ArcSIE

Tutorial
with Geodatabase

Xun Shi
DSM@ArcSIE.com
Last modified on April 25, 2019
Disclaimers:
1. This tutorial is primarily for illustrating the usages of the processes and tools implemented by ArcSIE. It should
not be used as a guidance or reference for data selection, parameter setting, model creation, and result
validation. The accuracies and precisions of the maps generated through this tutorial do not necessarily meet
any standards.
2. This tutorial does not contain detailed explanations of the purposes of some operations and the meanings of
some parameters. For more information, please refer to the ArcSIE User’s Guide.
3. Some of the knowledge used in this tutorial is originally from soil scientists but was adapted by the author of
this tutorial to better serve the tutoring purpose. The author is solely responsible for any mistakes and
imperfections resulted from the knowledge selection and adaptation.
4. To go through this tutorial, you need to know basic operations of ArcGIS, e.g., copying, renaming, and deleting
Shapefiles and Grids.

Acknowledgement:
The data and original knowledge used in this tutorial were kindly provided by a group of soil scientists at The
NRCS Vermont Office, including Robert Long, Roger Dekett, Jessica Philippe, and Tom Berke, under the
leadership of Long. Fred Young at the NGDC of NRCS tested and edited the entire tutorial. The author of this
tutorial greatly appreciates their generosity and helps, which simply made the development of ArcSIE as well
as this tutorial possible.

Copyright © 2004 – 2019 Xun Shi

29 Heidi Ln
Bow, NH 03304
USA

Do not copy or cite any part of this document without a written permission from the author.

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Introduction. ArcSIE with Geodatabase
This tutorial has the same content of previous edition of ArcSIE Tutorial, only that this tutorial uses
Geodatabase as the primary data format.

Geodatabase is the native data format of ArcGIS. Compared with those simple data formats such as Shapefile
and Grid, Geodatabase has a sophisticated structure that can better organize different data of a mapping area
into an integrated dataset.

Geodatabase also provides much more flexibility in naming a raster dataset. Unlike the Grid format,
Geodatabase does not restrict the name of a raster dataset to be shorter than 12 characters.

Most importantly, this tutorial demonstrates the idea that the Geodatabase of a soil mapping project is not only
a working database that facilitates the mapping process, but itself should be the product of the project. In other
words, in a digital soil mapping era, the product of a mapping project should not be just the generated soil
maps and associated property values, but a whole package that contains from the environmental data, sample
data, knowledge, to various types of resulting maps and data. A product like this is not just a “map base”
showing the final results, but also consists of “data base”, “sample base”, and “knowledge base” that tell how
the maps have been created, as well as their quality, limitation, and uncertainty.

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Lesson 1. Preparing Environmental Data
In this first lesson we will prepare four terrain data layers that will be used in the following soil inference.
These four terrain data layers include:
• Elevation
• Slope Gradient
• Planform Curvature
• Wetness Index

In addition, we will prepare a mask layer that will mask out some regions in the mapping area that should be
excluded from certain inferences.

The OriginalData folder provided along with this tutorial document contains these data:

• Elevation.3dr
• Mask (Shapefile. Note that a Shapefile is not a single computer file but a group of files.)
• Cabot_PntCases (Shapefile)
• HogbackTunbridge_PolyCases (Shapefile)
• Dixfield_NegCases (Shapefile)

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1.1. Create Three Geodatabases for the Tutorial Project
We first create three ArcGIS Geodatabases to manage the data involved in an ArcSIE project.

Important: There are restrictions in naming folders and files in ArcSIE (actually in ArcGIS):
• Never use spaces in folder names and file names.
• Do not use special characters such as @, #, $, %, ^, &, *.

First, launch ArcCatalog. In ArcCatalog, choose a folder that you want to use to store all materials of this
tutorial project (connect a folder using , if necessary). Note: the entire path name should not contain spaces,
so DO NOT create this project folder under C:\Documents and Settings. Right-click on the name of folder
you choose; select New ► File Geodatabase to create a new GeoDatabase. Use this way to create three (3)
Geodatabases for this tutorial project and name them as follows:
• Tutorial_EnvData.gdb: For storing all environmental data used in the tutorial project.
• Tutorial_Knowledge.gdb: For storing all data of scientists’ knowledge used in this tutorial project.
• Tutorial_Results.gdb: For storing all results of this tutorial project.

This three-Geodatabase data organization is recommended for all ArcSIE-based projects.

In this lesson, we will use Tutorial_EnvData.gdb. In the following lessons, we will use the other two
Geodatabases.

1.2. Define Coordinate System for the Project

To set the correct spatial reference for the entire mapping project, we first define the coordinate system for the
ArcMap Data Frame.

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Launch ArcMap and open a new blank ArcMap Document (mxd). Under the View menu, select Data Frame
Properties and bring the Coordinate System tab to the front. Select Projected Coordinate Systems ► State
Plane ► Nad 1983 (2011) (Meters) ► NAD 1983 (2011) StatePlane Vermont FIPS 4400 (Meters). click OK.

Save the project as ArcSIE_Tutorial_GD.mxd in the same folder that holds the newly created Geodatabase.

1.2. Convert Data Format for the Elevation (DEM) Layer

The elevation data (i.e., the digital elevation model, or DEM)
provided along with this tutorial is in the 3dr format, a format
used by 3dMapper (a 3D mapping tool) and the stand-alone
edition of SIE. To be usable for ArcSIE, the data must be
converted to the Raster Dataset format of Geodatabase.

In , select Tools ► File Converter ►

3dr->GRID. On the popped-up dialog box, browse the
OriginalData folder and set the Input 3dr File to be the
provided Elevation.3dr; name the Output Grid to be
Elevation and put it in Tutorial_EnvData.gdb1; and check
on Attach the spatial reference of the current data view (see
the graphic on right for reference, but note that your disk
paths are different):

Click OK to perform the conversion. The newly created

raster will be automatically loaded to ArcMap (see next page).
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While on the interface the output is still called Grid, a legacy of previous versions of ArcSIE, the output is actually in the Raster
Dataset format of Geodatabase.

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1.3. Create the Slope Gradient Layer
In this tutorial we only try one of the many options for calculating slope gradient provided by ArcSIE.

In , select Terrain Analysis ► Surface ► Surface Derivatives. In the popped up dialog box,
choose Elevation from the dropdown list (a list of the currently loaded data layers in ArcMap) as the input
DEM, name the output to be Slope, and make sure to save it into Tutorial_EnvData.gdb. Set the other
parameters as follows (Note: your disk path for the output is different):

The created Slope layer will automatically appear in ArcMap. It will have the same spatial reference as the
input DEM (Vermont State Plane in our case). The image of the slope layer is shown on next page.

