Lesson 1 – Introduction to ArcGIS Environment

GIS I (EN) Czech University of Life Sciences

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Lesson 1 – Introduction to ArcGIS Environment

Objectives:

- Introduction to ArcGIS 10.4. Environment

- View and manage GIS data in ArcCatalog

- ArcMap

- Saving map document

A GIS (Geographic Information System) is a powerful tool used for computerized mapping and spatial

analysis. A GIS provides functionality to capture, store, query, analyse, display and output geographic

information.

For this seminar we will use ArcGIS Desktop 10.4., the newest version of a popular GIS software

produced by ESRI. This course is meant to teach you some fundamental GIS operations using ArcGIS.

Tasks:

1. Login to computer and copy the data from

K://KAGUP/DATA/GIS1_EN/Lessons/Lesson01 (data folder) to K://KAGUP/ZGX…/your_login

(your personal folder).

Note: The files in the K://KAGUP/DATA/GIS1_EN/… directory are read-only. Everytime you

have to copy them to your personal folder.

Data are also accessible via internet: netstorage.studenti.czu.cz

(DriveK@PREDMETY/KAGUP/DATA/GIS1_EN)


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Part 1: ArcCatalog

ArcCatalog is a part of GIS Desktop which is utilized for data management. It allows to browse, search,

create and manage GIS data. If you have troubles with managing files and folders in computer (as is

common for windows users) you should spend extra time to familiarize yourself with it.

Tasks:

2. Open ArcCatalog (Start → ArcCatalog 10.4.).

3. Use Connect To Folder to navigate into your personal folder.


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4. Navigate to your personal folder (where you have copied the data for this lesson).

5. Notice 3 tabs in the ArcCatalog environment:

Contents – type of data (shapefile / raster,…)

Preview – Geography / Table view

Description – preview (+ creation, editing) of metadata

6. View all data in data_lesson01 folder in Contents mode

Note: All data is vector format – shapefile (.shp). Shapefiles can be Point, Polyline or Polygon

– according to type of features included.


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7. View all data in data_lesson01 folder in Preview mode – Geography.

8. Look at Countries.shp attributes (Preview mode - Table).


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9. Switch to Description mode and try to edit Countries.shp metadata

10. Quit ArcCatalog.

Part 2: ArcMap

ArcMap is application for GIS data editing, creating, analyzing, visualization and many more.

Tasks:

11. Start ArcMap (Start – ArcMap 10.4)

The ArcMap – Getting Started dialog box opens. It lets you pick a map template before you

begin. Close the dialog box.

A blank map opens. Above the map are toolbars. By default, the Standard and Tools toolbars

are turned on. To the left of the map is the Table Of Contents, which shows the geographic

content of your map. Like the map, the Table Of Contents is empty.


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12. Explore all tools available on Standard toolbar; it comprise of basic tools similar to any other

software.

13. On the Standard toolbar, click Add data button.

The Add Data dialog box opens.

14. Navigate to your folder data_lesson01 and add all data (hold Control key to select more than

one file). You will see your added data in Table of Contents (TOC).

The Table Of Contents lists all layers in the map. It also shows the layer's symbology.


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15. Switch on/off the layers using the checkbox left to layer name in the TOC.

Note: Only checked layers are visible in map.

16. Switch all layers on.

17. Change order of the layers; drag & drop the layer in TOC.

Note: In the Table of Contents, layers placed on the top are displayed above layers placed

on the bottom. For changing the visibility order, the Table of Contents window must

be in the regime “List By Drawing Order”.

18. In the TOC switch to another regime.

There are 4 regimes in TOC:

List By Drawing Order – can be changed by reordering layers

List By Source – according to location on disk

List By Visibility – visible/non-visible layers, can be changed by switching layers on/off

List By Selection – selected/not-selected data

Most of the time you will use List by Drawing Order or List By Source.


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19. Right-click on Countries layer in the TOC and choose Properties (or double click on layers

name). Every layer has its properties. List through the tabs and think about what they can be

used for (e.g. change layer symbol, add labels, set transparency). In a next few lessons you

will learn how to use them.

20. Right-click on Countries layer in the TOC and choose Open attribute table for this layer.

Each feature of a layer has its own record in attribute table.


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21. Close the Table window.

22. Change symbology (i.e. symbol, size and color) of layers.

With right-click you can only change color.

Using left-click Symbol Selector dialog box opens.

Note: Symbology of newly-add data is random.

23. Use tools from Tools toolbar to zoom in, zoom out and pan in map window (for zoom in/out

you can use also mouse wheel).


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Part 3: Saving map document

Your work is being stored in a map document -.mxd data format. MXD file keeps:

link to the layers (where they are saved on disk) – but not the data itself!!!

symbology of layers

If you remove layer from your map document, data on the disk will be kept.

If you remove layer/data from disk, you will get error in map document.

Tasks:

24. Save your map document into your personal folder (Save button on Standard toolbar or

menu File -> Save).

Part 4: Recapitulation of Lesson 1 - acquired skills

After Lesson 1 (and especially at the beginning of Lesson 2) you should be able to apply these skills

without teacher’s hint:

Copy data from K://KAGUP/DATA/GIS1_EN/Lessons to your personal folder

Connect to folder (ArcCatalog, ArcMap)

View layer properties (ArcCatalog, ArcMap)

View attribute table (ArcCatalog, ArcMap)

Change order of layers

Switch on/off layers

Change basic symbology of layers

Use Tools to zoom in, zoom out and pan in map window

Save map document .mxd

Please, test your skills and if you are not sure with any of these tasks, go back into instructions and

exercise again - in next lessons you will be supposed to use these skills on your own.

Lesson 1 – Introduction to ArcGIS Environment

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Transcript of Lesson 1 – Introduction to ArcGIS Environment