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Introduction to GIS Mapping and ESRIs ArcGIS Software

Objectives
In this exercise you are introduced to the ArcMap interface and some of the basic skills necessary to begin exploring geospatial
data and create simple maps. Once you have successfully completed this part of the tutorial, you should know:

How to open ArcMap and a Map Document (.mxd)

How to examine your spatial data using ArcCatalog
How to add spatial data to your Map Document
How to add tabular data to a Map Document and
turn it into spatial data
How to join tabular data to geographic boundary files
The difference between Data View and Layout View

How to label Map Features

How to alter Map Feature Symbology
How to add essential Map Elements (North Arrow,
Legend, etc) for effective map creation
How to modify the properties of a data frame.
How to set relative pathnames to allow you to move
and share your Map Projects
How to export your map to PDF and JPG

Getting Ready for the Tutorial

Sign Up for the GIS-L Listserv

The Yale University GIS-L Listserv is an internal University

message system, devoted to GIS use and issues at Yale.
The list is the primary source for updates on software and
license server issues, data acquisitions and workshop
announcements. All GIS users are encourages to sign up
for the list. The GIS-L list is very lightly used, so that you
will not be overwhelmed with messages that are not
relevant to you.

1. In your Web Browser, Go To the Map Collection Website,

at www.library.yale.edu/maps
2. Under the Quick Links section on the right,, Click on the Sign up for the Yale GIS-L Mailing List link to go to the GISL registration page.
3. Enter your Email Address and Choose a Password.

Note: We suggest that you not select the Daily Digest feature.

4. Click on the Subscribe Button to finish.

You should receive a confirmation email shortly afterward, with instruction on how to use the GIS-L list.

Download the Data

The datasets used in this tutorial are available for download on the Map Collection Website. Feel free to download and
use these tutorial materials, as you wish, and to pass them along to interested colleagues.

1. Return to the Map Collection Homepage, in your Web Browser.

2. Under the Quick Links Section on the right, Click on the Download Gis Workshop Materials link.
3. Find the Data Link for the ArcGIS 9.2 Introduction To GIS Mapping And ESRIs Arcgis Software and Right-Click
on the Link.
4. In Firefox, Select Save Link As, in Internet Explorer, Select Save Target As
5. Depending on your browser and setup, you may be offered a Browse Window, to select the folder into which you want
the downloaded file placed. If so, Browse to a Folder on your hard drive that you have write permission for. For this
tutorial, we will assume that you are using the C:\temp folder of the machine you are working on.
6. Clicking on the Create New Folder
Button, Create a New Folder, using your initials as the name of the folder, so
that you end up with a full path something like: C:\temp\your_initials\
7. Save the Downloaded File to this New Folder.

Unzip the Data

You should now have a file called 01-Introduction to

ArGIS_92.zip in your new folder. It is now necessary to
decompress, or unzip, the tutorial data for use. Note that in
Microsoft Windows XP and Vista, it is possible to Explore a
compressed file, as if it were a folder. ArcMap
does not support this type of browsing, so it is
necessary to actually unzip the file for use. This
part of the tutorial assumes that you are using
Windows built in Compressed File support.

1. Browse into the Folder where you saved the 01Introduction to ArcGIS_92.zip file.

2. Right-Click on the File and Select Extract All

3. Click Next to arrive at the window shown at the
right.
4. Under File Will Be Extracted To This
Directory: Remove the \01-Introduction to
ArcGIS_92\ part of the Path Name (this is
redundant, as the zip file contains a directory
structure of its own).
5. Click Next to Extract the File.
6. Once the extraction has completed, you can Uncheck View Extracted Files and Click Finish.

Explore the Data in Windows Explorer

Now you will take a look at the data you have extracted, using Windows Explorer. This part of the tutorial is designed to
familiarize you with the difference between how Windows recognized common spatial dataset filetypes, and how ArcGIS
recognizes them.

1. Browse into the extracted C:\temp\your_initials\01-Introduction to ArcGIS\ Data\ Shapefile\ Folder.

You should now see a number of different files, some of which have the same filename, but with different extensions
(Windows doesnt always show file extensions for known filetypes, such as dbf, or shp, in some cases).
2. If necessary, Click on the Name Field Header in the Explorer Window to Sort the files By Name.

What is critical to recognize about the contents of this folder is that all of the files with the same filename are actually part
of a single shapefile. The shapefile is ESRI proprietary vector data format. The fact that it is called a shapefile can
cause some confusion, since it is actually a collection of files.

