United States
Environmental Protectior
%^L_I	Agency
EPA/600/R-17/049
Rapid Benefit Indicator (RBI)
Spatial Analysis Toolset Manual
Authors: Austin Bousquin, 2Marisa Mazzotta, 2Walter Berry
1: U.S. EPA, Office of Research and Development, National Health and Environmental Effects
Laboratory, Gulf Ecology Division, Gulf Breeze, FL 32561
2: U.S. EPA, Office of Research and Development, National Health and Environmental Effects
Laboratory, Atlantic Ecology Division, Narragansett, Rl 02882
Disclaimer:
This project was supported in part by appointments to the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and
Education participant research program supported by an interagency agreement between the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy. This document has been
reviewed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, and
approved for publication. Any mention of trade names, products, or services does not imply an
endorsement by the U.S. Government or the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The EPA does
not endorse any commercial products, services, or enterprises.
Overview:
The Rapid Benefits Indicators (RBI) approach consists of five steps and is outlined in Assessing the
Benefits of Wetland Restoration - A Rapid Benefits Indicators Approach for Decision Makers.
hereafter referred to as the "guide." The guide presents the assessment approach, detailing each step of
the indicator development process and providing an example application in the "Step in Action" pages.
The spatial analysis toolset is intended to be used to analyze existing spatial information to produce
metrics for many of the indicators developed in that guide. This spatial analysis toolset manual gives
directions on the mechanics of the tool and its data requirements, but does not detail the reasoning
behind the indicators and how to use results of the assessment; this information is found in the guide.
Requirements:
The Rapid Benefits Indicators (RBI) spatial analysis toolset is run using an ArcGIS Python toolbox. The
toolbox must be used within ESRI's desktop software, ArcMap or ArcCatalog, versions 10.1 or newer.
The toolbox is not yet compatible with ArcGIS Pro, and has only been tested on desktop versions 10.1 -
10.5. Operating system and hardware requirements for running this tool are the same as those for using
ArcGIS desktop:
https://desktop.ArcGIS.com/en/arcmap/10.3/get-started/svstem-requirements/ArcGIS-engine-svstem-
requirements.htm
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Table of Contents
Downloading the Toolset:	3
Components of the Toolset:	4
Installing the Toolbox:	5
ArcGIS Recommended Settings	5
Using the Toolbox:	6
Data Requirements	6
Generic Tool Functionality	10
Full Indicator Assessment Tool	10
Part - Benefit Reliability Tool	13
Part - Flood Data Download Tool	13
Part - Flood Risk Reduction Tool	14
Part - Presence/Absence to Yes/No Tool	14
Part - Report Generation Tool	15
Part - Social Equity of Benefits Tool	17
Example Workflows:	18
Frequently Asked Questions:	19
Solutions to Common Errors:	21
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Downloading the Toolset:
The RBI Spatial Analysis Toolset includes a Python toolbox file (.pyt extension) and the associated files
required to perform the RBI spatial analysis. It is recommended that these files be downloaded as a
package, but portions can alternatively be copied as individual files.
Recommended - Download from www.epa.gov/water-research/rapid-benefit-indicators-rbi-approach or
the USEPA/Rapid-Benefit-lndicators-Tools GitHub repository. From the Code tab of GitHub (see Figure 1)
click the green Clone or download button. In the window that appears click the blue Download ZIP
button to download the toolset files as a compressed zip file. Unzip the file to your desired file location.
A G | https://github.eom/U! 1
This repository Search Pull requests Issues Gist
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OCode ? Issues 0 i'i Pull requests 0 f|U| Projects 0 l=H3 Wiki -v-Pulse |.h Graphs
No description, website, or topics provided.
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Branch: master
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Create new file Upload files Find file
jbousquin committed on GitHub Update README.md ...
Bi figures	Add files via upload
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(D .gitignore	Altered Readme to match website text
(§) Assessing the Benefits of Wetland R...	Add files vta upload
[£) One Page RBI Approach Description...	Add files via upload
g] Py_RBI.Rproj	Finished revising script debugged to substitutes. Does not include s...
Clone with HUPS ©	Use SSH
Use Git or checkout with SVN using the web URL
fvttps: //github. corn/USEPA/Rapid-Benefit-Ind [01
Open in Desktop
Download ZIP
rms ago
3	months ago
4	months ago
Figure 1 USEPA GitHub repository for RBI, found at https://github.com/USEPA/Rapid-Benefit-lndicators-Tools.
To download the Spatial Analysis Toolset and all the associated files click "Clone or download" (circled in red)
and the "Download ZIP" (circled in red).
Alternative - Depending on the requirements of your analysis, you may want individual files. The Python
toolbox (.pyt) and standalone python scripts (.py) can be found in the repository subdirectory,
py_Spatial or py_standaloneScripts respectively. Clicking the link for the desired file displays the file's
code. Clicking the Raw button and then right clicking and selecting Save as... will allow for the file to be
saved directly. Renaming the file will not affect functionality as long as it has the appropriate extension
(e.g., .pyt or .py). Associated data and map files have a download option. For full tool functionality you
must save these files using the designated name and location relative to the toolbox file.
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Components of the Toolset:
The focus of this manual is running assessments using the seven tools available in the Python toolbox. In
addition to the toolbox file (.pyt) the toolset also includes standalone python scripts (.py) and additional
files the toolbox uses for some functionality. The standalone python scripts perform the same processes
as tools in the toolbox and are intended for users with knowledge of python who wish to interact
directly with the code. The scripts still require the arcpy libraries included with ArcGIS.
Full functionality of the Python toolbox requires several other files found in the py_Spatial directory.
These files help to streamline analysis. They include:
Help files (.xml) - eight files, each named after the tool they refer to, provide additional tool
help when using the toolbox and each of the tools within the RBI Spatial Analysis Toolset.
Without the .xml files the tools will not have the complete Tool Help including descriptive text
for each tool parameter. These files do not otherwise impact tool performance.
NHDPIus files - files in the NHDPIusV21 subfolder are only used for Flood Risk Reduction
indicators. The folder contains a File Geodatabase with three data files: BoundaryUnit - a
Feature Class with the NHDPIus Boundary Units, Catchment - an empty Feature Class for
catchments, and PlusFlow - an empty table for upstream/downstream relationships. The Part -
Flood Data Download Tool is designed to use these files by default when downloading data from
NHDPIus version 2: https://www.horizon-svstems.com/NHDPIus/NHDPIusV2 data.php
The Full Indicator Assessment Tool is designed to find the downloaded data in these default
files, relative to the toolbox file. The Part - Flood Risk Reduction Tool allows alternative
Catchment and/or Flow Table files or locations to be specified.
Mapfile (.mxd) - a map file is available for download with the tool that includes all the layout
formatting required to produce PDF reports. The Full Indicator Assessment Tool is designed to
automatically find these files in the py_spatial folder with the toolbox. The Part - Report
Generation Tool allows the mapfile (.mxd) to be specified for alternative files or locations.
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Installing the Toolbox:
Python Toolboxes are easy to install in ArcGIS (ArcMap or ArcCatalog) and operate like standard
geoprocessing tools. To add the toolbox, click the Geoprocessing button on the Standard toolbar (Figure
2) and select ArcToolbox to open the ArcToolbox window (Figure 3).
I© Untitled - ArcMap
File Edit View Bookmarks Insert Selection /Geoprocessing Customize Windows Help
ArcToolbox
~ x
Figure 2 Click the Geoprocessing button circled in red and
select "ArcToolbox" to open the ArcToolbox window.
Right click inside the ArcToolbox window and select Add Toolbox...
to open the Add Toolbox dialog (Figure 4). Use this dialog to
navigate to the toolset download subfolder py_Spatial, select the
toolbox file (.pyt) and click Open.
Add Toolbox
Look in: Q py_Spatial
X
a u3 I iii! -1 £i I £j O ^
RBI_Spatial_Analy5t5_To'ol5,pyt
I ~1 py_5tandaloneScripts
E3NHDPIusV21
Name:
RBI_Spatial_Analy sis_T ools. py t

