Methodology:

For a simplified macro model of the processes discussed below - click here

Step 1:

The process that went into creating the final Multi Criteria Analysis map is a very interesting path. After all of the data was prepared and brought into ArcGIS, the first thing to do was to start to interpolate the surfaces of each of the factors. A base map of the Washington Coast was obtained, along with the boundaries of all the counties that are on the ocean. Then both the average monthly and annual values were interpolated to create an 39 original maps. The monthly average maps were saved as .gif files and then combined on a GIF animator to allow for obervation of changes trends from winter to summer and back to winter again.