Manually identifying the best place for something is often a cumbersome task. Suitability modeling, or site suitability analysis, is a common approach to facilitate this task, making it easier to solve a variety of problems, such as where to site new housing developments, deploy military troops, or identify potential wildlife habit areas (to name a few).
To determine the suitability of sites, you must rank and score sites based on multiple weighted criteria with the following workflow:
- Define the problem and prepare the criteria data.
- Transform the input values you've generated to a common suitability scale so the criteria can be compared.
- Rank criteria from most suitable to least suitable and combine the rankings to create a suitability map.
- Use the suitability map to locate sites.
For suitability analysis workflows, ArcGIS has the Suitability Modeler, raster functions, geoprocessing tools, or ModelBuilder in ArcGIS Pro.
Explore the following resources to learn more about performing suitability analysis in ArcGIS. (Not sure where to start? Look for the star by Esri's most helpful resources.)
Note:
To use the geoprocessing tools and raster functions required for suitability modeling in ArcGIS Pro, you need ArcGIS Image Analyst or ArcGIS Spatial Analyst; you will need ArcGIS Spatial Analyst to use the Suitability Modeler. You can also run your analysis using ArcGIS Enterprise. You may also want to use ArcGIS Image Server to host and share dynamic image services that use suitability analysis models.ArcGIS help
Review the following links on reference materials for ArcGIS products:
- Review the general suitability modeling workflow in ArcGIS Pro.*
- Learn about the Suitability Modeler in ArcGIS Pro.
- Read how the Weighted Overlay geoprocessing tool and the Weighted Sum geoprocessing tool work, both of which are critical in suitability workflows.
- Read about the Weighted Overlay raster function and the Weighted Sum raster function (and learn more about raster functions and how they're different from geoprocessing tools).
- Understand the suitability analysis workflow better by reading through a set of conceptual steps for creating a suitability map.
- Learn how to create a suitability model using ModelBuilder.
ArcGIS blogs, articles, story maps, and technical papers
Review the following supplemental guidance about concepts, software functionality, and workflows:
- Read through this comprehensive PowerPoint on suitability modeling in ArcGIS.
- Read a blog with step-by-step instructions on how to use raster functions to determine mountain lion habitat suitability.*
- Read a blog that details how the Suitability Modeler can help with your suitability analysis workflows.
- Learn how to locate ideal bobcat habitats using site suitability analysis that can then be used to determine wildlife corridors.
Videos
Review the following Esri-produced videos that clarify and demonstrate concepts, software functionality, and workflows:
- Watch a demonstration of the ArcGIS Pro Suitability Modeler. (5 minutes)*
- See how to use the ArcGIS Pro Suitability Modeler to assess habitat suitability of deep sea coral. (12 minutes)
Training and tutorials
Review the following guided lessons and tutorials based on real-world problems and key ArcGIS skills:
- Locate potential shrimp farming sites with ArcGIS Pro Suitability Modeler.
- Use geoprocessing tools to pinpoint suitable mountain lion habitats. In this lesson, you will also learn how to build a corridor model, which is a common next step after determining the suitability of sites.
ArcGIS Solutions
Industry-specific configurations for ArcGIS:
- Try out a cross country mobility template designed for the defense industry to estimate off-road speed for vehicles. This solution relies on suitability analysis performed with geoprocessing tools.
Esri Community
Use the online imagery community to connect, collaborate, and share experiences:
- See what the Imagery and Remote Sensing community is saying about raster-based site suitability analysis.
* Esri's top picks