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ArcFractal: An ArcGIS Add-In for Processing Geoscience Data Using Fractal/Multifractal Models

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Abstract

Fractal and multifractal models, including the concentration-area (C–A) fractal model, spectrum-area (S–A) multifractal model, and local singularity analysis (LSA) method, are widely applied when processing various geoscience datasets. However, there is lack of ArcGIS-based software that contains these popular fractal and multifractal models. Such a situation hinders the popularization and application of fractal and multifractal models. ArcFractal, an easy-to-use ArcGIS add-in for processing geoscience data using fractal and multifractal models, is introduced in this paper. It is developed using C# based on ArcObject for.Net, ArcEngine 10.2, ZedGraph, and Visual Studio 2010. ArcFractal operations require a Windows 7 operating system and ArcGIS Desktop, version 10.2 or higher. The main application of ArcFractal is to determine geochemical threshold/baseline for separating geochemical patterns into anomalous and background components using the C–A, S–A, and LSA techniques. A case study from China Geochemical Baselines Project (CGB) was used to demonstrate the advantage of ArcFractal for processing geochemical exploration data.

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Acknowledgments

Thanks are due to Prof. John Carranza, Editor-in-Chief for Natural Resources Research, Dr. Pablo Gumiel and two anonymous reviewers for their comments and suggestions, which helped us improve this paper. This study was supported jointly by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (41772344), the Natural Science Foundation of Hubei Province (China) (2017CFA053), and the MOST Special Fund from the State Key Laboratory of Geological Processes and Mineral Resources, China University of Geosciences (MSFGPMR03–3).

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  1. State Key Laboratory of Geological Processes and Mineral Resources, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, 430074, China

    Renguang Zuo & Jiale Wang

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  1. Renguang Zuo
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  2. Jiale Wang
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Correspondence to Renguang Zuo.

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Zuo, R., Wang, J. ArcFractal: An ArcGIS Add-In for Processing Geoscience Data Using Fractal/Multifractal Models. Nat Resour Res 29, 3–12 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11053-019-09513-5

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