nav[aria-label="Primary Navigation"] { padding: 0; & ul { list-style: none; width: 100%; display: flex; flex-direction: row; justify-content: start; align-items: start; gap: 30px; padding: 0; & li { margin: 0; } & ul li { list-style: none; } } }

Spatial Analysis....measuring ditch sediment

TravisSwanberg

Hey all! I have a technical question regarding some spatial analysis. It may be easy asnwer but for whatever reason I can't think of a solution. So I have a ditch system (water canal that drains from fields). I need to be able to measure the depth of ditch, depth of water, and volume of sediment underneath. Basically they are going to redo the entire ditch and construction needs to know if I can estimate the volume of dirt and sediment that will need to be moved.

Any answers, short or long would be much appreciated. Thank you.

Find more posts tagged with

Surveying

Federal State Local

Urban and Regional Planning

Public Works

Land Administration

Architecture Engineering and Construction (AEC)

Accepted answers

XanderBakker

So Map Algebra (see: A quick tour of using Map Algebra—ArcGIS Help | ArcGIS Desktop ) con be used to mimic the behavior of the Cut/fill tool.

If you have a DEM that represents the situation without the dirt sediment and another one that includes the sediment, calculating the difference between the two (and mask them for the ditch area) can be used to sum the data and calculate the volume. This will require enough your DEMs to have sufficient precision in order to get a good estimate.

What is the spatial resolution of you DEM? How wide are the ditches? Can the "rough construction measurements" be used to create a 3D representation of the ditch without sediment? Is your DEM (with sediment) based on recent data (situation might have changed if data is not recent)?

Can you share a part of your data to see what you have and if it is possible to get the results you're after?

All comments

TravisSwanberg

I am using ArcMap 10.5 and have data that includes aerial imagery, DEMs, rough construction measurements, and a variety of other data layers that I can use. And yes I have the Spatial Analyst extension.

XanderBakker

Do you have Spatial Analyst? This could be used to obtain the same using some Map Algebra. Maybe you can elaborate a little more on the data that you have (and in what format) and what software (and versions) you have available.

TravisSwanberg

I unfortunately do not have 3D analyst on my current setup, although I do wish I did! I know this process would be much easier to visual with ability to express my data 3D.

Is there any other way to even get estimates for this sort of calculation?

ChrisDonohue__GISP

Assuming you have field data that represents the current conditions of the ditches, one way to do this would be to use the 3D Analyst extension, specifically the Cut/Fill tool. Essentially one would create a surface of the existing condition and a surface of the desired (or previous) condition, then use Cut/Fill to find the change between the two.

With the Cut Fill tool, you can do the following:

Identify regions of sediment erosion and deposition in a river valley.
Calculate the volumes and areas of surface material to be removed and areas to be filled to level a site for building construction.
Identify areas that become frequently inundated with surface material during a mudslide in a study to locate safe areas of stable land for building homes.

Cut Fill—Help | ArcGIS for Desktop

How Cut Fill works—Help | ArcGIS for Desktop

Chris Donohue, GISP

Join the Conversation

Signed in members can post, follow updates, and more. New here? Register a free account.

Quick Links

Community Help
Find useful guides, FAQs, and documents to help you navigate and make the most of Esri Community.