ArcGIS Desktop II: Tools and Funtionality

2008 Schedule

Nov 18-20

2009 Schedule

Feb 17-19

May 19-21

Aug 18-20

Nov 17-19

Purpose of the Course

ArcGIS Desktop software is an integrated system that includes all the tools needed to get the most out of a GIS. This course teaches the range of functionality available in the software and the essential tools for visualizing, creating, managing, and analyzing geographic data. The hands-on course exercises emphasize practice with ArcMap and ArcCatalog (the primary applications included with ArcGIS Desktop software) to perform common GIS tasks and workflows. The tools for creating and managing geographic data, displaying data on maps in different ways, and combining and analyzing data to discover patterns and relationships are highlighted, and you learn how ArcGIS Desktop provides a complete GIS software solution. By the end of the course, you will be prepared to start working with the software on your own.

This course is designed for those with an education in or workplace experience with GIS but no ArcGIS software experience. This course assumes knowledge of basic GIS concepts.

Topics Covered

Investigating geographic data

How geographic data is stored; Vector and raster data; Geodatabase basics and advantages; Shapefiles; Coverages; CAD data; Managing data in ArcCatalog; Displaying data in ArcMap; ArcMap basics; Data and layers

Managing map layers

Zooming to layers; Bookmarks; Display windows; Scale ranges; Group layers; Selection layers; Layer files; Creating hyperlinks

Symbolizing categorical data

Symbology; Choosing symbology; Types of symbols (marker, line, fill); Creating symbols

Symbolizing quantitative data

Symbology options (graduated colors, graduated symbols, proportional symbols, dot density, charts); Classification methods (Natural Breaks, Equal Interval, Quantile, Manual); Excluding data from a classification; Rendering raster data

Labeling map features

Label placement for different feature types (points, lines, polygons); Label symbology; Controlling label display using scale range and SQL query; Label classes; Label expressions; Label ranks and weights; What is annotation?; Geodatabase annotation; Map annotation

Using coordinate systems and map projections

What is a coordinate system?; Geographic coordinate systems; Datums; Projected coordinate systems; Map projections; Feature classes and coordinate systems; Data frames and coordinate systems; Geographic transformations; Working with an unknown coordinate system; Projecting data; Defining a projection

Making a map layout

Working in layout view; Tools for arranging map elements; Data frame properties for layouts; Adding legends, scale bars, and other map elements; Exporting maps; Working with map templates.

Managing tables

Table structure; Layer attribute tables; Nonspatial tables; Getting information from tables; Field properties; Table appearance; Creating graphs and reports; Connecting tables using joins and relates; Cardinality.

Editing features and attributes

Reasons to edit data; Working with the Editor toolbar; Edit sketches; Common editing tools; Edit tasks; Snapping to features while editing; Editing attributes; Calculating values for geometry fields; Working with coincident geometry in a map topology; Typical editing workflow.

Creating geodatabases and feature classes

Types of geodatabases; Geodatabase organization; Feature class organization; Feature class properties and attributes; Metadata; Creating, viewing, and editing metadata; Importing and exporting metadata; Creating features in a new feature class.

Getting locations from attributes

Adding x,y coordinate data; Finding places and addresses; Finding routes and nearby places; Geocoding; Geocoding components (address table, address locator, reference data); Address matching overview; Geocoding workflow; Reference data sources.

Solving spatial problems with query and analysis

GIS analysis basics; Typical analysis workflow; Common analysis operations (attribute and spatial queries, clipping data from layers, buffering features, overlaying features); Overview of geoprocessing; Analysis results.

Customizing ArcGIS Desktop

Why customize the interface?; Customize dialog box; Locating commands; Adding new toolbars, commands, and menus; Saving customizations; Saving to a template; Storing templates.

Last modified 8/11/08