PROXIMITY TO ROADS

JUSTIFICATION FOR USE:

Even though we chose to develop separate suitability maps for residential and commercial uses we knew that there would be some factors that would be used by both. We also knew that some of those factors might be used differently by both. This information layer, for example, was used differently for each suitability analysis. For residential we made the assumption that development would ideally occur near existing roads but not immediately on primary roads. For commercial development we made the assumption that it would need to be on primary or secondary roads and not so much on local roads.

PROCESS:

This information layer was available to us in a digital format from the Florida Geographic Data Library (FGDL). While we got the data from FGDL, it is important to note they were not the creators of this information layer. The Florida Department of Transportation originally created the coverage, and they, in turn, gave it to the Geoplan Center for use in the FGDL. This information layer, or coverage, contained many different pieces of information, or fields, which we could analyze or display on the computer. One of the fields contained classification of each of the roads shown in the coverage. This field originally contained a gradient of values that ranged from primary to local roads. We reclassified the areas on the map into one of three categories:

1 = Least suitable for development; 2 = Intermediate suitability; or 3 = Most suitable for development.

This classification format was used for all of the different information layers that our group created and analyzed. The reclassification was done so as to maximize the relative differences in susceptibility of each area. In other words, all of the category "1" areas have similar characteristics and are significantly different from the other two categories. The same holds for each of the other two categories as well. For commercial development we gave a "3" value to all areas with ½ mile of a primary/secondary road, a "2" to areas within 1 mile, and a "1" to all other areas. For residential development we gave a "3" value to all areas with in 3 miles of any road, but then gave a "1" value to all areas with 1 mile of a primary road.

RESULTS:

The result of our reclassifications were two maps, one showing the suitability for residential development (Map 1, below) and the other showing the suitability for commercial development (Map 2), based on proximity to existing roads. These maps then became one of many different information layers that were weighted and combined to give us our Residential and Commercial Intermediate Suitability Maps.

MAP 1

MAP 2