Python Basics I

We started into the Python language this week.  I've been programming for many years, so this week's exercises were pretty easy for me.  However, I would encourage my GIS classmates who aren't familiar with programming to spend some time on the exercises. We're covering really important basics in programming for any language.  Fortunately, Python has pretty easy syntax, so once you get the basic flow of it, you can solve a lot of problems just by looking through the various methods and functions that are available for each data type.

The image above is my results from the lab exercise.  In Part 1 of the lab, we calculated the length of our last name and then multiplied that value by 3.  In Part 2 (grad students), we had to calculate the number of times the letter "e" appears in our middle name and then divide it (as a float) by the number of letters in our middle name.  Unfortunately, there are no e's in "Brian" so my result is a little boring.

Ethics and Archaeology

This week in GIS Applications in Archaeology we focused on ethics. Each major archaeological society has a statement regarding ethics and the important role that archaeologists need to take in protecting archaeological sites and discouraging the trade in artifacts.  The graduate reading also discussed the use of tools like Google Earth to monitor important archaeological sites for looting.  The primary example focused on the country of Jordan. We also each provided a summary of our view on ethics in archaeology, a discussion that will, no doubt, get pretty interesting.

To follow that up, we explored the MEGA Jordan site and created a feature class based on the coordinates retrieved from this site. The premier site in Jordan is, of course, Petra, as any Indiana Jones fan and archaeologist should know.  These sites are presented in the map above.

On the practical side, the exercise involved using a file geodatabase as the repository for our "sensitive" data.  The file geodatabase is a good choice for archaeologists as it easy to move (just zip up the folder), has few size limits (limited only by disk space) and can be easily secured (save to removable drive or encrypt the folder). The easier it is to secure information about precious sites, the less likely it will fall into the hands of those who what to exploit it.

Geoprocessing

This week we got our first chance to play with ArcMap Model Builder, create some scripts using the ArcGIS tools, and add a tool to our own custom toolbox. Overall, pretty straightforward, no hiccups.  Looking forward to getting into more Python scripting.

The image above is the result of running my SoilErase tool.  This tool selected the area that is "not prime farmland" from the input soils shapefile and then erases that area from the basin shapefile.  The result is the land in the basin that IS prime farmland.  Build your farm there in the green area!

The Great Chicago Fire

This first assignment for GIS Applications in Archaeology explored some historical data from before and after Chicago's Great Fire of 1871.  In this assignment, we looked at historical buildings built prior to 1871 and how they were affected by the fire.  We could see that none were actually built in the fire zone.  However, after the fire (which burned 4 square miles of the city) we see a large number of buildings popping up in what must have been a largely vacant area of the city.  Also interesting to note is that we can tell the directly of the wind during the fire as origin point is known.  We can clearly see the fire being blown northeast by a wind from the southwest until the fire runs into the shore of Lake Michigan.

Technically, this was largely a review week, as all the tools and processes were ones that we covered in the first semester. Still, I am very excited about this class. It will be great to focus specifically on the use of GIS tools for archaeology.

GIS Programming - Week 1

GIS Programming began this week with some simple exercises introducing a couple different Python development environments.  We sampled the IDLE and PythonWin tools.  The assignment culminated with running a script that built out the folder structure for the semester on our individual S: drives.  The image above is the end result of that script on my own drive.

Running the script simply involved opening the CreateModuleFolders.py script in PythonWin and running it.

Looking forward to actually writing some scripts in the coming weeks.