Module 6: Working with Rasters

I made it! Last assignment in computer programming is a wrap. This week we were tasked with to create a raster output that identifies areas with a particular set of parameters: slope, aspect, and land cover type. The below screenshot is from ArcGIS Pro showing my raster from the Python script I wrote.

Comments: This lab was a bit more straight forward for me. Maybe I picked up a few things along the way in this class, or for once the lab instructions were more similar to the exercise this go around. Either way, script works, raster looks nice, and now I can tackle the next items on my GIS agenda.

Module 5: Working with Geometries

This week we scripted to create a search cursor to iterate over shapefile geometries, ability to write vertices of a geometry to a text file and contrast the different objects using in parsing over geometries. The screenshot below is a tidbit from the text file after the script was ran using nested loops to get to the row objects.

Comments: This week was better than previous ones as far as writing the script. Python is becoming familiar by now. 1 week to go! Brain don't fail me now.

Module 4: Exploring and Manipulating Data

This lab was a beast to get right and working. The Python script was designed to create a new geodatabase, copy data from the data folder to the new geodatabase, populate a dictionary with names and populations of every County Seat city in New Mexico. This was accomplished in basic terms with for loops, search cursors, describe functions, creating a dictionary, and finally printing it. Below is the flowchart image and the console results image of the script in action.

Comments: This would not of worked had it not been for the help of the TA and classmates in the group chat, who pointed me where I needed to go. I made it to step 3 by myself, needed some help in the middle, then was able to finish the end dictionary portion through troubleshooting error messages deep into the night. Took 4 days and I cried a few times, but I hope it is enough to earn a passing grade. 2 more assignments to go.

Module 3: Geoprocessing

This week we were tasked to write a script in Spyder to perform a few tasks, once complete it would successfully run and show start times and success times. Below is a screenshot of the Console results of the script I wrote. The script was designed to add XY coordinates to a hospitals shapefile, create a 1000-meter buffer around the hospitals feature, and also dissolve the buffer into a separate, single feature.

Comments: When I first read through the directions it sounded overwhelming, but I took a deep breath and attacked it line by line. My advice to myself is to do this again in the future and try to not let the entire assignment overwhelm me every week.

Module 2: Debugging

This week we took a step backwards in order to save some time in the future. We did this by learning how to fix errors we may encounter in our future Python script writing. Sometimes a simple punctation, spelling, or file path can halt you for hours, so finding these and fixing them is a invaluable lesson. The follow 3 script screenshots are from the lab lessons. 1 and 2 are fixed and run correctly. 3 contains error messages using a try-except statement concept. The last image is a flowchart on how I trapped error messages when they occurred in the 3rd script.

Script 1 shows names of fields in a park.shp attribute table. I fixed 2 errors (filepath and a punctuation)

Script 2 prints the names of all layers in the Project. Several errors (filepath, backslashes facing wrong directions, punctuation, spelling, and capitalization)

Script 3 has errors where some items are not defined in Part A and it was the assignment to showcase them, and Part B runs successfully printing ther name, data source and spatial reference of each layer.

Flowchart shows how I trapped the errors in aprx, project and lyrlist because they were not defined using a try-except statement.

Comments: These labs are a struggle in many ways, but thankfully the class is willing to help each other when we get stuck. Just a simple rewording of a step or concept can make it all make sense and move me forward.