Lines to Points and/or Line Density

[chadhickman]

I am working on a project/map and I am trying to identify the density of recreational activities or services near population centers. I have four basic recreational services, three of which I have converted to point data but the third dataset is line data (trail systems). I am thinking that if I combine the four datasets into one "recreational" dataset it would be the best way to accurately represent recreational services throughout my study area. What would be the best method to integrate the line data with my point data to depict recreational activity or service data for population centers? Is there a method to convert line data to point data? Can I mix the two together?

[DavidPike]

You could use Generate Points Along Lines—Help | ArcGIS Desktop to create points along your lines with a specified interval.

another method might be to use point density or kernel density on your points, then another density for your lines then add the results in Raster Calculator.

[chadhickman]

I was thinking about your second thought but I never really used the raster calculator besides in training courses. Any tips?

[DavidPike]

My first advice would be to ensure that your search radius and cell sizes are all the same, and you set a snap raster (look it up!)

When it comes to raster calculator, the tool is very easy to get along with. any rasters in your TOC will appear in the window and you can enter your expression with the keypad. it would look something like:

("PointDensityRaster.tif" + "LineDensityRaster.tif") / 2.0

psb documentation which will explain it much better than me.

Raster Calculator—Help | ArcGIS for Desktop