Exercise: Finding The Best Locations and Paths: Cougar Habitat

Going Places with Spatial Analysis MOOC
Exercise
Finding the Best Locations and Paths:
Cougar Habitat
Section 4 Exercise 1
08/2019
Finding the Best Locations and Paths: Cougar Habitat
Instructions
Use this guide and ArcGIS Online to reproduce the results of this exercise on your own.
Note: ArcGIS Online is a dynamic mapping platform. The version of ArcGIS Online that
you will be using for this course may be slightly different from the screenshots you see in
the course materials.
Time to complete
Approximately 60-90 minutes.
Technical note
To take advantage of the web-based technologies available in ArcGIS Online, you need to
use a fairly new version of a standard web browser, such as Google Chrome, Firefox, Safari,
or Internet Explorer. Older web browsers may not display your maps correctly.
Note: For information on supported browsers for ArcGIS Online, visit http://doc.arcgis.com
/en/arcgis-online/reference/browsers.htm.
Introduction
This exercise presents an approach to using ArcGIS to identify areas that are suitable cougar
habitat based on criteria from several different sources. Although the data is real, the scenario,
analysis, and resulting decisions are hypothetical.
The purpose of this example is to show how you can use a GIS to perform overlay analysis
and derive new locations from a set of layers representing various criteria.
Exercise scenario
There has been an increase in the cougar population in the state of Oregon in recent years,
and a corresponding increase in cougar sightings by people. Fortunately, however, there have
been no confirmed attacks on humans during this period. Nevertheless, officials in one state
park are concerned about the safety of their visitors. A national forest is located about a mile
and a half from the park, and many visitors hike from the park on trails or old logging roads
that continue into the national forest. If cougars are in the park or forest, or between these
locations, officials want to ensure that park visitors are aware of the potential danger. On the
other hand, officials do not want to alarm potential tourists, because a decrease in visitation
would mean reduced funding for the park in next year's state budget.
Copyright © 2019 Esri. All rights reserved. 1

The officials decide to undertake a study of cougar populations in and around the park. The
first phase of the study will entail mapping potential cougar habitat. In the interest of
interagency cooperation and cost-sharing, the officials approach the administrators at the
nearby national forest about collaborating on the study. The national forest officials are
interested, and the forest service has several cougar habitat mapping projects in progress in
other parts of the state, in conjunction with the state's Department of Fish and Wildlife (DFW).
After the division of labor and funding details are worked out, a technical committee is
established, consisting of wildlife experts from all three agencies.
What is suitable cougar habitat?
The method that DFW has been using for its other habitat studies is suitability analysis, and
for consistency, the committee members decide to stick with this approach for the current
study. In suitability analysis, criteria are specified for what makes an area suitable for a
particular use, such as a housing subdivision, a wind farm, or a cougar habitat. The criteria are
often based on first-hand experience, expert knowledge (including published studies), or
industry standards. Map layers representing the various criteria are overlaid to create a new
layer containing areas that meet the criteria.
DFW has been basing its analysis on studies that link known cougar populations with various
factors like terrain, vegetation, proximity to water, presence of prey, and so on. As a starting
point for discussion, they present the criteria they have been using:
• Steep slopes
• Forested areas
• Near streams
• Away from highways and major roads
• Presence of prey (primarily deer or elk)
The wildlife experts on the committee will define the specific criteria for the study area (for
example, the distance that constitutes "near" a stream). While the experts from DFW have
general knowledge of cougar habitat across the state, the park and forest staff have
knowledge of the local terrain and forest types.
To facilitate the discussions, the experts will view maps of the layers representing each of the
criteria. As a GIS analyst with the national forest, you have been tasked with assembling the
data and performing the GIS analysis after the criteria are defined.

In this case study, you will use the ArcGIS Online mapping platform to perform the following
tasks:
• Work with map layers.