Explore the Data in ArcCatalog

Now you will take a look at the same data using the ArcGIS version of Windows Explorer, which is designed to interact
with these types of spatial data filetypes.

1. Go To Start>Programs>ArcGIS> and Launch the ArcCatalog program.

2. Using the Catalog Tree Panel, at the left side of the

Arccatalog application window, Browse to your
C:\temp\your_initials\01-Introduction to ArcGIS\ Data\
Shapefile\ Folder.
3. Make Sure that the Contents Tab at the top of the Catalog
Display on the right side of the ArcCatalog Application
Window is active.

Note the difference in how ArcCatalog and Windows display

shapefiles. ArcCatalog knows that a shapefile is actually a
collection of files, as so it only shows you a single file, where
Windows Explorer showed all of the files. You should always
use ArcCatalog for Moving, Deleting, Copying, etc any
spatial data files, for this reason. Using ArcCatalog for these
tasks prevents critical parts of the spatial data files from being
left out and rendered useless.

4. Click on the Railroad Layer in the Catalog Tree, on the left.

5. Click on the Preview Tab, at the top of the Catalog Display, to Preview the Data in this layer.
6. Click on the Metadata Tab, at the top of the Catalog Display, to View information about this shapefile.

Introduction to the ArcMap Data View

Opening ArcMap & Getting Familiar

1. In the Arccatalog Catalog Tree, Scroll to the bottom of the Folder Group you are
currently browsing and find the Intro_To_Arcgis File. This is the Map Document
(Intro_to_ArcGIS.mxd) that we will start the tutorial with.
2. Double-Click on the Intro_to_ArcGIS.mxd to Launch Arcmap and Open the Map Document.

Main Menu

Standard Toolbar
Map
Data Display
Layers

Tools Toolbar

Map Display
View Toolbar
Table of Contents

You should now see something like what is shown above (dont worry about the little red exclamation marks, yet). Take a
few seconds to familiarize yourself with the ArcMap interface.
The Main Menu should be familiar to anyone who uses Microsoft Windows software. It is where you perform basic
file and document editing functions.

The Table of Contents is the area where your data layers will be listed and where you can interact with and alter the
properties of individual layers.

The Add Data

Button is located on the Standard Toolbar and opens a dialog box that allows new layers to be
added to the Table of Contents and Map Document. It should not be confused with the Open Document button,
which is located on the same toolbar, but is not unique to ArcMap.

The Map Display is the area where your map data will be displayed.

The Tools Toolbar contains a series of tools that operate on the data displayed in the Map Document Window.

The View Toolbar changes between the Data View and Layout View of the Map Document.

Repairing Broken Data Links

When you opened the Intro_to_ArcGIS.mxd file, you might have noticed
that there were several data layers listed in the Table of Contents Panel, but
that these layers had little red exclamation marks superimposed upon the
checkboxes next to them. ArcMap Map Documents do not actually contain
the data that they display. Instead, to save storage, and prevent multiple
copies of a single dataset from proliferating within a single document,
ArcMap refers to the data, using what are referred to as absolute paths.
This means that the locations of the data layers in this Intro_to_ArcGIS.mxd
Map Document are referred to using the full path (i.e.
C:\2007_GIS_Workshops\01-Introduction_to_ArcGIS\Data\Shapefile)
which happens to no longer be valid for the datasets in this project, since we
downloaded the project from a web server, and extracted the files to our
C:\temp\your_initials\01-Introduction to ArcGIS\ folder. There are ways
to prevent this from happening, which will be covered later in the tutorial, but
for now, you simply need to tell ArcMap where to find the data that its layers
are looking for.

1. Right-Click on the
Area_of_Interest_polygon_polygon Layer, which is
the first layer in the Table Of Contents Panel.
2. In the resulting Context Menu, go to Data>Repair Data
Source
3. Browse to the C:\temp\your_initials\01-Introduction to
ArcGIS\Data\Shapefile\ Folder and Select the
Area_of_Interest_polygon_polygon.shp shapefile.
4. Click Add to Repair the Data Source.

You should be left with something that looks similar to the

ArcMap window below. Note that when all of the data sources are in the same folder, ArcMap will repair all of the broken
links in the Map Document.

