exercise 1: getting to know arcgis · exercise 1: getting to know arcgis connecting to folders in 2...

Exercise 1: Getting to know ArcGIS

Earth System Research Institute (ESRI) is the leading GIS software developer. Their software is used throughout the world in every type of industry. ESRI has also worked to develop a network of users. This includes regional and international conferences as well as their web site. The basic GIS software developed by ESRI is called ArcGIS. However, they offer several levels of licences, namely ArcView, ArcEditor and ArcInfo. The appearance and basic tools found in each licence level are virtually the same. The only variation is an increasing number of advanced tools available. The software is also available with a variety of extensions used to perform specific types of geoprocessing tasks.

In this exercise you will:

access GIS data

preview data in ArcCatalog

begin an ArcMap document

use common tools in ArcMap

select features in ArcMap

export and save a map


Connecting to folders in 2

ArcCatalog and copying data

1. Begin by opening ArcCatalog. You will find a shortcut to this software on the desktop or via the Start button under All Programs.

By default, ArcCatalog is only connected to a limited number of folders. You need to connect to other folders and files you want to be able to use in ArcCatalog.

2. Click the Connect to folder button. This will open

the Connect to Folder dialog box. 3. Navigate to the folder you want to connect to

ArcCatalog. Select that folder and click OK.

This will include the location where data for this exercise is stored as well as your portable memory device. Your instructor

will let you know where the data for this exercise is stored.

For this exercise, we will use the Lab\Dataset data folder. You will

need to copy the data onto your own computer or personal

memory device.

4. In ArcCatalog, navigate to the folder that contains the

exercise data and click OK.

Exploring the Fundamentals of GIS by Scott Crosier

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Exploring data in ArcCatalog

Now you will use several tools available in ArcCatalog to explore the data available.

ArcCatalog is organized much like you would find in Windows Explorer. On the left side you find a catalog tree pane which displays available files. These include the default files as well as the files that you have connected to in the previous step. On the right is the data frame pane. You will explore these tabs.

The contents tab again, looks like what you would find in

windows Explorer with one exception. This tab will only

display file folders and spatial data usable in ArcGIS.

1. Explore the folders found in the Dataset data file.

You will notice that each sub-folder has at least one file. These are all spatial data files referred to as Shapefiles.

2. In the catalog tree pane, select the Pakistan Shapefile Folder. 3. Click the Preview tab.

You will be given a message that states that the selection cannot be previewed. The Preview tab is used to preview spatial data.

4. In the catalog tree, navigate to, and select a Shapefile.

You will notice several changes. First, you can see a preview of your Shapefile. Also, you notice that the tools in the Geography toolbar are now active. Finally, you will notice at the bottom of the pane a drop down menu to modify the preview format. You will explore the tools on the Geography toolbar as well as some of the preview options.


Catalog Tree Data View Pane Pane

Geography toolbar active

Preview of data

Preview drop down options


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To the right, you will see the function of each of the tools on the Geography toolbar.

5. Click and use the Zoom In, Zoom Out and Pan tools to navigate around the Shapefile preview.

6. Click the Full Extent button to return to viewing the

full extent of the Shapefile in the data view pane. 7. Click the Identify tool to use that tool and then click on

one of the features in the Shapefile.

The Identify results dialog box will open. This dialog box displays all of the information stored in the attribute table for that particular feature. Now, you will preview the attribute table in ArcCatalog.

8. Close the Identify Results dialog box by clicking the red

X in the upper right hand corner. 9. Click the drop down menu at the bottom of the data view

pane and select Table.

This will change the data view window to a tabular display. Each row in the table corresponds to a feature in the shapefile.

You will now be using this data in ArcMap. Return to the Content tab.

Want More?

• What is metadata and what does the description tab display? • What does the Create Thumbnails tool do?