• Create multiple buffers around line features.
• Merge areas that share a boundary.
• Filter data to limit feature display.
• Edit a data filter.
• Combine attribute and spatial criteria in a single query statement.
• Create a web app.
Approach
GIS is a tool that can provide you with information to help you answer questions.
Frame the question
When approaching your analysis, the first task is to frame the question.
For this case study, the analysis question can be framed as follows:
What is suitable cougar habitat?
Define the analysis criteria
The next task is to consider the criteria associated with the question. What information do you
need to answer this question? How can you use the GIS to represent, analyze, and assess the
criteria?
In this example, both attribute and spatial criteria have been identified:
• The area should have a steep slope.

• The area needs to be forested.
• The area should be located near a stream.
• The area should be located away from highways or major roads.
To translate this into spatial analysis terms, ask yourself:

What information do you need to address this question?

For this exercise, the layers provide information related to the analysis question, such as the
following:
• Where are areas with steep, forested slopes located near streams but away from
highways or major roads?
• Where are the limits of the study area?
• How many potential locations within or near the national forest meet these criteria?
Note: This example provides a starting point—in all likelihood, an analysis of this type in the
real world would encompass additional factors and criteria.
Which layers do you need for your map?
For this exercise, you need several layers:
• State park boundary

• National forest boundary
• Vegetation within the study area
• Type of slope within the study area
• Major watersheds
• Sub-watersheds
• Streams within the study area
• Highways or major roads within the study area
Step 1: Open the map

Using ArcGIS Online, you can create a map with the identified layers that you can then use for
your analysis. For this exercise, the initial map has already been created.
a Open a new private/incognito browser tab or window.
b Go to www.arcgis.com and sign in to ArcGIS Online using the credentials explained at the
start of this course.
Note: If you have trouble signing in, please refer to the Help tab.
c On the navigation bar in the Going Places with Spatial Analysis organization home page,
click Gallery.

d Click the thumbnail image for Section 4, Exercise 1: Finding the Best Locations and Paths:
Cougar Habitat.
A map of the area of interest opens, showing the state park and the national forest areas.

Define the project study area

The committee's first task is to define and agree on the project study area. Each agency has
proposed a slightly different study area based on interests and prior studies.
• The Department of Fish and Wildlife has been mapping wildlife habitat watershed-by-
watershed throughout the state. The agency suggests the major watershed (drainage
basin) that includes the park and the western portions of the forest as the study area.
Employees have provided watershed data to support the project.
• The forest service staff, naturally, wants the study area to include the entire national
forest, along with the area surrounding the state park.
• The state park staff members are mainly concerned with the areas in and around the
park where visitors might encounter a cougar. Their surveys have found that many
people hike, at most, about three miles from the park (a six-mile round trip), an area
that encompasses the trails leading into the national forest.
You decide to create a map to effectively represent each agency's proposed study area.
Step 2: Save a copy of the map

For the purposes of this exercise, you will save a working copy of the map.
a From the map menu bar at the top of the window, click Save and choose Save As.
b In the Save Map dialog box, make any desired changes, and then click Save Map.

A copy of the map will be saved to your My Content collection.

Note: ArcGIS Online does not automatically save maps; therefore, you should periodically
save your map as you are working.
Step 3: Create a buffer around an area

In this step, you will create a three-mile distance buffer around the state park to show the area
where park visitors typically hike. This buffer will represent the study area proposed by the
state park staff. The solid green polygon in the center of the map is the state park.
a In the Contents pane, pause your mouse pointer over the State Park layer name and click
the Perform Analysis button.
Hint: At the top of the Details pane, click the Content button.
b In the Perform Analysis pane, expand Use Proximity.