Adding Data from

ArcCatalog

1. Bring ArcCatalog back to the front

your Windows Desktop, but move it so
that you can still see the ArcMap
Table Of Contents Panel.
2. From the Catalog Tree Panel, ClickAnd-Drag the following shapefiles
from the C:\temp\your_initials\01Introduction to
ArcGIS\Data\Shapefile Folder to the
ArcMap Table Of Contents Panel:

CT_State_wo_Boundary

CT_Towns

Hydrography_Polygon

Railroad
You should be left with something
similar to the image below (ArcMap applies symbology colors randomly, so your color scheme may differ)

Visibility & Working in the Table of Contents

Note that, depending on exactly where you dropped the layers in the Table of
Contents Panel, some of your data may be obscured, and is almost certainly not in
the best order of display.

1.

Check the Checkboxes next to the Two Layers (municipalproperty and

DEPProperty) that are Unchecked.
Note that the checkboxes determine whether the layer is visible, or not.

Navigation Tools in the Data View

1. Select the Zoom In

Tool from the Tools Toolbar.

2. Drag a Box across the Central Part of the Map Display

Panel to Zoom Into the Data View.
3. Click on the Back To Previous Extent
Button to
Return to the Previous Map Display View.
4. Click on the Fixed Zoom Out
intervals.
5. Select the Pan Tool

Button to Zoom Out of your Map Display at fixed

from the Tools Toolbar and use it to Move your Map Display.

6. Click on the Full Extent

Button to Zoom Out to the extent of the Layer in your Map
Document with the largest extent.
7. Right-Click on the Area_of_Interest_polygon_polygon Layer and Select Zoom To Layer from the Context Menu.
8. Finally, on the Main Menu, Go To View>Bookmarks>Create to Create a Bookmark, called Main View, of the current
extent of your Map Display.

Working with Tabular Data

Not all data that you will use in GIS Analysis will come in an explicitly spatial data format. That is, some data may come in
tabular form, as a table of attribute records that pertain to some spatial feature or phenomenon. Many times, this data
may have spatial data included as an attribute (for instance
you
may obtain a table of Toxic Release sites, with Latitude
Longitude Coordinates as attribute fields). Here, you will
learn how to add tabular data, display it and subset to the
portion of the dataset you are interested in.

Adding a Table & Displaying XY

Coordinates

1. Click on the Add Data

Button and Browse to the
C:\temp\your_initials\01-Introduction to ArcGIS\Tabular\
Folder.
2. Double-Click on the USGS_Geographic_Names.xls File.

ArcMap treats XLS Files as if they were folders, within

which, spreadsheets are contained. If you try to open an .xls
in ArcMap, you will get an error. Instead, you must browse
the file and select the worksheet you wish to add to your Map Document.

file
into


3. Select the USGS_Geographic_Names$ worksheet and Click Add to Add it
to your Map Document.

Note that the Source Tab in the Table of Contents is now active, and this new
data layer is visible there, but there has been no change in the Map Display
window. This is because the data you have added is a table, rather than a
shapefile and it does not yet have an explicit geographic display.

4. Right-Click on the USGS_Geographic_Names$ Table and Open it.

Note that there are a number of attribute fields for the features in this table.
Most importantly, there are numeric fields with Latitude & Longitude
Coordinates in Decimal Degrees that we can use to display this data.

5. Close the USGS_Geographic_Names$ Table.

6. Right-Click on the USGS_Geographic_Names$ Table in the Table Of
Contents Panel and Select Display Xy Coordinates.
7. Under Coordinate System Of Input Coordinates, Click on the Edit Button.
8. In the resulting Spatial Reference Properties Dialog, Click on the Select
Button.
9. Browse to Geographic Coordinate Systems>North America>North American Datum 1983.prj, Select it and Click
Add.
10. Click Ok Twice to Display the Coordinates.

You will be warned that the resulting layer does not contain Object-IDs
and you will be restricted in what you can do with it.
11. Click Ok, since we will remedy this problem, next.
12. Right-Click on the USGS_Geographic_Names$ Events Layer and Go
To Data>Export Data.
13. In the resulting Export Data Dialog, Change the Use The Same
Coordinate System As: to The Data Frame.

This is a shortcut to projecting your data to the same projection as the rest
of the data in this Map Document.
14. Browse to your C:\temp\your_initials\01-Introduction to ArcGIS\Data\Shapefile Folder and Save the New Shapefile
as USGS_Geographic_Names.shp. Click Save.

15. Click Ok to Export the Data.

16. When prompted whether you want to add the
exported data as a layer, Click Yes.
17. Right-Click on the original
Usgs_Geographic_Names$ Events Layer
and Select Remove.
18. Remove the USGS_Geographic_Names$
Table, also.
19. Click on the Display Tab, at the bottom of the
Table Of Contents Panel.

