Geog 204 Credit: 30 points

Spatial Analysis Due: Tues, Dec 5, 2006 at 9:30a

Exercise 10
Spatial autocorrelation and map interpolation
!any natural processes gi"e rise to patterns t#at e$#i%it spatial structure& '$aination o( t#is spatial
structure can re"eal an in#erent scale at )#ic# a process operates& T#is in(oration ay also %e
use(ul in designing studies )#ere spatially independent saples are re*uired& T#is e$ercise is
designed to introduce you to t#e use o( t#e sei"ariogra to assess t#e scale at )#ic# spatial
structure is e$#i%ited in a dataset& T#e sei"ariogra is a siple structure (unction t#at easures t#e
"aria%ility %et)een pairs o( points as a (unction o( t#eir distance in space& T#e "alue o( t#e
sei"ariogra is t#at it can %e used to interpolate point data, %ased upon t#e scale at )#ic#
neig#%oring points e$#i%it spatial autocorrelation&
T#e e$ercise includes t)o datasets& T#e (irst dataset +lead&$ls, is a collection o( -00 sapling sites o(
soil lead concentrations, easured on a regularly sapled grid (or a pilot study& T#e second dataset
+lead&d%, is a geodata%ase +G.S/copati%le (ile, (or a randoly selected set o( soil saples in a 35
$ 35 0 study area& 1our analysis )ill include %ot# anual calculations o( sei"ariance and use o(
t#e ArcG.S Geostatistical Analyst to create interpolated aps&
Assignment:
Manual calculations
-& 2pen t#e (ile lead.xls in '$cel&
2& 3se t#e (orula (or sei"ariance to calculate and plot an e$periental "ariogra (or t)o
transects +o"er lag distances o( -/4 units,, s#o)n )it# arro)s in t#e (ile and on t#e attac#ed ap
+5igure -,&
3& Copare t#e e$periental "ariogra o( your calculations to t#e t#eoretical "ariogras o( 5igure
6 in 7egendre and 5ortin& 3se a pencil to s0etc# in t#e t#eoretical "ariogra t#at you (eel %est
(its t#e epirical data&
ArcMap analysis
4& Start Arc!ap and use t#e add data icon to load t#e lead geodata%ase into t#e ap docuent&
5& '$aine t#e attri%ute ta%le and note t#at t#e concentration o( lead at eac# point is gi"en in t#e
colun concentrat& 8ig#t clic0 on t#e colun #eader (or concentrat and sort ascending
or sort descending to e$aine t#e range o( lead concentration "alues (or t#e points& 3se t#e
Statistics +, %utton to e$aine suary statistics +in, a$, ean, (or lead concentration&
6& .n t#e Tools enu, select Extensions and turn on t#e Geostatistical Analyst and Spatial Analyst
e$tensions& 8ig#t clic0 in t#e gray tool%ar area to acti"ate t#e tool%ar selection enu and c#ec0
Geostatistical Analyst and Spatial Analyst tool%ars&
4& 2n t#e Geostatistical Analyst tool%ar, select Geostatistical Wizard& T#e )i9ard enu appears,
)it# options to c#oose t#e dataset and et#ods& 3nder Dataset-, select lead (or input data and
t#e (ield concentrat as t#e attri%ute& 3nder !et#ods, select kriging&
6& 3se t#e Next> %utton to ad"ance to t#e )indo) titled Geostatistical Wizard: Step 2 of & Toggle
%et)een t#e sei"ariogra and co"ariance ta%s to e$aine t#e plots& :ote t#e t#eoretical odel
used to (it t#e epirical data on t#e sei"ariogra plot and t#e "alue o( t#e sill, range and
nugget&
9& Clic0 t#e Next> %uttons to ad"ance to t#e )indo) titled Geostatistical Wizard: Step ! of & .n t#e
options t#at appear (or t#e interpolation et#od, use t#e (ollo)ing settings:
Neighbors to include 15
Include at least 10
