Lab 1: Introduction to ArcGIS Desktop 10

Part 1: Finding, Unzipping, and Saving the Data

Find Lab1. When you find Lab1, you should see two files: lab1_instructions.pdf and
lab1_data.zip. The first file contains the instructions and the second file contains the
data that you will need to accomplish(MENCAPAI) this lab. Important information
about your data:

Your data, as you can tell from the file name, is in a zipped folder. Therefore, the
folder needs to be unzipped. If you are unfamiliar with unzipping, proceed with the
following instructions. If you are using Firefox, the recommended internet browser for
this lab, you can click on the link and a window will appear with the option to either
Open or
Save this file. Click Open with with the 7-Zip File Manager selected (see below). Click
OK.

You may close the Downloads window that pops up, and you may close Firefox before
continuing. What you will see is the file in a new window that gives you several options,
such as Add, Extract, Test, etc. You will want to select the folder, lab1_data, and select
Extract. Another small window will pop up, asking you were you want to put this data.
Do not accept this default location! It is only a temporary folder! You need to select a
different place, so to browse to another place on the computer, select the ellipses .

1
Youll see a relatively long list of folders appear in another small window. Scroll to the
top of this list until you see Desktop (see below). Although the Desktop does not have
a folder icon to the left like many
of the other folders, it is still a
folder like the rest. You can save
files here for easy access.

Go ahead and click Desktop and

select Make New Folder at the
bottom of the window.

It will immediately scroll to the

bottom and you will see a New
Folder appear with a blinking
cursor.

Insert a new name for this folder,

most appropriately Lab1, and
press Enter (or return, as it is on
Mac keyboards).

Click OK. Click OK again. Exit out

of the last window (the one that
gives you the Add, Extract, Test,
etc. options).

On your desktop, you should see a new folder called Lab1. Open it by double clicking
and see if there is a folder entitled lab1_data. If there is and theres something in
your data folder, youve correctly extracted and saved your data to the computer!

IMPORTANT NOTE! You cannot count on the data that youve worked so hard to
extract and save to be there when you return. Periodically, these computers crash
because theyre used by so many people. Sometimes,
maintenance(PEMELIHARAAN) needs to be done to these computers. Both
situations may require that the computer be completely erased and all the data and
work youve save to this computer will be gone.

Such an unfortunate incident will NOT be a sufficient excuse to

have an extension on the deadline for this lab. Therefore, to avoid
trouble such as this, you need to bring some other portable storage
device (such as an external hard drive or sufficiently sized flash
drive, memory stick, etc.) to this lab. A small drive around 2-4 GB
is not a large cost, and it would be a wise investment for this course
and any future courses you take to acquire a drive for yourself. For the purposes of
this course, you will use this disk to back up all data, work, and reports that you
perform for this lab. SAVE EVERYTHING! NO EXCUSES! Q1
Part 2: Getting to Know the Components of ArcGIS Desktop

Before we actually open the software, lets take a minute to read a bit on how this
suite all works together. Dont skip this section! Youll be asked questions about it!

ArcGIS Desktop refers to

a suite (see left) of three
integrated core
applications: ArcMap,
ArcCatalog, and
ArcToolbox (embedded
(tertanam)
in ArcMap and
ArcCatalog).

ArcMap is used for all mapping and editing tasks, as well as map-based analysis.
ArcCatalog is the application for managing spatial data holdings, for
managing database designs, and for recording and viewing metadata.
ArcToolbox simplifies many common GIS data conversion and geoprocessing
tasks.
AND

The ArcGIS
Desktop products
have three
packages:
ArcView,
ArcEditor and
ArcInfo, from
basic to complete
features, with
ArcInfo as the
most complete
one, including all
the features
offered by ArcGIS.
Our labs are
installed with full
versions of
ArcInfo (see left).
AAAAAAAND

ArcGIS desktop, together with other products, such as ArcSDE (Spatial Data
Engine) and ArcIMS (Internet Map Server), can serve different kinds of users, and
perform varied level of GIS work: Desktop, Collaborative and Enterprise (see next
page).
*Thanks to ESRI for providing the diagrams.
Q2-5

Part 3: Taking a Quick Glance at

ArcCatalog

Although you may find that the

majority of your work will occur in
ArcMap, ArcCatalog is still critical for
data management. Its actually a
Spatial Data Windows Explorer,
specifically designed to view all kinds
of GIS data without launching the
mapping software (ArcMap). Lets
open ArcCatalog!

