ArcMap Exercise 1 February 29, 2000
Getting Started
· Launch ArcCatalog: Double-click GIS Applications, then ArcInfo, then ArcCatalog.
· In preparation for this exercise
o Disconnect all folders except C:\DEMO & C:\USR
o Create a new folder under C:\USR and call it Arcmap
§ To do this right click on the folder C:\USR in the ArcCatalog Tree and go to NEW then FOLDER type in Arcmap
o Disconnect folder C:\USR and make a direct connection to C:\USR\ARCMAP
o Using ArcCatalog, create a layer from the raster image 24726994 in C:\DEMO\RASTER DATASETS to your working directory C:\USR\ARCMAP using the create layer function from the previous exercise, call it Somewhere_in_Dallas
o Now Right-click on the folder C:\USR\ARCMAP and create a new personal geodatabase and call it Arcmap
o Navigate back to C:\DEMO\Personal Geodatabase
o Make sure the ArcCatalog window is on the contents tab
o In the ArcCatalog tree expand the Texas Personal Geodatabase
o Right click on the dalareacount_polygon feature class and goto export “Geodatabase to Geodatabase” Wizard
o Select the newly created ArcMap as the Output Geodatabase and create a new Feature Dataset called Dallas in the process
o In the ArcCatalog window and click on the Dallas_County Feature Dataset
o And select both the dal_zips_polygon and the dal_tri_sites_point feature classes.
o Right-click and goto export “Geodatabase to Geodatabase” Wizard
o IMPORTANT….At the bottom of the dialog box you will see a column that says “OUTPUT DATABASE”
o Click both rows of this column
o GOTO “OUTPUT GEODATABASE” and navigate to and select the geodatabase you created in C:\USR\ArcMap
o Do the same for Feature Dataset
o Make sure all Columns at bottom for Output Database Output Feature Dataset, and Output Feature Class are correct. These should be filled in with the desination database Feature Dataset, and Feature class
o Make sure the button immediately above this on the right of the dialog box says “BATCH”
o Click OK
o In C:\USR\ARCMap, the ARCMAP Geodatabase you should now have a feature Dataset called Dallas containing the dalareacount_polygon, dal_zips_polygon and the dal_tri_sites_point feature classes.
Launch ArcMap
· Launch ArcMap from the ArcMap Icon in ArcCatalog
· BE PATIENT!!!! Do not click twice on ArcMap Icon.
· When ArcMap Starts you will get a “SPLASH” screen and arrive at a startup dialog box with four options
o Create a new map
o Open the last map you were using
o Open an existing map.
o Create a new map using a map template
· Choose Open an exiting map
· Browse to C:\DEMO\Maps & choose Ntexas.mxd and open it.
· Click Start using ArcMap.
· Do not close ArcCatalog yet just minimize it.
· Note: You can browse the TIPS by clicking the NEXT button on the left side of the startup dialog box
Make a data frame active
· Right-click the data frame Surrounding Dallas Counties in the table of contents.
· Click Activate.
· You can also click the frame in layout view to activate it.
Look at the Data Frame Properties
· Right-click the data frame Surrounding Dallas Counties in the table of contents.
· Goto Properties
Switch to data view
· Make sure you have the Surrounding Dallas Counties Data Frame Enabled
· Click the View menu on the Standard toolbar.
· Click Data View.
· The ArcMap window displays the active data frame.
Reference data on the map
When you add a layer to your map, ArcMap references the data source the layer is based on. When you save the map, the data references are stored with it. The next time you open your map, ArcMap locates the data based on the references.
· To check the data sources click on the ‘Source’ tab at the bottom of the Table of Contents
Update a link to a data source to match your Geodatabase
· In the table of contents, right-click the layer ‘Dallas County Zip Codes’ in the ‘Surrounding Dallas Counties’ Data Frame and click Properties.
· Click the Source tab.
· Click Set Data Source.
· Click the Look in dropdown arrow and navigate to the data source.
· Click the data source in your Arcmap geodatabase dal_zips_polygon
· Click Add.
· Do the same for Dallas Area Counties Layer with c:\usr\arcmap\arcmap geodatabase\dalareacount_polygon
· Click the display tab again
Hide and show toolbars from the View menu
· Click View and point to Toolbars.
