GIS4048 M3 Visibility Analysis

This has been one of my favorite weeks in the program so far. We did 4 different ESRI online courses: Introduction to 3D Visualization, Performing Line of Sight Analysis, Performing Viewshed Analysis in ArcGIS Pro, and Sharing 3D Content Using Scene Layer Packages.

In introduction to 3d Visualization, we learned to use 3D symbology to insert features like 3D trees, and moving waves, extrude buildings to an appropriate height from table data, and use a global scene to get realistic sun position and shadowing using coordinate data and time.

In Performing Line of Sight Analysis, we learned to create lines of sight from observer points and check them for obstructions, and bound them by distance. We also discussed settings where it's appropriate to include the curvature of the earth and atmospheric refraction in calculations. In this example, we used fictional observers to a parade route:

In Performing Viewshed Analysis, we went through an exercise where we looked at the height and placement of lights at a campsite, to determine how to cover a large are with more than two lights, using variables like placement, direction, and height from the ground. This was fun, in part, because the final results look like abstract art:

In sharing 3d content using layer scene packages, we learned to get height data from a DTM and tabular data to extrude building heights to the correct height and set tree heights with proportionally consistent symbology. I got stuck for a while on this because I thought I knew how to do it and went off-script, and got stuck with trees that kept scaling when I zoomed in or out. Fortunately, I was able to get it right after starting over and following closely: