Predict deforestation in the Amazon rain forest

The Amazon rain forest spans nine countries and millions of square kilometers. Due to deforestation, current estimates indicate only about 80 percent of the original rain forest remains. In this tutorial, you'll use ArcGIS Pro to create a map of deforestation in the Brazilian state of Rondônia. Then, you'll predict how much deforestation would be caused by a road proposed to be built across the state. Your workflow requires a wide variety of data, feature editing, and analysis tools. You'll also learn how to share your results as an informative print map.

This tutorial was last tested on January 10, 2024, using ArcGIS Pro 3.2. If you're using a different version of ArcGIS Pro, you may encounter different functionality and results.

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Requirements

• User, Publisher, or Administrator role in an ArcGIS organization (see options for software access)
• ArcGIS Pro Advanced (see options for software access)

Explore the study area

In this tutorial, you'll create a map using ArcGIS Pro. You'll first start a project, and then you'll import an existing map document and the data you need to perform the analysis. Next, you'll symbolize and organize the data to make sure you have what you need.

Find the study area

Before you can make a map, you must first create a project. A project stores the maps, databases, toolboxes, styles, and other folders that may be useful when making your map. Then you'll import a map document with some of the data you need to start the map.

1. Download the Predict Deforestation in the Amazon Rain Forest .mxd file and the Rondonia .zip file and save it to a location of your choice.
2. Extract the contents of the Rondonia .zip file.
3. Start ArcGIS Pro.
4. Start ArcGIS Pro. If prompted, sign in using your licensed ArcGIS organizational account.

   Note:

   If you don't have access to ArcGIS Pro or an ArcGIS organizational account, see options for software access.

   When you open ArcGIS Pro, you're given the option to create a new project or open an existing one. If you've created a project before, you'll see a list of recent projects.

5. Under New Project, click Catalog.

   

   The Catalog template creates a project with no maps associated. This is the best option if you're planning to open an existing map, because it opens to the Catalog view so you can browse to your existing content. The Map option opens a 2D map with your project, and the Scene templates create projects with 3D maps. The Start without a template option opens a blank project that you can add maps or scenes to as you go.

6. In the New Project window, name the project Rondonia Deforestation.

   By default, the project is saved to the ArcGIS folder, located in the Documents folder on your computer's drive C. To save the project elsewhere, create a folder, such as LearnArcGIS, browse to it.

7. Ensure that the Create a new folder for this project check box is checked, and click OK.

   

   It is often helpful to create a dedicated folder for your project. Each new project includes a project file (.aprx), a default geodatabase, and a toolbox. Filing these together makes it easier to find, share, and store your project and data.

   The project opens and displays the Catalog view. In this view, you can manage and browse data.

   You'll begin adding data for your project. The data you already have is referenced by an ArcMap map document, or .mxd file. You can re-create the map in ArcGIS Pro by importing the .mxd file into your project.

8. On the ribbon, on the Insert tab, click Import Map.

   

9. Browse to the folder where you downloaded Brazilian_Rainforest.mxd, select the file, and click OK. Zoom out so you can see the rain forest boundary.

   

   A map tab named Brazilian Rainforest is added to the project. It has three layers: Brazilian States, Amazon Ecoregion, and Cities in the state of Rondônia. These layers are drawn on top of the default basemap, the World Topographic Map. To better see the characteristics of the rain forest, you'll change to basemap to Imagery.

10. On the ribbon, on the Map tab, in the Layer group, click Basemap and choose Imagery.

    

     A basemap depicts background reference information such as landforms and political boundaries. It can help show your data's location in the context of the world. Next, you'll locate the Brazilian state of Rondônia.

11. On the ribbon, in the Inquiry group, click Locate.

    

    The Locate pane appears. This pane, like the others, can be docked or positioned anywhere in the application for convenience. By default, it appears to the right of the project and may cover the Catalog pane. The Locate pane allows you to find places on the map using a keyword search.

12. In the Locate pane, type Rondonia and press Enter.

    Several results appear, and the map zooms to the Brazilian state of Rondônia.

    

13. Close the Locate pane.
14. On the Quick Access toolbar at the top of the project, click Save.

    

Organize and symbolize data

Currently, you can't see the basemap under the Brazilian States layer. You'll change the layer's symbology to better see your layers. You'll also organize the layers in the Contents pane. The Contents pane lists all layers in the map. It also shows the layer's symbology and any groups that organize the layers. 

1. In the Contents pane, right-click Brazilian States and click Symbology.

   

   The Symbology pane appears. Symbology refers to the way each layer appears on the map. You can update the primary symbology method as well as change colors, shapes, sizes, rotation, and so on.

2. In the Symbology pane, for Symbol, click the color box.

   

   The symbol gallery appears. These are commonly used default symbols that you can apply to layers. You can choose a symbol from the gallery and still change any of its characteristics if you choose.

3. In the gallery, click the second option, Black Outline (2pt).

   

   The Brazilian states are now shown with only a black outline. The dark color is difficult to see against the basemap, so you'll change it to a lighter color.

4. At the top of the pane, next to Gallery, click Properties. On the Properties tab, if necessary, expand Appearance.

   

5. For Outline Color, click the color menu and choose Lilac Dust.

   

   Tip:

   Hover over colors to see their names.

6. Click the Auto Apply button to update the symbol and enable and to enable any change you make to be automaticaly applied on the map.

   

   The states are now shown in a light-purple shade that stands out against the Imagery basemap.

   

   Now, you'll add more data.

7. On the ribbon, click the View tab. In the Windows group, click Catalog Pane.

   

   Earlier, you saw the Catalog view. This pane allows you to browse your data in a similar way while also giving you the option to drag layers onto the map. The Catalog view is better to use if you want to view metadata, preview the dataset, and so on.

8. In the Catalog pane, right-click Databases and choose Add Database.

   

9. In the Select Existing Geodatabase window, browse to the data you unzipped and choose Rondonia.gdb. Click OK.

   Geographic data, such as your tutorial data, is most efficiently stored and managed in geodatabases. These formats don't have the limitations of shapefiles, which can easily be corrupted. Geodatabases can easily be compressed, and can have spatial and attribute validation applied to the features within.

