The process of creating this fire map required patience and resolve. As I learned, raster spatial analysis has its own particularities and pitfalls, but with focus and help from the methods used in the tutorial there was much to be learned. The process of data acquisition required the creator to have a good understanding of the methods in which this map could be created. There were many similar shapefiles on the FRAP website that could easily trick you up if you were not paying close attention to the steps in creating this map. Knowledge of methods such as raster clipping, analysis masking and the reclassification of layers helped greatly to understand the creation of the hazard map.
This lab wonderfully illustrated the distinct differences between manipulating vector data and raster data. The differences were quite great at times and required a different mode of thinking. I found many of the processes required you to forget about the ways you knew how to manipulate data with vector and become more familiar with the unique methods surrounding raster data. At times, I had trouble confirming layer formats, cell sizes and changes in extent coverage. By working through these difficulties I was able to better understand the processes behind these techniques.
Though some of the techniques for processing raster data were difficult at times, I found that once you had a better feel for the ideas that many very valuable things could be achieved with it. Through gaining a better understanding for these tools, I found methods that could save myself time and prevent mistakes. Though, one problem I found, was that given the different data, and even terminology at times, between the tutorial and within my own map, I found it rather difficult to put together particular methods for solving certain problems. By taking a closer look at the methods within the tutorial, steps with little explanation in the tutorial began to reveal their true intentions. Also, hazard maps are just one small portion of the potential that raster data manipulation can offer. For this reason I am very excited to work more with raster data in order to better understand these valuable skills.
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