Extracting information from buffer in ArcMap?

Question

I have a buffer in ArcMap 10 extending from a polyline, with numerous 5 km intervals (multiple buffer tool). I also have many layers already in raster format in ArcMap, including slope angle, geology, precipitation data etc.

Basically I want to be able to get a value for each of these layers for each buffer polygon. The area is a transect through Nepal, and thus there are approximately 30 separate buffers extending 155 km towards the Himalayas.

Ultimately I am aiming to produce a graph with distance up Nepal (x-axis) and then elevation (y-axis) and another variable such as precipitation (opposite y-axis).

Answer 1

within arcgis, you can use the zonal statistics as table tool. This will give you a table with the ID of your buffer polygon and the statistics of the raster below.

Make sure that you set the pixel size equal to your raster size in the environment setting, otherwise the internal conversion from polygon to raster could be too coarse.