If youre not sure where to find ArcCatalog, begin by selecting Start from the bottom
left corner of your screen. Hover your mouse over All Programs. Hover your mouse
over ArcGIS. Select ArcCatalog 10 from the drop down list. What you should see
is a window that looks something like the following:

Besides all the buttons and the Catalog Tree to the left, it looks pretty empty, like its
waiting for you to do something. What youre going to do is tell it where to look for
your data. After all, you want to take a look at the data you have been given, right?
 Unfortunately, your lab1_data folder
is nowhere to be seen. So how do you
find it? Youre going to want to make a
connection to you lab1_data folder.
These folder connections can do two
things: allow you to access data in other
places on your computer and allow you
to create a type of shortcut or quick link
that takes you only to the folder you
want to access.

You want to Connect To Folder by

selecting the illuminated folder icon on
the top toolbar . The window that

opens should look something like this

(see left). Select the lab1_data folder
and select OK.

There should now be something to look

at in ArcCatalog, assuming the window
looks something like this (see below):

Ok, lets preview the states layer!

Expand the
folder that
contains your
data.
Click on .

The right window

has three tabs.

Click Preview.

The states of
Mexico should be
displayed on your
screen (see right).

On the bottom of
the window, you
can change the
Preview type via
the dropdown
list.

Rather than
Geography,
select Table
(see right).

Theres a lot more

that you can do
with ArcCatalog,
but well leave it
at that for now.

Close ArcCatalog!

Q6

Up next
*drumroll*
ARCMAP!
Part 4: Opening ArcMap and Maps

Most of your GIS work will revolve around maps, so exploring a map is a good way to
start getting familiar with the software. The following brief tour introduces ArcMap
and ArcCatalog. Youll see what they look like and get a sense of what they do.

ArcMap is the application youll use to make maps, edit data, and display the results of
your analysis. Youll use the tools in ArcToolbox for processing geographic data
both to create databases and to perform geographic analysis.

ArcGIS uses a standard Windows interface, for the most part many buttons will be
familiar, and many menu options are found where youd expect them to be (Open,
Save, and Print are found on the File menu, Copy and Paste are on
the Edit menu).

To begin the tour, select the ArcMap program from the Start
menu, similar to the way you opened ArcCatalog previously. A
window will pop up entitled ArcMap Getting Started. Be
sure that Blank Map is selected, and click OK (see right).

Your screen should look something like this:

Next we need to open the map document (.mxd) file for this tour.

Click File.
Click Open.
(Alternatively, you can use the keyboard: control + O.)
Click the Desktop icon .

Double click .

Click on
Click Open.

IMPORTANT NOTE! This is where you open map documents (.mxd files). This is
not where you go to find data to add to your map. Understand that these map
document
files dont actually contain the data. They merely gather and display the data in one
place so that it can be manipulated. If you copy this map document (.mxd file) and
paste is somewhere else without the data that goes with each of its layers, youll find
yourself a broken map that doesnt work. Itll be empty and unable to display its
contents. Therefore, remember that submitting a map document file is useless. If
you
want to show your TA the grand work on your screen, File Export is the way to go. Be
sure to ask your TA any questions you have about this process to ensure that you
receive the credit you have earned! End note.

So what are we looking at?

What youre looking at is a map layout view of the population density of Mexico (in
1990). Each state is color-coded based on the number of people per square mile. The
rulers along the top and side of the view show you the size of the map were you to print
it, in this case 8.5 x 11 inches. The map displayed on the screen is not a static image of
a map (as a printed map would be), but rather is interactive you can change the data
that is displayed, change its appearance, change the scale of the map by zooming in or
out, and more.

The Table of Contents is on the left side of the ArcMap window by default, and it
controls which map layers are displayed on the map. Right now, all the boxes to the
left of the layer names have checkmarks, which means that all layers are currently
displayed. Layers higher in the Table of Contents are displayed on top of lower ones,
so if you click the check box for Rivers to turn it off, it will be easier to see population
density. Go ahead and try this. Simply click the checkmark beside Rivers. Q7

JUST IN CASE! You might accidently exit out of the Table of Contents by clicking the
X on the upper right hand corner of the Table of Contents. Go ahead do this. Youll
find that the Table of Contents disappears! No worries. Simply click Windows
(second to the right on the top of the window, next to Help), and
select Table of Contents. No need to panic!
Detour: Cool ArcMap 10 Trick! In past versions of ArcMap, the Table of Contents
has always been on the left side of the window, and if you want it out of the way, you
were forced to exit out of the Table of Contents. ArcMap 10, however, allows you to
unpin it from the left side to sit on the side of the screen in a tab. ArcMap 10 also
allows you to move the Table of Contents and other program windows (such as
Catalog and Search, which are in tabs on the right side of the screen) to different
places.