Open



Show of type:
Toolboxes v

Cancel
Figure 4 Add Toolbox dialog, used to navigate to and open the toolbox.
Once added, the toolbox will appear in the ArcToolbox window
(Figure 5) alongside other toolboxes, and individual tools within the
toolbox will be accessible just like tools inside standard toolboxes.
ArcToolbox
ml
EE! ^ 3D AnalystTools
El ^ Analysis Tools
El Cartography Tools
El ^ Conversion Tools
El © Data Interoperability Tools
El ^ Data ManagementTools
El ^5 Editing Tools
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El ^ Linear Referencing Tools
El © Multidimension Tools
El Network AnalystTools
El Parcel Fabric Tools
El IS& Schematics Tools
El ^ Sen/er Tools
El Space Time Pattern Mining Tools
El ^ Spatial AnalystTools
El ©i Spatial Statistics Tools
EE) Tracking Analyst Tools
Figure 3 ArcToolbox window.
ArcToolbox
~ X
Parcel Fabric Tools
Full Indicator Assessment
^ Part - Benefit Reliability
Part - Flood Data Download
$ Part - Flood Risk Reduction
Part - Presence/Absence to Yes/No
^ Part - Report Generation
^ Part - Social Equity of Benefits
0 Schematics Tools
Figure 5 ArcToolbox window with RBI
ArcGIS Recommended Settings	. . , . , . T , . ,
Spatial Analysis Tools Added.
The RBI Spatial Analysis toolbox runs in ArcGIS (ArcMap or
ArcCatalog). Background geoprocessing should be disabled to help
ensure proper functioning. To do this, access the Geoprocessing Options window by clicking
Geoprocessing > Geoprocessing Options on the Standard toolbar. In the Background Processing section
uncheck Enable. In the General section, Overwrite the outputs of geoprocessing operations, may be
unchecked, but be aware the toolbox overrides this setting. See the Output description in the Data
Requirements section for ways to avoid overwriting pre-existing files. For more information on these
two geoprocessing settings see:
http://desktop.arcgis.com/en/arcmap/lQ.3/analvze/executing-tools/using-geoprocessing-options-to-
control tool-execution htm
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Using the Toolbox:
The toolbox is set up to assess five benefits (Reduced Flood Risk, Scenic Views, Environmental
Education, Recreation, and Bird Watching) mainly using the Full Indicator Assessment Tool. "Part" tools
are also available to help with acquiring input data (e.g., Part - Flood Data Download Tool helps
download NHDPIus data), to run individual benefits assessments with added options (e.g., Part - Benefit
Reliability Tool has the added option to specify the buffer used) or to perform specific functions on the
assessment result data tables (e.g., Part - Report Generation Tool generates a PDF report from the
results data table, and the Part - Presence/Absence to Yes/No Tool fills in existing fields in the results
data table as "Yes" or "No" based on features of interest being within a specified range of each site).
This Using the Toolbox section has two parts. The first part of this section, Data Requirements, describes
the datasets used for assessment of each benefit including the defaults used in the Full Indicator
Assessment Tool. Descriptions can also be found in the Tool Help for each parameter field. The second
part of this section describes running each of the seven tools.
Data Requirements
Required Data
Restoration Site Polygons - The restoration site area being assessed. All other input datasets
will be re-projected based on the projection used for the restoration sites. All fields and spatial
data in this dataset will be copied to the output. The output table from one partial analysis can
be used as input to the next.
Output- A file name and location must be specified for the dataset that results from the
analysis. It is recommended that users create a new file geodatabase and save their output
there because the output file folder location is also used to save intermediate files. If a file saved
in the specified location shares a name with any intermediate it is deleted and overwritten.
Address Points or Population Raster- People in the area around the restoration sites that could
potentially receive benefits from site restoration. A buffer of 12 miles around the site will
usually be enough, though the range may vary depending on the benefits chosen for
assessment. Points representing individual homes should be entered as Address Points. The
suggested source is the state E-991 address data. Grid format representations of population
should be entered as Population Raster. The suggested source for the conterminous United
States is the EnviroAtlas - Dasymetric Population dataset:
https://catalog.data.gov/dataset/enviroatlas-dasvmetric-population-for-the-conterminous-
united-states
Optional Data
The spatial analysis tool is designed to assess up to five benefits that were developed for urban wetland
restoration sites. Each of these has its own specific data requirements.
Reduced Flood Risk - Flood risk reduction benefits flow from where they are produced to
downstream areas that would otherwise flood. People and structures in areas that flood
(defined by Flood Zone Polygons), are downstream (defined using Catchments), and within
range (within 2.5 miles of site) may receive benefits. Tools are designed to determine downstream
areas using the NHDPIus files downloaded with the toolset. Before these files can be used, they
must be populated using the Part - Flood Data Download Tool. The Full Indicator Assessment
Tool assumes NHDPIus files have been saved to a default location relative to the toolbox file
(~NHDPIusV21\NHDPIus_Downloads.gdb). If these data are not in the default location or
alternative datasets are used, they must be specified using the Part - Flood Risk Reduction Tool.
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For each site, determining the area potentially receiving benefits starts with catchments within
2.5 miles of the site. These catchments are then subset to only those downstream of the
catchment(s) containing the site. This relationship is determined using Catchment Join Field
values, where a row in the Flow Table has a "FROMCOMID" field value for the upstream
catchment and a "TOCOMID" field value for the downstream catchment. As downstream
catchments are added to the subset their downstream catchments are added as well. However,
only the initial catchments are considered, meaning once a catchment falls completely outside
2.5 miles of the site no further downstream catchments are included even if the stream network
flows back into the area within 2.5 miles of the site. Since the stream network may curve and
loop around within 2.5 miles of the site, the stream network included often exceeds 2.5 miles.
Both Dams/Levees and Wetlands are features that may also reduce flood risk. Only downstream
Dams/Levees are counted. All wetlands within a 2.5-mile range are considered.
Table 1 Optional inputs for assessing Reduced Flood Risk Benefits. Default datasets are in ~NHDPIus_Downloads.gdb
Parameter
Explanation
Data Type
Suggested Source
Flood Zone
Polygons that define flood zones (e.g. 100-yr or 500-yr)
Feature
FEMA, and/or
Polygons
where flooding occurs
Layer
NOAA
Dams/Levees
Point, line or polygon dataset defining flood prevention
Feature
USGS NHDPIus,

infrastructure
Layer
and/or FEMA
Wetland
Polygons that define existing wetlands
Feature
National Wetlands
Polygons