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1.4. Create the Planform Curvature Layer
Use the same Surface Derivative dialog box to create the planform curvature layer. Set the parameters as
follows (Note: your disk path for the output is different):

The image of the created planform curvature layer is shown in next page.

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1.5. Create the Wetness Index Layer
We then create a layer of the smoothed multi-path wetness index. This requires several steps.

1.6.1 Fill the Pits in the DEM

To avoid unrealistic stops of flows caused by data artifacts, we need to fill small pits in the original DEM.

In , select Terrain Analysis ► DEM Pre-processing ► Fill Pits. In the popped-up dialog
box, set the parameters as follows (Note: your disk path for the output is different):

The process may take a while to complete. The generated filled DEM layer will automatically appear in
ArcMap (see next page).

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1.6.2 Create the Multi-path Flow Accumulation Layer
In , select Terrain Analysis ► Hydrology ► Flow Accumulation ► Multipath. On the
popped-up dialog box, set the parameters as follows (Note: your disk path for the output is different):

Here we set the output’s name to be FlowAccumulation_MultiPath, demonstrating that a Geodatabase can
accommodate a long name for a raster layer.

The process may take a while to complete. The generated multi-path flow accumulation layer will
automatically appear in ArcMap (see next page).

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1.6.3 Create the Smoothed Multi-path Wetness Index Layer
Now we are ready to create the wetness index layer we will use in mapping the soil in our study area.

Select Terrain Analysis ► Hydrology ► Wetness Index ► Multipath Wetness Smoothed. On the popped-up
dialog box, set the parameters as follows (Note that your disk path for the output might be different):

The process may take a while to complete. The generated smoothed multi-path wetness index layer will
automatically appear in ArcMap (see next page).

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1.6. Create the Mask Layer
Some regions in our mapping area have special geological types. These regions should be excluded from the
rule-based reasoning described in Lesson 2. The soil scientist has delineated these regions with polygons and
saved the polygons into a Shapefile called Mask.shp. To make this information usable in the inference, we
need to convert the Shapefile into a raster layer.

We are going to use the Feature to Raster tool in ArcToolbox to do the conversion: ArcToolbox ►
Conversion Tools ► To Raster ► Feature to Raster

The to-be-created raster mask layer should spatially match the other data layers. To achieve this, on the
Feature to Raster dialog box, click Environments…, and use our Elevation layer to set Processing Extent:

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Then choose the Mask Shapefile in the OriginalData folder as Input features. Set the Field to be UID, and the
Output cell size to be the same as the Elevation layer. Name the output raster to be Mask and save it to
Tutorial_EnvData.gdb:

The operation may take a couple of minutes, during which ArcGIS may seem doing nothing. Be patient and
wait till the newly generated Mask layer is automatically loaded to ArcMap (see next page). Check its
properties to make sure its spatial extent and cell size match those of the other data layers we are using.

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Now we are done with the preparation of the environmental data layers. Remove the two intermediate layers,
Filled_DEM and FlowAccumulation_MultiPath, from current mxd, so that it only contains the five data
layers we will use in the later inference. The five data layers are:
• Elevation
• Slope
• Planform
• Wetness_ Multipath_Smoothed
• Mask

Save the ArcSIE_Tutorial_GD.mxd before you quit from ArcMap.

This is the end of Lesson 1. In the next two lessons we will use the data layers we prepared in this lesson to
perform different types of knowledge-based inferences to create soil maps.

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Lesson 2. Mapping with Rules
In ArcSIE, rules refer to the soil scientists’ knowledge expressed as specific environmental feature values. For
example, slope gradient < 8% is an optimal condition for the Cabot soil. In ArcSIE, rules are formalized into
fuzzy membership functions, which allow the soil scientist to characterize details in the relationships between
soil and environmental features. Rules are organized into a rulebase with which the soil scientist can manage
the knowledge of different soils found in a mapping area. In this lesson, we will see how to create an
environmental database and a rulebase, how to edit rules, and how to use rule-based reasoning (RBR) to create
soil maps with ArcSIE.

We will use
• Tutorial_Knowledge.gdb to store all rules we created in this lesson; and use
• Tutorial_Results.gdb to store all soil maps we created with the rules.

2.1. Launch the Inference Engine

Open the ArcSIE_Tutorial_GD.mxd if you have not done so. Then in , select Inference. This
opens the Inference dialog box (see next page and please pay attention to the labels of the two circled areas on
the dialog box; later we will use these names to refer to these areas).

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 Knowledge Explorer

Function Defining Area

In the leftmost column, make sure is selected. This indicates that we will be working with rules.

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2.2. Create and Manage the Environmental Database
An important concept in ArcSIE is that all the knowledge has to be expressed based on the available
environmental data. The essential function of ArcSIE is to apply such knowledge to the data and generate
maps. Therefore, the very first thing in this process is to set up the environmental database.

2.2.1. Launch the Environmental Data Layer Editor

This Environmental Data Layer Editor (see below) is where you can create, manage, and edit the
environmental database that will be used by the soil inference. To launch it, click in the Inference dialog
box (previous page).

2.2.2. Add Data Layers to the Environmental Database

Use in the Environmental Data Layer Editor to select and add the
four data layers we prepared in Lesson 1 to the current environmental database:

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2.2.3. Use the List File to Save and Quickly Load an Environmental Database
Click on the Layer Editor to save the information about the current selection of the data layers into a grid
list file. Name the list file LaPointe.gst (La Pointe is the name of our mapping area in this tutorial) and save
it into Tutorial_EnvData.gdb.

Now let’s “mess up” the environmental database a little bit. For example, you can right-click on the Slope row
and choose Remove, and select Multipath_Wetness_Smoothed again from the dropdown list to add a
duplicated layer to the database.

Now click on the Layer Editor and browse to the Data folder to find the LaPointe.gst we just saved and
open it. You should see the environmental database is recovered and looks exactly the same as shown in the
previous page.

Click the OK button to return to the Inference dialog box.

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2.3. Create and Manage a Rulebase
Now we are ready to create a new rulebase for the soils in our mapping area. Remember, the rules are based
on the data layers we include in the environmental database.

2.3.1 Create a New Rulebase

Click in the Inference dialog box. This creates a new rulebase:

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2.3.2 Add Soil Types to Rulebase
In the left pane of the Knowledge Explorer, first select Untitled_RB at the top level of the rule tree and then
click once on it to make it editable. Change it to LaPointe_RB.

