How to create buffers around point data with different values?

[GosiaLubczynska]

Dear all,

I have a database with 15 different pollutants measured at 40 stations. So it is a database of 15 columns and 40 rows. What I am trying to achieve is to create maps for each pollutant separately, that show the location of the 20 measurements, the severity of pollution at that particular spot (indicated with the size of an icon) and a buffer around each station with a certain distance from the center, depending on the severity of pollution measured at that particular station.

I am new to ArcGIS and I have now created the maps with graduated symbols, but somehow I cannot find a way to create buffers around the measurements.

Any help will be greatly appreciated!

BR,

Gosia

[JayantaPoddar]

Hello Gosia,

I think the severity of pollution level is better mapped using graduated symbols rather than buffers. In case you want to indicate the pollution level for the whole area of interest, you could use any interpolation technique for the same. (*Spatial Analyst extension would be required).

Understanding interpolation analysis—Help | ArcGIS for Desktop

An overview of the Interpolation toolset—Help | ArcGIS for Desktop

[GosiaLubczynska]

Hello,

Many thanks for your response. The reason why I wanted to create buffers is the following:

my next step will be adding a layer with addresses of study participants. By mapping the buffers, I could visualize the approximated severity of pollution for each participant. But now that I think about it, I could of course do exactly the same with the graduated symbols, simply by changing the sizes and transparency.

In order to assign more accurate pollution levels to each participant, I could then - in the next step - apply inverse distance weighting approach.

Thanks for sharing the links with me! Interpolation of the data looks like a good way to present my results in the first place, before I start with the epidemiological analysis.

Best,

Gosia