Layer
Inventory (NWI)
Catchments
Polygons that define catchments around the restoration
Feature
Default:

sites
Layer
Catchment
Catchment
Field in the specified Catchment file that corresponds to a
Field
Default:
Join Field
COMID field in the Flow Table

"FEATURE ID"
Flow Table
Table with "FROMCOMID" and "TOCOMID" fields
corresponding to the specified Catchment Join Field.
Table
Default: PlusFlow
Scenic Views - Scenic view benefits flow from aesthetically pleasing landscapes outward to
surrounding areas. Residents in the surrounding area and people moving through, assessed
using Trails and Roads route datasets, may receive benefits. Existing wetland features are
considered substitutes that may already benefit people. However, other types of greenspace,
defined using the Landuse/Greenspace dataset, are complements where greater landscape
variety increases a view's value. The user has the flexibility to choose what field and values
represent value adding greenspace in the Landuse/Greenspace dataset.
Table 2 Optional inputs for assessing Scenic View Benefits.
Parameter
Explanation
Data Type
Suggested Source
Trails (hiking, biking,
etc.)
Point, line or polygon dataset that defines
trails where people may access benefits
Feature
Layer
NPS, state agencies,
and/or NGOs
Roads (streets highways,
etc.)
Point, line or polygon dataset that defines
roads where people may access benefits
Feature
Layer
Tiger, E911 and/or
OpenStreetMap
Wetland Polygons
Polygons that define existing wetlands
Feature
Layer
National Wetlands
Inventory (NWI)
Landuse/Greenspace
Polygons
Polygons that define landuse or greenspace
Feature
Layer
State agencies,
and/or NOAA
Greenspace Field
Field categorizing landuse types
Field
User specified
Greenspace Field Values
Values in the field which are greenspace
Values
User specified
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Environmental Education - Environmental education benefits are the only benefits that can be
assessed without a population dataset (addresses or population raster). The Educational
Institutions dataset is used instead and can include public schools as well as early education
institutions like pre-k or daycare. Existing wetland features, the Wetland Polygons dataset, are
considered substitutes that may already benefit people.
Table 3 Optional inputs for assessing Environmental Education Benefits.
Parameter
Explanation
Data Type
Suggested Source
Educational Institution
Points
Point dataset that defines education
institutions that may receive benefits
Feature
Layer
State department
of education
Wetland Polygons
Polygons that define existing wetlands
Feature
Layer
National Wetlands
Inventory (NWI)
Recreation - Recreation benefits require people to travel to the site where recreation
opportunities are to benefit. People within walking or driving distance of the site are assumed to
be able to benefit. The presence of Trails or Bus Stops dataset features also increase who could
benefit by making the site accessible by alternative modes of transportation. Existing wetland
features are considered substitutes that may already benefit people. However, other types of
green or open space adjacent to the restoration site are complements, as these may increase
the types of recreational opportunities available.
Table 4 Optional inputs for assessing Recreation Benefits
Parameter
Explanation
Data Type
Suggested Source
Trails (hiking, biking,
Point, line or polygon dataset that defines
Feature
NPS, state agencies,
etc.)
trails where people may access benefits
Layer
and/or NGOs
Bus Stops
Point, line or polygon dataset that defines
Feature
State agencies or

bus stops where people may access benefits
Layer
OpenStreetMap
Wetland Polygons
Polygons that define existing wetlands
Feature
Layer
National Wetlands
Inventory (NWI)
Landuse/Greenspace
Polygons that define landuse or greenspace
Feature
State agencies,
Polygons

Layer
and/or NOAA
Greenspace Field
Field categorizing landuse types
Field
User specified
Greenspace Field
Values in the field which are greenspace
Values
User specified
Values



