Workflow overview

Study design

The following details my methods workflow (1.1).

Figure 1.1: Conceptual model of project workflow

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Methods outline

1. Identify relevant layers

   1. identify constraints on connectivity (variables that may contribute to pinch points (roads, river, slope, etc.)

      1. base this on criteria used by solstice in developing their resistance map

   2. group variable into classes

      1. buildings

      2. roads

      3. natural barriers

      4. human barriers

2. Prepare spatial covariates

   1. clip layers to proper extent

   2. add data to geodatabase

   3. transform layers to a nonresistant CRS

   4. reclassify/sort data within layers as needed

   5. weight data according to ease of management

3. prepare circuitscape polygons,

   1. obtain circuitscape polygons representing pinch-points

   2. assign a numerical identifier to each pinch-point polygon

   3. join small, clustered polygons together as single features

   4. create a buffer around each pinch-point polygon

4. Summarize land cover data within pinch-point polygons

   1. Methods of summarizing variables will vary according to variable type

      1. raster extract

      2. polygon overlay

      3. proximity analysis

   2. calculate metrics for each polygon including:

      1. mean values

         1. slope

         2. brightness (light pollution)

         3. human activity

      2. proportion of polygon represented by a value

         1. vegetation (species, type)

         2. urban infrastructure

            1. buildings

            2. parking lots

      3. distance of feature to pinch-point

         1. proximity to barriers

            1. roads

            2. gates

            3. river

         2. trails

      4. count of features within polygon

         1. trails

5. Identify areas best suited for management

   1. additive weighted overlay model

6. Visualize polygon characteristics

   1. multivariate maps