10. In the Catalog pane, expand Databases.

    There are two geodatabases in the Databases folder. The one titled Rondonia Deforestation.gdb is a default geodatabase created when you made the project. This geodatabase will store and manage all project-specific data sources and products, unless you specify otherwise. The second geodatabase is the one you just added.

11. Right-click Rondonia.gdb and choose Make Default.

    Rondonia.gdb is marked with a home icon.

    

    By making it the default geodatabase, you're specifying that any data you create is saved here.

12. Expand Rondonia.gdb.

    

    The geodatabase contains four feature classes and one raster dataset, which can be added to the map as layers. You'll learn more about raster datasets later. A feature class is a storage structure that stores and manages the geometry and attributes of spatial features. The collection of polygons representing Brazilian states is an example of a feature class, as are the line features that make up the roads. The term layer refers to a map representation of data, while feature class refers to the file-based data itself. Feature classes store three main data types: point, line, and polygon.

Add and symbolize roads

Next, you'll add a layer of roads. There are two main types of roads in Rondônia: official roads, built by or with the permission of the government, and unofficial roads, built independently of the government. Because your ultimate goal is to determine the potential deforestation caused by a proposed road, looking at existing roads is vital to your final analysis.

1. In the Contents pane, turn off Brazilian States.
2. In the Catalog pane, click Roads and drag it onto the map.

   

   The Roads layer is added to the map.

   Note:

   When you add a layer from a geodatabase, it has random default symbology. The appearance of your Roads layer may vary from the example images.

   The Roads layer contains a dense network of roads that covers most of the state. The layer doesn't extend past the Amazon Ecoregion boundary.

3. On the ribbon, click the Map tab. In the Selection group, click Select By Attributes.

   

   The Select By Attributes tool opens. This tool lets you build a logical expression to determine the features that will be selected from the specified layer.

4. In the Select By Attributes tool window, for Input Rows, confirm that Roads is selected.

   

5. If necessary, for Selection Type, click the drop-down arrow and choose New selection.
6. In the query builder, click the first box next to Where, and in the list of attributes, click Status.

   The first box specifies which data field you want to use. The second box contains a logical operator, such as is equal to.

7. In the last box, expand the options and choose Official.

   

   When set to Values, as the box currently is, it lists the data values that the field contains.

8. Click the green check mark to validate the expression.

   Validating the expression ensures that it's a valid SQL query.

9. Click OK.

   

   Official roads appear to connect municipalities and facilitate travel between population centers. Although they mostly appear in deforested areas, deforestation does not solely occur in places where there are official roads. There appear to be significantly fewer official roads than unofficial roads.

   The ability to see official roads independent of the total road network is useful reference information. However, a selection is not permanent and will be erased if you make another selection or deselect the features. To prevent this, you'll make a new layer based on the selection.

10. In the Contents pane, right-click Roads, point to Data, and choose Export Features.

    

    The Export Features tool opens.

11. In the Export Features tool window, for Output Feature Class, type Official_Roads.

    Because you set Rondonia.gdb as the default geodatabase earlier, the Official_Roads layer will be saved there.

12. Click OK.

    The output layer is added to the Contents pane and on the map, but it may be hidden under the selection. It may also be the same color as the original feature class.

13. On the ribbon, in the Selection group, click Clear.

    

14. If necessary, drag Official_Roads above Roads.

    Reordering layers changes the order in which they are drawn on the map. The first layers listed under Drawing Order are drawn on top of the layers listed below them.

15. In the Contents pane, click the Official_Roads line symbol.

    The Symbology pane opens to the Official_Roads layer.

16. In the Symbology pane, click the Gallery tab and choose the first symbol for Minor Road.

    

    On the map, the Official_Roads layer is drawn in white.

    

17. In the Contents pane, click Official_Roads twice to make the name editable. Rename the layer Official Roads (without the underscore).
    Last, you'll change the symbology of the original Roads layer.
18. In the Contents pane, click the symbol for the Roads layer. In the Symbology pane, click the Properties tab.
19. For Color, expand the color menu and choose Aster Purple.

    

    This color purple is a good contrast from both the basemap and the Roads layer.

    

20. Save the project.

You've started a new map and added boundary layers to locate your study area. You also added layers of infrastructure that will be important for analysis and general map information. Next, you'll take a closer look at the relationship between deforestation and roads to find a pattern you can apply to the proposed road.

Compare roads and deforestation

Now that you've familiarized yourself with the study area, you'll perform analysis to calculate the impact that roads have on deforestation. First, you'll add a layer showing the extent of deforestation. Then, you'll quantify the percentage of land that is deforested within a certain distance from roads. By finding the relationship between existing roads and deforestation, you'll later be able to estimate the deforestation prevented by the proposed road's prohibition.

If you haven't completed the previous module, start this module by downloading the project package.

Explore deforestation

Although you looked at deforestation in the last tutorial, now you'll begin a more thorough exploration to understand existing deforestation patterns in Rondônia. You'll start by adding a layer that shows deforestation in the state.

1. If necessary, open your Rondonia Deforestation project in ArcGIS Pro.
2. At the bottom of the Symbology pane, click the Catalog tab.

   

   You can switch between open panes by using the tabs.

   Note:

   If you closed the Symbology pane, you can also reopen it by clicking any of the layer symbols listed in the Contents pane.

3. If necessary, in the Catalog pane, expand Databases, and expand the Rondonia geodatabase. Drag the Deforested_Area feature class into the Contents pane below Roads.

   The Deforested Area layer is added to the map using a random color. This data was derived from satellite imagery using a classification technique to identify forested areas and cleared land.

4. If necessary, zoom in until you see the Deforested Area layer.

   

   Because patterns of deforestation closely follow roads, it may be difficult to see the layer under the unofficial roads layer.