Bird Watching - Bird watching benefits flow from where birds are outward to surrounding areas
where people can see them. Bird Watching benefits can be received in the area surrounding a
site by residents (Population Dataset) or by people moving through on trails or roads (Trails and
Roads Dataset).
Table 5 Optional inputs for assessing Bird Watching Benefits.
Parameter
Explanation
Data Type
Suggested Source
Trails (hiking, biking, etc.)
Point, line or polygon dataset that defines
trails where people may access benefits
Feature
Layer
NPS, state
agencies, and/or
NGOs
Roads (streets highways,
etc.)
Point, line or polygon dataset that defines
roads where people may access benefits
Feature
Layer
Tiger, E911 and/or
OpenStreetMap
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In addition to the five optional benefits that can be assessed, the restoration site can also be assessed
for its potential to deliver benefits in a socially equitable way and reliably into the future.
Social Equity-The social equity of restoration sites can be compared for each benefit based on
who is expected to benefit, but these will typically be similar across different benefits so it is
recommended that users run social equity once for each site. The default Buffer Distance
considered in the Full Indicator Assessment Tool varies depending on the benefits being
assessed. If no benefit is selected the default is 2.5 miles; then the farther people are able to
receive one of the selected benefits the farther the default Buffer Distance. The default Buffer
Distance for Scenic Views is 100 meters, for Bird Watching it is 0.2 miles, for Environmental
Education it is 0.25 miles, for Recreation it is 0.33 miles, and for Flood Risk Reduction it is 2.5
miles.
Table 6 Optional inputs for assessing the social equity of benefits.
Parameter
Explanation
Data Type
Suggested Source
Social Vulnerability
Polygon dataset defining the social
vulnerability of different areas
Feature Layer
Social Vulnerability
Index (NOAA, CDC
or census)
Vulnerability Field
Field categorizing vulnerability
Field
User specified
Vulnerable Field Values
Values in the field which are vulnerable
Values
User specified
Buffer Distance
Buffer distance around the restoration
site that will be considered to
determine the social equity of benefits
delivery from each site
Distance
Variable Default
Reliability- A restoration site that will persist further into the future is rated as higher priority
than a comparable site that is not expected to persist into the future. Many factors can
influence how long a site will persist; here we suggest using conservation protections on the site
and immediate area as an indicator. The default Buffer Distance for the immediate area is 500
feet.
Table 7 Optional inputs for assessing the reliability of benefits.
Parameter
Explanation
Data Type
Suggested Source
Conservation Lands
Polygon dataset defining areas to be
conserved or otherwise protected against
future threats and development
Feature Layer
State planning
organizations
Conservation Field
Field categorizing conservation areas
Field
User specified
Conservation Types
Values in the field which are protected
Values
User specified
Buffer Distance
Distance around the restoration site that
will be considered to determine the
reliability of benefits from each site
Distance
500 feet
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Full Indicator Assessment
t Restoration Site Polygons (Required)
3
Address Points (optional)
Population Raster (optional)
L
4
Generic Tooi Functionality
Tools in the RBI Spatial Analysis Tools Toolbox execute in the same way as other ArcGIS tools:
http://desktop.arcgis.com/en/arcmap/latest/analvze/executing-tools/a-quick-tour-of-tool-dialogs.htm
Datasets (feature layer selections, features in a geodatabase or
shapefiles) are added by dragging and dropping a layer into the
tillable space, typing in the file name or by navigating the tool to
the dataset using the corresponding browse icon to the right
(Figure 6). After a dataset is specified, a user may need to select a
field in that dataset using a drop down list of the available fields.
After a field is specified, a user may need to select values in that
field using check boxes. When the complete toolset is
downloaded (see Help Files in Components of the Toolset) all
tools have a Show Help»> button that opens help guidance on
the tool and parameters (1). Tools do not have html reference
pages (accessed by Clicking Tool Help when Show Help»> is
open). Spatial outputs (2) are saved as either a shapefile or
feature class in a geodatabase.
Full Indicator Assessment Tool
The Full Indicator Assessment Tooi is used for the bulk of the
benefits assessment (Figure 6). This tool streamlines the analysis,
allowing datasets entered once to be used as input for multiple
processes/benefits (see Data Requirements for each benefit) and
assuming certain default files are available (Table 8).
Restoration Site Polygons (3) and an Output (2) are required for
the tool to run. The output table contains several fields that may
help when interpreting results (Table 9) in addition to the fields
that correspond to RBI indicators (Table 10). Either Address
Points or a Population Raster (4) are required to run the analysis,
and once one is entered the other will become gray and non-
viable. To reverse this, delete the entry.
Check boxes are clicked to select which benefits will be assessed
(Reduced Flood Risk, Scenic Views, Environmental Education,
Bird Watching, Recreation) and if additional site metrics (Social
Equity, Reliability) will be calculated. As boxes are checked, the
datasets required for each will go from gray to tillable. This
feature of the tool helps to clarify the data requirements of your
desired analysis. When optional datasets or default files are
missing the tool will execute, but it will skip metrics requiring
those inputs.
The Landuse/Greenspace, Social Vulnerability, and Conservation
Lands datasets each require a field and relevant values in that
field to be specified. This increases flexibility and limits pre-
processing by allowing the user to specify a subset of the dataset
for use. For example, the tool only uses greenspace features
from the Landuse/Greenspace dataset, but most landuse
f~l Reduced Rood Risk (optional)
0	Scenic Views (optional)
1	I Environmental Education (optional)
l~1 Recreation (optional)
n Bird Watching (optional)
r~l Social Equity (optional)
f~l Reliability (optional)
Flood Zone Polygons (optional)
Damsyievees (optional)
Educational Institution Points (optional)
Bus Stops (optional)
Trails (hiking, biking, etc.) (optional)
Roads (streets, highways, etc.) (optional)
Wetiand Polygons (optional)
Landuse/Greenspace Polygons (optional)
m
			 w
Greenspace Reld Values (optional)
Social Vulnerability (optional)
Vulnerability Field (optional)
Vulnerability Field Values (optional)
Conservation Lands (optional)
Conservation Reld (optional)
Conservation Field Values (optional)
PDF Report (optional)
*
(3
Cancel Environments... | Show Help >>

Figure 6 Full Indicator Assessment Tool.
10

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datasets include non-greenspace features (e.g. residential). The user selects a (5) Greenspace Field
within the dataset and checks the (6) Greenspace Field Values within that field that are classified as
greenspace (e.g., forested).
An optional PDF file report is generated from fields in the Output table (Table 10) when a PDF Report file
name is specified. The layout of the PDF report is based on a Mapfile (reportjayout.mxd) with the
report layout in it that is downloaded as part of the toolset to the same file directory as the toolbox (see
Mapfile in Components of the Toolset). An example PDF report page that results from using the default
layout is shown in Figure 12 of the section on the Report Generation Tool.
Table 8 Full Indicator Assessment Tool Defaults. These defaults can be changed in Part tools that correspond to
each benefit/function.
Benefit
Parameter
Default

Benefit Reliability
Buffer Distance
Variable (0.25-2.5 miles)

Flood Risk
NHDPIus Catchments
~NHDPIusV21\NHDPIus_Downloads.gdb\Catchment

Flood Risk
NHDPIus Join Field
"FEATUREID"

Flood Risk
NHDPIus Flow Table
~NHDPIusV21\NHDPIus_Downloads.gdb\PlusFlow

Social Equity
Buffer Distance
500 ft.

PDF Report
.mxd format file
~py_Spatial\report_layout.mxd

Table 9 Field names in the output table results that are not included as indicators.

Field Name
Description
FR_zPct
Percent area around site that is flood zone
FR_zDown
Area of downstream flood zone
FR_zDoPct
Percent flood zone in area which is downstream
FR_sub
Count of substitute features in FR_3B_boo
vulnerability
values
Percent area around site which is features in the social vulnerability layer that aren't
selected for the "Vul_High" indicator field. If there are no more than six unique values
each is captured in a new field named using the value.
Threatene
Percent area around site which is features in the conservation lands layer that aren't
selected for the "conserved" indicator field. The new field is named "Threatene" due to
a nine-character field name limitation.
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Table 10 Indicator field names in the output table results.
Benefit
Indicator
Text
Field Name
Flood Risk
How Many Benefit?
2.5 mi downstream of site and in flood zone
FR 2 cnt
Flood Risk
Service Quality
Area of restoration site (acres)
FR 3A acr
Flood Risk
Service Quality
Features that increase retention volume?
FR 3A boo
Flood Risk
Scarcity
Dams and levees 2.5 mi downstream?
FR 3B boo
Flood Risk
Scarcity
Wetlands within 5 mi (number or % area)
FR 3B sea
Flood Risk
Preferences
Are people worried about flood risk?
FR 3D boo
Scenic Views
How Many Benefit?
Number within 160 ft of site
V 2 50
Scenic Views
How Many Benefit?
Number within 160-325 ft of site
V 2 100
Scenic Views
How Many Benefit?
Weighted number who benefit (70/30)
V 2 score
Scenic Views
How Many Benefit?
Are there roads or trails within 325 ft of site?
V 2 boo
Scenic Views
Service Quality
Aesthetic features or characteristics?
V 3A boo
Scenic Views
Scarcity
Wetlands or water within 650 ft (number or %)
V_3 B_scar
Scenic Views
Complements
Natural land use types within 650 ft (types)
V_3C_comp
Scenic Views
Preferences
Will people find it aesthetically pleasing?
V_3 D_boo
Environmental
How Many Benefit?
Educational institutions within 0.25 mi of site
EE 2 cnt
Education



Environmental
Service Quality
Features/habitat/wildlife of educational interest?
EE 3A boo
Education



