Future improvements for RCAT

[mhallerud]

When funding allows, the future tasks would greatly improve the accuracy and presentation of RCAT:

• Using the valley bottom divided by stream segments instead of thiessen polygons clipped to the valley bottom for all calculations. Currently, all calculations except for confinement are derived from thiessen polygons centered on reach midpoints. When adjacent reaches are not the same length, the thiessen polygons do not exactly align with the reach they correspond to and can either over-represent or under-represent the reach. If all calculations using thiessen polygons used polygons divided by stream segments instead, the calculations would better reflect what is surrounding the exact reach. The code for dividing polygons by stream segments can be found within the RCAT confinement tool.
• Improving the XML. Currently the XML functions are non-functional and crash. Overhauling the RCAT XML functions similar to what we did in BRAT would be a huge improvement to the metadata and realization tracking functionality of RCAT.
• Adding a layer package tool and symbology. If RCAT is going to be run for multiple different projects, it may be worth creating a layer package tool similar to BRAT so that spatial deliverables are consistent, all steps of RCAT are easily accessible, and the outputs are transparent for end users.

[jenna-walsh]

Another improvement - incorporating the vegetation adjustments for large rivers and mine tailings into the conversion type calculations.

[mhallerud]

See issue #22 and #20 for additional enhancements/issues not addressed by RCAT version 2.0.

[mhallerud]

Another improvement that can be made is automating part or all of the valley bottom pre-processing steps (described here).

[wally-mac]

@tyler1218hatch and @DylanBaum these suggested future improvements to RCAT have not been made and are likely still relevant.