Lab 6

I created the above map in ArcGIS by using various forms of data that I gathered from online. To create the map I needed the following data layers: a NED file, vegetation cover, and a shapefile of where the fire had spread. I obtained the NED file from the USGS server and this allowed me to calculate the hazard of slope in my map. Next, I downloaded vegetation data from the FRAP website to see what type of vegetation cover was in and around the Station Fire. By having this data and looking at the metadata, I was able to perform a reclassification of the vegetation to see which vegetation with high fuel levels were located. Lastly, I downloaded a file from the LA County Enterprise GIS website which contained several shape files of the perimeter of the fire.

To finalize the map, I merged all the fire shape files into one layer and made it transparent to see where and what vegetation were potential hazards. Next I made another data frame where slope was reclassified in respect that a high slope was a high hazard and a low slope was a low hazard. Lastly, I made a combination map of the two in which I used a raster calculator to map both the hazards of slope and vegetation. From my analysis I can see that a steep slope and highly flammable vegetation were both key factors in the burning of the station fire.

A majority of the project went by smoothly however I did face a couple difficulties. For starters, the tutorial threw me off a little bit and I found it somewhat useless. Next, I had some problems with the reclassification when I changed the values into names of what vegetation there was. I found that creating the hillshade was not necessary and that when you created the slope you had to reclassify it because ArcGIS could not read it due to too many values.