Right-click on LaPointe_RB and from the popped-up menu select New Soil Type. A new item with name
Untitled2 with its sub-item will appear under LaPointe_RB. Repeat this to add another soil types to the rule
tree. Change the names of Untitled1, Untitled2, and Untitles3 to Cabot, Colonel, and Dixfield, respectively.
These are the three major soil types we are going to map using rules.

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2.3.3. Add Instances to Soil Types
An instance represents a unique formative environmental condition for a certain soil. A soil type may have
more than one instance. Some of the instances we will use in this tutorial are shown as follows (see the left
pane of the Knowledge Explorer):

To add a new instance for Cabot, in the left pane of the Knowledge Explorer, right-click on Cabot and select
New Instance. Now you should have two instances under Cabot with names Untitled1 and Untitled2. Change
them to major_Cabot and steep_drains, respectively.

In the same way, create two

instances, major_Dixfield
and steep_wetter, for
Dixfield.

Colonel only has one

instance, so simply change
its default instance
(Untitle1) to Colonel.

Click to save the

rulebase to a disk file. Name
the file LaPointe_RB.dbf
and put it into
Tutorial_Knowledge
Geodatabase.

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2.4. Edit Rules
For each instance, we will define the fuzzy membership function (rule) for each environmental feature. We
will also specify how to integrate individual rules to get the overall fuzzy membership for an instance.

Select the major_Cabot instance under Cabot in the left pane of the Knowledge Explorer. On the right pane,
check on Slope and Wetness_Multipath_Smoothed. We only need two rules, one for each of these
environmental features, for this instance. The rule regarding Slope is illustrated as follows:

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To define this rule, select the Slope feature. The Function Defining Area in the lower part of the Inference
dialog box will be activated.

Right-click on the green function curve. In the popped-up menu, select Continuous: z-shape.

Change the value in the v2 box to 8.

Change the value in the w2 box to 12.

You can also use the mouse to drag the square red handle at the middle of the function curve to change the
width (w2) value.

This defines a rule stating that major_Cabot soil exists at lower slope gradients. Specifically, it specifies that
the soil on a slope with gradient <= 8% has full membership (i.e., 1) for Cabot, and this membership drops to
0.5 when the gradient is 12 units (percent, in this case) beyond 8. In other words, when the slope gradient is
20% (8+12), the membership for Cabot is 0.5.

In the same way, define the rules for the other instances in the rulebase. The table in next page contains the
parameter values you are going to specify.

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 Soil Type Instance Environmental Feature Curve type v1, w1 v2, w2
Cabot major_Cabot Slope z shape 8, 12
Wetness_Multipath_Smoothed s shape 6, 1.8
steep_drains Planform s shape 0.03, 0.01
Wetness_Multipath_Smoothed s shape 6, 1.8
Colonel Colonel Slope z shape 20, 15
Wetness_Multipath_Smoothed bell shape 4.25, 1.8 4.25, 2.5
Dixfield major_Dixfield Wetness_Multipath_Smoothed z shape 2.5, 1.5
steep_wetter Slope s shape 25, 5
Planform z shape 0.0, 0.015
Wetness_Multipath_Smoothed z shape 2.5, 2.3

Double check all parameter setting and then save your edits to the LaPointe_RB.dbf into
Tutorial_Knowledge.gdb Geodatabase. Answer yes when you are prompted if you want to overwrite the
old version of this file.

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2.5. Edit the Integrating Function
ArcSIE provides several functions for integrating the fuzzy membership values of individual environmental
features into an overall fuzzy membership value for an instance.

Select instance major_Cabot and right-click . In the popped-up menu, select Multiplication:

Right-click and select Apply to this type. This sets Multiplication to be the integrating function
for all the instances of Cabot. Save LaPointe_RB.dbf again into Tutorial_Knowledge.gdb Geodatabase.

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2.6. Run Inference
2.6.1. Set Mask for the Inference
Some regions in our mapping area controlled by certain geological types should be excluded from the inference
using the rules we just created. To exclude these regions, we use a mask layer.

Click on in the Inference dialog box. In the popped-up More Options dialog box, check on
Mask option, browse and select layer mask as the mask layer, and set the Masking Value to be 1. See below
image for reference. Click OK to return to the Inference dialog box.

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2.6.2. Run Inference for One Soil Type
You can choose to create a fuzzy membership map for the currently selected soil type.

In the left pane of the Knowledge Explorer, select Cabot (or any of its instances). Click on .
Name the output Cabot_Test and make sure to save it to the Tutorial_Results.gdb. A message box (like
below) will appear to confirm the inference setting. Click on to run the inference.

The resulting fuzzy membership map for Cabot soil will be automatically loaded to ArcMap (see next page).

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2.5.3. Run Inference for All the Soil Types
You can also create soil maps for all the soil types in the current rulebase at once. The resulting maps will be
saved into a specified place (Tutorial_Results.gdb in this tutorial). The names of the soil types will be used
as the names for the generated maps.

In the Inference dialog box, click on . In the popped-up window, browse and select
Tutorial_Results.gdb as the destination for the generated maps.

Click OK and then click Go ahead in the Inference Setting message box to confirm the inference setting. The
generated maps will be automatically loaded to ArcMap (see next page).

You don’t have to close the Inference dialog box before checking the resulting maps. With the dialog box
open, you can do all the ArcMap operations to the maps as you wish, such as changing color, reclassifying,
zooming in/out, etc.

When you indeed want to close the Inference dialog box, you will be prompted to save the rulebase. Answer
Yes to the warning about overwriting the old file.

This is the end of Lesson 2. In this lesson, we used rule-based reasoning (RBR) to create fuzzy membership
maps for three major soil types in our mapping area. Sometimes, the soil scientist may be satisfied with the
maps from RBR, and this will be the end of the soil inference. In some other cases, the soil scientist may see
some local areas that need fine-tuning. The fine-tuning can be performed using case-based reasoning (CBR),
which is part of the content of Lesson 3.

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Lesson 3. Mapping with Cases
In ArcSIE, cases are spatial features (points, lines, polygons, or raster cells) pinpointed, delineated, or derived
by the soil scientist to express the knowledge of local soils. The geographical locations defined by cases
usually represent typical environmental conditions for the soils of interest. After retrieving the environmental
values at those pinpointed or delineated locations, ArcSIE automatically builds the soil-environmental models.
The soil scientist can adjust the models to better reflect her/his knowledge.

