NRM638 Python Scripting with ArcGIS10 Spring 2013

NRM638 Python Scripting for GIS

3:30-630pm ONEILL 359 (Hands-on, face-to-face help with script assignments)

Course Preview

Objectives:

To learn basic Python scripting independent of ArcGIS using OGR/GDAL python modules

To learn how to write stand-alone geoprocessing scripts for ArcGIS10.1

To learn how to make and document script tools for ArcGIS10.1

To learn how to automate mapping tasks using arcpy.mapping

Instructor:

Dave Verbyla, Professor,
Dept. of Forest Sciences, ONeill Bldg 368
Email: dlverbyla@alaska.edu
Office Hours: Tuesdays, Thursdays 8:30-9:30am, or email appointment

Grading will be based as follows:

13 Weekly programming assignments @ 20 points each,

final student presentation @40 points

270-300 points = A (>90%)

240-270 points = B ( 80 - 90 %)

210-270 points = C ( 70 - 80%)

180-210 points = D (60 - 70 %)

< 180 points = F (< 60 %)

All assignments are due by Friday noon, emailed to: dlverbyla@alaska.edu
The final student presentation will be a Python script, ArcGIS script tool, or geoprocessing script that you have created.

Readings

Weekly Youtube video sessions posted on UAF blackboard (available only to students registered in this class).

You need to complete each script assignment at the end of each youtube lesson. Then you will be ready to work on the weekly assignments that are posted at this website.

Disability Services:

I will work with the Office of Disabilities Services (203 WHIT, 474-7043) to provide reasonable accommodation to to any student with a disability.
Please inform me the first week of class if you have a disability that we should be aware of.

Topic

Scripting Assignment

Before Jan 28, 2013 :

Week1 Youtube Video Sessions:

1) Week1 Preview

2) Basic Python scripting

3 ) Python Variables

4) Python Lists

5) Python Loops

6) Python Modules

7) Python OS Module

Python scripts to rename files, create folders, check for companion projection file for every shapefile

Before Feb 4, 2013 :

Week1 Youtube Video Sessions:

1) Week2 Preview

Available to registered students:
2) Creating test shapefiles

3 ) Getting layer information

4) Python decisions/ geometry types

5) Getting field names and types

6) Point layer information

7) Polyline layer information

8) Polygon information

Layer Information Summary pdf

Python scripts to report GIS Layer Information

BeforeFeb 11, 2013

Week3 Youtube Video Sessions:Creating GIS point, line, polygon shapefiles

1) Preview

2) Reading data files

3) Writing to log files

4) Creating point shapefiles

5) Creating line shapefiles

6) Creating polygon shapefiles

Summary pdf working with textfiles, creating shapefiles

Python scripts to create point, line, and polygon shapefiles

Before Feb 18, 2013

Week4 Youtube Video Sessions:Creating random locations and random selections

2) Random distributions

3) Random selections and shuffles

4) Selecting feature operators

5) Making selection sets

Python scripts working with a transect line or parcel polygons

Sample Scripts:

Midpoint on transect line

Ten uniform points on transect line

Ten random points on transect line

Print out parcel fields definitions

Randomly select 100 parcels

Randomly select 100 parcels from parcels with land value exceeding $20,000

Before Feb 25, 2013

Week 5 Preview: Geoprocessing Overlay, Distance, and Filtering

2) Buffering features

3) Distance to features

4) Selecting feature within a threshold distance

5) Overlay operations (intersect, erase, etc.)

Python scripts to solve distance, adjacency, clipping or containment problems

Sample Scripts:

Mean Distance to Closest Willow For All Animal Locations

Wildfires Inside Refuge Boundary

Mean Land Value of Parcels Adjacent to Chena River

Lightning Strike Density Inside Each EcoRegion Polygon

Before March 4, 2013

Week6 Preview: Four more geoprocessing problems

2) Flipping stream lines so all streams flow downstream

3) Reporting salmon counts by species for each stream name

4) Computing percent permafrost within each watershed basin polygon

5) Computing distance between radiocollared animal locations

Python scripts to solve flip line direction,feature count near another layer's feature, percent within polygons, and distance betwee locations problems

Sample Scripts:

Flip stream lines

Percent Permafrost in Watershed Basins

Salmon Counts By Stream and Species

Animal Points Distance and Speed of Travel

SPRING BREAK

Before March 18, 2013

Week7 Youtube Video Sessions: Arc GIS Field Calculator scripting

ArcGIS Field Calculator: Python scripting applications

Before March 25, 2013

Week8 Youtube Video Sessions: Arcpy geoprocessing