1.

Subsetting Using
Select by Attributes

Right-Click on the new

USGS_Geographic_Names Layer and Open
The Attribute Table.

2.

Click on the Option Button of the Attribute

Table and Go To Select By Attributes.

3.

In the Select By Attributes Dialog, Make

Sure that Create New Selection is the
Method.

4.

Double-Click on [CLASS] in the Fields Box.

5.

Click on the Equals (=) Button to Add it to the

Selection Argument.

6. Click Get Unique Values, and Double-Click school from the results.
7. Make Sure that your Selection Argument is: [CLASS] = school
8. Click the Verify Button to verify the query syntax (not really necessary here, but complex queries on large datasets can
crash ArcMap if the syntax is invalid). Click Ok.
9. Click the Apply Button, and then Click Close.
10. Close the Attribute Table.

You should see that some of your points in the USGS_Geographic_Names$ Events Layer are now highlighted bright blue.
This means that you have an active selection.

11. As you did previously, Right-Click on the USGS_Geographic_Names Layer and Go To Data>Export Data.

Notice that now, the Export: drop-down is set to Selected Features. This is something of a universal in ArcGIS.
Anytime you have an active selection in a layer and you apply some tool (Export, ArcToolbox Tools, Calculate Fields,
etc) to that layer, the processing is done ONLY TO THE ACTIVE SELECTION. This can be a powerful tool, but can
also be the source of frustration. If you are getting unexpected or quirky results from a process, always check to see if
you have a forgotten active selection by going to the Main Menu>Selection>Clear Selected Features.


12. Browse to the C:\temp\your_initials\01-Introduction to ArcGIS\
Data\Shapefile Folder and name the new file Schools.shp.
13. Click Save.
14. Leave the Coordinate System as the Default this time and Click
Ok.
15. Add the Exported Data as a layer when prompted.
16. On the Main Menu, Go To Selection>Clear Selected Features, to
Clear the Selection.

Working with Spatial Data

Adding a Census Boundary Shapefile & Defining the Coordinate System

Many times, attribute data is contained in tabular form, separate from the Geographic boundary files that are used by GIS
software. This is particularly the case with Census Data. This is because the number of attributes available for some GIS
data is so large that including the files together creates prohibitively large layer files. In most cases, a researcher only
needs a limited number of attributes for analysis. ArcMap allows you to Join a tabular attribute file to its corresponding
Geographic File. Here we will use a key field, present in both the attribute table and the geographic boundary file for
the Census data for New Haven, to Join those two files.

1. Use the Add Data

Button to Add the tgr09000sf1blk.dbf Table from the C:\temp\your_initials\01-Introduction to
ArcGIS\Data\Tabular Folder.
2. Use the Add Data
Button to Add the tgr09009blk00.shp shapefile from the C:\temp\your_initials\01Introduction to ArcGIS\Data\Shapefiles Folder.

You will be warned that one of your datasets is missing its spatial reference. Your table of Contents view will also
change back to the Source Tab, since you have just added a table of data, as well as a shapefile.

Note that you probably cannot see the Census Block Group files we just added, tgr09009blk00.shp (If you can see the file,
you are likely using ArcGIS version 9.1 or before). This is because the dataset does not have a *.prj file, which contains
information about how the numeric values that record the point, line and polygons in the dataset, relate to geographic
location on the face of the Earth. This means that you need to define the coordinate or projection system.
Prior to ArcGIS 9.2, the software would examine the numeric values that recorded the geometry of the boundaries and, if
the values fell within the normal Lat/Lon values (-90 to 90 & -180 to 180), it applied an assumed geographic coordinate
system using the North American Datum from 1927. This worked, sometimes. But what if your data was located in
India? The NAD 1927 Datum is not nearly as accurate as current datums, and is wildly inaccurate for any dataset falling
outside North America. Also, much of the data you work with in GIS is now created on the NAD 1983 datum, a far more
accurate reference system.
So, ESRI dropped the assumed geographic feature, so that you must now explicitly assign the correct coordinate system.
Unfortunately, ESRI has not updated much of its available data to reflect this new lack of automation, and much of the
base data they provide (not to mention that included with the last 20
years of software releases) still has no defined coordinate system /
projection. Here, we will learn to remedy that, and familiarize you with
the
ArcToolbox.
Defining a Projection/Coordinate System

1. Click on the ArcToolbox

Panel.

