GOAL
& BACKGROUND
This
lab consisted of finding a suitable habitat for bears in the study area of Marquette
County, Michigan using geoprocessing tools in ArcGIS for vector analysis. Based
on the results, a technical report containing a map and data flow model was
created to illustrate the findings. Python was used as an introductory method rather than ArcMap’s interface procedures in creating feature classes. Data
on the bear locations with a GPS MS Excel file was provided along with the feature
classes of bear management areas and political boundaries.
METHODS
Mapping a GPS MS Excel file of black
bears in study area
The
first step was unzipping the file so it would be able to be used. However
because the standalone table of bear_locations_geo$ was in an x,y location
format it needed to be transferred to an ‘event theme’. From there the data was
then able to be included in ArcGIS as points. Since ‘event theme’ cannot be
edited it had to be exported into a shapefile.
Finding forest types of where black
bears are found
This
created an editable featureclass. After adding all of the data from the
bear_management_area feature datatset, the intersect tool was used with the
land_cover and bear_location features to create the bear_cover featureclass. To
find how many bears were in each habitat, summarizing the FIPS_Bear_Location
and Minor_Type created a standalone table. From that it gave the top 3 land
coverings that were able to be queried in the Land_Cover featureclass and then
created the new featureclass Bear Forests.
Determining if bears are found near
streams
The
next area that was examined for possible bear habitats were the streams area.
Intersecting the bear_location and stream feature class created a layer. Then
using the buffer tool on the stream layer gave the results of where bears were
located within 500 meters of a stream. To further separate the bear population
in 500 meters of a stream the intersect tool was made.
Finding suitable bear habitat based on
land cover types and being within 500 meters of a stream
Using
the Top 3 land covering layer and intersecting it with the results layer of
bear’s location within 500 meters of a stream gave the Bear_Habitat.
Suitable bear habitats within the Michigan
DNR area
Using
the DNR Management area feature class and the study area feature with the
intersect tool created a layer just showing DNR areas in the study area. Then
using the dissolve tool, it merged together the parcels. In order to find the
DNR areas within the bear habitats the clipping tool was used, this created the
layer of DNR Bear Habitats.
Eliminating areas near urban or built
up lands
Finally,
to create the DNR Bear Habitat 5 km away from Urban or Built up Land layer a
query was used on the land cover layer for Urban or Built up land. Then the
buffer tool was used to create a 5 km zone. From there the erase tool was used
with the DNR Bear Habitat and Urban or Built up land buffer layer.
Using python
A short introduction to python was used in creating feature
classes rather than using the interface of ArcMap. Figure 1. Below shows three
codes used in replicating data already
found.
 |
| Figure 1. |
RESULTS
Figure 2. below represents the Suitable Black Bear Habitat in Marquette County, MI. The
Bear Location icon indicates where Black Bears have been seen in the Marquette
County, MI. The Bear Habitat represents areas that are within the top three
land covering with bears (Evergreen Forests, Forested Wetlands, and Mixed
Forests) and areas within 500 meters of stream. The map shows that most Black
Bears reside in the North and Center of Marquette County, MI.
 |
| Figure 2. |
Figure 3. Below is a map of the three most common Land Coverings that Black Bears are
located in. Comparing this map with Figure 1. It can be seen that Mixed Forests
holds the largest population of Black Bears.
 |
| Figure 3.
Figure 4. Below shows the flowchart created to obtain the information of Suitable
Habitats in Marquette, MI for Black Bears. As shown in the legend the blue
circles were feature classes already provided with the geodatabase for this lab
exercise. The yellow squares are the tools used to create the new information represented
by the green circles. The Microsoft Program Visio Professional was used to
create this flowchart.
|
 |
| Figure 4. |
SOURCES
All Data is from the State of Michigan Open GIS Data
http://gis.michigan.opendata.arcgis.com/
Landcover from USGS NLCD
http://www.mcgi.state.mi.us/mgdl/nlcd/metadata/nlcdshp.html
DNR management units
http://www.dnr.state.mi.us/spatialdatalibrary/metadata/wildlife_mgmt_units.htm
Streams from
Http://www.mcgi.state.mi.us/mgdl/framework/metadat/Marquette.html