You can use buffers to create areas of equal distance from features.
c Click Create Buffers.

d In the Create Buffers pane, set the following parameters:
• For Choose Layer Containing Features To Buffer, confirm that State Park is selected.
• For Enter Buffer Size, confirm that Distance is selected.
• Type 3 and select Miles as the distance value.
• Expand Options, and ensure that the default Buffer Type of Overlap is selected and
that Area Of Input Polygons In Buffer Polygons is set to Include.
• For Result Layer Name, type 3 Mile Buffer Around State Park_yourfirstandlastname.
Note: If you run the analysis multiple times, you will need to give a unique result layer name
each time to avoid encountering the error message.
The Save Result In field defaults to your account name; you do not need to change this value.
e At the bottom of the Create Buffers pane uncheck the Use Current Map Extent box.
The Use Current Map Extent box is checked by default. This limits the results to your current
map extent (the map display on-screen at any moment). For this analysis, you want to analyze
all records in the layer State park, the one state park, so you will uncheck the box.

f Click Run Analysis.

Processing time for the analysis will depend on a number of factors, including the number of
features in the current extent.
A new result layer with the name you assigned appears in the Contents pane, and the map
display updates to show the buffer.

The default style makes the buffer difficult to clearly see and differentiate from the sub-
watersheds (which are also blue) when the sub-watershed layer is turned on. Changing the
style of the buffer feature will make the proposed study area easier to interpret.
Step 4: Change the map style

In this step, you will change the style for the new layer you just created so that the buffer is
easier to see.
a Pause your mouse pointer over the new 3 Mile Buffer Around State Park layer name and
click the Change Style button .
b In the Change Style pane, set the following parameters:
• For Choose An Attribute To Show, confirm that Show Location Only is selected.
• For Select A Drawing Style, accept the default single symbol used to represent
location.
• Click Options.
c Click Symbols to change the appearance of the symbol used for the buffer.

d In the Change Symbols window, perform the following tasks:
• At the top of the window, click the Fill tab.

• Click the No Color button .
• At the top of the window, click the Outline tab.
• From the palette, choose an outline color, such as dark green (hex color #267300).
• Change the Line Width to 3px.
e Click OK to close the Change Symbols window.
f Click OK to close the Style Options pane.
g Click Done to close the Change Style pane.

The buffer is more clearly visible now. Next, you will turn on the watershed layers.
h Turn on the Major Watershed and the Sub-Watershed layers.

i Zoom out to view the entire area of interest.
j Click the Legend button to view the Legend pane.

The three proposed areas to be studied are clearly represented in the map.
The map showing the three proposed study area boundaries.
DFW, which is providing most of the data for the study, points out that the level of detail in
the data does not support working at the scale of the area covered by the state park, which
comprises a small area. The results of the analysis will define a generalized habitat for a
relatively large area, such as that covered by a few sub-watersheds.
As a compromise between the three proposed study areas, and given the available funding,
the committee members decide to limit the study area to the location that falls within the
three sub-watersheds in the southeast (bottom-right) portion of the major watershed. This
area encompasses the state park and a portion of the national forest.

Agreed-upon area of study for the cougar habitat project
The DFW and the national forest staff will use this study as a pilot project for this part of the
state in their ongoing cougar habitat mapping efforts.
Step 5: Filter map data to create an area boundary

In this step, you will create the agreed-upon study area boundary that encompasses the sub-
watersheds, state park, and national forest in the southern part of the map.
a Display the information pop-up windows for each of the three sub-watersheds (in the
bottom-right portion of the map), and note the three-digit Watershed ID for each.
Hint: Click each sub-watershed on the map to display its information pop-up window.
After identifying the IDs for the three sub-watersheds to be included in the study area
boundary (Watershed IDs 550, 556, and 569), you will filter the layer to display only those you
are interested in.
b In the Contents pane, pause your mouse pointer over the name of the Sub-Watershed
layer and click the Filter button .
c In the Filter dialog box, choose Watershed ID as the field to filter on.
Note: The Watershed ID field contains the three-digit ID for the sub-watershed.
d Confirm that Is is selected in the second field.
e In the Value field, type 550.

f At the top of the panel, click Add Another Expression, and create a second expression
where Watershed ID is 556.
g Click Add Another Expression again, and create a third expression where Watershed ID is
569.
In defining the filter you used the Value option. That allows you to type in any number and
proceed with filtering. The Unique option restricts input to an existing value in the dataset.
Experiment with the Unique option if you want to see what happens if you input a number
that's not a value in the dataset.
h To display features in the layer that match any of the expressions, change the field at the
top from "all" to "any," so that the statement reads, "Display features in the layer that
match any of the following expressions."
i Click Apply Filter.

