Spatial Analyst Stowe, Vt Project

You may want to start at the bottom of this post, the beginning of the process, and work your way to the top, the final analysis.



Map Algebra was used to perform a cost weighted distance analysis. The yellow line is the least cost route for an alternative access road to be used by school busses between a point on Mapple Run Rd and the new school site. This provides a basis for planning a new route and how to integrate its design and construction with existing roads.

Suitability was based on:

• flatness of slope (lower cost of constriction)
  
• proximity to recreation sites
  
• distance from existing schools being better
  
• cost of land based on landuse type.
  
  

Higher values are more desirable. Each 30 meter raster cell was reclassified with high to low values:

• Slope - 10 equal interval classes from 10 for flattest to 1 for steepest
  
• Proximity to recreation site - 10 equal interval classes from 10 for nearest to 1 for furthest
  
• Distance from existing schools - 10 equal interval classes from 10 for furthest to 1 for nearest
  
• Landuse type - agriculture (10), barren land (6), brush/transitional (5), built up (3), forest (4)
  
• Water and wetlands were given a value of "no data" thereby eliminating them from consideration
  

Map Algerbra was used to weight the values of each layer and sum the value for each cell and calculate a suitability score.

• distance to recreation sites 0.5 (50%)
  
• distance to existing schools 0.25 (25%)
  
• landuse 0.125 (12.5%)
  
• slope 0.125 (12.5%)

Suitability scores ranged from 3.375 to 9. Cells in the top 30% were highlighted and three potential site areas identified. Area 1 on the Site Suitability Analysis for New School Location map was selected based on desirability of nearby recreation sites, which includes the ski mountain, along with road and traffic volumes

Cells (30 meter) in the raster grid for Stowe Vermont were classified by landuse. Water and wetlands could not be developed, while forest and built up land were more expensive than barren and agriculture land.

Proximity to Recreation Sites

Distance from Existing Schools

This OP Art is a distance to schools raster analysis, while the one above it is a distance from recreation sites raster analysis. These were intermediate steps in calculated weighted values based on slope, landuse type, and proximity to recreation sites and distance from existing schools.