5. Click the symbol for Deforested Area. In the Symbology pane, click the Properties tab.
6. Expand the Color menu, and at the bottom of the window, click Color Properties.

   

   The Color Editor window appears. The Color Editor allows you to specify color by various color models, such as RGB, HLS, and HSV. You can also modify the transparency of a selected color.

7. In the HEX # box, enter the color code E1E1F2.

   

   The Deforested Area layer is now symbolized in a light purple. The color contrasts with the layers currently on the map. The layer's default outline obscures some of the layer, though, so you'll remove it.

8. Click OK.
9. Change the Outline color setting to No Color.

   

   The solid color of the layer covers up the deforestation visible on the basemap. To show both layers at the same time, you'll adjust the transparency.

10. In the Contents pane, click the Deforested Area layer to select it.

    When you select a specific type of layer in the Contents pane, such as a feature or raster layer, additional contextual tabs appear. In this case, the Deforested Area layer is a feature layer, so a Feature Layer tab appears.

11. On the ribbon, click the Feature Layer tab.

    

12. In the Effects group, for Transparency, type 50.0 and press Enter.

    

    Now you can see through the deforested areas.

    

13. In the Contents pane, right-click Deforested Area and choose Zoom To Layer.

    

    The layer has only one feature. This is a multipart feature: a feature composed of many noncontiguous elements. Deforestation typically occurs in small parcels, not large unbroken swaths. At this scale, it's difficult to see deforestation in much detail. You'll zoom in to look closer, but first you'll bookmark the current map extent. With a bookmark, you can quickly navigate to specific map extents.

14. On the ribbon, on the Map tab, in the Navigate group, click Bookmarks and choose New Bookmark.

    

15. In the Create Bookmark window, name the bookmark Rondonia and click OK.

    Now that you have a bookmark, you can zoom around the map and return quickly to a view of the entire state.

16. On the ribbon, on the Map tab, and in the Navigate group, confirm that the Explore tool is selected.

    

    The Explore tool ensures that when you draw your area of interest, you zoom to the area instead of selecting it.

17. Press the Shift key while drawing a rectangle around the northwest corner of Rondônia.

    

    The map zooms to the extent of the rectangle. Once zoomed in, you can see the deforestation in more detail.

18. In the Contents pane, uncheck the Roads layer to turn it off.

    Deforestation is often patchy, following roads.

    

    Typically, small strips of forest are deforested through a process called slash-and-burn agriculture. In slash-and-burn-agriculture, farmers cut and burn plots of forest to create fields. The burned biomass serves as fertilizer for agriculture on the cleared land. This agricultural technique has been practiced for centuries throughout the world, including the Amazon. In small amounts, slash-and-burn agriculture can be sustainable. But when widespread, massive areas are cleared in a small amount of time, and it can drastically affect an ecosystem.

    Another noticeable pattern is that deforestation sometimes ends abruptly with fairly sharp boundaries, as in the following image:

    

    In this example, the boundaries are defined by protected areas, which either prohibit or greatly restrict deforestation. There are two types of protected areas: protected forests and indigenous territory. Feature classes for both categories are in the Project Data geodatabase. You can add both to explore, but for this project you only need the data on protected forests.

19. On the ribbon, click the Map tab. Click Bookmarks and choose Rondonia.
20. From the Catalog pane, add the Protected_Forests layer below Roads.

    The Protected Forests layer is added to the map with a random symbology. Because it is a natural forest area, you'll symbolize it in green.

21. In the Contents pane, click the symbol for Protected Forests, and for Color, change HEX # to 32936F.

    

22. Click OK.
23. In the Contents pane, select the Protected Forests layer. On the Feature Layer tab, set the Transparency value to 50 percent.

    

    The protected areas seem to be an effective deterrent of deforestation. Now that you can see one of the preventive measures against deforestation, you'll investigate its causes. Earlier, you turned off the Roads layer because the dense road network obscured other layers on your map. Now, you'll take a closer look at those roads to see how they relate to deforestation.

24. Zoom back to the northwest corner of Rondônia and turn the Roads layer on.

    

25. On the ribbon, on the Feature Layer tab, in the Compare group, click Swipe and ensure that the Roads layer is selected in the Contents pane.

    

    When you point to the map, the pointer changes to an arrow.

26. Click the map and swipe up and down to turn visibility for the Roads layer on and off.

    There is a strong relationship between roads and deforestation. In fact, 95 percent of deforestation in the Amazon rain forest occurs within 5.5 kilometers of a road. Roads allow access to the otherwise impenetrable rain forest and facilitate the transportation of lumber. Unlike official roads, which connect cities, unofficial roads access deeper areas of the rain forest and connect rural properties.

    Your goal is to estimate how much deforestation a proposed road would cause if its construction were allowed. To make this estimate, you'll first find how much deforestation is associated with existing roads.

27. On the ribbon, click the Map tab. In the Navigate group, click Explore.

    The Swipe tool closes and the cursor returns to the pan tool.

Find deforestation near existing roads

Before you begin your analysis, you'll select a sample area of the existing road network. The road network is massive, with over 20,000 features. Performing analysis on the entire network would take a lot of time. Selecting a sample area may affect your results slightly, but not much.

1. In the Contents pane, turn off all layers except Roads and the World Imagery basemap.

   Note:

   To quickly turn all layers on or off, press the Ctrl key and click one of the layer check boxes.

2. On the ribbon, on the Map tab, in the Selection group, click Select and draw a rectangle around the northwest portion of the state.

   

   Note:

   Your selection doesn't have to match exactly.

   The features in the box are selected on the map. Some roads that extend outside the selection area are selected. If part of a feature is in the selection area, the entire feature is selected.

   

   Now that you have a sample of roads selected, you can start performing analysis on the sample. To do this, you'll use the Buffer tool. The Buffer tool creates an offset at a specified distance from the input features. Using the deforestation data, you can calculate that most deforestation happens within 5.5 kilometers of roads, so you'll create a polygon feature representing that area.

