Class Plan: Work on Projects

Class Plan: Work on Projects

I am running late and am hoping to be in by 730. Maybe earlier, perhaps later. Trying my best... Of course, please feel free to split if you need to. As I specified on November 3, this class was an open research session anyways.

In the meanwhile, take this time to complete your shortest path projects (if they are not yet complete) and begin working on your free-choice individual projects (due: 12/08).

For help obtaining data sources for your projects, take advantage of the resources here: http://libguides.uta.edu/gis

Class Plan (11/10)

3D Fun Stuff Today!!

1. Task: Focus on Congress Avenue in Austin, TX
1. Create a TIN (Terrain Dataset Concepts)
   
2. Create a 3D Model
3. Create an AVI flythrough
4. Extrude buildings
5. View layers in Google Earth
2. Download Data
3. Definition of a TIN:

1. A triangulated irregular network data model (TIN) is an efficient way for representing continuous surfaces as a series of linked triangles. Although both grids and tins can be used for surface representation, tins are especially useful for representing surface elevation, subsurface elevation and terrain modeling, specially when the represented surfaces are highly variable and contain discontinuities and breaklines.

   A tin is formed by nodes, triangles and edges. Nodes are locations defined by x, y and z values from which a tin is constructed. Triangles are formed by connecting each node with its neighbors according to the Delaunay criterion: all sample points are connected with their two nearest neighbors to form triangles (by using this method the triangles are as equi-angular as possible, any point on the surface is as close as possible to a node, and the triangulation results independent of the order the points are processed). Edges are the sides of triangles.

   Tins are generated from points, polygons and lines. Points used in defining the tin are called mass points. Areas of constant elevation, such as water surfaces are called exclusion polygons. Finally, lines such as streams and shorelines are called breaklines. Breaklines can be either hard or soft. Hard features are things like roads, streams, and shorelines which indicate a significant break in slope. Soft features are things like ridgelines on rolling hills. Ridges like these do not represent distinct breaks in slope but since they separate watersheds you might like to maintain in the triangulation. When a tin is created, mass points become nodes of triangles, while breaklines and exclusion polygon boundaries become triangle edges.

4. Create a TIN from (1) raster and (2) contours
1. Be extremely careful of x,y,z coordinate systems as well as that of the data frame. Let's use NAD_1927_UTM_Zone_14N.
1. Useful Info: 1 foot = 0.3048 meters
   
5. View TINs in ArcScene
1. Drape various TIGER layers by setting the base heights
2. Drape trees (metadata)
   
3. Add the building footprints (metadata)
   
1. Set the base height
2. Set the extrude height
4. Create fly-through video using the Animation Toolbar
6. Export layers to KMZ
1. ArcToolbox/3D Analyst Tools/Conversion/To KML/

Office Hours (11/04)

I am running out to vote and if the lines are very long I might not make it back for office hours today.

Class Plan (11/03)

Complete Work From Last Week:

1. Each team will create a new (and unique) military terrain in the San Juan Mountains (download from UTA server).

This geodatabase includes basic vector layers (roads, hydrology, administrative from CDOT), the NED (National Elevation Dataset) and GAP land cover layer. The datasets are all clipped to the same extent, in UTM NAD 1983 Zone 13 (except for the NED layer) and include metadata. 400 MB

1. Create, by hand:
1. Points
   
1. Drop-Off Point
2. Pick-Up Point
3. Electric Generator
1. Known/suspected mine fields
2. Known/suspected enemy locations
3. Edited highway layer
   
2. Please make it possible for other teams to generate a path
   
1. Take into consideration that the path cannot traverse over:
1. Water Bodies
2. Highways (delete segments to create a passable terrain)
3. Teams will then trade these created terrain scenarios.

Schedule: Remainder of Semester

11/03: Prepare San Juan Mountains Data
11/10: 3D Analyst
11/17: Open Class (Work on Projects, I Will be In)
11/24: Open Class (Work on Projects, I Will be In) *Shortest Path Project Due*
12/01: No Class (Cancelled, Work on Projects)
12/08: Individual Projects Due

Cut Out:

• Final Exam
• Geostatistical Analyst
• Papers for graduate students with individual projects. Instead, every student must complete a 1-page summary of their project.