Environmental
Scarcity
Wetlands within 0.5 mi of the site
EE 3B sea
Education



Environmental
Complements
Educational facilities or infrastructure on site?
EE 3C boo
Education



Environmental
Preferences
Will people prefer characteristics of the site?
EE 3D boo
Education



Recreation
How Many Benefit?
Number within 1/3 mi of the site
R_2_03
Recreation
How Many Benefit?
Are there bike paths within 1/3 mi of site?
R_2_03_bo
Recreation
How Many Benefit?
Are there bus stops within 1/3 mi of site?
R_2_03_b2
Recreation
How Many Benefit?
Number within 0 to 0.5 mi of site
R_2_05
Recreation
How Many Benefit?
Number within 0.5 to 6 mi of site
R_2_6
Recreation
Service Quality
Total area of green space around site
R_3A_acr
Recreation
Scarcity
Green space within 2/3 mi of site
R_3 B_sc06
Recreation
Scarcity
Green space within 1 mi of site
R_3B_scl
Recreation
Scarcity
Green space within 12 mi of site
R_3B_scl2
Recreation
Complements
Infrastructure supporting recreational activities?
R_3C_boo
Recreation
Preferences
Are there additional features on the site?
R_3D_boo
Bird Watching
How Many Benefit?
Number within 0.2 mi of site
B_2_cnt
Bird Watching
How Many Benefit?
Are there roads or trails within 0.2 mi of site?
B_2_boo
Bird Watching
Service Quality
Will the site support rare or unique species?
B 3A boo
Bird Watching
Complements
Supporting infrastructure or habitat on site?
B 3C boo
Bird Watching
Preferences
Will people be interested in birds at the site?
B 3D boo
Social Equity

Percent area of buffer with selected vulnerable
field value
High
Reliability

Percent area of buffer with selected conserved
field value
Conserved
12

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Part - Benefit Reliability Tool
The Benefit Reliability Tool calculates the
reliability of site benefits in the same way as the
Full Indicator Assessment Tool. The difference is
this tool has an added Buffer Distance parameter
(Figure 7). Using this parameter, the user can
alter the buffer distance around the restoration
site that will be considered to determine the
reliability of benefits from each site. The default
used in the Full Indicator Assessment is 500 feet.
Part - Benefit Reliability
j Restoration Site Polygons (Required)
~ Conservation Lands
~	Conservation Field
~	Conservation Field Values
Select All
j Buffer Distance
~ Output
Part - Benefit
Reliability
The Benefit Reliability Tool
calculates the reliability of
site benefits in the same
way as the Full Indicator
Assessment Tool. The
difference is this tool has
an added Buffer Distance
parameter.
i °K i
Cancel Environments..
<< Hide Help
Tool Help
Figure 7 Part - Benefit Reliability Tool. This tool calculates the
reliability of site benefits
•4* Part - Flood Data Download
~ Restoration Site Polygons (Required)
NHD Plus Vector Processing Unit (optional)
Download Folder (optional)
Part - Flood Data Download
The Flood Data Download Tool
downloads the NHDPIus data needed
to assess Flood Risk Reduction
Benefits for the users' Restoration
Site Polygons.
« Hide Help
Tool Help
Figure 8 Part - Flood Data Download Tool. This tool downloads
NHDPIus data based on the users' restoration sites.
Part - Flood Data Download Tool
The Flood Data Download Tool downloads the
NHDPIus data needed to assess Flood Risk
Reduction Benefits for the users' Restoration
Site Polygons (Figure 8). The NHDPIus Vector
Processing Unit polygons define the NHDPIus
regions where data is available. These are
compared to the Restoration Site Polygons to
determine the name and web location of needed
NHDPIus files. If no dataset is specified, the tool
will default to using the
~\NHDPIus_Downloads.gdb\BoundaryUnit file downloaded as part of the toolset (see NHDPIus files in
Components of the Toolset). If no dataset is specified and the default dataset is not in the expected
location this tool will fail to run. The Download Folder is where the tool will download NHDPIus ,7z data
files. If left blank, the default is within the Spatial Analysis Toolset NHDPIusV21 folder ~\Rapid-Benefit-
lndicators-Tools\py_Spatial\NHDPIusV21. Once downloaded, WinZip is used to unzip the files to the
Download Folder (see Common Errors). The Part - Flood Data Download Tool then merges the newly
downloaded data into existing "Catchment" or "PlusFlow" files in a file geodatabase in the Download
Folder (example default is ~\NHDPIusV21\NHDPIus_Downloads.gdb\Catchment). If a non-default
Download Folder is specified, or the download is not merged with the expected files, the Part - Flood
Risk Reduction Tool must be used for Flood Risk Reduction Benefit analysis instead of the Full Indicator
Assessment tool. The downloaded dataset is merged to ensure that files are in the expected location
even when the scope of the assessment overlaps multiple NHDPIus unit boundary polygons.
Alternatively, NHDPIus data can be downloaded manually from:
http://www.horizon-systems.com/NHDPIus/NHDPIusV2 data.php
~
13

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Part - Flood Risk Reduction
~ Restoration Site Polygons (Required)
Address Points (optional)
Population Raster (optional)
~ Flood Zone Polygons
~ Wetland Polygons
Part - Flood Risk Reduction
The Flood Risk Reduction tool calculates
indicator metrics for flood risk reduction
benefits in the same way as the Full
Indicator Assessment Tool, but with added
Catchment, Catchment Join Field and
Flow Table parameters. Whereas the Full
Indicator Assessment Tool requires the
NHDPIus dataset to be downloaded using
the Flood Data Download Tool and saved
to the default File Geodatabase
downloaded with the toolset, this tool
allows users to specify NHDPIus file
locations or their own hydrologic files.
Catchments (optional)
Catchment Join Field (optional)
Flow Table (optional)
Part - Flood Risk Reduction Tool
The Flood Risk Reduction Tool calculates
indicator metrics for flood risk reduction
benefits in the same way as the Full Indicator
Assessment Tool, but with added Catchment,
Catchment Join Field and Flow Table parameters
(Figure 9). These parameters are useful when
different hydrologic data is being used or data
have been saved in non-default locations. The
Catchment parameter is the polygons that
define catchments around the restoration sites.
If left blank, the tool default is the NHDPIus
Catchment file downloaded as part of the
toolset and populated by the Part - Flood Data
Download Tool, ~\Rapid-Benefit-lndicators-
Tools\ py_Spatial\NHDPIusV21\
NHDPIus_Downloads.gdb\Catchment. The
Catchment Join Field is the field in the specified
Catchment file that corresponds to a COMID
field in the Flow Table. If left blank, the tool
default field is "FEATUREID." The Flow Table
stores the upstream/downstream relations for the catchments. The table must have "FROMCOMID" and
"TOCOMID" fields corresponding to the specified Catchment Join Field. If left blank, the tool default is
the flow table downloaded as part of the toolset and populated by the Part - Flood Data Download Tool
~\Rapid-Benefit-lndicators-Tools\py_Spatial\NHDPIusV21\ NHDPIus_Downloads.gdb\PlusFlow.
Environments...
Figure 9 Part - Flood Risk Reduction Tool. This tool is used to assess
Flood Risk Reduction benefits using catchment and flow data.
Part - Presence/Absence to Yes/No Tool
The Presence/Absence to Yes/No Tool
parameterizes a specified indicator field as
"Yes" based on the presence of at least one
feature from a Features of Interest dataset
occurring within a specified Buffer Distance of
each Restoration Site Polygon. Sites without a
feature within that distance are parameterized
as "No" (Figure 10). There are several indicators
that are measured as Yes or No (see Table 11),
and although the Full Indicator Assessment Tool
creates these fields it is not able to populate
them. The Presence/Absence to Yes/No Tool is
designed to be run after the Full Indicator
Assessment Tool to assign metrics to these indicators. The Field Name is a field from the Restoration Site
Polygons dataset that will be updated with Yes/No results of the tool. The recommendation is to run the
Full Indicator Assessment Tool first and then to use the output dataset from that as the Restoration Site
Polygons. All the fields in Table 11 can be populated using the Presence/Absence to Yes/No Tool. Use
caution when selecting a field to populate as any previous values will be overwritten.
Part - Presence/Absence to Yes/No
• Restoration Site Polygons (Required)
• Update Field
j Features of Interest
j Buffer Distance
Is^l v
Part - Presence/Absence to
Yes/No
The Presence/Absence to Yes/No Tool
parameterizes a specified indicator field as
"Yes" based on the presence of at least
one feature from a Features of Interest
dataset being within a specified Buffer
Distance of each Restoration Site
Polygon. Sites without a feature within that
distance are parameterized as *No".
C

