CEE 486/586: Home Assignment 1

* Note: Submit your assignment report as MS Word file on Blackboard [-2 pts, if not followed].
Name it LASTNAME_FIRSTNAME_A1.docx [-1 pts, if not followed]. Always explain all
intermediate steps so that anyone could use your answers as tutorials, if they wanted to! One
guiding template are the class labs. It generally has enough detail for anyone to complete the task.
For example, if your step is to use Mosaic To New Raster functionality in ArcToolbox, you should
clearly write “Next, ArcToolbox > Data Management > Raster > Raster Dataset > Mosaic To New
Raster is implemented”. Italicize the tool name. Report all the parameters that were input. Provide
relevant intermediate results (in form of numbers/maps/steps implemented etc., as appropriate).
Have all the files (after important steps) ready to be produced at short notice, until the assignment
has been graded and returned.

a) A soccer field is to be constructed in the empty space right of North Campus Way and
north of Kirkbride Ln on the UA north campus. Survey was performed to first mark the
coordinates of the field. In the Projected Coordinate Systems > Continental > North
America > NAD_1983_Contiguous_USA_Albers , the coordinates are:
782530.526 1162781.17
782634.449 1162841.17
782485.526 1162859.11
782589.449 1162919.11
Generate the grid elevation file for this field at a spatial resolution of 5 m, assuming it
slopes at the rate of 2/45 along its width from the center line on the either side. Show the
header of the ascii grid [2.5 pts]. Take a screen capture of the elevation grid and the table
of contents, with the base map in the background [3.5 pts]. Use symbology that highlights
the variation in elevation. Total pts: 2.5+3.5 = 6 pts.
b) Your engineering firm has to respond to a tender for paving the road between Ferguson
Center door that faces 7th avenue and Lloyd Hall door that faces 6th Avenue. Draw a road
shapefile [1.5 pts]. If the cost of repaving the road is $1, 000/m, calculate the total cost [2
pts]. Total pts: 1.5+2 = 3.5 pts.
c) The choice of projection system may significantly impact the area, direction, distance, and
shape of the feature object. Use the primary road shape file of US at
https://catalog.data.gov/dataset/tiger-line-shapefile-2016-nation-u-s-primary-roads-
national-shapefile , to first extract interstate I-15 and I-80 [3 pts]. Next, project these two
files in the following coordinate systems (Projected Coordinate Systems > Continental >
North America >): (a) North_America_Albers_Equal_Area_Conic, (b)
North_America_Equidistant_Conic, and (c) North_America_Lambert_Conformal_Conic.
Calculate the length of the two interstates [3 pts] and direction of the shortest path between
the leftmost and rightmost points [3 pts]. Report the differences, if any, in the two metrics
among the three projection systems. Total pts: 3+3+3 = 9 pts.
d) Generate a step-by-step tutorial (consider class labs as your template) that teaches (i)
Geodatabase generation [0.5 pts], (ii) Establishing topology in a geodatabase [2 pts], (iii)
Use topology error tool à Error inspector to show map of violations in topology [2 pts].
Here, you have to use the shape files (uploaded on Blackboard) chel_r_sl.shp and
chel_lulc_cpy.shp. Topologies that you should implement include: (i) chel_r_sl “must be
inside” chel_lulc_cpy, and (ii) chel_lulc_cpy “must not have gaps”. Your report should
include snapshots of intermediate and final results. Total pts: 0.25+2+2 = 4.5 pts.