTM, digital terrain model, represents “bare earth” topography without things such as

buildings and trees. Use it to create hillshades, determine slope of the topography or

aspect to the sun, calculate surface water flow.

▪ DHM, digital height model, is created by calculating the difference between the terrain

and surface models. Used to determine the height above ground for buildings, trees, and

other features.

▪ Bathymetry, topography of the ocean floor. Collected using sonar from a ship floating on

the ocean surface.

5. How is a web scene different from a web map? How are they alike?

Differences:

Web map: 2D map created, accessed, and utilized through a web browser

Web scene: 3D map created, accessed, and utilized through a web browser

Similarities:

Both are web-based.

6. What is a feature’s z-value? Why is it essential for 3D modeling?

The z-value of a feature is its vertical height. In 3D mapping, the z-value of a feature is

determined by measuring the distance between its intersection with the ground surface and its

highest point.

7. Identify the levels of detail (LoDs) that can be used to represent buildings. What

sort of visualization and/or analysis is each suited for?

▪ LoD0: a 2D footprint or polygon with base elevation information.

▪ LoD1: a polygon that has been extruded to a given height, resulting in a closed 3D shell

that consists of only horizontal and vertical planes. Good for visualization, but not for

analysis

▪ LoD2: vertical wall surfaces, in addition to roof form geometry, and may include details

such as chimneys or dormers. Used for a variety of 3D analyses—e.g., shadow impact,

line-of-sight, and rooftop solar potential.

▪ LoD3: detailed wall and roof geometry as seen in LoD2 buildings, but with additional fine

architectural details such as windows, doors, or columns. Good for street-level

visualization and analysis of focused sites, where up-close realism matters.

▪ LoD4: includes not only detailed exterior features but also interior walls, floors, doors,

and furnishings. Used for indoor GIS and visualizations.

8. What are some of the ways that 3D imagery be used in urban planning?

▪ Visualization of 3D building shells out of 2D footprints

▪ Maintaining 3D cadastral records of apartments in skyscrapers

▪ Managing zoning regulations in 3D and studying the economic impact of zoning

amendments

▪ Master planning where the performance of urban redevelopment—typically

densification scenarios—is simulated, analyzed, and optimized regarding space

demands, traffic impacts, sustainable energy usage, and quality of living.

9. What are textures? Briefly explain the difference between realistic textures and

procedural textures.

Textures are the appearance of the surface of features such as city buildings.

▪ Realistic textures are intended to represent what the feature looks like in real life.

▪ Procedural texturing involves the application of a geotypical or architecturally typical

facade and roof textures onto 3D building forms.

Inexpensive to generate and closely approximate the look and feel of different

general building styles.

Useful in urban planning, where the heights and styles of proposed buildings can

be changed easily to evaluate different scenarios.

10. What new applications of 3D imagery are possible because of drone technology?

Quickly gather a high volume of accurate data for:

▪ building inspections

▪ generating 3D model that could be used to visualize proposed landscape changes

▪ observing and modeling sites previously inaccessible such as indigenous sites deep in the

jungle or in inaccessible mountain locations

07 Imagery in the 4th Dimension: The world’s greatest time machine

Activity 7-1: Forecasting the Future: The NOAA Sea Level and Coastal Flooding Impacts

Viewer

Q1. The following list reflects the 25 largest US cities as of 2014. Put a check by ones

that are threatened by sea level rise (SLR) and coastal flooding.

Q2. How many do you count?

Q3. How many of the top 5?

11: 4:

New York, NY New York, NY

Los Angeles, CA Los Angeles, CA

Houston, TX Houston, TX

Philadelphia, PA Philadelphia, PA

San Diego, CA

San Jose, CA

Jacksonville, FL

San Francisco , CA

Seattle , WA

Washington, DC

Boston, MA

Activity 7.2: Landsat is a time machine: The Change Matters Landsat Viewer

Observe land changes

1-Q1. Identify three differences between the two images.