3. On the ribbon, click the Analysis tab. In the Tools group, click Pairwise Buffer.

   

   The Geoprocessing pane appears with the Pairwise Buffer tool open in it.

   In the tool pane, you'll set your input dataset and a few parameters needed to run the tool. One of those parameters sets the distance of your buffer, or how far away from the input features the buffer area will extend. You already know that 95 percent of deforestation in the Amazon occurs within 5.5 kilometers of roads. This is a good distance for your buffer, as relatively little deforestation occurs beyond this distance.

   Note:

   The Pairwise Overlay toolset contains tools that provide an alternative to a number of classic overlay tools for functional and performance considerations. See Comparison of classic overlay tools to pairwise overlay tools for details.

4. For Input Features, choose Roads, and for Output Feature Class, ensure that the name is Roads_Buffer.

   

   Note:

   When you run a geoprocessing tool on a layer with selected features, the tool only processes the selected features. In this case, there are 5,031 selected features in the Roads layer. Your value will differ based on how many features you selected.

5. For Distance, type 5.5, and change the Linear Unit parameter to Kilometers.

   The only other parameter you need to change is Dissolve Type. By default, the Buffer tool creates a buffer for each feature in the input layer. Because your Roads layer selection has many features and those features are very close together, the Buffer tool would create a large number of overlapping buffer features. By changing the Dissolve Type parameter, the Buffer tool will create a single feature as its output.

6. For Dissolve Type, choose Dissolve all output features into a single feature.

   Note:

   If you are unsure of what a parameter does or what option to choose, hover over the parameter and click the information button that appears.

   

7. Leave the rest of the defaults and click Run.

   When the tool is finished running, the resulting layer is added to the Contents pane.

8. In the Contents pane, drag the Roads_Buffer layer below Deforested Area.

   

   A significant portion of the buffer overlaps with the Deforested Area layer, although not uniformly. The northwestern part of the buffer has many areas that are near roads but have relatively little deforestation.

   To calculate the percentage of the buffer that is deforested, you'll need a layer of deforestation within the buffer. You can create this layer using a geoprocessing tool named Clip. The Clip tool clips the extent of one layer to the extent of another.

9. On the ribbon, on the Map tab, in the Selection group, click Clear.

   The selection of roads is removed.

10. In the Geoprocessing pane, click the back button.
11. In the search box, type Pairwise Clip and click Pairwise Clip (Analysis Tools) to open it.

    

12. For Input Features, choose Deforested Area. For Clip Features, choose Roads_Buffer.
13. For Output Feature Class, ensure it says DeforestedArea_Clip and is saved to the default geodatabase and click Run.

    

    Once the tool finishes, the output layer appears on the map.

    

    You have clipped out the deforested areas that fall within the roads buffer. You will use the output you just created to calculate the percentage of the buffer area that is deforested.

Calculate the percentage of deforested area near roads

You've created two layers. One shows the area within 5.5 kilometers of the roads in your sample area. The other shows deforestation within that buffer. Your next goal is to calculate the percentage of the buffer that is deforested. To find the percentage, you'll calculate a new attribute field.

1. In the Contents pane, right-click the DeforestedArea_Clip layer and choose Attribute Table.

   

   The attribute table opens. This table displays all the data, or attributes, associated with features. The DeforestedArea_Clip layer has two fields of geometry that are automatically created for all polygon feature classes: Shape_Length (perimeter) and Shape_Area.

2. Click the Shape_Area value to select it, and press Ctrl+C to copy it.

   Note:

   Your shape area may vary depending on the size of your selection and the buffer process.

   

   The unit of measurement is not given in the table, but specified in the layer's coordinate system information. The projection of the data is South America Albers Equal Area. Output layers made from geoprocessing tools use the same projection as their input. Below the projection name is technical information about the projection, including its linear unit (the unit of measurement used by the projection). For the South America Albers projection, the linear unit is meters, so the Shape_Area field in the attribute table is in square meters.

3. In the Contents pane, right-click the Roads_Buffer layer and open the attribute table.
4. Next to Field, click the Add button.

   

   The Fields view appears, and in it, you can edit field properties, such as field name, alias, data type, and others.

5. At the bottom of the Fields view, click the highlighted field and name it Percent_Deforested.
6. For Alias, type Percent Deforested, and for Data Type, choose Double.

   

   The field type determines what kind of values the field can have. The Double type allows numerals with decimals. The alias gives the field a more conventionally readable name. Field names can only have text, numerals, and underscores, while aliases can contain other characters. The field alias is displayed in the table and Contents pane, while the actual name is stored in the data.

7. On the ribbon on the Fields tab, in the Changes group, click Save.

   

8. Close the Fields view.
9. In the Roads_Buffer table, right-click Percent Deforested and choose Calculate Field.

   

   The Calculate Field tool opens. The tool gives you standard mathematical operators and functions as well as existing fields in the attribute table to help build your calculation expression.

   To find the percentage, you'll divide the area of the Deforested_Area_Clip layer by the area of the Roads_Buffer layer and multiply the result by 100.

10. In the Percent_Deforested = box, paste the number you copied from the DeforestedArea_Clip table.

    Note:

    The initial area value in your expression may be different depending on the sample area you chose.

    

11. In the list of operations, click the division (/) sign. In the Fields list, double-click Shape_Area.
12. Click the multiplication (*) button and type 100.

    

    The expression is ready to run.

13. Click OK.

    When the calculation is complete, the percentage value will be added to the Roads_Buffer attribute table. Based on the example area values, the value returned was around 47 percent. Your value may differ, but probably not by more than a couple of percentage points.

    

    You now know the percentage of land within 5.5 kilometers of roads that is deforested. If a new road were built in this sample area, you could predict that a similar percentage of land within 5.5 kilometers of that road would become deforested.

    Now that you have this value, the DeforestedArea_Clip layer is no longer necessary. You'll remove it from your map. You'll keep the Roads_Buffer layer because it has the percentage value in its attributes, but you'll turn off the layer.

