Hunterrgisc 9312 D 1

3D Analysis in ArcGIS
GISC9312 Geospatial Visualization

R. Konrad Hunter For: Janet Finlay


konrad-hunter@hotmail.com Hunter Geosystems 349 Queenston St. St. Catharines, ON L2P 2Y1
April 17, 2014
D1 3D Analysis in ArcGIS

Janet Finlay
Instructor / Coordinator
Niagara College Post Grad GIS - Geospatial Management
Niagara College, NOTL Campus
135 Taylor Rd, S.S.#4
Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON, L0S 1J0

Dear Mrs. Finlay,
RE: GISC9312 Deliverable 1 3D Analysis in ArcGIS
Please accept this letter as a formal submission of Deliverable 1 3D Analysis in ArcGIS for GISC9312
Geospatial Visualization.
This submission is comprised of a formal report which examines the application of the 3D Analyst Extension
in ArcGIS 10.1. This assignment required the development of a TIN surface, which was converted to a raster
in order to create slope, aspect, hillshade and viewshed surfaces. A line of sight analysis was also developed
using the tools within 3D Analyst and compared to the results of a viewshed analysis created using the same
vantage point. The hillshade analysis was reclassified to reflect areas within the study area with total shade at
12:00 pm (noon) on March 21. A final 3D surface was created using the TIN surface to display both elevation
characteristics as well as total shade within the study area. The final map layout can be found in the appendix
of this report.
If you have any questions regarding these documents or the assignment in general, please feel free to email
me at your convenience. Thank you.
Sincerely,

R Konrad Hunter

R. Konrad Hunter - B.A
Project Manager: Hunter Geosystems
RKH/
Enclosures:
i) Report 3D Analysis in ArcGIS

i

Table of Contents

1.0 Introduction ...................................................................................................................................... 1
2.0 Study Area ......................................................................................................................................... 1
3.0 Slope and Aspect ............................................................................................................................... 2
4.0 Line of Sight Analysis ......................................................................................................................... 6
5.0 Viewshed Analysis ............................................................................................................................. 8
6.0 Hillshade Analysis .............................................................................................................................. 9
7.0 Utilizing ArcScene and 3D Analysis ................................................................................................. 11
8.0 Conclusion ....................................................................................................................................... 11
Works Cited ................................................................................................................................................. 12
Appendix A: 3D Analysis of Niagara Escarpment with Total Shade .............................................................. A

List of Figures
Figure 1 Study Area ....................................................................................................................................... 1
Figure 2 Compass Degrees ............................................................................................................................ 2
Figure 3 Slope Identification of East Facing Slope AOI ................................................................................. 3
Figure 4 Aspect Identification of East Facing Slope AOI ............................................................................... 4
Figure 5 Range of Slopes Facing Niagara College Campus ............................................................................ 5
Figure 6 Profile Graph ................................................................................................................................... 6
Figure 7 Line of Sight ..................................................................................................................................... 7
Figure 8 Viewshed Analysis ........................................................................................................................... 8
Figure 9 Sun Angle Calculator ....................................................................................................................... 9
Figure 10 Areas of Total Shade ................................................................................................................... 10

1

1.0 Introduction

The following report examines an application of ESRI ArcGIS 10.1 3D Analyst extension and toolbar to
compute various analyses using three dimensional (3D) surface data. A TIN surface was created using
provided elevation point data and contour data for the study area. This TIN was converted to raster in
order to calculate and create slope and aspect surfaces as well as hillshade. A 3D model of the study
area was created in ArcScene using the TIN surface with the hillshade surface and road layer draped
over. The final 3D layout can be found in the appendix of this report.
2.0 Study Area

The area of interest for this analysis is the area surrounding the Niagara College Glendale Campus in
region of Niagara-on-the-lake, Ontario. Figure 1 displays the study area for this assignment.
Figure 1 Study Area

2

3.0 Slope and Aspect

Using the Triangulated Irregular Network (TIN) raster, slope and aspect layers were created to reflect
the various changes in slope gradient as well as slope facing directionality within the study area. The
slope angle of the east facing slope at the Glendale Avenue and Queen Elizabeth Way (QEW)
interchange is 7.95
o
, which is displayed in Figure 3. The aspect (slope direction) of this east facing slope
is 108.43
o
(Figure 4). The red circle in each image displays the east facing slope area of interest (AOI).
(Finlay, 2014)
Aspect is important for analyzing the direction for which a slope faces (i.e. North, South, South West,
North West, etc.). Aspect can be defined as the compass direction that a topographic slope faces,
measured in degrees from north (ArcGIS Help 10.1 , 2012). An aspect of zero degrees is facing due
north. Figure 2 displays the directional degrees of a compass.

Figure 2 Compass Degrees


3

Figure 3 Slope Identification of East Facing Slope AOI

4

Figure 4 Aspect Identification of East Facing Slope AOI

5

An extensive part of the Niagara Escarpment faces the Niagara College Glendale Campus in Niagara-on-
the-lake. The slope tool in ArcGIS 10.1 (using the 3D Analyst extension) allows the user to define the
output measurement values to reflect the slope gradients in either degree of slope or percent rise. Using
the percent rise output measurement, we can determine the range of slopes found on the portion of
the Niagara Escarpment that faces the college campus. The analysis shows that the range of slopes from
the Niagara Escarpment facing the college campus to be between 20% and 70%. Figure 5 displays the
range of slope facing the college campus.

