Introduction to ArcGIS

Introduction to ArcGIS

Aim: - Task 1: Introduction to ArcCatalog

            Task 2: Introduction to ArcMap

Introduction: -

ArcGIS is a geographic information system (GIS) for working with maps and geographic information. It is used for: creating and using maps; compiling geographic data; analyzing mapped information; sharing and discovering geographic information; using maps and geographic information in a range of applications; and managing geographic information in a database. The system provides an infrastructure for making maps and geographic information available throughout an organization, across a community, and openly on the Web. ArcGIS includes the following Windows desktop software: ArcReader, which allows one to view and query maps created with the other ArcGIS products; ArcGIS for Desktop, which is licensed under three functionality levels: ArcGIS for Desktop Basic (formerly known as ArcView), which allows one to view spatial data, create layered maps, and perform basic spatial analysis; ArcGIS for Desktop Standard (formerly known as ArcEditor), which in addition to the functionality of ArcView, includes more advanced tools for manipulation of shapefiles and geodatabases; ArcGIS for Desktop Advanced (formerly known as ArcInfo), which includes capabilities for data manipulation, editing, and analysis.

Task 1: Introduction to ArcCatalog

Task 1 introduces ArcCatalog, an application for managing data sets.

Steps:-

Step 1: Start ArcCatalog. ArcCatalog lets you set up connections to your data sources.   Connect to the folder containing the chapter 1 database.

Fig 1.1 - Connecting to database

Fig: 1.2 Contents of the database

Step 2: Click emidalat in the Catalog tree. Click the Preview tab to view the elevation raster. Click emidastrm.shp in the Catalog tree. On the Preview tab, you can preview the geography or table of emidastrm.shp.

Fig 1.3: Preview the geography of emidalat

Fig 1.4: Preview the geography of emidastram.shp

Fig 1.5: Preview the table of emidastram.shp

Step 3:Right-click emidastrm.shp, and the menu shows Copy, Delete, Rename, Create Layer, Export, and Properties. Using the context menu, you can copy emidastrm.shp and paste it to a different folder, rename it, or delete it. A layer file is a visual representation of a data set. The export tool can export a shapefile to a geodatabase, a coverage, and other formats. The properties dialog shows the data set information. Right-click emidalat and select  Properties. The Raster Dataset Properties dialog shows that emidalat is a raster dataset projected onto the Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) coordinate system. Close the dialog.

Fig 1.6: Shows menu

Fig 1.7: Export of shapefile to geodatabase

Fig 1.8: Raster Dataset Properties

Step 4: Right-click the Chapter 1 database in the Catalog tree, point to New, and select   Personal Geodatabase. Click the new geodatabase and rename it Task3.mdb. If the extension .mdb does not appear, select ArcCatalog Options from the Customize menu and on the General tab uncheck the box to hide file extensions.

Fig 1.9: Creating new geodatabase

Fig 1.10: Renamed to Task3.mdb

Step 5: Importing emidalat and emidastrm.shp to Task1.mdb. For the first option, you can   right-click Task1.mdb, point to Import, and select Raster Datasets. In the next dialog, navigate to emidalat, add it for the input raster, and click OK to import.

Fig 1.11: Importing raster datasets

Fig 1.12: Importing importing emidalat to Task1.mdb

Step 6: Now you will use the second option, ArcToolbox, to import emidastrm.shp to Task1.mdb. ArcCatalog’s standard toolbar has a button called ArcToolbox window. Click the button to open ArcToolbox. Right-click ArcToolbox, and select environments. The Environment Settings dialog can let you set the workspace, which is important for most operations. Click the dropdown arrow for Workspace. Navigate to the Chapter 1 database and set it to be the current and scratch workspace. Close the  Environment Settings window. Tools in ArcToolbox are organized into a hierarchy. The tool you need for importing emidastrm.shp resides in the Conversion Tools/To Geodatabase toolset. Double-click Feature Class to Feature Class to open the tool. Select emidastrm.shp for the input features, select Task1.mdb for the output location, specify emidastrm for the output feature class, and click OK. When the import operation is completed, you will see a message at the bottom of the screen. (You will also see a message with a red X if the operation fails.) Right-click Task1.mdb in the Catalog tree and select Refresh. Make sure that the import operations are done.

Fig 1.13: Set the Workspace

Fig 1.14: Feature class to feature class tool

Fig 1.15: Import Emidastm.shp to database

Q1. The number of usable tools in ArcToolbox varies depending on which version of ArcGIS you are using. Go to ArcGIS Desktop Help/ArcGIS Desktop 10 Help/Professional Library/Geoprocessing/ Geoprocessing tool reference. The licensing requirement is explained for each toolset. You will see the file “Conversion toolbox licensing” by opening Conversion toolbox. Is the Feature Class to Feature Class tool for Task 1 available to all three versions of ArcGIS?

Ans: Yes, Feature Class to Feature Class tool for Task 1 available to all three versions of ArcGIS that are ArcView, ArcEditor, ArcInfo.