Environments... << Hide Help
Tool Help
Figure 10 Part - Presence/Absence to Yes/No Tool. This tool is used
to assess if any features in a specified dataset are within a specified
range of each site.
14

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Features of interest are the vector dataset containing features of interest to compare to restoration
sites. If any feature in this dataset intersects the specified area around the site (Buffer Distance) the field
value for that site will be Yes, otherwise it will be No. The Buffer Distance is the distance and units for
the area around each site to search for intersecting features.
Although the Full Indicator Assessment Tool uses the same functionality as the Presence/Absence to
Yes/No tool that functionality is not directly accessible. For example, for recreation benefits, this same
functionality is used to determine if there are Features, bike paths, within a Buffer Distance, 1/3 miles,
of each restoration site. If the bike paths dataset passes within the 1/3 mile-buffer around a site the
Field "R_2_03_tb" gets a "YES", otherwise it gets a "NO."
Table 11 Field names in the results table that correspond to Yes/No indicators.
Benefit
Step
Indicator
Field
Flood Risk
Service Quality
Features that increase retention volume?
FR_3A_boo
Scenic Views
Service Quality
Aesthetic features or characteristics?
V_3A_boo
Environmental
Education
Service Quality
Features/habitat/wildlife of educational interest?
EE_3A_boo
Environmental
Education
Complements
Educational facilities or infrastructure on site?
EE_3C_boo
Recreation
Complements
Infrastructure supporting recreational activities?
R_3C_boo
Bird Watching
Service Quality
Will the site support rare or unique species?
B_3A_boo
Bird Watching
Complements
Supporting infrastructure or habitat on site?"
B_3C_boo
Part - Report Generation Tool
The Report Generation Tool creates a
PDF Report from the Results Table the
same way the Full Indicator Assessment
Tool uses its Output table. The
difference is this tool has added Mapfile
(.mxd) and Site Name Field parameters
(Figure 11).
\ Part - Report Generation
/ Results Table
I	j Site Names Field
:?
\	j Report Layout Mapfile
I	1	
j	j PDF Report
I r 	
I	j	
|	QK_ j , Cara
Environments,,,
¦: « Hide Heip
Part - Report Generation
The Report Generation Tool creates
a PDF Report from the Results
Table the same way the Full
Indicator Assessment Tool uses its
Output table The difference is this
tool has added Mapfile f mxdl and
Site Name Field parameters.
Tool Hetp
Figure 11 Part - Report Generation. This tool is used to create a
formatted summary PDF report of indicator results.
The Results Table is the Output table with all desired indicators. The Site Names Field is a field in the
Results Table that contains site names for the report. The Report Layout Mapfile is an .mxd file with
the report layout in it. The default is downloaded as part of the toolset to the same file directory as the
toolbox and saved as "reportjayout.mxd" (see Mapfile in Components of the Toolset). The PDF Report
is the file name that will be used to save the PDF Report. An example PDF report page that results from
using the default layout is shown in Figure 12. The site names for this dataset were the OBJECTID, "2"
and "5."
15

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Step 4
Summarize tiie Indicators
Site
Benefit
Indicators
Site 1
2
Site 2
5

3.2 How Many Benefit'!'
2.5 eii downsteam of site and m flood zone
S6
135
¦J-;
3.3.A Service Quality
Area of restoration sire (acres)
1.36
0.58
cc
Features chat increase retention volume?


3.3.B Scarcity
Oams and levees 2.5 mi downstream?
Yes
Ties
o
Wetlands within 5 nii Jnumber or1 o area)
9.92
10.44

3 ^ C CflmplpmpriH
NA
NA
NA

3.3.D Preferecces
Are people worried about flood risk?



Number within 160 ft of site
2.0
2.0
¥•
3.2 How Many Benefit"
Number within 325 ft cf ate
7.0
11
a*
Weighted number who tene5t
3.5
4.7


Are there roads or trails withrn 325 ft of site?
Ye:
Yes

3.3.A Service Quality
Aesthetic features or characteristics?

ZJ
3.3.B Scarcity
Wetland1., or water within 650 f: (number or % a)
9.5
6.8
c/j
3 } C rjMifUivnh
Natural land u;e types within 650 ft (types)
3.0
3.0

3.3.D Preferences
Will people find ir aesthetically pleasing?

m
3.2 How Manv Benefit''
Education institutions within 0.25 nii of site
0
0
| J
3.3.A Service Quality
Features habiai wildlife of education iutaess?

2 s*
1 £
3.3.B Scarcity
Weslands within OJ mi of the site
7.7
5.4
.£ -B
3.3.C Complements
Sducaicnal facilities or infaanictore od site?


= —
u
3.3.D Preferences
Will people prefer characteristics of the site?




Numberwithiu 1:3 nn of tie rite
360
372


Are there bike paths- within 1 3 mi of site?
Yes
No

3.2 How Many Benefit?
Are there bus stops wrdiin 1 J mi of site?
Yes
Yes
c

Number within 0 to 0.5 mi of rite
274
350


Number within 0.5 so 6 mi of site
85,118
91,459
¦a*
lw
3.3. A Sen-ice Quality
Total area of green space snwnd rite
1,215
1,214
u

Green space within 2:3 mi of site
46.6
50.7
ttS
3.3.B Scarcity
Green space within 1 mi of rite
51.9
51.5


Greeu space within 12 mi of site
42.3
42.8

3.3.C' Complements
Infrastructure supporting recreational activities?