14. Close the Roads_Buffer and DeforestedArea_Clip tables.
15. In the Contents pane, turn off the Roads_Buffer layer. Right-click DeforestedArea_Clip and choose Remove.

    

    The layer is removed from the map. It is still saved in the Rondonia geodatabase, and can be added to the map again if necessary.

16. Return to the Rondonia bookmark and save the project.

You've calculated the impact of deforestation in Rondônia due to the road network. Next, you'll use this percentage to predict the impact of the proposed road.

Predict the impact of the proposed road

Now that you've calculated the percentage of deforested area within 5.5 kilometers of roads, you'll use that percentage to estimate the area in square kilometers that would have been deforested if a proposed road were built. You'll first digitize, or draw, the proposed road as a new feature class based on an image of the road. Then, you'll buffer the road and calculate the predicted deforestation area using its attribute table.

If you haven't completed the previous modules, start this module by downloading the project package.

Add an image of the proposed road to the map

The proposed road is in neither roads layer, because those layers only show existing roads. You'll add an image of the proposed road to the map and create your own feature based on the image. This image came as a raster dataset in the Rondônia geodatabase. A raster dataset is an image composed of a grid of pixels. The basemap in your map is also a raster image. Your other data is called vector data.

1. If necessary, open your Rondônia Deforestation project.
2. Add the Proposed_Road raster dataset from the Rondônia geodatabase and drag it below the Deforested Area layer.
3. If necessary, turn off all layers except the Proposed_Road layer and the World Imagery basemap.

   

4. In the Contents pane, right-click Proposed_Road and click Zoom To Layer.

   The image shows a topographic view of the area, with features such as national boundaries, some existing roads, mountainous terrain, and rivers. The proposed road is a thick line in the middle of the image.

5. Turn on the Cities, Official Roads, and Protected Forests layers.

   

   The proposed road runs east to west and connects two official roads, with cities near both endpoints of the road. You can use the Identify tool to find out the names of each city, or you can temporarily turn on labels.

6. Turn on the Roads layer and turn off the Protected Forests layer.
7. On the ribbon, on the Map tab, click Bookmarks and create a bookmark named Proposed Road.
8. In the Catalog pane, right-click the Rondonia geodatabase and click New, and choose Feature Class.

   

   The Create Feature Class pane appears. Creating a feature class allows you to create vector data. You'll base the new vector line feature on the raster image.

9. In the Create Feature Class pane, for Name, type Planned_Road. For Alias, type Planned Road (without the underscore).
10. For Feature Class Type, expand the menu and choose Line.

    

11. Accept the remaining defaults, and at the bottom of the pane, click Next.

    The layer will be automatically added to the map when it is created. The next page allows you to add fields to the data. You want to add two fields, for road name and status, such as you found in the Roads feature class.

12. For Fields, choose Click here to add a new field, and for Field Name, type Name.

    

13. Ensure that the Data Type value is Text. In the Field Properties table, for Length, type 50.

    

    The default length for a text field is 255 characters, but you don't need that many characters for the road information you're going to input. Specifying a shorter length makes your geodatabase smaller.

14. Add another text field named Status and set its length to 20. Click Next.

    Next, you'll choose the feature class's coordinate system. A coordinate system defines positions and measurement values of geographic features on a map. You'll use the coordinate system used by the layers already on your map, which you can quickly choose from the list.

15. On the Spatial Reference page, under XY Coordinate Systems Available, expand Layers and choose South America Albers Equal Area Conic.

    

16. Click Finish.
17. In the Contents pane, drag Planned Road below Roads.

    Planned Road is an empty feature class, so nothing draws on the map. Next, you'll digitize data from the raster image and store it in the new feature class.

Digitize the road

To add a feature of the proposed road, you'll use the image as a reference and trace the unofficial roads that coincide with the road's location. Then you'll continue digitizing the road, making one long, continuous feature.

1. On the ribbon, click the Edit tab. In the Features group, click Create.

   

   The Create Features pane appears. This pane lists templates for layers that are editable. The template displays available tools that can be used to construct or modify the feature.

2. In the Create Features pane, click Planned Road.

   

   Once selected, the options for editing a line feature expand under Planned Road. The pointer also changes to crosshairs, allowing you to draw features.

   

   Some of the tools are also available on the editing toolbar in the map view.

3. On the ribbon, on the Edit tab, click the Snapping drop-down arrow. Click the Snapping toggle button to enable it.

   

   Snapping is now enabled.

   

   Note:

   You can also turn snapping on and off by clicking the Snapping button on the Edit tab, or by clicking the Snapping button located next to where the scale for the map is displayed.

   The Snapping tool makes it easier to trace existing features, such as the existing unofficial roads that overlap with the proposed road. You are digitizing the proposed road feature by tracing the outline shown in the raster, so this will make part of the job easier.

4. In the Snapping menu, make Endpoint snapping the only active snapping type.

   Note:

   When a snapping type is blue, it is active. You can click the snapping type to turn it on or off and point to it to see its name.

   

5. On the map view, on the Editor toolbar, click the Trace tool.

   

6. In the Contents pane, confirm that Official Roads is checked.
7. Click the east end of the proposed road where it intersects with the existing official road.

   

   Once you click the endpoint, a snap tip shows what part of the layer you are snapping to and the pointer immediately starts tracing any existing features you hover over. This is behavior enabled by the snapping tool.

8. Trace the unofficial road that overlaps with the proposed road.

   Tip:

   If you reach the edge of the map extent, press the C key to make the Pan tool active, pan to the right, and release the C key to resume tracing.

9. When you reach the end of the unofficial road, click the endpoint once to add a vertex.

   

   You have traced the existing road as far as it goes. Now that there are no more features to trace, you'll need to use a different construction method to digitize the rest of the road. You'll use a freehand method of adding individual vertices along the line to continue tracing until you reach another unofficial road.

   

   Note:

   You can press the C, X, and Z keys to access pan and zoom tools while you trace.

10. On the Editor toolbar, click the Line tool.

    

11. Click along the proposed road to add vertices.
12. When you reach another segment of unofficial road, click to add a vertex.

