{"id":960031,"date":"2020-08-12T09:47:58","date_gmt":"2020-08-12T16:47:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/?post_type=blog&p=960031"},"modified":"2020-08-12T13:19:44","modified_gmt":"2020-08-12T20:19:44","slug":"the-new-suitability-modeler-changing-the-way-suitability-models-are-created","status":"publish","type":"blog","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/spatial-analyst\/analytics\/the-new-suitability-modeler-changing-the-way-suitability-models-are-created","title":{"rendered":"The new Suitability Modeler: Changing the way suitability models are created"},"author":7161,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_searchwp_excluded":""},"categories":[23341],"tags":[339882,33081,732471,34071],"industry":[],"product":[37031],"class_list":["post-960031","blog","type-blog","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-analytics","tag-habitat-suitability","tag-site-suitability","tag-suitability-modeler","tag-suitability-modeling","product-spatial-analyst"],"acf":{"short_description":"Use the new dynamic Suitability Modeler to create better models from continuous feedback through interactive maps, plots, and panes. ","flexible_content":[{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"

Suitability modeling is one of the most common applications for a GIS\u00a0analyst. It can be used to determine the best location to build a shopping center, housing development, or ski resort. You can also use it to find the best areas for parks, endangered wildlife habitat, or flood control. Suitability modeling is one of the first applications you are taught when learning GIS. It is the application that made you fall in love with GIS.<\/p>\n

Traditionally, creating a suitability model is a linear process. You needed to understand the steps in the workflow in which you independently specify the parameters for each criterion with little knowledge of their effect on the output. You had to trust the process when creating the output.<\/p>\n

The new Suitability Modeler<\/a> is an interactive, exploratory environment for creating and evaluating a suitability model. It is available now for\u00a0ArcGIS\u00a0Pro 2.6 with a Spatial Analyst extension license.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0basic\u00a0premise underlying the Suitability Modeler is\u00a0that\u00a0a model is a dynamic process.\u00a0Constructing a suitability model is a nonlinear, iterative process.\u00a0At each step of the workflow,\u00a0analytical feedback\u00a0is provided\u00a0through interacting\u00a0maps,\u00a0plots, and\u00a0panes. This allows\u00a0you\u00a0to\u00a0make informed decisions on the parameters you specify and\u00a0easily see\u00a0how they will affect the\u00a0final\u00a0output.<\/p>\n

The Modeler allows seamless back and forth movement between each stage of the model development. What you learn in one stage of the process may influence the decisions you make in another.<\/p>\n

Because of the exploratory and interactive nature of the\u00a0Suitability Modeler, you can justify each step of your modeling process. As a result, you will be more confident in the model output leading to better decisions.<\/p>\n

The best way to understand the Suitability Modeler is to see it in action. The following\u00a0video\u00a0was presented at the\u00a0Plenary of the\u00a02020 Esri\u00a0User\u00a0Conference.<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"youtube","start_time":"0","end_time":"","youtube_video_url":"