Task 2: Introduction to ArcMap

Arcmap is the main application for data display, data query, data analysis, and data output.In Task2, you will learn the basics of working with ArcMap. Starting in ArcGIS 10.0, ArcMap has the Catalog window button that lets you open the Catalog Window directly in ArcMap. The Catalog allows you to perform many of the same functions

and tasks such as copy and delete as in ArcCatalog.

Steps:

Step 1: Start ArcMap by clicking the Launch ArcMap button in ArcCatalog or from the Programs menu. Start with a blank map document. ArcMap organizes data sets into data frames (also called maps). You open a new data frame called Layers when you launch ArcMap. Right-click Layers and select Properties. On the General tab, change the name Layers to Task 2 and click OK.

Fig 1.16: Renaming Layers to Task

Step 2: Next add emidalat and emidastrm.shp to Task 2. Click the Add Data button in ArcMap, navigate to the Chapter 1 database, and select emidalat and emidastrm.shp to add.

Fig 1.17: Renaming Layers to Task

Q2. Does ArcMap draw the top layer in the table of contents first?

Ans: Yes, ArcMap draws the top layer in the table of contents first

Step 3: The standard toolbar in ArcMap has such tools as Zoom In, Zoom Out, Pan, Global, Select Elements, and Identify. When you hold the mouse point over a tool, a ToolTip appears in a floating box to tell you the name of the tool and a short message about the use of the tool appears in the status bar at the bottom of the ArcMap window.

Fig 1.18: Zoom In tool

Step 4: ArcMap has two views: Data View and Layout View. (The buttons for the two views are  located at the bottom of the view window.) Data View is for viewing data, whereas Layout View is for viewing the map product for printing and plotting. For this task, you will stay with Data View.

Fig 1.19: Layout View

Fig 1.20: Data View

Step 5: Change the symbol for emidastrm. Click the symbol for emidastrm in the table of contents to open the Symbol Selector dialog. You can either select a preset symbol (e.g., river) or make up your own symbol for emidastrm by specifying the color, width, and properties of the symbol. Choose the preset symbol for river.

Fig 1.21: Changing Symbol and color

Step 6: Next classify emidalat into the elevation zones of <900, 900–1000, 1000–1100, 1100–1200, 1200–1300, and >1300 meters. Right-click emidalat, and select Properties. Click the Symbology tab. Click Classified in the Show frame. Click Yes in the next dialog to compute the histogram. Change the number of classes to 6, and click the Classify button. The Method dropdown list shows seven methods. Select Manual. There are two ways to set the break values for the elevation zones manually. To use the first method, you will click the first break line and drag it to a data value near 900. Then set the other break lines near 1000, 1100, 1200, 1300, and 1337. To use the second method, which is normally preferred, you will click the first cell in the Break Values frame and enter 900. Then enter 1000, 1100, 1200, and 1300 for the next four cells. (If the break value you entered is changed to a different value, reenter it.) Use the second method to set the break values, and click OK to dismiss the Classification dialog.

Fig 1.22: Classifying in 6 classes

Fig 1.23

Fig 1.24: Classify emidalat into the elevation zones

Step 7:You can change the color scheme for emidalat by using the Color Ramp dropdown   list in the Layer Properties dialog. Sometimes it is easier to select a color scheme using words instead of graphic views. In that case, you can right-click inside the Color Ramp box and uncheck Graphic View. The Color Ramp dropdown list now shows White to Black, Yellow to Red, etc. Select Elevation

Fig 1.25: Selecting color scheme

Fig 1.26: Selecting color scheme

Fig 1.27: After applying color scheme

Step 8: You derive a slope layer from emidalat. Select Extensions from the Customize menu and check Spatial Analyst. Then click the ArcToolbox window button to open ArcToolbox. Right-click ArcToolbox to select Environments. Change the Workspace (both Current and Scratch) to the Chapter 1 database. The Slope tool resides in the Spatial Analyst Tools/Surface toolset. Double-click the Slope tool. In the Slope dialog, select emidalat for the input raster, save the output raster as slope, and click OK. slope is added to Task 2.

Fig 1.28

Fig 1.29: Slope added to task 2

Step 9: You can save Task 2 as a map document before exiting ArcMap. Select Save from the File menu in ArcMap. Navigate to the Chapter 1 database, enter chap1 for the file name, and click Save. ArcMap automatically adds the extension .mxd to chap1. Data sets displayed in Task 2 are now saved with chap1.mxd. To re-open chap1.mxd, chap1.mxd must reside in the same folder as the data sets it references.

Fig 1.30: Save File

Challenge Question

1.      Open chap1.mxd. Select Data Frame from ArcMap’s Insert menu. Rename the new data frame Challenge, and add menan-buttes to Challenge.

2.      Display menan-buttes in 10 elevation zones by using the elevation #2 color ramp and the following break values: 4800, 4900, 5000, 5100, 5200, 5300, 5400, 5500, 5600, and 5619 (feet).

Conclusion:

Thus we have introduced the ArcGis tools-The ArcCatalog and ArcMap.Then we have studied what is the Elevation Raster, Shape files personal,Geodatabase and adding data to it. How can we classify shape file. Spatial Analysis creates a temporary raster whereas ArcToolbox creates a permanent raster on disk.