RCW Foraging Habitat Matrix Frequently Asked Questions

Question: Is the current version of the Matrix compatible with ArcGIS 9.2 Service Pack 6?

Answer: Yes, the Matrix is compatible with a minimum of ArcGIS 9.2 SP5 and up including SP6.

Question: Is the current version of the Matrix compatible with ArcGIS 9.3?

Answer: Yes, you may download the matrix update from the FTP download site.

Question: I get the following error when attempting to run the Matrix or when creating layers using the layer creation tools on the Matrix toolbar: "Item not found in this collection". What could be causing this?

Answer: This error is commonly caused by incorrect layer and field name configurations in the Tool Manager. Open the Tool Manager and review all layer/field mappings for accuarcy and make sure that the layers and field names exist in the map. Another potential cause for this error is if the Matrix_Stand system layer has had it's field names altered. This can occur without your knowledge if the layer is ever exported to a shapefile and then re-imported back into the geodatabase. Shapefiles truncate long field names to 10 characters and this can cause incorrect behavior in the Matrix tool when attempting to find the neccessary field name while performing operations on the layer. To correct this, import the default Matrix_Stand layer from the SampleData.mdb or RcwMatrix.mdb geodatabases that were installed with the Matrix application. Make sure you project the layer to the appropriate projection for your data.

Question: I am looking at the matrix analysis example spreadsheet that came with the RCW Matrix application, so I can understand how scoring is done, before I try to learn how to use the Matrix application. In Step 3 (raw score), I can see the formulas that were used to assign a score to the raw data for most variables (by looking at the formula in the relevant cell). However, for the last 4 variables (%HWCanopy, PineAge, FireReturnInterval, and SeasonOfPrescribedBurn), the scores are hard-coded in, so I cannot determine what scoring criteria were used. Where can I get these scoring criteria from?

Answer: I believe the answers to your questions are on the 'Scoring Options' form under the 'RCW Matrix' menu on the USFWS Tools toolbar. That is where you can find the scoring values used to determine the stand and partition level scores based on the stand values in each category. There is also a document named "Procedures for Determining Foraging Habitat Availability.doc" in the "C:\Program Files\Intergraph\USFWS Tools for ArcMap v9.2\doc" directory that provides some additional information that may be helpful.

Question: I have been using the Matrix application for several months now with out problem. I tried today to redraw the quarter and half mile partitions and got the following error message: RCW Tools - The source was not found, but some or all event logs could not be searched. Inaccessible logs: Security. -Error handler... The program will then draw the circles but will not subdivide them where they overlap.

Answer: I've never seen this one before. Could it be a DOIM security change??? Are you using ArcGIS 9.2 or 9.3? You may want to check your Event Logs in the Control Panel to see if they are full. If so, you can simply clear them out. Go to Start, Run and type: eventvwr.msc /s

Follow-up Question: We have been upgraded to 9.3. I cannot clear the event log since it requires admin privileges. I will put in a work order to do that and to check to make sure some new security block hasn't been put on those folders. Will get in touch with you if none of these measures prove successful.

Follow-up Answer: Sounds good, also note that the current Matrix tool is not supported on ArcGIS 9.3 yet because the majority of the user community has not upgraded. I do believe that it works for the most part on 9.3, with an exception of the 1/2 and 1/4 mile partition polygons, but we are working on a plan to support both 9.2 and 9.3 in the near future.

Question: When I try and run the "Create Cluster core" option under the RCW Layers tab I get the following message in an RCW Tools dialogue box: "Requested registry access is not allowed. - Error Handler..." It also seems like in the lower right-hand corner of the screen that ArcMap is still working.