3.3.D Preferences
Are there additional features on The rite?



3.2 How Mam- Benefit?
Number within 0.2 mi of site
169
98
CI
Will the site support tare or unique species?
No
No
"3 "5
*¦'—
3.3.A Service Quality
Will the site support rare or uniqpae species?


3.3.B Scarcity
NA
NA
NA

3.3.C Complement;
Supporting infrastructure or habitat an. site?



3.3.D Preferences
Will people be interested in birds at the site?



3.4 Social Equity
Score
11.94
11.24

3.5 Reliability
Score
19.82
20.93
BLACK = Mo entry: = NA = Above Average Ye;; Fjz = Below Average "No ;reverse far scarcity)
Figure 12 Example PDF report output page. In this example the values in the Site Names Field were "2" and "5".
Values that are better than average are in blue, which for scarcity metrics means these values are lower. When
viewing results realize that the averages used for color coding are from all pages of the report.
16

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Part - Social Equity of Benefits Tool
The Social Equity of Benefits Tool calculates the
social equity of site benefits in the same way as
the Full Indicator Assessment Tool. The
difference is this tool has an added Buffer
Distance parameter (Figure 13). Using this
parameter, the user can alter the buffer distance
around the restoration site that will be
considered to determine the social equity of
benefits delivery from each site. The distance
from which people are able to receive benefits
depends on the benefit. Because of this the
default distance in the full tool varies based on
the benefits assessed. The default is the largest
reasonable distance someone receiving one of
the selected benefits could be from the site and
still receive benefits. For Scenic Views it is 100
meters, for Bird Watching it is 0.2 miles, for
Environmental Education it is 0.25 miles, for
Recreation it is 0.33 miles, for Flood Risk Reduction Figure 13 Part - Social Equity of Benefits. This tool is used to
it is 2.5 miles, and if no benefits are selected it is assess the social vulnerability of those benefitting to identify
2 5 miles	social equity issues.
Part - Social Equity of Benefits
~
^ Restoration Site Polygons (Required)
~ Social Vulnerability
•	Vulnerability Field
~	Vulnerability Field Values
Select All
~ Buffer Distance
Unselect All	Add Value
Unknown
~ Output
C
OK | Cancel Environments... << Hide Help
Part - Social Equity
of Benefits
The Social Equity of
Benefits Tool calculates
the social equity of site
benefits in the same way
as the Full Indicator
Assessment Tool. The
difference is this tool has
an added Buffer Distance
parameter.
Tool Help
17

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Example Workflows:
Complete assessment with no blank indicators on the report and utilizing defaults as much as possible:
1.	Download NHDPIus Data using the Flood Data Download Tool.
Parameters: Restoration Site Polygons is the only required dataset.
2.	Assess all five benefits, and the reliability and social equity of those benefits using the Full
Indicator Assessment Tool.
Parameters: All parameters should be filled in (see Data Requirements for information on these
parameters) except PDF Report. Remember the Output file and location.
3.	For each of the seven blank fields in the Output (Table 11) run the Presence/Absence to Yes/No Tool
Parameters: Use the Output file from the Full Indicator Assessment (Step 2) for Restoration Site
Polygons when populating the first field. Each subsequent time using the tool, use the Output
file produced from populating the previous field as the Restoration Site Polygons (i.e. Output
from Run 2 as input to Run 3, Output from Run 3 as input to Run 4, etc.). Look at the Rapid
Benefit Indicator Approach Guide for example Buffer Distances and Feature datasets as these
tend to be based more on local characteristics.
4.	Produce a PDF report using the Report Generation Tool.
Parameters: use the Output from the last run of the Presence/Absence to Yes/No Tool (Step 3).
Complete assessment with no blank indicators on the report and utilizing NHDPIus data manually
downloaded to a non-default directory:
1.	Assess Reduced Flood Risk benefits using the Flood Risk Reduction Tool.
Parameters: datasets are the same as those used in the Full Indicator Assessment Tool (see Data
Requirements) except the Catchment, Catchment Join Field and Flow Table must all be set
according to where these files were downloaded.
2.	Continue complete assessment starting with Step 2 above, but do not check Reduced Flood Risk
Parameters: leave Reduced Flood Risk unchecked. Use the Output from Step 1 as the
Restoration Site Polygons.
Running Benefit Reliability with a 500-m buffer area after having previously run a Full Indicator
Assessment, including reliability of benefits based on the default 500 feet:
1. Assess reliability of benefits using the Benefit Reliability Tool.
Parameters: Use the Output from the previous Full Indicator Assessment as the Restoration Site
Polygons. Be sure to specify 500 and Meters as the Buffer Distance. The previous values for
percent area conserved and threatened (polygons from the Conserved Lands dataset not
checked as Conservation Values) will be overwritten with the new results.
Running Social Equity of Benefits with a 1-mile buffer area before running a Full Indicator Assessment:
1.	Assess reliability of benefits using the Social Equity of Benefits Tool.
Parameters: Use original Restoration Site Polygons and specify a Buffer Distance of 1 and Miles.
2.	Continue analysis (i.e. Full Indicator Assessment Tool).
Parameters: Use Output from Step 1 as Restoration Site Polygons in subsequent steps. Do not
check Social Equity in the Full Indicator Assessment Tool or results of Step 1 will be overwritten.
18

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Frequently Asked Questions:
Do I have to know GIS to run the RBI Spatial Analysis Tools?
It is not mandatory to have a high level of GIS training to begin working with the tool, but a basic
familiarity with ArcGIS may help avoid more common mistakes.
At what scales can the tool be applied?
The tool was initially designed to be used to compare wetland restoration sites within the same
watershed. The rapid nature of the indicators allows for differences between watersheds to be
lost, so although the tool may function on larger scales the analyst should be cautious when
comparing those results.
How many sites will the tool run at once?
The tool is set up to run on one or more sites. The PDF Report requires at least two sites for proper
color coding since it is based on an average value of all sites. The maximum number of sites is only
limited by the ArcGIS desktop capabilities and the run time required for processing.
How long will it take to perform the assessment?
There are many factors that influence the length of time the assessment takes. Usually
assembling and pre-processing the datasets to run in the assessment tool is the most time
consuming step. Run time for the tool varies depending on the size of analysis, size of input
datasets and specifications of the computer system being used. Some pre-processing of input
datasets, including re-projecting all inputs to one uniform projection and clipping datasets to
only the required extents, may help speed up the tool processing time.
Do I need an internet connection to run the RBI Spatial Analysis Tools?
An internet connection is required to initially download the toolset and to download NHDPIus
data using the Part - Flood Data Download Tool, but this data is only required to assess flood
risk reduction benefits and only has to be downloaded once.
Do I need the spatial analyst extension?
The spatial analyst extension is only required if using a population raster dataset. Make sure the
extension is enabled (Customize>Extensions) if using this functionality.
What radius around the site does the Full Indicator Assessment Tool use for reliability of benefits?
The Full Indicator Assessment Tool uses a default Buffer Distance of 500 feet.
What radius does the Full Indicator Assessment Tool use for social equity of benefits?
The default distance (also used for Buffer Distance if the parameter is not specified in the Part -
Social Equity of Benefits Tool) is determined based on the selected Benefits being assessed.
When a benefit with longer delivery pathways is assessed the Buffer Distance used is farther.
For Scenic Views it is 100 meters, for Bird Watching it is 0.2 miles, for Environmental Education
it is 0.25 miles, for Recreation it is 0.33 miles, for Flood Risk Reduction it is 2.5 miles, and if no
benefits are selected it is 2.5 miles.
19