· Check a toolbar to show it.
· Uncheck a toolbar to hide it.
· For now show only Main Menu, Standard, Tools, and Layout Toolbars
NOTE: Any toolbar can be docked at the top or bottom or to the left or right side of the ArcMap or ArcCatalog windows. Alternatively, toolbars can float on the desktop while functioning as part of the application. When you dock a toolbar, it is moved and resized with the application’s window. To prevent a toolbar from docking, hold down the Ctrl key while dragging it.
· Play with the tool bars by docking, undocking, repositioning, etc.
Tip -You can access the toolbars list without using the View menu. Simply right-click any toolbar, the status bar, or the title bar of the Table of Contents in ArcMap or the Catalog Tree in ArcCatalog.
Add data from ArcCatalog
· Launch ArcCatalog from the standard toolbar within ArcMap
· Arrange the ArcCatalog and ArcMap windows so that you can see both on the screen.
· Navigate to the data source you want to add to the map from the C:\USR\Arcmap\somewhere_in_dallas layer
· Click and drag the data source from ArcCatalog to the Surrounding Dallas Counties Data Frame and drop the data source over the Data Frame in ArcMap (NOT the Table of Contents.)
· ArcMap creates a new layer on the map that references the data source.
· Close ArcCatalog
Add the data you want to edit
Before you can use the Editor, you must add the data you want to edit to your map. The Editor is designed to work with datasets in shapefile, coverage, or geodatabase format.
· Make sure you are in the Surrounding Dallas Counties Data Frame
· From ArcMap Click the Add Data button .
· Navigate to the location of your data C:\USR\ARCMAP\ARCMAP Geodatabase
· Click on dal_tri_sites_point and click Add.
· The data is added to your map.
Find, Zoom to, Flash and Create a spatial bookmark from features using the Find dialog box
· Click the Find button on the Tools toolbar.
· Fill in the dialog box to find the features you want. In this case type Du Pont.
· Search all layers
· Hit the Find button and you will see a single result for the E.I. Du Pont ……
· Right-click the Value in the Find Results list to show a context menu
· Click Zoom to Feature(s)
· Right-click again and click Flash Feature
· Right-click again and click Set Bookmark.
· The bookmark is named after the feature.
· Close the find dialog box
· Zoom to the full extent
Use a spatial bookmark
· Click the View menu, point to Bookmarks, and click the name of the bookmark you just created
· The bookmarked display appears.
Open magnifier and overview windows
When you don’t want to adjust your map display, yet you want to see things a bit differently—see more detail or get an overview of an area—open another window. ArcMap provides two additional ways to explore the spatial data on your map, through an overview and a magnifier window.
The magnifier window works like a magnifying glass; as you pass the window over the data, you see a magnified view of the location under the window. Moving the window around does not affect the current map display.
The overview window shows you the full extent of the data. A small box in the overview window represents the currently displayed area on the map. You can move this box around to pan the map and also shrink or enlarge it to zoom in or out. Both windows operate ONLY in data view.
Open an overview window to pan and zoom the map
· Click the Window menu and click Overview.
· Drag, shrink, or expand the box in the overview window to change the map display in the active data frame.
· Right-click on the Overview Window Title Bar and goto properties
· Select Dallas County Zip Codes for the reference layer
· Click on the Area of Interest Symbol and click Hollow then OK
· Hit Apply then OK
Open a magnifier window and set the view
· Click the Window menu and click Magnifier.
· Right-click on the Magnifier Window Title Bar select “update while dragging” then goto properties select 800% and apply
· Drag the magnifier window over the data to see a magnified view.
· Right-click on the title bar and click Snapshot to lock the view.
· Leave the magnifier and overview windows open
Make a layer selectable
· Click Selection and point to Set Selectable Layers.
· Check the check boxes next to the layer names you want to be able to select. Uncheck the boxes next to the names you don’t want to be able to select. Layers whose names are unchecked are still visible in your map, but cannot be selected.
· In this case check only dal_tri_sites_point
Start an edit session
· Add the Editor toolbar.
· Click the Editor menu and click Start Editing.
· You will be asked which folder or database you want to edit from, be sure and edit from C:\USR
· The Editor toolbar is now active.