Cases can be global and be applied to the entire mapping area, or can be local and be applied only to their
geographical vicinities.

Local CBR can be used to create maps for local soils that only occur within certain regions (e.g., regions
controlled by certain geological types) or can be used to adjust (fine-tune) local values in the maps created by
RBR or global CBR.

Cases can be generated and edited (adding, deleting, moving, etc.) using GIS tools provided by ArcGIS
(ArcMap, ArcScene, ArcGlobe, etc).

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3.1. Global CBR
In this tutorial, we will create a fuzzy membership map for soil Cabot with a few point global cases.

3.1.1. Create a New Casebase

Load the Cabot_PntCases Shapefile from the OriginalData folder to ArcMap. This Shapefile contains 7
point cases for soil Cabot (ArcSIE allows you to store cases for different soils in one casebase, though).

Open the Inference dialog box if you have not done so, and check on the Point Case radio button.

Follow the instructions in 2.2 to re-load the environmental database using LaPointe.gst in the Data folder.

Click on in the Inference dialog box. In the popped-up dialog box, specify that you want to use
Cabot_PntCases Shapefile as the input Point Shapefile, and SOIL as the Soil Name Field:

Click OK, which brings about a Save dialog box for you to specify the name of the to-be-created casebase,
which is a point Feature Class. This new Feature Class is basically a copy of the original point Shapefile

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(Cabot_PntCases), but its attribute table contains additional special fields for a casebase. Use the default
name (Cabot_PntCases_CB) to save the new Feature Class into Tutorial_Knowledge.gdb. This new feature
class (a new casebase) will be automatically loaded to ArcMap.

In the Knowledge Explorer, you can see that a new casebase named Cabot_PntCases_CB was created.

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3.1.2. Browse Cases
ArcSIE allows you to browse cases to quickly check the location and attributes of each case.

In the left pane of the Knowledge Explorer, select case cabot_0. In ArcMap, you will see that the point
corresponding to this case is selected (highlighted) as well. Try some other cases and see this correspondence.
This allows you to check the location of each case.

When you select cabot_0 and turn on and highlight elevation in the right pane of the Knowledge Explorer,
you can see the elevation value of this case location in fields v1 and v2. If you turn on and highlight Slope,
you will see the slope gradient value at this location, and so on.

The screen shot in the next page shows the location of case cabot_4 (the highlighted point in the map) over a
background of elevation and its planform curvature value (-0.1914).

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3.1.3. Edit the Attributes of the Cases
A case corresponds to an instance in a rulebase, except that ArcSIE automatically retrieves its central values
(v1 and v2) from the environmental database based on the case’s geographical location. You can modify the
attributes of a case, just like you do with the rules of an instance.

Select case cabot_0 and check on Slope. Right-click on the green function curve and choose from the popped-
up menu Continuous: z-shape. Set w2 = 12.

Right-click on Slope and select Apply to this type. This is an efficient way to apply the same attribute setting
(except the two central values) to all the cases for the current soil type. You can browse the seven cases for
Cabot to check if their slopes all get the z-shape curve and 12 for w2.

Next, use the table below to set the attribute values for all the environmental features for case cabot_0. Note
that we do not need elevation in this CBR for Cabot, so do not turn it on.

Environmental Feature Function Curve w1 w2

Slope Continuous: z-shape 12
Planform Continuous: s-shape 0.005
Wetness_Multipath_Smoothed Continuous: s-shape 0.5

After you are done with cabot_0, apply the same setting to all the other cases (in a real world practice, you
certainly can apply different attribute settings to different cases as needed).

The image on next page gives an example of the case attribute setting.

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Save the updated casebase to LaPointe_CabotPnt_CB.shp. Answer Yes when you are asked if you want to
overwrite the existing object.

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3.1.4. Assign Weights to Environmental Features
Just like for an instance in a rulebase, ArcSIE provides several functions for integrating the fuzzy membership
values calculated for individual environmental features to get an overall membership value of a case. One of
these functions is Weighted Average, which allows you to assign different weights to different environmental
features when integrating the values from them.

For the Weighted Average function, ArcSIE provides a tool that implements the Analytical Hierarchy Process
(AHP), which uses a structured process to help you assign weights consistently. Here we will use this AHP
tool to assign weights to the environmental features in Cabot cases.

Right-click on on the Inference Dialog box and choose Weighted Average from the popped-up
menu. Then click on to open the Weighting Environmental Factors dialog box. This dialog box
will guide you through the process of AHP and specify the weights for the environmental features in the current
environmental database.

The table in the upper part of the Weighting Environmental Factors dialog box shows the calculation and the
resulting weights for the environmental features. The values in this table will be automatically updated
according to your work in the lower part of the dialog box.

In the lower part of the dialog box, click once on slope in the left list, then click is extremely more important
than in the score scale in the middle, and finally click once on elevation in the right list. In this way, you
specify that for the current particular soil, slope gradient is extremely more important than elevation. Now
click to calculate the weights based on this specification. You will see that the values in the upper
table are updated.

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In the same way, specify the relative importance for all the environmental features by referring to the list
below:

• Slope is extremely more important than elevation;

• Slope is equally important as planform curvature;
• Planform curvature is extremely more important than elevation;
• Wetness index is extremely more important than elevation;
• Wetness index is moderately more important than slope;
• Wetness index is moderately more important than planform curvature.

The final calculated weights should be:

• Elevation: 0.03
• Slope: 0.23
• Planform curvature: 0.23
• Wetness index: 0.52

The updated dialog box is shown on the next page.

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46
Click on and save the weight calculation and results into a file for future quick loading. Name the
file LaPointe_Cabot.ahp and put it into Tutorial_Knowledge.gdb. Next time, you can use to
quickly load the saved weight settings from this file for checking and editing.

Click OK and return to the Inference dialog box. You should be able to see that the weights for the
environmental features in the Knowledge Explorer have been updated.

In the Knowledge Explorer, click on the weight for elevation (should be 0.03) to make it editable, and change
it to 0. In the same way, change the weight for smoothed multipath wetness to 0.54. This shows that you can
manually change the weights as you wish.

Right-click on and select Apply to this type from the popped-up menu. This applies the weights
you set for one case to all the cases for Cabot in the current casebase. Browse the 7 cases to see if they all
have the same weight setting.

