Jens Ammon
Habitat Modeling
Composite Binary Raster Models
This exercise showcases how to extract desired values from multiple raster files and combine them into a single map of optimal habitat location. The Mexican Spotted Owl is a threatened species found across Southern Utah. In order to efficiently protect the species, agencies must first determine where the most suitable habitat is located. In this example, four habitat variables were considered in the creation of the final map.
The accompanying map depicts a region of the Manti-La Sal National Forest in Southern Utah. Habitat suitability was determined using Landcover, Slope, Aspect, and Concavity variables. Purple regions indicate all four variables are suitable for the spotted owl, blue regions indicate three of the four variables are suitable.
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Map Creation Process:
- The Slope, Aspect, and Concavity maps were created from a 10 m DEM of the region. The Landcover map was obtained from Landfire.gov
- Use the Reclassify tool to reduce the multiple variables of each raster into a binary suitable/non-suitable value set, i.e. 1 and 0.
- Use the Raster Calculator tool to combine all 4 binary rasters. This gives a range of variables from 0 to 4, with 0 being the least suitable habitat and 4 being the most suitable.
- Reclassify the combined raster to only the top two suitability values (i.e. 0, 3, and 4)