In this lab, we dove into studying land elevation, also known as terrain data, and how it's used for different analyses. We learned that elevation data comes from various sources and can be used for lots of things, like making maps more detailed or figuring out how steep a hill is. The lab focused on two main projects, both using the same basic elevation data.

First, we looked at two sets of elevation data from different times: one from the late 1980s and another from around 2006. We compared them to see how they differed and used some cool tools to analyze them. We started by checking out the elevation values and then made cool hillshade maps to see the terrain better. Next, we explored viewshed analysis, which helps figure out what you can see from a certain point. We also looked at how to see if there are any obstacles blocking your view between two points.

Then, we tried something called profile analysis, which helps understand how steep a path or road is. We used the elevation data to plot the steepness along a road, which is helpful for things like road planning.

The second project focused on watershed processing, which is all about understanding how water flows over the land. We used special tools in ArcGIS to fill in low spots in the elevation data, find out which way water would flow, and even figure out where streams might be.

Overall, this lab gave us a hands-on experience with terrain data and how to analyze it using ArcGIS tools. We learned how to use elevation data to understand the landscape better, which is super useful for all sorts of projects involving maps and land management.