    

    The snapping behavior draws your pointer to the exact location of the unofficial road's endpoint. Now, you'll use the Trace tool again to finish digitizing the road.

13. On the Editor toolbar, click Trace and finish tracing the road until it joins back with an official road.

    Note:

    You may have to zoom in closer to make tracing easier.

14. Double-click the endpoint to finish the feature.
15. From the Map tab, view the Proposed Road bookmark to confirm that the road is fully digitized.

    You should have one continuous road feature that is selected on the map. If you're satisfied with your road, you'll save your edits to the geodatabase. Until you save your edits from the Edit tab, all your edits can be undone. Clicking Save on the Quick Access toolbar doesn't save the new feature, as it saved the project.

16. On the ribbon, on the Edit tab, in the Manage Edits group, click Save.

    

17. In the Save Edits window, click Yes to save all edits.

    Now that you've digitized the planned road, you can remove the imagery layer from the map.

18. In the Contents pane, remove the Proposed_Road layer.
19. Close the Create Features pane, and from the Edit tab, clear the selected features.
20. On the ribbon, click the Map tab. In the Navigate group, click Explore.

    The pointer changes back to a hand. You can now zoom and pan the map normally.

Symbolize and add attribute data to the proposed road

The proposed road has been digitized, but it uses the default symbology of the Planned Road layer, which is thin and difficult to see on the map. Also, while you added attribute fields when you created the feature class, those fields have no attribute data.

1. If necessary, in the Contents pane, drag the Planned Road layer below Official Roads.

   

2. Click the Planned Road symbol to open the Symbology pane.
3. In the Symbology pane, on the Gallery tab, click Highway.

   

   The planned road is now shown in bright orange and stands out from the other roads on the map. Next, you'll add attribute data to the proposed road feature.

4. In the Contents pane, right-click Planned Road and choose Attribute Table.
5. In the Planned Road attribute table, for Name, type BR 421, and for Status, type Proposed and press Enter.

   

6. On the ribbon, on the Edit tab, in the Manage Edits group, click Save, and click Yes to save all edits.
7. Close the attribute table.

Find the potential deforestation of the road

Next, you'll estimate the deforestation the road would have caused. In the previous tutorial, you determined the percentage of land that was deforested 5.5 kilometers from a selection of existing roads. To find a total area (not a percentage) of potential deforestation around the proposed road, you'll buffer the Planned Road layer to the same 5.5-kilometer distance and multiply the buffer area by the percentage of deforestation observed around existing roads. You'll also remove areas of existing deforestation so they won't be included in your total.

1. In the Geoprocessing pane, on the Favorites tab, click Pairwise Buffer (Analysis Tools).
2. For Input Features, choose Planned Road and confirm that the Output Feature Class parameter is set to Planned_Road_Buffer.
3. For Distance, type 5.5 and set Linear Unit to Kilometers.

   

   Because there is only a single feature to buffer, this time you don't need to worry about the dissolve type.

4. Click Run.

   

   When the tool finishes, the buffer layer is added to the Contents pane and the map.

5. In the Contents pane, drag Planned_Road_Buffer below Deforested Area.
6. Turn on Deforested Area and compare the layers.

   

   There are some areas where deforestation has already occurred. You don't want to include already deforested areas in your analysis. You'll remove existing deforestation from the buffer with the Erase tool. The Erase tool subtracts parts of one layer that overlap another layer.

   The Erase tool is not one of the tools that can be accessed from the Geoprocessing menu. Instead, you'll search for the tool.

7. In the Geoprocessing pane, search for and open Pairwise Erase (Analysis Tools).

   

8. For Input Features, choose Planned_Road_Buffer, and for Erase Features, choose Deforested Area.

   The tool will take the buffer of the planned road and subtract from it areas that overlap with the deforested areas. In this case, it will remove areas of deforestation from the buffer.

9. For Output Feature Class, type Erased_Buffer and click Run.

   

   The tool runs and the layer is added to the map.

10. In the Contents pane, click Planned_Road_Buffer twice and rename it At-Risk Area.
11. In the Contents pane, turn Deforested Area off and on so that you can see the results of the erase and the at-risk areas.

    

    The Erased_Buffer layer is a single multipart feature. You can clearly see how the areas of deforestation have been erased from it. To find out how much of this area would have been deforested, you'll multiply the area by the percentage value you obtained earlier. This value is stored in the attribute table of the Roads_Buffer layer. You will add a field to store the deforested area and copy the value from the Roads_Buffer table.

12. Open the attribute table for Erased_Buffer.
13. Click Add. In the Fields view, for Name, type Potential_Deforestation, and for Data Type, choose Double.
14. For Alias, type Potential Deforestation (sq km) and click Save.

    

15. Close the Fields view.
16. Open the attribute table for Roads_Buffer.
17. Copy the value in Percent Deforested, close the Roads_Buffer table, and view the Erased_Buffer attribute table.
18. Right-click the Potential Deforestation (sq km) field header and choose Calculate Field.

    To find the road's deforestation potential, you'll multiply the buffer area by the percentage of deforested area that you found earlier. You'll also convert the area, currently in square meters, to square kilometers, a unit more appropriate for the vast area you're describing.

19. On the Calculate Field dialog box, for Potential _Deforestation =, create the expression Shape_Area / 1000000.

    

    This part of the expression converts the buffered area, in square meters, to square kilometers. Next, you'll multiply by the percent of deforested area you calculated earlier.

20. Add parentheses around that statement, click multiply, and paste the number copied from Roads Buffer.
21. After the percentage value, divide by 100 and put parentheses around this division expression as well. The expression reads (!Shape_Area! / 1000000) * (47.07733539681277 / 100).

    

22. Click OK.

    

    According to this analysis, approximately 637 square kilometers were saved by canceling the proposed road. Your value may be slightly different.

23. Close the attribute tables, return to the Rondonia bookmark, and save the map.

You've predicted the impact of deforestation that may stem from the proposed road. Next, you'll export the map as a layout to share.