Zoom Pan Identify in

Zoom Full Create Out Extent Thumbnails


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Creating a new ArcMap

Document

1. Open ArcMap.

This can be done several ways. You can access the shortcut via the desktop or Start command button. Also, if you have ArcCatalog open, you can click the Launch ArcMap button on the Standard tool bar on ArcCatalog.

As ArcMap opens, a dialog box will appear, asking what Map document you want to open.

2. Select A blank map and click OK.

This will close the beginning ArcMap dialog box and open an empty ArcMap document.



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The ArcMap Application

Main Menu

Tools Toolbar (toolbar may be

docked or floating)

Table of Contents

Table of Content Tabs

Data and Layout View Options


Standard Toolbar

Data View Window

Map Cursor Coordinates


Adding data to an ArcMap

Document

There are two ways to add data to an ArcMap document. We will explore both.

1. Click the Add Data button found on the Standard

toolbar. This will open the Add Data dialog box. 2. Navigate to the file folder where you stored the

California data. Navigate into the Outline folder and select cal_ base.shp.

The Add Data dialog box will navigate to connected folders. The Connect to Folder button is available on the toolbar in this dialog box.

3. Click Add to add the cal-base Shapefile to the

map document.

The other method to add data to an ArcMap document is to drag and drop the data directly from ArcCatalog.

4. Arrange both the ArcMap interface and the ArcCatalog

interface so you can see both applications on your screen. 5. In ArcCatalog catalog tree, Navigate to the folder

where you stored the Pakistan shapefile data and navigate directly into one of the data folders so the Shapefile appears in the Data View pane.

6. Left Click on the Shapefile icon and hold the left

mouse button down.



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7. While holding the mouse button down, drag your mouse over to the Table of Contents on ArcMap. A thick black line will appear in the Table of Contents.

8. Move your mouse up and down so the thick black line is in

the correct level where you would like to place your data. 9. Release the mouse button.

The Shapefile will be placed in the ArcMap Document. 10. Continue to add other data from the California data

folder to the ArcMap document using either method.

Helpful Hints • The data frame will use the same mea-surement units and projection (known as the spatial reference) as the first layer you add. If you add a layer that had a different spa-tial reference, a dialog box will let you know. ArcMap will automatically re-project the data to match the spatial reference of the data frame.

• As data is added to an ArcMap Docu-ment, the data will be ‘stacked’ on top of each other. This will make it difficult to see the bottom layer if the top layer covers the entire area. To rearrange the data in the table of contents, you can left click the layer name and drag it higher or lower in the table of contents. (Make sure you have checked “List by Drawing Order”)



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Changing Basic Symbology

In the task, you will modify the basic symbology of the Shapefiles in ArcMap. Later in the manual, you will learn more advanced symbology methods.

Before we begin, be sure you have added the Streams, Hospitals, Main_Roads, Commercial_Areas, and Islamabad_District Shapefiles from Islamabad folder to your ArcMap document.

1. Left click the layer symbol you wish to modify.

This will open the Symbol Selector dialog box. You may choose one of the preset symbols or modify the fill and outline properties.

2. If you choose to use one of the preset symbols, click

on the preset symbol and jump to step 6 below. 3. Click the drop down menu to the right of the fill color

and select the color you wish for the fill color. 4. Click the drop down menu to the right of the outline color

and select the color you wish for the outline color. 5. Modify the thickness of the outline using the Outline

Width value. You may use the up and down arrows or type in a value. Your symbol settings will be shown in the Preview box.

6. Click OK to close the Symbol Selector dialog box

and apply the changes you made.

Helpful Hints

Expand or Collapse

Symbology

View or Hide Layer


Data Frame Name

Layer Name

Layer Symbol

Symbol Preview

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• The Symbol Selector dialog box will give options applica-ble to point, line or (as shown to the right) polygon features depending on the type of feature you are using. • When working with polygons, you can choose No Color for the fill if you would like to have hollow symbols. You can also choose No Color for the outline if you would like to eliminate the boundary lines.