The map now displays only the three sub-watersheds that are part of the study area.

Area of the map containing the three sub-watersheds to be included in the final study area boundary.
j In the Contents pane, turn off the 3 Mile Buffer Around State Park and Major Watershed
layers.
Step 6: Merge areas that share a boundary

In this step, you will merge the three sub-watershed areas into a single area to create the
study area boundary.
a In the Contents pane, pause your mouse pointer over the Sub-Watershed layer name and
click the Perform Analysis button.
b Expand Manage Data.

The Dissolve Boundaries tool merges areas that overlap or share a common boundary
together to form a single area.
c Click Dissolve Boundaries.

Only the three sub-watersheds that are included in the filter will be included in the dissolve.
d In the Dissolve Boundaries pane, examine and accept the default parameters.
e For Result Layer Name, type Cougar Habitat Study Area

Boundary_yourfirstandlastname.

each time.
f At the bottom of the Dissolve Boundaries pane uncheck the Use Current Map Extent box.
The Use Current Map Extent box is checked by default. For this analysis, you want to analyze
all the (filtered) records in the layer Sub-watershed, so you will uncheck the box.

g Click Run Analysis.
h When the analysis is complete, turn off the Sub-watershed layer, as it is no longer
needed.

The updated map now shows a single area representing the study area boundary.
Note: Remember to periodically save your map as you are working.

In this step, you will change the style associated with the study area boundary for better
viewing.
a Change the style associated with the Study Area Boundary layer so that it is transparent,
with a 3px dark slate gray outline.

Hint: First, try changing the style on your own. If you need it, the full set of steps for changing
the style is as follows:
• Pause your mouse pointer over the new Cougar Habitat Study Area Boundary layer
name and click the Change Style button.
• In the Change Style pane, for Choose An Attribute To Show, choose Show Location
Only.
• Click Options.
• Click Symbols.
• In the Change Symbols pop-up window, set the following parameters:
• At the top of the pop-up window, click the Fill tab.

• Change the transparency to 100% or click the No Color button.
• At the top of the pop-up window, click the Outline tab.
• From the palette, choose an outline color, such as dark slate gray (hex color
#242424).
• Click OK to close the Change Symbols pop-up window.
• Click OK to close the Style Options pane.
• Click Done to close the Change Style pane.
b Display the map legend.

Hint: At the top of the Details pane, click the Legend button.

The agreed-upon study area boundary (gray outline). The legend is shown for context.
Having agreed on the study area boundary, the committee members next turn to the analysis
itself.
Set up the analysis
The various agencies use the area boundary to clip (https://bit.ly/2MijD36) their criteria data
and provide you with the appropriate layers to use for the project. The Department of Fish
and Wildlife provides a slope layer, a streams layer, and a highway layer, and the state
Department of Forestry provides vegetation data.
Note: For the purposes of this exercise, these clipped layers have already been integrated
into the map you are working with.
Project criteria review
There are multiple criteria for this project, and the committee has reviewed and discussed
each issue in preparation for the analysis you will perform.
Create the models for analysis
Recognizing that the agencies have divergent interests, the decision is made to create two
models of cougar habitat: one model based on a narrower definition, using the criteria
preferred by the experts from the state park, and another model based on a broader
definition, using the criteria preferred by the experts at DFW and the national forest. Because

the analysis is being done using GIS, it is relatively easy to model the habitat using several
different sets of criteria. You will approach the criteria provided by the state park experts first.
Model 1: Suitable cougar habitat based on criteria from the state park experts
In this section, you will use ArcGIS Online to create a map to identify areas that are suitable
cougar habitat using the criteria defined by the experts from the state park.
Criterion State park values

