Intro to ArcGIS Kate Dougherty, Geosciences & Maps Librarian Tutorial created for version 10.1 in February 2013
Overview What is GIS? Common uses Software Interface & navigation Adding layers Customizing & displaying layers Select features by attribute Select features by location Buffer features tool Layout view Datums & projections File management Data sources
What is GIS? Geographic Information Systems (GIS) is a computer-based methodology for collecting, managing, analyzing, modeling, and presenting geographic or spatial data. Allows you to overlay datasets and query them in terms of their spatial relation to each other
Two Types of Spatial Data Raster - continuous data – E.G., air photos, scanned maps, elevation layers – Most remote sensing data is raster data Vector - discrete features – A layer comprised of individual points, lines or polygons (e.g., roads or states) – This presentation focuses on vector data
Common Uses Analyzing potential environmental hazards Emergency services planning and routing Siting new facilities: – wind farms – power plants – vineyards Identifying food deserts in urban areas Much more!
Esri Environmental Systems Research Institute ESRI is now Esri Industry leader for GIS software Program is ArcGIS/ArcMap – Now up to version – (This presentation done with V. 10)
Table of contents that shows the doc’s layers. The “data frame” that displays the spatial data.
Go to full map extent Go to previous extent Go to next extent Select features (by hand) Clear selected features Select elements (to move or edit) Identify feature Add data
Project: Identify Washington County Parcels Near Perennial Streams
Add Layers States (Census Bureau) Counties (Census Bureau) Hydrography (Area - National Hydrography Dataset) Hydrography (Area - National Hydrography Dataset) Parcels (Washington County – Wash_Co_Data_Month_Year.zip) Parcels (Washington County – Wash_Co_Data_Month_Year.zip) Public lands (GeoStor)
Click to add data
Coordinate Systems All your layers may not necessarily use the same coordinate system. – OK to draw and display – Not OK for detailed analysis (need to reproject layers – advanced step)reproject layers Data frame will use the coordinate system of the first layer that’s added – (displays feet, meters, or decimal degrees/lat/long of cursor location in bottom-right corner, depending on coordinate system)
View With All Layers Added
Zoomed to Washington County
State layer renamed Rename States Layer
Open the Attribute Table
Customizing Layers Select by Attribute Tool
Selection is Highlighted
New Layer is Added to Map
Arkansas Only Remaining State
Changing the Display of Layers Change symbology/colors Turn individual layers on or off Change the display order – Layers on map display according to their order in the table of contents – Top layers may hide features in layers under them – Click & drag a layer in the table of contents to change its display order on the map
Change the Display Order
Change Symbology of Layers
Change Color of Streams
New Symbologies Displayed
Clip Streams to Washington County Clip Tool
Access Clip in Geoprocessing Menu
Clip Tool Dialog Box
Clip Tool Progress Indicator
Clip Completed Indicator
Change Symbology of New Clipped Hydro Layer
New Clipped File Looks Great!
Analysis We will find parcels that: – Contain perennial streams And note their status in the parcel layer’s attribute table.
Add New Columns to Attribute Table
Field Types Whole Numbers Short Integer (integers from -32,768 to 32,767) Long Integer (integers from - 2,147,483,648 to 2,147,483,647) Decimals Double (up to 6 decimal places) Float (unlimited # of decimal places)
Task: Select Parcels with a Perennial Stream
View Selected in Attribute Table
View Selected Records Only
Task: Select Parcels in a “flood Zone” Within a Distance of Perennial Streams Use the buffer tool to draw a “buffer zone” around specified features
Manage Files with ArcCatalog File manager for files used in ArcMap Best to manage moving pieces this way, instead of Windows Explorer
ArcCatalog Window
Use ArcCatalog to View Metadata
Share Maps and Layers with Packages Package up all the information used to create a layer or map document for easy sharing by , a shared drive on the LAN, etc. Right-click a layer in the TOC and select “Create Layer Package”
Share a Map Package To package up an entire map document for sharing, use File | Create Map Package
ArcMap will force you to create some limited metadata before creating a sharable package. Click OK.
Creating Packages Save the package as a file and share as you usually would You must “validate” your package before saving – Detects any errors that would impede sharing
Validation Any errors need to be corrected. Click on any error messages to see a help document. Warnings are warnings only – can go ahead and publish. If no problems, the share button will become active.
What Else Can You Do with GIS? Join stats based on geography (i.e., states) to a states GIS layer and view the data spatially – Excel, CSV, text formats Create/digitize your own data import GPS data Analyze viewsheds and shadows Use web map services for mashups in your own applications Much more!
GIS Software at University of Arkansas Reference desk machine (version 10.1) Campus-wide license – administered by the Center for Advanced Spatial Technologies (CAST) Free software
Sources of GIS Data Search for selected base layers (reference maps) from right within the application GeoStor (Arkansas state portal) GeoStor geo.data.gov (federal portal) geo.data.gov National Map (USGS) TIGER/Census Shapefiles (reference layers – boundaries, roads) TIGER/Census Shapefiles
LibGuide The Maps, GIS and Remote Sensing LibGuide can point you to:Maps, GIS and Remote Sensing LibGuide – Information on how to get Esri software through the campus license – Resources for learning GIS – Sources of GIS data (spatial and attribute)
Good luck! Thank you!