Finish and print the map

Now that you've completed your analysis, you'll present your results as part of a finished map layout that you can print or export to a shareable file format. Because you intend to share your finished map, it should be presentable and clear. In addition to the map of Rondônia itself, you'll add a legend, title and description, and other important elements.

If you haven't completed the previous modules, start this module by downloading the project package.

Prepare the map layout

The objective of the map is to show how roads increase deforestation, so you'll ensure that only relevant layers are shown on the map.

1. In the Contents pane, turn layers on and off so that the following layers are turned on:

   • Official Roads
   • Planned Road
   • At-Risk Area
   • Deforested Area
   • Protected Forests
   • Brazilian States
   • Amazon Ecoregion
   • World Imagery

   Tip:

   Press the Ctrl key and click a layer to turn all layers on or off.

2. Remove the following layers:

   • Cities
   • DeforestedArea_Clip
   • Roads
   • Roads_Buffer
   • Erased_Buffer

   

   Note:

   If you need to reorder layers, drag them above or below other layers. Nothing can go below the basemap.

3. Right-click the symbol for At-Risk Area and choose Cattleya Orchid.

   

   The bright purple helps the layer stand out on the map and follows the color scheme of purples symbolizing human development.

   

   Because the deforestation polygon is so noticeable, even the basemap can be toned down to make it stand out more. You'll add a more muted basemap from ArcGIS Living Atlas of the World.

4. In the Catalog pane, click Portal.

   

   The Portal tab enables you to connect to data stored in either ArcGIS Online or ArcGIS Enterprise. You can access your content, organization, or groups, as well as publicly shared content, such as ArcGIS Living Atlas.

5. On the Portal tab, click the Living Atlas button.

   

   ArcGIS Living Atlas is a collection of authoritative maps, apps, and data that you can use in your work.

6. In the Search text box, type Firefly Basemap and press Enter.
7. Right-click the World Imagery (Firefly) layer and choose Add To Current Map.

   

   The World Imagery (Firefly) basemap is added to the map pane. It still shows the imagery you were using earlier, but in darker, more desaturated colors. Now that your map is ready, you can start making a layout for printing and sharing.

8. On the ribbon, click the Insert tab. In the Project group, click New Layout.

   

9. Under ANSI - Landscape, choose Letter.

   

   A Layout window is added and the Contents pane updates to show the elements available on the layout. You can switch between the layout and map views by switching between tabs.

10. On the ribbon, on the Insert tab, in the Map Frames group, click the Map Frame drop-down arrow and choose Rondonia.

    

    The map changes to include a frame and rulers that show the dimensions of the layout. The dimensions are in the default measurement units of your software and may be different than those in the images below.

11. Draw a rectangle the size of the white layout to add the map so that it covers the full page.

    

    Your area of interest, Rondônia, is small and not centered. To fix this, you'll activate the map so that you can move it. Layouts are static by default, because when you're adding text and other elements on top of the map, you don't want it to shift.

12. In the Contents pane, under Layout, right-click Map Frame, and choose Activate.

    

13. In the scale bar, click the drop-down menu and change the scale to 1:3,000,000.

    

14. Drag the state of Rondônia so that it is centered on the page, and on the Layout tab, click Layout to freeze the map.

    

    While the state borders you've symbolized show Rondônia's outline, you'll add another ArcGIS Living Atlas layer to make the state stand out more.

15. In the Catalog pane, if necessary, click the Living Atlas tab. Search for World Administrative Divisions.

    There are several options, including web maps and tile layers. To add the data to your current map, you'll find the feature layer result.

16. Right-click the World Administrative Divisions feature layer and choose Add To Current Map.

    

    The layer is added to the layout and, in its default state, obscures all the layers under it. This is partially what you want it to do, but it shouldn't cover Rondônia. To show the layer everywhere but that state, you'll set a definition query.

17. In the Contents pane, under Map Frame, right-click World_Administrative_Divisions and choose Properties.

    The Layer Properties window appears.

18. In the left pane, click Definition Query.

    

    A definition query allows you to set rules for what attributes the layer shows. You'll write a SQL query to select all features except Rondônia.

19. Click New definition query and click the arrows to build the query ISO Code is not equal to BRRO. Click the green check mark to validate the statement. Click Apply.

    

    ISO Codes are internationally recognized codes that use two letters to distinguish each country. In this code, BR represents Brazil, and RO specifies the state of Rondônia.

20. Click OK.

    

    Now you'll symbolize the layer to be more subtle.

21. In the Contents pane, for World_Administrative_Divisions, click the symbol box.

    The Symbology pane appears.

22. In the Symbology pane, if necessary, click the Properties tab. For Color, expand the menu and choose Gray 30%. For Outline width, type 0 pt.
23. In the Contents pane, ensure that the World_Administrative_Divisions layer is selected. Click the Feature Layer tab and set the Transparency value to 50 percent.

    

Add layout elements

Once you have your map fixed in the position you want it, you can start adding other elements. The first element you'll add is a title.

1. On the ribbon, on the Insert tab, in the Graphics and Text group, click the Straight text tool.

   

2. Click in the upper left corner of the map to insert a text box.
3. In the Contents pane, click the Text element and rename it Title, and then double-click Title.

   The Element pane appears. In this pane, you can edit the text and how it displays.

4. In the Element pane, for Text, type or copy and paste Deforestation in Rondônia, Brazil.

   

   The text now reads how you want it to, but the black is mostly invisible against the basemap.

5. Click the Text Symbol tab and expand Appearance.

   

6. For Font name, choose Constantia, and change the Size value to 21 pt.

   Note:

   To quickly find a font, start typing the name.

7. For Color, click the menu and choose Arctic White.

   

   The title is now legible.

8. On the map, drag the title until it's centered.

   

   Next, you'll add a legend. A legend shows what the map's symbols represent. You'll format the legend so it fits on the layout and conveys information as clearly as possible.