Figure 5 Range of Slopes Facing Niagara College Campus

6

4.0 Line of Sight Analysis

To proceed with a line of sight analysis, a vantage point was chosen atop the large bluff (a part of the
Niagara Escarpment) known as the Woodend Conservation area. The vantage point was selected at the
highest point of the bluff to maximize the potential of an unobstructed view of the Niagara College
Campus AOI. This analysis required the use of ArcGIS 3d Analyst extension and toolbar. The result of the
line of sight analysis indicates the areas of full view (green) and areas which are not visible (red) from
the vantage point. The portions of the line of sight that are not visible (indicated in red) are areas that
follow an immediate drop-off (significant slope gradient), and cannot be seen from the vantage point
because the view is obstructed. In reference to Figure 7, there are two locations where the line of sight
is obstructed due to slope inclination which is evident when analyzing the image below. The profile
graph (Figure 6) provides a visual understanding of the slope characteristics which impact the line of
sight analysis.

Figure 6 Profile Graph

7

Figure 7 Line of Sight

8

5.0 Viewshed Analysis

A viewshed was created using the same vantage point used for the line of sight analysis discussed in the
previous section of this report. The viewshed analysis was developed assuming that the person viewing
the study area is 1.7 m tall. The AOI is the Niagara College campus. The viewshed surface was created to
reflect the areas visible from the vantage point atop the Woodend Bluff. The resulting surface differed
slightly from the line of sight analysis, with a greater area of obstructed view in comparison the previous
analysis. It becomes apparent that the line of sight analysis indicated areas of obstruction at the same
location where the bluff slope initially drops off, however the line of sight also shows visibility along
areas that are displayed as obstructed in the viewshed surface. The line of sight also shows an
obstructed view at a location that is indicated as visible in the viewshed. Figure 8 displays the viewshed
map along with the line of sight to offer comparison between the two results. The areas pink in colour
reflect obstructed view from the vantage point whereas the areas indicated in green are visible from the
vantage point.
Figure 8 Viewshed Analysis

9

6.0 Hillshade Analysis

A hillshade analysis was created for the study area to reflect hillshade at 12:00 pm (noon) on March 21.
When computing hillshade analysis using ArcGIS 10.1 (3D Analyst), values are required for azimuth and
altitude. These values were derived using the Sun Position Calculator (Sun Positions Calculator , 2013)
which required specific date, time and location (longitude/latitude) information for the study area.
Figure 9 displays the calculated altitude and azimuth values using the Sun Position Calculator. The
hillshade analysis was created using an altitude of 46.27
o
and an azimuth of 171.36
o
.
The assignment required an analysis of areas that experience full shade at 12:00 pm (noon) on March 21
(Finlay, 2014). In order to determine the areas of full shade specifically, the hillshade surface layer
(showing 0 255) was classified to 2 classes with values of 0 127 and 127 255. These values were
reclassified, assigning 0 127 a value of 1 and 127 255 as NoData to produce a layer only displaying
the areas that experience full shade at that time. Figure 10 displays the areas of total shade within the
study area in a 2 dimensional view.

Figure 9 Sun Angle Calculator

10

Figure 10 Areas of Total Shade

11

7.0 Utilizing ArcScene and 3D Analysis

Within the 3D Analyst extension in ArcGIS 10.1, the ArcScene 3D viewer allows for the user to interact
with 3D surfaces as well as raster and vector data (Working with ArcGlobe and ArcScene, 2013). The TIN
surface was opened in ArcScene and the Total Shade raster was draped over to reveal areas of total
shade along the Niagara Escarpment AOI. Transparency was set for the TIN surface layer to allow the
layer for Total Shade to be visible within the map. The road vector layer was also added to the map to
provide additional perspective of the study area. The layers were exported as a 2D surface and opened
in ArcGIS 10.1 to produce a final map layout (Appendix A). The final map provides an accurate visual
analysis of terrain characteristics with the appropriate shading along areas that experience total shade
at 12:00 pm on March 21.

8.0 Conclusion

The 3D Analyst extension in ArcGIS 10.1 provides useful tools and extensions for producing 3D surfaces
and performing various analyses using both raster and vector data files. For this assignment, the
creation of a TIN surface and TIN raster enabled the development of slope and aspect surfaces as well as
hillshade analysis for the study area. The 3D Analyst extension allowed the development of a line of
sight analysis as well as viewshed analysis of the Niagara College Glendale Campus from a vantage point
set atop the Woodend Conservation Bluff, for which the results of each were compared and contrasted.
This report provides an understanding of slope characteristics within the study area using the ArcScene
3D viewer, providing an accurate visual understanding of the effects that terrain characteristics have on
hillshading.


12

Works Cited

ArcGIS Help 10.1 . (2012). Retrieved April 11, 2014, from ArcGIS Resources:
http://resources.arcgis.com/en/help/main/10.1/index.html#//009z000000vp000000
Finlay, J. (2014). 3D Analysis in ArcGIS 1. Niagara-on-the-lake : Niagara College.
Sun Positions Calculator . (2013). Retrieved April 11, 2014, from Photovoltaic Education Network:
http://pveducation.org/pvcdrom/properties-of-sunlight/sun-position-calculator
Working with ArcGlobe and ArcScene. (2013). Retrieved April 11, 2014, from ArcGIS Resources:
http://resources.arcgis.com/en/help/main/10.1/index.html#//00q8000000sv000000


A

Appendix A: 3D Analysis of Niagara Escarpment with Total Shade


A

1

Niagara Escarpment AOI with Total Shade at 12:00 pm on March 21

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