Projection Problems

In this lab I practiced fixing misaligned and improperly referenced spatial data. Area, angles, direction, and distance are affected when data is projected into a different coordinate system and this can sometimes cause issues in how it is displayed when added to a map. Sometimes you need to change the layer’s coordinate system. To do this you launch ArcToolbox and use the data management tool to change the layer’s projection.

Landsat Data

Landsat is a remote sensing program that has been continuously scanning the earth since 1972, using sunlight as its energy source to measure the response of objects and surfaces on earth. Satellites use wavelengths to produce images of these objects and surfaces.

It is used to measure land change estimates due to natural disasters, for example the effects of a hurricane on land-water conditions before and after a storm. The question of geographical analysis in an example like this would be: What effects did the natural disaster have on the land and on the water in a specific area? The location you would choose would be the specific location that the disaster happened in (everywhere in which water and land was effected by the hurricane). The interval you would select would be a period of a week or so from the day before the hurricane to the week after. You could also look at other data from previous years to see the normal variations that occur because of seasonal factors in the land and water in this area. Season can also affect land and water patters so this is something you would want to take into account when looking at the data.

Example of Landsat Data