-------
I am running an assessment of coastal sites, what happens when the coast is within 2.5 miles
downstream ?
Coastal wetlands may require some special considerations since people interact with them in
different ways. However, in the NHDPIus data coastal catchments are often connected as
upstream/downstream from one another. Although this means people in some neighboring
coastal catchments may be included as benefitting from the wetland this is limited by the 2.5
miles ensuring the entire coastline will not be included.
I ran the Flood Data Download tool without optional inputs, where did the files I downloaded go?
When the tool is downloaded as part of the Toolset as recommended, several files are
downloaded in a geodatabase in a NHDPIus Folder in the same directory as the toolbox file. Files
are downloaded and unzipped to the NHDPIus Folder, but these files are deleted after being
merged into the geodatabase.
I am running an assessment again on the same sites, do I need to download the NHDPIus Data?
NHDPIus data only has to be downloaded for a region once. If the data is downloaded a second
time the entries will be duplicated but assessment results will not be impacted unless an
updated version of the dataset has become available (see Solutions to Common Errors).
What if I don't have WinZip?
If WinZip is not installed in the expected location on your machine (C:\Program Files\WinZip) or
is unable to be run from the command line (see Solutions to Common Errors) the Open Source
7-Zip can be used instead to manually unzip the NHDPIus files.
What units are indicators measured in ?
In the report (Figure 12), units for the 20 quantitative indicators are dealt with in a variety of
ways. Some indicators are labeled with their units (e.g., Natural land use types within 650ft are
counted as the number of types). Areas are measured in acres (e.g., "Area of restoration site" is
in acres). The majority (nine) of the quantitative indicators count the number of people who
benefit (3.2 How Many Benefit?) using units defined by their dataset. Most of these are based
either on an Address Points dataset that represents homes or other structures (i.e. the indicator
is a count of homes), or on a Population Raster dataset that has grid cells representing the
population count in that area (i.e. the indicator is a count of people). Six scarcity indicators
(3.3.B Scarcity) are measured as a percent of the surrounding area (e.g., for "Wetlands within
0.5 mi of the site" the number is the percent of the area with 0.5 miles that is identified as
existing wetlands). The Social Equity and Reliability of benefits is measured in a similar way,
where the result is the percent of the area considered (i.e. within the default or user specified
buffer) that met the user-specified criteria (e.g., Conservation Field Values for Reliability of
Benefits). The units for the indicator assessment are left somewhat open so that users who are
not using the Spatial Analysis Toolset can still collect the necessary information in a rapid
manner. As long as the same units are used for the indicator at each site the indicator results
will be comparable across sites.
20

-------
Solutions to Common Errors:
Invalid archive
NHDPIus data files are periodically updated
and given new version numbers. If an old
version number is used the toolbox will not
be able to download and unzip the
catchment or flow table correctly and an
error will occur when the toolbox tries to
open the file (Figure 14). The toolbox is
periodically updated with new version
numbers so downloading a newer version
may resolve the issue. Otherwise the file can
be downloaded manually from:
www.horizon-
svstems.com/NHDPIus/NHDPIusV2 data.php
WinZip
©
X
Cannot open file
'NHDPIusV21_NE_01 _NHDPIusAttributes_07,7z'. It does
not appear to be a valid archive.
If you downloaded this file, try downloading the file
again.
OK
Help
Figure 14 WinZip error pop-up that occurs when a downloaded
NHDPIus file is invalid. This is often because a new version of that
dataset has been released.
Winzip is unavailable or unable to unzip the downloads
If the Part - Flood Data Download Tool is able to download the data but unable to unzip the files you
may not have WinZip installed in the expected location on your machine (C:\Program Files\WinZip) or
the version may not be able to be run from the command line. Operating system patches available
through regular updates may help resolve this issue. The files can alternatively be manually unzipped to
the default folder. If WinZip is not available on your machine the free utility 7-Zip can be used instead to
manually extract the NHDPIus files (www.7-zip.org/download.html).
The tool fails when generating a PDF Report
When either the Full Indicator
Assessment Tool or the Part -
Report Generation Tool is
generating a PDF report it creates 1
page at a time and then adds that
page to the rest of the report. After
each page is added to the complete
report it is deleted. This error will
appear if the PDF file for the single
page is unable to be deleted.
Full Indicator Assessment
Final selection
I I Close this dialog when completed successfully
frraceback (most recent call last) :
File nn, line 2717, in execute
File ,,',, line 2153, in main
File nn, line 1878, in Report_MODULE
File "", line 104, in exportReport
File "c:\arcgis\desktoplO.3\arcpy\arcpy\management.py", line 4083, in Delete
raise e
ExecuteError: ERROR 000317: \\AA.AD.EPA.GOV\ORD\GBR\USERS\jbousqui\Net
MyDocuments\ArcGIS\Default.gdb\report_page_l.pdf cannot be deleted
Failed to execute (Delete).
Failed to execute (Full_Indicator_Tool).
Figure 15 Tool Error Message that appears during PDF Report generation
when an intermediate PDF page cannot be deleted
21

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Full Indicator Assessment
Completed
I I Close this dialog when completed successfully
No overlapping NHD Plus Catchments found.
Reduced Flood Risk Indicators will not be calculated.
Check: NHD Plus input3 and download if necessary.
Run time for Flood Risk Benefit assessment: 00:00:04
Figure 16 Message that appears when the Full Indicator Assessment
Tool is unable to find the Catchment file in the default location.
The tool doesn't produce Flood Risk Reduction Benefit Indicators or fails
Both the Full Indicator Assessment
Tool (Figure 16) and the Part -
Flood Risk Reduction Tool (Figure
17) start by checking the
Catchment and Flow Table files. If
these files do not pass checks for
the Full Indicator Assessment Tool
the flood risk reduction benefits
are not assessed, but the tool
continues analysis of the other
benefits. In the Part - Flood Risk
Reduction Tool if the files do not pass
checks the tool will fail. For both
tools first make sure the Part -
Flood Data Download has already
been run. Next check that the
default files being used by the too!
are correct and populated with the
data that has been downloaded, if
the files are in a non-default
location use the Part - Flood Risk
Reduction Tool to redirect the tool
to these files. If the files still do not
pass checks, try manually
downloading the files.
Close
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