The second part of this lab covered how to complete a least-cost path analysis. I found this portion of the lab very interesting. I think it could have some applications in archaeology to determine how people may have moved across the landscape. The instructions were scaffolded which made it easy to learn how to complete the least-cost path analysis.
We were first given a scenario that a company wanted to put a pipeline in and to find the best path for it. I used slope, river crossing, and river proximity as path factors. The cost distance and the cost path tools created a line between starting and ending points. I then had to add different cost factors such as river crossings and proximity to rivers. Those changed the least-cost part of the pipeline slightly.
The final scenario of this very long lab was to model the potential movement of black bears between two protected areas in the Coronado National Forest. I had to use all the skills I learned in the other least-cost scenarios to complete the task. Thankfully, once I learned how to use the ArcPro tools they were not hard to use again. The most difficult part of this section was making the cost surface because the lab instructions were confusing. Fellow students in the discussion board were helpful in figuring this step out. Below is my map of the corridor black bears may move through.
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