Answers will vary—some possibilities:

Shape of summit: round in 1975, has a crater in 2000

Shape of Spirit Lake changes

Much less forest area in 2000

New lake north of Mount St. Helens in 2000

2-Q2. Use the legend beneath the map to write a brief description of these changes.

1975—more snow and ice

2000—less forest, conifer and broadleaf north of the summit

2010—more “desert,” unvegetated slope north of the summit

3-Q3. Use the Change Matters Viewer to observe changes in the Great Salt Lake over

35 years. Describe the changes in size and vegetation around the lake in this 35-year period.

Answers will vary. Some possibilities include:

Lake shrinking

Vegetation filling in shoreline once under water

Vegetation decreasing west of the Lake

3-Q4. What are some possible reasons for the changes you can see?

Answers will vary. Some possibilities include:

Drought

Increased water use

Observe global changes

3-Q5. Describe three changes that occurred in Alaska’s Bear Glacier in the period from

1975 to 2010.

Answers will vary. Some possibilities include:

Bear Glacier is retreating.

Vegetation is increasing where glacier has shrunk.

3-Q6. Why do you think these changes might have occurred?

Answers will vary. A possible answer is global warming.

Lesson 7-1: Visualizing change over time with historical topographic maps: The USGS

Historical Topographic Map Explorer

Locate the area

8-Q1. Describe changes to the Space Center site between 1932 and 1955.

Answers will vary. Some possibilities include:

Very few changes during the period—site is still undeveloped land except for what

appears to be a new road.

Few changes to surrounding area and Clear Lake.

9-Q2. Besides construction on the site of the Space Center, what other changes can

you see in the area?

Answers will vary. Some possibilities include:

New roads and apparent subdivisions on formerly vacant land around Clear Lake

Significant construction along the principal road on the north side of Clear Lake

12-Q3. Identify a set of maps to display at the Space Center to tell the story of the site

in the 20th century.

Answers will vary. Some possibilities include:

Undeveloped grazing land, 1932 and 1955

Early changes to the area after site selection, 1969

Continued development and expansion of the build environment, 1969–1995

Lesson 7-2: Time Enabling

Build the map for time-enabled crime data

19-Q1. What is the time period segment, or the time interval selected?

March 31, 2013, to April 3, 2013.

23-Q2. Do you have any general observations?

There is noticeably less crime the week of April 28, 2013, to May 5, 2013.

Filter expressions

4-Q3. What can you observe about the temporal distribution of Motor Vehicle Theft

from March 31, 2013, to May 5, 2013?

Motor Vehicle Theft is less the week of March 31 and the week of April 28.

4-Q4. Are there any features on the map that you can identify as having an impact on

the Motor Vehicle Theft?

Motor Vehicle Theft is concentrated around roads and shopping centers.

10-Q5. Can you see any pattern or clusters to the Motor Vehicle Theft or any

relationship to other features on the map?

Motor Vehicle Theft tends to be clustered around highways.

Make up questions of your own about types, cities, population, or other variables

within the database. After defining the question, construct your filters, verify the animations,

and analyze the results.

Answers will vary.

The ArcGIS Imagery Book, chapter 7

Questions for reading comprehension, reflection, and discussion

1. What are some examples of data about our planet that can be tracked and studied

with time series observations?

Possible answers include: precipitation patterns, snowpack extent, drought, wildfires,

deforestation, urbanization, storm tracking, volcanic activity, and agricultural trends.

2. “Time can be viewed as linear or cyclical,” according to the discussion under “Types

of Time.” Explain the difference between linear and cyclical time.

Linear time has a distinct beginning and end. Cyclical time includes events that occur in a

sequence over and over.

3. Both historical aerial photographs and historical terrestrial photographs can provide

insight into processes of change over time. What kinds of change are reflected in the

historical aerial photographs of Dubai and the historical terrestrial photographs of the

Colorado River?

Dubai: rapid growth and urbanization 1975–2010

Colorado River: Changes in vegetation, rapids, and beaches

4. If you have an important historical paper map, what must you do to use it as a layer

in a GIS?

Scan-digitize the historical map and georeference it.

5. Explain the concept of event-driven or near-real time analysis, and give examples of

situations in which it is applied.

Compare an image of a place to one created hours or days earlier to observe the impact

of an event such as a tornado, hurricane, or volcanic eruption.

6. Meteorologists make extensive use of satellite imagery. What do they use it for?

Weather forecasting, including precipitation amounts and types, winds, temperatures,

storm tracks, evaluating impacts of weather events.

7. How can GIS help us anticipate and plan for future changes in Earth’s natural

systems?

GIS models can predict the extent of problems such as sea level rise, which gives

planners the opportunity to mitigate the negative impacts before they happen. GIS and

remotely sensed data can significantly improve the ability to predict disasters such as

tornadoes, floods, and wildfires.

08 The Ultimate Big Data: Managing imagery information is a big data challenge

Activity 8.1: Getting to know the Living Atlas

Activity 8.2: Map projections

Data and map projection to look at the Arctic Circle

4-Q1. Identify the major lines of latitude.

The major lines of latitude are the equator, Tropic of Cancer, Arctic Circle, Tropic of

Capricorn, and Antarctic Circle.

4-Q2. What do you notice about the spacing of the lines?

The lines are all equally spaced.

4-Q3. Can you identify areas of distortion?

The farther away you go from the equator, the more the distortion, with Greenland,

upper Canada, and Russia being distorted the most.

10-Q4. What countries are above the Arctic Circle?

Greenland, parts of Canada, Alaska, Russia, Sweden, Norway, and Finland

10-Q5. What is below the Antarctic Circle?

Antarctica

10-Q6. What continent is closet in size to Greenland?

Africa

10-Q7. Why or why not is this a good projection to study the Arctic?

No, the Arctic is very distorted.

Explore the Arctic in 3D

3-Q8. What countries are above the Arctic Circle?

Same as above.

3-Q9. What is below the Antarctic Circle?

Same as above.

3-Q10. What continent is closet in size to Greenland?

Same size as India.

3-Q11. Is the Arctic represented correctly?

Yes, the Arctic is displayed without distortion of size and shape.

Lesson 8-1: Using the Landsat Arctic App

Compare views

7-Q1. What country is it?

Greenland

7-Q2. Is it in the Arctic Circle?

Yes

7-Q3. What channel is it near?

Kennedy Channel

Additional activity

Identify locations

3. Use your investigative skills to write a brief description of each of the bookmarked

scenes.

Spiers Lake, Alberta, Canada

National Wildlife Area in a transition zone between aspen parkland and prairie

grassland. Contains one of the few remaining areas of rough fescue grassland.

Verkhoyansk, Russia

Small town located on the Yana River near the Arctic Circle. Considered by many to be

Russia’s most miserable place.

Geikie Plateau, Greenland

A plateau in Greenland that has mountain ridges showing distinctive geology.

Petermann Gletsched, Greenland

Peterman Gletsched is a large glacier located in northwest Greenland to the east of

Nares Strait. It connects the Greenland ice sheet to the Arctic Ocean.

Watkins Range, Greenland

Greenland’s highest mountain range.

Lesson 8-2: Raster is faster but vector is corrector

Add vectors

3-Q1. What types of water are represented in the view?

The body of water is a lake.

3-Q2. Describe the border of the polygon.

The border of the polygon is detailed but not finely.

3-Q3. Zoom into one of the sections of the polygon and describe the level of detail.

The urban polygon is not as detailed as the water polygon.

5-Q4 What urban areas are represented?

The urban area is Provo and Oren, UT.

5-Q5. Describe the edge of the polygons.

The border of the urban polygon is not as finely detailed as the border of the water

polygon.

6-Q6. What type of vector files are the roads?

The roads are line vector files.

6-Q7. How well do they follow the imagery?

They are very accurate with the imagery.

Add rasters

6-Q8 Which one is clearest?

The basemap imagery is the clearest.

6-Q9 What does this say about the resolution of the two images?

The multispectral image has a lower resolution.

13-Q10. Describe the appearance of the image. How is it different from the previous

vector files?

The land cover image is pixelated, and each cell is a square. It is not as representative of

the imagery.

