Arch.Plan.258 | Shape of the City | Spring.2003
Instructions For Using GIS Software
If you’ve never used GIS before, don’t be intimidated. ArcView is friendly and easy to use. For these instructions to work, you’ll have to be logged on to one of the PC’s on the architecture school’s network (our Macs don’t have the software for it). We realize that some students won’t have computing accounts here—please take that as an opportunity to make some friends and work with someone who’s in the A-school. Or you’re also welcome to get in touch with James and he’ll be happy to help you out. Students of the class have read-only access to the GIS information, so if you want to save anything, you’ll have to do it on your own disk or another of the network drives (scantemp, local temp drives, etc.)
To open the Charlottesville GIS maps:
Click on the “start” icon in the lower left of the screen.
Select “Programs”
Select “GIS”
Select “ArcView GIS 3.3”
Select “ArcView GIS 3.3”
A screen automatically comes up which invites you to create a new project or open an existing one. Select “Open an existing project” and click “OK.”
The “Open Project” dialogue box should appear. In the lower right, where it says “Drives”, select g:\\Olmsted\classes.
In the window above the drives,
double click “arch_plan_258_barton_sp03”
double click “cville documentation”
double click “gis”
Finally, in the window to the left, double click on “gis_charlottesville.apr” (which should be the only option).
The map should be open in front of you.
To adjust your view of the map:
In the toolbar along the top, you should see a magnifying glass with a plus, a magnifying glass with a minus, and a hand. These are pretty self-explanatory: the magnifying glasses zoom in and out (the map recenters on where you click to zoom) and the hand lets you pan on the map.
To alter what information is on the map:
You’ll see a list on the left of the screen that describes the information on each layer (structures, roads, pedestrian areas, etc.) You can turn a layer on and off simply by clicking the box to the left of the layer’s name—a checkmark in the box means that a layer is turned on.
If you want to alter the appearance of a layer, double click on the layer’s name. A dialogue box will appear. Double click on the “symbol” (a jagged, colored line). Here you can change the style and thickness of the line, and if you’d like to select a new color, click on the paintbrush in the upper right of the dialogue box.
To print a map:
ArcView will only print and save what’s visible on the screen, so get zoomed in and centered to your satisfaction before printing.
Once you’re content, select “Print” from the file menu. From there, click “Setup” to select which printer you want to send your file to and what size you want it to be printed at. It will automatically scale the image to fit the paper size.
You can change the printing resolution, but there’s really no need to make it any higher than 300dpi—you’ll just clog up the print queues.
To save a map:
One of ArcView’s flaws is that it does an abysmal job of saving maps—if you simply select “Export” under the File menu, you’ll get a really low resolution image.
Never fear—there’s a solution. First, get the map zoomed and centered how you want it. Then go to “Print”. You’ll see a box to click that says “Print to File.” Select that, then use the “Browse” button to the right to tell the computer where you want it saved. Name your file in the box after “To file:” and then click “Print.” It’ll come out as an EPS file, which is easily read by Photoshop. Be warned—these files can get pretty hefty.
Don’t forget that you’ll only have read-only access to the information—you’ll have to save it somewhere else.
If you have any further questions, don’t hesitate to ask around or get in touch with James. Happy mapping!