CFP Geographic Information Systems 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which GIS data model is most appropriate for representing continuous phenomena like water temperature gradients across a lake?
- Vector polygon layer
- Raster grid layer (Correct answer)
- Point feature class
- Network dataset
Correct answer: Raster grid layer
Raster grids store continuous surface values in a matrix of cells, making them ideal for representing spatially continuous phenomena like temperature gradients.
Question 2: In fisheries GIS, what does the term 'geodatabase topology' primarily help enforce?
- Coordinate system accuracy
- Spatial relationships and data integrity between features (Correct answer)
- Raster resolution quality
- GPS signal precision
Correct answer: Spatial relationships and data integrity between features
Geodatabase topology defines and enforces spatial rules (e.g., streams must not overlap, polygons must not have gaps) to maintain data integrity.
Question 3: A fisheries biologist wants to identify all stream reaches within 500 meters of a boat ramp. Which GIS operation best accomplishes this?
- Clip
- Buffer followed by spatial join (Correct answer)
- Dissolve
- Reclassify
Correct answer: Buffer followed by spatial join
Creating a 500 m buffer around the boat ramp and then spatially joining stream reaches identifies all features within that distance.
Question 4: What is the primary purpose of a Digital Elevation Model (DEM) in stream habitat analysis?
- Mapping fish species distributions
- Deriving slope, aspect, and watershed boundaries (Correct answer)
- Classifying land cover types
- Tracking water temperature changes
Correct answer: Deriving slope, aspect, and watershed boundaries
DEMs represent terrain elevation and are used to derive slope, aspect, flow direction, and delineate watershed boundaries for habitat analysis.
Question 5: Which projection minimizes distortion of area and is most appropriate for calculating acreage of wetland habitats in a GIS analysis?
- Mercator
- Albers Equal-Area Conic (Correct answer)
- Stereographic
- Robinson
Correct answer: Albers Equal-Area Conic
The Albers Equal-Area Conic projection preserves area relationships, making it suitable for calculating habitat acreages across large regions.
Question 6: In a GIS-based habitat suitability model for trout, a stream reach is coded '1' if gradient is <2% and '0' if ≥2%. What type of analysis is this?
- Kernel density estimation
- Binary reclassification (Correct answer)
- Kriging interpolation
- Thiessen polygon generation
Correct answer: Binary reclassification
Binary reclassification assigns features to one of two categories (suitable/unsuitable) based on a defined threshold criterion.
Question 7: Which remote sensing product is commonly used in GIS to map aquatic macrophyte beds and submerged aquatic vegetation?
- LiDAR point clouds
- Multispectral satellite imagery (Correct answer)
- Synthetic aperture radar only
- Thermal infrared imagery only
Correct answer: Multispectral satellite imagery
Multispectral imagery captures reflectance in bands sensitive to vegetation, enabling detection and mapping of aquatic macrophytes and submerged vegetation.
CFP Geographic Information Systems 2
Which GIS data model is most appropriate for representing continuous phenomena like water temperature gradients across a lake?