Distance analysis essentials learning collection

Five web courses covering cost surfaces, distance accumulation/allocation, and optimal pathing in ArcGIS Pro.

See project

The underlying algorithm for calculating cost distances changed in ArcGIS Pro 2.5, necessitating a new set of courses to teach these new algorithms. The first real GIS analysis I ever did back in 2002 was creating cost surfaces for overland travel in Zimbabwe, so I was excited to author this web course collection.

The underlying concepts are difficult to explain, and mathematically heavy. And the audience for the content is broad, with a diversity of backgrounds and experiences. It was not straitforward to write content that would maximize people's understanding. One challenging aspect of this project was negotiating among various members of the team when there were disagreements about how to organize content. We developed a strong system of mutual feedback that helped everybody that was part of the project perform their role.