Steep slopes >18 degrees
Forested Vegetation codes 34, 49, and 67
Near streams Within 500 feet
Away from highways More than 1,500 feet
Step 8: Filter data to limit feature display

In this step, you will filter the data associated with the Vegetation layer to show only areas that
contain the three suitable vegetation types as identified by the state park experts (True Fir-
Hemlock Montane Forest, Douglas Fir-W. Hemlock-W. Red Cedar Forest, and Mixed Conifer-
Mixed Deciduous Forest).
a In the Contents pane, turn on the Vegetation layer.
b Click the name of the Vegetation layer to expand it, and examine the types of vegetation
included in the dataset.

c Pause your mouse pointer over the Vegetation layer name and click the Filter button.
d In the Filter dialog box, choose VEG_CODE as the attribute.
e For the second field, choose Is.
f For the third field, select 34 (True Fir-Hemlock Montane Forest) as the Value.
g Click Add Another Expression, and create a second expression where VEG_CODE is 49
(Douglas Fir-W. Hemlock-W. Red Cedar Forest).
h Click Add Another Expression, and create a third expression where VEG_CODE is 67
(Mixed Conifer-Mixed Deciduous Forest).
i At the top of the dialog box, change "all" to "any" ("Display features in the layer that
match any of the following expressions").
j Click Apply Filter.

The map display updates to show only the vegetation types that meet the specified criteria.
The areas without any green are open areas that are not potential cougar habitat.
k Turn on the Stream layer.
Next, you will perform a suitability analysis to identify areas that may be suitable cougar
habitat based on the criteria from the state park experts.
Step 9: Identify suitable locations

In ArcGIS Online, the Derive New Locations tool allows you to combine attribute and spatial
criteria in a single statement by adding a set of expressions, one at a time. The tool creates a
new layer of areas that meet the specified criteria.
Note: Because you filtered the vegetation criteria first, you can create a simpler selection
statement and will be able to streamline the process when you run the second analysis using
the criteria defined by the Department of Fish and Wildlife.
a Click the name of the Vegetation layer to collapse it.
b Turn on the Slope layer.
c Click the name of the Slope layer to expand it, and examine the types of slope included in
the dataset.

Note: For this study, slopes are categorized as either gentle (less than 18 degrees) or steep
(greater than 18 degrees).
d Turn on the Highway layer.

Note: You can use either of the area criteria layers (Slope or Vegetation) as the basis for the
analysis (that is, the layer to which all other criteria are related). For consistency, you will use
the Slope layer throughout as you build the expressions.
e Pause your mouse pointer over the Slope layer name and click the Perform Analysis
button.
f Expand Find Locations.
g Click Derive New Locations.

To find locations where the terrain meets the slope criterion, you will add an attribute query
expression.
h In the Derive New Locations pane, click Add Expression.
i Add an attribute query expression to find areas where the slope is considered steep
Hint: First, try creating the attribute query expression on your own. If you need them, the full
set of steps for creating the attribute query expression is as follows:
• For the layer name, confirm that Slope is selected.

• From the second drop-down list, confirm that Where (Attribute Query) is selected.
• Select SLOPE_CODE as the name of the attribute.
• Select Is.
• Select the Unique option, and then choose Steep from the drop-down list.

j Click Add to add the expression to the Derive New Locations pane.
Because you have other criteria, you will add additional expressions to create a combined
query expression.
Next, you will add a spatial query to find locations where both the slope criterion and the
vegetation type criterion are met. You already filtered out vegetation types that are not
considered relevant.
k Add a spatial query expression to find locations that meet both the slope and vegetation
type criteria.
Hint: First, try creating the expression on your own. If you need them, the full set of steps to
add the expression is as follows:
• Click Add Expression.

