Fundamentals of ArcGIS 10.4.1

53 Pages·2016·11.97 MB·English

Laboratory Topic 1:
Getting Started - Fundamentals of ArcGIS 10.4.1

[ LAEP/GEOG c188 ]

This semester you will learn how to operate and undertake analysis within a Geographic Information System. The applied side of
processing digital spatial data will begin in the computer laboratory sections.
At each lab session you will be given a new tutorial to work on. The contents of these tutorials serve to support laboratory
assignments that you will hand in throughout the semester.
All assignments will be submitted by posting it to your class bCourses site before the due date.
DO NOT get behind in your laboratory tutorials or assignments.

Note: Some this of the graphics in module are from ESRI’s ArcGIS Resource Center
Three Laboratory Chapters:
The labs are grouped into three chapters:
In the first chapter (Labs 1-3) you learn how to browse a GIS using the software (this semester ArcGIS version 10.4.1). You will learn
to work with data that is already processed into a dataset. You will use the software to discover data properties, undertake queries
and produce map layouts and prepare a paper plot. This section will conclude with a map competition where you will produce a map
for our "Best Map Contest".

The second chapter (Labs 4-6) will help you to build your own data set. You will: i) integrate data from public and private sources with
your GIS, ii) learn how to identify and manage data projections and datums, and iii) digitize some data from a digital ortho-photo,
create "Topology" in your graphic line work, and combine spatial with non-spatial attribute data.
The third chapter (Labs 7- 10) evolves using the database for spatial analysis and modeling purposes. Analyzing data with a GIS
means modeling real world problems on the basis of a spatial data. Results of your analysis enlarge the database and can be used for
further modeling tasks. In this chapter the power of a GIS will become apparent and you will hopefully realize its potential. In this
chapter we will explore the use of the third spatial dimension ("z") and build surfaces.

Submit all assignments as .PDF pages to our class bCourses site.
https://bcourses.berkeley.edu
The purpose of this laboratory is to become familiar with: the computer lab, the GIS software, adding data to the GIS browser,
manipulating mapped layers and changing colors, and saving your results. You will become skilled at capturing and saving the
graphics from the mapped screen, producing a .PDF file that contains your written homework assignments, and submitting those
assignments to the class bCourses for grading.

In this first lab you simply start the Map Browser called ArcMap 10.4.1 and make a few simple maps using
the data provided from a data set about the main UCB campus and Strawberry Canyon. The main components of the ArcGIS 10.4.1
interface and most important concepts are briefly described here and you are encouraged to explore and become familiar with them.

GIS Specific Learning objectives: i) Displaying data as a map.
ii) Navigating a map.
iii) Browsing feature attributes.

NOTE: This is a very long tutorial document as I assume you know very little about producing a GIS lab
assignment here in Berkeley and I may have included many things that you may already know. Spend time
and work through this laboratory. The later laboratory documents will not be as detailed nor will they be as
long.
ArcGIS 10.4.1:

Desktop GIS includes and that contain
A Spatial Browser is a software package that allows one to browse through a spatial database or Geographic Information System
(GIS). With the release of ArcGIS, ESRI has created a single, graphic user interface that allows users to easily perform spatial and
attribute queries and display the results on the screen or a plot.

The latest version of ArcGIS (version 10.4.1) includes application environments such as: ArcMap, ArcScene, ArcCatalog and
ArcToolbox (which can be launched within the other three environments). ArcGIS 10.4.1 goes beyond the simple concept of a
browser and is a fully functional GIS. What distinguishes a desktop GIS from a spatial browser is that it is not only able to look at data,
it can also create new data by analyzing, modeling and transforming the data base itself. In this lab tutorial we will treat ArcMap much
like a browser by looking at the different ways we can classify and display the same data layers.

For much of this semester we will be taking advantage of ArcGIS 10.4.1 and some of its analytical tools.
The student version of this software (that should be downloaded and installed on your laptop in the first week) contains a limited but
very powerful version of ArcGIS.
The ArcGIS 10.4.1 interface is comprised of four components:

1) ArcMap: the central application in the ArcGIS. It is the GIS application used for all map based tasks
including cartography, map analysis, and editing. In this application, you work with maps. The maps are contained and manipulated in
a Data Frame that consists of a Table of Contents and a graphic or map screen. This software also has a layout window that is a
geographic window with a series of maps, layers, legends, scale bars, North arrows, and other elements

2) ArcCatalog: an application that helps you to organize and manage all of your GIS data. It includes
tools for browsing and finding geographic information, recording and viewing metadata, quickly viewing any data set, and defining the
schema structure for your geographic data layers.

3) ArcScene: allows users to work with and manipulate 3D data and create 2D displays of 3D data.

4) ArcToolbox: a simple application containing many GIS tools used for geo-processing. The number of tools in
a tool box depends on the number of extensions to the software one has purchased. For the most part, we will try to use the tools
within the student version of the software.
GIS functions available in ArcGIS can be accessed through ArcMap, ArcCatalog, ArcScene, or ArcToolbox. Initially, it is easiest to
enter ArcGIS through ArcMap. However, as your software familiarity and needs evolve, it may become more efficient to access
ArcGIS through either ArcCatalog or ArcScene.
ArcMap: the central application in the ArcGIS. It is the GIS application used for all map based tasks including cartography,
map analysis, and editing. In this application, you work with maps. Maps have a page layout containing a geographic window with a
series of layers, legends, scale bars, North arrows, and other elements.
You can launch ArcMap from either a short cut on your desktop or from the Start button (depending on your version
of Windows) on your desktop.
1. Clicking the Start button on the Window taskbar
2. Point to Programs
3. Point to ArcGIS ( you may have to click on ArcGIS)
4. Click ArcMap
This will launch the introductory window (be patient as it takes awhile to load the software). The version we are using this semester is
10.4.1.

Once loaded and the splash screen disappears, the Startup dialog box appears and offers several options for starting your ArcMap
session. Select under New Maps a Blank Map click OK , or just click the cancel button . A new map
window automatically opens.
In order to add data layers to your map you will need to download some data onto your computer. I will provide this data below.
When you first start any laboratory tutorial ...I will likely instruct you to download and unzip all the data for that lab into a working
directory. Once you have a computer account for the computers in 214 Wurster Hall (the laboratory), you will automatically have
access to your own personal space. But data handling and saving your data base is important and your responsibility. Certainly
working on your own computer is easier. Because of path naming issues in GIS software, save yourself huge headaches by storing the
data using the following directory structure:
C:\Temp\YourName\Lab1 so for me it would be C:\Temp\JohnRadke\Lab1
For security reasons students are only allowed to write to their desktop and a temporary directory setup on the C: drive. For safety,
efficiency , and ease download the data for a lab assignment into a work folder you create:
In this example C:\Temp\JohnRadke\Lab1 would look like this:
File names and paths … use only alphanumeric values in your
path and file names. Use an “_” instead of a spaces in names.

Keep the paths short and sweet.

If you have questions, see your GSI.
We will use data for this assignment from the main campus and Strawberry Canyon. Click (or copy and paste the URL) to access the
dataset. You will need to unzip each datafile in order to use it in the ArcGIS software. If you are not familiar with unzipping a datafile,
please see your GSI.

http://ratt.ced.berkeley.edu/downloads/gis_data/data_for_labs.html

Here is the list of data for the main campus
and Strawberry Canyon.