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3.1.5. Run Inference
Set mask: From Lesson 2 we know we want to exclude certain areas that are controlled by special geological
types from the inferences for the three major soils (Cabot, Colonel, and Dixfield) in the mapping area. In that
lesson we learned how to use the masking function in “More Options” to mask out those special areas. That
masking function applies the mask to all the soil types involved in the current soil inference (if you are using
the “Do Batch” inference). In this lesson we will see another masking tool that only applies the mask to a
specified soil type or even an individual case (or instance).

Click on . On the popped up dialog box, turn off Mask (if it is on) and click on OK. This makes
sure that the general mask is turned off.

Then, in the left pane of the Knowledge Explorer, right-click on soil type cabot, and in the popped-up menu
choose Mask. In the Set Mask dialog box, check on Mask and choose the raster mask layer you created in
Lesson 2 from the dropdown list. Specify Masking value to be 1, which indicates that in the mask layer we
assigned 1 to the areas to exclude. The mask setting should be as follows:

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In this way, we associate the mask layer to a specific soil type, Cabot. In the same way, you can even associate
a mask layer to a specific case (or instance) by right-clicking on that case (or instance). Note that in this lesson,
our casebase only contains cases for one soil, so you will not really see the difference between this masking
tool and the general masking tool in “More Options”.

Now we are ready to run the global CBR. Since there is only one soil type (Cabot) in the current casebase, we
will run inference only for this soil. Click on , name the output Cabot_GlobalCBR and put it
into Tutorial_Results.gdb. Click on in the Inference Setting message box to run the inference.

The generated map will be automatically loaded to ArcMap (see next page).

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3.2. Local CBR
While each global case participates in the inference for the entire mapping area, a local case only works on
its geographical vicinity.

The process of creating a casebase for local cases is exactly the same as that for global cases. The format of
the resulting casebase is also the same as that of a global casebase. The difference lies only in how you run
the inference. In other words, a case can be both global and local, depending on how you use it.

3.2.1. Create the Casebase

In the Inference dialog box, check on to select it. If you did not quit from the Inference Engine
after you finished the previous session, ArcSIE will remember the environmental database you used in the
previous session; otherwise, you need to follow the instructions in 2.2 to re-load the environmental database
using LaPointe.gst in the Data folder.

Click on in the Inference dialog box. In the popped-up dialog box, specify that you want to use
HogbackTunbridge_PolyCases.shp in the Knowledge folder as the input Polygon Shapefile, and SOIL as
the Soil Name Field. Click OK to create a new polygon casebase. Use the default name
HogbackTunbridge_PolyCases_CB to save it into the Tutorial_Knowledge.gdb.

The graphics in next page shows the polygon cases. The cases for the two soils are shaded with different colors.
Currently case Tunbridge_0 is selected.

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3.2.2. Edit the Attributes of the Cases
In the left pane of the Knowledge Explorer, select polygon case Tunbridge_1 from soil type Tunbridge. Notice
that the corresponding polygon in ArcMap is also selected. In the right pane of the Knowledge Explorer, check
on elevation. Right-click on elevation and in the popped-up menu select Apply to KB (“KB” stands for
knowledgebase and this operation applies the setting for elevation in the current case to every case in the
casebase). Then check on slope and apply its setting to the entire KB (the polygon casebase). Browse the
polygon casebase to check the setting we use for each polygon case. See that we have specified that for every
case in the casebase will only use elevation and slope for the later inference, and for both factors we simply
use the default fuzzy membership functions provided by ArcSIE.

3.2.3. Edit the Spatial Settings of the Local Cases

Click on , and this opens the Spatial Setting panel of the Inference dialog box. In this panel you
can use a few parameters to define the influence region of a case (i.e., the spatial extent that the case will have
effect on), and how this case will work on a pixel that is in its influence region.

With the Spatial Setting panel open, browse the cases in the left pane of the Knowledge Explorer. You will
see that the x and y coordinates of each case are displayed in the x and y fields in the Spatial Setting panel.
For a polygon case, these are the coordinates of the centroid of the polygon.

In the Spatial Setting panel, check on , and change the Search Distance to 50.

Change T Function to Maximum.

Right-click within the Spatial Setting panel. From the popped-up menu, choose Apply to KB. Browse the
cases to see if the same spatial setting (Use distance similarity and Search Distance = 50 and T Function =
Maximum) have been applied to all the cases in the casebase.

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The final spatial setting should look like as follows:

Save the changes you made into HogbackTunbridge_PolyCases_CB.

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3.2.4. Run Inference
With the Spatial Setting panel open, click . Save the results into Tutorial_Results.gdb. The
Inference Setting report will be a little different from that for the RBR and global CBR: This time it specifies
that this is a “Local Inference” (see below).

Now you know that with the Spatial Setting panel of the Inference dialog box open, the CBR will be local;
when this panel is closed, the CBR will be global.

The two generated fuzzy membership maps, one for Tunbridge and one for Hogback, will be automatically
loaded to ArcMap (The map of Hogback is shown in next page).

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3.3. Using Negative Cases
Sometimes, when you check the results from a fuzzy soil inference, you may find that in some places the fuzzy
membership values are too high. You can use negative cases to adjust (reduce) the membership values in those
places.

3.3.1. Create the Casebase

Add Dixfield_NegCases.shp to ArcMap. Turn on the fuzzy membership map of soil Dixfield. The lines in
Dixfield_NegCases.shp were created by the soil scientist to indicate that the fuzzy membership values for
Dixfield along those lines were too high. We can use those lines as negative cases to reduce membership
values for Dixfield in those places.

In the Inference dialog box, check on , and then use Dixfield_NegCases.shp to create a line
casebase. Use the default name Dixfield_NegCases_CB for the new Feature Class and save it into
Tutorial_Knowledge.gdb.

The graphic in next page shows the negative cases over the Dixfield fuzzy membership map.

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3.3.2. Define Rules and Spatial Settings for the Cases
Select case Neg_Dixfield_0, and select , and then set to be 0. This sets this case to be a
negative case and the membership value at this case location will be 0. In the same way, select each of the
cases in this casebase and set it to be a negative case with membership 0.

Select the first case, and use the table below to set the rules for its elevation, slope, and wetness index. We
will use these 3 environmental features for this particular inference. You may notice that the function curve is
upside down for a negative case.

Environmental Feature Function Curve w1 w2

Elevation Continuous: bell-shape 25 25
Slope Continuous: bell-shape 10 10
Wetness_Multipath Smoothed Continuous: z-shape 1

After setting rules for the first case, apply the setting to all the cases of this soil type (hint: right-click on the
environmental feature name in the Knowledge Explorer).