Lesson 8-3: Classification accuracy of ground truthing

Calculate percentage

Calculate using the formula: True/Total × 100.

Answers will vary.

The ArcGIS Imagery Book, chapter 8

Questions for reading comprehension, reflection, and discussion

1. “The Ultimate Big Data” is the title of this chapter. Write a paragraph explaining

what this topic means. Include at least three of the following topics in your explanation:

▪ AWS

▪ Cloud computing

▪ Petabyte

▪ Mosaic datasets

▪ Multiple scalable data

Answers will vary.

2. “The cloud changes everything” is a phrase used when talking about big data.

Explain the phrase.

Cloud storage refers to a cloud computing model in which data is stored on remote

servers accessed from the Internet, or “cloud.” Some of the many advantages of cloud storage

are accessibility, scalability, mobile analytics, ease of use, and of course storage itself.

3. What is AWS Landsat?

AWS stands for Amazon Web Services and consists of a secure cloud service platform,

offering storage, content delivery, and computational power. AWS Landsat is a specific type of

Amazon Web Service that stores and makes available all 11 bands of Landsat imagery often

within hours of production.

4. What are the disadvantages of using compression for imagery?

Compression is meant to produce a new file that is much smaller and more easily

shared.

The disadvantage is that when you compress the file, you lose some of the data that

might be crucial for image analysis.

5. To get a small insight into big data, solve the following problem. Landsat 8 collects

800 scenes/day. There are 11 bands in each scene, and, of course, there are 365 days in a

year. How many bands of Landsat 8 data are collected in one year?

800 × 11 × 365 = 3,212,000 bands/year

6. In chapter 8, in section “ArcGIS supports big imagery on demand” and subsection

“Big imagery enables big understanding,” scalable

raster computing is explained.

The analytical advantage of raster data is that it allows analysis at a pixel level. Each pixel

contains a digital number of a value, and if the rasters are georeferenced, analytical processes

can take place involving all the rasters. To show your understanding of basic raster analysis,

solve the following elevation and land cover problem. The problem simply states that the user

is looking for all areas that are 99 m in elevation with coniferous trees. In each case the

problem has been started. Your assignment is to reclassify both the elevation and the land

cover data. Put in numbers for each pixel. Then multiply the reclassified elevation times the

reclassified land to get the final answer. Remember: 1 × 1 = 1 and 1 × 0 = 0.

Reclass elevation X reclass land cover

0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 1 1 0

0 0 0 1 1 0

1 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0

Elevation in m

34 34 34 99 99 99

26 25 12 99 99 25

25 24 10 99 99 25

99 99 10 13 13 25

99 99 11 13 13 25

Reclassify: 99 = 1, not 99 = 0

0 0 0 1 1 1

0 0 0 1 1 0

0 0 0 1 1 0

1 1 0 0 0 0

1 1 0 0 0 0

7. After watching the Video of Sullivan bringing science to life by thought leader

Kathryn Sullivan, explain what she means when she talks about NOAA being an

environmental intelligence agency.

By being the environmental intelligence agency of the planet, NOAA keeps the pulse of

the planet by taking measurements and collecting data. More importantly, NOAA transforms

data into knowledge by scientific analysis, modeling, and assessment. This allows the

knowledge to connect to decisions that people make every day.

8. What are some of the advantages of a mosaic dataset?

A mosaic dataset allows you to store, manage, view, and query vast collections of raster

and image data. In addition, different data products can be generated from a mosaic dataset.

Reclass elevation × reclass land cover

0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 1 1 0

0 0 0 1 1 0

1 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0

Land cover: Coniferous trees = 52

11 11 82 82 82 82

11 11 82 52 52 23

92 92 82 52 52 23

52 23 23 25 25 23

23 23 24 24 25 23

Reclassify: 52 = 1, not 52 = 0

0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 1 1 0

0 0 0 1 1 0

1 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 1 0 0 0

09 The Future Is Now: The map of the future is an intelligent image

Activity 9.1: Data, data everywhere

Investigate local government

1. Search for your local administrative unit (state, county, region), find the Geospatial

Clearinghouse, and list five image sources.