Preset 6

Symbols

Navigating in ArcMap

In this exercise, we will explore some of the basic tools found on the Tools toolbar.

1. Select the Zoom In tool. 2. Click and drag a box around F-8 Markaz. 3. Select the Identify tool.

This will open the Identify dialog box. 4. Click on F-8 Markaz.

This will flash the lake in green and populate the Identify dialog

box with all of the information from the attribute table. 5. Click the Fixed Zoom Out button.

This will zoom out, allowing you to see more area surrounding F-8 Markaz.

6. Click on the other lakes surrounding F-8 Markaz to get

the names and other information about the surrounding.


Fixed Zoom In and Zoom to Select Select

Fixed Zoom Out Full Extent Features Elements Search Measure

Zoom In and

Pan Previous Clear Identify Go To Hyperlink

Zoom Out and Next Selected XY

Extent Features


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7. Hide the Hospitals layer using the View/Hide

Layer check box in the table of contents.

9. Use the identify tool to identify the names of the roads surrounding of F-8 Markaz.

10. Select the Pan tool.

The pan tool in ArcMap acts just as it does in many other applications, such as Adobe Reader.

11. Click the map and hold down the mouse button. 12. Drag the map to include another portion of the

lake boundary. 13. Release the mouse button.

The data frame now displays the new region your panned to.

14. Click the Previous Extent tool.

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This will display the previous extent that you were viewing.

15. Click the Next Extent tool.

This will display the next extent that you were viewing in the sequence of viewing various extents.


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Selecting features in ArcMap:

basic skills

1. Click the Full extent button on the Tools toolbar. 2. Select the Select Features tool. 3. Click and drag a box covering the cluster of Hospitals.

This will select all of the features from all of the layers that intersected with your bounding box.

4. Right Click the Hospitals layer name in the Table of

Contents. 5. Select Open Attribute Table.

This will open the attribute table associated with the Hospitals layer. The Hospitals features that you selected in the data

frame are also selected in the attribute table. 6. Scroll up and down in the Attribute Table for

Hospitals.

The Hospitals features that you selected in the data frame are also selected in the attribute table.

7. Click the Clear Selected Features button on the

tools toolbar.


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8. Click the Small box on the far-left side of the top row on the attribute table. This will select the top feature.

9. Close the Hospitals attribute table.

10. Click Selection on the Main Menu and Select Zoom to

Selected Feature.

11. Click the Full Extent button on the Tools toolbar to return to a full view of the Islamabad.

Want More?

• What do the remainder of the tools on the Tools toolbar do? Explore the other tools. Later in the manual you will learn more about the Hyperlink tool.


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Save and export an ArcMap

document

In this task you will save you map document and learn to

export your map in a variety of formats.

1. Modify your map including the extent shown in the data

frame, layers turned on or off, and the symbology of the

layers.

2. Click Clear Selected Features on the Tools toolbar.

3. Click File on the Main menu and select Save.

This will open the Save As dialog box.

4. Navigate to the folder where you stored the other

Islamabad data.

5. Specify a name for your map document.

Helpful Hints

• Remember that the ArcMap

document does not save a copy of the

data, it only saves the file path to the data. If you move or modify your data, you will loose that data in your ArcMap document. • An ArcMap document will save the symbology, spatial extent, and other many settings.


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6. Click Save to save your map document. 7. Click File on the Main menu and select Export

Map. This will open the Export Map dialog box.

8. Navigate to the folder where you would like to export a copy of your map.

9. Specify a name for your exported copy of your map. 10. Using the drop down menu, choose the format in which

you would like to export your map. 11. Click Save to export a copy of your map.

Want More? • When you export and are viewing the Data View you export just what is in that Data View. What happens if you are Layout View? Feel free to play with the Lay-out View, Layout drop down button on the Main menu and the Layout toolbar. You will learn more about the Layout View and adjusting layouts later in this manual.


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exercise 1: getting to know arcgis · exercise 1: getting to know arcgis connecting to folders in 2...

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