You may have noticed that next to the X in the table of contents is a push pin just to the
left. Click it. What happened? The Table of Contents collapsed to a tab on the left. Its
still available if you click it. Click the Table of Contents tab. It comes back, but notice
that the tab is still there. As soon as youre done with your business, it collapses back
to a tab. If you dont like the Table of Contents as a tab, simple select the tab once more
and click on the push pin again. If the pin is pointing down, it wont disappear. If its
pointing to the side, it will disappear into a tab again. Play with this feature with the
Table of Contents window, the Catalog tab, and the Search tab. They should all work the
same.

As for moving these windows, simple click on the space between the name of the
window and the pushpin/X. If you click it and hold it, you can drag the window to
wherever you want it. You can do the same with the toolbars with all the buttons on
the top of the page. Simple click the four dots to the left of the tool bars and drag the
tools wherever you want. You can keep your window like this:
 Or make

it as crazy as you want:

There are many ways to arrange your windows. Whats best may depend on your project
and your needs at that time. End detour.

Part 5: Layout View and Data View

The display window, which is where the layers are drawn, has two views:

#1 Layout View: Layout view is where you are now, and it is where you can see what
a map will look like when it is printed. Its also where you add map elements, such as
legends, scale bars, titles, and text, and create the map layout.

Is something missing from the layout above? YES! The north arrow! How do you
put on in? Easy. Click Insert, which is between Bookmarks and Selection, and
select North Arrow. Choose the one you like and click OK.

The north arrow usually pops up somewhere in the middle of the screen, which
is usually not the best place for it. It needs to be moved.

First, make sure that the north arrow is selected. You know if it is, because
itll be in a box made of dashed cyan lines with cyan squares on the corners
(see right). This means that its the active element on the map. You can move
it,
edit it, change it, delete it, etc. Simply click and drag the north arrow someplace
else, such as above the legend on the left side of the map.

#2 Data View: While layout view lets you add and arrange map elements in preparation
for print, much of the initial work with a map is done more efficiently in data view.
Data view lets you focus exclusively on the map body the geographic data.

There are two ways to switch between Layout View and Data View. First, you can go
to View and select the view you want from the first two options. Second, there are
two small buttons that you can easily switch between. They are the first two:
. The first, the colored square, is Data View. The second, the page, is Layout
View.

Now the geographic features fill the screen and the map elements no longer appear.
However, you can see that the data content from the layout view is all here. If you
go back to layout view, all the map elements will still be present. Q8

Suppose you want to emphasize the country boundary. In the table

of contents, right click Mexico Bnd to display the context menu for
that
layer (this menu gives you options for working with the layer) and click
Properties. The Layer Properties dialog box gives you options for how the layer
is displayed.

Click the tab entitled Symbology, and click the button showing the current symbol,
which is the rectangular box beneath Symbol and to the left of Advanced in this
case (see below). This.

The Symbol Selector dialog box appears;

this is where you set and modify the
symbols you use to draw features, such as
line colors and widths, area fills, and so
on.

Set the outline width to 2.

Click the Outline Color and pick a color

that is easier to see, such as a dark red or
brown (see right).

Click OK.
Click OK once more.

Theres a difference on the map. Q9

It would be helpful to show major roads on the map, but theyre not in the table of
contents. Youre going to have to find the roads dataset and add it to the map. You
can do this a couple ways.

EITHER you can select the Add Data button and navigate to your working folder (if

not already there), select roads.shp, and click Add.

OR you can add your layer via ArcCatalog. Since you are using ArcMap 10, there is a
tab on the right hand side of your display window (as mentioned before), that allows
you to access ArcCatalog right within ArcMap. Click on the tab, and navigate to your
working folder (if not already there), click on , and drag it into your display

window. Q10

Either way you choose to add your data, it should now be displayed and found in
the Table of Contents, because when you drag the roads onto the map, theyre
drawn automatically, using a default symbol.