Answer: This is a real simple fix. Your Cluster_Core feature class does not have a valid projection even though ArcMap says it does. If you start an edit session and try to manually create a new cluster_core feature you get a similar error even without using the Matrix tool. I fixed it by using ArcCatalog to create a new Cluster_Core polygon featureclass, imported the coordinate system from the Cluster_Tree_Buffer feature class, create the CLUSTER_ID text attribute and that was it. Make sure you delete the old Cluster_Core featureclass first so you can name the new one the same and also make sure the CLUSTER_ID attribute is named the same as the old one too. This way you can skip the Tool Manager mapping because everything will be named the same as the old one.

Question: We are in the process of installing the Matrix and it says: Can not connect to CrystalDecisions.web.resources.dll .....and something about making sure you have access to that directory. We can not find this .dll and are wondering if is something that should have been installed with ArcGIS???

Answer: We've never encountered that issue. Check to make sure that the Microsoft .Net framework 2.0 is installed first. If it is, then go to the add/remove programs in the control panel and select "Change" then "Modify" for ArcGIS Desktop. Make sure the ".Net Support" option is selected to run from your computer. Is it an XP or a Vista computer? Let me know if any of this helps. Reinstalling ArcGIS may help but it's no guarantee. Also, did you install the latest service packs for the .Net 2.0 framework?

Question: It seems to be working fine there with one exception. When I run the part of it that produces the half mile partitions I'm getting an error message. I can run all other aspects with the exception of that one. In fact, if I click OK on the error message it actually generates the half mile partitions but the edges aren't blended. i.e. I have a bunch of overlapping half mile circles. Below is the error message. Have any idea what the problem may be? This looks like the same error I was getting on my previous problem where I had to insure that the feature class had the correct projection. I went ahead and re-generated a new feature class for this with the correct projection and it doesn't seem that that was the problem.

Answer: OK – I’ve seen this error before but only recently. Looks like federal sites have implemented some new security restrictions that are preventing the Matrix application from writing errors to the Windows Event Log. That’s the error you are seeing. The real error that you are probably getting is an Extents Out of Bounds error (just a guess at this point based on what others have had). The original error attempts to write itself to the Windows Event log and can’t so you get the error currently shown in your attachment - an error that causes an error. The fix for this (assuming it’s the same as the other cases) is to delete your ½ mile feature class and recreate it with the same name and attributes and to make sure you manually select the coordinate system (do not import the coordinate system from another feature class). This will make sure the feature class’s extent is set to the largest extent as possible with that coordinate system. ArcGIS 9.2 changed the way extents are set from previous versions but if you create a new feature class and import the coordinate system from an older feature class (pre ArcGIS 9.2) you will get those old extents. In other words, the extents for your cavity trees may not be large enough to accommodate your ½ mile partition features and so on.

Question: While adding data to the RCW layers of the matrix, during editing the option of 'Creating the 200' Tree Buffer' is grayed out and can not be selected. All other options can be selected. I have created all other features. I would appreciate any possible solutions.

Answer: Make sure the tree buffer and cluster core feature classes are mapped correctly in the Tool Manager and make sure they are added to the map and are currently being edited. The only reason any of those tools under the RCW Layers menu would be grayed out is for the following reasons:

• The layer is not mapped correctly in the Tool Manager
• The layer is mapped correctly but is not in the current map
• The layer is mapped correctly and is in the current map but is not being edited.
• And for the tree buffers, the cavity tree layer also has to be configured in the Tool Manager and in the map because the Tree Buffer tool references the cavity tree locations in order to know what to buffer.

Question: Is there a difference between the "RCW_Matrix_9.2.5003.zip" download and the "RCW_Matrix_9.2.5001.zip" download. The ...5001 version is the one that we downloaded and installed on my computer.

Answer: Yes - there was a critical update to the .5001 version (several months back) and you should have received a notification if you provided your email when you originally downloaded the Matrix. There were some reporting errors when attempting to run an analysis on more than one partition at a time along with a few other fixes and enhancements. I highly recommend uninstalling the version you have and downloading and installing the latest version posted on the recovery site "RCW_Matrix_9.2.5003.zip". This may fix the contiguity issue that you were having also.