Exercise: Georeferencing in ArcGIS

Objective: Introduce georeferencing techniques used with spatial data sets routinely used for characterization of landscape.

Review downloadable landscape data:

1. Governmental datasets – available to the public, widely used
• EPA (BASINS 3.0) http://www.epa.gov/waterscience/basins/b3webdwn.htm

· EPA regions

· STATSGO soils

· Rf1 and Rf3 hydrography

· GIRAS/LULC land use data

· Assorted data sets (roads, 300m DEMs, USGS hydrol. units, etc.)

• USGS (seamless data server) http://seamless.usgs.gov/

· National elevation data set (NED)

· National Land Cover Dataset (NLCD) 1992

· Shuttle Radar Topographic Mission (SRTM)

Note: Dowloaded datasets are in geographic coordinates, and must be assigned a projection for spatial analysis.

• Virginia GAP http://fwie.fw.vt.edu/www/vagap/frames.html

· Digital land cover/land use map (raster grid format, Virginia only).

Note: Downloaded datasets must be assigned a projection of UTM Zone 17N, NAD 1927 for correct registration in ArcGIS.

1. View slide show “Georeferencing Data for Landscape Characterization”

2. Go through ESRI tutorial “Registering Images in ArcGIS”

3. Application of georeferenced data: “Procedures for back-classification of existing land use shapefiles”