· Under Task drop down menu select modify a feature.
· The target will say dal_tri_sites_point.
· If you had multiple feature you would have multiple targets and could switch among the targets to edit
Select features using the Edit tool and Modify the feature and the Feature Attributes
· Drag the Magnifier Window over the Point that you flashed when searching for Du Pont and make sure it is at least 1000% magnification.
· Notice that the point for Du Pont is not exactly on the building itself
· Click the Edit tool
· Move the pointer over the point feature in the magnifier windows and click the mouse.
· The point will become light blue with an X through it
· Move the edit tool back over the point and you will get a directional arrow indicating the feature is ready to be moved.
· Click on the feature and drag it on top of the Du Pont Building and release the mouse button
· NOTE: you can undo edits by going to UNDO button on the standard toolbar.
· Do not stop editing yet
· Goto next step
Modify attributes
· Click on the attribute table button located on the editor toolbar
· Click the primary display field of the feature whose attribute value you want to modify.
· Click the value in the Value column Telephon and add a phone number 555-1212
· Press Enter. The attribute value is modified for the feature.
· Close the attribute table
· Goto the editor toolbar and Save Edits
· You have now modified a feature and edited the attribute information.
· Close the attribute table
· Do not stop editing yet
· Goto next step
Tips - To select more than one feature, hold down the Shift key while you click the features. Or use the Edit tool to drag a box around a group of features. To remove features from the selection set, hold down the Shift key while you click the features. To move the selection anchor, move the pointer over it, press the Ctrl key, and drag the selection anchor to the desired location.
Tips - To modify attributes of all selected features in a layer, click the layer name, then click in the Value column and type the new attribute value and press Enter. To undo edits, click the Undo button on the ArcMap Standard toolbar. When editing attributes, you can do calculations using the field calculator in the feature layer’s attribute table dialog box. For more information, see ‘Working with tables’ in the Help Contents.
Create a point by digitizing
· Continue editing the dal_tri_site_point by adding a point
· To do this click the Current Task dropdown arrow and click Create New Feature.
· Make sure the Target Layer dropdown list is still on dal_tri_sites_point layer.
· Click the tool palette dropdown arrow and click the Sketch tool (looks like a pencil).
· Click on the map to create the point. The point or vertex is created on your map and marked as selected.
· You can now open the attribute table and begin adding attribute information to the new feature.
Tip - The snapping environment can help you create points or vertices at more exact locations relative to other features. For more information, see Use the snapping environment ArcInfo Help.
Change the TRI symbol shape and color
· To quickly change the symbol features are drawn with, click (once) the symbol in the table of contents to display the Symbol Selector.
· Select the desired symbol, change properties, add symbols, etc.
· To quickly change the color of a symbol, right-click the symbol in the table of contents to display a Color Selector.
Switch back to layout view
· Click the View menu on the Standard toolbar.
· Click Layout View.
· The ArcMap window displays the active data frame in the layout view.
Copy a layer between data frames
· In the table of Contents, right-click the layer you want to copy (dal_tri_sites_point) in the Surrounding Dallas Counties Data frame and click Copy.
· Right-click the data frame you want to copy the layer into (75146 Zip Code Boundary) and click Paste.
· Just for grins go back to the FIND button and search all layers for Du Pont
· Right-click and Flash both query results.
In the next step you will create labels for the Dallas Area Counties, and create an annotation class in your working directory geodatabase based on those labels.
Switch to Data View
· Click the view menu on the Standard toolbar.
· Click Data View.
· The ArcMap window displays the active data frame
Remove existing annotation
· In the Surrounding Dallas Counties data frame uncheck the County Annotation Layer and watch what happens
· Next, right-click on the county annotation layer and remove it completely
Label all features in a layer dynamically
· First, right-click on the Dallas Area Counties Layer and click on label features
· Notice you see only Texas popping up as labels
· Right-click again and click on labels and Texas will disappear
· In the table of contents, right-click the Dallas Area Counties Layer and click Properties.
· Click the Labels tab.
· Check Label Features.
· Click the Label Field dropdown arrow and click the field you want to use as a label CNTY_NAME.
· Click OK.
· You have now created labels for the features.