Button to Launch the ArcToolbox

2. Click on the Search Tab, at the bottom of the ArcToolBox Panel, and
Enter define as your Search Term.
3. Define Projection Tool should be one of the returned results. DoubleClick on Define Projection to open the ArcToolbox Tools Dialog.

4. Select the tgr09009blk00 layer from the Input Dataset Drop-Down Menu.

5. Click on the Spatial Reference

Button to
Open the Spatial Reference Properties Dialog
Box.
6. Click on the Select Button and Browse to
Geographic Coordinate Systems>North
America>North American Datum 1983.prj.
Select and Add this as the Spatial Reference.
7. Click OK again to Apply the Spatial Reference to
the ArcToolbox Dialog.
8. Click OK to Define the Coordinate System for
this file.
9. You may need to Refresh your Data View in order
see the results, using the Refresh View Button, on the View Toolbar
the bottom left corner of the Data View.
10. Click on the Display Tab at the bottom of
Table of Contents.

to
at

the

You should now see something like what is pictured at the left. The

tgr09009blk00
Layer has been
added to your
Table of
Contents.

Joining the Attribute Data to the Census Boundary Layer

1. Right-Click on the tgr09009blk00 Layer

Name and Select Open Attribute Table
from the Context Menu.

Note that the table contains a few fields

that mostly identify the various
geographic entities within this boundary
file. There is nothing that indicates any
information about the people who live
within these boundaries. Note the Field
called STFID, in particular.

2. Close the tgr09009blk00 Attribute

Table.
3. Right-Click on the tgr09000sf1blk
Layer Name and Select Open from the
Context Menu.

4. Close the tgr09000sf1blk Table.

5. Right-Click on the tgr09009blk00 Layer and Select Joins And
Relates>Join.
6. In the resulting Join Data Dialog Box, Populate the Options as
shown on the left.

Join attributes from a table

Join Field 1=STFID
Join Layer=tgr09000sf1blk
Join Field 2=STFID

7. Click OK to Apply the Join.

8. Right-Click on the tgr9009blk Layer and Open the Attribute Table.
9. Scroll across the Attribute Table and Make Sure that the two
datasets have been joined.

Note that, in this case, there are plenty of

attributes about people. This table
contains the counts of total population,
racial, gender and age breakdowns and
other information about the people who
live in the Census Blocks. Notice, also,
that this table has the same STFID field
we found in the boundary file.

Note that the Field Names

have now changed and are
prefixed with the name of the
dataset that they come from.
ArcMap has used the STFID in
each of the datasets to join the
attribute records to the
appropriate Census block unit.

Subsetting Using Select by Location

We now have a Census Boundary Layer with demographic attributes.

However, if we want to work with this dataset further, it is best that we export it
to a new shapefile that contains all of the fields we need. Further, we are only
interested in the area of and immediately surrounding the Area_of_Interest
Layer.

1. Close the Attribute Table.

2. On the Main Menu, Go To Selection>Select by Location.

3. In the resulting Select by Location Dialog Box, fill in the options, as shown
at the right, selecting features from tgr09009blk00 that intersect with the
Area_of_Interest_polygon_polygon Layer and Apply a buffer of 500 feet.
4. Click Apply and note that the selection you made should be highlighted in blue
in your Map Display.
5. Close the Select by Location Dialog Box and note that your selection will
remain active.
6. Right-Click on the tgr09009blk00 Layer
and Select Data>Export Data.

Notice that the Export Drop-Down list has defaulted to Selected features. It is the
default action in ArcMap that anything you do to a layer, when you have an active
selection, only applies to the selection.
7. Check the checkbox that allows you to use the same Coordinate System as the
Data Frame.

Remember that we defined the Coordinate System as GCS North American Datum
1983? That was because the layer was created using Lat/Lon coordinates. Lat/Lon
coordinates locate features on the surface of the (roughly) spherical Earth, and are angular measurements. ArcGIS
needs a linear unit to perform many of the mathematical calculations you may want to apply to the data, such as
calculating area, distances, etc. By using the coordinate system of the Data Frame (which is State Plane) to export the
dataset, we can avoid the added step of projecting the data to a projection with a linear measurement.

8. Browse to the C:\temp\your_initials\Urban_Forestry_Workshop\Data\Shapefiles Folder and Save the Output

shapefile as AOI_Census_Blocks_SF1.shp.