• Select Intersects.
• For the name of the second feature, choose Vegetation.
Note: Because you already filtered the Vegetation layer, only the selected vegetation types
will be included in the output.
l Click Add to add the expression to the Derive New Locations pane.

Next, you will find areas located within 500 feet of a stream.
m Add a third expression specifying that the suitable areas need to be within 500 feet of a
stream.
Hint: First, try creating the expression on your own. If you need them, the full set of steps to
add another spatial query expression is as follows:

• Select Within a Distance Of.
• Type 500 and select Feet as the measurement.
• For the name of the second feature, choose Stream.
n Click Add to add the expression to the Derive New Locations pane.
o Add a final expression to specify that the areas need to be located more than 1,500 feet
from a highway.
Hint: First, try creating the expression on your own. If you need it, the full set of steps for
creating the expression is as follows:

• Select Not Within a Distance Of.
• For the second feature, choose Highway.

p Click Add to add the expression to the Derive New Locations pane.
• For Result Layer Name, type Potential Cougar Habitat - State Park
Criteria_yourfirstandlastname.
each time.
q At the bottom of the Derive New Locations pane, uncheck the Use Current Map Extent
box.
all the records in the layer Slope, so you will uncheck the box.

r Click Run Analysis.

display updates to show the locations that meet all of the criteria that the state park experts
identified.
s Zoom in to the area of interest.

Hint: Pause your mouse pointer over the Potential Cougar Habitat - State Park Criteria layer
name and click the More Options button . From the drop-down list, choose Zoom To.

t Turn off the Vegetation and Slope layers to see the identified locations better.
The result layer uses default styling, so identified areas appear in blue. To avoid confusion,
you will change the map style.

In this step, you will change the style of the areas identified as potential cougar habitat.
a Change the style associated with the Potential Cougar Habitat - State Park Criteria layer
to solid bright yellow, with a 1px bright yellow outline.

Hint: First, try changing the style on your own. If you need it, the full set of steps for changing
the style is as follows:
• Pause your mouse pointer over the new Potential Cougar Habitat - State Park Criteria
layer and click the Change Style button.
• In the Change Style pane, for Attribute To Show, confirm that Show Location Only is
selected.
• Click Options.
• Click Symbols.

• From the palette, choose a fill color, such as bright yellow (hex color #FFFF00).
• From the palette, choose an outline color, such as bright yellow (hex color
#FFFF00).
b Turn on the 3 Mile Buffer Around State Park layer.
c Display the map legend.


Note: Layer names will vary based on the names you assigned.
d From the map menu bar at the top of the window, click Save and choose Save As.
e For Title, type Sec4 Exercise 1 Cougar Habitat Analysis_yourfirstandlastname.
f Click Save Map.

The map will be saved to your My Content collection.
The result map provides a good picture of potential cougar habitat within the study area
boundary for the state park experts.
Next, you will create a second layer that shows potential cougar habitat based on the criteria
provided by the DFW and national forest experts.
Model 2: Suitable cougar habitat based on criteria from the Department of Fish and
Wildlife experts
In this section, you will identify areas that are suitable cougar habitat based on the second set
of criteria from DFW and national forest experts. You will follow a similar approach, modifying
the criteria as needed.
Criterion DFW/national forest values

Steep slopes >18 degrees
Forested Vegetation codes 34, 49, 67, and 121
Near streams Within 2,500 feet
Away from highways More than 500 feet

Step 11: Edit a data filter

In this step, you will edit the filter on the Vegetation layer to include the additional suitable
vegetation type as identified by the DFW/national forest experts (Grass-Shrub-Sapling or
Regenerating Young Forest).
a Turn off the Potential Cougar Habitat - State Park Criteria layer.
b Turn on the Vegetation layer.
c Pause your mouse pointer over the Vegetation layer name and click the Filter button.
d In the Filter dialog box, click the Edit tab.