Then open the Spatial Setting panel. On this panel, check on , set to be 70,
and to be Nearest. Apply this setting to all cases of this soil type (hint: right-click within the
Spatial Setting panel). Save the changes to Dixfield_NegCases_CB in Tutorial_Knowledge.gdb.

3.3.3. Run Inference

Click to run the inference. Name the output Dixfield_Negative and save it into
Tutorial_Results.gdb. The output map shows that locations similar and close to the cases have low
membership values (see next page; If you do not see the results, in Symbology change Stretch type to
“Standard Deviation). In next Lesson, we will see how to integrate this layer with the results from RBR.

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Lesson 4. Integrating the Results and Generating a Vector Map
In previous lessons, we learned how to use knowledge in different forms (rules and cases) to generate fuzzy
membership soil maps. A recommended work process is to first use the rule-based reasoning (RBR) or the
global case-based reasoning (GCBR) to generate a draft map for a given soil, and then use the local case-based
reasoning (LCBR) to fine-tune those exceptional areas. Thus, we often need to integrate multiple fuzzy
membership maps generated by different processes to get the final membership representation for a soil.

Furthermore, once we get a satisfactory fuzzy membership map for each of the soils under consideration, if
necessary (e.g., for meeting current SSURGO standard), we can integrate those multiple maps into a single
one through “hardening”, and then generate a polygon map through “vectorization”.

4.1. Integrate the Results from RBR and Local Negative CBR
In this tutorial we only do a very simple integration for the Dixfield soil using the overlay tool provided by
ArcSIE. In a real-world practice, you may develop your own creative ways to integrate different types of
knowledge using the tools in ArcSIE and/or in ArcMap Spatial Analyst (e.g., the Raster Calculator).

Please close the Inference Engine dialog box by clicking at its upper-right corner. ArcSIE will prompt you
to save every open knowledgebase (rulebase and casebases) before closing the Inference Engine.

In , choose Post Processing ► Overlay. In the popped-up Overlay dialog box, specify
Dixfield to be the First Input Layer and Dixfield_Negative to be the Second Input Layer (both inputs are
in Tutorial_Results.gdb). Name the output as Dixfield_Final and save it to Tutorial_Results.gdb. Then for
specify Min. Click OK to run the program. In the output map, membership values for Dixfield
decrease in those negative case areas (see next page).

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4.2 Generate the Vector Map
ArcSIE provides several tools for you to generate a visually appealing vector soil map from raster fuzzy
membership maps.

4.2.1. Harden the Fuzzy Membership Maps

Hardening is a process that picks the soil with the maximum fuzzy membership values at a location as the
representative soil at that location. The hardening process takes multiple fuzzy membership maps, each for a
different soil, and outputs one single raster layer, with each pixel labeled by only one soil. ArcSIE provides a
convenient tool for hardening.

In , select Post Processing ► Harden Map. In the popped-up Hardening Map dialog box,
select the 5 fuzzy membership maps we generated for the five soils in the mapping area as the input. For soil
Cabot, choose the one from the RBR, and for Dixfield, choose the one that integrates the RBR and negative
local CBR. For Hogback and Tunbridge, choose the one from the local CBR. If you have used the names
suggested in this tutorial, the five input layers should be

• Cabot
• Colonel
• Dixfield_Final
• Hogback
• Tunbridge

The label numbers of these soils in the output hardened map are listed under in the dialog
box. We will use the default labels in this tutorial, but in real-world applications you can change these numbers
as you wish.

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Click to save the hardening setting into a file so that you can quickly load this setting next time. Name this
file Hardening.fst and save it to Tutorial_Results.gdb. Note: You can use Notepad to open this fst file. The
content of this file can serve as the legend when you interpret the output hardened map.

Name the output Hardened and save it to the Tutorial_Results.gdb folder. The setting should look like below:

Click in the Hardening Map dialog box to run the hardening program.

The hardening program outputs 3 layers, namely Hardened, HardenedExg, and HardenedEnt. For
generating a vector map, we only need Hardened. The other two layers are for presenting the uncertainties
associated with the hardening process. Turn off HardenedExg and HardenedEnt, and assign a unique color
to each of the values in Hardened. Visually inspect the resulting raster map (see next page).

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4.2.2. Remove Slivers
You may find many tiny patches in the hardened map that you do not want to include in the final vector map.
ArcSIE provides a tool for you to remove these “slivers”.

In , select Post Processing ► Remove Slivers. In the popped-up Remove Slivers dialog box,
specify the Hardened layer as the input; name the output Hardened_Cleaned and save it to
Tutorial_Results.gdb. Specify other parameter values following the graphic in the next page. Note that the
area units for the two thresholds and the increment are the same as that used by the input layer, and in our case
is m2. For example, in the image in next page the setting for the first threshold specifies that if a patch is smaller
than 1,200 m2 and is not at the border of the map, it is considered as a sliver and will be removed.

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The hardened map that has been “cleaned” through sliver-removing is shown on the next page. You can
compare it with the original hardened map.

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4.2.3. Vectorize
Now we are ready to vectorize the raster map. In select Post Processing ► Vectorization.
In the popped-up Vectorization dialog box, specify the Hardened_Cleaned layer to be the input raster; name
the output Polygon Feature Class VectorMap and save it into Tutorial_Results.gdb folder. Set the other
parameters as follows:

The output vector map is shown on the next page (the map has been colored).

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To meaningfully label the soil polygons in the vector map, we need to attach soil names to the polygons. To
do this, in ArcMap, open the Attribute Table of the VectorMap layer, and then add a new field SOIL to this
table by using the Add Field tool in . See the graphic below for reference.

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Then go to Selection menu in ArcMap’s menu bar, choose
Select By Attributes … In the panel of this tool, select
from VectorMap those polygons whose ID = 1 (see
graphic in next page for reference).

Click to make the selection. You should see that

those polygons with ID = 1 got highlighted. Those are
polygons of soil Cabot.

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Do not close the selection panel, but switch to the
Attribute Table of VectorMap. Right-click on SOIL
field name and choose Field Calculator … In the panel
of this tool, specify to change SOIL value for the selected
polygon to be “Cabot” (see the graphic on right for
reference).

Switch back to the selection panel, change “ID” = 1 to

“ID” = 2, and then use the Field Calculator to specify
SOIL for the selected polygons to be “Colonel”. In the
same way, specify SOIL for the other polygons.

