GIS Workflows

How information moves and transforms through a project.

GIS Research Process

1. Define your research question

• Identify the problems you will address and determine scale of your analysis
• Explore the available data
  • Adjust your research question as needed* Outline a plan for your analysis

GIS Research Process

2. Conduct your analysis

• Pre-processing:
  • Parse and clean data
  • Data conversion and projection
• Spatial Analysis:
  • Investigate the spatial relationships between inputs
  • Statistical tests and descriptive statistics
• Refine and incorporate more data as needed

GIS Research Process

3. Share your results

• Visualizations, reports, publications, press releases, etc.
• Identify new questions
  • Good research often generates more questions than it answers

Visualizing a Workflow

It is a good idea to think through a workflow before conducting it.

• A flowchart is a diagram that outlines the key steps in an analysis

Visualizing a Workflow

A flowchart can help you:

• Think through logical progression of analysis
  • Identify key steps
• Catch errors before you start working
• Share your analysis with colleagues, funding organizations, etc.

TopHat Question 1

A _______ is a diagram that outlines the key steps in an analysis.

An Applied Example

Port Alberni needs a new tsunami evacuation shelter. The shelter must:

1. Outside the flood zone: > 15 m ASL or > 1 km from coast.
2. > 1.5 km from existing shelters.
3. < 250 m from an Arterial Roadway.
4. Not on Residential, Commercial, or Industrial parcels.

Visualizing a Workflow

It is best to create a workflow that is repeatable, modifiable, and sharable.

• “Point and Click” GIS is not repeatable
  • Easy to mix up steps
  • Accidentally input change parameters
  • Mix up file names

Visualizing a Workflow

It is best to create a workflow that is repeatable, modifiable, and sharable.

• Having a record is helpful when you:
  • Need to write a report
  • Want to share how you completed a task
  • Have to redo or update complex analyses

Visualizing a Workflow

Model Builder is a good solution for beginners.

• It lets you define you analysis using a flowchart
  • Inputs are run trough the geoprocessing steps
  • Models are easy to save and update
  • Can be exported as custom tools

• Helps you explain your results

TopHat Question 2

This is useful tool in ArcGIS Pro that lets you define your analysis steps using a flowchart and create repeatable workflows.

• Model Builder
• Geoprocessing
• Raster Calculator
• Google Earth Engine
• Python

Visualizing a Workflow

If you pursue a GIS career, or any other science, you should consider learning to code.

• Code is replicable, legible, and even more explicit than a model
• Python is a great option for geospatial analysis
• JavaScript is great for making web based applications and interactive visualizations
• R is useful for statistical analysis

Visualizing a Workflow

Models can be exported as Python code!

JavaScript can create interactive web maps!

TopHat Question 3

These are programming languages that can be used to for GIS:

• Python
• Microsoft Excel
• Javascript
• ArcGIS Pro
• R