9. Click OK to Export the Data.

10. You will be prompted to add the new layer to the current Map Document. Click Yes.
11. Right-Click on the new
AOI_Census_Blocks_SF1 Layer and Open
the Attribute Table.

Note that all of the attributes from the

joined dataset have transferred, but that the
fieldnames are no longer prefixed.
12. Close the Attribute Table.
13. Right-Click on the original tgr09009blk00
Layer and Select Remove from the Context
Menu.
14. Right-Click on the
Area_of_Interest_polygon_polygon Layer
and select Zoom to Layer.

Adding a New Field and

Calculating Its Value

1. Right-Click on the
AOI_Census_Blocks_SF1 Layer and Open the Attribute Table.
2. Click on the Options Button and Select Add Field.
3. Name the New Field UNDER18, and Use the Type: Short Integer.
4. Click Ok.
5. Again, Click on the Options Button and Select Add Field.
6. Name the
New
Field
AREA,
and Use
the Type:
Float.
Click Ok.
7. Scroll to
the far
right of the Attribute Table, Right-Click on the
Field Header for AREA and Select Calculate
Geometry...
8. Click Yes when warned about calculating outside
an edit session.
9. Change the Property Drop-Down Menu to Area.
10. Change the Units Drop-Down to Square Miles US [sq mi].

11. Click Ok
12. Right-Click on the Field Header for UNDER18 and Select Field Calculator
13. Click Yes when warned about calculating outside an edit
session.
14. Scroll Down the Fields List and Click on the AGE_UNDER5
to Insert it in the Calculator Argument.
15. Click on the Addition (+) Button to Insert the Addition
Operator in the Calculator Argument.
16. Scroll Down the Fields List and Click on the AGE_5_17 to
Insert it in the Calculator Argument.
17. Make Sure your Calculator Argument reads as:
[AGE_UNDER5] + [AGE_5_17]
18. Click Ok to Apply the Calculation.
19. Close the Attribute Table.
20. Click on the Display Tab of the Table Of Contents Panel.

Note that you have now created and calculated the values for
two different attributes of your data. One variable, UNDER18, was calculated from other variables in the dataset. The
other, AREA, was created using the Calculate Geometry Tool, which is a new feature in ArcMap 9.2.

Working with Layer Properties

One thing that is important to understand about layers and other

elements of the Map Document is that virtually everything in a
Map Document is an Object with properties that can be altered
using various means, but primarily through the properties dialog
box. Now that we have created a set of attributes that we are
interested in mapping, we can begin to apply symbology to the
layers in the Map Document. There are many ways to apply
symbology to a layer, and it is even possible to symbolize a
single layer based upon several attributes, creating a map that
displays multiple dimensions of demography, or feature
attributes. Labeling can also be applied to the Map Document in
various ways that can illuminate the attributes of the layers
included.

Labeling Features

1. Right-Click on the Schools Layer and Open the Properties.

2. Click on the Labels Tab.
3. Check the Label Features In This Layer
Checkbox.
4. Change the Text Symbol to Bold. Click Apply.

Adjusting Symbology

1. Click on the Symbology Tab of the Schools Layer

Properties Dialog.

2. Click on the Symbol Button to Open the Symbol

Selector.
3. Scroll Down and Select the School2 Symbol.
4. Click Ok twice to Apply the Changes and Close the
Properties Dialog.
5. In the Table Of Contents
Panel, Click on the Symbol
under the Railroad Layer.

This is an alternative way to

open the Symbol Selector
directly.

6. Change the Color of the

Symbol for the Railroads
Layer.
7. Click Ok to Apply the Changes.

Applying Symbology Based Upon

Attribute Values

1. Right-Click on the AOI_Census_Blocks_SF1 Layer and Open

The Attribute Table.
2. Click on the Symbology Tab, if it is not already active.
3. Click on the Quantities Item under Show:.
4. Select UNDER18 as the Value Field and AREA as the Normalization
Field.
5. Under Classification, Set the number of Classes to 10
6. Click on the Classify Button.
7. On the resulting Classification Dialog, Click on the Exclusion Button.
8. Enter UNDER18 = 0 as the Argument in the Data Exclusion Properties
Dialog.
9. Click Ok twice to Return to the Properties Dialog Box.
10. Select an appropriate Color Ramp from the Drop-Down Menu.
11. Click on the Label Field Header and Select Format Labels.
Under Rounding, Set the Number Of Decimal Places to 1. Click Ok.
12. Click Ok to Close the Properties Dialog for the AOI_Census_Blocks_SF1 Layer and Apply the Symbology.