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Clear all selections after you are done (using the Clear tool in the Selection
menu). The Attribute Table of VectorMap should look like this:

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4.2.4. Diversity Report
After sliver removal and boundary vectorization, the resulting vector map is a simplified and possibly altered
version of the original raster map (the hardened map based on the fuzzy membership maps). Sometimes the
soil scientist wants to know the difference between the vector map and the original raster map. This
information may be used to evaluate map unit composition. ArcSIE provides a diversity-reporting tool to
report the area percentages of all the soil types found in the raster map in each polygon in the vector map.

In order to join the resulting diversity table back to the vector map,
each polygon in the map needs a unique ID. The easiest way is to
copy OBJECTID to a new integer field (the ID field contains ID
numbers of soil types, so we do not change it). To do this, in
ArcMap, open the Attribute Table of the VectorMap layer, and then
add a new field POLY_ID to this table by using the Add Field tool
in . See the graphic below for reference.

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Then right-click on in the Attribute Table
and use Field Calculator to copy FID to this new
field. See the graphic below for reference.

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In , select Post Processing ►Diversity. In the popped-up Diversity dialog box, set the
parameters as below. Save the resulting Diversity table into Tutorial_Results.gdb:

The process may take a while to complete. When it is done, add the resulting Diversity table to ArcMap and
open it. The graphic in next page shows the top part of the output diversity table. In this Diversity table,
Value_0, …, Value_5 correspond to the soil type codes used in the hardened map and the vector map. The
values in these fields are the area percentages of those soils within each polygon. For example, the first record
in the table shows that the polygon with POLY_ID = 0 contains 14.285715% soil 3 (Dixfield) and 85.714287%
soil 1 (Cabot).

You can then use POLY_ID as the linking key to join the Diversity table back to VectorMap.

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Lesson 5. Map Updating with the Knowledge Discoverer
The Knowledge Discoverer (KD) module facilitates the map updating process in soil survey. You can use it
to “discover” knowledge from an existing soil map, revise it, and re-use it to create updated maps.

KD overlays polygons from the existing soil map over raster environmental layers, and automatically use the
cell values enclosed by the polygons to generate optimality curves. KD provides editing tools (very similar to
those in the Inference Engine) for you to revise a curve. Finally, KD allows you to save the curve into a
rulebase. The rulebase (updated knowledge) can then be used by the Inference Engine to generate updated
maps.

This lesson gives you a general idea of how KD works. KD offers more functions than those covered by this
lesson. For more information, please refer to the ArcSIE User's Guides.

For an illustrative and practice purpose, in this lesson we will use the final vector soil map we created in
Lesson 4 (in 4.2.3) as the “existing soil map”. We will try to re-build the soil-environment model (rulebase)
used to create this map by overlaying it on environmental data layers.

5.1. Load data into KD

In ArcMap, open ArcSIE_Tutorial.mxd if you have closed it. Keep VectorMap,
Wetness_Multipath_Smoothed, Planform, Slope, and Elevation in ArcMap (or load them back to ArcMap),
and “remove” all the other layers.

In , select KnowledgeDiscoverer to open the panel of KD (see next page).

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 Environmental Factor List

Vector
Generated
Feature List Rule Curve Editor
Rulebase

Statistics Display Panel

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Click besides the Environmental Factor List to open the Environment Data Layer Editor, and load
environmental data layers by opening LaPointe.gst from your Data folder.

The four (4) environmental data layers we used in previous lessons will be loaded. These are the data about
environmental factors that, according to our current knowledge, should be used to characterize the soil
formation environment in this area. After the data are loaded, click OK to go back to the main panel of KD.

Click beneath the Vector Feature List to load VectorMap we created in last lesson, which will be used in
this lesson as the “existing vector soil map”. When loading, specify SOIL as the Soil Name Field. The KD
will start to calculate statistics for those raster environmental layers for each soil polygon. This may take a
while to complete. At the end of this loading, you will see an alert message:

The alert is caused by polygons that are too small to enclose even a single cell in the raster environmental data.
Click OK to proceed.

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In the Vector Feature List, double-click on Cabot to open the list of all Cabot polygons (if it is not opened).
Then in the Environmental Factor List, click and check on slope, candidate rule curves suggested by all Cabot
polygons in this map for slope gradient will be displayed in the Rule Curve Editor:

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5.2. Inspect the knowledge
We will inspect the knowledge discovered from the vector soil map by descriptive statistics and through
visualization. The purpose of this inspection is to identify, based on our current knowledge, if the relationship
of a soil and a particular environmental factor has been correctly represented by one or more polygons in the
vector map, and if any revision is needed to more accurately represent this relationship.

5.2.1. Inspect the descriptive statistics

Soil Type Statistics:

First, take a look at the “Soil Type Statistics” panel (the left one of
the three Statistics panels at the lower part of the KD dialog box).
This panel shows general descriptive statistics of Cabot soil, based
on the pixels of the slope layer that are enclosed by Cabot polygons:

“N = 814” in the panel indicates that those statistics were

calculated based on 814 items. Click on the KD dialog
box to see where these 814 items come from:

The KD Options dialog box shows three (3) options for sampling
pixels. The purpose of sampling is to speed up the calculation of
the statistics. The default option is to aggregate the original pixels
to blocks, each formed by 3×3 pixels. N = 814 indicates that the
original pixels have been aggregated to 814 blocks. Please see
the User’s Guide for more information about the sampling
options of KD.

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Click OK on the KD Options dialog box and return to the KD dialog
box. Still look at the “Soil Type Statistics” panel and check on
“Average Cases”. You will see that N changes to 25, indicating that
the statistics are now calculated based on the 25 Cabot polygons
rather than directly based on all pixels enclosed by those polygons.
In other words, this time the calculation treats all polygons equal
(rather than weighting each polygon by its number of pixels, i.e.,
polygon size):

Individual Polygon Statistics:

Now look back to the Vector Feature List on the left side of the KD
dialog box, and click on cabot_2. Now the KD dialog box only
shows the optimality curve of polygon cabot_2 for slope. The
descriptive statistics of this particular Cabot polygon are displayed
in the “Individual Feature Statistics” panel (the middle one of the
three statistics panels):

In the Vector Feature List, click on the name of other Cabot polygons to see how the statistics in the “Individual
Feature Statistics” panel change values accordingly. Browse other soil types and their polygons to check their
descriptive statistics. You may see that Colonel is generally on steeper slopes, compared with Cabot.

Export statistics into tables:

Click at the bottom of the KD dialog box to export the descriptive statistics into tables. Specify
the base name for the output tables to be KD_Stat_Slope, and save the tables into the
Tutorial_Knowledge.gdb.

