GIS Programming Module 6: Working with Rasters

 

This week we learned how to use map algebra operators and how to define raster tool parameters by using the arcpy.sa module. Working through the lab assignment helped me to understand how each line of script should be entered and how it should be organized to run correctly. In one problem I encountered this week, I forgot to add “NODATA” to my reclassify tool. The script ran, and I still was able to open a new raster image in ArcGIS Pro. However, the result was a raster image where all of the landcover was filled in over the river and towns on the base map. Once I fixed this, and added “NODATA” to my reclassify tool, the result was a more transparent image that clearly defined the forested landcover and the mountain slopes. It was interesting to see the difference this one word made in the results I received.

Working through this week’s module, I ran into a couple of syntax errors here and there. I was able to scan through the code easily and find typos and extra spaces that I needed to fix. I feel like the code we learned in this module made sense to me. I am understanding the step-by-step process of programming more clearly.  

I was a bit intimidated to learn programming at the beginning of this course. Having not had any prior experience with code or programming, I felt like this would be difficult to understand. I’m pleasantly surprised to find that, now at the end of the course, I feel more confident with programming. I see how helpful it can be when working with ArcGIS, and how it can help sort through information in the attribute table to help analyze map data more efficiently. 

I think that learning how to fix my errors on my own has been very helpful, as well as learning to use the debugging tool. It has been so interesting to learn how lines of code can create TXT files and TIF raster files. In addition to that, we’ve learned how to quickly return results through the IPython window in ArcGIS and Spyder that describe raster data and attribute table details such as spatial reference and raster band numbers. I look forward to practicing everything I learned in this course on future GIS projects.