Using a Layer (.LYR) File to Apply Symbology

1. Right-Click on the Hydrography_Polygon Layer and Open its Properties.

2. Select the Symbology Tab and Click on the Import Button.

3. Browse to the C:\temp\your_initials\01Introduction to ArcGIS\ Data\ Layers Folder and

Select the Hydrography_Polygon.lyr File.
4. Click Open.
5. Click Ok.
6. Accept AV_Legend as the Value Field, when
prompted.
7. Click Ok to Apply the Changes and Close the Properties Dialog for the Hydrography_Polygon Layer.

Final Cleanup and Loose Ends

1. Hold Down the Ctrl Key and Click on the

Hydrography_Polygon Layer, the
municipalproperty and DEPProperty
Layers to Select them.
2. Right-Click on one of the Layers and
Select Group.
3. Click-And-Drag the New Group Layer
above the AOI_Census_Blocks_SF1
Layer.
4. Turn On the Visibility of the
DEPProperty and municipalproperty
Layers by Clicking on their Visibility
Checkboxes.
5. Click on the Symbol for the CT_Towns
Layer and Change its Symbol Color to
Light Grey.

Introduction to the Layout View

We are now ready to begin finishing our Map Document and preparing it so that it can be shared with others. To do this,
we will change from the ArcMap Data View to the Layout View. The Layout View will provide tools not available in the
Data View, primarily those relevant to creating Map Layouts.

Navigation in the Layout View

1. Click on the Layout Button (it looks like a page), on the View Toolbar at the bottom left
corner of the Map Display.

Note that you are now presented with the Layout

Toolbar. This toolbar is only available in Layout
View. Some of the Tools on this toolbar work in a
way that is similar to the Tools Toolbar, but with
one critical difference these tools act on the
page rather than the data.

2. Click on the Layout Zoom Tool and Drag a Box

across the top half of the Layout Display.

Layout Zoom

Page Extent
Layout Pan

3. Click on the Page Extent Button to Return to the Full View of the page.

Note that these tools did not change the scale or extent of the data.

Working with Data Frame Properties

The data is contained within a rectangle referred to as the Data Frame. In the Data View, this rectangle was represented
by the edges of the Map Display Panel. Now, the Data Frame is an Object on the layout page. The fact that the Data
Frame is an Object on the Layout Page means that we can alter its properties.

1. At the very top of the Table Of Contents Panel, Right-Click on the

Layers Layer and Open the Properties.
2. Click on the Size And Position Tab.
3. Change both the Width & Height to 5 Inches.
4. Change the Element Name to Main Data Frame.
5. Click on the center blue box under Anchor Point.
6. Click on the Frame Tab.
7. Select a Border Style.
8. Click Ok to Apply the Changes.

Adding Essential Map Elements

Finally, there are a few elements that are considered fundamental to good mapmaking. While it is true that ALL maps do
not need ALL of these elements (Does a map of the entire earth really
need a north arrow?), it is also true that they can be critical tools in
conveying spatial messages, when used properly. Here, we will take the
final steps to complete our map layout, before exporting to portable
formats.

Map Title

1. On the Main Menu, Go To Insert>Title. A Highlighted

Text Box will be inserted into the Map Layout.
2. Double-Click on the Text Box to Open its Properties.
3. Change the Text to Under 18 Population Density of
New Haven, CT using carriage returns to Insert line
breaks.
4. Leave all other Settings at their Default, but note that
there are many options for altering the title text.
5. Click OK.
6. Use the Select Elements
Tool to Move the Map
Title to an appropriate position above the Data Frame.

North Arrow

1. On the Main Menu, Go To Insert>North Arrow.

2. In the North Arrow Selector, Select the first
North Arrow in the list.
3. Click Ok.

A highlighted North Arrow will be inserted into your

Map Layout (probably at the worst possible place).

4. Use the Select Elements

Tool to Move the
North Arrow to a more appropriate part of the
map.
5. If necessary, or desired, you can Use the Blue
Resize Handles to Change the Dimensions of
the North Arrow.
6. Since the North Arrow is an Object, you can Access its Properties by
Right-Clicking and Selecting Properties.

Legend

1. On the Main Menu, Go To Insert>Legend to Open the Legend Wizard.

2. Highlight and Remove all layers but the AOI_Census_Blocks_SF1 Layer from the Legend Items List Using the <
Button.
3. Click Next twice.
4. Select a 1pt Frame.
5. Select a White Background.
6. Click Next.
7. Change the Area Patch to the
Urbanized Area shape.
8. Click Next.
9. Accept the default settings for the final
window and Click Finish.
10. Using the Select Elements
Tool,
Move the Legend to the lower right
corner of the map layout.
11. Use the Resize Handles to make the
Legend smaller.