Australia United States Caribbean Virginia Local Government

Topography US Topo Precipitation Data MrSID

Bing Maps Elevation Products Google Hybrid Virginia Land Cover

Natural Earth II Imagery = 1 foot Google Terrain Imagery VA Lambert

NASA Black Marble Small-scale Datasets Shaded Relief WGS Web Mercator

Positron Light) NLCD Ocean

Activity 9.2: United States Drought Index

Check for drought

4-Q1. Write a paragraph explaining the difference between the spatial distribution of

the drought in 2014 and 2017 and include statistical information.

On February 25, 2014, all of California was in a drought condition, and 26 percent of the

state was in an exceptional drought situation. The drought was most concentrated in the central

east of the state. In comparison, on March 7, 2017, none of the state was in an extreme

drought, and only 23 percent was abnormally dry.

6-Q2. Write paragraphs for both New Mexico and Arizona.

In 2014, 64 percent of New Mexico was in severe drought with 14 percent being

extreme. The northeastern section of New Mexico was most severe. By 2017, only 21 percent of

the state was abnormally dry.

In 2015, Arizona was 93 percent abnormally dry with a concentration of extreme

drought in the southeast. By 2017, only 28 percent was abnormally dry.

Lesson 9-1: Warming Alaska with Map Notes

Add information for additional glaciers

Doing your own research and following the instructions above, make map notes for

Pedersen and Holgate Glaciers.

Pederson Glacier is an outlet glacier of the Harding ice field in Kenai Fjords National Park

near Seward, Alaska. Holgate Glacier is also located in Kenai Fjords National Park in Alaska.

Lesson 9-2: Racing the High Mountains

Create two comparison apps: elevation vs. heart rate and elevation vs. speed

11-Q1. Write a summary comparing the variables of elevation, speed, and heart rate.

Be sure to tell what sort of mathematical proportion is shown in both comparisons.

Elevation is indirectly proportional to speed and directly proportional to heart rate.

The ArcGIS Imagery Book, chapter 9

Questions for reading comprehension, reflection, and discussion

1. “Entering the human era of GIS” is a powerful statement. List at least three

everyday technological products that are powered by location—for example, almost

everyone uses a navigational map.

Answers will vary. Some of the technologies that may be included are shown below:

▪ Google maps

▪ Find my phone

▪ Geotagged imagery

▪ Metro app

2. The term “geo-authorship” refers to a mashup of different sources. What different

sources can be shown in a story map?

Answers will vary, but some of the sources are shown below:

▪ Video

▪ Images

▪ URLs

▪ Text

3. List the factors that make imaging the GIS of the future.

The following factors play a part in making imaging the GIS of the future:

▪ Catalog of imagery

▪ Remote sensing information

▪ Other geographic layers

▪ Imagery catalogs

▪ New sensors to share data

4. Discuss how on-board analytics and disappearing computing limits represent the

future of GIS and imagery.

On-board analytics refers to analytic capabilities that can be deployed anywhere

because of cloud processing. ArcGIS users now have access to massive computing resources in

the cloud for storage and analytics.

5. Drone data can be analyzed to provide both a DEM and a DSM. Explain both a DEM

and a DSM and describe the mathematical procedure to extract height using these products.

A DEM refers to a digital elevation model and is constructed from lidar points that have

reached the ground. A DSM refers to a digital surface model and is constructed from lidar points

that capture natural and built features on the earth’s surface. To get the height of Earth objects,

you would subtract the DEM from the DSM.

DSM − DEM = Height

6. As a final piece of information, we would like for you to enter a location and a piece

of information about your educational identity on a collaborative map. We collected this

information for the Instructional Guide for the ArcGIS Book and would like to continue this for

users of the Instructional Guide to the ArcGIS Imagery Book. Follow the steps below to enter

your location and information. Thanks, Kathryn and Lyn

1. Go to Collaborative Map.

2. On top of the page, click Edit.

3. In the table of contents, click Learners.

4. Click to add a point on your location on the map.

5. Fill out the information requested.