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This operation outputs two tables: KD_Stat_Slope_I and KD_Stat_Slope_T. The former contains statistics
of each individual polygon for slope; the latter contains overall statistics of a soil type for slope. Load these
two tables into ArcMap and check their contents. The contents of the two tables should be self-explained, but
you can find more information about them in the User’s Guide.

Once the statistics are in tables, you can perform sophisticated analyses on them as you wish.

5.2.2. Inspect the location and extent of an individual polygon

In the Table of Contents of ArcMap, drag VectorMap to the top of the layer list, if it is not there yet. Then
click on the rectangle beneath the layer name to open Symbol Selector. On this dialog box, change the Fill
Color to be No Color, and change the Outline Color to be red. Click OK to close Symbol Selector.

Now you can see through the polygons and inspect the pixel values enclosed by them.

In the Vector Feature List on the KD dialog box, click on cabot_11. The rule curve suggested by this Cabot
polygon will be displayed. Click on this green curve to highlight it, you can see that in the map the
corresponding polygon is highlighted (selected) as well (see an illustration in next page).

Use the same way to browse other polygons and other environmental factors. You can zoom in to take a close
look of the situation of an environmental factor within a polygon. After you select a new curve in KD, you can
right-click on VectorMap in the Table of Contents of ArcMap and select Selection → Zoom to selected feature
to quickly zoom to the newly selected polygon.

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5.3. Revise the knowledge
KD provides curve-editing functions similar to those in the Inference Engine. You can use these functions to
modify the rule curves, so that they reflect the updated knowledge. Here we practice some editing operations.

5.3.1. Start editing

Make sure the Curve Type option on the KD dialog box is like this: , because
the other option of Curve Type, Kernel-smoothed, is NOT editable. See the User’s Guide for more information.

From the Vector Feature List, choose a polygon that you want to edit; right-click on its curve; from the popped-
up menu select “Start editing”:

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Click on the curve. If you choose to edit an original curve (green), a highlighted blue curve will appear with
the editing handles on it. This blue curve is a copy of the original curve for you to edit. The original curve
(green) will remain unchanged during editing.

5.3.2. Change the shape of curve

You can change the shape of the curve by adjusting values of the two sets of the parameters (v, w and r):

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You can also change the type of curve:

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5.3.3. Remove a curve
You can remove the curve that is being edited by right clicking on it and choose “Remove curve”. Note this
only removes the copy that is being edited (blue). The original curve (green) will not be affected.

5.3.4. Stop editing

Right-click on the curve and select “Stop editing” to complete the editing. The new curve (blue) stays and is
attached to its source curve (green), i.e., it will always be displayed together with its source curve:

5.3.5. Merge curves

You can merge multiple original (green) curves into a single curve. The new curve is created using the averages
of the parameter values of those participating curves. However, an edited curve (blue) CANNOT participate
in a merging operation. To merge curves:

a. Use Ctrl Key + left mouse button to select the curves you want to merge.

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b. Right-click and in the popped-up menu select “Merge curves”.

In the example below, the three selected curves on the left are merged into the blue curve on the right:

5.4. Output revised curves into rulebase

Please note that each time you output revised curves into a rulebase, you eventually output an instance, i.e.,
the output contains rule curves of all environmental factors that you have checked on for this instance. In other
words, for example, even if you are only looking at the curve of slope when you are outputting, the associated
curve of wetness index will be output as well, if wetness index is checked on in the Environmental Factor List.
These curves of different factors will be bundled in the new rulebase as an instance. However, you do not

91
have to complete editing the entire instance (i.e., all curves of this instance) before you output it, as you can
still edit the curve after you output it.

To output the editing results into a rulebase, first quit from the editing mode by right-click on the curve and
choose Stop Editing, and then select the curve by clicking on it and click . A new instance will be
generated and appears in the Rulebase pane on the right of KD dialog box (see next page).

The output curve has a pink color to indicate that it is already in the output rulebase. The output curve (pink)
can still be edited using the same operations we practiced earlier. The corresponding rule in the rulebase will
be automatically updated with your edits when you “Stop editing”.

You can change the rulebase name, soil type name, and instance name in the Rulebase panel in the same way
you do in the Inference Engine.

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5.5. A practice with Cabot soil
For a practice purpose, we will use the skills you have learned in 5.3 to generate two instances for Cabot soil
based on the knowledge discovered from the polygon map. The generated rule curves should represent our
current knowledge of Cabot soil, so they should be the same as what we generated in Lesson 2 for the soil (I
know this is “cheating”, but we are just practicing).

Before we move on, clean up the remnants from your earlier practice operations:

• Clean up the Rulebase panel: Right-click on the rulebase name and select Remove.

• Clean up all edited curves: Right-click on the Rule Curve Editor (the curve panel) and select Remove
all editing copies (blue).

5.5.1. Generate the instance of major Cabot

In the Vector Map panel, click on Cabot 15 polygon to select it (see next page for an illustration). For this
polygon, check on slope and smoothed multipath wetness in the Environmental Factor List. Modify the
shapes of the two environmental factors using the parameter values as follows (copied from Lesson 2):

Instance Environmental Feature Curve type v1, w1 v2, w2

major_Cabot slope z shape 8, 12
smoothed multipath wetness s shape 6, 1.8

When you are done with editing the two curves, stop editing, and output the instance.

Change the output instance name to major_Cabot.

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5.5.2. Generate the instance of steep-drains Cabot
In the Vector Map panel, click on Cabot 11 polygon to select it (see next page for an illustration). For this
polygon, check on planform and smoothed multipath wetness in the Environmental Factor List. Modify the
shapes of the two environmental factors using the parameter values as follows (copied from Lesson 2):

Instance Environmental Feature Curve type v1, w1 v2, w2

steep_drains planform s shape 0.03, 0.01
smoothed multipath wetness s shape 6, 1.8

When you are done with editing the two curves, stop editing, and output the instance.

Change the output instance name to steep_drains.

Use beneath the Rulebase pane on the right of KD dialog box to save the rulebase into the Knowledge
folder, and name it Cabot_KD_Rb.

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5.5. Use revised knowledge to generate updated maps
First, close KD (this is necessary, because with current version, KD and Inference Engine still cannot open at
the same time in ArcMap).

Open ArcSIE’s Inference Engine. In the Inference Engine, load the environmental data using LaPointe.gst,
and then load Cabot_KD_Rb we just created. Carefully check if all the rules are what you have set in KD
before running inference to create the “updated” map.

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This is the end of the tutorial.

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