9. On the Insert tab, in the Map Surrounds group, click Legend.

   

10. Draw a rectangle on the right side of the map.

    

    The legend automatically displays all the layers on the map. This now includes the World_Administrative_Divisions layer, which you don't want to show.

11. If necessary, in the Contents pane, click Legend. In the Element pane for the legend, expand Legend Items and click Show properties.

    

    In the Contents pane, the Legend group expands.

12. Uncheck World_Administrative_Divisions to remove it from the legend.

    

    The default legend text is dark and difficult to see against the background. Like you did with the default title text, you'll change the font and color.

13. In the Element pane, click the Text Symbol tab and expand Appearance.
14. Change Font name to Constantia and Size to 14 pt.
15. Drag the legend below the state boundary line that extends to the right.

    

16. Save the project.

Create an inset map

Next, you'll create an inset map. An inset or locator map is a smaller map that shows the geographic location of the main map. Because most people don't know the location of Rondônia, Brazil, an inset map will give your map important geographic context. Your inset map will appear in the empty data frame of your layout

To have multiple maps in one layout, each map needs to be separate. To achieve this, you'll paste the World Imagery (Firefly) basemap into a new map and change the projection.

1. In the Contents pane, expand Map Frame and right-click World Imagery (Firefly). Choose Copy.
2. Click the Brazilian Rainforest map tab. On the ribbon, click the Insert tab. In the Project group, click New Map.

   Making the Brazilian Rainforest map tab active ensures you're using the correct tabs. Layouts and maps each have an Insert tab.

   

   The map opens to a default view.

3. In the Contents pane, right-click Map and choose Paste.

   

   The basemap layer is added to the map.

   

4. In the Contents pane, turn off all other basemaps and leave World Imagery (Firefly) on.
5. In the Contents pane, double-click Map to open the Map Properties window.
6. In the left pane, click Coordinate Systems. In the Search text box, type world from space.

   

7. Press Enter.
8. Expand Projected Coordinate System and World and choose The World from Space. Click OK.

   

   The basemap redraws in the new projection.

   

   It looks like a view of the world from space, but it doesn't show the area of Brazil you want to see.

9. In the Contents pane, double-click Map. On the Coordinate Systems tab, right-click The World From Space and choose Copy and Modify.

   

10. In the Modify Projected Coordinate System window, change Longitude of Center to -65 and Latitude of Center to -15.

    

11. Click Save and click OK.

    The world is now centered over South America.

    

12. Click the Layout view to see the layout. On the ribbon, on the Insert tab, click Map Frame and choose the Map frame that shows the world from space.

    

13. Draw a rectangle at the lower left of the map.

    

    The world map is added to the layout.

14. In the Contents pane, right-click the map frame you just added and click Activate. Zoom out until you can see the continent of South America.

    

    The inset map shows all of South America, which is helpful in locating the state of Rondônia, but it does not identify it. To show where Rondônia is located within South America, you'll add an extent indicator, a box that shows the area of interest.

15. At the top of the map pane, click Layout to deactivate the map frame. Ensure that the inset map frame is selected in the map (has handles around it), and that Map Frame 1 is selected in the Contents pane.
16. On the Insert tab, in the Map Frames group, click Extent Indicator and choose Map Frame.

    

    An extent indicator is added to the continent of South America to show where Rondônia is. Its default color is too dark to easily be seen, so you'll change it. Also, an Extent Indicator item appears in the Contents pane.

17. In the Contents pane, double-click Extent of Map Frame. In the Extent of Map Frame pane, under Extent Indicator, click Symbol.

    

18. Under Appearance, change Outline color to Arctic White, change Outline width to 2 pt.

    

    You have created a layout and added an extent indicator to help orient users to the correct area of your study area. There are other elements that you can add, such as a north arrow and a scale bar, but for now, you will export and print the map as it is.

19. Save the project.

Export and print your layout

Once you get your layout the way that you want it, you can share it in several ways, one of which is to export it as an image. You can also export the entire project or just the layout for fellow ArcGIS Pro users. If you want to share your map with others who do not have ArcGIS Pro, you can export it as an image and send it to them. Further, you can print your map directly from ArcGIS Pro.

1. On the ribbon, click the Share tab. In the Output group, click Export Layout.

   

   Note:

   You can also click the down arrow for Export Layout to access Export Presets. Export Presets store parameters for each export type so the export process and outputs are consistent. You can also create your own presets and reuse them.

   The Export pane appears.

2. In the Export pane, for File Type, click the drop-down menu.

   A list of available export types appears.

   

   There are several export file types to choose from, such as JPEG, PDF, PNG, and TIFF. You will export your layout as a PNG file.

3. For File Type, choose PNG.

   

4. For Name, type RondoniaDeforestationLayout and note where the file will be saved.
5. Accept the remaining defaults and click Export.
6. When the export is complete, in the Export pane, click View exported file.

   

   Your layout appears as an image that will allow others to see the impacts of the planned road on deforestation. You can also print the map if you want a paper copy.

7. Return to ArcGIS Pro. On the Share tab, click Print Layout.

   Note:

   If you don't have a printer set up, you can skip this step.

   

8. In the Print Layout pane, choose the Printer Name, and for Paper, set Size to Letter. Click Print.
9. View your printed map to see if there are any improvements that you can make to the map. Save the project.

   You have exported and printed your map layout so that you can share with others and have a hard copy.

In this tutorial, you created a map and added data to it, symbolized and modified the data, performed analysis to answer a geographic question, and shared your results in the form of a printable map. For more projects that work with ArcGIS Pro, try Build a Model to Connect Mountain Lion Habitat or Cartographic Creations in ArcGIS Pro.

You can find more tutorials in the tutorial gallery.

Acknowledgements

• The Roads layer data was derived from Imazon with help from Carlos Souza.
• The Deforested Area layer data was acquired from INPE.
• The Amazon Ecoregion, Indigenous_Territory, and Protected Forests layer data was acquired from World Wildlife Fund (WWF) with help from Aurélie Shapiro.