This week, we ran through a series of exercises on ESRI to learn about the visibility tools, and how to use them in 2D, Local 3D, and Global 3D scenes or workspaces. ESRI makes it easy to set up a "learning plan" which I utilized to stay on track of what lessons I had done:
Although some parts moved faster than their estimates, a couple things took a little longer. This was usually associated with the data itself, because in more than one exercise the data was named differently, located in the wrong place, or not there. Luckily, I was able to figure it out - but it definitely took some time to go through them and make sure the data/images matched what I was following in the tutorials. While it can be challenging to recognize and identify what can and cannot be done between 2D and 3D scenes, the results are very intriguing. It is pretty amazing to realize that we have gotten to the point with 3D imagery where it is dependable for accuracy and able to be utilized for important analysis.
A challenge for me was understanding the markers and fills in regards to giving scenes data-driven graphics and details. I had a hard time understanding this part, and have more interest in seeing the extent of which this can be done and how good the results are. I feel like the exercises in these lessons are useful, but barely scratch the surface of the potential for its use.
As for the visibility analysis itself, the tools were straight forward and the sharing was in-line with other lessons I have taken on ESRI. Their MOOC courses are a huge opportunity to anyone looking to learn more about GIS - they are courses that usually cost hundreds of dollars that are offered for free and have been an invaluable part of my learning experience. One small complaint I have is that the ArcGIS Online platform is a little confusing and it can be hard to find and edit things once they have been created and shared. This seems to be getting easier with time, though!
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