ArcGIS Online includes the ability to edit an existing filter, which makes a comparative
analysis like this one more efficient.
e Click Add Another Expression, and scroll down in the dialog box to enter the criteria to
display features in the layer where the VEG_CODE is 121 (Grass-Shrub-Sapling or
Regenerating Young Forest).
f Click Apply Filter.

The map display updates to show the vegetation types that meet the specified criteria. The
areas without any green are open areas that are not potential cougar habitat.
Step 12: Identify suitable locations

In this step, you will again use the Derive New Locations tool to add the expressions for the
analysis, this time using the criteria identified by DFW.
a Turn on the Slope layer.

Note: As before, you will use the Slope layer as the basis for the analysis.
b Pause your mouse pointer over the Slope layer name and click the Perform Analysis
button.
c Expand Find Locations.
d Click Derive New Locations.

To find locations where both the terrain (vegetation) and slope criteria are met, you will add
an attribute query expression.
In the Derive New Locations pane, you will add four expressions to represent the criteria
identified by the DFW and national forest experts.
e Add an attribute query expression to find areas where the slope is considered steep

Hint: First, try adding the attribute query on your own. If you need it, the full set of steps for
adding an attribute query expression is as follows:

• Confirm that Where (Attribute Query) is selected.
• Select SLOPE_CODE as the name of the attribute.
• Confirm that Is is selected.
• Select the Unique option, and then select Steep from the drop-down list.
• Click Add to add the expression to the Derive New Locations pane.
Because you have other criteria, you will add additional expressions to create a combined
expression.
Next, you will find locations that meet both the slope criterion and the vegetation type
criterion. You already filtered out vegetation types that are not considered relevant.
f Add a spatial query expression to find locations that meet both slope and vegetation
criteria.
Hint: First, try adding the query on your own. If you need it, the full set of steps for adding
the spatial query is as follows:

• Select Intersects.
• For the name of the second feature, choose Vegetation.

Note: Because you already filtered the Vegetation layer, only the selected vegetation types
will be included in the output.
Next, you will find areas located within 2,500 feet of a stream.
g Add a third expression, specifying that the suitable areas need to be within 2,500 feet of a
stream.
Hint: The full set of steps for adding the spatial query is as follows:

• Select Within a Distance Of.
• For the name of the second feature, choose Stream.
h Add the final expression, specifying that the areas need to be more than 500 feet from a
highway.

Hint: The full set of steps for adding the attribute query is as follows:

• Select Not Within a Distance Of.
• For the second feature, choose Highway.
i For Result Layer Name, type Potential Cougar Habitat - DFW and National Forest
Criteria_yourfirstandlastname.
j At the bottom of the Find New Locations pane, uncheck the Use Current Map Extent box.
all the records in the layer Slope, so you will uncheck the box.

k Click Run Analysis.

Processing time for the analysis will depend on a number of factors, including the number of
features in the current extent.
display updates to show the locations that meet all of the criteria that the DFW and national
forest experts identified.
l Turn off the Vegetation and Slope layers to see the identified locations better.

The result layer uses default styling, so identified areas appear in blue. To avoid confusion,
you will change the map style.

In this step, you will change the style of the potential cougar habitat areas in the map.
a Change the symbol associated with the Potential Cougar Habitat - DFW and National
Forest Criteria layer to solid brown, with a 1px brown outline.

Hint: The full set of steps for changing the map style is as follows:
• Pause your mouse pointer over the new Potential Cougar Habitat - DFW and National
Forest Criteria layer name and click the Change Style button.
• In the Change Style pane, for Attribute To Show, confirm that Show Location Only is
selected.
• Click Options.
• Click Symbols.

• From the palette, choose a fill color, such as brown (hex color #8C4E30).
• From the palette, choose an outline color, such as brown (hex color #8C4E30).
b Display the map legend.


c Save the map.