12. In the Table Of Contents Panel, Click once on the AOI_Census_Blocks_SF1 Layer Name, Wait, then Click Again to
Highlight the Text.
13. Change the Name of the layer to Census 2000
14. Highlight the UNDER18 / AREA Text beneath the Layer Name and Change it to Under 18 per Sq Mi.

Note that the text changes with the alteration of the Table of Contents Panel.

Neatline

Finally, we will insert a neatline around all of the Map Elements as a way to finish the map, but also to control the clipping
that will occur when we export to JPEG.

1. On the Main Menu, Go To Insert>Neatline to Open the

Neatline Wizard.
2. Select a 4pt Border.
3. Select a Hollow Background.

4. Make Sure that the Place Around All Elements Radio

Button is Checked.
5. Click Ok.

Other Essential Map

Elements

Other elements are warranted when

creating a map and have been neglected
here only for expedience. These
elements are primarily textual, and can be
included using a procedure similar to that
used to insert the Map Title.

Date the map was made

Author of the map

Who the map was made for

Projection / Coordinate System

information

Data Source(s)

Descriptive Text (if necessary)

Location (in the title, or using an inset

map)

Sharing Your Map Project

At this point, you might like to export your map to an image that you can use in PowerPoint or a Word Document. Or, you
might want to save the map in a format that you can send to colleagues to view or print. Here you will learn to export your
map.

Exporting to JPEG

1. Save your work by Clicking the Save

Button.
2. On the Main Menu, Go To File>Export Map.
3. Browse to the C:\temp\your_initials\01Introduction to ArcGIS\ Folder.
4. Change the Save as Type: Drop-Down to
JPEG (*.jpg).
5. Set the Resolution to 150 dpi.
6. Check the box to Clip Output to Graphic
Extent.
7. Click on the Format Tab, under Options.
8. Make sure that the Color Mode is set to 24-bit
True Color.
9. Click Save.
10. Browse to the C:\temp\your_initials\01-Introduction to ArcGIS\ Folder and double-click on the Intro_to_ArcGIS.jpg to
Open it.

Exporting to PDF

1. On the Main Menu, Go To File>Export

Map.
2. Do Not Check the Clip to Graphics Extent
box.
3. Change the Save as Type Drop-Down to
PDF (*.pdf).
4. Click Save.
5. Browse to the C:\temp\your_initials\01Introduction to ArcGIS\ Folder and doubleclick on the Intro_to_ArcGIS.pdf to Open it.

Setting Relative Pathnames & Making

ArcMap Projects Portable

By setting Relative Pathnames in File>Map Properties>Data

Source Options, you can move your ArcMap Project Folder as a
single unit, preserving the location of your data files relative to your
MXD document, without breaking the internal links to the datasets.
You can also Zip the folder and send it through the email to
colleagues.

1. On the Main Menu, Go To File>Document

Properties.
2. Click on the Data Source Options Button.
3. Set the Option to Store relative path names
to data sources.
4. Check the Make relative paths the default
for new map documents I create Checkbox,
if it is not already.
5. Click Ok.
6. Click Ok.

You can now move your project by copying or zipping the C:\temp\your_initials\01-Introduction to ArcGIS\ Folder, in
its entirety, without having the problem of broken links that we experienced at the beginning of the tutorial.

ArcCatalog & Project Management

Create a main Project Folder for your GIS analysis project. Under this main folder, create a Data folder, under which you
should create a series of subfolders for each type of data you are using, or creating in your project (shapefile, raster,
image, tables, etc). For complex projects, you may even find it helpful to create further divisions (original, working, final,
etc) within each of your data subfolders to contain the multiple versions of data files that can accumulate during the
course of a GIS project.

MXD Map Documents are very small! You can save many versions of a project by saving multiple Map Documents. This
allows you to save several layout versions of the same data without using a great deal of disk space.

ArcMap supports long filenames for MXD Document, table and shapefile names. Use this to your advantage by giving
these files very specifically descriptive names. Coverage and raster filenames are limited to 13 characters.

Congratulations! You are now ready to explore ArcMap on your own! If you are interested in additional training materials,
or just need help with a specific GIS related issue, feel free to contact us at the Yale Map Collection!