THE NATURE OF GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION

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5. Map Overlay Concept Print

Environmental scientists and engineers consider many geological, climatological, hydrological, and surface and subsurface land use criteria to
determine whether a plot of land is suitable or unsuitable for a LLRW facility. Each criterion can be represented with geographic data, and
visualized as a thematic map. In theory, the site selection problem is as simple as compiling onto a single map all the disquali ed areas on the
individual maps, and then choosing among whatever quali ed locations remain. In practice, of course, it is not so simple.

There is nothing new about superimposing multiple thematic maps to reveal optimal locations. One of the earliest and most eloquent
descriptions of the process was written by Ian McHarg, a landscape architect and planner, in his in uential book Design With Nature. In a
passage describing the process he and his colleagues used to determine the least destructive route for a new roadway, McHarg (1971) wrote:

...let us map physiographic factors so that the darker the tone, the greater the cost. Let us similarly map social values so that the
darker the tone, the higher the value. Let us make the maps transparent. When these are superimposed, the least-social-cost
areas are revealed by the lightest tone. (p. 34).

As you probably know, this process has become known as map overlay. Storing digital data in multiple "layers" is not unique to GIS, of course;
computer-aided design (CAD) packages and even spreadsheets also support layering. What's unique about GIS, and important about map
overlay, is its ability to generate a new data layer as a product of existing layers. In the example illustrated below, for example, analysts at Penn
State's Environmental Resources Research Institute estimated the agricultural pollution potential of every major watershed in the state by
overlaying watershed boundaries, the slope of the terrain (calculated from USGS DEMs), soil types (from U.S. Soil Conservation Service data),
land use patterns (from the USGS LULC data), and animal loading (livestock wastes estimated from the U.S. Census Bureau's Census of
Agriculture).
 Figure 9.6.1 Diagram illustrating the map overlay process used to evaluate potential agricultural pollution by watershed in Pennsylvania.

As illustrated below, map overlay can be implemented in either vector or raster systems. In the vector case, often referred to as polygon
overlay, the intersection of two or more data layers produces new features (polygons). Attributes (symbolized as colors in the illustration) of
intersecting polygons are combined. The raster implementation (known as grid overlay) combines attributes within grid cells that align exactly.
Misaligned grids must be resampled to common formats.
 Figure 9.6.2 Map overlay is a procedure for combining the attributes of intersecting features that are represented in two or more
georegistered data layers.

Polygon and grid overlay procedures produce useful information only if they are performed on data layers that are properly georegistered.
Data layers must be referenced to the same coordinate system (e.g., the same UTM and SPC zones), the same map projection (if any), and the
same datum (horizontal and vertical, based upon the same reference ellipsoid). Furthermore, locations must be speci ed with coordinates that
share the same unit of measure.

‹ 4. Siting LLRW Storage Facilities up 6. Pennsylvania Case Study ›

The Nature of Geographic Information

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Chapters
Chapter 1: Data and Information
Chapter 2: Scales and Transformations
 Chapter 3: Census Data and Thematic Maps
Chapter 4: TIGER, Topology and Geocoding
Chapter 5: Land Surveying and GPS
Chapter 6: National Spatial Data Infrastructure I
Chapter 7: National Spatial Data Infrastructure II
Chapter 8: Remotely Sensed Image Data
Chapter 9: Integrating Geographic Data
1. Overview
2. Context
3. Low Level Radioactive Waste
4. Siting LLRW Storage Facilities
5. Map Overlay Concept
6. Pennsylvania Case Study
7. Vector Approach
8. Stage One: Statewide Screening
9. Stage Two: Regional Screening
10. Stage Three: Local Disquali cation
11. Bu ering
12. New York Case Study
13. Outcomes
14. Conclusion
15. Bibliography

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Author: David DiBiase, Senior Lecturer, John A. Dutton e-Education Institute, and Director of Education, Industry Solutions, Esri. Instructors and contributors: Jim Sloan, Senior Lecturer, John A.
Dutton e-Education Institute; Ryan Baxter, Senior Research Assistant, John A. Dutton e-Education Institute, Beth King, Senior Lecturer, John A. Dutton e-Education Institute and Assistant
Program Manager for Online Geospatial Education, and Adrienne Goldsberry, Senior Lecturer, John A. Dutton e-Education Institute; College of Earth and Mineral Sciences, The Pennsylvania
State University.
Penn State Professional Masters Degree in GIS: Winner of the 2009 Sloan Consortium award for Most Outstanding Online Program
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