The result map provides a good picture of potential cougar habitat within the study area
boundary for the DFW and national forest experts. This model is noticeably different from the
state park model.
Step 14: Save the two maps

In this step, you will save two maps, one with the state park criteria and one with DFW criteria,
to prepare them for inclusion in a web app.
a If the following layers are on, turn them off:
• Major Watershed
• Sub-watershed
• Potential Cougar Habitat - DFW and National Forest Criteria
b Zoom to the study area.

Hint: Pause your mouse pointer over the Cougar Habitat Study Area Boundary layer name
and click the More Options button. From the drop-down list, choose Zoom To.

c Confirm that the following layers are turned on:
• Potential Cougar Habitat - State Park Criteria

• Cougar Habitat Study Area Boundary
• 3 Mile Buffer Around State Park
• State Park
• Stream
• Highway
• National Forest
Note: Layer names will vary based on the names you assigned.

d From the map menu bar at the top of the window, click Save and choose Save As.
• For Title, type Model 1 - Cougar Habitat - State Park_yourfirstandlastname.

• For Tags, accept the default entry.
• For Summary, type State Park Criteria.
• For Save In Folder, accept the default location.
e Click Save Map.
f Turn off the Potential Cougar Habitat - State Park Criteria layer.
g Turn on the Potential Cougar Habitat - DFW and National Forest Criteria layer.
h From the map menu bar at the top of the window, click Save and choose Save As.
• For Title, type Model 2 - Cougar Habitat - DFW_yourfirstandlastname.

• For Tags, accept the default entry.
• For Summary, type DFW Criteria.
• For Save In Folder, accept the default location.

i Click Save Map.

You now have two maps, one for each set of criteria.
In the next exercise, you will build an app to view the maps together and share the app with
the stakeholders.
j In the upper-right corner of the private/incognito browser window, click your name and
choose Sign Out.
k Close the private/incognito browser window.

Exercise: Finding The Best Locations and Paths: Cougar Habitat

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Exercise: Finding The Best Locations and Paths: Cougar Habitat

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Going Places with Spatial Analysis MOOC

Finding the Best Locations and Paths: Cougar Habitat

Copyright © 2019 Esri. All rights reserved. 1

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• Work with map layers.

• The area should have a steep slope.

To translate this into spatial analysis terms, ask yourself:

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• State park boundary

Step 1: Open the map

a Open a new private/incognito browser tab or window.

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Define the project study area

Step 2: Save a copy of the map

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A copy of the map will be saved to your My Content collection.

Step 3: Create a buffer around an area

b In the Perform Analysis pane, expand Use Proximity.

c Click Create Buffers.

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d In the Create Buffers pane, set the following parameters:

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f Click Run Analysis.

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Step 4: Change the map style

b In the Change Style pane, set the following parameters:

Copyright © 2019 Esri. All rights reserved. 10

d In the Change Symbols window, perform the following tasks:

• At the top of the window, click the Fill tab.

e Click OK to close the Change Symbols window.

f Click OK to close the Style Options pane.

g Click Done to close the Change Style pane.

h Turn on the Major Watershed and the Sub-Watershed layers.

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i Zoom out to view the entire area of interest.

j Click the Legend button to view the Legend pane.

The map showing the three proposed study area boundaries.

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Agreed-upon area of study for the cougar habitat project

Step 5: Filter map data to create an area boundary

d Confirm that Is is selected in the second field.

e In the Value field, type 550.

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i Click Apply Filter.

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Step 6: Merge areas that share a boundary

b Expand Manage Data.

c Click Dissolve Boundaries.

e For Result Layer Name, type Cougar Habitat Study Area

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g Click Run Analysis.

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Step 7: Change the map style

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• At the top of the pop-up window, click the Fill tab.

b Display the map legend.

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Criterion State park values

Step 8: Filter data to limit feature display

a In the Contents pane, turn on the Vegetation layer.