Special Topics: Module 9 - Biscayne Shipwrecks (Part 2)

     All that preparation last week set the stage for analysis this week. So we'll dive right in. First, I defined a 300 meter radius surrounding the shipwrecks to examine the benthic environment surrounding each wreck. Then, reclassified rasters were generated for the benthic and bathymetric data. These were used in conjunction to create a simplified weighted overlay/predictive model.
For this analysis, there was not enough data for a linear regression or a statistically meaningful analysis of the shipwrecks (we were working with n = 5) but we had enough data to guide survey efforts.
     As in previous weeks regarding predicitve models, essential tools were the Feature to Raster tool,  Reclassify, and the Weighted overlay tool. As well as the workhorses of geoprocessing: the Buffer and the Clip tool.
     The three map deliverables below each show a different aspect of the analysis. Map 1 is a summary of the benthic characteristics within the study area (300m radius) surrounding each shipwreck. Map 2 shows a comparison of the reclassified data used to derive the predictive model. Map 3 is the predictive model. In Map 2, areas in red denote high probability while those in dark green represent the lowest probability of finding a shipwreck site. The areas in red in Maps 3 are thse areas where the model predicted areas with a high likelihood of containing a shipwreck. That is those areas most resemble the conditions surrounding the known shipwreck sites.

Map 1 shows the benthic environment surrounding the study area of each site.
It also contains an overview of the park.

Map 2 shows the reclassified raster data used in the predictive model.

Map 3 is the end product of our analyses. This is the predictive model
generated by using reclassified benthic and bathymetric data.

Special Topics: Module 8 - Biscayne Shipwrecks (Part 1)

     Time to sink in (bad joke) to some shipwrecks. That's right. These ships went down near Biscayne Bay, Florida. They don't make jokes about you for nothing Florida. Way to s(t)ink, I kid. I love my home state. This assignment made me feel a twinge of home sickness. Luckily I will be heading that way soon and maybe snorkel this maritime heritage trail.
     This week I explored two websites looking for data to use for this marine archaeology project. The first website provided the historical chart while the latter is where I acquired DEM data for Biscayne National Park. Point data for the heritage trail was provided to us care of UWF as was the benthic data.  Finding the DEM was a bit of a chore as the data I thought I was accessing led to another website/tab several times before I actually reached the data. And, often that data wasn't what I was looking for. Perseverance is the order of the day. Once I downloaded the historical chart I georeferenced it. The DEM/bathymetric data was clipped to a digitized boundary of the park. The data is now prepped for use in the coming weeks.
     The final map deliverable is seen below. It shows the benthic data, historic chart, and DEM data all clipped to the park boundary. The shipwreck locations display in each data frame giving them context in different visualizations within the same space. A short description is also included on the map that briefly discusses the map content.

A map deliverable displaying data for Biscayne National Park, Florida
 prepared for analysis in the coming week.