Shape type one sector (this is the ellipse icon with no cross hairs)
T#ese settings are optional, and can %e ad;usted %y t#e user& 3se o( t#e settings gi"en a%o"e )ill
ensure t#at )e all get t#e sae ans)er& Clic0 "inis# to coplete&
-0& An interpolated ap appears& 8ig#t clic0 on t#e layer nae in t#e Ta%le o( Contents and select
$ata < Export to %aster to create a peranent raster layer (ro t#is teporary dataset& 3se
de(ault settings to create a grid o( 300 ro)s and 300 coluns& 8ig#t clic0 on t#e (ile (older icon
ne$t to &utput %aster to sa"e t#e grid to your apped 9oo directory& :ae t#e grid kriging and
select 'es to add t#e ne) layer to your ap docuent& T#e grid appears in gray tones& 1ou can
alter t#e color sc#ee used in t#e layer (roperties enu&
--& 8epeat t#e instructions in step 4 a%o"e, again selecting lead (or input data and t#e (ield
concentrat as t#e attri%ute& 3nder !et#ods, select )n*erse $istance Weig#ting& =roceed t#roug#
t#e Next> and "inis# %uttons to coplete t#e interpolation procedure&
-2& 8epeat t#e instructions in step -0 a%o"e to sa"e t#is ap as a peranent raster layer& :ae t#is
grid ID&
-3& 2n t#e Spatial Analyst tool%ar, select &ptions and set your )or0ing directory to your 9oo
directory +to ensure t#e output o( t#is ne$t step is sa"ed to your )or0space,&
-4& 2n t#e Spatial Analyst tool%ar, select t#e %aster +alculator to copare t#e t)o interpolated aps
%y calculating a ne) grid& Calculate t#e ne) grid according to t#e (ollo)ing (orula:
++>0riging?/>id)?,@>id)?, A -00
T#is calculation )ill create a ne) grid, s#o)ing t#e di((erence %et)een t#e interpolated "alues
produced %y t#e 0riging tec#ni*ue copared to t#e in"erse distance )eig#ting +.DB, tec#ni*ue&
T#e coparison is norali9ed %y t#e .DB "alue and ultiplied %y -00 to gi"e a percentage
di((erence& A positi"e "alue o( 5 )ould indicate t#at t#e interpolated "alue produced %y t#e
0riging tec#ni*ue is 5C greater t#an t#e interpolated "alue produced %y t#e .DB tec#ni*ue&
-5& 3se t#e %aster +alculator to con"ert t#e grid (ro step -4 a%o"e, )#ic# )ill %e in (loating point
+e&g& decial, (orat to an integer grid %y using t#e int() (unction& Sa"e t#is integer grid to a
peranent data set in your 9oo directory&
Reporting:
Brite a -/2 page suary o( your analysis& .n your results, address t#e (ollo)ing *uestions:
-& B#at t#eoretical "ariogra )ould you (it to eac# plot (or t#e t)o transects analy9ed in t#e
lead&$ls dataset +include plots o( your calculated "ariogras,D B#at is t#e appro$iate "alue o(
t#e sill, range and nugget on eac# plotD Do t#e pilot study data e$#i%it any directionality to t#e
spatial structureD
2& Assess your interpolated aps (or t#e lead geodata%ase, %ased on t#e .DB and Eriging et#ods&
B#at (raction o( t#e copared grid, %ased on t#e t)o interpolation procedures, #as a di((erence o(
ore t#an F@/ 5C +include a ap o( your coparison grid to s#o) t#e spatial distri%ution o(
di((erences in t#e t)o interpolation et#ods,D
.n your interpretations, coent on t#e (ollo)ing *uestions:
-& Bould t#e results o( your sei"ariance analysis o( t#e lead&$ls data %e use(ul in designing a
sapling protocol to select independent soil saples on t#is siteD
2& B#at is t#e ad"antage o( using t#e 0riging contouring et#od o"er t#e .DB et#od (or
interpolation, %ased on t#e paper %y 7egendre and 5ortinD