FYI! Dont always accept the default symbology that ArcMap gives you. Actually,
ALWAYS be skeptical of the default symbology that youre given. The software
doesnt know what colors schemes will look best. In fact, the default symbol color is
different each time you add a layer to the map (e.g. if you added roads again, it would
be a different color). Be sure that you consider what colors and qualities will look best
for each layer without overwhelming the viewer. End FYI.

Click the symbol for the roads in the

Table of Contents. This is a shortcut to
the Symbol Selector dialog box, and its
primarily only useful for changing the
color and size of the symbols.

Set the line width to 0.1.

Pick a color for the line from the color

palette.

Click OK.

Part 6: Becoming Friends with

Attribute Tables

Each layer has an attribute table that

contains the descriptive information
associated with each feature. Open the
attribute table for the states by right
clicking States in the table of contents
(to open the context menu) and clicking
Open Attribute Table (see right).
The information in the table can be used to symbolize features (the states are color-
coded on the map based on the values in the population density field). You can also
explore and query the information in the attribute table as you would in a spreadsheet.
You could, for example, get the mean population density for the states, and then find
the states having a density higher than the mean. Scroll the table to the right, if
necessary, right click on the column heading POP90_SQMI (1990 population per
square mile), and select Statistics (see result below).

The mean
density for the
states is about
663 people
per square
mile (see
right).

Close the
statistics box
before going
on.

Use ArcToolbox to find the most densely populated

states. Open ArcToolbox by clicking on the icon for
ArcToolbox .

ArcToolbox includes a wide variety of data

management and analysis tools.

Expand Data Management Tools.

Expand Layers and Table Views.
Double click Select Layer By Attribute to choose
the tool (see right).

Select States as the Layer Name (see below), and

click the SQL button to open the Query Builder.
 Create a query to find states having a

density greater than the mean by double clicking POP90-SQMI in the Fields box,
clicking the greater than (>) button, and typing 633. The query should be:
POP90_SQMI>633 (see below).

Click OK to close the Query Builder.

Your expression appears in the box on the

Select Layer By Attribute dialog box (see
below).

Click OK on the dialog box.

A small globe should appear on the

bottom center of the ArcMap window.

The States layer

will be temporarily
locked until the
tool is finished
running.

When the tool is

finished running,
the state(s) having
a population
density greater
than the mean of
633 people per
square mile is(are)
highlighted in the
map and in the
attribute table of
States (see right).

Q11
Many of the tools in ArcToolbox are also available through other parts of the interface.
For example, there is more than one way to do a selection by attributes (e.g., Selection
Select By Attributes). ArcToolbox collects all the tools in one place, and gives you a
direct, common interface for using them.

At this point,
you can close
the
ArcToolbox
window and
the attribute
table window.

To get a closer
look, zoom to
the selected
states by right
clicking
States in the
Table of
Contents,
hovering your
mouse over
Selection,
and clicking
Zoom To
Selected
Features (see
right).

The map zooms to the selected states, which are those with a population density
greater than the mean. Q12

When youre done exploring the map, click File and Exit. When prompted whether to
save the changes to this map, click NO. There were actually no real changes to the
map if you followed the instructions in this lab, since much of your work was
exploratory.

The goal of this overview tour was to introduce the core components of ArcGIS
Desktop, which are ArcMap, ArcCatalog, and ArcToolbox, and to show how they work
together.

********BE SURE TO COMPLETE THE ASSIGNMENT ON THE NEXT PAGE!!!*******

Assignment for Lab1

NOTE! Usually a layout or screenshots (to be discussed later) are also required with
assignments. There are no layouts or screenshots required for this lab, but be
prepared to spend extra time working on these in future labs. End note.

Q1 Is it safe to save all your data and work only on the lab computer? Why?

Q2 What are the three ArcGIS applications?

Q3 What are the three GIS software packages offered by ESRI?

Q4 Which GIS software package is the most robust?

Q5 How is ArcGIS scalable?

Q6 When you want to preview your data in ArcCatalog, but the folder is not in the
Catalog Tree, how do you find your data and preview it?

Q7 In general terms, what is a layer?

Q8 What are the two views in ArcMap you can switch, and what are the
main differences between the two?

Q9 In the symbol selector window, theres an option called Hollow. What does it do,
and how can it be useful?

Q10 Is it possible to add data layers by going to the File menu and clicking Open?
Why or why not?

Q11 Build a new query other than the example in the lab. What is your query, and
what was the result?

Q12 In your Tools toolbar, there is a tool that looks like a globe. What does it do?